MATLAB Runtime Cache Problems

IMPORTANT!: The following procedure will set the cache for ALL applications using the MATLAB Runtime (not just Geocosm products).  Normally this should not be an issue as this is an internal mechanism used by MATLAB proper, however users should be aware of this side-effect and ensure that all MATLAB-enabled applications continue to function correctly after this procedure has been completed.

Some users may run into problems with the MATLAB Runtime Cache becoming corrupt.  We believe this happens more often when the users "home" and/or "temp" folder has been mapped to a network location (where MATLAB, by default, stores the cache).  This causes the host application ( Touchstone/T>Map/T>Earth) to fail to run correctly resulting in frustrating support requests and frequent fail/clear-cache/restart cycles.

In order to improve this situation, we suggest that the cache be placed on a local drive instead.  This can be configured by setting an "Environment Variable" on your computer as follows:

NOTE: this procedure will require administrative privileges so you may need to ask your IT support department for assistance with this

  1. Create a folder on the local hard drive that will hold the cache (e.g. "C:\Temp\mcrcache") - this folder must be on the local hard drive and ideally is not backed up to the cloud as the cache is both very large and contains no important run-time data.  The cache simply speeds up startup and performance of the Runtime and will automatically be re-created the next time any application requiring it starts.
  2. In the Windows search box type "Edit the System Environment Variables" (usually only a portion of the text is required to retrieve the correct result) then select the Edit the System Environment Variables applet from the resulting list (see figure 1.)

Figure 1. Edit the system environment variables

  1. Click Yes if prompted with a permissions dialog.
  2. In the System Properties applet, click on the Environment Variables... button in the lower-right corner of the dialog (see figure 2.)

Figure 2. System Properties

  1. In the resulting Environment Variables dialog, click the New... button after the System variables box in the lower-half of the dialog (IMPORTANT!: Do NOT click New... in the upper-half of the dialog under User variables for <username>.) (See figure 3.)

Figure 3. Environment Variables

  1. In the New System Variable dialog, enter "MCR_CACHE_ROOT" for the Variable name.
  2. Click Browse Directory then locate the folder you created in step 1 above - the result should look something like figure 4.

Figure 4. - Edit System Variable

  1. Click OK on each of the dialogs to apply your changes (3 times).
  2. Restart your host application.

It may take the application a little longer to startup as you've re-located the Runtime cache and it needs to be re-created - this is normal and expected.  Future startups should take considerably less time.

To verify that the cache root settings succeeded simply open the folder you created in step 1 with File Explorer and you should now see it contains a folder similar to "mcrCache9.6" (depending on the host application you may see a different number according to the Runtime version it requires).