Version 2020 R2

Advanced Simulation Technologies

Installation Manual
 AST | Contents | ii

Contents

1. Overview.............................................................................................. 4

2. Supported Platforms and Build Environment.................................. 5

2.1. BOOST™, EXCITE™, FIRE™ and FIRE™ M.........................................................................5
2.2. [Link]™................................................................................................................ 6
2.3. CRUISE™............................................................................................................................... 7
2.4. CRUISE™ M and Engineering Enhanced Solution in CRUISE™ M.......................................7
2.5. Hardware Requirements........................................................................................................ 8
2.6. Software Requirements..........................................................................................................8
2.7. Graphics Related Issues........................................................................................................9

3. Installation for Windows.................................................................. 12

3.1. Installer................................................................................................................................. 13
3.1.1. License Agreement.................................................................................................14
3.1.2. Download Directory................................................................................................ 14
3.1.3. Installation Directory............................................................................................... 15
3.1.4. Select Components................................................................................................ 16
3.1.5. Examples Directory................................................................................................ 16
3.1.6. Create Shortcuts.....................................................................................................17
3.1.7. Finalizing the Installation........................................................................................ 18
3.2. Verifying the Installation.......................................................................................................18
3.3. Silent Installations................................................................................................................ 19
3.4. Uninstall................................................................................................................................19
3.5. Model Database................................................................................................................... 20

4. Installation for Linux.........................................................................22

4.1. Installer................................................................................................................................. 23
4.2. Verifying the Installation.......................................................................................................23
4.3. Silent Installations................................................................................................................ 23
4.4. Uninstall................................................................................................................................24
4.5. Frequently Asked Questions................................................................................................ 24

5. Settings and Templates....................................................................24

5.1. Location of Settings and Templates.................................................................................... 25
5.2. Location of Temporary Files................................................................................................ 26
5.3. Browser and Editor Settings................................................................................................ 26

6. ANSYS Interface Installation............................................................27

7. Windows MPI Environment Installation.......................................... 29

7.1. 3rd Party Software Installation.............................................................................................29
7.1.1. MPI Remote Connection Software.........................................................................29
7.1.2. AST Product Runtime Environment....................................................................... 30
7.2. AST Product Software Installation....................................................................................... 30
7.3. MPI Environment Setup....................................................................................................... 31
7.4. MPI Project Folder............................................................................................................... 32
7.5. AVL FIRE™ Job Submission............................................................................................... 32
 AST | Contents | iii

7.6. MS Windows Firewall...........................................................................................................33

7.7. Checklist............................................................................................................................... 33
7.8. Diagnosis..............................................................................................................................34

8. User Function Environment Setup..................................................34

8.1. Environment Setup...............................................................................................................34
8.2. MPI....................................................................................................................................... 35

9. Uninstalling AVL Simulation Model Database................................35

10. Model Database Requirements FAQ............................................. 36

 AST | 1. Overview | 4

1. Overview
Learn about the installation sources and licensing described for both Windows and Linux platforms.

Installation Sources
An ISO image of the installation DVD can be downloaded from the Service World and then mounted as
described for
• Windows
[ page 12[

• Linux
[ page 22[

Alternatively, the webinstaller allows you to download only a small installer which then fetches all
necessary packages at the installation time.
Note: If you want to create a DVD, use the webinstaller to download only a subset of
[ page 12[
components and burn them along with the installer onto a medium. Refer to chapter 3 for
further information.
The following steps are necessary to perform the installation:
1. Insert the installation media and/or mount the DVD/ISO image (if necessary
2. Run the installation GUI
3. Setup new path.
4. Setup the license.
Additionally, the following third party tools are installed:
• Microsoft C++ Redistributable
• IBM Platform MPI (AVL FIRE™ and FIRE™ M) – refer to chapter 8
[ page 29[
for further information.
Note: To avoid problems during installation please consider temporarily switching off virus and
malware protection as such utilities might considerably increase the installation duration and
might interfere and corrupt the installation process.

Licensing
The installation and setup process is described in the Licensing Guide.
• Requesting A License
If you have not received a license key, request one from your local representative or from AVL Graz
(ast_license@[Link]). Include the following information:
• Software Product
• Name
• Telephone, Fax, E-Mail address
• Company
• System ID
• Local installation: of every computer where the software should be used
• Network installation: of the license server computer
• Installation Type (Node locked, Network)
The above information can be obtained in the Product Licensing utility. In the AST Launcher
select then click on Software Administration. Select the Product Licensing tab, then click on
Request to get the necessary information. Please complete the template text and send it to AVL.
• Expected FlexNet Hostids
The program lmutil lmhostid (or lmcomposite on Windows and Linux) will print the exact
hostid that FlexNet expects to use on any given machine. The following table lists alternate methods
 AST | 2. Supported Platforms and Build Environment | 5

to obtain the required hostid for each machine architecture. FlexNet also supports a group of special
hostids and vendor-defined hostids.

Hardware Platform Hostid Type this Example

command on the
license server:
Linux Composite Hostid $AVLAST_HOME/ COMPOSITE=
bin/ C25C48BF77F9
ast_license_composite
Windows Composite Hostid %AVLAST_HOME COMPOSITE=
%\bin 88F360B80245
\ast_license_composite.exe

Software Administration Tool

The Diagnosis and Patching functionalities are available in the Software Administration Tool. Refer to
the Diagnosis Guide and the Patching Guide for details.

2. Supported Platforms and Build Environment

Discover the solutions for graphics related issues and supported platforms and compilers, with
described hardware and software requirements for both Linux and Windows systems.

2.1. BOOST™, EXCITE™, FIRE™ and FIRE™ M

The following platforms and compilers are supported:

Platform & Fortran 90 C++ Compiler* MPI (FIRE™ License

Operating Compiler* only) Manager
Systems
INTEL Intel Fortran Visual C++® Platform-MPI FlexNet
Architecture [Link] 2015 9.1.4** Licensing 11.14
(64-bit)
Windows 8/10
Windows Server
2012 R2 and
Windows Server
2016

INTEL EM64T Intel Fortran Intel C++ Platform-MPI FlexNet

and AMD64 [Link] [Link] 9.1.4 Licensing 11.14
Architecture
(64-bit)
1
Linux
RHEL 7 and
SLES 12

RHEL - Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®

SLES - SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server

FIRE™ only:
 AST | 2. Supported Platforms and Build Environment | 6

1
A CATIA v5 CAD Translator is not available under Linux

* compiler installations are required for compiling user functions. To execute the software the
respective runtime environment is required.
** compiling user functions for MPI on Microsoft Windows requires a valid Perl installation. A Perl
installation package can be downloaded from e.g. ActiveState.

The compiler libraries are required for the Interactive products and the Solver during run-time. Compiler
licenses are required for the Solver only if user-functions or other source files are to be compiled and
linked.

The usage of any AST Software product on virtual machines is unsupported, but might work.
The use of virtual machines as license server for AST Software products is NOT SUPPORTED.

