SimXpert R3.2 Installation and Operations Guide

SimXpert

R3.2 Installation and Operations Guide

SIMX*R3.2*Z*Z*Z*DC-OPS

Worldwide Webwww.mscsoftware.com

Disclaimer

MSC.Software Corporation reserves the right to make changes in specifications and other information contained in this document without prior notice.

The concepts, methods, and examples presented in this text are for illustrative and educational purposes only, and are not intended to be exhaustive or to apply to any particular engineering problem or design. MSC.Software Corporation assumes no liability or responsibility to any person or company for direct or indirect damages resulting from the use of any information contained herein.

User Documentation: Copyright 2009 MSC.Software Corporation. Printed in U.S.A. All Rights Reserved.

This notice shall be marked on any reproduction of this documentation, in whole or in part. Any reproduction or distribution of this document, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of MSC.Software Corporation is prohibited.

This software may contain certain third-party software that is protected by copyright and licensed from MSC.Software suppliers. Portions of this software are owned by UGS Corp. Copyright 1997. All Rights Reserved. Portions of this software are owned by Spatial Corp. 1986-2002. All Rights Reserved.

The MSC.Software logo, MD Nastran, MSC, MSC Nastran, MD Adams, Adams, Patran, SimDesigner, SimManager, SimEnterprise, and SimXpert are trademarks or registered trademarks of the MSC.Software Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

NASTRAN is a registered trademark of NASA. CATIA is a registered trademark of Dassault Systemes, SA. LS-DYNA is a trademark of Livermore Software Technology Corporation. Parasolid® is a registered trademark of UGS Corp. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective owners.

CorporateMSC.Software Corporation2 MacArthur PlaceSanta Ana, CA 92707 USATelephone: (800) 345-2078Fax: (714) 784-4056

EuropeMSC.Software GmbHAm Moosfeld 1381829 Munich, GermanyTelephone: (49) (89) 43 19 87 0Fax: (49) (89) 43 61 71 6

Asia PacificMSC.Software Japan Ltd.Shinjuku First West 8F23-7 Nishi Shinjuku1-Chome, Shinjuku-KuTokyo 160-0023, JAPANTelephone: (81) (3)-6911-1200Fax: (81) (3)-6911-1201

Installation and Operations GuideIntroduction

SimXpert Installation and Operations Guide

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IntroductionMost of the installation and configuration tasks for SimXpert R3.2 are managed by an automated installation utility, setup.exe (setupLinux.bin on Linux systems). This manual is designed to guide you through the process of using the automated installation utility.

Who Should Use This GuideThis manual is intended to guide system administrators and users through the installation of SimXpert. The installation instructions assume that you have a basic knowledge of the operating system you are using. Root or Administrator level access is required for installation of the licensing system, and will probably be necessary to access centralized installation directories.

What This Guide ContainsThis guide contains all the information you need to install and configure SimXpert. It is organized into the following chapters:

• Required Hardware & Software Configurations

• Installing on Microsoft Windows

• Installing on Linux

3Introduction

Overview of the SimXpert SystemThe SimXpert software system consists of several components: the core SimXpert pre- and postprocessor, the CDE database system, SimXpert workspaces, the FLEXlm licensing system, and the on-line help system. The name SimXpert refers both to the pre- and postprocessing components, and to the system as a whole.

SimXpert Pre- and PostprocessorSimXpert is an interactive, multi-discipline simulation environment with integrated solvers and Enterprise Compute connectivity. All pre- and postprocessing, translation, and solver capabilities are accessed from within this graphical environment.

FLEXlm

SimXpert uses the FLEXlm licensing system. FLEXlm functions as a stand-alone nodelock license server or as a distributed license system. For other issues and questions, please consult the Acresso documentation at their web site, www.acresso.com.

Online DocumentationThe SimXpert HTML Help system is a hybrid JAVA/JAVA Script Help system that will be displayed in the SimXpert environment. If you would like to view the help system in a standalone browser, we recommend the following:

• On Windows, use Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, or Firefox 1.5 or later.

• On UNIX, use Firefox 1.5 or later.

To specify a desired standalone browser use the environment variable MSC_SX_HELPBROWSER. If this is set, the value indicates which executable to start as the help browser. In case starting that executable fails, an error message is printed to the standard error stream. The default value is "mozilla". Example: setenv MSC_SX_HELPBROWER firefox.

