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Matlab

Mathworks Matlab is available on our HPC facilities as part of our University licensing agreement. It is available to all users.

Check Versions

$ module avail MATLAB

------------------------------------------------------------ /mnt/storage/apps/eb/modules/all ------------------
   MATLAB/2017a    MATLAB/2018b    MATLAB/2020a    MATLAB/2022b    MATLAB/2024a (D)

  Where:
   D:  Default Module
$

The actual versions displayed may vary depending on which HPC facility you are using. Use the module avail command, as above, to determine which versions are present.

Running

Open OnDemand Application

This section is incomplete

This documentation section is still being written and will not be available until Comet is in production.

Interactive Desktop GUI

Interactive via the Matlab desktop interface (you must have enabled X11 over SSH in your client), to a login node: 

$ module load MATLAB
$ matlab

Matlab will load the desktop interface/window and, assuming you have correctly configured your X11 over SSH settings, this should be displayed on your desktop:

Remember, you should take care to minimise the use of compute-intensive applications on the login nodes - this is intended for quick tests only.

Command Line

Run Matlab in command line mode, without the desktop application window: 

$ module load MATLAB
$ matlab -nodesktop -nosplash
MATLAB is selecting SOFTWARE rendering.
Opening log file:  /path/to/your/home/java.log.25303

                                                   < M A T L A B (R) >
                                         Copyright 1984-2024 The MathWorks, Inc.
                                    R2024a Update 2 (24.1.0.2578822) 64-bit (glnxa64)
                                                      April 9, 2024

 
To get started, type doc.
For product information, visit www.mathworks.com.
 
>>

This will work on both a login node, as well as an interactive shell on a compute node (see "How do I get an interactive shell on a compute node?"]). Using compute intensive applications on the login nodes are strictly limited and should be for simple tests (such as "does it run?" - yes, okay I'll now run it on a compute node to completion) only. ---- ===== Tips ===== ==== Matlab Home Directory Use ==== When running Matlab on the HPC it will create an entirely new, host-specific preference directory within your ''.MathWorks/ServiceHost'' folder in your home directory. Since you may end up running Matlab on many dozens of different hosts via Slurm, this //can// end up taking up many gigabytes of your home directory space, as well as __slow__ the starting of Matlab on any host/node/system that you launch it on __for the first time__: <code lang=shell-session> $ cd $HOME $ cd .MathWorks/ServiceHost $ du -h -s * 950M login01/ 898M login02/ 1023M sb085/ 1291M sb090/ 1407M sb091/ 789M sb099/ $ </code> It is __safe__ to delete these directories, as they will be recreated again the next time you run Matlab on another host. //Initial discussion of large, per-host ''ServiceHost'' folders reported on the Mathworks support forum:// * https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/2145014-is-it-safe-to-delete-the-node-specific-folders-under-mathworks-servicehost-on-linux ---- [[advanced:software|Back to Advanced Software Index