Operating system support roadmap:

Operating v2020.1 v2020.2 v2021.1 v2021.2

System Support
for releases in:
Windows (64-
bit)
Microsoft ® X X - -
Windows 8
Microsoft ® X X X X
Windows 10
Microsoft ® X X - -
Server 2012 R2
Microsoft ® X X X X
Server 2016
Microsoft ® - - X X
Server 2019
Linux (64-bit)
RHEL 7 X X X X
RHEL 8 - - X X
SLES 12 X X X X
SLES 15 - - X X

2.2. [Link]™
The following platforms and compilers are supported:

Platform & Operating Systems C ++ compiler

32-bit Architecture Solver Visual C++® 2015
Windows 8/10

64-bit Architecture Pre-/Post -

Windows 8/10 Solver Visual C++® 2015
 AST | 2. Supported Platforms and Build Environment | 7

2.3. CRUISE™
The following platforms and compilers are supported:

Platform & Operating Systems C ++ compiler

32-bit Architecture Windows 8/10 Solver/Pre-Post Visual Studio® 2010, C++ v11.0
64-bit Architecture Windows 8/10 Solver Visual Studio® 2010, C++ v11.0
32-bit Architecture Linux Solver Intel C++ v12.1
64-bit Architecture Linux Solver Intel C++ v12.1
ASCET v6.1 Solver Visual Studio® 2010, C++ v11.0
INTECRIO v4.1 Solver Visual Studio® 2010, C++ v11.0
dSPACE DS1006 Solver Solver X Cross Compiler/SDK under
Windows
ETAS v5.0, v5.1, v5.2 Solver Intel C++ v12.1
INtime v3.1 Solver Visual Studio® 2008 with INtime
SDK
INtime v6.2 Solver Visual Studio® 2015 with INtime
SDK
NI VeriStand v2013 SP1 Solver Visual Studio® 2010, C++ v11.0
OPAL-RT v10.4 Solver Intel C++ v12.1
InMotion CarMaker/CarSim Solver Intel C++ v12.1
TruckMaker/TruckSim Linux 32-bit-
based for HIL
InMotion CarMaker/CarSim Solver Visual Studio® 2010, C++ v11.0
TruckMaker/TruckSim Windows
32-bit-based for office

The usage of any AST Software product on virtual machines is unsupported, but might work.
The use of virtual machines as license server for AST Software products is NOT SUPPORTED.

2.4. CRUISE™ M and Engineering Enhanced Solution in CRUISE™ M

The following platforms and compilers are supported:

Platform & Operating Systems C ++ compiler

32-bit Architecture Windows 8/10 Solver Visual Studio® 2015, C++ v14.0
64-bit Architecture Windows 8/10 Pre-/Post -
Solver Visual Studio® 2015, C++ v14.0
32-bit Architecture Linux RHEL 7, Solver gcc 4.8.5 RHEL
ETAS RTPC 6.1
64-bit Architecture Linux RHEL 7, Solver gcc 4.8.5 RHEL
ETAS RTPC 6.3
ASCET v6.1 Solver Visual Studio® 2015, C++ v14.0
INTECRIO v4.3 Solver Visual Studio® 2015, C++ v14.0
 AST | 2. Supported Platforms and Build Environment | 8

dSPACE SCALEXIO Solver Cross Compiler SDP QNX 6.5

NI VeriStand 2013 SP1 (CRUISE™ Solver Visual Studio® 2010, C++ v11.0
M only)

RHEL - Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®

The usage of any AST Software product on virtual machines is unsupported, but might work.
The use of virtual machines as license server for AST Software products is NOT SUPPORTED.

2.5. Hardware Requirements

The recommended hardware requirements for Linux and Windows are:

Processor(s) recent x86 or x86_64 processor architecture

Main Memory >= 8 GB*
Graphic Card hardware OpenGL & Direct-X support / 2 - 4 GB
Storage >= 256 GB Solid State Drive

* AVL Workspace and FIRE™: approx. 100 MByte per 100,000 cells to calculate

Below is an example (standard and high performance) configuration used for internal testing:
Standard:

Processor(s) Intel Core i7-4770 Processor (3,4GHz Turbo, 4C HT, 8MB)

Main Memory 16GB (4x4GB) 1.600MHz DDR3 without ECC
Graphic Card 2GB NVIDIA Quadro K2000
Storage 512GB SSD

High Performance:

Processor(s) 2x Intel Xeon E5-2640 v3 Processor (2,6GHz, 8C, 20MB Cache)

Main Memory 64GB (4x16GB) 2.133MHz DDR4 RDIMM ECC
Graphic Card Nvidia Quadro K4200 4GB
Storage 256GB SATA SSD
Additional Drive: 512GB SATA SSD

2.6. Software Requirements

Internet Browsers:
• Windows
Microsoft Internet Explorer*, Mozilla Firefox* or Google Chrome
• Linux
Mozilla Firefox*, Google Chrome** or Opera
* Internet Explorer 10 and higher and Firefox 60 are required for the HTML online documentation.
 AST | 2. Supported Platforms and Build Environment | 9

Note: Microsoft Edge browser currently cannot be used to open documentation due to issues in
the browser itself.

** The option --allow-file-access-from-files should be used to overcome the problem that

javascript is not executed as Google Chrome browser will not load the local file by default due to
security reasons. This influences the documentation main page and the documentation provided in
HTML format.

PDF Reader
e.g. Adobe Acrobat Reader for Windows and Linux.

MS Windows versions used for tests

• MS Windows 10 1607 (Build: 14393.2363)
• MS Windows 10 1709 (Build: 16299.547)
• MS Windows 10 1809 (Build: 17763.155)

2.7. Graphics Related Issues

This section lists known problems related to graphics hardware, and hints how to solve or work around
them. Given the wide range of computer configurations, this list cannot be exhaustive, but tries to
include the most common issues. The information here is relevant for the product line FIRE™ M,
[Link]™ and CRUISE™ M.

General note on virtual machines

Parts of the GUI rely on hardware accelerated graphics. Virtual machines may not provide all
functionality necessary to flawlessly run the software. See the section below about potential problems
their solutions on virtual machines.

General notes on graphics drivers

In general, it is advisable to keep your display drivers up to date. Up to date drivers generally improve
performance, stability and security. All major graphics card vendors (Intel, Nvidia, AMD) offer the latest
drivers on their web sites.
Laptops often require the driver to be downloaded from the web site of the laptop's manufacturer,
instead of directly from the vendor of the graphics card. Drivers downloaded from the vendor's site
might not install at all. If there are more then one graphics cards in the computer, then you should
install up to date drivers for all of them.
Do not install drivers from untrusted sources.

What graphics card do I have?