User PreferencesAll the user options and settings which are controlled by the option editor are saved in XML files. There are three separate XML files:

1. SimX_FactoryDefaults.xml - This file contains all the factory defaults provided by MSC and will be shipped along with the product. This is a read only file, located in: \<MSC_SX_HOME>\data

• In the Options Editor dialog, the ‘Restore Factory Defaults’ button may be used to revert all the options back to their default values which are defined in this XML file.


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2. SimX_LocalSettings.xml - The various option values found in the Options Editor dialog are saved in this file. In the Options Editor, the 'OK' or 'Apply' Buttons save the values in the xml file which will be read whenever application is started. This file is specific to the user and the default location is:

either the %USERPROFILE% or the %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH% directories for windows

Example:

\<UserProfile>\ i.e. C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\SimX_LocalSettings.xml

and

\<homedrive>\<homepath> for Linux

• The user-specific SimX_LocalSettings.xml will always be used by SimXpert on an ongoing basis, regardless of the other XML option files if present.

3. SimX_DefaultSettings.xml does not exist until the first time you have run and exited SimXpert. The file will have the options you set for that session. An administrator can create a custom SimX_DefaultSetttings.xml by making sure it does not exist and then running a SimXpert session to set the corporate option values and exiting SimXpert.

• Note that once SimX_DefaultSettings.xml exists, it is not overwritten by subsequent sessions. Its values are only used if the user-specific SimX_LocalSettings.xml does not exist. If SimX_LocalSettings.xml does exist (after running a session) SimX_LocalSettings.xml will always be used and SimX_DefaultSettings.xml will be ignored.

User Customizable Python Script (usercustomize.py) A usercustomize.py script is provided to perform any global customization desired for Python scripts used by MSC applications. It has the same rules as the sitecustomize.py script provided by the Python distribution; however, usercustomize.py should be used for all customizations instead of sitecustomize.py.

One example use for this script is to initialize Python extension modules written in C or C++ so they can be used by Python scripts. The SCA ScriptBroker uses a different Python sub-interpreter to run each script to insure that each one runs in a clean environment, but C extension modules cannot be imported for the first time in a sub-interpreter. To resolve this issue, these extension modules should be initially imported in usercustomize.py so they are properly initialized before they are imported in scripts run by the ScriptBroker. To be usable in a script, an extension module must be explicitly imported in that script, even if it is already imported in usercustomize.py.

It is not always obvious if a Python module is a C extension module, so if strange Python errors are generated when importing a module, try adding an import for it in the usercustomize.py script to resolve the problem. The usercustomize.py script can be found in the /lib/python folder of the SimXpert installation folder.

Required Hardware & Software Configurations


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Memory and General RequirementsSimXpert memory requirements vary according to model size and actions performed. The following guidelines are based on typical use. Solvers or other software that run concurrently with SimXpert may increase RAM, swap (also referred to as paging or virtual memory), and disk space requirements.

RAM and Swap GuidelinesSimXpert could possibly generate memory, “memalloc,” errors when it is unable to obtain sufficient memory. Memory in this context is the sum of physical RAM and paging (swap) space.

Since RAM memory is much faster than disk-based swap memory, increasing the amount of RAM typically improves performance.

Memory and Disk Space RequirementsThe following tables show disk space, swap, and RAM guidelines. SimXpert may actually run with fewer resources than shown, but we recommend these minimums for practical use.

Operating SystemSystem Patches Disk Space Memory & Swap Space

Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise, and Ultimate Editions

None 2-3 GB 1 GB Minimum 2 GB RecommendedSwap = 1.5-3 GB

Microsoft Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Professional SP3

Service Pack 2 2-3 GB 1 GB Minimum2 GB RecommendedSwap = 1.5-3 GB

Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64, Windows XP Professional x64 SP1, Windows XP Professional x86 SP2

None 2-3 GB 2 GB Minimum 4 GB RecommendedSwap = 3-6 GB

Windows Vista Enterprise & Ultimate Editions x64


Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4Update3 and Update 4

None 2-3 GB 1 GB Minimum 2 GB RecommendedSwap = 1.5-3 GB

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4Update3 and Update 4(x86-64)


7Required Hardware & Software Configurations

Microsoft Windows RequirementsSimXpert supports the following Microsoft Windows Vista and XP hardware and software. For additional information on SimXpert on Windows support and limitations see Installing on Microsoft Windows.

