PHYS 401 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Accessing Computing Tools and Resources

Accessing the Campus Network (VPN)

Some computing tools (the EWS file system, lab PCs, Citrix, some software, some library resources) work only from the campus network. To access them from off-campus you need to initiate a VPN connection. The campus VPN system allows you to use your NetID to set up a secure network connection to campus, so that your machine looks like it's on the campus network. To install the client software, see instructions here. "SpiltTunnel_Default" is adequate for most resources, though "TunnelAll" may be needed in some cases.

The EWS Shared File System

A variety of useful software is installed on the computers in the college's Engineering WorkStation (EWS) computer labs. Each user has their own home directory accessible from any EWS computer, including the Physics 401 lab computers (ESB-6103-01 through ESB-6103-06). This is a good place for saving your course data and analysis work.

While these campus labs are currently closed, the data directories can be mounted remotely. EWS computers are also accessible remotely via direct login or the Citrix system. Further details on remote connections are given here.

In addition to your home directory, there is a shared directory for course materials. We may point you to materials there from time to time, notably the Origin templates (see below).

From WINDOWS: \\engr-file-03\phyinst\APL Courses\PHYCS401\Common\
From MacOS: Finder -> Go -> Connect To Server
smb://engr-file-03.engr.illinois.edu/\\engr-file-03/phyinst/APL Courses/PHYCS401/Common/

Data Analysis Software

OriginPro

Origin is a dedicated software package for scientific data analysis and plotting. We recommend using Origin for this course due to the library of convenient analysis templates built up over the years (see below). Some useful general reference links are:

How to Get OriginPro

Summary: If you use Windows, download it from the WebStore. If not, use the campus Citrix system. Both are free.

The latest version of OriginPro is available for free from the campus WebStore. Any vaguely-recent version is acceptable for this course.
Origin is Windows-only. If you use a different OS you can run Origin via the campus Citrix system (VPN required, "Tunnel All" setting). This is a remote computing system that installs nothing on your own machine, and stores all data on the campus EWS file system. If you don't see Origin on your Citrix desktop, click "Refresh Applications".
If you prefer a local installation on a non-Windows system, you can install Origin within a virtual machine such as VirtualBox (free), VMWare (free through campus webstore), or Parallels ($31 through campus webstore).
Origin is installed on the lab computers in ESB 6103, and the installation file and serial number are also on each computer.

Accessing the Origin Templates

The course has built up a collection of Origin templates to help get you started with plotting and data analysis for each of the labs. These are hosted on the campus file sharing system. Some general access instructions for your home directory on the shared system are here.

From WINDOWS: \\engr-file-03\phyinst\APL Courses\PHYCS401\Common\Origin templates
From MacOS: Finder -> Go -> Connect To Server
smb://engr-file-03.engr.illinois.edu/\\engr-file-03/phyinst/APL Courses/PHYCS401/Common/Origin templates

Other Analysis Software

All of the data analysis and plotting functions of OriginPro can be replicated in a variety of other software environments. You are more than welcome to use other solutions that are more convenient for you, as long as you can produce plots and analysis of similar quality. At this time we do not have templates (or the equivalent) for these other packages, however, nor can we offer detailed support. If you are skilled in these packages, and would like to contribute template-like materials for future semesters, please contact Prof. Filippini!

Most analysis activities can be carried out in Microsoft Excel if needed, though more versatile scientific software is preferred.
Matlab is a popular engineering software package, available for free to students on Citrix and through the campus WebStore. It is optimized for numerical analysis involving vectors and matrices, and implements a wealth of statistics and plotting tools through a wealth of packages. Cross-platform.
Python is a widely-used general-purpose programming language that implements useful data analysis tools through packages such as NumPy (fast vector and matrix numerics), SciPy (scientific computing, including curve-fitting and statistics), Matplotlib (Matlab-like plotting and visualization), and Pandas (manipulation of large and multi-format data sets). Anaconda is a good general-purpose package manager for Python, and iPython provides a good Matlab-like command line interface for data analysis. Free, cross-platform.
R is a programming language and software environment focused on statistical computing, and widely used in data science. While course analysis should be doable in R, Prof. Filippini has no experience with this one. Free, cross-platform.

Circuit Simulation with NI Multisim

National Instruments Multisim (sometimes called Circuit Design Suite) is a versatile package for simulating the response of electrical circuits. We will use Multisim in the early labs to gain experience with the relevant tools and concepts, then transition into activities with more direct control of real hardware.

There are three ways to get access to Multisim for this course (all free):

Lab computers: The full version of Multisim is installed on all of the 6103ESB lab computers, and can be used during our regular lab sessions.
Personal computers: The full version of Multisim can also be installed on your personal computer (see directions below). Note that the program is Windows-only, but can be run in a local virtual machine as for Origin above.
1. From the campus WebStore, order the LabVIEW Instructional Use License & Download (not the circuit design suite, which costs $10).
2. Download and install the Circuit Design Suite 14.2 Web Installer.
3. Log into the campus VPN with Tunnel All and follow the activation instructions on the WebStore page (use the NI License Manager).
4. You need to be logged in on the VPN whenever you use the software.
Multisim Live: This is a limited version of Multisim that operates in any web browser. The main difference is that Multisim Live only simulates "ideal" components: ideal voltmeters and sources rather than fully-simulated realistic instruments, no parasitic resistances on an inductor, etc. Most of our activities should be doable using Multisim Live, with some care.
1. Go to www.multisim.com and create an NI account. Use your Illinois e-mail address and select "Student" as your role.
2. Log into your account, and hit "Create Circuit" in the upper right of the screen.

All Multisim activities are currently planned to be done on the lab computers, but running Multisim Live on your own computer is great for getting familiarity with the activities and checking on things after lab is complete.