To choose the correct download for your graphics card, you need to find out the exact model. Some
manufacturers provide tools to detect the hardware automatically. If that is not possible, then you can
follow these steps.
• On Windows: open the Device Manager and expand the node Display adapter to find your
graphics card. If you see more than one items there, then it is a dual GPU system.
 AST | 2. Supported Platforms and Build Environment | 10

• On Linux: Open a terminal and type:

lspci | grep VGA

A line similar to this one will be printed:

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GK107GL [Quadro

K2000] (rev a1)

where Quadro K2000 is the model name you need.

Crashes on dual GPU systems

On some dual GPU system, FIRE™ M, [Link]™, or CRUISE™ M may crash, either
immediately when started, or after some time, for example when switching between application tabs,
or pages in the Results tab. Try disabling the integrated Intel graphics in BIOS. In some rare cases, the
Nvidia graphics must be disabled and the Intel should be used instead.

Performance issues on dual GPU systems

If you face performance issues when using a dual GPU (Intel + Nvidia) system, then make sure that the
Nvidia graphics card is used for the AVL AST products. A simple way to achieve that is disabling the
Intel graphics in BIOS (see above). However, you can also selectively choose the GPU to be used for a
given application.
1. Open the Nvidia Control Panel.
2. Select Manage 3D Settings.
3. Click on the Program Settings tab.
4. Click Add.
5. In the list of programs, select the application. The products FIRE™ M, [Link]™ and
CRUISE™ M appear as [Link]. The tooltip shows the full paths when you hover over the
items. Look for the path that belongs to the AVL AST installation.
6. Alternatively, click Browse... and navigate to the directory where AVL AST software is installed, and
locate sys\python\x86_64-unknown-winnt_i12v10\[Link].

Views remain black or white

If any of the tabs (e.g. Home or Results) shows no content, but remains black or white, open the
Nvidia Control Panel, and in Adjust image settings with preview try changing from quality to
performance or vice versa.

How do I change the driver type using environment variables?

There are several different protocols how the application can communicate with the graphics hardware.
Depending on the configuration, some can offer better performance or stability than others. If set, the
environment variable AVLAST_VIEWER_DRIVER_TYPE tells the software which one to use. When
unset, it defaults to dx11 on Windows, opengl on Linux RHEL5 and opengl2 on Linux RHEL7.
To change from the default on Linux, simply type

setenv AVLAST_VIEWER_DRIVER_TYPE ...

in the console window before starting with sdt_launcher.

On Windows, do the following:
1. Open the Control Panel and navigate to System and Security / System / Advanced System
Settings. A new window opens.
2. In that window, click Environment Variables. Another new window opens.
3. In the new window, click New, either in the User variables for {your user name}, or the System
variables, if you have Administrator privileges.
4. In Variable name, type AVLAST_VIEWER_DRIVER_TYPE
 AST | 2. Supported Platforms and Build Environment | 11

5. In "Variable value type the desired driver tpye. See possible options below.
Possible values on Linux are:
• opengl: the default setting on RHEL5, hardware-accelerated OpenGL rendering.
• opengl2: shader based OpenGL interface, default on RHEL7. Available on RHEL7 only. Generally
improved performance, but less robust in certain cases.
• x11: software rendering without any hardware acceleration, thus reduced performance.
Possible values on Windows are:
• opengl: hardware-accelerated OpenGL rendering.
• opengl2: shader based OpenGL interface. Generally improved performance, but less robust in
certain cases.
• dx11: shader based DirectX interface. Generally improved performance, but issues with anti-
aliasing are possible. This is the default setting.
• msw: software rendering without any hardware acceleration, thus reduced performance.

How do I change the default driver type in SDT configuration? (advanced)

Alternatively, the default setting can be changed by editing the file INSTALL_DIRECTORY/config/
[Link]. Look for the line containing AVLAST_VIEWER_DRIVER_TYPE in the platform section
relevant for your system. The values that can be entered are the same as detailed in the previous
section.
Edit the file only if you are familiar and confident about the syntax. Corrupting the file can cause SDT to
fail to start!

Crashes when saving the project on Windows

On some computers, FIRE™ M, [Link]™, or CRUISE™ M may crash when the project is
saved while the Results tab is shown. In this case, the saved project file is fine, it is not corrupted. To
avoid these crashes, try one of the following:
• If you are using the dual GPU system, enforce using the Intel GPU.
• Set AVLAST_VIEWER_DRIVER_TYPE to dx11.
• Downgrade the Nvidia driver. Version 341.98 or older is known to work well. 347.27 and newer are
prone to crashes.

Poor performance with large meshes on Windows

If navigating, rotating, zooming in 3D views is slow when working with large meshes, then try using
DirectX11 or OpenGL2. Set AVLAST_VIEWER_DRIVER_TYPE to dx11 or opengl2.

Poor performance with transparency on Windows

If enabling transparency causes performance issues, then try switching from the using DirectX11 or
OpenGL2. Set AVLAST_VIEWER_DRIVER_TYPE to dx11 or opengl2.

Poor performance when displaying cell values

When cell values are displayed (the Show at vertices check box is unchecked in the
properties of the cut or colored surface), then rotating and zooming can become slow with
AVLAST_VIEWER_DRIVER_TYPE=opengl2 or dx11. In this case, please use opengl instead.

Graphics issues in Remote Desktop sessions

Depending on the graphics hardware and driver, artifacts are possible in Remote Desktop
sessions, ranging from minor visual glitches to completely black views. The setting
AVLAST_VIEWER_DRIVER_TYPE=opengl2 is especially susceptible. opengl generally works
acceptably. dx11 also works on many systems, potentially with better performance.
 AST | 3. Installation for Windows | 12

Exported images are all black or image export crashes on Linux

If you experience any of the following problems on Linux:
• The application crashes when exporting images or trying to print
• Images and reports exported or printed are all black
• Switching to page or slide layout in the Results tab crashes
• Page or slide layout in the Results tab shows only black images
then you have the following options:
1. If you are working in a local Linux session (i.e., no X display forwarding, VNC, or similar), then make
sure that you are working with the user account that logged on first to the computer. In other words,
the one that initialized the X server.
2. If that is not possible, or you are working in a remote session (e.g. VNC), then the software can be
instructed to disable the hardware acceleration when rendering images. Type

setenv AVLAST_VIEWER_DRIVER_TYPE_OFFSCREEN image

in the console window before starting with sdt_launcher. This setting disables hardware
acceleration for image rendering only, and leaves the performance on screen intact.

X server crashes when switching between tabs or report pages

It is usually necessary to restart the X server, or reboot the computer after the graphics driver has been
updated. Failing to do so can leave parts of the previous version of the driver still running, and they
can get mixed up with the new one. This can cause the entire X server to freeze or crash. The problem
goes away if the computer is restarted after the graphics driver has been updated.

GUI unstable on virtual machine with default renderer

It has been reported that the GUI often crashes on virtual machines, even in simple tasks like creating
a new diagram or a new page in results.
A workaround is setting AVLAST_VIEWER_DRIVER_TYPE to msw. This helps, but graphics quality is
worse compared the standard driver.

Curves or other graphical elements not shown in charts on virtual machine

Depending on the virtual machine configuration, parts of charts can be missing. A workaround is setting
AVLAST_VIEWER_DRIVER_TYPE to opengl or msw.