Notes:

1. Native CAD access is not supported on this platform.

2. Import of CATIA V5 geometry via translation to Parasolid is not supported on this platform. These limitations will be addressed in a future SimXpert Service Patch.

Tested SystemsMSC has tested SimXpert on the following computer systems:

• Dell Workstation 340, 350, 360, 380, 390, 450, 470, 490, 650, 670, 690, M60, M65, and M90 laptops

• Sun Ultra 20, and Ultra 40

• HP Visualize NT xw4300, and xw8200

• Compaq nw8240, and nw9440 laptops

• IBM IntelliStation M-Pro

Windows Requirements

Hardware Platforms Intel Pentium 4, Pentium D, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo, and AMD Opteron

Operating Systems Windows Vista Enterprise and Ultimate Editions (see 1.,2. ), Microsoft Windows XP Professional, XP Professional Service Pack 2, XP Professional x64, XP Professional x64 Service Pack 1, and Windows XP Professional x64 Service Pack 2.

Compiler Versions Microsoft .NET 2005 SP1 (Version 8.0.50727.762), Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0.50727, and Intel Fortran version 9.1.034

Compiler Versions- x64 Microsoft .NET 2005 SP1 (Version 8.0.50727.762), Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0.50727, and Intel Fortran version 9.1.034

Other 3 Button Mouse

Graphics Devices 1280x1024 or higher resolution (see Graphics Boards and OpenGL Acceleration, 8)

Important: SimXpert does not support Microsoft Windows running on Intel Pentium 3, Intel Itanium or Itanium 3 workstations.


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Graphics Boards and OpenGL AccelerationAny graphics board that has a driver for Windows XP, and 1280x1024 or greater resolution should function with SimXpert. SimXpert uses standard native OpenGL acceleration and should benefit from any OpenGL acceleration such a graphics card provides. MSC.Software recommends using a native OpenGL graphics card. MSC.Software has, however, tested the following specific graphics adapters to verify compatibility with SimXpert on Windows. We cannot guarantee the functionality of other graphics devices.


Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3, and Windows Vista Enterprise and Ultimate Editions

Hardware VendorSystem Runtime

Libraries Validated Graphics Hardware (Version)

Intel and AMD x86 OpenGL 1.2 NVIDIA® Quadro® FX 370 (XP only)

NVIDIA Quadro FX 540



NVIDIA Quadro FX 570 (XP only)








NVIDIA Quadro NVS 285

ATI FireGL™ V3100

ATI FireGL V3350

ATI FireGL V3600

ATI FireGL V5000

ATI FireGL V5100

ATI FireGL V5200

ATI FireGL V5600

ATI FireGL V7100

ATI FireGL V7200

ATI FireGL V7300

ATI FireGL V7600

ATI FireGL V8600

ATI FireGL T2-128

Wildcat® Realizm™ 500

Wildcat Realizm 800


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.

Windows XP Professional x64, Windows XP Professional x64 Service Pack 1, Windows XP Professional x64 Service Pack 2, and Windows Vista Enterprise and Ultimate Editions x64


LibrariesValidated Graphics Hardware

(Version)

Intel and AMD x86-64 OpenGL 1.2 NVIDIA® Quadro® FX 370 (XP only)













ATI FireGL™ V3100

ATI FireGL V3350

ATI FireGL V3600

ATI FireGL V5000

ATI FireGL V5100

ATI FireGL V5200

ATI FireGL V5600

ATI FireGL V7100

ATI FireGL V7200

ATI FireGL V7300

ATI FireGL V7600

ATI FireGL V8600

ATI FireGL T2-128 (Vista only)


Wildcat Realizm 800


Linux RequirementsSimXpert supports the following Linux hardware and software.

Tested SystemsMSC has tested SimXpert for Linux on the following computer systems:

• Dell Workstation 380, 390, 420, 450, 490, 620 and 690

• Sun Ultra 20, Ultra 40

• SuperMicro

• IBM Installation A-Pro, M-Pro

SimXpert and MD Nastran on Linux should run on any Intel-based PC that is compatible with one of the supported versions of Linux. For the system tests noted above, the amount of RAM ranged from 512 MB to 2 GB.

