Frequently Asked Questions: Mirroring or Licensing the Genome Browser

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Licensing the Genome Browser or Blat

Do I need a license to install the Genome Browser or its databases on my own machine?

A license is required for commercial use of the Genome Browser or Blat alignment tool. No license is needed for academic, nonprofit, and personal use. The data displayed by the Genome Browser is freely available for both public and commercial use with a few exceptions. Check the README.txt file in the assembly download directory to view the use restrictions specific to that release.

For information on licensing the Genome Browser or Blat tool, see the licensing page.

Downloading the Genome Browser source

Where can I download the source code and executables for the Genome Browser?

The Genome Browser source code and executables are freely available for academic, nonprofit, and personal use (see Licensing the Genome Browser or Blat for commercial licensing requirements). The latest version of the source code may be downloaded here.

See Downloading Blat source and documentation for information on Blat downloads.

Mirroring the Genome Browser

Our academic institution would like to install and run the Genome Browser and its databases on our local server. How do we do this? Is there a procedure for updating the data when new tables and assemblies are released?

Non-commercial organizations are welcome to become a Genome Browser mirror site. A license is required for commercial mirroring of the Genome Browser. For detailed procedures on creating a full or partial mirror browser, see the mirror site procedures page.

Setting up a mirror with a customized data set

Is it possible to set up a local version of the Genome Browser that uses my own database rather than UCSC's?

The default Genome Browser installation described on the mirror page includes all the databases and annotation tracks found on the UCSC Genome Browser website. It is possible to download a smaller data set to conserve space on your server. Or, if you prefer, you can load your local version of the Genome Browser with your own data rather than using the data supplied by UCSC. Instructions for building your own genome database are located on our wiki site.

If you encounter problems or have questions, email the genome-mirror mailing list. Messages sent to this address will be posted to the moderated genome-mirror mailing list, which is archived on a SEARCHABLE PUBLIC Google Groups forum.

Minimum system requirements for a mirror

Are there any minimum system requirements for setting up my own mirror?

There are a number of minimum software and hardware requirements that must be considered before trying to set up your own mirror. These requirements are described in detail in the README.requirements file from the source tree.