deactive license from terminal

I want to deactivate a "R2017b update 9" matlab license on a linux computer that does not have a GUI or internet connection. I am not able to deactivate via the standard method "On the home tab, choose Help > Licensing > Deactivate Software."

[Hugo Linder]

I tried bash deactivate_matlab.sh:

"Error: There is no display set. The deactivation process

requires that an X display be set." (again, this computer has no GUI/ display)

I guess my particular situation is not supported. I am proceeding with https://mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/99859-how-can-i-deactivate-matlab-on-a-machine-i-cannot-access and the deactivation agreement. Thank you.

Answer 1

[Shivang]

Hi Hugo,

I understand that you wish to deactivate MATLAB on a Linux machine using the terminal.

There is a shell script, "deactivate_matlab.sh", located inside "matlabroot/bin", to manually start the deactivation process. Refer to this MATLAB Answer for more details: https://mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/100663-how-do-i-deactivate-matlab

If you are still unable to generate a deactivation string, you can follow the steps listed here: https://mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/99859-how-can-i-deactivate-matlab-on-a-machine-i-cannot-access

Hope this helps.

-Shivang

[Walter Roberson]

Running the deactivate_matlab.sh script will not help if the system has no internet connection, as the deactivation procedure would be unable to report back to Mathworks that the license has been deactivated.

You will need to deactivate on the Mathworks site.

Note: deactivation is only necessary if you want to tell Mathworks that the license has been removed from the system, and therefore is available to potentially be assigned to other systems. If you just want to remove a user's access without bothering to report back to Mathworks, then you could potentially just delete the license file on the host.

[Shivang]

As per the documentation (https://mathworks.com/help/install/ug/deactivate-an-installation.html#mw_160d8c35-91de-48ce-8ea9-6869379e6346), a deactivation string is generated even for offline systems, which can then be used to deactivate the license on the website. I am curious, is this not the case?

[Image Analyst]

"which can then be used to deactivate the license on the website" <== which you can't get to if there is no internet connection. Perhaps you can take that string to another computer that does have an internet connection (as your link says) and use it there somehow, but if you can do that, then you can just login to your account and deactivate it that way, with no string from the other computer needed.

Personally what I'd do is to, from another internet connected computer) login and deactivate the non-internet computer. Then try just uninstalling it, which will get rid of it but not notify Mathworks that it is gone, but since you've done that already, it should be gone and completely off the computer and off the Mathworks list of activated computers.