How-to: Using SAS on UNIX (Mac)

This page provides instructions on setting up SAS with UNIX on a Macintosh using the X11 program.

Please note that SAS software cannot be installed directly on computers that are running the Mac operating system. Mac users who would like to use SAS can either run the software on the Windows operating system using virtualization software such as VMware Fusion or Parallels or use the UNIX version of the software.

Once you have followed the instructions below, you will be able to start SAS by logging in to your UNIX account and typing sas each time you use the software in the future.

  1. Open the X11 application on your Mac.
  2. You will see the following prompt: bash-3.2$
  3. At the bash-3.2$ prompt, type ssh -Y username@aludra.usc.edu if you are a student, ssh -Y username@mizar.usc.edu if you are faculty or staff, ssh -Y username@hsc.usc.edu if you are faculty or staff at the HSC campus, or ssh -Y username@almaak.usc.edu if you are a Center for Advanced Research Computing (CARC) user, where username is your USC username.
  4. When you are asked Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?, type YES and press the return key to continue to the next line.
  5. At the next prompt, enter your USC password and press return.
  6. Next, type pico .login and press return.
  7. You will see several lines of code. Using the arrow keys, go to the very bottom of the code to the first place where there is a blank line underneath all the code.
  8. Type if (-e /usr/usc/sas/9.2/setup.csh) then
  9. Press return.
  10. Type source /usr/usc/sas/9.2/setup.csh
  11. Press return.
  12. Type endif
  13. Press return.
  14. Press control x to exit.
  15. Press y to modify your .login file.
  16. Press tab or return.
  17. Type source .login
  18. At the next prompt, type sas
  19. SAS should open.