Why can't I get a MATLAB license when using the campus VPN?

Owned by Marc Miller
Last updated: Jul 22, 2020
1 min read

Problem

Unable to get a MATLAB license when using the campus VPN

Solution

First, make sure you are on a network that allows VPNs and that you have internet connectivity. No network means no network licenses.

Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) block some or all VPNs. ECI has no control over non-university networks and cannot guarantee a secure connection on them. 

VPNs are banned in China and are now considered a crime by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT)

Assuming you are on a network that allows VPNs and that you have connectivity, the next step is to check your computer.

Before trying anything else, make sure you are running the VPN service as administrator.

If that still doesn't work, continue as administrator and do the following:

  1. Navigate to your MATLAB installation folder. From there, go into the version folder, and then further into the licenses folder. For example:
    1. Windows: C:\ProgramFiles\MATLAB\R2013b\licenses\
    2. Mac OS X: /Users/$USER/Library/Application Support/MathWorks/MATLAB/ where $USER is the username you use to login to your computer.
  2. In this folder is a text file named network.lic which contains the information needed to access the license provided by the university. Open the file for editing
  3. Append " 38001" onto the end of the first line and save the file.