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2.3: How to Access MatLab (Duke students)

  • Page ID
    425577
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    There are several options for accessing Matlab at Duke:

    Whichever option you choose, it is ideal if you stick with the same way of accessing MatLab for the duration of the semester so that all your files are available in the same place. Read the information below to understand your options.

    1. OPTION 1: Use MatLab Online using an internet browser. 
      There are specific limitations of the online version of MatLab, but for the purposes of this course, MatLab Online is a convinient option. You have free access to MatLab online using your Duke Login Credentials. 
      *NOTE: Visiting students may be excluded from this access, so make sure you check your access asap if you are a visiting student at Duke)
    2. OPTION 2: You can download and install software onto your own computer to access Matlab.
      1. Install Matlab on your own computer. Installing the Matlab program on your own computer will likely give you a faster response, but the Matlab software will take up as much as six gigabytes (6GB) of space on your hard drive.
      2. OR...Use the emulation software, FastX to access the Matlab installed on the chemistry department "bohr" server. FastX exists in a web browser version, or you can download it onto your computer. However, running a remote connection from your computer to bohr can result in a slower response since the speed will be related to the speed of your network connection. Additionally, you will have to get copies of our in-house scripts and place them in the MatLab path so that they can be used when needed. You will also need the Duke VPN if you are off campus  Instructions for both options are given in sections of this Module.
    3. OPTION 3: You can access the MatLab program using a lab computer. However, MatLab is not installed on the lab computer hard drive. Rather, you can access the software that is installed on the chemistry department server (bohr) using an emulation software (FastX).
      • FastX is already installed on all laboratory computers in our P-Chem lab, and you are permitted to use those computers any time that the labs are open.
      • Alternatively, use a lab computer to access MatLab Online.

    The ability to access MatLab from your own computer will allow you to do your data analysis without having to come in to the lab, therefore options 1 and 2 are recommended. Option 1 has the additional benefit of cloud backups of your work.


    This page titled 2.3: How to Access MatLab (Duke students) is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Kathryn Haas.

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