COMSOL Multiphysics

Model Manager Server Manual

Model Manager Server Manual
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Part number: CM020018

C o n t e n t s

Chapter 1: Introduction

About the Model Manager Server 8

What Can You Do with a Model Manager Server? . . . . . . . . . . 8
Where Can I Access the Documentation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Overview of the Manual 11

Quick Start Guide 12

Chapter 2: Installation

Installing a Model Manager Server 16

Installation Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Installing in Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Installing in Linux and macOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Modifying an Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Migrating From an Older Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Starting a Model Manager Server 36

Starting as a Windows Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Starting Manually in Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Starting in Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Starting in macOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Firewalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Setting Up the Model Manager Server for Secure Connections . . . . . 40
Running Behind a Reverse Proxy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Command Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Security 43
Password Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

CONTENTS |3
 Chapter 3: Administration

Accessing the Web Interface 48

Adding the Model Manager Server Database on First Login . . . . . . . 48
Overview of Web Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Current Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Changing the Language. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Connectors 51
Adding a Connector With TLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Common TLS Certificate Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
The Connector Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Login Configuration 57
Local Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
External Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Proxy Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Accounts 64
The My Account Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
The Accounts Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Managed Server Components 68

Managed SQL Database Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Managed Resources Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Managed Search Index Servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Model Manager Server Databases 83

Configuring Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Databases with Managed Server Components . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Databases with External Server Components . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Moving a Model Manager Server Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Backup and Restore of a Model Manager Server Database . . . . . . . 99
Backward Compatibility for Server Databases . . . . . . . . . . . 103

4 | CONTENTS
 Model Manager Server Log Files 104

Database Administration 105

Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Database Permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Permission Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Asset Libraries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Asset Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Primitive Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Composite Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Chapter 4: Asset Management

Managing Simulation Projects Using Assets 126

Introduction to Asset Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Adding a New Asset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
The Asset Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
The Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
The Model Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
The File Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Adding A New File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Customizing the Asset Management System 146

Adding New Types of Data Using Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Adding New Types of Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Controlling Access to Assets Using Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Searching on Asset Attributes 152

Full Text Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Asset Search Syntax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Example: A Project Asset Type 161

Defining the Project Asset Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Adding Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

CONTENTS |5
 Linking to Simulation Models in the Database . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Opening Linked Simulation Models in the COMSOL Desktop . . . . . 171
Viewing Older Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Finding Projects Using Attribute Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

6 | CONTENTS
 1

Introduction

Read this guide to learn how to install and administer a Model Manager server, a
web server that hosts Model Manager databases. The Model Manager server can
either be configured to use internal database components managed by the server,
or external database components provided and managed by your organization. The
guide also contains details on the asset management system included with a Model
Manager server — a web-based tool you can use to manage simulation projects
involving models built in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software. See the Model
Manager Reference Manual for details on how to access a Model Manager server
database from within the COMSOL Desktop® modeling environment.

In this chapter:

• About the Model Manager Server

• Overview of the Manual
• Quick Start Guide

7
 About the Model Manager Server
In this section:

• What Can You Do with a Model Manager Server?

• Where Can I Access the Documentation?

What Can You Do with a Model Manager Server?

A Model Manager database can be shared between multiple users by hosting the
database in a Model Manager server. You access the database by connecting to the
Model Manager server from the COMSOL Multiphysics software via your
organization’s internal network. This enables you and your coworkers to collaborate
on version-controlled simulation models and data files — all while staying within the
COMSOL Desktop modeling environment. Read the Model Manager Reference
Manual to learn more on what you can do with a Model Manager database accessed
via a Model Manager server.

A Model Manager server database uses three separate server components:

• A relational database management system (RDBMS) for the version control

management of simulation models and data files in a SQL database.
• A resources directory for storing binary and text data whose size is deemed too large
to put directly inside the SQL database. This data can, for example, be built,
computed, and plotted data generated by models, or auxiliary data such as CAD and
interpolation data used as input by models.
• An enterprise search platform — the Apache Solr™ enterprise search platform —
used for the search functionality of the Model Manager.

An installation of Model Manager server optionally includes the PostgreSQL®

relational database management system and the Apache Solr™ enterprise search
platform. Selecting to include these managed server components enables you to
configure a Model Manager database without installing any additional software. Such
a database can be fully managed by the Model Manager server itself, including starting
and stopping component subprocesses and handling data backups. During installation,
you can specify that a managed database with default configuration settings should be
automatically created by the Model Manager server the first time the server starts. You
are free to opt out of this automatic creation, however — a Model Manager database
can always be set up at a later point once the Model Manager server is up and running.

8 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
A Model Manager server database can also use external server components provided
and maintained by your organization. This includes using an external relational
database management system for the SQL database — the supported platforms are
Microsoft SQL Server®, MySQL®, Oracle® Database, and PostgreSQL®. Similarly,
you can set up a Model Manager server database to use an external Apache Solr™
installation.

From the web interface of a Model Manager server, you can configure the server to
use secure connections using transport layer security (TLS) provided via HTTPS, set
up authentication mechanisms so that users can log in to the server via the COMSOL
Multiphysics software or via a web browser, and perform other administrative tasks.
You also access the web interface when you want to add or reconfigure your Model
Manager server database. This includes, for example, modifying the locations on the
file system where managed server components store your data. You may even configure
multiple databases on the same Model Manager server using any combination of
managed and external server components.

A Model Manager server also comes with a web-based asset management system that
enables simulation engineers working in COMSOL Multiphysics to easily collaborate
on simulation projects with people in your organization who may not have access to
the COMSOL Multiphysics software. Via the asset management system, users can link
models and data files to various documents, presentations, project notes, slides, and
other supplementary files and metadata on so-called assets — all while keeping
everything in the same database that stores the models and data files. Users can also
browse and search the version-controlled models and data files themselves, as well as
upload new versions of data files. This enables, for example, engineers working with
other tools and software to update data via the web interface so that this data is
immediately available to simulation engineers working in the COMSOL Desktop. Or,
those same simulation engineers can publish results in the form of animations, images,
plots, reports and other output via the asset management system simply by exporting
such output to the Model Manager server from the COMSOL Desktop.

Where Can I Access the Documentation?

A number of online resources have more information about COMSOL, including
licensing and technical information. The electronic documentation, topic-based (or

ABOUT THE MODEL MANAGER SERVER | 9

 context-based) help, and the Application Libraries are all accessed through the
COMSOL Desktop.

If you are reading the documentation as a PDF file on your computer,

the blue links do not work to open an application or content
referenced in a different guide. However, if you are using the Help
system in COMSOL Multiphysics, these links work to open other
modules, application examples, and documentation sets.

CONTACTING COMSOL BY EMAIL

For general product information, contact COMSOL at info@[Link].

COMSOL ACCESS AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT

To receive technical support from COMSOL for the COMSOL products, please
contact your local COMSOL representative or send your questions to
support@[Link]. An automatic notification and a case number will be sent to you
by email. You can also access technical support, software updates, license information,
and other resources by registering for a COMSOL Access account.

COMSOL ONLINE RESOURCES

COMSOL website [Link]

Contact COMSOL [Link]/contact
COMSOL Access [Link]/access
Support Center [Link]/support
Product Download [Link]/product-download
Product Updates [Link]/product-update
COMSOL Blog [Link]/blogs
Discussion Forum [Link]/forum
Events [Link]/events
COMSOL Application Gallery [Link]/models
COMSOL Video Gallery [Link]/videos
Learning Center [Link]/support/learning-center
Support Knowledge Base [Link]/support/knowledgebase

10 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Overview of the Manual
This Model Manager Server Manual contains information that helps you install,
configure, and administer a Model Manager server. It also contains information about
the server’s asset management system — a web-based tool you can use to manage and
organize simulation projects involving models built in the COMSOL Multiphysics
software. The information in this guide is specific to this functionality. Instructions on
how to use the Model Manager in general are included with the Model Manager
Reference Manual.

TABLE OF CONTENTS AND INDEX

To help you navigate through this guide, see the Contents section and Index.

QUICKLY GETTING STARTED

Use the Quick Start Guide to get an overview of the necessary steps for getting started
with a Model Manager server.

INSTALLING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER

The Installation chapter guides you through the installation and startup of a Model
Manager server.

ADMINISTRATING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER

The Administration chapter contains details on how you configure and administer a
Model Manager server via its web interface.

USING ASSETS TO MANAGE SIMULATION PROJECTS

In the Asset Management chapter, you will learn how assets can be used to connect
simulation engineers working in COMSOL Multiphysics with people in your
organization who may not have access to the COMSOL Multiphysics software.

OVERVIEW OF THE MANUAL | 11

 Quick Start Guide
Getting started with a Model Manager server involves the following steps:

1 Install the Model Manager server software on a server computer in your

organization’s network — see the Installing a Model Manager Server chapter. The
section Installation Planning in that chapter contains general guidelines and
background information on possible server setups, data storage strategies, and
handling of backups.
During installation of the Model Manager server, you can specify that a Model
Manager database using managed server components with default configuration
settings should be automatically created on first launch of the server. You can safely
skip this automatic creation, thereby enabling you to take full control of the
database setup once the server is up and running.
2 For the highest availability, ensure that the Model Manager server software is started
automatically when the server computer itself starts — see Starting a Model
Manager Server.
3 Review the security guidelines for the Model Manager server software — see
Security. For example, unless the network is completely trusted, it is recommended
to either place the Model Manager server behind a reverse proxy with HTTPS
support or add a connector with TLS enabled — see below.
4 Log in to the Model Manager server in a web browser using the temporary
password provided during installation — see Accessing the Web Interface. Change
your temporary password when prompted.
If you opted out of automatic database setup, you will be redirected to the Add
Database page in the System administration area for manual database setup.
Continue with the next step. Otherwise, you will be redirected to the Home page of
the server. Continue with step 6.
5 Review the suggested data directories and backup directories of the Managed Server
Components for the new Model Manager database — see also Adding the Model
Manager Server Database on First Login. You are strongly recommended to at least
change the backup directory locations to a different server disk to safeguard against
a potential disk crash. You may also replace some, or all, of the managed server
components with external server components — see Databases with External Server
Components. The latter can include, for example, a SQL database administered by
your organization. Click Save to create the new database.

12 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
6 The Model Manager server is configured with default administrative settings. To
review and possibly update these settings, click the cog wheel in the top navigation
bar and select System to open the system administration area unless the previous step
already brought you here.
7 Set the authentication mechanism used when users log in. In the System navigation
sidebar, under Login, you can choose between:
a Accounts. Manually create accounts for the users that should have access to the
Model Manager server. The account passwords are stored locally in the Model
Manager server Preference Directory — see Local Authentication.
b External Authentication. Delegate the account authentication to an external
authentication provider such as Windows® authentication or an LDAP server —
see External Authentication.
c Proxy Authentication. Delegate the account authentication to a trusted reverse
proxy placed in front of the Model Manager server — see Proxy Authentication.
8 Unless you have placed the Model Manager server behind a reverse proxy with
HTTPS support, you are strongly recommended to configure the server to use
secure connections. Under Configuration > Connectors, add a connector with TLS
enabled — see Connectors. You will need to have a TLS certificate on hand.
9 Unless you selected during installation to manually create the database — in which
case you would have been redirected to the Add Database page on login — decide if
you want to use the default managed server components automatically set up for the
Model Manager server, use custom managed server components, or use external
server components:
a If you want to use the automatically set up managed server components, review
them under Managed Components — see Managed Server Components. Preferably
update the backup directory locations of the default managed PostgreSQL®
server and the default managed resources directory to locations on a different
server disk than the corresponding data directories. The new backup directory
locations are used the next time the Model Manager server is restarted.
b If you want to use custom managed server components, but leave the
automatically set up default components unmodified as references, add new
managed server components under Managed Components — see Managed Server
Components. Also add a new Model Manager server database using these
managed server components from the Add Database page under Configuration >
Databases — see Databases with Managed Server Components. Set the new

QUICK START GUIDE | 13

 database as the current default and either deactivate or remove the automatically
created database — see The Database Page.
c If you want to use external server components, add a new Model Manager server
database from the Add Database page under Configuration > Databases. Configure
the external SQL database, the external resources directory, and the external
search indexes — see Databases with External Server Components. It is also
possible to use a mixture of managed and external server components for the
Model Manager database. Set the new database as the current default and either
deactivate or remove the automatically created database — see The Database
Page.
10 Launch COMSOL Multiphysics and verify that you can connect to the Model
Manager server database from the COMSOL Desktop environment — select File >
Open From > Add Database > Connect to Server Database and enter the address of the
server and your account credentials. Remember to include the port number
specified during installation in the Server field unless connecting on a default port
— 80 for a non-secure connection; 443 for a secure connection. See Connecting to
a Server Database in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

14 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
 2

Installation

In this chapter you will learn how to install, start, and secure a Model Manager
server. You are strongly recommended to first study the general guidelines and
background information for the server setup in the Installation Planning section
before proceeding with the Model Manager server installation itself.

In this chapter:

• Installing a Model Manager Server

• Starting a Model Manager Server
• Security

15
 Installing a Model Manager Server
A Model Manager server installation is similar to a COMSOL Multiphysics® or
COMSOL Server™ installation. For detailed information on installation, license files,
and license management, see the COMSOL Multiphysics Installation Guide.

Before starting a Model Manager server you need to start a license

manager. The FlexNet® license manager can be installed together with a
Model Manager server. A license server is not needed when running a trial
license. For more information on the FlexNet® license manager, see the
COMSOL Multiphysics Installation Guide. You can download the
document from [Link]/iog.

In this section:

• Installation Planning
• Installing in Windows
• Installing in Linux and macOS
• Modifying an Installation
• Migrating From an Older Installation

Installation Planning
A Model Manager server is typically installed on a server computer in your
organization’s internal network. Computers running the COMSOL Multiphysics
software connect to the server computer over the network in order to access the Model
Manager server database. Users can also access the Model Manager server web
interface via a web browser — either to perform administrative tasks for the server or
use the web-based asset management system.

This section contains general guidelines and background information to help you with
planning your server setup. This includes a description of the various directories used
by the server — the Installation Directory for the Model Manager server program, the
Preference Directory for the Model Manager server settings and log files, and the Data
Directories for the Model Manager server database — with particular emphasis on
recommendations for access permissions, disk requirements, and backup strategies for

16 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
these directories. The section also contains details on Server Processes and Memory
Footprint for the Model Manager server and some Examples of Server Setups.

INSTALLATION DIRECTORY
The Model Manager server is supported on the Windows®, Linux®, and macOS
operating systems. The default installation directory for each operating system is:

• Windows®: C:\Program Files\COMSOL\COMSOL63\ModelManagerServer

• Linux®: /usr/local/comsol63/modelmanagerserver
• macOS: /Applications/COMSOL63/ModelManagerServer

You can choose another directory when installing the server. The installation directory
may either be on a physical disk or on a network disk.

It is recommended to not give the user account running the Model

Manager server process any permissions other than read access to the
installation directory.

The installation directory contains the program files for the Model
Manager server and its managed server components. It does not contain
any Model Manager server databases — see Data Directories.

PREFERENCE DIRECTORY
Server settings and log files for a Model Manager server are stored in a preference
directory with default location:

• Windows®: <user>\.comsol\v63modelmanagerserver
• Linux®: <user>/.comsol/v63modelmanagerserver
• macOS: <user>/Library/Preferences/COMSOL/v63modelmanagerserver

with <user> being the home directory for the user account running the Model
Manager server process. The location when running, for example, as a Windows®
service using the predefined NetworkService user account is:

C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\.comsol\
v63modelmanagerserver

Replace NetworkService with LocalService in the directory path for the predefined
LocalService account in Windows®.

INSTALLING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER | 17

 Two subfolders of particular interest in the preference directory are:

• db — containing accounts, database configurations, and other server preferences.

• logs — log files for the Model Manager server.

It is recommended that only the user account running the Model

Manager server process is granted access permissions to the preference
directory.

You can specify another directory path for the preference directory using the
-prefsdir command option — see Command Options for further details.

The Model Manager server preference directory must be located on a

physical disk. Using a network disk is not supported and will result in the
server being unable to start.

BACKUP OF PREFERENCE DIRECTORY

Add the subfolder db in the Model Manager server preference directory to your
backup routines. The folder contains accounts, database configurations, and other
server preferences that may be time consuming to recreate in case of a server disk crash
or other failure. A periodic file system copy of the folder is sufficient.

When restoring a Model Manager server after a failure, copy the db folder from its
backup location to its location in the preference directory before starting the server.

SERVER COMPONENTS
A Model Manager server uses three separate server components for the storage and
search indexing of your data. A default installation of Model Manager server includes
all three as managed server components, with the server handling the start and stop
of component subprocesses and data backups. You also have the option of replacing
some or all of these managed server components with external server components
maintained by your organization.

The Model Manager server uses a relational database management system for storing
data in a SQL database. The installation includes the PostgreSQL® relational database
management system as an optional managed server component. You can also configure
the server to use an external relational database management system — see External
SQL Databases for a list of supported SQL database servers. The external SQL

18 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
database server can either run on the same computer as the Model Manager server or
on a different computer within the same network.

For the search functionality of the Model Manager, a Model Manager server uses the
Apache Solr™ enterprise search platform. The installation includes this platform as an
optional managed server component. You can also configure a Model Manager server
to use an external Apache Solr™ installation provided by your organization — see
External Search Indexes. As for the SQL database server, the external Apache Solr™
server can either run on the same computer as the Model Manager server or on a
different computer within the network.

Binary and text data that is too large to be stored inside the SQL database is stored
directly on the file system inside a dedicated directory. This directory is registered with
the Model Manager server as a server component. The backup of the files in the
directory can either be managed by the Model Manager server or it can be handled by
external backup routines maintained by your organization.

During installation, you will be given the option of letting the Model Manager server
automatically set up a new Model Manager database using managed server
components configured with default settings on first launch of the server. This
includes, for example, data directories and backup directories located on the server
computer’s file system. Depending on your expected user base and IT infrastructure,
you may want to modify these default settings once the Model Manager server is up
and running — either by moving the default database or by adding a new database via
the Model Manager server’s web interface. You can also skip this automatic creation
altogether, thereby enabling you to take full control of where data directories and
backup directories should be located once the server is up and running.

When describing a Model Manager server and its server components

there are inevitable terminology collisions for the words “database” and
“server”. A Model Manager server uses a SQL database server as an
independent server component. A Model Manager database uses a SQL
database in such a SQL database server to store a subset of its data. A SQL
database server can contain multiple SQL databases, each used by a
different Model Manager database.

• Adding the Model Manager Server Database on First Login

• Moving a Model Manager Server Database

INSTALLING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER | 19

 DATA DIRECTORIES
The three server components of a Model Manager database each uses its own data
directory:

• The data directory for the SQL database. This is the main storage for the version
control management of models and data files in repositories and branches, the
version-controlled assets in asset libraries, and all user management and access
control functionality. This data will inevitably grow over time, but, with a reasonably
sized disk drive, it should still be fine to keep on the same computer as the Model
Manager server installation (although not necessarily the same disk drive). The size
is also kept manageable by the fact that large binary and text data is stored externally
to the SQL database, while the SQL database itself mainly stores descriptive,
structural, and administrative metadata for this binary and text data.
• The data directory for the search index server. This data is automatically extracted
from that which is stored in the SQL database and, as such, requires no backup. The
size is typically much smaller than the other two data directories and there is
generally no issue in placing it on the same computer as the Model Manager server
installation.
• The so-called resources directory for storing large binary and text data associated
with models, data files, and assets. Large here typically means above a few hundred
kilobytes. This includes:

- Binary data for geometries and meshes, computed solutions, and result plots
associated with your models.
- CAD data, interpolation functions, and other data files used as input for your
models.
- Documentation files, presentations, videos, and other supplementary files linked
to models via the asset management system.
The resources directory is expected to be the largest of the three and you may want
to offload it to a dedicated file server whose file system is mounted by the server
computer running the Model Manager server — see Examples of Server Setups.

The location of the data directories used by the default Model Manager server database
optionally set up during installation depends on the computer account running the
server — see Default Data Directories.

When using managed server components, it is recommended to store the data

directory for the SQL database server on a physical disk for best performance. For
Linux, storing the data directory on a network disk using NFS mounted in hard mode

20 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
is supported. Other network disk configurations are not supported. Placing the data
directory for the search index server on a network disk is not supported for any
configuration.

Support for storing the data directories of managed server components on

a network disk is as follows:

• SQL database server — only supported on Linux® using NFS mounted

in hard mode.
• Search index server — never supported.
• Resources directory — always supported.

If placing the data directory of the SQL database server or the search index server on
the same computer as the Model Manager server is not an option, the recommended
approach is to use external server components. You can install a SQL database server
on another computer and then connect to that server from the Model Manager server
over the network. Connecting to an external SQL database server may also prove
useful if the IT infrastructure of your organization already supports managing SQL
databases, including handling their backups. You can also install and connect to an
Apache Solr™ enterprise search platform on another computer. Finally, the resources
directory may be placed on an external file server as long as the Model Manager server
can mount it as a network disk.

The computer account running the Model Manager server must have the
necessary access permissions to connect to an external SQL database
server, search index server, or file server. This is typically not the case for
the predefined LocalService account in Windows®.

Databases with External Server Components

Files stored in the resources data directory always pass through the Model Manager
server when opened or saved from a COMSOL Multiphysics session — this to ensure
data integrity and that necessary permissions are verified. There is therefore little to
gain from placing a file server containing the resources data directory geographically
near your users if the Model Manager server itself, for example, is not.

INSTALLING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER | 21

 Default Data Directories
The location of the data directories used by the default Model Manager server database
optionally set up during installation depends on the computer account running the
Model Manager server process. For the predefined NetworkService account in
Windows®, for example, the directories are located inside:

C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\Local\COMSOL\
ModelManager\ManagedDatabases\default-managed

with subdirectories:

• data — the data directory of the managed SQL database server.

• index — the data directory of the managed search index server.
• resources — the managed resources directory.

Replace NetworkService with LocalService in the directory path for the predefined
LocalService account in Windows®.

For Linux®, the directories are located inside:

<user>/.comsolmodelmanagerdata/manageddatabases/default-managed

and for macOS:

<user>/Library/Application Support/COMSOL/ModelManager/
ManagedDatabases/default-managed

Moving a Model Manager Server Database

BACKUP OF DATA DIRECTORIES

A Model Manager server database using managed server components requires backup
for the data directory of the SQL database server and for the resources data directory.
The data directory of the search index server requires no backup. The default Model
Manager database optionally set up during installation is already configured so that the
Model Manager server handles this backup — see Managed Backups for further details.

You can also let external backup software provided by your organization handle the
backup of the two data directories. This may be useful when you want to save disk
space on the computer running the Model Manager server and mounting an external
file server — as described for Managed Backups — is not feasible. The simplest option
is to periodically shut down the Model Manager server and do a file system copy of

22 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
both directories to an external location. It is important to copy both directories as they
could otherwise become inconsistent with respect to each other.

To get a consistent backup for this option, the Model Manager server
must be shut down before copying the data directories. Copying the data
manually via a system file explorer while the server is running — with
different files captured at different points in time — will lead to data
corruption.

If shutting down the server is impractical, it is also possible to do a backup while the
service is running as long as the external backup software, as well as the file system
volume containing the data directories, supports frozen file system snapshots. See the
official documentation for the PostgreSQL® relational database management system
for further details on file system level backups.

If your external backup software do supports frozen file system snapshots, but the data
directory of SQL database server and the resources data directory reside on different
disk volumes, it is recommended to order your backups so that the SQL database
server’s data directory is backed up first.

Backup and Restore of a Model Manager Server Database

MANAGED BACKUPS
The backup directories for the managed server components used by the default Model
Manager database optionally set up during installation are located on the same disk
drive as the data directories for these components — see Default Backup Directories.
This backup configuration makes it possible to recover data after an accidental deletion
in the database but is still vulnerable to a server disk crash. You are therefore strongly
recommended to do one of the following options — or a combination thereof — when
using a managed Model Manager database:

• Place the managed backup directories on another disk drive or on a mounted file
server that the computer account running the Model Manager server has read and
write access to.
• Keep the current location for the managed backup directories but let external
backup software take periodic backups of these backup directories themselves.

The best alternative typically depends on your organization’s IT infrastructure.

INSTALLING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER | 23

 For the second option — taking a secondary backup of the managed backup directories
themselves — there is no strict requirement of shutting down the Model Manager
server or using frozen file system snapshots. The server writes the managed backup of
the PostgreSQL® relational database management system as an ordered sequence of
fixed-size files such that, once a specific file is completed, a new file is begun and the
previous file will not be further modified. On the off-chance that the external backup
software is running at the exact same moment that the server is writing to the most
recent such file, you would only risk potentially missing data in this particular file. This
could be rectified the next time the external backup software runs.

The size of the backup directory of a managed SQL database server is expected to be
the same order of magnitude as the data directory itself. For a managed resources
directory, the backup directory has exactly the same size unless any resources have been
permanently deleted in the Model Manager database — such deletions are never
propagated to the backup directory by design.

Default Backup Directories

The backup directories for the managed server components used by the default Model
Manager server database optionally set up during installation are located on the same
disk drive as the Default Data Directories. For the predefined NetworkService account
in Windows®, for example, the directories are located inside:

C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\Local\COMSOL\
ModelManager\ManagedDatabases\default-managed-backup

with subdirectories:

• data_backup — backup directory for the managed SQL database server.

• resources_backup — backup directory for the managed resources directory.

Replace NetworkService with LocalService in the directory path for the predefined
LocalService account in Windows®.

For Linux®, the directories are located inside:

<user>/.comsolmodelmanagerdata/manageddatabases
/default-managed-backup

and for macOS:

<user>/Library/Application Support/COMSOL/ModelManager/
ManagedDatabases/default-managed-backup

24 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
SERVER PROCESSES AND MEMORY FOOTPRINT
The memory footprint of the main Model Manager server process is expected to be
small and will typically not be a deciding factor for the overall system requirements of
the server computer. When using managed server components for a Model Manager
server database, there are two groups of subprocesses started on the server computer:

• Managed SQL database server processes.

• Managed search index server processes.

The memory footprint of both of these two groups will scale with the size of the
database. A recommendation is to start with at least a few gigabytes of RAM and then
follow up over time as your database grows.

EXAMPLES OF SERVER SETUPS

A few examples of server setups for a Model Manager server installation, in order of
increasing complexity, is summarized as follows:

Example 1 — Single Server

A Model Manager server with a fully managed Model Manager database. The main
Model Manager server process, as well as subprocesses for the managed SQL database
server and managed search index server, all run on a single server computer. The data
directories are all located on the server computer’s file system. The backup directories
are located on a physical disk drive different from that of the data directories.

Apart from the location of the backup directories, this is the setup used by the default
managed database optionally added when installing a Model Manager server. It is also
the recommended setup when getting started with a Model Manager server.

Example 2 — Backup File Server

A Model Manager server with a fully managed Model Manager database. The main
Model Manager server process, as well as subprocesses for the managed SQL database
server and managed search index server, all run on a single server computer. The data
directories are all located on the server computer’s file system. The backup directories
are located on a separate file server mounted by the server computer.

Example 3 — Managed Resources File Server

A Model Manager server with a fully managed Model Manager database. The main
Model Manager server process, as well as subprocesses for the managed SQL database
server and managed search index server, all run on a single server computer. The data
directories of the managed SQL database server and the managed search index server
are located on the server computer’s file system. The managed resources directory is

INSTALLING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER | 25

 located on a separate file server and the backup directories are located on a second
separate file server, both mounted by the server computer.

Example 4 — External SQL Database Server

A Model Manager server with a partially managed Model Manager database. The main
Model Manager server process and the managed search index server subprocess run on
the main server computer. The Model Manager server connects to an external SQL
database server running on a second server computer. The data directory for the
managed search index server is located on the main server computer, the data directory
for the external SQL database server is located on the second server computer, and the
managed resources directory is located on a separate file server. The backup directory
for the managed resources directory is located on a second separate file server, while
the backup of the external SQL database server is handled by your IT department. This
option gives the most flexibility to, for example, scale up memory and disk size over
time.

Installing in Windows
Start the Model Manager server installation by using the media that you have received
or by using an internet download. In the installer, after selecting your preferred
language, choose New COMSOL Model Manager Server 6.3 Installation.

COMSOL Model Manager Server uses a separate installer than the one
used when installing COMSOL Multiphysics® or COMSOL Server™.

LICENSE
In the next step, License, select the format of your license in the License format list
under License information. For the License file option, write the file path to the license
file that you have received from your COMSOL representative in the License file field.
Click Browse to browse to and choose another file path. You can also use the Port
number and Hostname option or the Three-server redundancy option if your license
administrator has given you these details.