Linux Requirements

Hardware Platforms Intel Pentium 4, Pentium D, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo, and AMD Opteron

Operating System Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Update 3 and Update 4, Linux 4 Update 3 and Update 4 (x86-64)*

* SimXpert may run on Linux versions other than those listed if the same Linux kernel is used. MSC.Software does not, however, test other versions of Linux, and can neither support other versions nor make any guarantees of compatibility.

Motif Version Open Motif 2.2.3†

† SimXpert for Linux requires Motif 2.2 to run. Open motif rpm files are currently not available from either Red Hat or SuSe. They can be downloaded free of charge from http://www.openmotif.org/download. MSC has certified that open motif version 2.2.3-2 works correctly for SimXpert.

Compiler Version Intel C/C++ version 9.1.045 and Intel Fortran, version 9.1.040

Compiler Version x64 Intel C/C++ version 9.1.045 and Intel Fortran, version 9.1.040

Window Manager KDE 3.0, Gnome (Enlightenment)

3D Graphics Library Version Must install vendor supplied OpenGL video driver.

Other Linear Algebra Pack (lapack) is required for use by Python numpy and scipy libraries.

3 Button Mouse

Graphics Devices 1280x1024 or higher Graphics Card (see below)


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Graphics Boards and OpenGL AccelerationSimXpert uses standard native OpenGL acceleration and should benefit from any OpenGL acceleration such a graphics card provides. MSC.Software recommends using a native OpenGL graphics card. MSC.Software has, however, tested the following specific graphics adapters to verify compatibility with SimXpert on Linux. We cannot guarantee the functionality of other graphics devices

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, Update 3 and Update 4



Intel and AMD x86 OpenGL 1.2 NVIDIA® Quadro® FX 370

NVIDIA Quadro FX 500/FX 600





NVIDIA Quadro FX 570M












ATI FireGL™ V3100

ATI FireGL V3350

ATI FireGL V3600

ATI FireGL V5000

ATI FireGL V5100

ATI FireGL V5200

ATI FireGL V5600

ATI FireGL V7100


Intel and AMD x86 OpenGL 1.2 ATI FireGL V7200

ATI FireGL V7300

ATI FireGL V7600

ATI FireGL V8600

ATI FireGL T2-128


Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, Update 3 and Update 4




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Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 (x86-64), Update 3 and Update 4



Intel and AMD x86 OpenGL 1.2 NVIDIA® Quadro® FX 370

NVIDIA Quadro FX 500/FX 600

















ATI FireGL™ V3100

ATI FireGL V3350

ATI FireGL V3600

ATI FireGL V5000

ATI FireGL V5100

ATI FireGL V5200

ATI FireGL V5600

ATI FireGL V7100

ATI FireGL V7200

ATI FireGL V7300

ATI FireGL V7600

ATI FireGL V8600

ATI FireGL T2-128

Installing on Microsoft Windows


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OverviewSimXpert on Windows uses an interactive installation Wizard. This section describes the use of that utility as well as additional steps which may be required for modules and external programs.

Note: SimXpert has directories that go many levels deep. If you install SimXpert in a directory below the root, it is possible that you will exceed the directory length limit. Therefore, we recommend installing in the default location. Any disk drive is OK.

17Installing on Microsoft Windows

Creating a New Installation1. Log in and exit all Windows programs. In general, you do not need administrator privileges to

install SimXpert except as follows:

• You must have permission to create the installation directory. You may need administrator privilege to grant this permission.

• Installing the FLEXlm License Server requires administrator privilege.

• To create installations visible by other users.

• To utilize file association option.

2. If you are downloading from the Solutions Download Center, download the self-extracting archive (.exe) and follow these steps:

• Copy the self-extracting archive (.exe) file to a temporary subdirectory with enough disk space. Make a note of this location.

• Click on the files to start install shield (product installer). For the remainder of the installation process, follow instructions in the product installation guide. You may remove temporary files from the subdirectory created in the step above.

Installing from a DVD1. Mount the SimXpert Windows media and select Run from the Start menu. You should see the

dialog box shown below on your screen.

