Computing : Mathematica

Mathematica is a computational software program used in many scientific, engineering, mathematical and computing fields, based on symbolic mathematics. It was conceived by Stephen Wolfram and is developed by Wolfram Research of Champaign, Illinois. The Wolfram Language is the programming language used in Mathematica.

Information

Source: http://www.wolfram.com/mathematica/
License: commercial
Code: Wolfram
Path: /opt/mathematica/<version>
Licensing: concurrent
License server: zitlic03.desy.de only accessible from within the DESY network. Eur.XFEL, UNI-HH and MPSD run their own license server!
Downloads: Mathematica Downloads & Licenses

Availability:

	RedHat SL6	pre-installed in /opt/mathematica/ (linked into afs). Local installation possible if needed provided sufficient disk space in /opt/ is available.
	RedHat EL7	pre-installed in /opt/mathematica (linked into afs). Local installation possible if needed provided sufficient disk space in /opt/ is available.
	Ubuntu/Debian	sudo apt-get install mathematica10-afsu mathematica10-alias dl-optafs # should do it for an afs-linked installations (for v10.0)
	Other linux	fetch the binary tarball and unpack. Installation can be in arbitrary locations and hence doesn't require admin rights.
	Windows	Available as NetInstall package. If not, also available as installer from download page
	Mac OSX	available as installer from download page

Using mathematica (linux)

Usually mathematica can be invoked directly as a versioned command

[me@pal ~]$ /usr/local/bin/mathematica10.0   # or simply
[me@pal ~]$ mathematica10.0                  # as /usr/local/bin will usually be in the PATH.

There is however no unversioned command "mathematica". To always use the most recent available version

[me@pal ~]$ module load mathematica            # to use the newest version
[me@pal ~]$ module load mathematica/10.0       # to use a specific version
[me@pal ~]$ mathematica

Running Mathematica

Mathematica comes with extensive documentation and demos. Other resources like community forums can be found on the wolfram site

Please note: access to license servers is only possible from within the DESY network. The same is (more or less) true if you are using the license serves of the University of Hamburg or the Max-Planck Society.

Pre-packaged Mathematica installations (NetInstall, RPMs) refer to the DESY license server. For computers belonging to UNI-HH or MPSD, the default server is replaced by the group specific server in /usr/share/Mathematica/Licensing/mathpass. As a user you will not need to adjust the server settings as long as you are using the standard DESY packages. In case you need a non-standard installation, make sure to use the proper license server

# DESY:               Use !zitlic03.desy.de
# University Hamburg: Use !lizenzsrv9.rrz.uni-hamburg.de AND !mathematica10.rrz.uni-hamburg.de
# MPSD:               Use !flex1.mpsd.mpg.de
# Eur.XFEL:           Use !exfllic01.desy.de
 
# Under Linux (example for UNI-HH):
cat <<eof> $HOME/.Mathematica/Licensing/mathpass              # to set the license server for a particular user
!lizenzsrv9.rrz.uni-hamburg.de
!mathematica10.rrz.uni-hamburg.de
!mathematica11.rrz.uni-hamburg.de
!mathematica12.rrz.uni-hamburg.de
eof
## choose /usr/share/Mathematica/Licensing/mathpass    to set the license server system wide
## Please consult https://www.rrz.uni-hamburg.de/services/software/software-thematisch/software-alpha/mathematica.html for uptodate information!

# Under Windows: Set the license server in C:\ProgramData\Mathematica\Licensing\mathpass. The mathpass-file should contain a single line:
!<my-mathematica-license server> 
# in case of DESY:
!zitlic03.desy.de
 
# Under MacOSX: Set the license server in /Library/Mathematica/Licensing/mathpass. The mathpass-file should contain a single line:
!<my-mathematica-license server> 
# in case of MPSD:
!flex1.mpsd.mpg.de

You can easily verify from which license server your current mathematica process has received a license:

[myhost] ~ % math9.0 
Mathematica 9.0 for Linux x86 (64-bit)
Copyright 1988-2013 Wolfram Research, Inc.

In[1]:= $LicenseServer                                                          
Out[1]= lizenzsrv9.rrz.uni-hamburg.de

Another concern: please close Mathematica and make sure processes are terminated once you've done with your calculations! It will otherwise block the license. If you're running mathematica jobs for a long time (or leave stale processes behind) you'll get automatic emails once per week and process reminding you to terminate inactive mathematica sessions!

Installing Mathematica manually

The installation procedure is very similar for Linux, Mac OSX and Windows. All information needed can be found under Mathematica Downloads & Licenses. The folder is only accessible with a DESY username and password.

Installing Mathematica on Windows

Provided your PC is a member of the DESY windows domain, use the Netinstall Installer & Uninstaller, Mathematica can be found under "Scientific Software". Be aware that the Mathematica installation can take a while. So even if the installlation shows nothing than a blue screen and no progress-bar, let the installation continue until it's really done. You can still use your PC during the installation, just swap the application in focus with "CTRL-ALT-TAB".

If the PC is not part of the windows domain, please refer to the manual installation.