At this point, the installer detects the type of license used. The following instructions
assume that the license used during installation corresponds to a Model Manager
server license.

26 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
PRODUCTS
In the next step, Products, select the installation location and which software products
and components you want to install. All products and components are selected by
default.

• Model Manager Server — installs the Model Manager server software components.
• Managed PostgreSQL® — installs software components for a PostgreSQL® database
system managed by the Model Manager server. Clear the checkbox if you only want
to use an external relational database management system provided by your
organization.
• Managed Apache Solr™ — installs software components for an Apache Solr™ search
platform managed by the Model Manager server. Clear the checkbox if you only
want to use an external Apache Solr™ installation provided by your organization.
• License Manager — installs the COMSOL License Manager. You only need to install
this on the computer where you would like to run the license manager.

OPTIONS
In the Options step:

• Select the Create COMSOL Model Manager Server 6.3 folder on Windows Start Menu
checkbox to install Start menu shortcuts (Windows® operating system only).
• Select the Add Windows Firewall rules for COMSOL programs checkbox to add
Windows Firewall rules.
• Select the Check for updates after installation checkbox to enable checking for
updates after installation.
• In the Java runtime environment list, select Built-in to use the default Java runtime
included with the Model Manager server installation. Select Custom if you prefer to
use another Java runtime that you have licensed and installed.

LICENSE MANAGER
The License Manager step appears if the installer installed the FlexNet® license manager
and your computer has been designated to run the license server. If this step does not
appear, you can manage the license server using LMTOOLS. This step contains the
following options:

• The Install license manager as a Windows service checkbox is selected by default; if

you clear the checkbox, the license manager will not be available as a Windows®
service.

INSTALLING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER | 27

 • The Path to the debug log file field contains a file path to the location of the license
manager debug log file (default: C:\[Link]). Click Browse to browse to and
choose another file path.
• The Service name field shows the service name, LMCOMSOL, for information only.
• Under Additional license manager options, you can select any of the following
checkboxes:
- Select the Allow the lmdown command to be executed only from this computer
checkbox to restrict the execution of the lmdown command, which you can use
to shut down the license manager, to this computer only.
- Select the Disable the lmdown command checkbox to make the lmdown command
unavailable.
- Select the Disable the lmremove command checkbox to make the lmremove
command, which you can use to remove a user’s license, unavailable.

SERVER
The Server step makes it possible to set up the Model Manager server as a Windows®
service. You can also configure an initial administrator account, which you can use to
log in to the Model Manager server web interface to continue the server setup once
the installation has finished.

Basic Settings
In the Default Model Manager server port field, write the port number that the server
will use. The default is 8181.

Windows Service Settings

There are two ways to install the Model Manager server in Windows®. If you select the
Install the Model Manager server as a Windows service checkbox (the default), the Model
Manager server is then installed as a Windows® service. Otherwise, the Model
Manager server is installed as a regular executable.

Use the Startup list to configure how to start the Model Manager server when installed
as a Windows® service:

• Disabled — the service is disabled.

• Manual — the service will not be started after the installation. You need to start the
service manually.

28 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
• Automatic — the service is configured to start automatically when the host computer
boots or restarts. This is the default choice.
• Automatic (Delayed Start) — the service starts automatically but is delayed until all
automatic-start threads have finished starting.

The Automatic setting provides the highest availability to users of the

installed server.

If you choose Disabled or Manual, you can enable or start the Model
Manager server service from the command line or by using the Manage
local services shortcut installed on the Start menu in Windows®. The same
configuration options are also available in the snap-in Services in the
Microsoft Management Console — search for services from the
Windows® Control Panel.

In the Service account list, select the computer account that runs the service. You can
choose the predefined LocalService, LocalSystem, or NetworkService accounts in
Windows®, which have no password. When using other accounts, choose Custom and
provide a username and password. By default, the installer selects the predefined
LocalService account.

The LocalService account has limited privileges intended for running local
services. It is the recommended service account if you intend to set up a
Model Manager server database using a single server computer — see
Examples of Server Setups. If you, for example, intend to mount a file
server or connect to an external SQL database server, you must use a
service account with network access privileges — for example, the
predefined NetworkService account or a custom account.

The PostgreSQL® database system does not support running under a user
account with administrative privileges on Windows® — that is, a member
of the Administrators or Power Users group. If you choose to not install
this software component, you are still strongly recommended to use an
account with less privileges — see also Security.

INSTALLING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER | 29

 Consult the documentation that came with the operating system for more
information about service accounts.

Default Local Administrative User

Select the Create a default local administrative user checkbox to set a username and a
temporary password for an administrator account. You will typically use that account
to log in to the Model Manager server web interface after the installation finishes to
continue the setup of the server.

Only clear the Create a default local administrative user checkbox if you are
repairing or updating a previous installation for which an administrator
account already exists.

Model Manager Server Database

Under Add a Model Manager server database, select Automatic if the Model Manager
server should automatically create a new database during startup unless an existing
database is found. Select Custom if you prefer to create the database manually via the
Model Manager server web interface once the server is up and running — see Adding
the Model Manager Server Database on First Login.

For the Automatic option, Model Manager server will create the new database in a
default file system location — typically on the same disk drive as the Model Manager
server installation itself. As discussed in the Installation Planning section, this may not
be ideal long-term for the following two reasons:

• The disk may not meet the expected size requirements of your simulation data.
• The data directories and the backup directories of the database are located on the
same disk, thereby making this setup vulnerable to a future disk failure.

You can always move the automatically created database to a new location after the
server has been installed, although this may involve a fairly large number of steps —
see Moving a Model Manager Server Database.

Select Automatic if you are mainly interested in quickly getting started

with a Model Manager server database to, for example, learn in its various
features. Select Custom if you already have an idea of how you want to set
up the server database long term — see Examples of Server Setups.

30 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
 Only the Custom option is available if you cleared the Managed
PostgreSQL® or the Managed Apache Solr™ checkbox in the Products step.

No new database will be created if a database from a previous Model

Manager server installation is found during startup. See also Migrating
From an Older Installation.

Troubleshooting
When you click Next from the Server step, the installer will verify some of the given
settings, including employing a test service to check that the given service account
details are valid and that the service account has the right permissions to access the
installation directories. The following are some common warning and error messages
that may arise and suggestions on how to address them:

The given service account does not seem able to start services due to a logon failure.
Please verify that it has the right to log on as a service. The installer failed to start the
test service. To verify that a custom user account has the right to log on as a service,
you can check the security settings for the Log on as a service policy under
Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy > Local Security Settings >
Local Policies > User Rights Assignments in Windows®.

The installation directory is not accessible. Please verify that the directory is correct and
that the service account has access to this path. The service launcher failed to locate
the test service when starting it. The service account either does not see that location
or does not have read permissions. Commonly, this is caused by using an installation
location that either has security permissions that do not include the service account, or
by the location being on a network share that is not mounted by the service account.

The given service account is invalid or does not exist or the password is wrong. The
test service could not be installed or started due to a problem with the service account.
Verify that the account details are correct.

Failed to verify the service account. An unexpected error happened. If you believe
that the installation settings are correct, you can proceed with the installation. Further
details are given in the [Link] file after the installation.

No administrative user has been defined. You did not specify an administrator account
under Default local administrative user. In this configuration, it will not be possible to

INSTALLING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER | 31

 log in to Model Manager server unless the server has already been configured with
accounts after a previous installation.

INSTALL
The Install step shows a list of the software products and components that will be
installed. Click the Install button to begin the installation.

FINISH
The last Finish step is shown when the installation has finished. You can view an
installation log file in case, for example, there were warnings or errors during the
installation.

Installing in Linux and macOS

Installing in the Linux® and macOS operating systems is similar to Installing in
Windows. The Server step contains Basic Settings, the option of creating a Default
Local Administrative User, and a default Model Manager Server Database. See Starting
a Model Manager Server for more information on how to automatically launch a
Model Manager server after installation on Linux® and macOS.

For security reasons, it is not recommended to use an account with

administrative privileges to run a Model Manager server. The Apache
Solr™ search platform and the PostgreSQL® database system do not
support running as a root user on either Linux® or macOS.

Modifying an Installation
To modify an existing Model Manager server installation — for example, to change the
default port or reset the administrator password — follow these steps:

1 Stop the Model Manager server.

If installed as a Windows® service (default for Windows®), you can stop the Model
Manager server service using the Manage Local Services shortcut installed on the Start
menu under COMSOL Launchers.
2 Start the installer for the Model Manager server and select a language.
3 Choose Add/Remove Products and Reinstall. If a dialog is opened, browse to the
installation directory.

32 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
4 Specify the new configuration in the steps that follow, similarly as for a new
installation.
You can clear the Create default local administrative user checkbox if you have already
added an administrative user, ignoring the warning that no administrative user has
been defined when clicking Next.
5 When the installer has finished, start the Model Manager server again.

See Starting a Model Manager Server for instructions on how to start and
stop the server on different platforms.

Irrespective of what you select under Add a Model Manager server database
in the Server step, no new database will be created if a database from the
existing installation is found during startup.

RESETTING THE DEFAULT ADMINISTRATOR PASSWORD

You can reset the default administrator password by following the steps for modifying
an existing Model Manager server installation. In the Server step, select the Create
default local administrative user checkbox and write a new password to reset any
existing password.

UNINSTALLING
To uninstall an existing Model Manager server installation, follow these steps:

1 Stop the Model Manager server.

If installed as a Windows® service (default for Windows®), you can stop the Model
Manager server service using the Manage Local Services shortcut installed on the Start
menu under COMSOL Launchers.
2 Start the Model Manager server installer and select a language.
3 Choose Uninstall COMSOL Model Manager Server 6.3. If a dialog is opened, browse to
the installation directory.
4 Click the Uninstall button.

Uninstalling a Model Manager server will not delete any Model Manager
databases.

INSTALLING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER | 33

 Migrating From an Older Installation
To migrate from an older version of a Model Manager server running as a service on
Windows®:

1 Stop the currently running Model Manager server Windows® service. Also make
sure that the Windows® service is not set to be started automatically — that is, set
the startup type to Disabled.
2 Install COMSOL Model Manager Server 6.3 — see Installing in Windows.
3 Once you have verified that the COMSOL Model Manager Server 6.3 has successfully
started, uninstall the old version of the server if desired.

For a systemd service installed on Linux®, make sure to stop and disable the old service
before installing the new service.

The Model Manager databases hosted by the old Model Manager server will now be
available in the new server.

You are strongly recommended to at least stop any older installations of

Model Manager server before installing a newer version to not risk any
unwanted cross-talk in the data directories. When stopping an older
Model Manager server installed as a Windows® service, make sure that the
service is not set to be started automatically. When stopping an older
systemd service installed on Linux®, make sure that the service is also
disabled.

When a Model Manager server starts for the first time, it tries to locate a Model
Manager server Preference Directory belonging to an older installation of the server.
If such a preference directory is found, all server settings are migrated to the new
installation’s preference directory. This includes, for example, any account settings and
Model Manager database configurations set up for the older server. You can also
manually copy the subfolder db in the preference directory of the older installation to
that of the newer installation before the latter server has been installed and started (you
will need to first manually create the newer installation’s preference directory). This is
useful, for example, if the older installation is located on another computer. The Data
Directories for any configured databases are not copied, however. This means that
older installations of Model Manager server may potentially read and write in the same
data directories as the newer installation unless the older servers are first stopped.

34 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
Backward Compatibility for Server Databases

INSTALLING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER | 35

 Starting a Model Manager Server
In this section, you will learn how to start a Model Manager server in the Windows®,
Linux®, or macOS operating systems.

In this section:

• Starting as a Windows Service

• Starting Manually in Windows
• Starting in Linux
• Starting in macOS
• Firewalls
• Setting Up the Model Manager Server for Secure Connections
• Running Behind a Reverse Proxy
• Command Options

Starting as a Windows Service

By default, a Model Manager server is installed as a Windows® service that is set to start
automatically. In this case, a link to the Model Manager server web interface is installed
on the Start menu as Model Manager Server. See Accessing the Web Interface for more
information about accessing the web interface and, for example, continuing the setup
of a fresh installation.

To manually start or stop the Model Manager server service, or to configure if it is

started automatically, use the Manage Local Services shortcut installed on the Start menu
under COMSOL Launchers. The same configuration options are also available in the
snap-in Services in the Microsoft Management Console. Search for services from the
Windows® Control Panel.

Before starting a Model Manager server, you need to start a FlexNet®

license manager. The license manager can be installed together with a
Model Manager server — see Installing a Model Manager Server.

36 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
Starting Manually in Windows
If you cleared the Install Model Manager Server as a Windows service checkbox during
installation, you can start a Model Manager server manually by doing one of the
following:

• Click the COMSOL Model Manager Server 6.3 shortcut installed on the Start menu.
• Double-click the Windows® executable in a file browser.
• Run the Windows® executable from a command window.

The Model Manager server executable is located at:

<Installation directory>\bin\win64\[Link]

An example of a typical <Installation directory> is:

C:\Program Files\COMSOL\COMSOL63\ModelManagerServer

For all methods of starting a Model Manager server, the command window displays a
short message that the server has started and which port is being used.

Press Ctrl+C to stop the server. A short message is displayed informing that the server
is stopping. Exit the command window once the window returns to accept user input
again.

When a Model Manager server has been installed as a Windows® service,

the shortcut for starting manually is not available on the Start menu. It is
not recommended to start a Model Manager server manually via its
executable when the service is running. Since the service typically runs
under a special system user account, it does not share its configuration
settings with a Model Manager server that was started manually.

Installation Directory

Starting in Linux
To start a Model Manager server manually on Linux®, type

<Installation directory>/bin/comsol modelmanagerserver

STARTING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER | 37

 To stop the server, press Ctrl+C in the terminal window where it was started.

The Apache Solr™ search platform and the PostgreSQL® database system
do not support running as a root user on Linux®.

SYSTEMD SERVICE
Use the following instructions to start a Model Manager server in a Linux® version
that includes systemd:

1 Create a file:
/usr/lib/systemd/system/[Link]

with content similar to:

[Unit]
Description=COMSOL Model Manager server 6.3
Wants=[Link] [Link]
After=[Link] [Link]

[Service]
Type=exec
User=comsoluser
Group=comsolgroup
TimeoutSec=300
ProtectHome=off
ExecStart=/usr/local/comsol63/modelmanagerserver/bin/comsol
modelmanagerservice

[Install]
WantedBy=[Link]

You only need to replace the values for User and Group.
2 Activate the service via:
systemctl enable /usr/lib/systemd/system/
[Link]

3 Start the service via:

systemctl start comsolmodelmanagerserver63

To stop the Model Manager server service cleanly, run:

38 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
 systemctl stop comsolmodelmanagerserver63

If you want to enable transport layer security (TLS) for secure

connections via HTTPS on port 443, you could add the line
AmbientCapabilities=CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE to the [Service]
section of the [Link] file. This will
allow the Model Manager server to open that port in case the Linux®
operating system is otherwise restricting opening of such low-numbered
ports. See Adding a Connector With TLS for further details.

Starting in macOS
To start a Model Manager server manually, type

<Installation directory>/bin/comsol modelmanagerserver

To stop the server, press Ctrl+C in the terminal window where it was started.

The Apache Solr™ search platform and the PostgreSQL® database system
do not support running as a root user on macOS.

Firewalls
You must open up firewalls that exist between the server and your users. Open up for
incoming TCP connections to the port given during installation (by default, 8181) or
controlled by the -port command option — see Command Options. To improve
security, you can reduce the IP address range to known potential IP addresses for your
users. If you are running a Model Manager server behind a reverse proxy, only open
up the port of the reverse proxy instead — see Running Behind a Reverse Proxy. If you
have added a connector with TLS enabled, only open up the port of that connector
instead — see Adding a Connector With TLS.

Internally, a Model Manager server may launch subprocesses and communicate with
them on various ports. These additional ports do not need to be open in the firewall
for users of the Model Manager server.

STARTING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER | 39

 Setting Up the Model Manager Server for Secure Connections
You are strongly recommended to set up the Model Manager server for secure
connections using one of the following two options — see also Security:

• Place the Model Manager server behind a reverse proxy with TLS encryption
configured. This way, no particular configuration of the Model Manager server itself
is required. The communication between the reverse proxy and the Model Manager
server will not be encrypted. See also Running Behind a Reverse Proxy for more
information.
• Add a TLS-enabled connector with a certificate obtained from a trusted certificate
authority (CA) to the Model Manager server — see Adding a Connector With TLS.

To connect to a Model Manager server using HTTPS, select the Require

secure connection checkbox in COMSOL Multiphysics.

Running Behind a Reverse Proxy

In some cases, it is advantageous to use a reverse proxy as an intermediary between the
Model Manager server and its users. Use cases of a reverse proxy include:

• Providing many web services with the same hostname — for example, serving the
Model Manager server at [Link]/modelmanagerserver and a webmail
server at [Link]/webmail.
• Offloading TLS encryption onto the reverse proxy, either for using hardware-
accelerated encryption or to simply avoid configuring encryption for each web
service separately.
• Firewall features that protect the web service from attacks.
• Integration with single sign-on systems for authentication — see Proxy
Authentication.

To support serving the Model Manager server at the path /modelmanagerserver, as

in the preceding example, the reverse proxy must be configured to pass any regular
HTTP requests to, for example, [Link]/modelmanagerserver/foo on to the
Model Manager server as [Link]/foo. Additionally, the
reverse proxy should be configured to rewrite the cookie path /api set by the Model
Manager server to /modelmanagerserver/api.

40 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
Any reverse proxy that supports HTTP can be used with the Model Manager server.
Two common reverse proxies are Apache mod_proxy and NGINX®. See the
documentation of the reverse proxy software for how to set it up to forward requests.

You can use the ProxyPassReverseCookiePath directive in Apache

mod_proxy and the proxy_cookie_path directive in NGINX® to rewrite
the cookie path.

TLS ENCRYPTION
By configuring the reverse proxy to serve HTTPS, the integrity and confidentiality of
the communication between the client and the reverse proxy is protected by the TLS
protocol. This is the recommended way to host the Model Manager server on any
network where cleartext traffic could be intercepted.

Command Options
You can specify optional command options when starting a Model Manager server
using the syntax

[Link] [<options>]

on Windows® and

comsol modelmanagerserver [<options>]

on Linux® and macOS platforms. See Table 2-1 for various command options available
for the server.

TABLE 2-1: COMMAND OPTIONS FOR A MODEL MANAGER SERVER.

OPTION DESCRIPTION

-c Path to license file.

-comsolinifile Path to ini-file to use when launching.
-h, -help Show help message.
-port Port number used by the server.
-prefsdir Path to preference directory.
-tmpdir Path to temporary file directory.
-v, -version Show version information.

STARTING A MODEL MANAGER SERVER | 41

 The default ini-file is found in the installation directory for the Model Manager
server:

• Windows®: <Installation directory>\bin\win64

• Linux®: <Installation directory>/bin/glnxa64
• macOS: <Installation directory>/bin/maci64

The filename is [Link] if running as a Windows® service.

Otherwise, it is [Link].

You can add to the ini-file any command option in Table 2-1 that specify a
configuration setting — insert Dcs. between the dash and the option name and
separate the option value with an equals-sign. To use a custom preference directory,
for example, add the line:

-[Link]=<Path to preference directory>

Remember to restart the Model Manager server after saving the file for any new
configuration setting to apply.

42 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
Security
The following guidelines summarize the best practices for running the Model Manager
server in a secure way:

• Do not give unprivileged users in the organization shell access to the system where
the Model Manager server runs. Although the file system directories and processes
of the Model Manager server are protected from interference by other users on the
system through operating system permissions, it is general best practice to restrict
shell access on production servers.
• Set up the Model Manager server to use TLS (via HTTPS) when connecting from
web browsers and COMSOL Multiphysics. This increases the protection of
passwords sent when logging in and reduces the risk of data leaks. The easiest way
to get transport layer security is to use a reverse proxy with a certificate, which might
already have been set up for other systems. Alternatively, you can add a TLS-enabled
connector with a certificate to the Model Manager server — see Adding a
Connector With TLS.
• Use a low-privilege account when running the Model Manager server process. This
reduces the risk of privilege escalation attacks to the system. See Installing a Model
Manager Server for more information.
• Configure the firewall of the computer or network segment where the Model
Manager server runs to only expose the main port of the Model Manager server to
the outside. If running the Model Manager server behind a reverse proxy, only
expose the port of the reverse proxy to the outside instead.
• If you expose the Model Manager server to the internet, make sure to operate the
Model Manager server on a network isolated from your regular corporate network.
One option for implementing this is to install the Model Manager server on a
computer in a so-called DMZ network located between the internet and your
regular corporate network. Another option is to install the Model Manager server
utilizing a cloud service provider.
• Ensure that the Preference Directory of the Model Manager server is not accessible
by untrusted parties.
• Using permissions, you can configure access control for the content stored on the
Model Manager server as needed. You can also use separate instances of the Model
Manager server — with each server using their own databases — to isolate different

SECURITY | 43
 content and user groups. The latter is best practice when exposing the Model
Manager server to users outside of your organization.

Password Security
Local passwords stored by the Model Manager server are hashed by 100,000 iterations
of the PBKDF2WithHmacSHA256 algorithm. This means that an adversary that gets
access to the hashed passwords will not easily be able to obtain the original passwords.
However, if an adversary does obtain a local password (for example, by brute-force
guessing a weak password), the adversary could log in to the Model Manager server.

By default, the Model Manager server writes hashed local passwords to the file /db/
settings/[Link] in the Preference Directory. The temporary password set for the
Default Local Administrative User during installation is stored using the same hash
algorithm in the file [Link] in the root of the installation
directory.

As mentioned previously, it is recommended to use TLS (via HTTPS) to protect

passwords sent from web browsers and COMSOL Multiphysics to the Model Manager
server. A warning appears in COMSOL Multiphysics at the time of login if the
connection to the Model Manager server is not secure. Web browsers will show similar
warnings.

Passwords saved in COMSOL Multiphysics for connecting to the Model Manager

server (“Remember password”) are stored encrypted so that only the logged-in user
can access them. On Windows®, the encryption is done using the Data Protection API
of the operating system. On Linux® and macOS, the encryption is done using a master
key stored in the preference directory, protected by file system permissions. The same
encryption is used to protect passwords stored by a Model Manager server configured
to connect to external SQL database servers or Apache Solr™ servers using password-
based authentication methods — see also Databases with External Server
Components.

When a COMSOL Multiphysics client is connected to a COMSOL Multiphysics server

on another host computer, the communication is typically on a nonsecure channel.
This means that Model Manager server passwords entered in the user interface on the
client computer are sent to the COMSOL Multiphysics server computer in an
unencrypted cleartext format. To prevent this exposure, either tunnel the connection
between the COMSOL Multiphysics client and the COMSOL Multiphysics server
using a secure SSH tunnel, or first enter and save the Model Manager server credentials
using a local COMSOL Multiphysics instance running on the COMSOL Multiphysics

44 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
server computer. A Model Manager server password already saved on the COMSOL
Multiphysics server computer is not sent to the COMSOL Multiphysics client
computer when connecting to a Model Manager server.

SECURITY | 45
46 | CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION
 3

Administration

In this chapter, you will learn how to configure and administer a Model Manager
server via its web interface. You can log in to the web interface to, for example, set
up a Model Manager server database or use the web-based asset management
system — see also Asset Management. This chapter assumes that you have already
installed and started a Model Manager server.

In this chapter:

• Accessing the Web Interface

• Connectors
• Login Configuration
• Accounts
• Managed Server Components
• Model Manager Server Databases
• Model Manager Server Log Files
• Database Administration

47
 Accessing the Web Interface
In a web browser, go to [Link] If you are accessing it remotely,
use the server name — computer name and domain, or the local IP address — of your
server instead of localhost. If you installed with another port number than the
default 8181, use that number instead. Enter your username and password. Click the
Log In button.

If you entered the username for the administrator account configured during
installation — see Default Local Administrative User — you will be prompted to
change your temporary password. Write the new password in the Password field and
then repeat the password in the Repeat password field. Click Save.

Resetting the Default Administrator Password

Adding the Model Manager Server Database on First Login

If you selected Custom under Add a Model Manager server database in the Server step of
the Model Manager server installation, you will be redirected to the Add Database page
for adding a new database. If Model Manager server finds an existing Model Manager
database — perhaps created by an older installation — you are instead redirected to the
Home page.

A suggested setup for a Model Manager database using Managed Server Components
with default locations for data directories and backup directories is shown on the Add
Database page. These are the same locations used when a database is automatically set
up — see Default Data Directories and Default Backup Directories. You are strongly
recommended to change the backup directory locations for the SQL database and the
resources directory to a server disk different than that of their data directories — this
to safeguard against a potential disk crash. You may also replace some, or all, of the
managed server components with external server components — see Databases with
External Server Components.

Click Save to create the new Model Manager server database.

Saving may take some time as Model Manager server creates and initializes the data
directories on disk. Upon successful completion, you will be redirected to the Home

48 | CHAPTER 3: ADMINISTRATION
page. Otherwise, you will either be returned to the Add Database page or be redirected
to the Database page. Read the message at the top of the page to see why the setup did
not complete.

If any existing managed server components are found by the Model

Manager server, these will be made available for selection on the Add
Database page. See Managed Server Components if you still prefer to
create completely new managed server components for the database.

• Examples of Server Setups

• Adding Databases

Overview of Web Pages

The web pages in a Model Manager server can be grouped as follows:

• Web pages for the asset management system. Click the Home link in the top
navigation bar to open the Home page, in which you can search for assets in the
Current Database. If you have been granted access to repositories in the database,
you can also search for models and data files. See Asset Management for more
details.
• Web pages for system administration. Click the cog wheel in the top navigation bar
and select System to open the administration area for configuring the Model
Manager server. Only administrators can access this area.
• Web pages for database administration. Click the cog wheel in the top navigation
bar and select Database to open the administration area for configuring the Current
Database. Although all users can access this area, only those granted the necessary
database permissions can make changes. See Database Administration for more
details.
• The web page for the currently logged-in account. Click the user profile in the top
navigation bar and select My Account to open The My Account Page.
To log out from the web interface, click the user profile and select Log Out.

Current Database
Administrators can add multiple server databases to a Model Manager server. Select the
current database to show in the web interface from the list of active databases in the

ACCESSING THE WEB INTERFACE | 49

 top navigation menu. The list is only shown if there is more than one active database
available. The server database set as the default database is initially selected in the list
when you log in to the web interface — see also Configuring Databases.

COMSOL Multiphysics always connects to the default database of a

Model Manager server.

Changing the Language

Administrators can change the default language used in the Model Manager server web
interface:

1 In the System administration area, under Configuration, click Language to open the
Language administration page.
2 Select a language in the list.
3 Click Save.

Users may override the default server language by specifying a custom language to be
used in the web interface — see The My Account Page.

50 | CHAPTER 3: ADMINISTRATION
Connectors
You add a connector to a Model Manager server in order to configure ports that the
server should listen on. This is useful if you, for example, want to enable transport layer
security (TLS) for secure connections via HTTPS on port 443.

A Model Manager server is automatically configured with a default

connector listening on the port set during installation. This connector is,
however, not configured with TLS enabled.

The Connectors page, opened by clicking Connectors in the System navigation sidebar,
shows a table with all connectors that have been manually added to the Model
Manager server. The table is empty for a new installation. Click on the label of a
connector in the table to show more details for that connector. Click the Add button
to add a new connector.

Adding a Connector With TLS

You can set up a Model Manager server to accept secure connections by adding a
connector with TLS encryption enabled.

An alternative to adding a connector is using a reverse proxy with TLS

configured — see Running Behind a Reverse Proxy.

To add a new connector:

1 Write a label for the connector in the Label field.

2 Select when and how the connector should start listening on its port in the Start
mode list. Select Automatic if the connector should start listening when the Model
Manager server starts. Select Manual if the connector should only start listening
when clicking Start on the Connector page.
3 Select Default in the Port list if the connector should listen on the default port — the
default port is 443 if TLS is enabled, 80 if TLS is disabled. Select Manual to manually
write the port to listen on in the shown input field.

CONNECTORS | 51
 4 Select All in the Listener address list to let the connector listen on all local addresses.
Select Custom and write an IP address in the shown input field to only listen on that
address.
5 Select between Enabled or Disabled in the Enable TLS list to explicitly set whether or
not TLS is enabled for the connector. Select Automatic if TLS should be enabled if,
and only if, a TLS host configuration has been added.
6 Select between Enabled or Disabled in the Support HTTP/2 list to explicitly set whether
or not the HTTP/2 protocol is enabled for the connector. Select Automatic if
HTTP/2 is to be enabled if, and only if, TLS is enabled.