The application hangs on Linux computer with Intel GPU

If the application hangs on a Linux computer with Intel GPU as soon as charts are displayed (e.g. in the
Simulation tab, or in Results), then the Intel GPU driver's synchronization to vertical blanking can be
the reason. The synchronization can be disabled by setting the environment variable vblank_mode=0
in the shell before starting SDT. This prevents the application from hanging. As always, make sure that
the display driver is up to date.

Rendering artifacts on Windows with Nvidia cards not supported by the latest line of drivers
The latest line of Nvidia drivers do not support all (older) GPUs. For example, the latest Windows driver
currently available for Nvidia GeForce GTX 285 line is v342.01, whereas the current line of drivers
(supporting most recent hardware only) is past version v390. If you experience rendering artifacts on
cards not supported by the latest line of drivers, then try setting AVLAST_VIEWER_DRIVER_TYPE to
opengl2 or opengl.

3. Installation for Windows

Discover two approaches of installation and setup for Widows.
 AST | 3. Installation for Windows | 13

The installation is available in two ways: a complete ISO image containing all products or a lightweight
web installer. The latter downloads all selected products at installation time.

ISO Image
The ISO image can be mounted by using a program like WinCDEmu ([Link])
It can also be extracted using certain archive utilities (e.g. 7-Zip, [Link]/) or can also be
mounted using operating system features starting with MS Windows 8.
Alternatively, the ISO image can be burned onto a DVD and then installed as described below.

Web Installer
You may also install the software by using the installer executable only (e.g. AVL_SETUP.exe)
without the need of downloading the large installation image. The installer then downloads all selected
components into files with the extension .pak (later referred to as pak files). An internet connection is
required in this case, only https-based transfers are made.
To redistribute the installer with the downloaded pak files, simply copy the executable with the
files onto a new machine. All files have to be inside the same directory. If you execute the installer
afterwards, it will recognize the downloaded pak files and only show the available components.
The installation continues without the need of an internet connection. If you want to get additional
components, please remove all pak files and restart the installer.

Start Up
Download the web installer, insert the DVD in the PC or mount the ISO image.
1. Use the Explorer to show the contents of the DVD or go to the location of the web installer
2. Find the file [Link] (ISO/DVD) or AVL_SETUP.exe.
3. Execute this file by double clicking it.
Note: Please make sure to temporarily deactivate eventually running Antivir and EDR software
before running the installer!

Additionally, the following third party tools are installed:

• Microsoft C++ Redistributable
• Platform MPI (AVL FIRE™ only) – refer to 7. Windows MPI Environment Installation
[ page 29[
for
further information.
• PCAN Developer Kit (AVL [Link]™ only)
Note: When downloading, the Internet Explorer may rename the executable/ISO image by
adding [ ], please remove these and ensure the executable has the original name.

3.1. Installer
As soon as the software installer is started, it temporarily extracts the required resources.
A window opens to display the progress.
To navigate through the following dialogs click Next to proceed to the next dialog or, if necessary, click
Previous to go one step back. Cancel can be used at any time to abort the installation.

Introduction
The Introduction dialog gives basic information about the installation and allows this document to be
opened in a PDF document reader.
Click on the link to open this document and/or click Next to continue.
 AST | 3. Installation for Windows | 14

3.1.1. License Agreement

The License Agreement dialog asks the user to accept the Software License Agreement and lists the
licenses and acknowledgements for incorporated software.

Fig. 1 License Agreement

To continue please select I accept the terms of the License Agreement and then click Next.

3.1.2. Download Directory

If the installer does not find any pak files in parallel to the executable, this dialog is shown. Therefore,
this applies only to AVL_SETUP.exe. You may select where to store the downloaded files. The default
directory points to the installer's path. To change this default either type in the desired directory or click
on to browse to the desired location.
Moreover, you have the following options
• Only download the pak files and do not perform any installation. You may redistribute this set of files
then.
• Remove the downloaded pak files after the installation was a success.
• Configure the proxy settings manually if you experience errors with the internet connection. You will
be queried about the proxy configuration after the summary.
 AST | 3. Installation for Windows | 15

Fig. 2 Component Download Directory

3.1.3. Installation Directory

The Installation Directory dialog allows the user to specify where the software should be installed.
If this is the first AVL product being installed on this computer, the operating systems default will be
suggested. To change the default either type in the installation directory or click on to browse to the
desired location.
 AST | 3. Installation for Windows | 16

Fig. 3 Installation Directory

Depending on your product, the screenshot may vary in its version.

3.1.4. Select Components

The Select Components dialog allows to user to select the required components to be installed.

Fig. 4 Select Components

Depending on your product, the screenshot may vary with its components.

3.1.5. Examples Directory

The Examples Directory dialog allows the user to specify where the examples should be installed. To
change the default either type in the required directory or click on to browse to the desired location.
 AST | 3. Installation for Windows | 17

Fig. 5 Examples Directory

Depending on your product, the screenshot may vary in its version.

3.1.6. Create Shortcuts

The Shortcuts dialog allows the user to decide which shortcuts will be automatically created during the
installation. The available options include the product folder creation in the Programs menu and its
name and a shortcut on the desktop of the currently installed product version.

Fig. 6 Create Shortcut

Depending on your product, the screenshot may vary in its version.

 AST | 3. Installation for Windows | 18

3.1.7. Finalizing the Installation

Preinstallation Summary
The Preinstallation Summary dialog summarizes the basic installation information before the installer
starts transferring files to the specified installation target directory.
Click Next to start the file copy process.

Installation Progress
The Installation Progress dialog is non-interactive and is there primarily to inform the user about the
installation progress.
Note: If a product is already installed in the installation target folder, it might occur that File
Overwrite Confirmation dialogs appear during the installation. If the product being installed is the
most recent, allow the installer to overwrite these files.

After all product files have been transferred to the installation folder, various post-installation tasks are
executed in the background. The Post-Installation Configuration progress dialog is displayed during
these background tasks. When it has finished, it will proceed to the next dialog.

Complete Installation
After all installation tasks have been completed, the Completing the Setup Wizard dialog is displayed.
Start the software administration tool is selected as default to allow the user to manage the license
setup, install patches and perform a diagnosis of the installation.
Click Finish to complete the installation and close the installer.

Software Administration
The following tools are available to manage your software installation:
• Product Licensing
Request a License Key.
Load the License File.
Specify the License Server.
• Patching
Patching Guide
• Diagnosis
Diagnosis Guide

Post Installation
• If Create a shortcut on the desktop was selected in Fig. 6
[ page 17[
, then double click the product
icon to start.
• If Create a shortcut in your programs menu was selected, then select Start – All Programs
– AVL – <product> to open the AST Launcher. The AST Launcher allows access to start the
installed products and program parts.