2. Type x:\setup.exe, where x is your media drive. This begins the SimXpert installation Setup Wizard. Setup attempts to verify the resources necessary to run SimXpert on Windows then opens the main setup window.


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SimXpert Installation1. Choose whether to perform a 'Complete' or 'User Selectable' installation. For the Destination

Folder, choose the directory where you want to install SimXpert.


2. For the 'User Selectable' installation, confirm your choices for the installation and click Next. If the disk you are installing SimXpert on does not have enough space, you will receive a warning and the installation will stop.


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3. Towards the end of the installation, you will be prompted for licensing information. Specify the location of the license manager or click Next and set it later after consulting with your system administrator.

4. You will then be prompted to choose the scratch directory to be used by MD Nastran for its analyses.


5. Next, you will be prompted regarding the creation of Desktop icons. Choose whether you would like these icons created automatically.

6. Configuring SimManager within SimXpert

In order to publish and run templates, publish and retrieve data, or have access to a web portal, MSC SimManager client settings have to be configured. Answer 'Yes' if you would like to enter these settings at this point

.

First the appropriate protocol (http or https) and the host name of the server on which MSC SimManager is running is entered.

A SimManager server could be running multiple Web Portals. A unique port number along with the name of the portal needs to be entered


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7. Configuring CATIA with SimXpert

A version of CATIA compatible with the operating system is required.

• If 32-bit Windows SimXpert is installed, then 32-bit Windows CATIA must be installed.

• If 64-bit Windows SimXpert is installed, then 64-bit Windows CATIA must be installed.

CATIA settings need to be configured to enable direct access to CATIA geometry.

If you do choose to configure CATIA settings, you first need to specify the version of the local CATIA installation.


If 'User Specified' is chosen instead, you can manually enter the directory where CATIA is installed. This is useful for when the machine has multiple CATIA installations:


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8. Configuring Pro/ENGINEER

In order to have direct access to Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire geometry, this CAD application must be installed locally on the same machine that is running SimXpert and be licensed through its vendor.

For Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire, you will need to provide its settings manually:

If you do choose to configure these settings, the installer will prompt you for the version of the Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire installation:


Electing to configure Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0 will result in a second icon “SimXpert for Pro ENGINEER” being placed on the users desktop. It is recommended to use “SimXpert for Pro ENGINEER” for best performance when working directly with native Pro/ENGINEER geometry. The user is free to use standard SimXpert when not using native Pro/ENGINEER.

If the user does not elect to configure Pro/ENGINEER, then only the standard SimXpert R3.2 icon will be placed on the desktop.

Next, the installer requests the location of the Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire installation directory:


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9. Configuring UGS NX

In order to have direct access to UGS NX geometry, this CAD application must be installed locally on the same machine that is running SimXpert and be licensed through its vendor.

For UG NX 5.0, the version of the CAD software installed should be at least maintenance release 5.0.4. It is important to make sure that the UG NX 5.0 license feature ‘c_p_p_author’ is enabled and available.

For UGS NX, you will need to provide its settings manually:

If you do choose to configure these settings, the installer will prompt you for the version of the UGS NX installation:


Next, the installer requests the location of the UGS NX installation directory:


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10. Installing CADNexus

If a 'Complete' installation was chosen or the 'SimXpert Native CAD Access Component' was selected for a 'User Selectable' installation, you will see this prompt at the end of the SimXpert installation process:

You will be asked to provide the location of the CADNexus installation media:


Configuring CATIA with SimXpert

SGM-Capri(CATIA)

SGM-Capri (CATIA) is another SGM SCA component that can be optionally turned on for Native CAD attach in SimXpert R3.2. By default, SGM-CATIA component is used by SimXpert in order to access NATIVE CATIA models (parts and assemblies). SGM-Capri can be turned on by setting USE_SGM_CATIA =0 environment variable before starting SimXpert. No environment variable should be set for using default SGM-CATIA component.

SGM-Capri (CATIA) component requires installation of CADNexus bits at the end of SimXpert installation. This module is supplied as part of SimXpert installation.