The Linux® operating system typically restricts opening of ports below

1024, such as the default ports of a connector. The symptom is a
permission-denied error when trying to start the connector. Either select
Manual in the Port list and use a higher-numbered port or consult the
documentation that came with your operating system to allow the Model
Manager server process to open these lower-numbered ports. See also the
note in the systemd Service section for a possible solution when running
the Model Manager server as a systemd service.

To enable TLS for the new connector, you need to add a TLS host configuration with
an associated server certificate for every hostname that should accept secure
connections from clients. You can use a wildcard in your hostname if it is supported by
the corresponding server certificate.

Click Add TLS Host Configuration to add a new TLS host configuration for the
connector.

1 Select Default in the Hostname list to accept connections regardless of the hostname
used by a connecting client. The Default option can be used for at most one TLS
host configuration. Select Custom and write the name of the host associated with
your certificate in the shown text field to use a custom hostname for this TLS host
configuration. You can write either a fully qualified domain name, say
[Link], or a wildcard domain name, say *.[Link].

If no TLS host configuration uses the Default option for the Hostname, the first
configuration in the list will be used for all connections for which the hostname of
a connecting client does not match any Custom hostname — effectively changing it
to use the Default option. Using Custom hostnames is therefore only useful if there
is more than one TLS host configuration for a connector.

52 | CHAPTER 3: ADMINISTRATION
2 Select the TLS versions that are available when communicating with clients in the
Client compatibility list. Select Modern for TLSv1.3, Intermediate for TLSv1.2 and
TLSv1.3., or Automatic if the Model Manager server should decide.

3 Under Certificates, click Add Certificate to add a server certificate.

a Either write a new name, or keep the suggested name, for the certificate in the
Name field. The name must be unique in the list of certificates for a TLS host
configuration.
b Select the type of location used to store certificates in the Location list. A Model
Manager server supports the following locations: PEM Files, PKCS#12 Keystore,
Windows Native Certificate Store, and MacOS Native Keychain.
c Provide the settings specific for the selected location.
4 Click Save to save the new connector.

If you add a TLS-enabled connector and only want to allow secure

connections to the server, you should add firewall rules that block external
access on the port set during installation — 8181, by default.

PEM FILES
The PEM files location type has the following settings:

• Certificate file. The path on the Model Manager server computer to the certificate
file.
• Chain file. The path on the Model Manager server computer to the certificate chain
file. Leave empty if the certificate does not have a chain file.
• Key file. The path on the Model Manager server computer to the file containing the
certificate key. Leave empty if there is no separate file for the key.
• Key password. The key password for the certificate.

PKCS#12 KEYSTORE
The PKCS#12 Keystore location type has the following settings:

• Keystore file. The path on the Model Manager server computer to the keystore file.
• Keystore password. The password for the keystore file.
• Key alias. The alias of the certificate to use from the keystore. Select from the list of
available aliases.
• Key password. The key password for the certificate.

CONNECTORS | 53
 WINDOWS NATIVE CERTIFICATE STORE
Select the alias of the certificate to use from the Windows native certificate store in the
Key alias list. The alias is typically the friendly name for the certificate, as reported by
the Windows® certificate manager, or the first encountered common name of the
certificate if it does not have a friendly name.

A Model Manager server can only access server certificates in the Personal > Certificates
directory in the Current user certificate store. It cannot access the Local computer
certificate store or the per-service Service account certificate stores.

If the Model Manager server has been installed as a Windows® service, the Current user
certificate store belongs to the user account the service is configured to log on as —
for example NT AUTHORITY\LocalService for LocalService when running Windows® using
an English system locale. This means that importing or administrating certificates must
be done running as this same service account. The tool PsExec from Sysinternals can
be used to launch the Windows® certificates management tool interactively as a service
account, for example:

psexec -i -u "NT AUTHORITY\LocalService" mmc [Link]

The service account names depend on the system locale used when
running Windows®.

MACOS NATIVE KEYCHAIN

Select the alias of the certificate to use from the macOS native keychain in the Key alias
list.

Common TLS Certificate Formats

A TLS certificate is typically obtained by sending a certificate signing request (CSR)
for the website you want to host the Model Manager server to a trusted certificate
authority (CA). In response, you may receive one of several different formats for the
certificate and its chain or root certificate. This includes:

• A single <filename>.pfx file. This is typically a PKCS#12 Keystore file containing

the certificate as well as its chain or root certificate.
• A collection of up to three files of the form: <certificate-filename>.cer,
<chain/root-filename>.cer, and <key-filename>.key. Use these three files in
the settings for PEM Files.

54 | CHAPTER 3: ADMINISTRATION
The Connector Page
The Connector page contains configuration settings and current status of a connector
added to the Model Manager server. The connector fields are:

• Label. The label of the connector. Used for display purposes in the Model Manager
server web interface.
• Start mode. Either Automatic if the connector should start listening when the Model
Manager server starts or Manual if the connector should only start listening when
clicking the Start button.
• Port. The port the connector is listening on. A Default value if the connector should
listen on the default port — the default port is 443 if TLS is enabled, 80 if TLS is
disabled. Otherwise the number of the port.
• Listener address. Either All if the connector listens on all local addresses or an IP
address if the connector only listens on that address.
• Enable TLS. The enabled status for transport layer security — Enabled or Disabled if
TLS is always enabled or disabled for the connector, Automatic if TLS should be
enabled if, and only if, the connector has a TLS host configuration.
• Support HTTP/2. The enabled status for the HTTP/2 protocol — Enabled or Disabled
if the HTTP/2 protocol is always enabled or disabled for the connector, Automatic
if the HTTP/2 protocol should be enabled if, and only if, TLS is enabled.
• Status. The current status of the connector.
The status shows, for example, if the connector is currently started or if the
connector has failed to start due to some configuration issue. For the latter case,
read the nested error information to look for hints to the underlying cause.
• TLS Host Configurations. A list of TLS host configurations and certificates added to
the connector.

Click the Stop button to stop the connector from listening on its configured port. Click
Start to start listening. Click Reload to force a started connector to reload based on its
current configuration — this is useful, for example, if a TLS certificate has been
externally updated.

Click the Edit button to edit the configuration of the connector. Click the Delete
Permanently button to permanently delete the configuration.

CONNECTORS | 55
 Clicking Delete Permanently will only delete the configuration for the
connector; it will not delete any configured keystore or certificate files.

56 | CHAPTER 3: ADMINISTRATION
Login Configuration
A Model Manager server can be configured to use the following authentication
mechanisms when a user tries to log in:

• Local Authentication. The username and password provided on the Log In page are
compared with the username and (hashed) password stored in a local settings
database in the Model Manager server Preference Directory.
• External Authentication. The username and password provided on the Log In page
are compared with that found in an external credentials storage using, for example,
Windows® authentication or lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP).
• Proxy Authentication. The authentication is delegated to a reverse proxy placed in
front of the Model Manager server. Any HTTP requests passed from the reverse
proxy to the Model Manager server are trusted to have already been authenticated
by the proxy.

Local Authentication
An administrator can manually add an account on The Accounts Page by providing a
username and password to be used by a user of Model Manager server. The password
is hashed, as described in Password Security, and stored in a local settings database in
the Model Manager server Preference Directory. The user may later change their
password on The My Account Page.

External Authentication
A Model Manager server uses the pluggable authentication framework Java
authentication and authorization service (JAAS) to integrate with external
authentication protocols. A login configuration is specified by listing vendor-supplied
login modules that should be applied (in the order they are listed) when the user tries
to log in.

Support for Windows® authentication and LDAP authentication as login modules is

included with a Model Manager server installation. You may also specify a custom login
module using a module class obtained from a third-party vendor.

A user that has authenticated via a login module can be automatically assigned
membership to one or more groups in a Model Manager server database for the

LOGIN CONFIGURATION | 57
 duration of their login session. This is useful if an administrator has already set up
group memberships in the external credentials storage and wants to use the same
groups for controlling access to items in a Model Manager server database.

See Database Administration and the Model Manager Reference

Manual for more information on user management and access control.

The External Authentication page, opened by clicking External Authentication in the

System navigation sidebar, shows all currently configured login modules in the Login
Modules field and all group membership mappings in the Group mappings field. Both
lists are empty for a new installation of a Model Manager server.

Click Edit to edit the login modules and group membership mappings. Click Clear to
clear all login modules and group membership mappings.

You can test the validity of the configuration by clicking the Test button — see Testing
an External Authentication Configuration.

ADDING A LOGIN MODULE

When editing the configuration for external authentication, click Add Login Module to
add a new login module to the overall list of login modules.

1 Select the type of login module in the Type list. The available options are Windows
Login, LDAP, and Custom — see below for their specific configuration settings.
2 Select how a successful or unsuccessful authentication attempt by the login module
should be handled in relation to other login modules in the Control flag list. The
available options are:
a Requisite. The login module is required to succeed for the overall authentication
to succeed. If it succeeds, the next login module in the list of modules will be
applied. If it fails, no other login module is applied.
b Optional. The login module is not required to succeed for the overall
authentication to succeed. Regardless if it succeeds or fails, the next login module
in the list of modules will be applied.
c Required. The login module is required to succeed for the overall authentication
to succeed. Regardless if it succeeds or fails, the next login module in the list of
modules will be applied.
d Sufficient. If the login module succeeds, no other login module is applied. If it
fails, the next login module in the list of modules will be applied.

58 | CHAPTER 3: ADMINISTRATION
3 Click the Add Option button under Options to add custom options in the Option and
Value fields. The supported options are vendor specific to each login module.

The overall external authentication is successful only if all applied login modules with
Required and Requisite succeeded. Note that applied is important here — if a login
module with Sufficient succeeds, only login modules with Required and Requisite
specified before that login module need to succeed. At least one login module with
Sufficient or Optional must succeed if there are no login modules with Required or
Requisite.

The value set for the Control flag is irrelevant when only a single login
module has been added. The overall authentication succeeds if, and only
if, the login module is successful.

Windows Login
If you have installed the Model Manager server on the Windows® operating system,
users can log in using Windows® authentication by adding a Windows login module.

1 Write the format to identify the user being authenticated in the Principal format list.
Select Fully qualified names for usernames of the form <domain>\<user>. Select SID
to use security identifiers to identify users. Select Both to allow both fully qualified
names and security identifiers.
2 Write the format for the returned principal role names of the authenticated user in
the Role format list. Select Fully qualified names to return names of the form
<domain>\<group>. Select SID to return security identifiers. Select Both to return
both fully qualified names and security identifiers. Select None if no principal role
names should be returned.

LDAP
You can configure a login module to use LDAP to communicate with a credentials
storage supporting that protocol — for example, Windows® Active Directory® (AD)
or OpenLDAP.

See the Java documentation for [Link].

LdapLoginModule to learn more about the configuration settings for the
LDAP login module.

LOGIN CONFIGURATION | 59
 You may find the free Apache Directory Studio™ tool helpful when
setting up the connection to your LDAP server. For more information,
see [Link]

1 Write the URL connection string used to connect to the LDAP server and directory
containing the user to authenticate in the User Provider field. You can write several
URL connection strings separated by spaces; each URL connection string will be
attempted until a successful connection to the LDAP server is established.
2 Write an optional LDAP filter string in the User filter field. This specifies a search
filter used to locate the user in the LDAP directory by the user’s distinguished
name in LDAP. Use the special token {USERNAME} as a placeholder for the
username provided on the Log In page.
3 Write an LDAP distinguished name or some other string name in the Authentication
identity field. The name is used to locate the user in the LDAP directory. The name
must contain the token {USERNAME}, which acts as a placeholder for the username
provided on the Log In page. The User filter field must be specified if the
Authentication identity field does not contain a distinguished name.
4 Write a string name in the Authorization identity field that will be used to associate a
principal name with a successfully authenticated user. You can write a single token
of the form {<attribute-name>} as a placeholder for a user attribute value in
LDAP that holds a principal name.
5 Select whether or not the connection to the LDAP server should use secure sockets
layer (SSL) in the Use SSL list.

Replace any spaces in the URL connection string with the character
combination %20 to avoid having the value interpreted as separate URLs.

You are strongly recommended to enable SSL to avoid sending credentials

in cleartext to the LDAP server.

A sample configuration for Windows® Active Directory® may look like:

1 User Provider: ldap://[Link]/DC=example,DC=com

2 User filter: (&(sAMAccountName={USERNAME})(objectclass=user))
3 Authentication identity: {USERNAME}@[Link]

60 | CHAPTER 3: ADMINISTRATION
4 Authorization identity:

with Authorization identity intentionally left blank.

A sample configuration for OpenLDAP may look like:

1 User Provider: ldap://[Link]/ou=People,dc=example

2 User filter: (&(uid={USERNAME})(objectClass=inetOrgPerson))
3 Authentication identity:
4 Authorization identity: {MAIL}

with Authentication identity intentionally left blank.

Custom
You can configure a custom login module provided by a third-party vendor. Write the
fully qualified Java class name of the login module in the Module class field. Consult the
documentation of the login module for the custom options that need to be provided.

ADDING GROUP MAPPINGS

You can map principal names returned by login modules to corresponding group
names in a Model Manager server database. A successfully authenticated user will be
considered a member of mapped groups for the duration of their login session.

A principal is an umbrella term for a user, role, or group.

When editing the configuration for external authentication, click Add Group Mapping
to add a new mapping.

1 Write the name of a principal returned by a login module in the Principal name field.
This can be a username, role name, group name, or some other string name specific
to the type of login module.
2 Under Mapped groups, click Add Group and write the name of a group in a Model
Manager server database that the authenticated user should become a member of.
The group will be automatically created in the database if it did not already exist
when the user logged in. Repeat to map the principal to more groups.

Successfully mapped group names are visible in the External Group

Memberships field on The My Account Page for the logged in account.

LOGIN CONFIGURATION | 61
 TESTING AN EXTERNAL AUTHENTICATION CONFIGURATION
You can test the current configuration for external authentication. Click the Test
button and write a username and password in the opened dialog.

If the authentication succeeds, you will see the principal names returned by the login
modules, including the name used to authenticate with, as well as the names of any
groups these principal names would be mapped to. If the authentication fails, you will
see the error messages returned by the login modules.

Proxy Authentication
You may find it useful to delegate all authentication to a trusted reverse proxy placed
in front of the Model Manager server. To do this, configure the reverse proxy for
authenticating clients using any authentication scheme you want. The Model Manager
server itself can then identify the externally authenticated user by a HTTP header set
by the reverse proxy. The reverse proxy can, for example, use the Basic HTTP
authentication scheme and set the Authorization HTTP header with the username
of the user and an empty password.

The Proxy Authentication page, opened by clicking Proxy Authentication in the System
navigation sidebar, shows the current configuration for such a proxy authentication
scheme. A new installation of a Model Manager server is not configured to use a proxy
authentication scheme, as indicated in the Use proxy authentication field.

Click Edit to edit the current configuration. Click Clear to clear the configuration in its
entirety.

When editing the proxy authentication configuration:

1 Select the Use proxy authentication checkbox to enable proxy authentication. Clear
the checkbox to disable.
You may prefer disabling instead of clicking the Clear button if you later want to
enable the proxy authentication again using previously set configuration settings.
2 Under Trusted proxy connections, select the From loopback address checkbox to trust
proxies running on the same computer as the Model Manager server. Write any
other host to be trusted under From hosts and click the Add button. Repeat this with
all other trusted hosts.
The Model Manager server will trust that connections made from these hosts have
already been successfully authenticated if the hosts supply a username in the request
— see below.

62 | CHAPTER 3: ADMINISTRATION
3 Select Basic auth username in the Username source list if the authenticated user’s
username is set in the Authorization HTTP header (using an empty password) by
the reverse proxy. Select HTTP header if the username is set in a custom HTTP
header. Write the name of the custom header in the Username field.
4 Write the name of an optional HTTP header containing the user’s display name in
the User display name field. Leave empty to let the display name be the same as the
username.
5 Write the name of an optional HTTP header containing the name of a group that
the user is a member of in the Group name field.
6 Write the name of an optional HTTP header containing a display name for a group
that the user is a member of in the Group display name field. Leave empty to let the
display name be the same as the group name.
7 Select whether or not the Model Manager server should write detailed log messages
when a user tries to authenticate using proxy authentication in the Detailed logging
checkbox. This is useful during initial setup of proxy authentication but afterward
should be left cleared to not fill up log files.

You may add as many group mappings as you want — group names and display names
will be paired in the order they are encountered as headers in the request. An
authenticated user will be set as a member of these groups for the duration of their
login session. A group will be automatically created in the database if it did not already
exist.

Successfully mapped group names are visible in the External Group

Memberships field on The My Account Page for the logged in account.

LOGIN CONFIGURATION | 63
 Accounts
Users log in to a Model Manager server from the COMSOL Desktop environment or
via a web browser using an account stored in the local settings database of the server.
The account is created automatically if authenticating using External Authentication
or Proxy Authentication. If using Local Authentication, an administrator first needs to
create each account via the web interface. A hashed account password is stored in the
local settings database in this latter case — see Password Security. No account
password is stored by the Model Manager server for the other authentication
mechanisms.

In this section:

• The My Account Page

• The Accounts Page

The My Account Page

Click the user profile in the top navigation bar and select My Account to open the My
Account page for editing your own account settings — including, for example,
changing your password if using Local Authentication.

To set a new password:

1 Click the Password button.

2 Write your current password in the Current password field.
3 Write your new password in the Password field and then repeat the password in the
Repeat password field.
4 Click Save.

You can also change your display name — an alternative name for your username used
for display purposes — as well as the language used in to the web interface for your
account.

1 Click the Edit button.

2 Write a new name in the Display name field.
The display name defaults to the username if left empty.
3 In the Language menu, select the language to use in the web interface for your
account. Select Default to use the Model Manager server’s default language.

64 | CHAPTER 3: ADMINISTRATION
4 Click Save.

If your account has been automatically mapped as a member in groups via a login
configuration, those groups are shown in the External Group Memberships field.

The Accounts Page

The Accounts administration page, opened by clicking Accounts in the System
navigation sidebar, shows a table with all accounts created for the Model Manager
server — either manually by an administrator or automatically by the server.

The table columns are:

• The Name column — the unique username of the account.

• The Display Name column — the display name of the account.
• The Language column — the language used in the web interface for the account.
• The Administrator column — whether or not an administrator account.
• The Created column — point in time when the account was created.
• The Last Modified column — point in time when the account settings was last
modified.
• The Last Login column — point in time when the account last logged in to the
Model Manager server.

Click an account in the Name column of the table to show more details for that
account. Click the Add button to manually add a new account.

ADDING ACCOUNTS
To add a new account:

1 In the Name field, write the username that the account uses to authenticate with the
Model Manager server.
2 In the Display name field, write an alternative name used for display purposes.
The display name defaults to the username if left empty.
3 In the Language menu, select the language to use in the web interface for the
account. Select Default to use the Model Manager server’s default language.
4 Select Yes or No in the Administrator list to set whether or not the new account is an
administrator account.

ACCOUNTS | 65
 5 In the Password field, write the password that the account uses to authenticate with
the Model Manager server. Repeat the password in the Repeat password field.
The password can later be changed by the user on The My Account Page.
6 Click Save.

Administrators automatically pass any authorization checks in Model

Manager — see also the Model Manager Reference Manual. You are
strongly encouraged to limit the number of administrator accounts.

You only need to manually add accounts if using Local Authentication.

THE ACCOUNT PAGE

The Account page lets you view and edit a specific account. The account fields are:

• Name. The unique username of the account in the Model Manager server.
• Display name. The account name used for display purposes in the Model Manager
server web interface.
• Language. The language used in the web interface for the account.
• Administrator. Whether or not the account is an administrator account.
An administrator account is allowed to view and configure the Model Manager
server via the System administration area.
• Created. Point in time when the account was created.
• Last Modified. Point in time when the account settings was last modified.
• Last Login. Point in time when the account last logged in to the Model Manager
server.

Click Edit to edit the display name, language, and administrator status of the account.

Click Change Password to set a new password for the account if using Local
Authentication. This is useful, for example, if a user forgets their account password —
the user may later change the reset password on the My Account page.

Click Delete Permanently to permanently delete the account.

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Deleting an account will only remove that user’s ability to log in to the
Model Manager server — any information related to the user in a Model
Manager server database will be left unchanged. If using any
authentication mechanism other than Local Authentication, a deleted
account will be automatically recreated the next time the user successfully
authenticates.

ACCOUNTS | 67
 Managed Server Components
A Model Manager server database is a combination of three separate server
components — a SQL database for the version control management of assets, models,
and data files, a dedicated directory on the file system for storing large binary and text
data, and a collection of search indexes used by the Model Manager search
functionality. You can either use server components managed by the Model Manager
server itself, including starting and stopping component subprocesses and handling
backups, or you can use external server components provided by your organization. In
the latter case, you will need to handle availability and backups for the server
components outside of the Model Manager server.

In this section you will learn how to add and configure such managed server
components, including setting up backups for their data directories. You will also learn
how to restore these components from a backup. See the next section to learn how you
combine managed server components into a Model Manager server database,
optionally swapping out all, or some, of the components with your own external server
components.

To configure a database that is entirely managed by the Model Manager

server itself, select the Managed PostgreSQL® and Managed Apache Solr™
checkboxes in the Products step of the Model Manager server installation.

In this section:

• Managed SQL Database Servers

• Managed Resources Directories
• Managed Search Index Servers

Managed SQL Database Servers

A managed SQL database server is a server instance of the PostgreSQL® relational
database management system controlled by the Model Manager server itself. The
Managed SQL Database Servers page, opened by clicking SQL Database Servers in the
System navigation sidebar, shows a table with the configurations of all such managed
SQL database servers. If you selected during installation to let Model Manager server
automatically set up a new database, or if you kept the suggested configuration settings

68 | CHAPTER 3: ADMINISTRATION
for the SQL database when adding the database on first launch, a single configuration
— Default managed PostgreSQL® server — is initially shown in the table. See also The
Default Managed Database.

Links to the Managed SQL Database Servers page are hidden in the web
interface if you cleared the Managed PostgreSQL® checkbox in the
Products step of the Model Manager server installation.

Click on the label of a managed SQL database server in the table to show more details
for that managed server. Click the Add button to add a managed SQL database server.

ADDING MANAGED SQL DATABASE SERVERS

You can add a new managed SQL database server to Model Manager server from the
Add Managed SQL Database Server page. This is useful, for example, if you want to use
different options than the default ones for the automatically added managed SQL
database server but, at the same time, want to keep the default one around as a
reference. You would also need to add the managed SQL database server if you want
to connect to one that already exists on the file system, possibly created from another
Model Manager server installation.

To add a managed SQL database server:

1 Write a label for the managed SQL database server in the Label field.
The label is only used for display purposes in the Model Manager server web
interface.
2 Write the path on the file system where the data directory for the managed SQL
database server is located in the Data directory field. The data directory will be
automatically created if it does not already exist on the file system.
The data directory must be located on a physical disk unless running on Linux®
using NFS mounted in hard mode. Other network disk configurations are not
supported.
3 Select when and how the managed SQL database server is started in the Start mode
list. Select Automatic if the server should start when the Model Manager server is
started or when the SQL database server is first used by a Model Manager database.
Select Manual if the server must be manually started on The Managed SQL Database
Server Page.
4 Select the Enable backup checkbox to enable backups of the data directory. Write the
path on the file system where backups will be written to in the Backup directory field.

MANAGED SERVER COMPONENTS | 69

 The backup directory will be automatically created if it does not already exist on the
file system. See also Backup of a Managed SQL Database Server.
5 In the Trigger mode list under Restore, select Automatic (most recent) if the data
directory should be automatically restored from the most recent backup if it is
missing on disk, or if a previous restore has not yet finished, when the managed SQL
database server starts. Select Manual if a restore requires manual triggering on The
Managed SQL Database Server Page. See also Restore of a Managed SQL Database
Server.
6 Click Save to add the new configuration. The data directory and the backup
directory will be automatically created as needed the next time the managed SQL
database server is started.

The specified data directory must either not exist at all on the file system
or, if it exists, be empty if you want to create a new managed SQL database
server. A nonempty data directory is assumed to belong to an existing
managed SQL database server that you want to add a configuration for in
the Model Manager server.

When the Start Mode is set to Manual, the parent directory to the data
directory must already exist on the file system for the managed SQL
database server to successfully start. If it does not exist, you can manually
create it from The Managed SQL Database Server Page. Parent
directories are created automatically for Start Mode set to Automatic.

Placing the data directory of a managed SQL database server on a

network file system is not supported unless running on Linux® using NFS
mounted in hard mode — see also Installation Planning.

Prefer placing the backup directory on a physical disk different than the
disk containing the data directory. Otherwise, you might risk complete
data loss in case of a server disk crash.

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 At least one SQL database needs to be added to the managed SQL
database server to use it for a Model Manager server database — see SQL
Databases.

THE MANAGED SQL DATABASE SERVER PAGE

The Managed SQL Database Server page contains configuration details for a managed
SQL database server that is added to the Model Manager server — see Adding
Managed SQL Database Servers. The configuration fields are:

• Platform. The database system platform used for the managed SQL database server.
• Label. The label of the managed SQL database server. Used for display purposes in
the Model Manager server web interface.
• Data directory. The file system path to the data directory of the managed SQL
database server.
The currently available disk space on the file storage containing the data directory
is shown below the path.
You can see the current status of the data directory in its Status field. If the data
directory does not exist on the file system, click the Create button to create it.
• Start mode. The start mode of the managed SQL database server — Automatic if the
server starts when the Model Manager server is started or when the SQL database
server is first used by a Model Manager database, Manual if the server must be
manually started.
The adjacent Status field shows, for example, if the server is currently started or if
the server has failed to start due to some configuration issue. For the latter case, read
the nested error information to look for hints to the underlying cause.

Click the Stop button to stop a running managed SQL database server. Click Start to
start it.

To edit the configuration for a managed SQL database server, proceed as follows:

1 Deactivate all Model Manager server databases using SQL Databases in the
managed SQL database server. See also The Database Page.
2 Click the Stop button to stop the managed SQL database server.
3 Click the Edit button.
4 Enter the new configuration settings. If you change any directory paths, manually
move the corresponding directories on the file system via, for example, a system file
explorer before saving.

MANAGED SERVER COMPONENTS | 71

 5 Click the Save button.
6 Start the managed SQL database server if not automatically started.
7 Activate all databases deactivated in the first step.

Deleting a Managed SQL Database Server Configuration

Click the Delete Permanently button to permanently delete the configuration.

Clicking Delete Permanently will only delete the configuration for the
managed SQL database server; it will not delete its data directory or
backup directory. You can add an existing SQL database server again by
adding a new configuration that points to its data directory and backup
directory.

SQL DATABASES
The version control management system for simulation models and other data are
stored in SQL databases in the managed SQL database server. A single Model Manager
server database uses exactly one SQL database. The SQL databases are stored inside
the data directory for the managed SQL database server.

A SQL database cannot be shared between Model Manager databases.

Multiple Model Manager databases may, however, share the same
managed SQL database server.

The Databases section shows a table with all SQL databases in the SQL database server.
The table columns are:

• The Name column — the name of the SQL database.

• The Used by column — the Model Manager database using the SQL database, if any.
• The permanently delete column — click the Delete Permanently button to
permanently delete the SQL database.

Permanently deleting a SQL database cannot be undone unless you

restore the managed SQL database server from a backup.

To add a new SQL database, write the name of the database and click the Add button
under the Databases section on the Managed SQL Database Server page. The name may
only contain the letters a–z and digits 0–9 and must start with a letter. Some specific

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names are explicitly forbidden — either because these databases already exist internally
in the database server or because they are reserved names. The Model Manager server
will show an error message if such a forbidden name is entered. A suggested name is
modelmanager — the same name used by The Default Managed Database.

The managed SQL database server must be running in order to add new
databases.

BACKUP OF A MANAGED SQL DATABASE SERVER

When you enable backup for a managed SQL database server, it will continuously back
up any data written to its data directory to a subdirectory inside the backup directory.
This backup is incremental in the sense that it records all changes made in the server’s
SQL databases as a transactional log. When you restore a managed SQL database
server, including all its SQL databases, this transactional log is replayed.

Since the time it takes to replay the transactional log scales with the running time of
the managed SQL database server, it is wise to periodically create a new base backup.
This is a complete point-in-time snapshot of the managed SQL database server. Once
you have created such a base backup, the incremental backup will instead record
changes using that backup as a new baseline — thereby speeding up any future restore.

