Overview of Essential Software for School of Engineering Students

Please review the School of Engineering’s recommendations for personal computers before making any equipment purchases. It can be found on our computer recommendation page.

The pages included in this section contain information specifically intended for the use of any student pursuing a Computer Science or one of our Engineering Degrees. Much of this information is also helpful for students taking a general education course provided by the School of Engineering. As college students, you are expected to be able to do research, think critically and follow detailed instructions. This means that you should follow the instructions carefully and completely BEFORE requesting additional assistance.

  • VPN Client Downloads: software required for accessing certain School of Engineering resources, including software licensing servers. The School of Engineering has retired the OpenVPN Access Server and School of Engineering students are now being provided off-campus access via the University’s AnyConnect VPN Portal.
    • (links will be available when documentation is complete)
    • Access to the following servers do not require the use of a VPN connection at this time:
      • GITLAB: the School of Engineering’s software development server
      • YOUTRACK: the School of Engineering’s project management server
  • MobaXterm: Windows software for remotely accessing departmental resources using SSH. The portable version has been verified to work with non-SoE lab machines on campus. PLEASE NOTE: This method is no longer the recommended for accessing School of Engineering servers from a personal device using an SSH session. Windows Powershell now provides SSH functionality without the need to install additional software. If you want more functionality, we recommend installing a local copy of Linux using WSL, the Windows Subsystem for Linux feature. (write up coming soon)
  • JetBrains IDE’s: These are the recommended development tools used in nearly all of the School of Engineering courses which involve programming. The four specific IDEs installed in the School of Engineering labs are: CLion for C/C++ development, IntelliJ for Java development, PyCharm for python development, and Rubymine for Ruby development.
    • MATLAB: We now have an agreement with MathWorks which allows all SHIP students to install Matlab on their personal devices. For this process, you will need to use your standard SHIP.EDU credentials. If you are having issues, you can find excellent installation instructions and other useful resources on the SHIP.EDU site. You can also get assistance at the student help desk located in the library.

      NOTE: OrCAD, Solidworks, Civil 3D, and Inventor Pro are ONLY available for Windows 10 / 11 Xilinx is available for Windows 10/11 or Linux

      We do not recommend the use of virtualization with any of these products!

      • Cadence: Due to the size of the installation package for the OrCAD and PSpice software tools, we needed to break the install files up into a series of smaller files which allows reliable and timely downloads over less stable network connections. To use this method, you MUST be logged into your School of Engineering sponsored GSuite Account (CS/ENGR). You must download all the files to the same directory before attempting file extraction. To use this software from off campus, you will be required to establish an active VPN connection in order to access the licensing server.

      Redistribution of this software is in direct violation of the University’s computer usage policy.

      Access the Cadence Download and Installation Instructions

      • Solidworks: Due to the size of the installation package for Solidworks, we needed to break the install files up into a series of smaller files which allows reliable and timely downloads over less stable network connections. To use this method, you MUST be logged into your School of Engineering sponsored GSuite Account (CS/ENGR). You must download all the files to the same directory before attempting file extraction. To use this software from off campus, you will be required to establish an active VPN connection in order to access the licensing server.

      Redistribution of this software is in direct violation of the University’s computer usage policy.

      Access the Solidworks Download and Installation Instructions Here

      • Xilinx Vivado: Due to the size of the installation package, we needed to go old school to provide students secure access to the Xilinx Vivado installation files. The Xilinx download is for a unified installer which includes the files needed to install Vivado on either Windows and Linux systems. WARNING: This will require approximately 90GB of free space to hold the downloaded files and have sufficient room to extract the installation files. As with the other Engineering software tools, we once again go old school to provide students secure access to a files this large. Using a technique called disk span zipping, we break the large install files up into parts which will allow reliable and timely downloads from less stable network connections. This requires you to download multiple small files rather than one large file. To use this method, you MUST be logged into your School of Engineering sponsored GSuite Account (CS/ENGR). To use this software from off campus, you will be required to establish an active VPN connection in order to access the licensing server. 

      Redistribution of this software is in direct violation of the University’s computer usage policy.

      Access the Xilinx Vivado Download and Installation Instructions Here

      NOTE: For Autodesk Products, students can create an Autodesk account and generate a personal academic license. This will allow you to run the software on a personal device without the need of a VPN connection. However, please ensure you are installing the same version used in the labs to prevent file compatibility issues.

      • Inventor Pro: Due to the size of the installation package for Autodesk Inventor Pro, we needed to break the install files up into a series of smaller files which allows reliable and timely downloads over less stable network connections. To use this method, you MUST be logged into your School of Engineering sponsored GSuite Account (CS/ENGR). You must download all the files to the same directory before attempting file extraction. To use this software from off campus, you will be required to establish an active VPN connection in order to access the licensing server.

      Redistribution of this software is in direct violation of the University’s computer usage policy.

      Access the Inventor Pro Download and Installation Instructions Here

      • AutoCAD Civil 3D: Due to the size of the installation package for Autodesk Civil 3D, we needed to break the install files up into a series of smaller files which allows reliable and timely downloads over less stable network connections. To use this method, you MUST be logged into your School of Engineering sponsored GSuite Account (CS/ENGR). You must download all the files to the same directory before attempting file extraction. To use this software from off campus, you will be required to establish an active VPN connection in order to access the licensing server.

      Redistribution of this software is in direct violation of the University’s computer usage policy.

      Access the AutoCAD Civil 3D Download and Installation Instructions Here

      • MFA for Development Servers: Instructions on how to configure MFA from a School of Engineering lab computer. This is required before users are able to access the shared servers Sloop and Clipper. This MUST be done from a School of Engineering lab computer. THIS IS SEPARATE FROM THE MFA REQUIRED FOR THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING GMAIL ACCOUNTS.
      • SFTP Drive: Windows software which will allow you to mount your School of Engineering home directory as a local drive on your machine using either Sloop or Clipper without the need for a VPN connection. This will allow software on your computer to access your School of Engineering files.

      SFTP Drive Install, Configuration and Usage Directions!

      (Alternatives solutions can be found here: https://www.engr.ship.edu/for-students/faq/accessing-user-home-directory/ )