# Can't Launch Kernels, Updating from Wolfram Research Server

So, I'm running Mathematica on an HPC cluster using the math module command line interface. I'm trying to figure out some problems with attempting to parallelize my code, and the following test code:

LaunchKernels[4];

Print["Hello world"]

AbsoluteTiming[ParallelTable[RandomReal[], {i, 1, 1000}];]
AbsoluteTiming[Table[RandomReal[], {i, 1, 1000}];]


Produces the following output (run with the command math -run "<<ParallelTest.wl):

Mathematica 11.0.0 for Linux x86 (64-bit)
Copyright 1988-2016 Wolfram Research, Inc.
Updating from Wolfram Research Server ...


And then hangs apparently indefinitely. I know that this means that Mathematica is trying to load some paclet-based functionality, presumably for LaunchKernels, since it never makes it to the Hello world. What I don't know is a) why it never manages to load this (although I suspect it may have something to do with the fact that this cluster has limited, if any web access allowed) and b) how to make it not do this.

• I have the same problem (but on a local laptop, while launching math with a command line ). have you solved that issue? thanks in advance I hope that I can write here this kind of question – Giuliano-Francesco Timossi Sep 29 '17 at 15:44
• Strongly related: How can I disable system updates only? – Alexey Popkov Sep 29 '17 at 15:56