On the Managed SQL Database Server page, click the Trigger Base Backup button to
create a new base backup. The Backup directory field shows the directory path in which
backups are stored.

A new base backup is automatically created when you enable backup for
a managed SQL database server.

RESTORE OF A MANAGED SQL DATABASE SERVER

If you have configured a managed SQL database server with Trigger mode for restoring
set to Automatic (most recent), a missing data directory will be automatically restored
using the most recently backed-up state in the backup directory when the managed
SQL database server is started.

You can also manually restore the data directory of a managed SQL database server by
clicking the Trigger Restore button on the Managed SQL Database Server page. A
confirmation dialog is shown, informing you that the following steps will be taken by
the Model Manager server:

MANAGED SERVER COMPONENTS | 73

 1 The SQL database server is stopped if currently running.
2 Any existing data directory is renamed to avoid overwriting it with the restored data.
3 The most recent base backup is copied from the backup directory to the data
directory.
4 The SQL database server is launched in recovery mode and automatically restores
itself using the most recently found backed-up state — see Backup of a Managed
SQL Database Server. Once finished, the SQL database server is made available
again.

You are strongly recommended to also recreate any search indexes whose
indexed data is populated from SQL databases in the restored SQL
database server — see the manual steps in Restore of a Managed Search
Index Server. Otherwise, search results in the Model Manager may not
reflect what is stored in the SQL database.

You are recommended to deactivate any Model Manager server database

using SQL Databases in the managed SQL database server before
triggering a restore. See The Database Page.

Managed Resources Directories

A managed resources directory is a data directory controlled by the Model Manager
server itself. The directory contains binary and text data that are deemed too large to
store directly inside a SQL database. The Managed Resources Directories page, opened
by clicking Resources Directories in the System navigation sidebar, shows a table with
the configurations of all such managed resources directories. If you selected during
installation to let Model Manager server automatically set up a new database, or if you
kept the suggested configuration settings for the resources directory when adding the
database on first launch, a single configuration — Default managed resources directory
— is initially shown in the table. See also The Default Managed Database.

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Click on the label of a managed resources directory in the table to show more details
for that directory. Click the Add button to add a managed resources directory.

Unlike Managed SQL Database Servers and Managed Search Index

Servers, a managed resources directory cannot be shared between Model
Manager databases. You need to create a new managed resources
directory for every Model Manager database you add to the Model
Manager server.

ADDING MANAGED RESOURCES DIRECTORIES

You can add a managed resources directory to Model Manager server from the Add
Managed Resources Directory page. This is useful, for example, if you want to use
different options than the default ones for the automatically added managed resources
directory but at the same time want to keep it around as a reference. You would also
need to add the managed resources directory if you want to connect to one that already
exists on the file system, possibly created from another Model Manager server
installation.

To add a managed resources directory:

1 Write a label for the resources directory in the Label field.

The label is only used for display purposes in the Model Manager server web
interface.
2 Write the path on the file system where the directory is located in the Data directory
field. The data directory will be automatically created if it does not already exist on
the file system.
The data directory may be placed on either a physical disk or a network disk.
3 Select the Enable backup checkbox to enable backups of the data directory. Write the
path on the file system where the backup will be written to in the Backup directory
field. The backup directory will be automatically created if it does not already exist
on the file system. See also Backup of a Managed Resources Directory
4 In the Trigger mode list under Restore, select Automatic if the data directory should
be automatically restored from backup if it is missing on disk, or a previous restore
has not yet finished, when activating the Model Manager server database using the
directory — see The Database Page. Select Manual if a restore requires manual
triggering on The Managed Resources Directory Page. See also Restore of a
Managed Resources Directory.

MANAGED SERVER COMPONENTS | 75

 5 Click Save to add the new configuration.

The specified data directory must be empty if you want to initialize a new
managed resources directory. A nonempty data directory is assumed to
belong to an existing managed resources directory that you want to add
a configuration for in the Model Manager server.

Place the backup directory on a physical disk different than the disk
containing the data directory. Otherwise, you might risk complete data
loss in case of a server disk crash.

You may want to consider placing the data directory for managed
resources on a dedicated file server whose file system is mounted by the
server computer running the Model Manager server. The same goes for
the backup directory using a second mounted file server. See Installation
Planning.

THE MANAGED RESOURCES DIRECTORY PAGE

The Managed Resources Directory page contains details on the configuration of a
managed resources directory added to the Model Manager server — see Adding
Managed Resources Directories. The configuration fields are:

• Label. The label of the managed resources directory. Used for display purposes in
the Model Manager server web interface.
• Data directory. The file system path to the managed resources directory.
The currently available disk space on the file storage containing the directory is
shown below the path.
• Used by. The Model Manager database using the managed resources directory, if any.

To edit the configuration for a managed resources directory, proceed as follows:

1 Deactivate any Model Manager server database using the resources directory, if any
— see also The Database Page.
2 Click the Edit button.
3 Enter the new configuration settings. If you change any directory paths, manually
move the corresponding directories on the file system via, for example, a system file
explorer before saving.

76 | CHAPTER 3: ADMINISTRATION
4 Click the Save button.
5 Activate the database using the resources directory, if any.

Deleting a Managed Resources Directory Configuration

Click the Delete Permanently button to permanently delete the configuration.

Clicking Delete Permanently will only delete the configuration for the
managed resources directory; it will not delete the directory itself. You
can add the managed resources directory again using a new configuration
that points to the directory and its backup directory.

BACKUP OF A MANAGED RESOURCES DIRECTORY

If you enable backup for a managed resources directory, the Model Manager server will
continuously back up any files written to the resources directory to the backup
directory. The Backup directory field on the Managed Resources Directory page shows
the directory path for this backup.

You can also trigger a complete backup of the whole resources directory — this will
back up all files in the resources directory to the backup directory. Click the Trigger
Backup button on the Managed Resources Directory page. A backup will then be
scheduled to begin if and when the Model Manager server database using the resources
directory is activated.

RESTORE OF A MANAGED RESOURCES DIRECTORY

If you have configured a managed resources directory with Trigger mode set to
Automatic, a missing directory will be automatically restored from the backup directory
when a Model Manager server database using the managed resources directory is
activated.

You can also manually restore a managed resources directory by clicking the Trigger
Restore button on the Managed Resources Directory page. A restore will then be
scheduled to begin when the Model Manager server database using the resources
directory is activated. A confirmation dialog is shown, informing you that the
following steps will be taken once the restore has begun:

1 The SQL database component of the Model Manager server database will be
queried for all files expected to be present in the resources directory.

MANAGED SERVER COMPONENTS | 77

 2 All expected files that are missing from the resources directory are copied from the
backup directory.

A triggered restore of a managed resources directory only begins once a

Model Manager server database using the resources directory is activated
— see The Database Page.

Managed Search Index Servers

A managed search index server is a server instance of the Apache Solr™ enterprise
search platform controlled by the Model Manager server itself. The Managed Search
Index Servers page, opened by clicking Search Index Servers in the System navigation
sidebar, shows a table with the configurations of all such managed search index servers.
If you selected during installation to let Model Manager server automatically set up a
new database, or if you kept the suggested configuration settings for the search indexes
when adding the database on first launch, a single configuration — Default managed
Apache Solr™ server — is initially shown in the table. See also The Default Managed
Database.

Links to the Managed Search Index Servers page are hidden in the web
interface if you cleared the Managed Apache Solr™ checkbox in the
Products step of the Model Manager server installation.

Click on the label of a managed search index server in the table to show more details
for that managed server. Click the Add button to add a managed search index server.

ADDING MANAGED SEARCH INDEX SERVERS

You can add a managed search index server to the Model Manager server from the Add
Managed Search Index Server page. This is useful, for example, if you want to use
different options than the default ones for the automatically added managed search
index server but at the same time want to keep it around as a reference. You would also
need to add the managed search index server if you want to connect to one that already
exists on the file system, possibly created from another Model Manager server
installation.

To add a managed search index server:

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1 Write a label for the managed search index server in the Label field.
The label is only used for display purposes in the Model Manager server web
interface.
2 Write the path on the file system where the data directory for the managed search
index server is located in the Data directory field. The data directory will be
automatically created if it does not already exist on the file system.
The data directory must be located on a physical disk. Placing the directory on a
network disk is not supported.
3 Select when and how the managed search index server is started in the Start mode
list. Select Automatic if the server should start when the Model Manager server is
started or when the search index server is first used by a Model Manager database.
Select Manual if the server must be manually started on The Managed Search Index
Server Page.
4 Click Save to add the new configuration. The data directory will be automatically
created as needed the next time the managed search index server is started.

The specified data directory must be empty if you want to create a new
managed search index server. A nonempty data directory is assumed to
belong to an existing managed search index server that you want to add a
configuration for in the Model Manager server.

When the Start Mode is set to Manual, the parent directory to the data
directory must already exist on the file system for the managed search
index server to successfully start. If it does not exist, you can manually
create it from The Managed Search Index Server Page. Parent directories
are created automatically for Start Mode set to Automatic.

Placing the data directory of a managed search index server on a network

file system is not supported — see also Installation Planning.

At least two search indexes need to be added to the managed search index
server in order to use it for a Model Manager server database — see
Search Indexes.

MANAGED SERVER COMPONENTS | 79

 Unlike Managed SQL Database Servers and Managed Resources
Directories, a managed search index server requires no backup.

THE MANAGED SEARCH INDEX SERVER PAGE

The Managed Search Index Server page contains details on the configuration of a
managed search index server added to the Model Manager server — see Adding
Managed Search Index Servers. The configuration fields are:

• Platform. The search platform used for the managed search index server.
• Label. The label of the managed search index server. Used for display purposes in the
Model Manager server web interface.
• Data directory. The file system path to the data directory of the managed search
index server.
The currently available disk space on the file storage containing the data directory
is shown below the path.
You can see the current status of the data directory in its Status field. If the data
directory does not exist on the file system, click the Create button to create it.
• Start mode. The start mode of the managed search index server — Automatic if the
server starts when the Model Manager server is started or when the search index
server is used by a Model Manager database, Manual if the server must be manually
started.
The adjacent Status field shows, for example, if the server is currently started or if
the server has failed to start due to some configuration issue. For the latter case, read
the nested error information to look for hints to the underlying cause.

Click the Stop button to stop a running managed search index server. Click Start to
start it.

To edit the configuration for a managed search index server, proceed as follows:

1 Deactivate all Model Manager server databases using Search Indexes in the managed
search index server. See also The Database Page.
2 Click the Stop button to stop the managed search index server.
3 Click the Edit button.
4 Enter the new configuration settings. If you change any directory paths, manually
move the corresponding directories on the file system via, for example, a system file
explorer before saving.

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5 Click the Save button.
6 Start the managed search index server if not automatically started.
7 Activate all databases deactivated in the first step.

Deleting a Managed Search Index Server Configuration

Click the Delete Permanently button to permanently delete the configuration.

Clicking Delete Permanently will only delete the configuration for the
managed search index server; it will not delete its data directory. You can
add an existing search index server again by adding a new configuration
that points to its data directory.

SEARCH INDEXES
The search data used by the Model Manager search functionality is populated in search
indexes in the managed search index server. A Model Manager server database requires
two search indexes. The search indexes are stored inside the data directory for the
managed search index server.

A search index cannot be shared between Model Manager databases.

Multiple Model Manager databases may, however, share the same
managed search index server.

The Search indexes section shows a table with all search indexes in the search index
server. The table columns are:

• The Name column — the name of the search index.

• The Used by column — the Model Manager database using the search index, if any.
• The permanently delete column — click the Delete Permanently button to
permanently delete the search index.

A permanently deleted search index can be recreated by first adding back

a new, empty, search index. The empty search index is then automatically
populated with search data when the Model Manager server database
using the search index is activated.

To add a new search index, write the name of the search index and click the Add button
under the Search Indexes section on the Managed Search Index Server page. The name

MANAGED SERVER COMPONENTS | 81

 may only contain the letters a–z and digits 0–9 and must start with a letter. Suggested
names are assets and items — the same names used by The Default Managed
Database.

The search index server must be running in order to add new search
indexes.

Unlike the data directories of Managed SQL Database Servers and Managed Resources
Directories, the data directory and its search indexes do not require backup because
the contents can be recreated from that of the SQL database — see Restore of a
Managed Search Index Server.

RESTORE OF A MANAGED SEARCH INDEX SERVER

A managed search index server is automatically restored if its data directory is missing
when the server is started, although all of its search indexes are then empty. The search
indexes will be automatically populated with search data when the Model Manager
server database using the search indexes is activated.

You can also manually restore the data directory as follows:

1 Deactivate all Model Manager server databases using Search Indexes in the managed
search index server. See The Database Page.
2 Stop the managed search index server.
3 Move any existing data directory to a new location.
4 Start the managed search index server.
At this point, the data directory and its search indexes will be recreated based on the
configuration settings of the managed search index server. The search indexes will,
however, be empty of search data.
5 Activate all databases deactivated in the first step.
At this point, the empty search indexes will be automatically repopulated with search
data loaded from the corresponding SQL database as needed.

Populating the search indexes after a restore may take some time
depending on the size of the SQL database.

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Model Manager Server Databases
A Model Manager server database consists of the following components:

• A SQL database — either added to a SQL database server managed by the Model
Manager server or added to an external SQL database server provided by your
organization.
• A resources directory — either a directory managed by the Model Manager server
or an external directory.
• Two search indexes — either added to a search index server managed by the Model
Manager server or added to an external search index server provided by your
organization.

In this section, you will learn how to configure a Model Manager server database using
these components. You will see that you can use any combination of Managed Server
Components and external server components for the database. You will also learn how
to safely move a Model Manager server database on the file system, as well as how to
restore your database from a backup in case of failure.

• Configuring Databases
• Databases with Managed Server Components
• Databases with External Server Components
• Moving a Model Manager Server Database
• Backup and Restore of a Model Manager Server Database
• Backward Compatibility for Server Databases

Read Installation Planning for general guidelines and background

information to help you with planning your Model Manager server
database setup.

Configuring Databases
A Model Manager server database can be set as either active or inactive depending on
whether or not it should accept connections from COMSOL Multiphysics or the
Model Manager server web interface. You would typically deactivate a Model Manager
server database when you want to change its configuration settings or perform a

MODEL MANAGER SERVER DATABASES | 83

 restore from backup. One of the databases can also be set as the default one, which is
the default server database that users will connect to when accessing the Model
Manager server from COMSOL Multiphysics. It is also the database initially selected
as the Current Database in the web-based asset management system.

The Databases page, opened by clicking Databases in the System navigation sidebar,
shows a table with all configured Model Manager server databases. If you selected
during installation to let Model Manager server automatically set up a new database,
or if you kept the suggested label when adding the database on first launch, the
configuration of a single database — Default managed database — is initially shown in
the table.

The table columns are:

• The Label column — the label of the database. Used for display purposes in the
Model Manager server web interface.
• The Status column — the active and default status of a database.

Click on the label of a Model Manager server database on the Databases page to show
more details for that database. Click the Add button to add a Model Manager server
database.

THE DEFAULT MANAGED DATABASE

The Model Manager server database that is created if you selected Automatic under Add
a Model Manager server database in the Server step of the installation uses three
managed server components:

• A managed SQL database server with label Default managed PostgreSQL® server —
see Managed SQL Database Servers.
• A managed resources directory with label Default managed resources directory — see
Managed Resources Directories.
• A managed search index server with label Default managed Apache Solr™ server —
see Managed Search Index Servers.
The components are created with default locations for their data directories and
backup directories based on the user account running the Model Manager server
process — typically on the same disk as the installation itself. These locations are not
ideal as, for example, that disk may have limited storage capacity and, moreover,

84 | CHAPTER 3: ADMINISTRATION
backups are placed on the same physical disk as the data itself. You are strongly
recommended to at least change the backup locations to a separate disk.

Place the backup directories for the managed SQL database server and the
managed resources directory on a physical disk different than that of their
corresponding data directories if you decide to use the default managed
database. This will protect you from complete data loss in case of a server
disk crash. See also Examples of Server Setups and Moving a Model
Manager Server Database.

The Automatic option is only available if you select both the Managed
PostgreSQL® and Managed Apache Solr™ checkboxes in the Products step
of the Model Manager server installation. If you select just one of them,
you must set up the Model Manager server database manually from the
web interface — see Adding the Model Manager Server Database on First
Login.

• Default Data Directories

• Default Backup Directories

ADDING DATABASES
You can add a Model Manager database to the Model Manager server from the Add
Database page. This is useful, for example, if you want to use different options than The
Default Managed Database but at the same time want to keep the default database
around as a reference. You would also need to add the database if you want to connect
to one that already exists on the file system, possibly created from another Model
Manager server installation, if you opted out from automatically creating a database in
the Server step of the Model Manager server installation, or if you want to restore from
backup after a server failure that also included loss of the Preference Directory — see
Backup and Restore of a Model Manager Server Database.

To add a Model Manager server database:

1 Write a label for the database in the Label field.

The label is only used for display purposes in the Model Manager server web
interface.

MODEL MANAGER SERVER DATABASES | 85

 2 Write an optional alias for the database in the Alias field. When set, the alias must
only contain lowercase Latin alphabet characters, numerical characters, underscores,
and dashes. The alias can contain, at most, 100 characters.
The alias field is required if you want to connect to a Model Manager server database
other than the default server database from a COMSOL Multiphysics installation.
3 In the SQL Database > Type list, select among the options:
- Managed — to use a SQL database in one of the existing managed SQL database
servers or to create a new managed SQL database if none is available. See
Managed SQL Databases for details.
- External — to use a SQL database in an external SQL database server. See
External SQL Databases for details.
4 In the Resources Directory > Type list, select among the options:
- Managed — to use one of the existing managed resources directories or to create
a new managed resources directory if none is available. See Managed Resources
Directories for details.
- External — to use an external directory on the file system. See External Resources
Directories for details.
5 In the Search Indexes > Type list, select among the options:
- Managed — to use search indexes in one of the existing managed search index
servers or to create new managed search indexes if none are available. See
Managed Search Indexes for details.
- External — to use search indexes in an external search index server. See External
Search Indexes for details.
6 Optionally click Test Connection in the upper right corner to verify that the Model
Manager server can successfully connect to all components using the specified
configuration settings. The button is disabled when new managed server
components will be created as part of the setup.
7 Click Save to add the database.
Saving may take some time in case new data directories are created and initialized.
Upon completion, you will be redirected to the Home page. Otherwise, you will
either be returned to the Add Database page or be redirected to The Database Page.
Read the message at the top of the page to see why the setup did not complete.
While the Model Manager server performs the database setup, the list of steps and
their current status are shown in a Progress dialog. Click the Cancel button if you
want to cancel the database setup. The step currently being processed will first finish

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 before you are returned to the Add Database page. Make the necessary changes on
the page and click Save to resume the setup.

The database must be activated before users can connect to it from

COMSOL Multiphysics or the Model Manager server web interface. An
attempt is made by Model Manager server to automatically activate the
database when you click Save. See also The Database Page.

Once a resources directory or a search index has been used in combination

with a SQL database for an activated Model Manager database, these
components can no longer be used in combination with any other SQL
database.

THE DATABASE PAGE

The Database page contains details on the configuration of a Model Manager database
added to the Model Manager server. The configuration fields are:

• Label. The label of the Model Manager server database. Used for display purposes
in the Model Manager server web interface.
• Alias. An optional alias for the Model Manager server database.
The alias is used as an identifier to, for example, connect to the Model Manager
server database from a COMSOL Multiphysics installation even when the database
is not set as the default one.
• SQL Database. The SQL database used by the Model Manager database.
• Resources Directory. The resources directory used by the Model Manager database.
• Search Indexes. The two search indexes used by the Model Manager database.

Click the Edit button to edit the configuration for the database.

Click the Test Connection button to test if the configuration can be used to connect to
the database.

MODEL MANAGER SERVER DATABASES | 87

 Click the Deactivate button to deactivate the database. Users will not be able to
connect to the database from COMSOL Multiphysics or the Model Manager server
web interface. Click Activate to make the database available again.

Always deactivate a database before editing its configuration.

If you have configured multiple databases, you can click the Set as Default button to
set the database as the current default. Click Remove as Default to remove it as the
current default.

Click the Delete Permanently button to permanently delete the database configuration.

Clicking Delete Permanently will only delete the configuration for the
Model Manager server database; it will not delete any data. You can add
the database again using a new configuration.

Databases with Managed Server Components

You can configure a Model Manager database to use components managed by the
Model Manager server itself.

MANAGED SQL DATABASES

On the pages for adding or editing a Model Manager database:

1 Select Managed in the SQL Database > Type list to use a SQL database in a managed
SQL database server.
2 Select one of the managed SQL database servers in the Server list. If no managed
SQL database server is available, you can create a new one as part of the setup:
a Write the path on the file system where the data directory for the managed SQL
database server is located in the Data directory field. The data directory will be
automatically created if it does not already exist on the file system.
b Optionally write the path on the file system where backups will be written to in
the Backup directory field. The backup directory will be automatically created if it
does not already exist on the file system.
See also Adding Managed SQL Database Servers.

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3 For an existing managed SQL database server, select a SQL database in the Database
list. If no SQL database is available, you can create a new one as part of the setup:
Write the name of the SQL database in the Database field. See also SQL Databases.

A SQL database in a managed SQL database server can be used by, at

most, one Model Manager server database.

Managed SQL Database Servers

MANAGED RESOURCES DIRECTORIES

On the pages for adding or editing a Model Manager database:

1 Select Managed in the Resources Directory > Type list to use a managed resources
directory.
2 Select one of the managed resources directories in the Directory list. If no managed
resources directory is available, you can create a new one as part of the setup:
a Write a label for the new managed resources directory in the Label field.
b Write the path on the file system where the directory is located in the Data
directory field. The data directory will be automatically created if it does not
already exist on the file system.
c Optionally write the path on the file system where the backup will be written to
in the Backup directory field. The backup directory will be automatically created
if it does not already exist on the file system.

See also Adding Managed Resources Directories.

A managed resources directory can be used by, at most, one Model

Manager server database.

Managed Resources Directories

MANAGED SEARCH INDEXES

On the pages for adding or editing a Model Manager database:

MODEL MANAGER SERVER DATABASES | 89

 1 Select Managed in the Search Indexes > Type list to use search indexes in a managed
search index server.
2 Select one of the managed search index servers in the Server list. If no managed
search index server is available, you can create a new one as part of the setup: Write
the path on the file system where the data directory for the managed search index
server is located in the Data directory field. The data directory will be automatically
created if it does not already exist on the file system. See also Adding Managed
Search Index Servers.
3 For an existing managed search index server, select two different search indexes to
use in the Assets and Items lists. If no search indexes are available, you can create new
ones as part of the setup: Write the names of the search indexes in the Assets and
Items fields. See also Search Indexes.

A search index in a managed search index server can be used by, at most,
one Model Manager server database.

Managed Search Index Servers

Databases with External Server Components

You can configure a Model Manager database to use components maintained
externally by your organization. This is useful, for example, if you already have a SQL
database server installation with associated backup routines set up.

EXTERNAL SQL DATABASES

On the pages for adding or editing a Model Manager database:

1 Select External in the SQL Database > Type list to use a SQL database in an external
SQL database server.

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2 Select the type of SQL database platform in the Platform list. The supported
platforms are:
- PostgreSQL® Database
- Microsoft SQL Server® Database
- MySQL® Database
- Oracle® Database

Set up a backup routine for the SQL database server that includes the
SQL database used by the Model Manager server.

PostgreSQL ® Database
1 In the Server name field, write the name of the computer that the PostgreSQL®
database server process runs on. Defaults to localhost.
2 In the Port field, write the number of the port that the PostgreSQL® database server
listens on. Defaults to 5432.
3 In the Database name field, write the name of a SQL database that you want the
Model Manager to use.
4 In the Method list, under Authentication, select the method of authentication. Select
Password to authenticate using password-based authentication methods. Select
Passwordless to authenticate using passwordless authentication methods (for
example, SSPI on Windows®).
5 In the Username field, write the username used to authenticate with the
PostgreSQL® database server.
6 In the Password field, write the password used to authenticate with the
PostgreSQL® database server. This is only available when using password-based
authentication methods.
The password will be encrypted by the Model Manager server and stored in a local
SQLite® database in the Model Manager server Preference Directory— see also
Password Security.

The Model Manager supports PostgreSQL® version 10.0 and newer.

MODEL MANAGER SERVER DATABASES | 91

 Microsoft SQL Server ® Database
1 In the Server name field, write the name of the computer that the Microsoft SQL
Server® database server process runs on. Defaults to localhost.
2 In the Port field, write the number of the port that the Microsoft SQL Server®
database server listens on. Defaults to 1433.
3 In the Database name field, write the name of a SQL database that you want the
Model Manager to use.
4 In the Instance name field, write the instance name of the Microsoft SQL Server®
database server.
5 In the Application name field, write an application name to use when connecting to
the database.
6 In the TLS encryption menu, select the TLS encryption mode used for the network
communication between the Model Manager server and the Microsoft SQL Server®
database server. Select Default to use the default mode of the database server,
Disabled to not require TLS encryption, Strict to require strict TLS encryption, and
Enabled to require non-strict TLS encryption. The strict TLS encryption mode uses
version 8.0 of the Tabular Data Stream (TDS) protocol — supported in Microsoft
SQL Server® 2022 and newer — allowing for a more secure handshake and
supporting TLS 1.3.
7 In the Trust server certificate menu, select the trust mode for the certificate of the
database server when TLS encryption is enabled. Select Yes to always trust the
certificate. Select No if the Model Manager server must first validate the server
certificate for the database server connection to succeed. Select Default to use the
default trust mode — currently the same as No. If TLS encryption is set to Strict, the
server certificate is always validated regardless of this setting.
8 In the Custom hostname in certificate field, write the hostname used when validating
the certificate of the database server when TLS encryption is enabled. Leave empty
to use the value of the Server name field.
9 Select the Use integrated security checkbox to authenticate using the Windows
account running the Model Manager server process.
10 In the Username field, write the username used to authenticate with the Microsoft
SQL Server® database server. Only available if the Use integrated security checkbox
is cleared.

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11 In the Password field, write the password used to authenticate with the Microsoft
SQL Server® database server. This is only available if the Use integrated security
checkbox is cleared.
The password will be encrypted by the Model Manager server and stored in a local
SQLite® database in the Model Manager server Preference Directory— see also
Password Security.

The Model Manager supports Microsoft SQL Server® 2014 and newer.

Microsoft SQL Server® must be installed with the Full Text Search
component to use it with a Model Manager server database.

You are strongly recommended to enable row versioning via the

READ_COMMITTED_SNAPSHOT isolation level for the Microsoft
SQL Server® database you intend to use with the Model Manager server
database.

For further details on the TLS encryption settings, consult Microsoft’s

official documentation on Microsoft JDBC Driver for SQL Server.

MySQL ® Database
1 In the Server name field, write the name of the computer that the MySQL® database
server process runs on. Defaults to localhost.
2 In the Port field, write the number of the port that the MySQL® database server
listens on. Defaults to 3306.
3 In the Database name field, write the name of a SQL database that you want the
Model Manager to use.
4 Select the Use SSL checkbox to require secure connections.
5 Select the Verify server certificate checkbox to require that the MySQL® database
server’s certificate is verified.
6 In the Username field, write the username used to authenticate with the MySQL®
database server.

MODEL MANAGER SERVER DATABASES | 93

 7 In the Password field, write the password used to authenticate with the MySQL®
database server.
The password will be encrypted by the Model Manager server and stored in a local
SQLite® database in the Model Manager server Preference Directory— see also
Password Security.

Connecting with the Model Manager server to MySQL® requires a JDBC driver that
is licensed by your organization. In the file [Link], found
inside the installation directory for the Model Manager server:

• Windows®: <Installation directory>\bin\win64

• Linux®: <Installation directory>/bin/glnxa64
• macOS: <Installation directory>/bin/maci64

add the line

-[Link]=<Path to JDBC driver>

with <Path to JDBC driver> being the path to the JDBC driver’s JAR file on the
file system.

If running as a Windows® service, the file is [Link].

The Model Manager supports MySQL® version 8.0.20 and newer.

Oracle ® Database
1 In the Server name field, write the name of the computer that the Oracle® Database
server process runs on. Defaults to localhost.
2 In the Port field, write the number of the port that the Oracle® Database server
listens on. Defaults to 1521.
3 In the System Identifier field, write the system identifier (SID) of the Oracle®
Database instance.
Leave this field empty if you want to connect using a service name instead.
4 In the Service name field, write the service name for the Oracle® Database instance.
Leave this field empty if you want to connect using the system identifier instead.
5 In the Username field, write the username used to authenticate with the Oracle®
Database server.