3.2. Verifying the Installation

Verify the installation to check that
• the Graphical User Interface (GUI) can start
• the simulation program can start
 AST | 3. Installation for Windows | 19

GUI
Open the AST Launcher from the Windows Start Menu by clicking Start -> AVL -> <version>.
In the startup window, select the required client, then the main window for the required client appears
on the screen.
Choose the required program and select File |Open to open an existing model from the examples
under e.g. $AVLAST_HOME/examples/<PRODUCT>. Load the file and save the model in your working
directory.
If you have problems starting the GUI, please use the Diagnosis functionality in the Software
Administration Tool. Refer to the Diagnosis Guide for details.

Simulation Program
Each client has its own characteristic on how to start the calculation run. In the case of a software
update, an advanced user should do this with one of his models.

3.3. Silent Installations

Silent installations work for local installations, server installations and Client Runtime installations. First
of all, execute [Link] --help to see all available parameters. The same principle holds for the
web installer
There are two ways to define parameters for the installer:
1. Use command line arguments, for example:
[Link] --mode unattended --prefix C:\Path\To\Installation
This would install the software with the default settings to the specified location. More options are
available in the integrated help.
2. Use an option file to store the settings:
[Link] --mode unattended --optionfile C:\Path\To\Options_File
\[Link]
The option file is similar to an INI file, an example would be: prefix=C:\Path\To
\Installation

3.4. Uninstall
To uninstall a product:
1. Open the Control Panel window by clicking Start - ControlPanel.
2. Click Uninstall a program to open the Program and Features window with all listed software on
the computer.
3. Select the AVL AST program to be removed and click Uninstall/Change to start the Uninstaller.

Uninstall Introduction
The Introduction dialog provides basic information about what product will be removed and which tasks
will be performed. Click Uninstall to continue the deinstallation and to start the file/folder removal
process.

Uninstall Progress
To inform the user about the progress of the deinstallation, the Uninstall Progress window shows a list
of tasks and marks them depending of their state.
 AST | 3. Installation for Windows | 20

Uninstall Complete
When all uninstall tasks have been completed the Uninstall Complete dialog is shown. Click Done to
close the Uninstaller and to complete the removal of the selected product.

3.5. Model Database

Overall Description
The AVL Simulation Model Database installer will create and initialize a Microsoft SQL Server database
in the existing instance, deploy two web applications onto Microsoft IIS Web Server, and create a
Windows scheduled task used for text search indexing. The Model Database will use hard drive space
for storing data files, so make sure the install destination folder is on a disk drive that has enough
space.

Prerequisites
AVL Simulation Model Database depends on the following software that needs to be installed before
AVL Simulation Model Database itself:
• Microsoft SQL Server database: The installation executable will authorize the MSSQL using
Windows authentication. Make sure that the appropriate MSSQL login exists. Additionally, the user
running the installation must have permission to create a database and permission to create new
server logins.
• Microsoft .NET Framework version 4.7.2: The .NET framework 4.7.2 can be downloaded from the
Microsoft website.
• Microsoft Internet Information Service Web Server 10: For installing IIS Web Server, please
consult the Microsoft Windows documentation specific to your version of Windows. The following
IIS features need to be installed: NET Extensibility, [Link], CGI, ISAPI Extensions, ISAPI Filters,
Default Document, HTTP Errors, Static Content, HTTP Logging, Request Monitor, Tracing, Request
Filtering, Static Content Compression.

Additionally, the following IIS plugins need to be installed manually:

1. Application Request Routing (available from [Link]
request-routing)
2. Url Rewrite (available from [Link]
• Java Runtime Environment 8 or later

Installer Configuration
The Model Database installer displays the component "Model Database". A configuration page will then
be displayed:
 AST | 3. Installation for Windows | 21

Fig. 7 Model Database Configuration

Instance Name of MSSQL Server Name of MSSQL instance the database will be
installed on.

Name of Model Ice Database Name of the MSSQL database the installer will create.

Web App Installation Directory The installation folder of Model Database. Note that
this folder will contain the files stored in the database.

Model Ice IIS Site Bindings IP The IP address of the Model Ice IIS website. Make
sure that this site is always accessible on the
localhost ([Link]) network interface. Under ordinary
circumstances, leave the default [Link].

Model Ice IIS Site Bindings Port TCP port of the Model Ice IIS web site. If the
suggested port is already taken, pick another available
port. Otherwise, the Model Ice website will not start,
until you manually change the port.

Model Database Site TCP Bindings IP The hostname (or IP address, or a special "*" value
meaning all available network interfaces) of the Model
Database IIS website. This is the IIS site that AVL
client applications will be connecting to directly, so
make sure it is accessible from the network. AVL
clients will connect to this web site using the HTTPS
protocol.

Model Database Site TCP Bindings TCP port of the Model Database IIS website.
Port
 AST | 4. Installation for Linux | 22

Certificate Hash SSL certificate to use on the Model Database website.

ACT License File ACT license file or string.

Model Database License Setup

After the installation is finished, to request the [Link] license, run the <installation folder>\Setup
\License\LicenseManager\[Link] utility and generate the server ID. Include the generated server id
string value when requesting the license from AVL.

Once you receive the [Link] file from AVL, copy that file into the root of the installation (the one
you have configured in Model Database configuration dialog).

Additionally, request and install the AVL Model Database license using the Software Administration
Tool.

Note: Note that Model Database requires GET, POST, DELETE, PUT, PATCH and possibly
other HTTP verbs to be allowed. Some IIS modules may interfere with this requirement (in
particular, commonly installed WebDAV module). If that is the case, please remove such
modules from the Model Database web site modules list (for example, by using IIS Manager
software).

4. Installation for Linux

Discover two approaches of installation and setup for Linux.
The installation is available in two ways: a complete ISO image containing all products or a lightweight
web installer. The latter downloads all selected products at the installation time.

Mounting the ISO Image

The mounting of the iso-image is system-dependent, please consult your system administrator for more
information.
A typical scenario for mounting the iso-image is:
1. Get root privileges (either log in as root or - if available - use sudo)
2. Create a directory for the mount point (e.g. mkdir -p /mnt/disk)
3. Mount the image (e.g. mount -o loop <downloaded image file name>.iso /mnt/disk)
4. Install software from the image, now accessible through /mnt/disk.
If you have problems using the ISO images, a workaround could be to burn the ISO image on a DVD
and perform the installation from the DVD.

Mounting the DVD

AVL AST DVDs contain data stored in ISO 9660 format.
If the DVD has not been mounted as a file system, login as root and use the appropriate command
for the system (please consult your system administrator). On some systems DVDs are mounted
automatically when attempting to access [Link] as follows (depending on your system):
Type:
ls -l /DVD/[Link]
or
ls l /dvd/[Link]
or
ls l /dvd/dvd0/[Link]
 AST | 4. Installation for Linux | 23

A line similar to the following should appear:

-rwxrwxr-x 1 username groupname 1024 Apr 16 11:36 /DVD/[Link]
If a line similar to the following line appears then the DVD drive must be mounted manually: /DVD/
[Link]: No such file or directory

Web Installer
You may also install the software by using the installer executable only (e.g. AVL_SETUP.run)
without the need of downloading the large installation image. The installer then downloads all selected
components into files with the extension .pak (later referred to as pak files). An internet connection is
required in this case, only https-based transfers are made.
To redistribute the installer with the downloaded pak files, simply copy the executable with the files on
a new machine. All files have to be inside the same directory. If you execute the installer afterwards,
it will recognize the downloaded pak files and only show the available components. The installation
continues without the need of an internet connection. If you want to get additional components, please
remove all pak files and restart the installer.

