13  Installing an Operator

Once your operator is tested and documented, the final step is making it available to users through Tercen’s library system. This chapter covers the installation process, library management, and best practices for deploying operators to production environments.

What You’ll Learn

• Understanding Tercen’s library system
• Creating and managing custom libraries
• Installing operators from Git repositories
• Library access control and permissions
• Operator versioning and updates

13.1 Understanding Tercen Libraries

Tercen uses a library system to organize and distribute computational modules. Libraries provide a structured way to manage operators, templates, apps, and datasets while controlling access and maintaining quality standards.

13.1.1 Library Types

Library Type	Description	Use Case	Access
Tercen Library	Official curated collection	Production-ready operators	Public
Custom Libraries	Team or organization specific	Internal/specialized operators	Controlled
Personal Libraries	Individual developer libraries	Development and testing	Private

Library Architecture

Libraries in Tercen are implemented as specialized teams where: - The team itself represents the library - Projects within the team become available operators - Team permissions control library access - Git integration enables automated updates

13.2 Setting Up a Custom Library

13.2.1 Library Creation Process

1. Create a New Team
   • Navigate to your Tercen account dashboard
   • Click “Teams” → “Create New Team”
   • Choose a descriptive name (e.g., “MyOrganization Operators”)
2. Configure as Library Team
   • Go to team settings
   • Enable “Library team” option
   • Configure team visibility and permissions
3. Set Access Permissions
   • Add team members as needed
   • Configure read/write permissions
   • Set up approval workflows if required

Library Naming Best Practices

• Use organization or project names for clarity
• Include purpose in the name (e.g., “BioinformaticsLab Operators”)
• Avoid generic names like “MyLibrary” or “TestLib”
• Consider future growth and additional content types

13.3 Installing Operators

13.3.1 Git Integration Method

Tercen’s preferred method for operator installation uses direct Git integration:

1. Navigate to Your Library

   • Access your custom library (team)
   • Ensure you have appropriate permissions

2. Add New Project

   • Click “New Project”
   • Select “From Git”

3. Configure Repository Details

   Name:       my_analysis_operator
   URL:        https://github.com/myorg/my_analysis_operator
   Tag:        1.0.0 (optional - for specific versions)
   Auth Token: github_pat_xxxxx (if repository is private)

4. Complete Installation

   • Review settings
   • Click “Create Project”
   • Wait for repository cloning and validation

Authentication Requirements

For private repositories, you’ll need: - Personal Access Token (PAT) for GitHub - Appropriate repository permissions - Token with repo scope for full access

13.4 Operator Availability and Testing

13.4.1 Verification Steps

After installation, verify your operator is working correctly:

1. Check Library Listing
   • Confirm operator appears in library
   • Verify metadata is displayed correctly
2. Test in Workflow
   • Create a new workflow
   • Add a data step
   • Search for your operator
   • Test with sample data
3. Validate Functionality
   • Run with different input configurations
   • Verify output correctness
   • Check error handling

13.5 Version Management

13.5.1 Operator Updates

To update an installed operator:

1. Push changes to Git repository
2. Tag new version (recommended)
3. Trigger library refresh in Tercen

13.5.2 Version Control Best Practices

• Use semantic versioning (e.g., 1.0.1)
• Tag stable releases in Git

13.6 Next Steps

With your operator successfully installed and available to users, consider:

• Monitoring usage patterns and feedback
• Planning feature enhancements based on user needs
• Exploring advanced deployment automation