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6 In the Password field, write the password used to authenticate with the Oracle®
Database server.
The password will be encrypted by the Model Manager server and stored in a local
SQLite® database in the Model Manager server Preference Directory— see also
Password Security.

Connecting with the Model Manager server to Oracle® Database requires a JDBC
driver that is licensed by your organization. In the file
[Link], found inside the installation directory for the
Model Manager server:

• Windows®: <Installation directory>\bin\win64

• Linux®: <Installation directory>/bin/glnxa64
• macOS: <Installation directory>/bin/maci64

add the line

-[Link]=<Path to JDBC driver>

with <Path to JDBC driver> being the path to the JDBC driver’s JAR file on the
file system.

If running as a Windows® service, the file is [Link].

The Model Manager supports Oracle® Database version [Link] and

newer.

EXTERNAL RESOURCES DIRECTORIES

On the pages for adding or editing a Model Manager database:

1 Select External in the Resources Directory > Type list to use an external resources
directory.
2 In the Directory field, write the path on the file system to an existing directory.

Set up a backup routine that backs up the resources directory — including

all its subfolders and files — to a physical disk separate from that of the
resources directory itself.

EXTERNAL SEARCH INDEXES

On the pages for adding or editing a Model Manager database:

MODEL MANAGER SERVER DATABASES | 95

 1 Select External in the Search Indexes > Type list to use search indexes stored in an
external search index server.
2 In the Platform list, select Apache Solr™ server.
3 In the Base URL field, write the base URL used to connect to the Apache Solr™
server. Defaults to [Link]
4 In the Method list, select the method of authentication. Select Password to
authenticate using a username and password. Select None if the Apache Solr™ server
does not require authentication.
5 In the Username field, write the username used to authenticate with the Apache
Solr™ server.
6 In the Password field, write the password used to authenticate with the Apache
Solr™ server.
The password will be encrypted by the Model Manager server and stored in a local
SQLite® database in the Model Manager server Preference Directory— see also
Password Security.
7 In the Assets and Items fields, write the names of Apache Solr™ cores to use as search
indexes for the Model Manager server database.

The Model Manager supports Apache Solr™ version 8.7.0 and newer.

You can optionally set up a backup routine that includes the Apache
Solr™ cores used by the Model Manager server database. This will make
the restore process run faster because there will be less search data to
transfer from the SQL database to the cores.

Moving a Model Manager Server Database

You can move the data directories and backup directories of a Model Manager server
database using Managed Server Components to another file system location. This is
necessary, for example, if you want to keep using the Default managed database for a
Model Manager server but the available space on the disk containing the server
installation is not sufficient.

This section contains the necessary steps to move the data directories and backup
directories of the Default managed database when running the Model Manager server

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as a Windows® service using the predefined LocalService user account. The new
directories are inside a hypothetical D:\ModelManagerServer for the data directories
and E:\ModelManagerServerBackup for the backup directories. You can adapt the
example by skipping certain steps if you only want to move some of the directories.
You can also adapt it by modifying paths if you are running with a different user
account, if running on another operating system, or if moving some other Model
Manager server database.

Start by creating the parent directories to the new data directories and backup
directories via, for example, a system file explorer on the server computer:

1 Create the ModelManagerServer directory on the D drive and the

ModelManagerServerBackup directory on the E drive.

Next, deactivate the Model Manager server database via the Model Manager server
web interface:

2 On the Database Configurations page in the System administration area, click Default
managed database.

3 On The Database Page for the Default managed database, click the Deactivate button.
By deactivating the database, you prevent users from accessing the database via
COMSOL Multiphysics or via the Model Manager server web interface while its data
directories are being moved.

Configuring Databases

You will move the directories for each of the three managed server components used
by the Default managed database by first stopping the component’s subprocess (if any),
moving its directories, updating its configuration, and then starting the subprocess
again. For the managed SQL database server:

4 On the Managed SQL Database Servers page in the System administration area, click
Default managed PostgreSQL® server.
5 On The Managed SQL Database Server Page for the Default managed PostgreSQL®
server, click the Stop button.
The data directory of the managed SQL database server is located inside

C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\COMSOL\
ModelManager\ManagedDatabases\default-managed

MODEL MANAGER SERVER DATABASES | 97

 as the data subdirectory. Its backup directory is located inside

C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\COMSOL\
ModelManager\ManagedDatabases\default-managed-backup

as the data_backup subdirectory.

6 Move the data subdirectory to the ModelManagerServer directory on the D drive

so that its new path becomes D:\ModelManagerServer\data.
7 Move the data_backup subdirectory to the ModelManagerServerBackup
directory on the E drive so that its new path becomes
E:\ModelManagerServerBackup\data_backup.

8 On The Managed SQL Database Server Page for the Default managed PostgreSQL®
server, click the Edit button.
9 Write D:\ModelManagerServer\data in the Data directory field.
10 Write E:\ModelManagerServerBackup\data_backup in the Backup directory
field.
11 Click the Save button.
12 Click the Start button to start the managed SQL database server.

Managed SQL Database Servers

The data directory and backup directory for the managed resources directory is found
next to those of the managed SQL database server as the resources subdirectory and
the resources_backup subdirectory respectively.

13 Move the resources subdirectory to the ModelManagerServer directory on the D

drive so that its new path becomes D:\ModelManagerServer\resources.
14 Move the resources_backup subdirectory to the ModelManagerServerBackup
directory on the E drive so that its new path becomes
E:\ModelManagerServerBackup\resources_backup.

15 On the Managed Resources Directories page in the System administration area, click
Default managed resources directory.
16 On The Managed Resources Directory Page for the Default managed resources
directory, click the Edit button.
17 Write D:\ModelManagerServer\resources in the Data directory field.

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18 Write E:\ModelManagerServerBackup\resources_backup in the Backup
directory field.
19 Click the Save button.

Managed Resources Directories

For the managed search index server:

20 On the Managed Search Index Servers page in the System administration area, click
Default managed Apache Solr™ server.
21 On The Managed Search Index Server Page for the Default managed Apache Solr™
server, click the Stop button.
The data directory for the managed search index server is found next to that of the
managed SQL database server as the index subdirectory. It has no backup directory.

22 Move the index subdirectory to the ModelManagerServer directory on the D drive

so that its new path becomes D:\ModelManagerServer\index.
23 On The Managed Search Index Server Page for the Default managed Apache Solr™
server, click the Edit button.
24 Write D:\ModelManagerServer\index in the Data directory field.
25 Click the Save button.
26 Click the Start button to start the managed search index server.

Managed Search Index Servers

Finally, activate the Model Manager server database:

27 On The Database Page for the Default managed database, click the Activate button.

The Model Manager server database is now accessible again.

Backup and Restore of a Model Manager Server Database

You should configure backup of your Model Manager server database to protect from
data loss in case of, for example, a server disk crash. Backup for a database using
Managed Server Components can be configured from the web interface and is handled

MODEL MANAGER SERVER DATABASES | 99

 automatically by the Model Manager server itself. Backup for a database using external
components needs to be configured and maintained outside of the Model Manager
server.

BACKUP OF A MODEL MANAGER SERVER DATABASE

Backup for a Model Manager server database involves configuring separate backups for
its SQL database and its resources directory. The search indexes of a Model Manager
server database do not require backup since they can be recreated from the data in the
SQL database.

For a Model Manager server database using Managed Server Components with
backup enabled, Model Manager server will continuously back up any data written to
the managed SQL database server and to the managed resources directory to their
respective backup directories — see Backup of a Managed SQL Database Server and
Backup of a Managed Resources Directory. These two backup directories together
form the complete backup of the Model Manager server database itself.

For a Model Manager server database using external server components, you must
manually set up backup routines of their data using external backup software. For
External SQL Databases, this involves a backup of the SQL database used by the
Model Manager server database. For External Resources Directories, this involves a
backup of the directory itself, including all its subfolders and files.

Read Installation Planning for general guidelines on server setups and

where to place backup directories.

RESTORE OF A MODEL MANAGER SERVER DATABASE

The steps required to restore a Model Manager server database from backup depend
on how much has been lost in terms of configuration and if the database uses managed
server components, external server components, or possibly a mixture thereof.

Configuration Settings Unavailable

If the Model Manager server Preference Directory has been lost, and there is no
backup of that directory available, you will first need to recreate the configuration for
the Model Manager server database. Proceed as follows:

1 Reinstall the Model Manager server — see Modifying an Installation. Make sure to
select Custom under Add a Model Manager server database in the Server step to avoid
ending up with a new, empty, Model Manager database.

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2 Log in to the Model Manager server web interface using the username and
temporary password for the administrator account specified during installation.
Change your temporary password when prompted. See also Accessing the Web
Interface.
3 On the Add Database page — which you will be redirected to after saving your new
password — configure the server components for the Model Manager database:
- For a managed SQL database server or a managed resources directory, write the
location for a directory that is either empty or missing from the file system in the
Data directory field. Write the location for your existing backup directory in the
Backup directory field.
- For an external SQL database server or an external resources directory, make sure
that the component has already been restored from its backup. Write the
configuration settings used to access the component.
- For a managed or external search index server, write the configuration settings
for the component. In this case, there is no need to restore anything from backup.
See also Adding Databases.
4 Click the Save button. Model Manager server proceeds by adding a Model Manager
database with all its data restored from the backup locations.

As an alternative to immediately proceeding with step 3, you can also manually restore
each managed server component separately before adding the Model Manager
database. This is useful, for example, when the backup directory of the managed SQL
database server contains multiple SQL databases, and you want to take control over
which one is used for the restored Model Manager database. Begin by recreating the
configuration of each managed server component:

• Adding Managed SQL Database Servers

• Adding Managed Resources Directories
• Adding Managed Search Index Servers

Remember to specify the path for the backup directory of the managed SQL database
server, as well as for the backup directory of the managed resources directory. If you
set the Trigger mode for restoring to Automatic (most recent) for the managed SQL
database server, and its data directory is missing on disk, the data directory will be
automatically restored from backup when the server starts. Similarly, if the Trigger
mode for restoring is set to Automatic, a managed resources directory is automatically
restored if the directory is missing on disk.

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 Proceed with step 3 to recreate a configuration for the Model Manager database —
optionally replacing managed server components with external server components.

Configuration Settings Available

When a configuration for the Model Manager server database is available:

1 If currently activated, deactivate the Model Manager server database — see The
Database Page for instructions.
2 Restore the SQL database:
- For an external SQL database server, use the restore functionality specific to the
platform.
- For a managed SQL database server, click the Trigger Restore button on the
Managed SQL Database Server page unless a restore has already been triggered
automatically. Wait until the restore finishes. See also Restore of a Managed SQL
Database Server.
3 Restore the resources directory:
- For an external resources directory, copy files from the backup directory to their
corresponding location in the resources directory — optionally skipping files
already present in the resources directory.
- For a managed resources directory, click the Trigger Restore button on the
Managed Resources Directory page unless a restore will trigger automatically. The
restore will begin once the database is activated again; see below. See also Restore
of a Managed Resources Directory.
4 Restore the search indexes:
- For an external search index server, recreate the search indexes used by the Model
Manager server database or, if you have one available, restore the search index
server from backup.
- For a managed search index server, follow the steps in Restore of a Managed
Search Index Server.
5 Activate the database if not already activated by a previous step.
At this point, if the Model Manager server database uses a managed resources
directory, all missing files will be restored from the backup directory to the data
directory. All search indexes will also be populated with search data loaded from the

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 SQL database as needed. The time for both of these steps to complete depends on
the size of the database.

When the Model Manager server database has been activated, it is

possible to connect to the database from COMSOL Multiphysics. Search
results may be incomplete, however, until all search indexes have been
repopulated with search data. Some simulation models and auxiliary data
files may also fail to load if they depend on data in the resources directory
that have yet to be copied from the backup directory by the ongoing
restore.

Backward Compatibility for Server Databases

When a newer version of a Model Manager server connects to a server database created
using an older Model Manager server, the database will be automatically upgraded to
support any functionality added in the newer version. This upgrade does not modify
the storage format of models and data files, however, so older COMSOL Multiphysics
versions connecting to the Model Manager server will still be able to open models and
data files in the database even after this upgrade.

Models saved in a Model Manager server database have the same version
requirement constraint as models stored as MPH-files on the file system:
a model saved to a database from a newer version of COMSOL
Multiphysics cannot be opened from an older version of COMSOL
Multiphysics.

MODEL MANAGER SERVER DATABASES | 103

 Model Manager Server Log Files
Administrators can download log files generated by the Model Manager server directly
from the web interface. This is useful, for example, if you do not have easy access to
the file system containing the Model Manager server’s Preference Directory.

1 In the System administration area, under Monitor, click Logs to open the Logs
administration page.
2 In the Files menu, select All to download all available log files. Select Last Modified to
only download log files that were last modified between the start of the day specified
in the From field and the end of the day specified in the To field.
3 Click Download.
The logs are downloaded as a compressed zip archive to your computer.

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D a t a ba s e Admi n i st rat i on
You can administer the Current Database from the database administration area of the
web interface. Click the cog wheel in the top navigation bar and select Database to
open this area. Although all users may access the database administration area, only
users granted the appropriate database permissions are authorized to save any changes.

The Database navigation sidebar is divided into two sections, Security and Assets. The
Security section is similar to the Security node in the Databases tree in the Model
Manager workspace of COMSOL Multiphysics. You can, for example, manage local
group memberships of users or grant general database permissions to users and groups.

The Assets section contains pages for administrating and extending the asset
management system included with a Model Manager server database. You may, for
example, want to add new asset libraries with custom permissions or add new types of
assets with their own sets of attributes. See also the Asset Management chapter to learn
more.

In this section:

• Users
• Groups
• Database Permissions
• Permission Templates
• Asset Libraries
• Asset Types
• Primitive Attributes
• Composite Attributes

See the Model Manager Reference Manual for more information on

user management and access control in a Model Manager database.

Users
A user in a Model Manager database is primarily used to identify the individual that
has saved a database object, the owner of a database object, or the individuals that have

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 been granted permissions for a database object. A new user is automatically created
based on your account the first time you connect to a Model Manager server database.

See Users in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

You can manage users in the database from the Users page, opened by clicking Users in
the Database navigation sidebar. You can, for example, see all users that have been
active in the database or save group memberships in the database. The latter is useful,
for example, if you are unable to provide group memberships via an external
credentials storage — see External Authentication.

The page shows a table containing:

• The Name column — the unique username of a user. This will be matched with the
username of a corresponding account during authentication with the Model
Manager server.
• The Display Name column — an alternative display name of a user to be used for
display purposes.

Select the Show deleted checkbox to include deleted users in the table.

Click on a user in the Name column to show more details for that user. Click the Add
button to add a new user.

ADDING USERS
While a user is automatically created as needed when connecting to a Model Manager
server database, there may be situations when you want to manually add a new user to
the database before that user has connected. One example is when you preemptively
want to grant them permissions to various database objects.

To add a new user:

1 Write the username of the user in the Name field. This username must match that of
the account used when authenticating with the Model Manager server — see
Accounts.
2 Write an alternative display name for the new user in the Display Name field. This is
the name that will primarily be shown in the user interface.
The display name defaults to the username if left empty.

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3 All groups that the new user will be a member of are shown as a list under Group
memberships. Select a group from the Add group membership list to add the user as
a member. The group membership list is hidden if there are no groups in the
database.
4 Click Save to add the new user.

You do not need to specify any group memberships if you are using
External Authentication and you have set up group mappings — see
Adding Group Mappings. The same goes if using Proxy Authentication
with a group name header.

THE USER PAGE

The User page contains details on a user in the database, including the display name
and all group memberships that are stored explicitly in the database. The fields are:

• Name. The unique username of the user in the database. This is mapped to a
corresponding account via the account’s username — see also The Account Page.
• Display name. The name used for display purposes in the Model Manager server web
interface.
• Group memberships. The groups that the user is a member of. This does not include
groups mapped to the corresponding account by a Login Configuration — see The
My Account Page.

Group membership is transitive: if a user is a member of a group, which

in turn is a member of another group, the user is considered a member of
the latter group as well.

Click Edit to change the display name or group memberships of the user. Click Delete
to delete the user in the database. The deletion is not permanent — you can restore
the deleted user by clicking Restore.

Groups
A group in a Model Manager database is a collection of users and other groups. Groups
are used to more easily manage permissions common to several users in the database.
You can either create groups manually in the database or, by Adding Group Mappings
to an External Authentication mechanism, let them be automatically created based on

DATABASE ADMINISTRATION | 107

 the principal names returned by the external credentials storage. Groups will also be
created automatically if using Proxy Authentication with a group name header.

See Groups in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

The Groups page, opened by clicking Groups in the Database navigation sidebar, shows
a table with all groups in the database. The table columns are:

• The Name column — the unique name of a group.

• The Display Name column — an alternative display name of a group to be used for
display purposes.
Select the Show deleted checkbox to include deleted groups in the table.

Click on a group in the Name column of the table to show more details for that group.
Click the Add button to add a new group.

ADDING GROUPS
To add a new group:

1 Write the name of the group in the Name field. This name must match the principal
name returned by the external credentials storage if you want the added group to
be associated with a principal in the storage.
2 Write an alternative display name for the new group in the Display Name field. This
is the name that will primarily be shown in the user interface.
The display name defaults to the group name if left out.
3 All members of the new group are shown as a list under Group members. Select a
user or group from the Add group member list to add them as a member.
4 Click Save to add the new group.

You do not need to specify any group members for the group if you are
using External Authentication and you have set up explicit group
mappings — see Adding Group Mappings. The same goes if you are using
Proxy Authentication with a group name header.

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THE GROUP PAGE
The Group page contains details on a group in the database, including the display name
and all group members that are stored explicitly in the database. The fields are:

• Name. The unique name of the group in the database.

• Display name. The name used for display purposes in the Model Manager server web
interface.
• Group members. The members of the group. This does not include members whose
group membership is mapped by a Login Configuration — see The My Account
Page.

Click Edit to change the display name or group members of the group. Click Delete to
delete the group in the database. The deletion is not permanent — you can restore the
deleted group by clicking Restore.

Database Permissions
Administrators can delegate a few administrative tasks to users by granting them
permissions for actions that target the database itself. The Database permissions page,
opened by clicking Database Permissions in the Database navigation sidebar, shows a
table with users and groups mapped to their granted permissions. The table columns
are:

• The Name column — the name of a user or group.

• The Permissions column — the database permissions granted to the user or group.

The table is initially empty, which means that only administrators can perform these
administrative tasks.

See Access Control in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

Click the Edit button to edit the table of granted database permissions.

To grant permissions to users or groups:

1 Select a user or group from the Add list.

2 In the added table row, select the permissions to grant from the Permissions list.
3 Repeat for other users or groups.
4 Click the Save button to save the table.

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 Most of the available permissions are listed in the Permission Catalog in the Model
Manager Reference Manual. The remaining ones apply to the asset management
system and are listed in Table 3-1.

TABLE 3-1: AVAILABLE ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PERMISSIONS FOR THE DATABASE ITSELF.

PERMISSION DESCRIPTION

Add asset libraries Allowed to create a new asset library.

Manage asset types Allowed to create, edit, and delete asset types and
attributes.
Permanently delete Allowed to permanently delete assets.
assets

Permission Templates
You can create permission templates in a Model Manager database as a way of reusing
permission assignments for different assets, models, or data files. This saves you the
work of manually granting the same set of permissions to users and groups for multiple
database object. Creating permission templates also allows you to propagate
permission requirement changes to multiple database objects by only updating the
permissions in one place — the permission assignments of the permission template
itself.

See Permission Templates in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

The Permission Templates page, opened by clicking Permission Templates in the

Database navigation sidebar, shows a table with all user-defined permission templates
in the database. The table columns are:

• The Name column — the name of a permission template.

• The Type column — the type of database objects that the permission template
applies to.

Select the Show deleted checkbox to include deleted permission templates in the table.
You can also filter the table on permission template types from the Type list.

Click on the name of a permission template in the table to show more details for that
permission template. Click the Add button to add a new permission template.

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ADDING PERMISSION TEMPLATES
To add a new user-defined permission template:

1 Write a name for the permission template in the Name field.

2 Select the type of permission template to create in the Type list. You can select
between Asset, File, or Model.
3 Select the user or group you want to grant permissions for in the Add list. Added
users or groups shows up as table rows. Select each user’s or group’s granted
permissions in the Permissions list.
4 Click the Save button to add the new permission template.

THE PERMISSION TEMPLATE PAGE

The Permission Template page contains details on a user-defined permission template
in the database. The fields are:

• Name. The name of the permission template.

• Type. The type of database objects that the permission template applies to.

The permissions that are granted by the permission template are shown in a table.

Click Edit to edit the permission template.

Updating the permission assignments for a permission template affects

not only future applications of the template but also the permissions of
any database objects to which the permission template has already been
applied.

Click Delete to delete the permission template in the database. This deletion is not
permanent — you can restore the deleted template by clicking Restore.

Click Delete Permanently if you do want to permanently delete the permission template
in the database. Permanent deletion will only succeed if the permission template is not
assigned to any database objects.

Asset Libraries
An asset library is a container for a collection of assets and their versions in a Model
Manager database. When the database is created, a first asset library — Asset library 1
— is automatically added for you. You would typically add more libraries to the
database if you want to restrict access to a collection of assets for a particular set of

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 Users and Groups. By granting permissions on the asset library, you can, for example,
restrict who is able to browse and search the assets in the library.

See Controlling Access to Assets Using Libraries.

The Asset Libraries page, opened by clicking Asset Libraries in the Database navigation
sidebar, shows a table with all asset libraries in the database. The table columns are:

• The Name column — the name of the asset library.

• The Owner column — the name of the user set as the current owner of the asset
library.

Select the Show deleted checkbox to include deleted asset libraries in the table.

Click on an asset library in the Name column of the table to show more details for that
asset library. Click the Add button to add a new asset library. Write a name for the new
asset library in the Name field. Click Save.

THE ASSET LIBRARY PAGE

The Asset Library page contains details on an asset library in the database. Click Rename
to change the name of the asset library. Click Delete to delete the asset library in the
database. The deletion is not permanent — you can restore the deleted asset library by
clicking Restore.

Click Owner to transfer ownership of the asset library to another user. Only the current
owner or an administrator can transfer ownership of the asset library. The user that
creates the asset library is automatically set as its initial owner.

See Owners in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

Click Permissions to grant permissions for the asset library to users or groups. Only the
current owner or an administrator can grant permissions for the asset library. See
Table 3-2 for the permissions available for an asset library.

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TABLE 3-2: ALL AVAILABLE PERMISSIONS FOR ASSET LIBRARIES.

PERMISSION DESCRIPTION

Delete asset library Allowed to delete the asset library.

Restore asset library Allowed to restore the asset library when deleted.
Save in asset library Allowed to save assets as well as perform any other save
operation inside the asset library.
Save asset library Allowed to save the asset library itself to, for example,
rename it.
See asset library Allowed to see the asset library in the user interface. This is
a necessary permission for browsing assets inside the asset
library.

See Granting Permissions in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

When the Model Manager authorizes a database action that targets an asset in the asset
management system, it consults up to two levels of protection: the asset library that
the asset belongs to and, possibly, the asset itself. See Table 4-1 for all available
permissions for assets.

The necessary permission combinations for possible database actions targeting assets
are summarized as follows:

TABLE 3-3: NECESSARY PERMISSION COMBINATIONS FOR PERFORMING POSSIBLE DATABASE ACTIONS THAT
TARGET ASSETS IN AN ASSET LIBRARY.

ACTION ASSET LIBRARY ASSET

Browse and search assets See asset library Open asset

Create a new asset Save in asset library N/A
Open an asset page See asset library Open asset
Save a new asset version Save in asset library Save asset
Delete an asset Save in asset library Delete asset
Restore an asset Save in asset library Restore asset

Asset Types
You use an asset type to define the collection of attributes that can be edited on assets
having that particular asset type. When the database is created, a first asset type —

DATABASE ADMINISTRATION | 113

 simply named Asset — using a few predefined attributes is automatically created for
you. You can modify this asset type by adding new attributes to its definition, or you
can create entirely new asset types using a combination of predefined and new
attributes.

An asset type has a list of sections, with each section having a title and a subset of the
asset type’s associated attributes. The order of the attributes in each section, as well as
the overall order of the sections themselves, determines how the corresponding Asset
page for an asset having that particular asset type is displayed.

The Asset Types page, opened by clicking Asset Types in the Database navigation
sidebar, shows a table with all asset types in the database. The table columns are:

• The Name column — the name of the asset type.

• The Alias column — the unique shorthand alias for the asset type.

Select the Show deleted checkbox to include deleted asset types in the table.

Click on an asset type in the Name column of the table to show more details for that
asset type. Click the Add button to add a new asset type.

See also Adding New Types of Assets.

ADDING ASSET TYPES

To add a new asset type:

1 Write a name for the asset type in the Name field.

2 Write a shorthand alias for the asset type in the Alias field. The alias must be unique
among the set of all aliases and start with an uppercase Latin alphabet character
followed by zero or more such characters, numbers, or underscores. The alias can
contain, at most, 16 characters.
The alias is used in web links for assets of this asset type, as seen, for example, in the
web browser’s address bar on the Asset page. Once set for an asset type, it cannot be
changed.
3 Attributes defined for the asset type are added via sections. Under Sections:
a Write a title for the section in the Title field.
b Add attributes to the section in the Add attribute list — either by creating a new
attribute in the database or by selecting an existing one. Added attributes appear

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 in the Attributes table. You can rearrange the attributes in the order they should
appear in the section using drag and drop — see also Rearranging Table Rows.
Select New primitive attribute in the Add attribute list to both create a new
primitive attribute in the database and add it to the section — see Adding
Primitive Attributes for the available fields. Select New composite attribute to do
the same for a new composite attribute — see Adding Composite Attributes. A
created primitive attribute or composite attribute may later be reused for other
asset types as well.
4 Click the up and down arrows to rearrange the sections in the order you want them
to appear on an asset page.
5 Click the Preview button above the sections to see a preview presentation of the
corresponding Asset page layout for an hypothetical asset having the new type. Click
List to return to the initial section presentation.
6 Click Save to add the new asset type.

Different asset types can reuse the same attributes. A single attribute can,
however, only appear once as a top-level member on an asset type. An
option is to add different composite attributes containing the same
primitive attribute — see Primitive Attributes and Composite Attributes.

Any new primitive attribute or composite attribute created via the Add
Asset Type page will remain in the database even if you cancel the asset type
creation. You can delete the attribute via The Primitive Attribute Page
orThe Composite Attribute Page, respectively.

THE ASSET TYPE PAGE

The Asset Type page contains details on an asset type in the database. The fields are:

• Name. The name of the asset type.

• Alias. The alias of the asset type.
• Sections. The list of sections and their corresponding attributes for the asset type.
Click the Preview button above the sections to see a preview presentation of the
corresponding Asset page layout for an hypothetical asset having the current type.
Click List to return to the initial section presentation.

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 Click Edit to edit the asset type, including adding, rearranging, and removing its
sections or attributes.

Click Duplicate to open the Add Asset Type page filled in advance with the current asset
type’s sections and attributes as a starting point.

Click Delete to delete the asset type in the database. The deletion is not permanent —
you can restore the deleted asset type by clicking Restore.

Click Delete Permanently if you do want to permanently delete the asset type in the
database. Permanent deletion will only succeed if the asset type is not assigned to any
assets.

Primitive Attributes
You define the data fields available for a particular asset type using primitive
attributes. A primitive attribute added to an asset type will appear as an editable data
field on all assets having that asset type.

See Adding New Types of Data Using Attributes.

Each primitive attribute has a value type defining the kind of data it can store and how
you can search on that data. This can be a simple type, such as a text or a number, or
an advanced type, such as a link to a model version stored in the database. All available
value types are listed in Table 3-5.

A primitive attribute also has a widget type defining how the data is edited in the web
interface. This can, for example, be an input field, a list of options in a combo box, or
a picker for selecting a model version. All available widget types are listed in Table 3-4.

Given a particular widget type, only a subset of all value types are available to combine
the widget type with. Some widget types also require a set of allowed values for the
data, which becomes an additional constraint on the data that a primitive attribute can
store.

When a Model Manager server database is created, two primitive attributes —

Attachment and Model Version — are automatically created for you. They correspond,
respectively, to an uploaded file attachment and a link to a model version in a
repository.

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The Primitive Attributes page, opened by clicking Primitive Attributes in the Database
navigation sidebar, shows a table with all primitive attributes in the database. The table
columns are:

• The Label column — the label of the primitive attribute.