4.1. Installer
[ page 13[
Perform the steps described in Installer .
Keep in mind that Microsoft Windows specific dialog windows, such as desktop shortcuts, are not
available.

4.2. Verifying the Installation

Verify the installation to check that:
• the Graphical User Interface (GUI) can start
• the simulation program can start

GUI
Open the AST Launcher by executing $AVLAST_HOME/bin/astlauncher
In the startup window, select the required client, then the main window for the required client appears
on the screen.
Choose the required program and select File | Open to open an existing model from the examples
under e.g. $AVLAST_HOME/examples/<PRODUCT>. Load the file and save the model in your working
directory.
If you have problems starting the GUI, please use the Diagnosis functionality in the Software
Administration Tool. Refer to the Diagnosis Guide for details.

Simulation Program
Each client has its own characteristics on how to start the calculation run. In the case of a software
update, an advanced user should do this with one of his models.

4.3. Silent Installations

Silent installations work for local installations, server installations and Client Runtime installations. First
of all, execute [Link] --help to see all available parameters. The same principle holds for the
web installer
There are two ways to define parameters for the installer:
 AST | 5. Settings and Templates | 24

1. Use command line arguments, for example:

[Link] --mode unattended --prefix /path/to/installation
This would install the software with the default settings to the specified location. More options are
available in the integrated help.
2. Use an option file to store the settings:
[Link] --mode unattended --optionfile /path/to/options_file/
[Link]
The option file is similar to an INI file, an example would be: prefix=/path/to/installation

4.4. Uninstall
To uninstall change to the top directory of your product installation and execute:
./uninstall
After the uninstall program has started and you have confirmed to uninstall, all required components
will be removed.

4.5. Frequently Asked Questions

Who should verify the product installation?

The user who installs the software and also the end-user.

AST-Installer does not support your platform

Install the software on a workstation and perform the following steps:
(a) move the complete installation directory (<installationpath>) to the desired computer
(b) setup the user's path in .login file set path = (<installationpath>/bin $path)

Problems during installation - how should I inform AVL?

Send the file <Installation Target Folder>/AVL_<product>_..._InstallLog.log to
AVL

[Link] cannot be run from DVD - no execute permission

cd /DVD
cp -i -r * <temporaryinstalldirectory>
cd <temporaryinstalldirectory>
chmod -R 777 *
./[Link]

AVLAST_basedir is already setup in my .login, do I have to remove it?

No, it does no harm. It is also possible to use AVLAST_HOME instead. This is useful if an AVL
Workspace product is installed.

5. Settings and Templates

Learn how to make the hidden files, folders and drives visible.
 AST | 5. Settings and Templates | 25

On Windows, some folders like Application Data and Local Settings may be hidden. To make them
visible, edit the Folder Options via the Control Panel and select Show hidden files, folders and
drives as shown in the following figure.

Fig. 8 Folder Options - View Window

5.1. Location of Settings and Templates

General
AVL AST products store user-specific data and site-specific data (i.e. data to be shared by all users) in
the following default locations. To change these locations, any of the environment variables below may
be predefined (i.e. customized) by the user.
AVLAST_USERHOME
Purpose: user specific settings and log files
Windows: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\AVL
Linux: $HOME/.avl
AVLAST_SITEHOME
Purpose: same settings as AVLAST_USERHOME but shared by all users
Windows: C:\ProgramData\AVL
Linux: $AVLAST_HOME

AVL Workspace
AVL_APPDATA
Purpose: see AWS_USERHOME, AWS_LOCAL_APPDATA
Windows: C:\Documents and Settings\...\Application Data\AVL
Linux: $HOME/.avl
AVL_COMMON_APPDATA
Purpose: see AWS_SITEHOME
Windows: %AVLAST_HOME%
 AST | 5. Settings and Templates | 26

Linux: $AVLAST_HOME
AWS_USERHOME
Purpose: user-specific settings such as unit system, IMPRESS™ Chart templates, Python utility scripts,
user defined results functions, user joints, etc.
Windows: %AVL_APPDATA%\AWS\<version>\user
Linux: $AVL_APPDATA/AWS/<version>/user
AWS_SITEHOME
Purpose: same settings as AWS_USERHOME but shared by all users
Windows: %AVL_COMMON_APPDATA%\AWS\<version>\site
Linux: $AVL_COMMON_APPDATA/AWS/<version>/site

SDT
SDT_USERHOME
Purpose: user-specific settings such as unit system, Chart templates, Python utility scripts, user
defined results functions, user joints, etc.
Windows: %AVLAST_USERHOME%\SDT\<version>\user
Linux: $AVLAST_USERHOME/SDT/<version>/user
SDT_SITEHOME
Purpose: same settings as SDT_USERHOME but shared by all users
Windows: %AVLAST_SITEHOME%\SDT\<version>\site
Linux: $AVLAST_SITEHOME/SDT/<version>/site

5.2. Location of Temporary Files

AVL Workspace
AVL AST products store temporary data in the following location. To change this location the
environment variable AWS_LOCAL_APPDATA may be predefined:
AWS_LOCAL_APPDATA
Purpose: temporary IMPRESS™ Chart data etc.
Windows: C:\Documents and Settings\...\Local Settings\ Application Data\AVL
\AWS\tmp
Linux: $AVL_APPDATA/AWS/tmp

5.3. Browser and Editor Settings

AVL Workspace
At different places AVL AST products open standard applications for viewing the contents of files
or directories. To control which applications shall be used, the environment variables below may be
predefined (i.e. customized) by the user.
AWS_HTML_BROWSER
Windows default: iexplore (alternatives: firefox, opera)
Linux default: firefox (alternatives: chrome, opera, …)
AWS_FILE_BROWSER
 AST | 6. ANSYS Interface Installation | 27

Windows default: [Link]

Linux default: nautilus (alternatives: konqueror, …)
AWS_WINEDITOR
Windows default: [Link] (alternatives: [Link], …)
Linux default: nedit (alternatives: kedit, gedit, …)

