First-Run Setup
The first time you launch the BioNodulo desktop app, a short setup flow gets your local environment ready to execute workflows.
1. Choose a workspace directory
Pick a folder where BioNodulo stores workflows, cached node outputs, and downloaded reference data. Choose a disk with plenty of free space — reference genomes and intermediate files add up quickly.
2. Set the local engine resources
Tell the engine how much of your machine it may use:
- Max RAM — cap memory so heavy nodes don’t starve the rest of your system.
- CPU cores — number of cores available to parallel nodes.
- Concurrent nodes — how many independent nodes may run at once.
Memory-bound steps (alignment, assembly) will fail if you cap RAM below what they need. When your machine is too small, run those steps in the cloud.
3. Container runtime (recommended)
Many nodes run inside containers for reproducibility. If you have Docker (or a
compatible runtime) installed, BioNodulo will detect it and use containerized
nodes automatically. Without a runtime, only nodes with native binaries on your
PATH are available.
4. Optional: connect a cloud account
Sign in with your BioNodulo cloud account to sync workflows between desktop and cloud and to push heavy runs to managed infrastructure. This is entirely optional — the desktop app works fully offline.
5. Verify
Open one of the bundled example workflows and run it on a small input. A successful run confirms your engine, resources, and container runtime are configured correctly.