August 13, 2025,
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Running Windows-only software on macOS
Some courses may require software that is only available for Microsoft Windows operating systems.
For those with an Apple macOS device, there are a handful of options, depending on the software’s requirements, your use case and personal preference.
For example, support for GPU emulation/virtualization on Windows and therefore 3D acceleration (e.g. OpenGL and DirectX) are not available with all the options listed below. Check the fine print.
Most common would be to create a Windows virtual machine, providing a full Windows GUI environment with its own partition. Another popular option is a Windows emulator for running just an app or two.
If you don’t have a MS Windows license, and depending on the option chosen below, check out our instructions on getting it free.
OpenSource/Free:
•VMware Fusion: Run Windows, Linux and other virtual machines with VMware Fusion for Mac, the industry standard desktop hypervisor. See also: https://www.mikeroysoft.com/post/download-fusion-ws/
•UTM: a full featured system emulator and virtual machine host for iOS and macOS. It is based off of QEMU. In short, it allows you to run Windows, Linux, and more on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
•VirtualBox: a general-purpose full virtualization software for x86_64 hardware targeted at laptop, desktop, server and embedded use.
•Wine: a compatibility layer capable of running Windows applications on several POSIX-compliant operating systems, such as Linux, macOS, & BSD. Instead of simulating internal Windows logic like a virtual machine or emulator, Wine translates Windows API calls into POSIX calls on-the-fly, eliminating the performance and memory penalties of other methods and allowing you to cleanly integrate Windows applications into your desktop.
For Purchase:
•Parallels: Maximize your Mac’s potential by running Windows and Windows applications on a virtual machine. Access over 200,000 apps to work, study and play effortlessly. Authorized by Microsoft.
•CrossOver: the easiest way to run many Microsoft applications on your Mac without a clunky Windows emulator. It’s not an emulator. It does the work of translating Windows commands into Mac commands so that you can run Windows software as if it were designed native to Mac. Works with all kinds of software – productivity software, utility programs, and games – all with one application.
September 6, 2016,
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If you haven’t already done so, after reading the description and deciding which license applies to your situation, you’ll need to purchase Matlab from OSL here: https://software.utah.edu/mathworks.php (click the ‘Shop For Software’ button)
For students and single-machine installs, you should see the following link on your receipt or e-mail from software@utah.edu describing the process to download and install Matlab: Instructions for Single User Licenses
OSL also has a full FAQ page dedicated to the new campus license for MathWorks software: https://software.utah.edu/faq/license/matlab/index.php
November 16, 2015,
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CADE offers a Gitlab Ultimate server at git.eng.utah.edu.
Login using your CADE credentials. Repositories are limited to 10GB by default.
Additionally, any lab1 and lab2 machine can be used to host a simple git repository.
1) A git repository can be created using the ‘git init MY_REPO’ command.
This will create and initialize a simple git repository called ‘MY_REPO’ in your current directory
2) If this is going to be a shared git repository, it is highly recommended to initialize using the ‘- -bare’ flag.
Example: ‘git init –bare MY_REPO’
This will create and initialize a simple git repository that does not include a working copy.
3) By default, git uses simple UNIX permissions for file management. This means that you can share access to the git repository based on the group in which the files belong to.
4) The git repository can be checked out via SSH from any lab1 or lab2 machine.
Example: ‘git clone ssh://USERNAME@lab[1-2]-[1-40].eng.utah.edu/path/to/repo’
5) If using the bare flag (which is highly recommended), the owner of the git repository should still check out their own working copy, so as to not overwrite other peoples’ changes.
November 13, 2015,
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Programs are limited to 8 hours of CPU time on the CADE lab1 and lab2 machines. We currently do not limit CUDA GPU simulations. Consider moving heavy parallel computations there.
September 21, 2015,
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SolidWorks 2025-26 is currently available for student and department installations. The version of SolidWorks available is tied to the academic calendar and new versions are typically made available to us during summer semester. After testing, we upgrade the labs in preparation for fall semester.
There are two editions of SolidWorks available, each is intended for a specific use:
The Student Premium Edition is the full version that matches the version installed in our labs feature for feature, however its license allows it to be installed on student laptops or home computers and activates directly with SolidWorks over the internet. The activation is valid for 1 year, at which point you will need to install the new version for the new academic year to continue using SolidWorks. Most students will want to install this edition of SolidWorks.