• The Identifier column — the unique identifier of the primitive attribute.
• The Widget column — the type of widget used when editing the primitive attribute.
• The Value column — the type of value that can be set for the primitive attribute.
• The Description column — the optional description of the primitive attribute.

Click on the label of a primitive attribute in the table to show more details for that
primitive attribute. Click the Add button to add a new primitive attribute.

ADDING PRIMITIVE ATTRIBUTES

To add a new primitive attribute:

1 Write a label for the primitive attribute in the Label field. The label is shown on an
asset page next to the asset’s attribute value.
2 Write an identifier for the primitive attribute in the Identifier field. This identifier
must be unique among the set of all attributes — primitive and composite — and
start with a Latin alphabet character followed by zero or more additional such
characters, numbers, or underscores.
The identifier of a primitive attribute is, for example, used in the Model Manager
search syntax when filtering on attribute values — see Searching on Asset Attributes.
An identifier will be automatically generated as soon as you starting typing in the
Label field. Feel free to change the generated identifier as you see fit.
3 Write a description of your attribute in the Description field.
The description is shown as a tooltip to the attribute field label on The Asset Page.
4 Select the type of widget used to edit the primitive attribute in the Widget list. See
also Widget Types.
5 Select the type of value that can be stored in the primitive attribute in the Value list.
See also Value Types.
6 For applicable widget types, add allowed values for the primitive attribute in Allowed
values. Click Add to add each value. At least one allowed value must be added.
7 Click Save to add the new primitive attribute.

DATABASE ADMINISTRATION | 117

 Widget Types
The widget type of a primitive attribute determines how the corresponding attribute
value is displayed and edited on an asset page. Each widget type supports a subset of
all Value Types. The following widget types are available:

TABLE 3-4: ALL AVAILABLE WIDGET TYPES FOR PRIMITIVE ATTRIBUTES.

WIDGET TYPE SUPPORTED VALUE TYPES DESCRIPTION

Checkbox Boolean A checkbox that can be selected

or cleared.
Checkbox list Keyword array A set of options in which a subset
is chosen by selecting
checkboxes.
Combo box Integer or Keyword A set of options in which a single
option can be selected from a
combo box.
Date picker Date A calendar in which a date can be
selected.
File upload Attachment A file browser for uploading a file
as an attachment.
File version picker File version A search widget for finding and
selecting a data file version in the
database.
Hyperlink Link Input fields for editing an address
and a link text for a web
resource.
Input field Date, Integer, or Keyword An input field for editing a date,
integer, or keyword string.
Input fields Keyword array Multiple text input fields for
editing short, name-like, keyword
strings.
List box Keyword array A set of options in which a subset
is chosen by selecting rows from
a list.
Model version picker Model version A search widget for finding and
selecting a model version in the
database.
Number Integer A number input field for writing
an integer.

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WIDGET TYPE SUPPORTED VALUE TYPES DESCRIPTION

Radio button Integer or Keyword A set of options in which a single

option can be selected from a
row of radio buttons.
Text area Date, Integer, Keyword, or A text input field for writing
Text longer text that can, for example,
contain several paragraphs.
User picker User A search widget for finding and
selecting a user in the database.
The Checkbox list and List box widget types are functionally equivalent, with the main
difference that the latter always shows all available options when editing. Similarly for
the Combo box and Radio button widget types.

The difference between the File upload and the File version picker widget types may not
be obvious. The former is used to attach files to assets such that these attachments are
version controlled together with the asset itself. The latter is used to link to existing
data files that are version controlled as separate items in a repository of the Model
Manager database.

Value Types
The value type of a primitive attribute determines how the corresponding attribute
data is validated, as well as how that data is made available for searching and filtering.
The following value types are available:

TABLE 3-5: ALL AVAILABLE VALUE TYPES FOR PRIMITIVE ATTRIBUTES.

VALUE TYPE DESCRIPTION

Attachment A file uploaded as an attachment on an asset. The attribute

value contains a unique identifier for the attachment.
Boolean A true or false value.
Date An UTC date and time value in the ISO-8601 format with
the time set to zero and with no timezone.
File version A link to a data file version in the database. The attribute
value contains a unique identifier for the data file version.
Integer An integer value.
Keyword A keyword value. Typically used for short, name-like, search
strings, such as an author, a project identifier, or a status
value.
Keyword array Multiple keyword values.

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 VALUE TYPE DESCRIPTION

Link A link to a web resource. The attribute value contains both a

link address and a link text.
Model version A link to a model version in the database. The attribute value
contains a unique identifier for the model version.
Text A value that contains text, such as for an abstract or for a
summary.
User A link to a user in the database. The attribute value contains
a unique identifier for the user.
The Date value type is used to store a whole day without any explicit reference to a
specific timezone. You may use it, for example, to store an event-like date for which
the location may be inferred elsewhere.

THE PRIMITIVE ATTRIBUTE PAGE

The Primitive Attribute page contains details on a primitive attribute in the database.
The fields are:

• Identifier. The unique identifier of the primitive attribute.

• Label. The label of the primitive attribute.
The label is used as the field text of the attribute on The Asset Page.
• Description. The description of the primitive attribute.
The description is shown as a tooltip on the field label of the attribute on The Asset
Page.
• Widget. The type of widget used when editing the primitive attribute.
• Value. The type of value that can be set for the primitive attribute.
• Allowed values. The set of allowed values for the primitive attribute. This field is only
shown for Widget Types that support a set of allowed values.

Click Edit to edit the primitive attribute, including possibly changing its widget type
and value type or adding allowed values.

Changing a primitive attribute from one widget type to another, while leaving the
value type and, when applicable, any allowed values unchanged, is always harmless —
assets that use the primitive attribute will simply change how their data is displayed and
edited. The data itself is left untouched even when saving a new version of the asset.

Changing the value type of a primitive attribute should be done with care. If you open
and subsequently save a new version of an asset that uses a primitive attribute whose
value type has been changed, Model Manager will try to automatically convert the data

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value to the new type using natural conversion rules. The save will be canceled if there
is a conversion error, in which case the attribute value would first need to be manually
adjusted. If a conversion is known to be impossible — for example, changing the value
type from Date to Attachment — Model Manager will simply remove the value.

Click Duplicate to open the Add Primitive Attribute page filled in advance with the
current primitive attribute’s widget type, value type, and allowed values.

Click Delete Permanently if you want to permanently delete the primitive attribute in
the database. The attribute will be automatically removed from any asset type using it.
Any assets with data for the primitive attribute will, however, be left untouched until
you save a new version of the asset (in which case the attribute data will simply be
excluded from the new version).

If you permanently delete a primitive attribute by accident, and do not

want to go to the trouble of restoring your database from backup, simply
create the attribute anew and add it to the applicable asset types. Any
assets that have been updated in the interim will need to have their lost
attribute data manually recovered from older versions — see also Asset
Version History.

Composite Attributes
You can combine primitive attributes as members of a composite attribute. This
combination can either be done in simple mode or in table mode. In simple mode, you
can store a single composite data entry in the composite attribute, such that the data
entry is a combination of one value for each primitive attribute member. In table mode,
you can store multiple such data entries in the composite attribute — when displayed
and edited, each primitive attribute becomes a table column and each data entry a table
row.

See Adding New Types of Data Using Attributes.

When a Model Manager server database is created, two composite attributes in table
mode — Attachments and Model Versions — are automatically created for you. They
correspond, respectively, to a list of uploaded file attachments and a list of linked model
versions.

DATABASE ADMINISTRATION | 121

 The Composite Attributes page, opened by clicking Composite Attributes in the Database
navigation sidebar, shows a table with all composite attributes in the database. The
table columns are:

• The Label column — the label of the composite attribute.

• The Identifier column — the unique identifier of the composite attribute.
• The Description column — the optional description of the composite attribute.
• The Mode column — the mode of the composite attribute, which could be either
Table or Simple.

Click on the label of a composite attribute in the table to show more details for that
composite attribute. Click the Add button to add a new composite attribute.

ADDING COMPOSITE ATTRIBUTES

To add a new composite attribute:

1 Write a label for the composite attribute in the Label field. The label is shown on an
asset page as a header to the primitive attribute members.
2 Write an identifier for the composite attribute in the Identifier field. This identifier
must be unique among the set of all attributes — primitive and composite — and
start with a Latin alphabet character followed by zero or more additional such
characters, numbers, or underscores.
The identifier of a composite attribute is used in the Model Manager search syntax
when filtering on attribute values — see Searching on Asset Attributes.
An identifier will be automatically generated as soon as you starting typing in the
Label field. Feel free to change the generated identifier as you see fit.
3 Write a description of your attribute in the Description field.
The description is shown as a tooltip to the attribute field label on The Asset Page.
4 Select between Simple and Table mode in the Mode list.
5 Add member primitive attributes in the Add primitive attribute list. Added primitive
attributes are shown in a table under Member attributes in the order they will appear
on the asset page — top-to-bottom for Simple mode and left-to-right for Table
mode. You can rearrange the member attributes using drag and drop — see also
Rearranging Table Rows.
Select New primitive attribute in the Add primitive attribute list to both create a new
primitive attribute in the database and add it as a member to the composite attribute

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 — see Adding Primitive Attributes for the available fields. The created primitive
attribute may later be reused for other composite attributes as well.
6 Click Save to add the new composite attribute.

Any new primitive attribute created via the Add Composite Attribute page
will remain in the database even if you cancel the composite attribute
creation. You can delete it via The Primitive Attribute Page.

Defining a composite attribute in Table mode with a single primitive

attribute is how you get a data field that can contain a list of values.
Examples include a list of supplementary files or a list of linked model
versions. The only exception is a list of string values for which you can use
a primitive attribute with the Keyword array value type — see Table 3-5.

THE COMPOSITE ATTRIBUTE PAGE

The Composite Attribute page contains details on a composite attribute in the database.
The fields are:

• Identifier. The unique identifier of the composite attribute.

• Label. The label of the composite attribute.
The label is used as the field text of the attribute on The Asset Page.
• Description. The description of the composite attribute.
The description is shown as a tooltip on the field label of the attribute on The Asset
Page.
• Mode. The mode of the composite attribute — either Table or Simple.
• Member attributes. The list of primitive attributes making up the composite
attribute.

Click Edit to edit the composite attribute, including possibly changing or rearranging
its primitive attribute members.

Removing primitive attribute members from a composite attribute should be done

with care. If you open and subsequently save a new version of an asset that uses a
composite attribute for which a member has been removed, any data for that primitive
attribute member will be excluded from the new version. Similarly, if you change from
Table mode to Simple mode, only the data in the first table row will be kept in a new
version of an asset.

DATABASE ADMINISTRATION | 123

 Click Duplicate to open the Add Composite Attribute page filled in advance with the
current composite attribute’s mode and member attributes.

Click Delete Permanently if you want to permanently delete the composite attribute in
the database. The attribute will be automatically removed from any asset type using it.
Any assets with data for the composite attribute will, however, be left untouched until
you save a new version of the asset (in which case the data will simply be excluded from
the new version).

If you permanently delete a composite attribute by accident, and do not

want to go to the trouble of restoring your database from backup, simply
create the attribute anew and add it to the applicable asset types. Any
assets that have been updated in the interim will need to have their lost
attribute data manually recovered from older versions — see also Asset
Version History.

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 4

Asset Management

Read this chapter to learn how the web-based asset management system included
with a Model Manager server installation helps simulation engineers to collaborate
on simulation projects with people in your organization who may not have access
to the COMSOL Multiphysics software.

In this chapter:

• Managing Simulation Projects Using Assets

• Customizing the Asset Management System
• Searching on Asset Attributes
• Example: A Project Asset Type

125
 Managing Simulation Projects Using
As s e ts
A Model Manager server includes a web-based asset management system that enables
users to access models and data files in Model Manager without requiring a COMSOL
Multiphysics installation. Simulation engineers can, for example, share output files
from simulation runs by exporting them to the Model Manager server from COMSOL
Multiphysics, while other engineers can upload new versions of data files via the Model
Manager server web interface — versions which are then immediately available to the
simulation engineer from the COMSOL Desktop. The asset management system also
enables you to version control various documents, presentations, project notes, slides,
and other supplementary files and metadata related to models and data files— all while
keeping everything in the same Model Manager server database.

In this section, you will learn what is included for this system by default with a new
Model Manager server installation. See the next section for various ways to extend the
system based on the needs of your organization.

In this section:

• Introduction to Asset Management

• Adding a New Asset
• The Asset Page
• The Home Page
• The Model Page
• The File Page
• Adding A New File

Introduction to Asset Management

Simulation engineers working in the COMSOL Desktop modeling environment often
do so in the context of some broader objective. This can, for example, be the
development of a new product at a company or a project at a research institute. In these
contexts, the simulation work will inevitably involve people in your organization who
uses other tools and software, and who may not have access to a COMSOL
Multiphysics installation. An experimentalist may need to provide the simulation

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engineer with new experimental data or a CAD engineer may have updated a CAD
geometry. The simulation engineer, in turn, may want to share simulation results in
the form of animations, images, and plots. There will also be a need to manage various
documents, presentations, notes, slides, and other supplementary files and metadata
related to the simulation project.

Managing and sharing all this data can be done using a variety of tools: network file
systems together with shared spreadsheets, custom intranet applications, commercial
document management systems, project tracking software, or product lifecycle
management (PLM) software. Depending on sophistication, these tools may support
access control, auditing (who updated what and when), process and workflow
management (state transitions), searching and filtering, and version control.

A Model Manager server installation includes a web-based system for managing

simulation projects via assets. This asset management system forms a layer on top of
the existing version control system for models and data files. You may think of an asset
as a container for links to your model versions, data file versions, attached
supplementary files, and various custom metadata fields. You can use the asset
management system as either a standalone tool or as a subcomponent to existing
systems within your organization — the existing systems could then, for example,
contain web links to assets in the Model Manager server.

Assets are version controlled in their own right — every time you save changes to an
asset, a new asset version is stored in the database. This enables you to both track
changes made to assets over time, as well as revert such changes if need be. Storing
links to your models together with supplementary files and metadata on assets also
gives you a searchable archive of past and present projects — all while keeping
everything in the same database as your models.

You can search assets on their linked model and file versions, attachments, and any
metadata fields — either via full text search or by applying filters. This is true both for
predefined fields common to all assets in a Model Manager server database, as well as
for fields that you have added via customization.

The asset management system uses the same user management functionality available
for models and data files. Each asset has an associated owner; each asset version has a
record of the user that saved it. You grant permissions to users in order to control who
has access to an asset. Assets can also be organized into libraries with individual access
control settings.

The asset management system also gives you direct access to the version-controlled
models and data files themselves directly from the web interface. You can search for

MANAGING SIMULATION PROJECTS USING ASSETS | 127

 versions using the same search functionality available in the COMSOL Desktop. You
can also view the version history of these items, as well as browse their relationships.
Finally, new versions of data files can be saved by uploading files directly from the web
interface.

The combination of assets together with direct access to models and data files results
in a powerful tool for collaboration. At the start of a simulation project, a new asset is
created. By adding links to models, users can quickly navigate both to the models
themselves, as well as to all input files that these models depend on, or all output files
these models have generated. New input files for a simulation can be uploaded via the
web interface; animations, images, plots, reports and other output files can be
downloaded. Once the project is completed, the version-controlled asset gives you a
valuable historical record of how the project evolved from start to finish.

Adding a New Asset

The Home page for the asset management system is accessed by clicking either the
COMSOL logo or the Home link in the top navigation bar after logging in to the web
interface — see Accessing the Web Interface. For a new Model Manager server
database, there are no assets and the page shows an empty search result.

To add a new asset:

1 Click Add in the top navigation bar and select New Asset. This starts a two-page
wizard for adding a new asset.
2 On the first page of the wizard, write a title for the new asset in the Asset title field.
Unlike all other fields on an asset, the title field is mandatory. Click Continue.
3 On the second page of the wizard:
a Write a description for the asset in the Description field.
b Click Choose thumbnail to browse for a thumbnail image. Write a caption for the
image in the Caption field.
c To add a link to a model version in the database, click Add Row under Model
versions. Click Search for Model Version (the magnifying glass) in the added table
row to open a dialog in which you can search for a model version — see Searching
for Model Versions to Add. Once you have found the model version to add, click
Add to Asset (the plus sign).
d To upload a file from your file system, click Add Row under Attachments. In the
added table row, either drag and drop a file to the dotted rectangular area or click
the text Click here to upload to browse for a file on your computer.

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4 Once you have finished adding model versions and file attachments, click Save to
add the new asset to the database.

See also Example: A Project Asset Type for a tutorial on adding and
editing assets.

You can link to an arbitrary selection of model versions on an asset — both to versions
of the same model, as well as versions of different models. The model versions can be
selected from any repository and branch you are permitted to browse.

Which version of a model you choose to link to depends on the workflow that best suits
your needs. You may, for example, create an asset at the beginning of a new project and
link to the first version of a model, or set of models, relevant to the project. As the work
progresses and you reach important milestones, you might add or replace certain
model versions on the asset. Perhaps when the project is finished, you link to the final
version of a model. There is, however, no urgency to continually update links on the
asset whenever you save new versions of your models in the database — from The
Model Page of a linked model version, you can quickly navigate to the latest version of
the model.

There are no restrictions on the types of supplementary files you can upload on the
asset. Examples include notes, word-processing documents, presentations, reports,
slides, images, and videos. Files used as auxiliary data by models — for example, CAD
data or interpolation functions — are best version controlled inside the repositories,
though, side by side with the models. See also The File Page.

The Asset Page

The Asset page shows the latest version of an asset by default. The buttons and menus
in the toolbar at the top of the page contains:

• Versions. View older versions of the asset — see Asset Version History.
• Compare with Previous. Compare the current version with the previous one — see
Comparing Asset Versions.
The Compare with Previous menu option is hidden for the first version of an asset.
• Delete. Delete the asset — see Deleting an Asset.
• Delete Permanently. Permanently delete the asset — see Deleting an Asset.
• Edit. Edit the asset and save the changes as a new version — see Editing an Asset.

MANAGING SIMULATION PROJECTS USING ASSETS | 129

 • Permissions. Set permissions for the asset — see Granting Permissions to an Asset.
• Owner. Set the owner of the asset — see Transfer Ownership of an Asset.
• Related. Add links to other assets — Relating Assets.
The asset page has a top section containing the title, description, and thumbnail image
of the asset. The upper right corner shows:

• Identifier. The unique identifier of the asset.

• Library. The asset library that the asset belongs to.
A new Model Manager server installation comes predefined with a single asset
library with the name Asset library 1. See also Asset Libraries.
• Asset Type. The type of the asset. Defines the available data fields on the asset — see
also Asset Types.
A new Model Manager server installation comes predefined with a single asset type
with the plain name Asset. The Asset Type field is only visible once you have added
more types to the asset management system.
• Owner. The user currently set as the owner of the asset.
• Saved. The point in time when the version was saved.
• Saved by. The user that saved the version.

Links to other, related, assets in the asset management system are shown in the Related
Assets section. Click on a link to open the corresponding Asset page for the related
asset. The section is hidden if there are no related assets.

Other data fields for the asset are shown in collapsible sections further down on the
page. The default asset page has two such sections:

• Model versions. A table with model versions in the database that are linked by the
asset. Click on the title to open The Model Page for the model version.
Opening the Model page for a model version requires that you have been granted
read permissions to the corresponding repository and branch of the model version.
• Attachments. A table with supplementary file attachments uploaded on the asset.
Click on the filename to download the file to your computer.

See Customizing the Asset Management System to learn how you can
extend the Asset page by adding other data fields tailored to the needs of
your projects. See Searching on Asset Attributes to learn how you can
search assets by matching on those data fields.

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EDITING AN ASSET
Click Edit to make changes to the asset. The Asset page is shown with various input
fields for updating its data, similar to when adding a new asset. You can change the
title, description, and thumbnail image and caption of the asset, as well as add or
remove linked model versions and attached files. None of the changes made on the
page are stored in the database until you click Save, in which case all changes are saved
collectively as a new asset version. Click Cancel to return the page to its read mode with
all data restored as it was before the edit began.

Searching for Model Versions to Add

Click the Search for Model Version button (the magnifying glass) in a table row to add
or replace a linked model version. You can search for versions by writing search terms
in the Search field of the opened dialog — you can write both plain search words as
well as any number of filter expressions using the Model Manager search syntax. Plain
search words will match on the titles, descriptions, tags, and filenames of models.

You can select between two search modes from the list in the upper right corner:

• Latest Versions for Location. Search the latest versions of models in a branch. Expand
the accompanying location selector to select another branch to search in.
• All Versions in Database. Search all versions of models in the database. Expand the
accompanying location selector to apply one or more repositories and branches as
filters. Only versions saved in selected repositories and branches are returned in the
search result.

See Searching and Filtering in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

The search result is shown in a paginated table. Click on a title to show more details
about that model version. Click the Add to Asset button (the plus sign) to link the
model version on the asset.

Rearranging Table Rows

You can rearrange the rows in a table by moving the mouse pointer over the crossed
arrows icon in a row, pressing and holding down the mouse button to “grab” the row,
moving the mouse pointer to “drag” the row to its desired location in the table, and
then releasing the mouse button to “drop” the row in its new location.

MANAGING SIMULATION PROJECTS USING ASSETS | 131

 RELATING ASSETS
You can add links to other assets in the asset management system as a way of relating
them to the current asset. To edit the current collection of relations, select Related in
the list opened via the Edit button on the Asset page to open the Related Assets page.

The Related Assets page shows the currently related assets in the top table, with
columns for the identifier and the title of each asset. Click Delete to delete a relation.

To add more relations:

1 In the Search for assets to add field, write search and filter expressions and press
Enter, or click the magnifying glass, to trigger a new search. The matching assets are
shown in the bottom table.
You can write plain search words and any number of filter expressions using the
Model Manager search syntax. Plain search words will match on the title and
description of assets. See also Searching Assets on The Home Page.
2 Click the Add button (the plus sign) in a table row to add a relation to that asset.
The selected asset is added to the top table.
3 Repeat the first two steps until you have added all relations.
4 Click Save to save the collection of relations.

The related assets appear as links in the Related Assets section. Click a link to navigate
to the corresponding Asset page for that asset.

TRANSFER OWNERSHIP OF AN ASSET

You control who can set permissions on assets via ownerships — every asset has an
owner, which is one of the Users in the database. Except for administrators, only the
owner can change an asset’s permissions. The user that creates an asset is automatically
set as its initial owner.

See Owners in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

You can transfer the ownership of an asset to another user if you own the asset or are
an administrator. Select Owner in the list opened via the Edit button. In the opened
dialog, the Current owner field shows the username of the user that currently owns the
asset. Under New Owner, select the user to transfer ownership to. Click Save.

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GRANTING PERMISSIONS TO AN ASSET
You can change permissions for an asset if you own the asset or are an administrator.
Granting permissions to users and groups enables you to control, for example, who can
view the asset or make changes to the asset. All available permissions for an asset are
listed in Table 4-1.

See Granting Permissions in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

TABLE 4-1: ALL AVAILABLE PERMISSIONS FOR ASSETS.

PERMISSION DESCRIPTION

Open asset Allowed to see and open an asset.

Save asset Allowed to save versions of the asset.
Delete asset Allowed to delete the asset.
Restore asset Allowed to restore the asset when deleted.
To set permissions, select Permissions in the list opened via the Edit button. In the
Permissions list in the opened dialog:

• Select None to not set any permission requirements on the asset.

• Select Public, Protected, or Private to set a predefined permission template — see
Predefined Permission Templates in the Model Manager Reference Manual.
• Select one of the user-defined permission templates for assets — see Permission
Templates.
• Select Custom to set up custom permissions for the asset — see Custom Permissions
in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

Click Save to save the new permissions for the asset.

ASSET VERSION HISTORY

You can access older versions of an asset via the Asset Versions page. Click Versions on
the Asset page to show a table with all versions listed in chronological order, with the
latest version shown at the top.

The table columns are:

• The Title column — the title of the saved version.

• The Saved column — the time when the version was saved.
• The Saved By column — the name of the user that saved the version.

MANAGING SIMULATION PROJECTS USING ASSETS | 133

 Click on a version in the Title column to see how the asset looked in that version. To
restore the asset from an older version, click Restore Version. The older version will be
automatically resaved as a new latest version.

You can compare two versions of an asset by selecting their checkboxes in the table and
clicking the Compare button. The Asset Comparison page is opened with a comparison
between the versions’ data fields — see Comparing Asset Versions.

COMPARING ASSET VERSIONS

You can see the result of comparing two versions of an asset on the Asset Comparison
page. You can reach this page via one of the following:

• Select Compare with Previous in the list opened via the toggle button next to the
Versions button on the Asset page. The Asset Comparison page shows the result of
comparing the current version on the Asset page with the previously saved version.
The Compare with Previous menu option is hidden for the first version of an asset.
• Select Compare with Latest in the list opened via the toggle button next to the
Versions button on the Asset page. The Asset Comparison page shows the result of
comparing the current version on the Asset page with the latest saved version.
The Compare with Latest menu option is hidden for the latest version of an asset.
• Select the checkboxes for two versions on the Asset Versions page and click Compare.
The Asset Comparison page shows the result of comparing the two versions.

The Asset Comparison page shows the before and after values of all fields that have
changed between the two versions, with the before value indicated by a minus sign and
a red color highlighting, and the after value by a plus sign and a green color
highlighting. Some field types also use strikethroughs and underlines to indicate before
and after, respectively. Fields that have the same value in both versions are hidden on
the page.

Select the Show detailed text changes checkbox for text fields to show individual
changes made to words and sentences inside paragraphs — removed words have red
strikethroughs and added words have green underlines. Entire paragraphs deemed
either completely removed or completely added are indicated by a left-aligned red or
green horizontal line with a minus or plus sign, respectively. Clear the checkbox to see
the before and after texts in their entirety.

Select the Only show modified rows checkbox above table-valued fields to hide those
table rows that are the same in the two versions — both when it comes to the row’s
position and the row’s cell values. Clear the checkbox to see all table rows.

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DELETING AN ASSET
Click Delete on the Asset page to delete the asset. The asset will still be present in the
database but no longer show up in search results by default. To restore a previously
deleted asset, click Restore.

Select Delete Permanently in the list opened via the toggle button next to the Delete
button to permanently delete the asset and all its versions.

Permanently deleting an asset cannot be undone unless you restore the

Model Manager server database from a backup.

The Home Page

You reach the Home page of the asset management system by clicking on the
COMSOL logo or the Home link in the top navigation bar. The Home page is the
default landing page when you log in to the Model Manager server web interface.
Click Assets in the upper left corner to search for assets in the database. Click Models
and Files to search for models and data files in repositories.

• Searching Assets
• Searching Models and Files

SEARCHING ASSETS
You can search for the latest versions of assets from the Home page of the asset
management system. Write search and filter expressions in the Search field and press
Enter or click the magnifying glass to trigger a new search. You can write plain search
words and any number of filter expressions using the Model Manager search syntax —
see Searching on Asset Attributes. Plain search words will match on the identifier, title,
and description of assets.

Matching assets are shown in a paginated table below the Search field. Select Rank,
Title, or Last Modified to change the field being sorted — sorting by rank means that
those assets that best match the search expression are shown first. Toggle between
ascending and descending order by clicking the vertical arrow button next to the sort
field list. Select Table View or Compact View to show or hide the assets’ thumbnail
images in the table.

MANAGING SIMULATION PROJECTS USING ASSETS | 135

 The default table columns are:

• The Title column — the current title of the asset.

• The Description column — the current description of the asset.
• The Last Modified column — the point in time when the asset was last modified.

Click on the title of an asset in the table to open its Asset page.

The Model Manager hides assets that you are not permitted to open from the search
result — see also Table 4-1.

Asset Filters
You can apply asset filters from the Filters menu — click the vertical expander bar on
the left side of the Home page if the menu is not already visible. The available filter
options for a new Model Manager server installation are:

• Last Modified. A date range for when the latest version of an asset was saved. Leave
From or To empty to not specify a lower or upper bound for the date.
• Last Modified By. The user that saved the latest version of an asset. A multiple
selection of users is combined with OR-logic when filtering.
• Owner. The user that owns an asset. A multiple selection of users is combined with
OR-logic when filtering.
• Deleted. Optionally show assets that have been deleted. The default is to hide such
assets.
• Attachments. The filename, file type, last modified date, and file size of uploaded file
attachments.
• Model versions. The title, item version type, item save type, saved date, saved by-user,
and owner of linked model versions.