SGM-Capri (CATIA) supports Native CAD attach of CATIA parts and assemblies in SimXpert. In addition to topologies and geometries, this component provides access to Features and Parameters in the CATIA part files. Features are accessed and displayed in SimXpert Model Browser using feature names originally assigned in CATIA. Feature parameters can be modified and model regeneration can be performed from within SimXpert application. Access to parameters is limited to only those parameters that are attached to a feature.

SGM-Capri (CATIA) also supports update of SimXpert CAD model with EXTERNAL MODEL changes done in CATIA application. This functionality is referred to as SmartUpdate of CAD model that is already accessed in SimXpert. SimXpert smartupdate functionality will update the CAD topologies, geometries, features and parameters. In addition to updating the CAD entities, SmartUpdate will also trigger a mesh update of any associated meshes (if the CAD model had a mesh associated with it prior to a SmartUpdate). SmartUpdate will also trigger a LBC update of any associated loads and boundary


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conditions so the LBCs can be reapplied to entities automatically after a CAD model update. Changes in CAD model due to SmartUpdate are summarized using groups of modified entities within SimXpert. Below is the message window output from a SmartUpdate operation.

There are several identified gaps between SGM-Capri (CATIA) and SGM-CATIA components in SimXpert R3.2. These gaps include among others hard-geometry association, KP-parameter access and update, and Model Browser Tree differences.

Patran Database ImportSimXpert has the ability to import a Patran database. This requires an installation of Patran with the same version as the database that will be imported. The environment variable “MSC_SX_PATRAN_HOME” should be set to the path to the home directory. An example path is: C:\MSC.Software\MD_Patran\2006.

The Analysis preference of the Patran database must be set to MD or MSC.Nastran, and the model must have finite elements with properties assigned.

MSC.Licensing Installation (Optional)SimXpert on Windows XP uses FLEXlm based licensing. If you already have FLEXlm setup as a license server for SimXpert, you do not need to complete this installation.

You will need to have a FLEXlm server on your Windows workstation or on a UNIX workstation on the same TCP/IP network.

To install FLEXlm:


1. Select MSC.Licensing from the main menu in the Setup Wizard. You should see the following screen:

2. Server Install installs the FLEXlm server (Note: It is highly recommended that you first acquire authorization codes from MSC). The Setup Wizard will prompt you for an existing license.dat file (supplied by MSC), and will start the appropriate Windows services.

FLEXlm licensing models and examples

MSC SimXpert uses one of the following FLEXlm licensing models:

• Named User licensing

The license provided by MSC Software for SimXpert R3.2 authorizes a maximum number of users the ability to run SimXpert. Your SimXpert administrator manages the list of users that can run the software. Any Named user may log in and use SimXpert on any machine on the network on which the license server is reachable. When individual users consume multiple licenses, it is possible for the available license pool to be depleted, therefore denying access to other named users.

• OPTIONS file

The OPTIONS file contains the list of Named users of SimXpert. Your administrator maintains the OPTIONS file that lists the Named user login IDs. This way, you control who is a Named user and may change who is a Named user at any time. You do this by editing the file and restarting the license server using the FlexLM lmtools utility. No contact with MSC Software is needed to change the list of Named users.

Named user licensing requires that the path to the OPTIONS file be given on the DAEMON line. Please refer to FlexLM regarding various ways of creating an option file. Some examples are listed below:

# ------ Start of License File ------#SERVER test 00137222cf 1700DAEMON MSC C:\MSC.Software\MSC.Licensing\10.8\msc OPTIONS=C:\your_named_user_options_fileFEATURE SimXpert_Base MSC 2007.1018 18-oct-2007 2 \ 3DF5E3B2324641CD2145 ISSUED=18-oct-2006 ck=221 \ SN=1278576-f3f3b558c2772cfcba1dFEATURE SimXpert_WS_Structures MSC 2007.1018 18-oct-2007 2 \ 3DD5E34272E61847BDAB USER_BASED ISSUED=18-oct-2006 ck=72 \ SN=778626-b1ac16653e9e88d620aa


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All SimXpert features except SimXpert_Base need to be included in the options file. Sample options files follow:

Example 1:

Example 2:

• Nodelocked

Allows use of MSC SimXpert only on a specifically named machine.

