Matlab site license FAQ

HPC Web Portal now in Beta The new HPC web portal is now available. We encourage you to try it out as an alternative to traditional clients. It provides file, shell, and desktop access to the cluster within your web browser.

Please see the MATLAB application page for more information and a general overview of MATLAB and its use at UAB.

UAB Mathworks site license FAQ

What is MATLAB?

A high level language and interactive programming environment for engineering and science. MATLAB is a product of Mathworks [1]

Which license are we getting?

Total Academic Headcount (TAH) Campus License.

What is a TAH Campus license?

Allows for campus wide access for MATLAB on university owned machines to all faculty, staff and students. Faculty are also entitled to install Programs on personally owned computers

Does this license include Simulink?

Yes

Which toolboxes are available?

We will be getting the base and standard set of products included in the TAH. The license will also include several additional toolboxes and blocksets. The specific set of add on products is under discussion. See the list of available and proposed software [2].

Does this license include upgrades? I need to be on the same version as other sites.

Yes, upgrades are included in the license. You can also use legacy versions. See below for details about pre 2008a versions.

How do I obtain a toolbox that is not listed?

Faculty and staff can purchase a child license

Who can use this software?

The Campus TAH allows for faculty, staff, and students to use the software.

Where can I install this software?

The Campus TAH allows faculty, staff, and graduate students using the software for research to install the software on university computers, laptops, and their own personal computers using the TAH 678600 license. Other students may install the software on university computers and personal computer with the new TAH 731730 license.

How do I install this software?

Request an activation key.

Create a Mathworks account using your @uab.edu address if you do not have one already.

Associate to the campus-wide license using your activation key.

Download, install, and activate the MATLAB software.

This is a standalone license and not a network license server license. With a standalone license MATLAB can be used off of the network.

Can MATLAB be installed on a server? (i.e. can I set up a network license server?)

Yes, contact the license administrator for assistance.

Can I activate the software offline?

Yes, contact the license administrator for assistance.

Do I need to create a Mathworks account?

You will need an account with your @uab.edu address as the username to activate the software.

If I have MATLAB already do I need to transition to the TAH license?

No, you can keep your old license.

You may also use your current license until it expires and then switch to the TAH license.

Alternatively, you may opt to "store" the unused portion of the license that is duplicated by the TAH license.

What happens if I have already purchased a tool that’s not on the site license, do I need to buy it again?

No. Existing licenses can be maintained and used with the TAH. Licenses for tools not included in the TAH can be maintained according to Mathworks' conventional academic pricing model and license use restrictions.

How do I activate a system that is not connected to the network?

Contact the license administrator.

What happens when you put your license in storage? Is there a grace period for transition to the TAH?

Yes, you will have a few days to a month to transition to the new license, depending on how long it takes Mathworks to process the paperwork. :) Remember that perpetual licenses will not be affected.

Are new purchases forced to be child licenses of the TAH or can they be independent?

They can be independent. You can purchase software from Mathworks independently from the TAH if you choose to.

Who is tech support for migration? Can I just contact Mathworks?

Mathworks has a dedicated support group to assist you with the transition. support for help.

Who enforces compliance with 'no commercial use' rules?

UAB must make reasonable efforts to prevent inappropriate use of the software

Is this a perpetual license?

No.

Who is the license administrator you keep mentioning?

TBD

How do I ask a question that is not on this list?

You can simply email your question to tanthony@uab.edu for inclusion. Please put matlab site license in the subject line. Alternatively, if you are comfortable using wikis, then log in with your blazer id by clicking the login link in the upper right hand corner. (The other login links will not work.) And add your question to the bottom of the list. One of the site license working group members will try to answer any questions posted.

MATLAB Support / Mailing List

As with any application or computer language, learning to use MATLAB to analyze data or to develop or modify MATLAB applications is an individual responsibility. There is ample application documentation available from the Mathworks website, potential outreach to colleagues who also use MATLAB, and options for consultation with Mathworks. Mathworks also host on-campus training seminars several times a year and provides many on-line learning tutorials.

Installation support for MATLAB at UAB is provided by your local IT support organization and the Docs wiki.

Mathworks Website

Your first and best option for application-specific questions on MATLAB is to refer to the on-line MATLAB documentation. The Mathworks site also provides a a support matrix and an on-line knowledge base.

UAB MATLAB Wiki

The MATLAB page on the Docs wiki is the starting point for installing MATLAB at UAB and, optionally, configuring it to use cluster computing. All users are encouraged to contribute to the MATLAB knowledge in this wiki, especially if you see areas where improvements are needed. Remember, this knowledge base is only as good as the people who contribute to it.

Contributing to the wiki is as easy as clicking the login link on the top-right of the page and signing in with your UAB BlazerID. If you are unsure about making an edit, you can make suggestions for improvement on the page's Discussion tab or discuss the proposed improvement in the MATLAB user group.

UAB MATLAB User Group

At UAB, MATLAB installation support is provided by your local IT support group. Support for application specific questions is available from peers in your research group. We realize that some people are not as familiar with MATLAB as others. For this reason, we have established a MATLAB user forum (mailing list) where users of MATLAB at UAB can help answer each others questions.

This is a network of volunteers sharing their knowledge with peers. You are encouraged to reach out to this community for questions on using MATLAB by

• Joining the MATLAB user group - alternately send an email to sympa@vo.uabgrid.uab.edu with the following text in the body of the email subscribe matlab-user
• After joining the group, you can email questions to the group via matlab-user@vo.uabgrid.uab.edu

Archives of MATLAB user group discussions are available on-line at https://vo.uabgrid.uab.edu/sympa/arc/matlab-user. You may find your question is already answered in these archives.

UAB MATLAB announce mailing list

To receive information about UAB's MATLAB license and announcements please subscribe to the matlab-annc mailing list by

• Joining the MATLAB announce mailing list - alternately send an email to sympa@vo.uabgrid.uab.edu with the following text in the body of the email subscribe matlab-annca