The Education Edition is intended to be installed on College of Engineering department desktops. It requires access to CADE’s network license server in order to run. So, while it can be installed on home computers, doing so requires either an active connection to the Campus VPN, or a monthly license borrowing procedure in order for the licensing to work properly. This is typically NOT the edition you want if you are installing SolidWorks on a laptop or home computer.
*** THIS SOFTWARE IS ONLY PROVIDED TO STUDENTS IN THE JOHN AND MARCIA PRICE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH. ***
Installation instructions for both editions can be obtained by accessing the Solidworks folder in CADE’s U.Box repository.
Log in with your CIS credentials (UNID & CIS/UMail password). If you’ve not created your U.Box account, do so first.
Note: Solidworks is a MS Windows-only program and will NOT run on macOS or Linux distros. One could, however, use a Windows virtual machine or emulator to run it (VirtualBox, VMWare Player/Fusion, Parallels, CrossOver, VirtaulPC, etc.)
February 12, 2013,
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Indeed – simply download and install the appropriate mobile device application and then execute the commands in the Matlab application (R2012a+), from a lab machine, or any machine with a licensed copy of Matlab.
You will need MATLAB Connector (available from MathWorks, http://www.mathworks.com/mobile/) on your machine/device. Upon running the install_connector command, you’ll be prompted to accept the license agreement, and then receive an error message you can safely ignore:
Error using install_connector>doinstall (line 100)
Error: You do not have write permission to the MATLAB Installation folder
(/usr/local/apps/matlab/matlab14b).
The MATLAB Connector Installer cannot proceed.
Error in install_connector (line 54)
doinstall
Run the ‘connector on’ command and continue as normal.
See Matlab’s site for full instructions and more information, including a link to download the mobile app.
February 12, 2013,
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When logged in to a Linux lab machine or compute server, you may get the following error when opening Firefox:
“Firefox is already running, but is not responding. To open a new window, you must first close the existing Firefox process, or restart your system.”
This may occur even though no evidence of Firefox running can be found.
To remedy this, open a Terminal and run the command: foxlock
It’s a script we wrote that will remove the necessary files from your .mozilla folder and allow you to open Firefox once again.
October 10, 2012,
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SolidWorks 2025-26 is currently available for student and department installations. The version of SolidWorks available is tied to the academic calendar and new versions are typically made available to us during summer semester. After testing, we upgrade the labs in preparation for fall semester.
There are two editions of SolidWorks available, each is intended for a specific use:
The Student Premium Edition is the full version that matches the version installed in our labs feature for feature, however its license allows it to be installed on student laptops or home computers and activates directly with SolidWorks over the internet. The activation is valid for 1 year, at which point you will need to install the new version for the new academic year to continue using SolidWorks. Most students will want to install this edition of SolidWorks.
The Education Edition is intended to be installed on College of Engineering department desktops. It requires access to CADE’s network license server in order to run. So, while it can be installed on home computers, doing so requires either an active connection to the Campus VPN, or a monthly license borrowing procedure in order for the licensing to work properly. This is typically NOT the edition you want if you are installing SolidWorks on a laptop or home computer.
*** THIS SOFTWARE IS ONLY PROVIDED TO STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH. ***
Installation instructions for both editions can be obtained by accessing the Solidworks folder in CADE’s UBox repository.
Log in with your CIS credentials (UNID & CIS/UMail password). If you’ve not created your UBox account, do so first.
Note: Solidworks is a MS Windows-only program and will NOT run on macOS or Linux distros. One could, however, use a Windows virtual machine or emulator to run it (VirtualBox, VMWare Player/Fusion, Parallels, CrossOver, VirtaulPC, etc.)
September 25, 2012,
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What Matlab Toolboxes are available for students/research to use? What features are licensed for use in Comsol? Do we have a license for Fluent/Gambit?
Answers to these and more can be found on the license status page here: https://flex.eng.utah.edu
September 24, 2012,
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Due to the large number of programs (387 at last count) and features they offer, it would take more time than we are willing to put into it to list everything. Many programs have: pulldown Help menus, man pages (‘man pine’ would give you the man page on pine) and very helpfull websites.
If your question can still not be answered or the answer you found does not work, don’t hesitate to ask us.
We will add links below to software tutorials and usage as we find/get a chance to make them.
Matlab: http://www.che.utah.edu/~sutherland/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Interfacing ANSYS and LS-DYNA (OLD!!): http://www.me.unlv.edu/~mbt/Impact_Characteristics/Interfacing%20ANSYS%20and%20LS-DYNA%20.htm