6. ANSYS Interface Installation

Learn how to install the ANSYS to AVL EXCITE™ Interface with the help of a step by step guide.
The ANSYS to AVL EXCITE™ Interface can be installed on each platform and operating system that
is supported by ANSYS. Administration privileges are required for editing ANSYS installation files. The
installation process involves copying the interface files, which can be found in the installation folder:
<AWS_installation_folder>\EXCITE\version\fem\ansys\.
1. Define ANSYS environment variable "ANSYS_MACROLIB" to point to the
<AWS_installation_folder>\EXCITE\version\fem\ansys\, where the interface files
are located (to define the environment variable refer to the ANSYS Installation and Configuration
Manual or ask your system administrator)
2. Update the file: "[Link]"
<ANSYS_installation_ folder>\vXX\ANSYS\gui\en-us\UIDL\ [Link]
(where XX is the ANSYS version) by adding the name of the granula files ([Link],
[Link], [Link] and [Link] with full path name) at the end of this file
(administration privileges are required for this and next step)
3. Update the file "[Link]"
<ANSYS_installation_ folder>\vXX\ANSYS\gui\en-us\toolbars\[Link]
(where XX is the ANSYS version) by adding the name of the menu file ([Link] or [Link]
for ANSYS 16.0 and higher with full path name) at the end of this file
The ANSYS to AVL EXCITE™ Interface is now ready for use.
Start the ANSYS session. If the AVL EXCITE™ menu is not visible then place the mouse cursor near
the bottom of the ANSYS window (above "Pick a menu item or ……") and when cursor change the
shape to both side arrows, drag upward about 2 cm. Now, the AVL EXCITE™ Menu is visible (see
following for details).
 AST | 6. ANSYS Interface Installation | 28

The ANSYS to AVL EXCITE™ Interface is independent of the hardware platforms. It was developed
with ANSYS version 9.0, but it will also work with newer versions, as it based on pure APDL macro
language. The interface can be used with the following ANSYS products:
• Multi-physics
• Mechanical
• Structural
• Professional (only static condensation possible)
The user may also refer to:
• ANSYS Documentation, especially Mechanical APDL
• Substructuring Analysis Guide
• Chapter 5 – Component Mode Synthesis
• Appendix B - ANSYS Interface to AVL EXCITE™
• B.1. Performing a CMS Generation Pass to Create [Link]
• Advanced Analysis Guide - Chapter 10 - User-Programmable Features and Nonstandard Uses
• Structural Analysis Guide - Chapter 3 - Modal Analysis
• Structural Analysis Guide - Chapter 5 - Transient Dynamic Analysis
• Structural Analysis Guide - Chapter 6 - Spectrum Analysis
• Multibody Analysis Guide
• Contact Technology Guide
• ANYSYS Parametric Design Language Guide
• AVL EXCITE™ Power Unit Documentation
If you have any problem using the EXCITE™ and EXCITE_R command or ANSYS to EXCITE™
Interface, contact the technical support at excite@[Link].
Please specify the following:
• ANSYS version
• AWS and EXCITE™ version (can be found under Menu Help | About)
• hardware platform
• body type
 AST | 7. Windows MPI Environment Installation | 29

• short description of the problem

• if possible, attach
• Ansys model database or model input file
• Ansys ERR file
• File <bodyname>.PROC_STATUS
• any other information that might help in detecting the problem

7. Windows MPI Environment Installation

Learn how to install and run the MPI simulations, with the help of described requirements and
recommended approaches.
To run MPI simulations locally on one computer basically only the AST product installation is sufficient.
This changes if a MPI simulation should be distributed among a list of hosts.
In most cases Linux already provides suitable communication channels with the operating system
installation, but on Windows this has to be enabled separately.
Therefore, to enable AST software communicating via the Message Passing Interface (MPI) protocol a
few requirements have to be fulfilled.
This includes installations of 3rd party software, specific setup and installation guidelines for the
software and project directories and also additional options and configurations for the various AST
simulation kernels.
The following chapters will explain these requirements in detail and follow a recommended approach
minimizing maintenance effort, complexity and increasing stability.
A final checklist validating the MPI environment setup should help to verify the correct function and
support how to find possible error sources.

7.1. 3rd Party Software Installation

7.1.1. MPI Remote Connection Software

The MPI remote submission/simulation on Windows is based on a service provided by a 3rd party
software installation.
At the moment IBM Platform MPI is the software used to provide this functionality.
Its installation also registers a Windows service starting a background daemon allowing e.g. AVL
FIRE™ to connect between hosts and remotely submit simulation jobs on multiple hosts.
The installation executable can be found and downloaded from the AST Service World.
Note: An active account is required to login and access the AST Service World.

The mentioned installation executables can be found in the Download Area when selecting the
product Shared Components and the version Platform MPI.
Please download the executable [Link]. Higher versions should
already be automatically installed by recent versions.
Once the software is completely downloaded, start the installation by double clicking the executable
and follow the installation wizard.
The installation should be self-explanatory and the suggested default can be accepted in nearly every
dialog. One exception might be the suggested installation components as shown in the following
dialog.
 AST | 7. Windows MPI Environment Installation | 30

Fig. 9 Platform MPI Installation Components

If the default settings were accepted, the installer should have already registered and started the
required remote connection service and it should not be necessary to manually do that. The process
visible in the MS Windows task manager should be named [Link]. It might
be necessary to show the processes for all users as the service is most likely running under a MS
Windows system account.
Note: As this service is required on every host which later on should accept and run simulation
jobs, please do this installation on all of the hosts you are planning to use for MPI simulations
with AST software.

7.1.2. AST Product Runtime Environment

If a central AST product software installation is used it might be necessary to install a set of runtime
redistributable packages which usually is automatically installed during the product installation.
Therefore please once more download the files matching your operating system and architecture (32 or
[ page 29[
64bit) from the AST Service World as described in 7.1.1. MPI Remote Connection Software .
The redistributables can be found in the Shared Components product group under the 3rd Party
Redistributables version category.
Download and install the packages by executing it one after the other on every host planned to be used
for MPI simulations.
You can skip this installation on the host where the official AST product installer is executed as this one
will install the required packages anyway.

7.2. AST Product Software Installation

There are various approaches how to deal with AST product software installations when used in a MPI
perspective. The most common and therefore recommended way is to install the software centrally on
one host and share this location with other users and hosts. This usually offers the most advantages
and also is quite simple to setup. In fact you can install the software as usual into a local folder on a
specific host without taking care about any extra option during the installation itself. Refer to chapters 3
and 4 for detailed information regarding the installation.
After the installation (or even before) you should use the MS Windows sharing functionality to share
the main installation folder with a meaningful name and with the appropriate access permissions.
This allows other users on different hosts to access this exact installation via the Uniform Naming
Convention (UNC) path.
A UNC path looks something like: \\[server]\[sharename]\
 AST | 7. Windows MPI Environment Installation | 31

E.g.: An installation in the local folder C:\Program Files (x86)\AVL on server01 and
shared as <release> should then be accessible from every host in the same network as \
\server01\<release>.
Note: Please make sure that the users finally starting the installation have the appropriate
access permissions for the share as well as for the installation folder itself.

It should be possible to start the software from the GUI or from a command shell, using the UNC
installation path directly or extend the PATH environment variable to include this installation path.
Of course it is also possible to install multiple versions into the same folder, exactly as it would work
with locally used installations. Just make sure you follow the basic installation folder and not installing
older versions onto newer versions and skip eventual platform MPI installations if already existing.

