A Guide to Access Matlab at GMU

This guide is intended for students taking CDS 130.

1. Locate the computer with matlab. Most GMU lab computers have matlab installed.  There are several computer labs across the campuses. The locations and hours of these labs can be found here

2.  Access the computer with matlab. You need a Mason academic research system ("mason.gmu.edu") account to access these computers. They are created automatically. You may need to activate the account online. The information on the account can be found here

3. Start the matlab. On LINUX platforms, open a terminal, and type "matlab &" at the operating system prompt. Matab user interface will pop out in several seconds.

4. To access the matlab anywhere with your laptop. You can remotely access your account in "mason.gmu.edu" system and use the matlab from your laptop. To do this, you need to install Linux-like environment in your window operation systems.
(1) Install Cygin, one widely used linux-like environment for Windows. It may take time to install it, and configure it correctly.
(2) Start an X-window by clicking on "C:\cygwin\bin\startxwin.bat"
(3) At the prompt of the X-window, type "ssh -X -Y -l  yourname mason.gmu.edu". Your name is your account name at GMU, e.g., "jzhang7" for me (Jie Zhang).
(4) Once you log into your account, type "matlab &" at the prompt to start the matlab.