The list of available filter options will grow as you extend the asset
management system via customization — see Customizing the Asset
Management System.

The search result is automatically updated as you specify the value of each filter. Click
Clear Filters to clear all specified filter values.

Click the eye icon next to a filter option to show or hide the corresponding table
column in the search result. You can also show or hide the Title, Description, Thumbnail,
Library, and Asset Type fields as table columns.

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SEARCHING MODELS AND FILES
Click Models and Files on the Home page of the asset management system to search for
versions of items — that is, models and data files — in the Model Manager server
database. Write search and filter expressions in the Search field and press Enter or click
the magnifying glass to trigger a new search. You can write plain search words and any
number of filter expressions using the Model Manager search syntax.

You can select between two search modes from the list in the upper right corner:

• Latest Versions for Location. Search the latest versions of items in a branch. Expand
the accompanying location selector to select another branch to search in.
• All Versions in Database. Search all versions of items in the database. Expand the
accompanying location selector to apply one or more repositories and branches as
filters. Only versions saved in selected repositories and branches are returned in the
search result.

Searching Versions in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

Matching versions are shown in a paginated table below the Search field. Select Rank,
Title, Saved, Size, or Computed Data to change the field being sorted — sorting by rank
means that those versions that best match the search expression are shown first. Toggle
between ascending and descending order by clicking the vertical arrow button next to
the sort field list.

Sorting Search Results in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

The default table columns are:

• The type column — an icon used to represent of the type of the version.
• The Title column — the title of the version.
• The Tags column — the tags assigned to the item that the version belongs to.
The Tags column is only shown for the Latest Versions for Location search mode.
• The Saved column — the point in time when the version was saved.
• The Saved by column — the user that saved the version.
• The Owner column — the user that owns the item that the version belongs to.

MANAGING SIMULATION PROJECTS USING ASSETS | 137

 Click on the title of a model version or file version in the table to open its Model page
or File page, respectively.

The Model Manager hides versions in repositories and branches that you are not
permitted to see from the search result.

Item Filters
You can filter the search result by applying item filters from the Filters menu — see also
Asset Filters. The available filter options are:

• Title. The title of the version.

• Description. The description of the version.
• Tags. The tags assigned to the item that the version belongs to.
The Tags filter is only available for the Latest Versions for Location search mode.
• Item Version Type. The type of the item version.
• Item Save Type. The save type of the item that version belongs to.
• Saved. A date range for when the version was saved. Leave From or To empty to not
specify a lower or upper bound for the date.
• Saved By. The user that saved the version. A multiple selection of users is combined
with OR-logic when filtering.
• Commit Comment. The commit comment written when the version was saved.
• Filename. The filename of a model version and the filenames of the file resources of
a file version.
• File Type. The file type extensions of the file resources of a file version.
• Size. The estimated disk space usage of a version when stored on the file system.
• Computed Data. The estimated disk space usage of the built, computed, and plotted
data of a model version when stored on the file system.
• Owner. The user that owns the item that the version belongs to. A multiple selection
of users is combined with OR-logic when filtering.

The search result is automatically updated as you specify the value of each filter. Click
Clear Filters to clear all specified filter values.

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Click the eye icon next to a filter option to show or hide the corresponding table
column in the search result. You can also show or hide the Repository and Branch fields
as table columns.

Item Filters in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

The Model Page

The Model page shows the latest version of a model — with respect to a specific a
branch — by default. The toolbar at the top of the page contains the buttons:

• Edit. Edit the model and save the changes as a new version — see Editing a Model.
• Versions. View older versions of the model — see Model Version History.
• Copy Location to Clipboard. Copy a location string identifier to your computer’s
clipboard. This identifier can be used to open the model version in the COMSOL
Desktop — see also Opening Model Versions in the COMSOL Desktop.

The model page shows the title, description, assigned tags, filename, and thumbnail
image of the model, with a placeholder image used for models lacking a thumbnail.
The list of metadata fields on the left are:

• Location. The repository and branch that the model version is saved in.
• Owner. The user currently set as the owner of the model.
• Saved. The point in time when the version was saved.
• Saved by. The user that saved the version.
• Saved in. The COMSOL Multiphysics version that the model was saved from.

Models in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

MODEL VERSION REFERENCES

You can see references between the current model version and other versions in the
References table on the Model page. Select Show Referenced Versions to list all versions
referenced by the current model version; select Show Referencing Versions to list all
versions referencing the current model version.

MANAGING SIMULATION PROJECTS USING ASSETS | 139

 The references are categorized by the following types:

• Input file. A data file version used as input by a model version. Examples include
CAD data, interpolation data, and mesh data.
• Output file. A data file version generated as output from a model version. Examples
include animations, images, plots, and reports.
• Geometry part. A geometry part loaded from another model version.

You can filter the table by selecting from these types in the Reference Type list.

The table columns are:

• The type column — an icon used to represent of the type of the version.
• The Title column — the title of the version.
• The Reference Type column — the type of version reference.
• The Saved column — the point in time when the version was saved.
• The Saved by column — the user that saved the version.
• The Repository column — the repository that the version was saved in.
• The Branch column — the branch that the version was saved in.
• The Comments column — the commit comment written when the version was saved.

Click on the title of a version in the table to open its Model or File page.

The versions shown in the References table — with Show Referenced

Versions selected — are so-called auxiliary data used by the model as
either an input source or an output target.

The References Window in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

EDITING A MODEL
Click Edit to make changes to some of the model’s basic fields. The Model page is
shown with input fields for updating its title, description, assigned tags, and filename.

None of the changes made on the page are stored in the database until you click Save,
in which case all changes are saved collectively as a new model version. Click Cancel to
return the page to its read mode with all data restored as it was before the edit began.

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To save a new model version:

1 Click the Save button at the bottom of the page.

2 Write a commit comment in the opened Save Model dialog.
3 Click Save in the dialog.

Model Settings in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

MODEL VERSION HISTORY

You can view the model’s version history with respect to the latest version on a
particular branch on the Versions page. Click Versions on the Model page to show a table
with versions saved on the branch sorted chronologically with most recent first. To
view the version history with respect to another branch, select it from the location
selector in the upper right corner.

The table columns are:

• The type column — an icon used to represent of the type of the version.
• The Title column — the title of the version.
• The Saved column — the point in time when the version was saved.
• The Saved by column — the user that saved the version.
• The Repository column — the repository that the version belongs to.
• The Branch column — the branch that the version belongs to.
• The Comments column — the commit comment written when the version was saved.

Click on a title in the Title column to open the Model page for that specific version.

The Versions Window in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

OPENING MODEL VERSIONS IN THE COMSOL DESKTOP

Users with a COMSOL Multiphysics installation can open a model version in the
COMSOL Desktop:

MANAGING SIMULATION PROJECTS USING ASSETS | 141

 1 Click the Copy Location to Clipboard button on the Model page.
A location string identifier for the model version has now been copied to the
computer’s clipboard.
2 Launch the COMSOL Multiphysics software if not already running. Select File >
Open From in the COMSOL Desktop.
3 Select the Clipboard menu option in the Open window. The model version is shown
as a single option in the list on the right. Click Open.
You may be asked to fill in your username and password for the Model Manager
server.

You will get an error message if there is no database configuration for the
Model Manager server database in the Model Manager workspace. Select
File>Open From>Add Database>Connect to Server Database and fill in the
connection details for the Model Manager server. See also Connecting to
a Server Database in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

The clipboard is only available when accessing the Model Manager server
web interface through a secure connection using HTTPS.

The File Page

The File page shows the latest version of a data file — with respect to a specific a branch
— by default. The toolbar at the top of the page contains the buttons:

• Edit. Edit the file and save the changes as a new version — see Editing a File.
• Versions. View older versions of the file — see File Version History.
• Download. Download the file contents to your computer’s file system. File contents
for a fileset is downloaded as a compressed archive file.

The file page shows the title, description, and assigned tags of the file. The list of
metadata fields on the left are:

• Location. The repository and branch that the file version is saved in.
• Owner. The user currently set as the owner of the file.
• Saved. The point in time when the version was saved.

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• Saved by. The user that saved the version.
• File size. The total size of the file version in bytes.

Files in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

FILE VERSION CONTENTS

Binary and text data for the file version are shown as file resources in the Contents table.
A file version containing a single file resource is referred to as a plain file. Examples
include an interpolation text file or an animation file. A file version containing multiple
file resources is referred to as a fileset. Examples include a CAD assembly with external
component files, an image sequence, or an HTML report.

The table columns are:

• The Filename column — the filename of the file resource.

• The File Size column — the size of the file resource in bytes.
• The Last Modified column — the date and time when the contents of the file resource
was last modified.

File resources in a file version may be organized into a hierarchy of directories. A

directory is shown with a triangle symbol next to its name in the Filename column.
Click the triangle to list the file resources and, possibly, subdirectories found inside that
directory. File resources found on the top level in the table are thought of as belonging
to an implicit root directory.

FILE VERSION REFERENCES

You can see references between the current file version and other versions in the
References table on the File page similar to how such references are shown on the Model
page — see also Model Version References.

EDITING A FILE
Click Edit to edit the file. The File page is shown with input fields for updating its title,
description, and assigned tags. You can also add, replace, or remove file resources for
the file.

The Contents table is shown with an additional top table row representing the root
directory when the File page is in edit mode. Click the Add File button to upload a file
resource to the root directory. In the opened dialog, either drag and drop a file to the

MANAGING SIMULATION PROJECTS USING ASSETS | 143

 dotted rectangular area or click Click here to upload to browse for a file on your
computer.

Click the Replace button next to an existing file resource to replace its binary or text
data with that of a file on your computer. The existing file resource will keep its current
filename.

Click Delete to remove a file resource from the table.

You can also create a new folder under the root directory. Click Add Folder to open the
Add Folder dialog. Write the name of the folder in the Title field. Click Add. With the
folder added to the table, you can continue by adding new files and other folders under
that folder.

None of the changes made on the page are stored in the database until you click Save,
in which case all changes are saved collectively as a new file version. Click Cancel to
return the page to its read mode with all data restored as it was before the edit began.

To save a new file version:

1 Click the Save button at the bottom of the page.

2 Write a commit comment in the opened Save File dialog.
3 Click Save in the dialog.

A directory hierarchy of a file version is only stored implicitly in the

database via the relative paths, with respect to the implicit root directory,
of the file resources. No information is stored about the directories
themselves. As a consequence, empty folders are ignored by Model
Manager when saving.

A fileset with a deeply nested hierarchy is expected to be rare. The prime

example of a fileset with a hierarchy is an HTML report with a main
HTML file at the top and associated images inside a folder.

File Settings in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

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FILE VERSION HISTORY
You can view the file’s version history with respect to the latest version on a particular
branch on the Versions page similar to how this history is shown for models — see also
Model Version History.

Adding A New File

You can save a new file to the database via the Model Manager server web interface.
This is useful, for example, when you want to distribute a new input data file to
simulation engineers working in the COMSOL Multiphysics software.

To save a new file:

1 Click Add in the top navigation bar and select New File.
2 Select the target repository and branch in the location selector in the upper right
corner.
3 Add one or more file resources for the new file version to the Contents table by
uploading them from your computer — see also Editing a File.
The filename of the first file resource added to the table will be automatically used
in the Title field.
4 Either keep the suggested title in the Title field or write a custom title.
5 Optionally write a description of the file in the Description field. You can also select
tags to assign the file in the Tags list.
6 Write a commit comment in the opened Save File dialog.
7 Click Save.

The File page is automatically opened with the saved version of the new file.

MANAGING SIMULATION PROJECTS USING ASSETS | 145

 Customizing the Asset Management
System
As you may have noticed, the basic Asset page provided with a new Model Manager
server database is somewhat rigid when it comes to adding data. You can, for example,
add text to the Description field, link to model versions in the Model versions section,
and upload supplementary files in the Attachments section. Other than that, there is
not much flexibility.

In this section, you will learn how the asset management system can be customized so
that more types of data can be added to an asset — either by extending the asset page
predefined for a Model Manager server database or by defining new types of assets. You
will also learn how assets can be organized into asset libraries.

• Adding New Types of Data Using Attributes

• Adding New Types of Assets
• Controlling Access to Assets Using Libraries

See also Example: A Project Asset Type for an introductory tutorial that
includes customization of the asset management system.

Adding New Types of Data Using Attributes

You can extend the available fields on an asset page by defining new primitive
attributes. A primitive attribute is a data field that can hold a specific value type.
Examples include (see Table 3-5 for the complete list):

• A Keyword value. A project identifier, author, search label, project status, or some
other name-like metadata.
• A Text value. An abstract, project notes, or some other multiple-paragraph text.
• A Date value. A publication date, review date, or some other date.
• A Boolean value. An approved flag or some other true or false choice.
• A Link value. A link to a web page or some other web resource.
• An Attachment. Documentation files, presentations, slides, videos, or any other type
of supplementary file.

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• A Model version. A link to a version-controlled model stored in the Model Manager
database.
• A File version. A link to a version-controlled data file stored in the Model Manager
database.
• A User. A link to a user in the Model Manager database.

The new attributes are added to sections on the Asset page, either to one of the existing
sections or by defining new sections for the page. Each primitive attribute has an
attribute label which is shown next to the attribute value when viewing or editing the
asset. Both the sections and the primitive attributes inside each section can be
rearranged as you see fit.

You define how the values of a primitive attribute are edited by selecting a widget type.
Examples include (see Table 3-4 for the complete list):

• An Input field for writing a keyword value in a single-line input field.

• A Text area for writing text, possibly split into several paragraphs, in a rectangular
text area.
• A Date picker for selecting a date from a calendar.
• A Checkbox for selecting a Boolean true or false value.
• A Combo box or Radio button for selecting a single value among a set of allowed
values. This could be a status flag or some other predetermined set of options.
• A Checkbox list or List box for selecting multiple values among a set of allowed
values. This could be product labels or some other predetermined set of options.
• A Hyperlink for specifying a web page or some other web resource.
• A File upload for browsing and selecting a file on the file system to be uploaded as
an attachment.
• A Model version picker for searching and selecting a version-controlled model in the
Model Manager database to add as a link.
• A File version picker for searching and selecting a version-controlled data file in the
Model Manager database to add as a link.
• A User picker for searching and selecting a user in the Model Manager database.

Given a particular widget type for a primitive attribute, only a subset of all value types
are available to select from. A Date picker, for example, can only store a Date value and
a File upload can only store an Attachment.

CUSTOMIZING THE ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM | 147

 The primitive attributes also show up in the Asset Filters menu on the Home page. You
can apply these attributes as search filters via filter widgets analogous to the ones used
when editing.

A Model Manager database comes predefined with two primitive attributes, Model
version and Attachment, whose attribute labels have been set to be identical to their
corresponding value type. They appear as table columns in the two sections, Model
versions and Attachments, on the predefined Asset page.

See Primitive Attributes to learn how administrators can define new

primitive attributes via the Administration>Database area. See Asset Types
to learn how to add these primitive attributes to sections on the Asset
page.

See Searching on Asset Attributes to learn how you can search and filter
on your custom data fields.

PRIMITIVE ATTRIBUTES OF VERSION TYPE

Primitive attributes of value type Model version or File version are special in that they
only store a link to a fixed version of a model or data file in the database. These
attributes are displayed on the Asset page with the version’s title, the point in time
when the version was saved, the user that saved the version, and the item version type
of the version. You can click on the title to open the corresponding Model or File page
for the version.

You edit these primitive attributes by searching and selecting a model or data file
version in the database. See Searching for Model Versions to Add for editing an
attribute of Model version value type. Editing an attribute of File version value type
works identically.

GROUPING PRIMITIVE ATTRIBUTES INTO COMPOSITE ATTRIBUTES

You can group one or more primitive attributes together by adding a composite
attribute. The composite attribute can be defined using one of two modes:

• A Simple mode. This is useful if a collection of primitive attributes “logically” belong

together. The primitive attributes appear under a common header given by the label
of the composite attribute. An example of such a composite attribute is a journal

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 reference consisting of primitive attributes for the author, publication, URL, and
year.
• A Table mode. This is useful if the values of a collection of primitive attributes belong
together and you want to add multiple data entries for the primitive attributes when
editing assets. The primitive attributes appear as columns in a table. Each data entry
is then a row in the table. An example of such a composite attribute is a table of
journal references with the listed primitive attributes as columns.

Composite attributes also appear in the Asset Filters menu on the Home page with their
primitive attribute members shown as groups of subfilters. You can apply these
member attributes as search filters via filter widgets analogous to the ones used when
editing.

A Model Manager database comes predefined with two composite attributes, Model
versions and Attachments, whose labels are the pluralized forms of the (single) primitive
attributes they contain. Both use the Table mode.

See Composite Attributes to learn how administrators can define new

composite attributes via the Administration>Database area. See Asset
Types to learn how to add these composite attributes to sections on the
Asset page.

Table Filters
If you add a primitive attribute with a set of allowed values — for example, a primitive
attribute with a Radio button for editing — to a composite attribute using Table mode,
that attribute will also be available as a table filter on the Asset page. Select checkboxes
in the list to only show table rows with the corresponding attribute values. Clear all
checkboxes to not apply a filter on the attribute.

Adding New Types of Assets

You can customize which attributes are available on an asset page by defining new asset
types, each asset type having its own list of sections and attributes. This is useful if you
want to use the asset management system to store different types of content. You
could, for example, add a Project asset type, an Internal Training Course asset type,
or a Papers and Presentations asset type — each with their own collection of
attributes.

CUSTOMIZING THE ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM | 149

 When there is more than one asset type in the database, a list of available asset types
appear on the first page of the New Asset wizard — see Adding a New Asset. There is
also an Asset Type filter option in the Asset Filters menu on the Home page.

You cannot change the assigned asset type after you have created an asset.

A Model Manager server database comes predefined with a single asset type, simply
named Asset. It has two sections, Model versions and Attachments, whose labels are the
same as the predefined composite attributes they contain — see Grouping Primitive
Attributes into Composite Attributes.

See Asset Types to learn how administrators can define new asset types via
the Administration>Database area.

Controlling Access to Assets Using Libraries

You can organize your assets into different asset libraries. This is useful, for example,
if you want to set up permissions that differ between various collections of assets —
perhaps hiding sensitive assets from all but a select group of users.

Assets in different asset libraries can use the same asset type.

When there is more than one asset library in the database, a list of available libraries
appear on the first page of the New Asset wizard — see Adding a New Asset. There is
also a Library filter option in the Asset Filters menu on the Home page.

You cannot move an asset from one asset library to another.

A Model Manager server database comes predefined with one asset library, Asset library
1. You can rename the library in the Administration > Database area — see The Asset
Library Page.

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See Asset Libraries to learn how administrators can add new asset libraries,
as well as grant permissions to these libraries, via the
Administration>Database area.

CUSTOMIZING THE ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM | 151

 Searching on Asset Attributes
In this section, you will learn how to search for assets in a Model Manager server
database. You will see how you can match assets by performing full text searches and
by applying various filter criteria. Filters can target the predefined fields that are
common to all assets as well as any attributes that have been added by Customizing the
Asset Management System.

In this section:

• Full Text Search

• Filters
• Asset Search Syntax

Full Text Search

A fast way for you to find assets in a Model Manager server database is to write
individual search words, separated by spaces, in the Search field on either the Home page
or, for all other pages, in the top navigation bar. The search words are matched with
the identifier, title, and description fields of an asset.

The Model Manager combines all search words that you write with AND-logic. In
practical terms, this means that the assets in the search result are such that all search
words are found somewhere in the title or description of the asset.

You can use a wildcard asterisk in a search word to match zero or more arbitrary
characters. Appending, for example, a wildcard at the end of a search word will match
that word against the beginning of words in the searched text. You can also match on
phrases — that is, multiple words in a sequence — by enclosing the search words in
quotation marks.

See Wildcard Matching and Phrase Matching in the Model Manager

Reference Manual.

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Filters
You can narrow down a search result by applying filters, either by specifying filter
options in the Asset Filters menu or by writing filter expressions in the Search field
using the Model Manager search syntax — see also Asset Search Syntax.

Filters match in a case-insensitive way in the Model Manager.

The available filters can be categorized based on the types of fields that they match on.
These field types affect how the field values specified in the filters are interpreted when
searching the database. Text fields and keyword fields, for example, are used for text
and name-like search data, respectively. A date or numeric field type enables you, for
example, to match either exactly or in a range, while a selection field enables you to
match values in a predetermined set.

See Field Types in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

To include spaces in a keyword field’s value, precede each space using a

backslash — see Keyword Field and Escaping Reserved Characters in the
Model Manager Reference Manual. No such escaping is necessary when
searching a field of text type.

ASSET FIELD FILTERS

The field filters common to all assets are:

• Asset Identifier • Last Modified

• Title • Last Modified By
• Description • Owner
• Library • Deleted
• Asset Type

Asset Identifier
The Identifier filter is a selection filter that matches on the unique identifier of an asset.

SEARCHING ON ASSET ATTRIBUTES | 153

 Title
The Title filter is a text field filter that matches on the title of an asset. You may find
this filter useful when the searched title contains a word that is also commonly found
in descriptions, such that performing a Full Text Search would yield too many results.
The filter is only available using the Model Manager search syntax — see Table 4-3.

Description
The Description filter is a text field filter that matches on the description of an asset.
Similar to a Title filter, you may find this useful when the searched description is also
a common title. The filter is only available using the Model Manager search syntax —
see Table 4-3.

Library
The Library filter is a selection filter that matches on the name of the asset library that
an asset belongs to.

Asset Type
The Asset Type filter is a selection filter that matches on the name of the asset type
assigned to an asset.

Last Modified
The Last Modified filter is a date field filter for when the latest asset version was saved.

Last Modified By
The Last Modified By filter is a selection field filter on the user that saved the latest asset
version. Write the name or display name of the user. A space in a searched name must
be escaped by preceding the space with a backslash.

Owner
The Owner filter is a selection field filter on the current owner of an asset. Write the
name or display name of the user. A space in a search name must be escaped by
preceding the space with a backslash.

Deleted
The Deleted filter is a Boolean field filter on whether or not an asset is deleted.

ATTRIBUTE FIELD FILTERS

Filter options for attributes appear in the lower part of the Asset Filters menu on the
Home page. Similar to Asset Field Filters, each attribute filter option has an associated
field type that affects how the values are interpreted when searching the database. The
assigned field type depends on the value type of the primitive attribute, see Table 4-2.

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Only primitive attributes used by at least one asset type — either directly as a top-level
attribute added to one of the asset type’s sections or indirectly as a member of an added
composite attribute — are shown in the menu. If you apply a filter on asset types
themselves via the Asset Type filter, the list of shown attribute filters is further reduced
based on the selected asset types.

Filters on primitive attributes of a Date or Number value type are specified as a range in
the Filters section. Primitive attributes with a set of allowed values are filtered by
selecting a subset of values from a list.

A primitive attribute with the Link value type can be matched on either the link URL
address or the link text.

A primitive attribute with the Attachment value type can be matched on the filename,
file type, last modified date, and file size of the uploaded attachment.

A primitive attribute with the File version or Model version value types can be matched
on the title, item version type, item save type, saved date, saved by-user, and owner for
the linked item version.

A primitive attribute with the User value type can be matched on either the identifying
key or the name or display name of the user.

TABLE 4-2: THE FIELD TYPE ASSIGNED TO EACH PRIMITIVE ATTRIBUTE VALUE TYPE.

PRIMITIVE ATTRIBUTE VALUE TYPE FIELD TYPE

Attachment Multiple field types (Table 4-5)

Boolean Boolean
Date Date
File version Multiple field types (Table 4-6)
Integer Numeric
Keyword Keyword
Keyword array Keyword
Link Multiple field types (Table 4-4)
Model version Multiple field types (Table 4-6)
Text Text
User Selection

SEARCHING ON ASSET ATTRIBUTES | 155

 Composite Attribute Filters
Composite attributes also appear in the Asset Filters menu, with each of their primitive
attribute members available as subfilter options. For table-valued composite attributes,
the primitive attribute filters combine with Boolean AND-logic on a per table row basis.

Primitive attributes shown as top-level filters in the Filters menu only

match the values of those primitive attributes added to the top-level of
asset type sections, not those that are members of composite attributes.
Conversely, primitive attributes shown as subfilters to composite
attributes only match values inside those composite attributes.

Asset Search Syntax

The filter functionality in the asset management system of a Model Manager server is
based on the same tailor-made search syntax used when searching models and their
contents. The syntax enables you to write filter queries that find assets whose built-in
asset and custom attribute fields satisfy arbitrarily complex constraints.

In this section, you will learn how you can formulate such custom filter queries. You
will see how to write simple expressions for filters on single asset fields and primitive
attribute fields as well as how to nest field expressions using the primitive attribute
members of a composite attribute. For more details on the search syntax, see The
Model Manager Search Syntax in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

BASIC ASSET FIELD EXPRESSIONS

An asset filter consists of one or more field expressions combined with Boolean
operators — for example, AND, OR, and NOT — and other grouping operators. Each
field expression specifies which field and what field value is being filtered on.

You write an asset field expression using an @-notation of the general form:

@<field-name>:<field-value>

with <field-name> equal to the name of one of the available asset fields in Table 4-3,
and <field-value> the value being filtered on. Write, for example,

@title:crane

to find assets whose title contains the word crane. To match on several search words,
enclose the words with parentheses. Write

@title:(mounted crane)

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to find assets whose title contains the words mounted and crane.

A space between two search words is automatically interpreted as a Boolean AND. The
previous expression is thus equivalent to:

@title:(mounted AND crane)

Write

@title:(mounted OR crane)

if you want to find assets whose title contain mounted or crane.

If you want to combine a full text search with a custom filter query, write the former
first. The following is valid:

mounted crane @assetType:project @lastModifiedBy:alice

and matches on assets whose title or description contains the words mounted and
crane, whose asset type is Project, and that was last modified by user Alice. The
following is not valid:

@assetType:project @lastModifiedBy:alice mounted crane

and results in an error message.

See Basic Field Expressions in the Model Manager Reference Manual.

TABLE 4-3: FIELD EXPRESSIONS FOR ASSET FIELDS.

SYNTAX TYPE DESCRIPTION

@assetIdentifier:... Selection The unique identifier of an asset.

@assetType:… Selection The name of the asset type of an asset.
@description:… Text The description of an asset.
@isDeleted:… Boolean The deleted state of an asset.
@lastModified:… Date The last modified date of an asset.
@lastModifiedBy:… Selection The name or display name of the user that last
modified an asset. Escape spaces in names with a
backslash.
@library:… Selection The name of the asset library that an asset belongs to.
@owner:… Selection The name or display name of the user that owns the
asset. Escape spaces in names with a backslash.
@title:… Text The title of an asset.

SEARCHING ON ASSET ATTRIBUTES | 157

 PRIMITIVE ATTRIBUTE FIELD EXPRESSIONS
You can filter on primitive attribute fields using a search syntax similar to that of the
predefined asset fields:

@<attribute-identifier>:<field-value>

with <attribute-identifier> equal to the identifier of a primitive attribute and

<field-value> the value being filtered on. Write, for example,

@status:planned

to find all assets with the value planned for a hypothetical primitive attribute status
of Keyword value type. Similarly, the expression

@week_estimate:[5 TO 10]

matches all assets with a range of values for a hypothetical primitive attribute
week_estimate of Integer value type.

A primitive attribute field expression only matches on the values of

attributes added as top-level attributes to the sections of an asset type. See
Composite Attribute Field Expressions for the search syntax used to filter
on primitive attributes that are members of composite attributes.

If the attribute identifier is the same as one of predefined field names in

Table 4-3, precede the identifier with a backslash. Thus, the field
expression @title:<field-value> matches on the title of an asset; the
field expression @\title:<field-value> matches on the attribute with
identifier title.

For primitive attributes with value types that support filtering on multiple fields, the
above syntax automatically targets a default field. For an Attachment it is the filename,
for a File version or Model version it is the item version’s title, and for a Link it is the link
text. Write, for example,

@product_manual:truck\ mounted\ [Link]

to find all assets with an uploaded file truck mounted [Link] for a hypothetical
Attachment primitive attribute with identifier product_manual.

The filename field of an attachment has a keyword field type, which means
that spaces must be escaped by a backslash.

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To match on one of the other fields, write

@<attribute-identifier>{@<field-name>:<field-value>}

with <attribute-identifier> equal to the identifier of the attribute and <field-

name> equal to the name of one of the available fields in Table 4-4, Table 4-5, and
Table 4-6. Write, for example,

@product_manual{@fileType:pdf}

to find all assets with product manuals of PDF type. You can also combine multiple
fields within the curly braces. Write,

@product_manual{@fileType:pdf @lastModified:[* TO 12/31/20]}

to find product manuals of PDF type that were created before 2021.

