ELOG - COMSOL with Matlab without display

When running comsol with matlab interface on sandbox1, it is usually most convenient to ssh with screen forwarding (eg '-CY') and launch COMSOL with matlab by following the instructions in the livelink manual.

Sometimes, it is necessary to run COMSOL without any display available. In that case, the Instructions in the manual are a little unclear. Here are the detailed steps that let me run my script '/home/amarkowi/metamaterials/run_spiral.m' with no screen forwarding.

1. ssh onto sandbox1 by entering the following at your laptop command prompt

Aaron’s-latpop $ ssh aaron.markowitz@sandbox1.ligo.caltech.edu

password: [enter sandbox1 credentials]

2. start a tmux session for starting the COMSOL server

aaron.markowitz@sandbox1:~$ tmux

3. start a comsol server from the tmux session

aaron.markowitz@sandbox1:~$ comsol54 mphserver -login force -port 2020

Username: whoever

Password: whatever

Confirm password: whatever

4. detach the tmux session by pressing ‘ctrl-b’ followed by ‘d’

5. (optionally, you can start a new tmux session for your matlab work by running tmux again at your main sandbox prompt)

6. Start matlab by running

>> matlab -nodesktop -mlnosplash

6. Add the comsol directory to the matlab path by running at the matlab prompt

>> addpath(‘/localhome/comsol54/multiphysics/mli/‘)

6. Start the matlab with comsol interface by running the following at the matlab prompt

>> mphstart(’sandbox1.ligo.caltech.edu’, 2020, ‘whoever’, ‘whatever’)

7. change into the directory containing the script, and run it

>> cd /home/amarkowi/metamaterials

>> run_spiral