Installing matlab.engine API for Python in linux-based HPC

I want to use the HPC to accelerate my python-controlled Simulink.

Therefore, I have to install the matlab.engine on the HPC first.

Since my university's HPC only provides the Matlab-R2020a, so I have to use Python 2.7/ 3.6/ 3.7.

So I did the following steps. First I used Python 2.7

1. cd /home/ViperAppsFiles/matlab/2020a/extern/engines/python/
2. python setup.py build --build-base = /home/users/.cache install --prefix=/home/users/software

Now the whole module is built in software folder. Then I change the PYTHONPATH by:

export PYTHONPATH = /home/user/software/lib/python2.7/site-packages:$PYTHONPATH

But it reports the fault when I tried to call import matlab.engine:

Please contact MathWorks Technical Support for assistance:
Details: need more than 3 values to unpack
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
File "/home/user/software/lib/python2.7/site-packages/matlab/__init__.py", line 209, in <module>
raise RuntimeError('unable to read {}'.format(get_arch_filename()))
RuntimeError: unable to read /home/user/software/lib/python2.7/site-packages/matlab/engine/_arch.txt
>>> RuntimeError: unable to read /home/user/software/lib/python2.7/site-packages/matlab/engine/_arch.txt
File "<stdin>", line 1
RuntimeError: unable to read /home/user/software/lib/python2.7/site-packages/matlab/engine/_arch.txt
^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

And according to this method, the module only support 2.7, 3.8, 3.9, which 3.8 and 3.9 is incapable of cooperating with matlab/R2020a.

Answer 1

[Ashu]

Hi Jianing,

To install Python Engine you have to follow these steps -

1. Find the matlabroot by executing the following command at the MATLAB command window

matlabroot

2. change directory to :

<matlabroot>\extern\engines\python

3. Execute the follwing command with admin privilege :

python setup.py install

I would suggest you to use plain command like mentioned above, but if needed try the following for your use case:

python setup.py build -b <somedir> install

Then export the path if needed.

For more information on matlab.engine for python you can refer

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_external/get-started-with-matlab-engine-for-python.html

Regards

Ashutosh

[Jianing]

Thanks for you time. Now the Matlab.engine has installed on the HPC server and could be called.

However, only these two commands could work.

>>> import matlab.engine

>>> env = matlab.engine.start_matlab()

When I started to call the real simulink file as follows:

>>> env_name = 'TEST_2020'

>>> env.load_system(env_name)

Then the error is as:

Caught "std::exception" Exception message is:

libasound.so.2: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory: Success: Success

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>

File "/home/722179/.conda/envs/matlab_python_37/lib/python3.7/site-packages/matlab/engine/matlabengine.py", line 71, in __call__

_stderr, feval=True).result()

File "/home/722179/.conda/envs/matlab_python_37/lib/python3.7/site-packages/matlab/engine/futureresult.py", line 67, in result

return self.__future.result(timeout)

File "/home/722179/.conda/envs/matlab_python_37/lib/python3.7/site-packages/matlab/engine/fevalfuture.py", line 82, in result

self._result = pythonengine.getFEvalResult(self._future,self._nargout, None, out=self._out, err=self._err)

matlab.engine.MatlabExecutionError: libasound.so.2: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory: Success: Success

Could you please tell me where went wrong?

[Ashu]

It says no file or directory found. Can you confirm if the env exists at the current directory?