A similar syntax is used when searching on the fields of File Version, Model Version, or
Link attributes. Write, for example,

@auxiliary_data{@itemVersionType:fileset}

to find all assets linking to fileset versions via a hypothetical File Version primitive
attribute with identifier auxiliary_data.

TABLE 4-4: FIELD EXPRESSIONS FOR PRIMITIVE ATTRIBUTES OF LINK VALUE TYPE.

SYNTAX FIELD TYPE DESCRIPTION

@text:... Text The link text of the link.

@url:… Keyword The URL address of the link.
TABLE 4-5: FIELD EXPRESSIONS FOR PRIMITIVE ATTRIBUTES OF ATTACHMENT VALUE TYPE.

SYNTAX FIELD TYPE DESCRIPTION

@filename:… Keyword The filename of the attachment.

@fileType:... Keyword The file type extension of the attachment.
@lastModified:… Date The last modified date of the attachment,
@sizeInBytes:… Numeric The size in bytes of the attachment.
TABLE 4-6: FIELD EXPRESSIONS FOR PRIMITIVE ATTRIBUTES OF LINKED ITEM VERSION VALUE TYPES.

SYNTAX FIELD TYPE DESCRIPTION

@itemKey:... Selection The unique key of the item that the item version
belongs to.
@itemSaveType:... Selection The item save type of the item that the item version
belongs to.

SEARCHING ON ASSET ATTRIBUTES | 159

 SYNTAX FIELD TYPE DESCRIPTION

@itemType:… Selection The item type of the item that the item version
belongs to.
@itemVersionKey:... Selection The unique key of the item version.
@itemVersionType:... Selection The item version type of an item version.
@originItemKey:... Selection The unique key of the origin item to the item that
the item version belongs to.
@owner:… Selection The name or display name of the user that owns the
item. Escape spaces or other reserved characters in
names with backslash.
@saved:... Date The instant in time when the item version was saved.
@savedBy:... Selection The name or display name of the user that saved the
item version. Escape spaces or other reserved
characters in names with backslash.
@title:… Text The title of an item version.

COMPOSITE ATTRIBUTE FIELD EXPRESSIONS

You can filter on primitive attributes that are members of composite attributes using a
syntax of the form:

@<composite-identifier>{@<primitive-identifier>:<field-value>}

with <composite-identifier> equal to the identifier of a composite attribute,

<primitive-identifier> equal to the identifier of a primitive attribute that is a
member of the composite attribute, and <field-value> equal to the value being
filtered on. Write, for example,

@journal_reference{@conference:paris @year:2020}

to find all assets with the values Paris and 2020 for the two primitive attributes,
conference and year, belonging to the composite attribute journal_reference.
This syntax is especially useful when you want to match on multiple cells in a table row
corresponding to a composite attribute in Table mode. Write, for example,

@models{@model:(mounted crane) @product_version:11.2}

to find all assets with a table row in a hypothetical models composite attribute table in
which the model column has a model version title containing mounted crane, and the
product_version column has the value 11.2.

160 | CHAPTER 4: ASSET MANAGEMENT

Example: A Project Asset Type
This section showcases some of the tools available in the asset management system of
a Model Manager server using the example of a hypothetical Project asset type. You
will learn how to customize the asset management system by defining new attributes
that may, for example, be relevant to a project in a product development context.
These attributes are added to a new asset type to be used by project-like assets. You
will also learn how to create, edit, and search such assets, including working with
linked model versions, supplementary files, and other metadata added to the assets.

Some of the steps in this tutorial involves the use of the Model Manager tools in the
COMSOL Multiphysics software — you may skip these steps if you do not have access
to a COMSOL Multiphysics installation.

• Defining the Project Asset Type

• Adding Projects
• Linking to Simulation Models in the Database
• Viewing Older Versions
• Finding Projects Using Attribute Filters
• Opening Linked Simulation Models in the COMSOL Desktop

See also Working with Models in Databases in the Model Manager

Reference Manual.

Defining the Project Asset Type

The projects saved in our customized asset management system will be based off a new
asset type that has fields for storing the following data:

• Status. One of Planned, Ongoing, or Completed for the status of a project.

• Work group. A label for the group within the organization working with a project.
• Documentation. An uploaded file that serves as documentation for a project.
• Presentation. An uploaded file used during a presentation related to a project.
• Presented. The date when a presentation was held.
• Model version. A simulation model being used in a project.

EXAMPLE: A PROJECT ASSET TYPE | 161

 Except for the last field, these fields are not available in the default asset management
system included with a new Model Manager server database. Part of our task when
creating the new project asset type will therefore be to extend the asset management
system with new attributes that can hold the corresponding data.

You need to either be an administrator or have been granted the Manage

asset types database permission to customize the asset management
system — see Database Permissions.

The new asset type is added from the Database administration area in the Model
Manager server web interface:

1 Click the cog wheel in the top navigation bar and select Database in the opened
Administration menu.
2 Click Asset Types in the Database navigation sidebar.
3 Click Add to open the Add Asset Type page for adding a new asset type to the asset
management system.
4 Write Project in the Name field.
5 Write PROJ in the Alias field.
The alias PROJ, combined with a unique integer, is used in web links for project assets
— the first project you create will get the identifier PROJ-1. Once the new asset type
has been saved to the database, this alias cannot be changed.

Attributes are organized into collapsible sections on an asset page. You will add three
sections for the project asset type: Information, Files, and Simulation Models.

1 On the Sections card, write Information in the Title field.

2 Click the Add Section button to add a second section. Write Files in its Title field.
3 Click the Add Section button again to add a third and final section. Write
Simulation models in its Title field.

While defining a new asset type, you may find it useful to see a preview of how the
corresponding Asset page will look like. Click the Preview button located above the
Sections card. The page switches into a preview mode for a hypothetical project asset.

162 | CHAPTER 4: ASSET MANAGEMENT

It shows the three sections — all currently void of any attributes. Click the List button
to return to the list mode used to edit the sections.

There will already be a default asset type on the Asset Types page. This
asset type is automatically created for a new Model Manager server
database. It uses the two predefined composite attributes — Attachments
and Model versions.

ADDING YOUR FIRST PRIMITIVE ATTRIBUTE

We will add the Status field as a new primitive attribute placed first in the Information
section.

1 In the Add attribute list in the Information section, select New primitive attribute.
2 Write Status in the Label field.
The Identifier field is automatically populated with a lowercase status for the
unique identifier of the new attribute. This identifier is used, for example, when
Searching on Asset Attributes. Once the attribute has been created, this identifier
cannot be modified.
3 Write The current status of a project in the Description field.
4 Select Combo box in the Widget list.
The Value list is automatically set to the default value type for the widget, which in
the case of a Combo box is Keyword.
5 In the Allowed Values field, write Planned. Click Add. Repeat this with Ongoing and
Completed.

6 Finish by clicking the Add Primitive Attribute button.

You have created your first primitive attribute. As its label and description indicates, it
can be used to track the current status of a project.

There will already be two primitive attributes in the Add Attribute list —
Attachment and Model version. These are automatically created for a new
Model Manager server database.

Primitive Attributes

EXAMPLE: A PROJECT ASSET TYPE | 163

 ADDING MORE ATTRIBUTES
You will use a simple Input field for storing the work group within the organization that
is involved with the project. Another reasonable widget for such a field would be a
Combo box with a predefined list of available work groups.

1 In the Add attribute list in the Information section, select New primitive attribute.
2 Write Work group in the Label field.
3 Write Organizational unit in the Description field.
4 Select Input field in the Widget field.
5 Click Add Primitive Attribute.

Open the preview mode again. As expected, the Information section now displays a
Status field and a Work group field. Return to the list mode.

Users of the asset management system would likely want to upload multiple
documentation and presentation files on a single project. You can accomplish this by
adding the new Documentation and Presentation fields as columns in two separate
tables. For the former:

1 In the Add attribute list in the Files section, select New composite attribute.
2 Write Documentation files in the Label field.
The Description field can be empty. Keep the default Table value in the Mode list.
3 In the Add primitive attribute list under Member attributes, select New primitive
attribute.
4 Write Documentation in the Label field.
5 Write Documentation file in the Description field.
6 Select File Upload in the Widget list.
The Value field automatically defaults to Attachment.
7 Click Add Primitive Attribute to add the new primitive attribute as a member of the
composite attribute.
8 Click Add Composite Attribute to add the composite attribute itself to the Files
section.
A composite attribute is an aggregation of one or more primitive attributes. As such,
it may be used to store a composite value. Moreover, a composite attribute can be
defined in one of two modes — Simple or Table. The former is used when there is a
single composite value. As such, it is displayed as a simple grouping of fields on the
Asset page. The latter is used when there are multiple such composite values — it is

164 | CHAPTER 4: ASSET MANAGEMENT

displayed as a table with the individual composite values as table rows and the primitive
attributes as columns.

The Documentation files composite attribute is a special case where the composite value
is just a single value — the uploaded file. It is displayed as a table having a single
column, with each table row containing a single documentation file.

There will already be two composite attributes in the Add Attribute list —
Attachments and Model versions. These are automatically created for a new
Model Manager server database.

Composite Attributes

Any presentation held for a project has a corresponding presentation file and a date
when the presentation was held. To store this data, add a table with two columns to
the Files section:

1 In the Add attribute list in the Files section, select New composite attribute.
2 Write Presentations in the Label field.
3 Write Presentations held in the Description field.
4 In the Add primitive attribute list under Member attributes, select New primitive
attribute.
5 Write Presentation in the Label field.
6 Write Presentation file in the Description field.
7 Select File Upload in the Widget list.
8 Click Add Primitive Attribute.
9 Select New primitive attribute again for an additional Presented column in the table.
Use Presented, Date of presentation, and Date picker for the Label, Description,
and Widget fields, respectively. Finish with Add Primitive Attribute.
10 Click Add Composite Attribute to add the composite attribute as a second attribute
to the Files section.

Now could be a good point to preview the Asset page once more. Click Preview. You
will see the two Documentation files and Presentation tables in the Files section. Click
List.

EXAMPLE: A PROJECT ASSET TYPE | 165

 FINISHING THE ASSET TYPE DEFINITION
The last field, Model version, already exists as a primitive attribute. It is used by the
default asset type that is automatically created for a new Model Manager server
database. The primitive attribute itself is a member of an automatically created
composite attribute, Model versions. You will reuse this latter attribute to link multiple
model versions on a project: in the Add attribute list in the Simulation Models section,
select Model versions.

With all attributes added to their respective sections, click Save at the bottom of the
Add Asset Type page to save the new project asset type.

You should see three sections on the Asset Type page containing five attributes in total
— two primitive attributes and three composite attributes. Click on the Presentations
(presentation) link to open its details page. You should see the primitive attributes
Presentation and Presented, the two members of the Presentations composite attribute.

Asset Types

UPDATING AN ATTRIBUTE DEFINITION

As currently defined, the Status primitive attribute is edited on an Asset page by
selecting a value in a Combo box widget — a list of options that you can show or hide
by clicking on the widget. This is useful when there are many allowed values to select
among. In our case, though, the Radio button widget may be more suitable:

1 Click Primitive Attributes in the Database navigation sidebar.

2 On the Primitive Attributes page, click Status to open its details page.
3 Click Edit.
4 In the Widget list, select Radio button.
5 Click Save.

The Radio button widget always shows all options when editing — useful in this case,
as there are only three options to choose from.

Adding Projects
With the new asset type in place, it is time to start adding projects to the database. You
will add two projects that correspond to the development of two hypothetical products

166 | CHAPTER 4: ASSET MANAGEMENT

— a wrench and a busbar. These examples will be used to demonstrate how you can
add, edit, and search for assets in your customized asset management system.

See also Example 1: Structural Analysis of a Wrench and Example 2:

The Busbar — A Multiphysics Model in Introduction to COMSOL
Multiphysics.

1 Click Add in the top navigation bar and select New Asset.
2 Write Combination wrench in the Asset title field.
3 Select Project in the list.
4 Click Continue.
5 In the Description field, write Improving the structural integrity of the
combination wrench product line.

6 In the Status field, select Ongoing.

7 In the Work group field, write Research and Development.
8 Click Save.

You have now created a first asset in the database of the project asset type. Click the
COMSOL logo or the Home link in the top navigation bar to open the Home page.
Write Combination wrench in the Search field and press Enter. The project asset is
shown in the search result table. Click on its title to return to the Asset page for the
project.

Adding a New Asset

EDITING THE PROJECT

At the moment, the project does not contain much data other than its title,
description, and status value. There are, for example, no supplementary files uploaded
on the project.

1 Click Edit in the upper-right corner.

The Asset page for the project is shown in its editing state.
2 Click the Add Row button under the Documentation files table in the Files section.

EXAMPLE: A PROJECT ASSET TYPE | 167

 3 Click the Click here to upload link and browse for a file on your computer. For the
purpose of this tutorial, you may select any file on your file system to masquerade as
some documentation manual.
The selected file is added as a row in the table. You can add more documentation
files by repeatedly clicking the Add Row button under the Documentation files table
and selecting a file via the Click here to upload link.
4 Click the Add Row button under the Presentations table.
5 Upload any file in the Presentation column much like you did for the documentation
files.
6 In the Presented column, click the calendar and select an imagined date the
presentation was held.
7 Click Save.
The Files section is now filled with a few uploaded files associated with the project. You
can click the filename of a file to download it to your computer.

Every time you click Save to save the asset, a new version is stored in the database. To
see all changes made to the asset when the current version was saved, click the expander
button next to the Versions button and select Compare with Previous. The Asset
Comparison page opens with a comparison between the second, latest, version and the
first version. You will see the documentation files and presentations that you added in
the previous steps indicated by plus signs and green color. Click the arrow button in
the upper left corner to return to the Asset page.

The Asset Page

EDITING THE ASSET TYPE

You can modify and extend an existing asset type even after you have created your first
asset of that type. You may, for example, want to rearrange the layout of sections and
attributes on the project asset type, or perhaps add new types of attributes to your
projects.

See Table 3-4 for a complete list of attribute widgets that can be added to
an asset page, including the types of values that can be edited using these
widgets.

168 | CHAPTER 4: ASSET MANAGEMENT

As an example, you are going to add the predefined Attachments composite attribute
to the project asset type. You may, for example, decide to use this for miscellaneous
files that are neither documentation files nor presentations.

1 Click the cog wheel in the top navigation bar and select Database in the opened
Administration menu.
2 Click Asset Types in the Database navigation sidebar.
3 Click the Project asset type on the Asset Types page.
The details page for the asset type is opened. You can see the current layout of
sections and the attributes they contain.
4 Click Edit.
5 In the Files section, select Attachments in the Add attribute list.
The Attachments composite attribute is added last to the section. You can rearrange
the attributes by moving the mouse pointer over the crossed arrows icon in a table
row, pressing and holding down the mouse button to “grab” the table row, moving
the mouse pointer to “drag” the table row to its desired location in the table, and
then releasing the mouse button to “drop” the table row in its new location.
6 Click Save.

Open the Asset page for your combination wrench project. An empty Attachments table
is now visible in the Files section.

There are no restrictions on the types of supplementary files you decide to upload on
your projects. Examples include project notes, word processing documents, reports,
slides, images, and videos. Files used as auxiliary data by simulation models — for
example, CAD data or interpolation functions — are best version-controlled inside
repositories, though, side by side with the models.

You can add a new File version primitive attribute to an asset type if you
want to link to files version-controlled in your repositories on the Asset
page.

ADDING MORE PROJECTS

Add a second asset of the project asset type to the database:

1 Click Add in the top navigation bar and select New Asset in the opened menu.
2 Write Busbar redesign in the Asset title field.
3 Select Project in the list.

EXAMPLE: A PROJECT ASSET TYPE | 169

 4 Click Continue.
5 In the Description field, write New design for the busbar component.
6 In the Status field, select Planned. Leave Work group empty.
7 Click Save.

A second project asset is created in the database. The same set of attributes available
for editing on the first asset are also present on this new asset.

Linking to Simulation Models in the Database

You can add links to an arbitrary selection of model versions on your project assets —
both to versions of the same model, as well as versions of different models. Which
version of a particular model you choose to add depends on the workflow that best
suits your needs. You may add the first version of a model, or set of models, relevant
to the project. As you reach important milestones in your simulation work, you may
add, or replace with, newer model versions by editing the asset. Perhaps when the
Status attribute is set to Completed, you add the final version of a model.

To demonstrate this linkage, you will save two models to the Model Manager server
database by connecting to the database from the COMSOL Desktop modeling
environment. For the combination wrench project:

1 Launch the COMSOL Multiphysics software.

2 In the File menu, select Application Libraries ( ).
3 Select COMSOL Multiphysics > Structural Mechanics > wrench.
4 Click Open ( ).
5 In the File menu, select Save To ( ).
6 In the Save window, select Add Database ( ) in the list of options.
7 Click the Connect to Server Database button ( ).
8 Follow the steps in Connecting to a Server Database in the Model Manager
Reference Manual to connect to the Model Manager server database.
After COMSOL Multiphysics has finished connecting to the Model Manager server,
the server database is shown selected in the Save window.
9 Click the Save button ( ) to save a first version of the model in the database.

Similarly for the busbar redesign project:

170 | CHAPTER 4: ASSET MANAGEMENT

1 Select and open COMSOL Multiphysics > Multiphysics > busbar in the Application
Libraries window.
2 Select Save To ( ) in the File menu.
3 In the Save window, select the Model Manager server database in the list of options.
4 Click Save ( ).

Return to the Asset page for the busbar redesign project in the asset management
system.

1 Click Edit.
2 Under the Model versions table, click the Add row button.
3 In the added table row, click the Search for Model Version button in the Model version
column.
4 Write busbar in the Search field in the opened dialog.
5 Click the Add to Asset button (the plus sign).
The dialog is closed and the linked model version for the busbar is shown in the
Model version column.
6 Click Save.

Open the Asset page for the combination wrench project and repeat the previous steps
for the wrench model.

Opening Linked Simulation Models in the COMSOL Desktop

Once you have found a model version of interest on an asset, you can quickly open that
model version in the COMSOL Desktop. On the Asset page for the combination
wrench project:

1 In the Model versions table, click the title of the wrench model in the Model version
column.
2 Click the Copy Location to Clipboard button on the opened Model page.
A location string identifier for the model version is automatically copied to your
computer’s clipboard.
3 In the File menu in COMSOL Multiphysics, select Open From ( ).
4 In the Open window, the Clipboard ( ) option is automatically selected in the list.

EXAMPLE: A PROJECT ASSET TYPE | 171

 5 Click the Open button ( ) to open the wrench model in the COMSOL Desktop.

The clipboard is only available when accessing the Model Manager server
web interface through a secure connection using HTTPS.

The Model Page

Viewing Older Versions

You can access older versions of an asset via the Asset Versions page. You can also restore
an older version as a new latest version — useful, for example, if you make unwanted
changes to an asset by mistake.

On the Asset page for the combination wrench project:

1 Click the Versions button in the upper-right corner.

The Asset Versions page shows a table with the three saved versions of the
combination wrench project.
2 Click the middle row in the table.
The Asset page is opened for that version. Notice that there is no linked model
version in the Model versions table.
3 Click the Versions button once more and then click the bottom row in the table.
The Asset page is opened for the first version of the project. There are no uploaded
files on the project.
4 Click the View Latest Version link at the top of the page.
The Asset page is opened for the latest version. There are both uploaded files and a
linked model version present on the page, as expected.

From the Asset Versions page, you can also compute all changes made when going from
an older version to a newer version. Select the checkboxes for the corresponding two
versions in the table and click the Compare button. The Asset Comparison page opens
with all changes indicated as either additions or removals.

Click the COMSOL logo or the Home link in the top navigation bar to return to the
Home page.

172 | CHAPTER 4: ASSET MANAGEMENT

Finding Projects Using Attribute Filters
As your collection of assets in the database grows in size, it will become important to
be able to search and filter on the assets. On the Home page:

1 If not already expanded, click the vertical bar on the left side of the page to expand
the Filters menu.
2 Under Asset Type, select Project in the list.
The search result is updated to show the two assets with the project asset type.
3 Under Status, select Ongoing in the list.
The search result shows the ongoing combination wrench project.
4 Click the Clear Filters button to clear the two applied filters.
5 In the Title field under Model versions > Model version, write electrical heating
busbar.

The Title field of the Model version attribute matches on the title of the linked model
version. In this case, the search result shows the busbar redesign project. You can
also try a wildcard search. Test with, for example, electric* in the Title field.
6 Click the Clear Filters button to clear the Model versions > Model version filter.
7 Under Work group, write research and development.
You may be surprised to find that no assets match the filter. The reason is that spaces
must be escaped with a backslash when filtering on attributes of keyword value type.
Alternatively, you can filter using a wildcard or using phrase matching.
8 Replace the filter value with research\ and\ development. Also test with an
appended wildcard, research*, and as a phrase, “research and development”.
In all three cases, you will match on the combination wrench project.
9 Click Clear Filters to clear the Work group filter.

You can also filter by writing a filter expression directly in the Search field. Write, for
example, @status:planned and press Enter to match on the busbar redesign project.

See Searching on Asset Attributes to learn more on how you can search
and filter assets on their attributes.

This concludes this introductory tutorial on the asset management system.

EXAMPLE: A PROJECT ASSET TYPE | 173

174 | CHAPTER 4: ASSET MANAGEMENT
I n d e x
A accounts deleting 112
adding 65 editing 112
deleting 66 owners 112
editing 66 permissions 112
accounts (page) 65 restoring 112
activating databases 88 asset libraries (page) 112
active database 83 asset management 126
adding customization 146
accounts 65 asset types 149
asset libraries 112 adding 114
asset types 114 administrating 113
assets 128 deleting 116
composite attributes 122 duplicating 116
connectors 51 editing 116
database permissions 109 permanently deleting 116
databases 85 restoring 116
files 145 sections 114
groups 108 asset types (page) 114
managed resources directories 75 asset versions (page) 133
managed search index servers 78 assets
managed SQL database servers 69 adding 128
permission templates 111 comparing 134
primitive attributes 117 deleting 135
users 106 editing 131
administration filters 153
database 105 owners 132
system 49 permanently deleting 135
administrator password, resetting 33 permissions 133
Apache Solr relating 132
external 96 restoring 135
managed 78 searching 135
asset (page) 129 versions 133
asset comparison (page) 134 attachments 130
asset libraries 150 attributes
adding 112 composite 148
administrating 111 filters 154

INDEX| 175
 primitive 146 D data directories 20
authentication database administration 105
external 57 database permissions 109
local 57 database permissions (page) 109
proxy 62 databases
auxiliary data 140 activating 88
active 83
B backups
adding 48, 85
data directories 22
backup 22
managed resources directories 77
backward compatibility 103
managed SQL database servers 73
current 49
planning 16
deactivating 88
preference directory 18
default 84
restoring from 100
deleting 88
backward compatibility 103
editing 87
C certificate 54 moving 96
changing language 50 restoring 100
changing password 64 databases (page) 84
client compatibility 53 deactivating databases 88
command options 41 default database 84
compare assets 134 deleting
composite attributes 148 accounts 66
adding 122 asset libraries 112
administrating 121 asset types 116
duplicating 124 assets 135
editing 123 databases 88
field expressions 160 groups 109
permanently deleting 124 managed resources directories 77
simple mode 148 managed search index servers 81
table mode 149 managed SQL database servers 72
composite attributes (page) 122 permission templates 111
connectors users 107
adding 51 DMZ network 43
editing 55 downloading files 142
permanently deleting 55 drag and drop 131
connectors (page) 51 duplicating
copy location to clipboard 142 asset types 116
current database 49 composite attributes 124

176 | I N D E X
 primitive attributes 121 attributes 154
filters menu 136, 138
E editing
firewalls 39
accounts 66
full text search 152
asset libraries 112
asset types 116 G getting started 12
assets 131 granting permissions 133
composite attributes 123 groups
connectors 55 adding 108
database permissions 109 deleting 109
databases 87 editing 109
files 143 restoring 109
groups 109 groups (page) 108
managed resources directories 76
H home (page) 135
managed search index servers 80
I installation
managed SQL database servers 71
directory 17
models 140
license 26
permission templates 111
license manager 27
primitive attributes 120
options 27
users 107
planning 16
emailing COMSOL 10
preference directory 17
external authentication 57
products 27
group mappings 61
server 28
testing 62
troubleshooting 31
external authentication (page) 58
installing a Model Manager server
F field expressions 156
in Linux 32
composite attributes 160
in macOS 32
primitive attributes 158
in Windows 26
field types 153
internet resources 9
file (page) 142
J JAAS 57
file resources 143
files K knowledge base, COMSOL 10
adding 145
L language (page) 50
downloading 142
LDAP 59
editing 143
license manager, installation 27
linking 148
license, installation 26
searching 137
lightweight directory access protocol 59
filtering 153
linking files 148
assets 153

INDEX| 177
 linking models 131 administrating 49
local administrative user 30 example setups 25
local authentication 57 installation directory 17
log files installing 16
download 104 log files 17, 104
location 17 migrating 34
logging in to the Model Manager server preference directory 17
48 securing 43
login modules 57 starting 36
logs (page) 104 upgrading 34
models
M macOS native keychain 54
editing 140
managed Apache Solr 78
linking 131
managed PostgreSQL 68
opening 141
managed resources directories 74
searching 137
adding 75
my account (page) 64
backup 77
MySQL 93
deleting 77
editing 76 N network disk 20
restoring 77 new asset wizard 128
managed resources directories (page) 74 NFS 20
managed search index servers 78
O opening models 141
adding 78
options, installation 27
deleting 81
Oracle Database 94
editing 80
owners
restoring 82
asset libraries 112
managed search index servers (page) 78
assets 132
managed server components 68
transferring ownerships 132
managed SQL database servers 68
P pages
adding 69
accounts 65
backup 73
asset 129
deleting 72
asset comparison 134
editing 71
asset libraries 112
restoring 73
asset types 114
managed SQL database servers (page) 68
asset versions 133
memory footprint 25
composite attributes 122
Microsoft SQL Server 92
connectors 51
model (page) 139
database permissions 109
Model Manager server

178 | I N D E X
 databases 84 levels 113
external authentication 58 templates 110
file 142 phrase matching 152
groups 108 pkcs#12 keystore 53
home 135 port number 28
language 50 PostgreSQL
logs 104 external 91
managed resources directories 74 managed 68
managed search index servers 78 preference directory 17
managed SQL database servers 68 migrating 34
model 139 primitive attributes 146
my account 64 adding 117
permission templates 110 administrating 116
primitive attributes 117 duplicating 121
proxy authentication 62 editing 120
users 106 field expressions 158
versions 141 permanently deleting 121
password security 44 value types 116
password, changing 64 widget types 116
pem files 53 primitive attributes (page) 117
permanently deleting principals 61
asset types 116 products, installation 27
assets 135 proxy authentication 62
composite attributes 124 proxy authentication (page) 62
connectors 55
Q quick start guide 12
permission templates 111
R relating assets 132
primitive attributes 121
resetting administrator password 33
permission templates
resources directories 20
adding 111
restoring
deleting 111
asset libraries 112
editing 111
asset types 116
permanently deleting 111
assets 135
restoring 111
databases 100
permission templates (pages) 110
groups 109
permissions
managed resources directories 77
asset libraries 112
managed search index servers 82
assets 133
managed SQL database servers 73
granting 133
permission templates 111

INDEX| 179
 users 107 composite attributes 123
reverse proxy 40 connectors 55
database permissions 109
S search indexes 81
databases 87
search syntax 156
files 143
searching
groups 109
assets 135
managed resources directories 76
filters 153
managed search index servers 80
full text search 152
managed SQL database servers 71
items 137
models 140
phrases 152
permission templates 111
syntax 156
primitive attributes 120
wildcards 152
users 107
sections 114
users
secure connections 40
adding 106
securing a Model Manager server 43
deleting 107
server certificate 54
editing 107
server, installation 28
restoring 107
simple mode 148
users (page) 106
SQL databases 72
SQL Server 92 V value types 116
starting a Model Manager server examples 146
in Linux 37 versions
in macOS 39 assets 133
in Windows 36 restoring 134
system administration 49 versions (page) 141

T table mode 149 W websites, COMSOL 10

TCP connections 39 widget types 116
technical support, COMSOL 10 examples 147
TLS wildcard matching 152
connectors 51 Windows login 59
reverse proxy 41 Windows native certificate store 54
TLS host configurations 52

U updating
accounts 66
asset libraries 112
asset types 116
assets 131

180 | I N D E X