This is an example of a nodelocked license file:

SERVER hostname hostid 1700

DAEMON MSC /your_path/msc

FEATURE V5i_Access MSC 2004.0531 29-apr-2004 8 4CFEF76D59E040FC1343 \

HOSTID=23456789 asset_info="10081+10084 AP209 Gateway (GWS)" \

ISSUED=29-apr-2003 ck=54 SN=1324476-7b13e038600a2cfcb952

FEATURE CA_Gen_NASTRAN MSC 2004.0531 29-apr-2004 1 \

0CCEA79DA1987474CE48 HOSTID=23456789 \

asset_info="10081+10054+1003 MSC.Nastran Generative (GPN)" \

ISSUED=29-apr-2003 ck=48 SN=985526-7cfae6677b9688d67940

• Concurrent

INCLUDE SimXpert_WS_Crash USER user1INCLUDE SIMX_Crash_Solver USER user1INCLUDE SimXpert_WS_Motion USER user1INCLUDE SimXpert_WS_Structures USER user1INCLUDE SIMX_Structures_Solver USER user1

GROUP simxuser user1 user2INCLUDE SimXpert_WS_Crash GROUP simxuser INCLUDE SIMX_Crash_Solver GROUP simxuser INCLUDE SimXpert_WS_Motion GROUP simxuser INCLUDE SimXpert_WS_Structures GROUP simxuser INCLUDE SIMX_Structures_Solver GROUP simxuser INCLUDE SimXpert_WS_Thermal GROUP simxuser INCLUDE SIMX_Thermal_Solver GROUP simxuser INCLUDE SIMX_Crash_Solver_DMP GROUP simxuser INCLUDE SIMX_CATDirect GROUP simxuserINCLUDE SIMX_CATDirect_V5 GROUP simxuserINCLUDE SIMX_ProE_Access GROUP simxuserINCLUDE SimXpert_Geometry_Modeling GROUP simxuserINCLUDE SimX_ST_NL_Solver GROUP simxuser


Allows multiple uses of MSC SimXpert according to the number of licenses purchased.

This is an example of a concurrent license file:

SERVER hostname hostid 1700

DAEMON MSC /your_path/msc

FEATURE CA_Access MSC 2004.0531 29-apr-2004 16 CC3E474D769449F91144 \

asset_info="10081+10084 AP209 Gateway (GWS)" \

ISSUED=29-apr-2003 ck=96 SN=1324476-57778154941b2cfc1719

FEATURE CA_Gen_NASTRAN MSC 2004.0531 29-apr-2004 2 \

9C6EA7FD88D85842DEFB asset_info="10081+10054+1003 MSC.Nastran \

Generative (GPN)" ISSUED=29-apr-2003 ck=167 \

SN=985526-5a231d9776d588d6df96


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Silent InstallationThe SimXpert installation supports silent installations, which run in the background with no graphical interface or interaction with the desktop. Installations running in Silent mode rely on a pre-configured answer file to do the installation. Silent installations are generally used in a batch manner to facilitate installation on many machines on a network

Creating the Answer fileTo create the answer file you need to run the SimXpert installation in normal (GUI) mode with a special switch which instructs the installation to record all of your answers in a specified answer file. Here is an example of the command:

z:\setup.exe -r [-f1"c:\location\filename"]

The command assumes that the installation program is being executed from the SimXpert DVD-ROM mounted on drive z:, the "-r" switch instructs it to generate the answer file and the optional "-f1" switch specifies the location and name of the answer file. (The brackets around the "-f1" switch indicate that it is optional. You do not need to type the brackets.) If the -f1 switch is not specified, the answer file will be created as follows:

c:\windows\setup.iss

Running the Silent mode installationTo run installation in silent mode use the

“-s” switch and specify the answer file in this manner:

z:\setup.exe -s -f1"c:\location\filename"

Note: In the example above, the f1 is the number one, not an L.

Installing on Linux


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OverviewSimXpert on Linux uses an interactive installation Wizard. This section describes the use of that utility as well as additional steps which may be required for modules and external programs.

Note: SimXpert has directories that go many levels deep. If you install SimXpert in a directory below the root, it is possible that you will exceed the directory length limit. Therefore, we recommend installing in the default location. Any disk drive is OK.

37Installing on Linux

Creating a New Installation1. Log in. In general, you do not need administrator privileges to install SimXpert except as follows:

• You must have root permission to create the /msc installation directory. If you do not have administrator privilege, you can install SimXpert in any directory where you have write permission.

