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# 4 Installation

The Package Nilmat is a GAP code only package and requires no external binaries.

Once Nilmat is loaded, calls to the GAP functions `IsNilpotent`, `IsNilpotentGroup`, `SylowSubgroup`, and `SylowSystem` for subgroups of GL(n,q), and calls to `IsNilpotent`, `IsNilpotentGroup`, and `IsFinite` for subgroups of GL(n,Q), automatically switch to corresponding functions from Nilmat. Thus Nilmat should be disabled if one wishes to use the former GAP functions for matrix groups over GF(q) or Q.

For testing nilpotency and finiteness over Q, the GAP package Polenta is also required. Note that `Nilmat` does not use functions from Polenta which depend on `KASH`. Hence to use Nilmat, `KASH` installation is not required, and all Nilmat functions run under both Windows and Linux.

If your version of GAP is earlier than GAP 4.4.10, then to use some Nilmat facilities such as the library of primitive nilpotent subgroups of GL(n,q), `MaximalAbsolutelyIrreducibleNilpotentMatGroup`, and `ReducibleNilpotentMatGroup`, you will need updates of the files `ffconway.gi` and `ffe.gi`. These updated files incorporate relevant bugfixes, and are included in the Nilmat directory `etc`. Simply replace the old versions of `ffconway.gi` and `ffe.gi` in the directory `lib` of GAP by the updated ones. Then start GAP with options `-A -N`, and type `CreateCompletionFiles()`. After carrying out these steps, quit GAP and then restart.

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