Why do I receive a 'permission denied' error when running validation or opening a parpool using the local scheduler?

When validating the local scheduler profile I recieve the following error:

VALIDATION DETAILS

Profile: local

Scheduler Type: Local

Stage: Cluster connection test (parcluster)

Status: Passed

Description:Validation Passed

Command Line Output:(none)

Error Report:(none)

Debug Log:(none)

Stage: Job test (createJob)

Status: Failed

Description:The validation stage encountered a MATLAB exception.

Command Line Output:(none)

Error Report:

Could not create a temporary directory for the attached file archive.

Caused by:

Permission denied

Debug Log:(none)

Stage: SPMD job test (createCommunicatingJob)

Status: Failed

Description:The validation stage encountered a MATLAB exception.

Command Line Output:(none)

Error Report:

Could not create a temporary directory for the attached file archive.

Caused by:

Permission denied

Debug Log:(none)

Stage: Pool job test (createCommunicatingJob)

Status: Skipped

Description:Validation skipped due to previous failure.

Command Line Output:(none)

Error Report:(none)

Debug Log:(none)

Stage: Parallel pool test (parpool)

Status: Skipped

Description:Validation skipped due to previous failure.

Command Line Output:(none)

Error Report:(none)

Debug Log:(none)

While trying to start a parpool using the local scheduler MATLAB returns the following error:

Starting parallel pool (parpool) using the 'local' profile ...

Error using parallel.Cluster/parpool (line 81)

Failed to start a parallel pool. (For information in addition to the

causing error, validate the profile 'local' in the Cluster Profile Manager.)

Caused by:

Error using parallel.internal.pool.InteractiveClient>iThrowWithCause

(line 667)

Failed to start pool.

Error using parallel.Job/createTask (line 277)

Permission denied

I have write permission to both the jobStorageLocation and /tmp.

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

MATLAB will use the value of the $TMP variable for the location of the temp folder, so you may encounter this error if $TMP isn't set to /tmp. If you do not have permission to write to the path stored in $TMP, then you will not be able to start a parpool.

To determine the folder used by MATLAB, enter the following into the MATLAB command prompt:

>> tempname

If this isn't a folder that you have permission to write to, either change the value of $TMP to a folder you _can _write to, or change the permissions of the folder $TMP is set to.

You can also try the following:

 

1. Launch MATLAB

2. Go to ‘Manage Cluster Profile’ located in the 'Parallel' drop down options. 

3. Select the appropriate Cluster Profile

4. Click ‘Edit’ and the bottom right-hand corner

5. Edit the field for JobStorageLocation to a directory that you have permissions to