• Installing the FLEXlm License Server requires administrator privilege.

2. Mount the SimXpert on Linux media.

3. Type /CDROM/setupLinux.bin, where. This begins the SimXpert on Linux installation Setup Wizard.

Installing using Downloaded Files1. Login as root

2. “cd” to a temporary directory with enough disk space. Create a subdirectory and “cd” into the subdirectory.

3. Download the delivery file from Solution Download Center. If you previously downloaded the file please proceed to the next step.

4. Extract the delivery file into current subdirectory:

• tar –xf Delivery_File

5. Execute the install.script (./mscsetup or unixinst or … ) and follow the instructions in the product installation guide for the remainder of the installation process.

6. Executing the installation script may require adding execution privilege:

• chmod +x install.script

7. Cleanup: After installation is complete – you may remove the subdirectory created in Step 2 above.

The SimXpert media will automatically mount if autofs is present and configured properly. If it does not, try one of the following commands:

# mount /mnt/cdrom

# mount /dev/cdrom

LINUX provides a “user” option for mounting that allows non-root users to mount media. This option prohibits direct execution of media resident files. If when attempting to execute the installation you receive a “Permission Denied” error, you must remount the media with the following command:

# mount -o exec /mnt/cdrom


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If there are multiple tar files, you would need to follow these steps for the Linux systems:

1. Extract tar files into separate directories (media.inf and setup exist in all tar archives)

2. If /tmp does not contain enough space and you get a "no space left on device error" use tmpdir option, e.g. setupHP11.bin -is:tempdir /disk2/scratch

3. Remove the ~/InstallShield, /tmp/ist* and /tmp/ism* directories after the installation

SimXpert Installation1. Choose the directory where you want to install SimXpert. You must have root privileges to install

SimXpert in the /msc directory.


2. Choose whether to perform a 'Complete' or 'User Selectable' installation.

3. For the 'User Selectable' installation, confirm your choices for the installation and click on the Next button. If the disk you are installing SimXpert on does not have enough space, you will receive a warning and the installation will stop.


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4. Towards the end of the installation, you will be prompted for licensing information. Specify the location of the license manager, or click Next and set it later after consulting with your system administrator.

5. Configuring SimManager within SimXpert

In order to publish and run templates, publish and retrieve data, or have access to a web portal, MSC SimManager client settings have to be configured.

First the appropriate protocol (http or https) and the host name of the server on which MSC SimManager is running is entered.

A SimManager server could be running multiple Web Portals. A unique port number along with the name of the portal needs to be entered.

Note: SimXpert R3.2 requires graphic display even while running templates in batch mode via SimManager. On Linux, this can be accomplished by installing GLX on the server where SimXpert is executed, or by setting the DISPLAY environment variable to a an X-Server with GLX support. Only one GLX capable machine is needed if you are running SimXpert on multiple servers. If SimXpert is run on a machine without GLX support, or without the DISPLAY environment variable set to an appropriate machine, you will see an error message similar to:ERROR: This system has no OpenGL support. Exiting...


Type in the communication protocol that your SimManager installation uses.

Put in the name of the computer running your SimManager installation.


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Type in the port number that your SimManager web application is running on.

Type in the name of your SimManager web application context.

6. Configuring Pro/ENGINEER

In order to have direct access to Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire geometry, this CAD application must be installed locally on the same machine that is running SimXpert and be licensed through its vendor.


For Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire, you will need to configure its settings manually by providing the location of the installation directory:

7. Installing CADNexus

If a 'Complete' installation was chosen or the 'SimXpert Native CAD Access Component' was selected for a 'User Selectable' installation, you will see this prompt at the end of the SimXpert installation process:

You will be asked to provide the location of the CADNexus installation media.

Please note that CADNexus installation is not an optional step on Linux systems.

This finishes the installation of SimXpert.

Patran Database ImportSimXpert has the ability to import a Patran database. This requires an installation of Patran with the same version as the database that will be imported. The environment variable “MSC_SX_PATRAN_HOME” should be set to the path to the home directory. An example path is: /MSC/MD_Patran/2006.

The Analysis preference in the Patran database must be set to MSC or MD Nastran, and the model must have finite elements with properties assigned.


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