7.3. MPI Environment Setup

After checking the correct installation of the IBM Platform MPI Remote Service (see 7.1.1. MPI Remote
[ page 29[
Connection Software ) it must be ensured that it is possible to connect multiple hosts via MPI.
The essential step for that is setting up the login information for the user which afterwards should
be used to submit simulations. Open a standard DOS command shell using the Command Prompt
Windows Start Menu item or just run the [Link] executable. Setup the MPI_ROOT environment
variable and extend the PATH variable as shown in the following commands (please replace the
placeholders with the actual installation root path):
set MPI_ROOT=\\<server>\<release>\bin\<platform>\platform-mpi
set PATH=%MPI_ROOT%\bin;%PATH%
Alternatively, in the latest IBM Platform MPI installations bundled with the FIRE™ and FIRE™ M
installation, a script named mpi_env.bat can be used to setup the necessary environment:
call \\<server>\<release>\bin\<platform>\platform-mpi\bin\mpi_env.bat
In such a prepared shell, on every host which will be used later to run simulations, execute the
following commands to make sure the correct passwords are cached:
mpidiag -s localhost -at -cache
mpidiag -s <remotehost> -at -cache
When prompted with a password request please confirm with your current MS Windows login
password. In the same shell you can start various commands to test the function of the MPI setup:
• Running the command [Link] -s localhost -sys should result in a short system
summary on every host running the MPI remote service. As a second step you can replace the
hostname localhost by a remote computer name also running the MPI connection service which
should result in a system summary of the remote computer.
• Running the command mpidiag -s remote_Host1 -et test_echo tests whether the
communication to a remote host is working correctly and should reply with the specified message
test_echo.
• A more advanced tests finally runs a simple example already using basic MPI commands:
[Link] –np 2 –v –prot \\<server>\<release>\bin\<platform>\platform-
mpi\bin\hello_world.exe
This command starts a simple hello world example with two processes on the local host. Beside
some verbose output you should get two "hello world" responses identifying the origin of the
message.
[Link] –np 2 –v –prot –hostlist “localhost <remotehost>” \\<server>
\<release>\bin\<platform>\platform-mpi\bin\hello_world.exe
This command should start two processes of hello_world.exe again but this time one process on the
localhost and one on the host specified with <remotehost>. Again you should see the "hello world"
response with the hostname as confirmation.
 AST | 7. Windows MPI Environment Installation | 32

7.4. MPI Project Folder

Another requirement for MPI simulation distributed over multiple hosts is a common project directory for
every involved simulation host.
[ page 30[
Similar to the shared installation folder mentioned in 7.2. AST Product Software Installation this
can be achieved by sharing a local folder on one host and accessing it via the UNC path from all hosts.
In contrary to the installation folder requirement, where it would be also possible to avoid a shared
installation by several local installation with the same path name, in this case it really must be one
physical folder shared for all hosts as every host must access it and must use the data from there.

7.5. AVL FIRE™ Job Submission

The job setup for MPI simulations and the list of hosts for multi-host simulations can be specified from
the GUI and from the command shell. The GUI therefore provides a separate input dialog which can be
activated by switching to the MPI simulation mode. Multiple hosts can be added using the Add Host
button. In this step also the number of CPUs per host can be specified. The other settings do not need
to be changed as long as no special host setup requires it.

Fig. 10 MPI Simulation Mode

The command line pendant for the shown GUI options are the –mpi, –hostlist and the –
cpu command line argument.
The –hostlist argument specifies the list of hosts with the number of CPUs to be used and the –
cpu argument just should contain the summed up number of CPUs. Finally the –mpi argument is for
activating the MPI mode at all.
e.g.:
<FIRE™ install_path>\bin\fire_cmd.exe
-project_dir=<UNC path to project directory>
-project=[Link]
-case=<case name>
-solver_vers=v2013.2
-mpi
-cpu=6
-hostlist=localhost,2,MPI::hostA,2,MPI::hostB,2,MPI
As mentioned at the beginning a few additional options are necessary to adjust the standard FIRE™
job submission for the distributed MPI job submission.
 AST | 7. Windows MPI Environment Installation | 33

The two most important ones are the deactivation of the file locking which is not correctly supported
for such MPI jobs and the other one controls the submission mode which differs from the standard
submission because of reasons mentioned before.
Regardless if a simulation is started from the shell or from the GUI using the job setup wizard, those
two flags have to be specified as additional solver arguments. In the command line this can be
achieved by just adding the argument at the end of the command line and in the job setup wizard a
separate section at the bottom of the windows can be used specifying such options.
The two arguments are:
• -no_file_locking
• -mpi_remote
In the GUI –no_file_locking can also be activated by the corresponding check box in the following
dialog.

Fig. 11 Advanced Job Setup Settings

7.6. MS Windows Firewall

Depending on the systems Firewall settings it might be necessary to adjust the configuration to allow
connections from and to the computer by the MPI services and the simulation kernel executables.
In some cases the operating cases automatically asks you to allow a certain connection attempt
through a pop-up dialog. If you can assign the request to the just started simulation please allow this
request so the communication between the simulation hosts can be established.
In other cases it is necessary to manually allow connections for certain executables. In such a case
please allow the executables [Link], [Link] and, as an example for a simulation kernel
executable, cfdsolver.<PLATFORM>.[Link], in case of FIRE™ or FIRE™ M.
The first two MPI executables are located in the common subdirectory of the product installation, the
kernel executables in the product directory itself.

7.7. Checklist
In this chapter the most important steps and requirements are summarized and therefore can serve as
a checklist verifying the correct setup:
• The Platform MPI remote software/service installed and running on all hosts (see 7.1. 3rd Party
[ page 29[
Software Installation )
• The desired AVL AST software is installed in a shared installation directory and accessible from all
[ page 30[
hosts using the same UNC path (see 7.2. AST Product Software Installation )
 AST | 8. User Function Environment Setup | 34

• The necessary MPI environment setup has been configured and could be successfully tested as
[ page 31[
described in 7.3. MPI Environment Setup
• The project directory to be used is shared and accessible from all hosts using the same UNC path
[ page 32[
(see 7.4. MPI Project Folder )
• Starting the simulation is done using the additional arguments mentioned in 7.5. AVL FIRE™ Job
[ page 32[
Submission
• Is a local MPI simulation working on each simulation host? This should ensure the common runtime
environment and license setup is correct and working.

7.8. Diagnosis
If a problem occurs when starting the simulation, the error diagnosis can start the same as when a local
simulation has been performed.
• That means first of all visible error message (pop-up windows, command shell messages, log
files) should be analyzed and verified. When starting directly from the GUI most likely the kernel
ASCII output file (e.g. the fla file in the case directory for FIRE™) should be checked. If you need
help analyzing the kernel ASCII log messages please do not hesitate to contact the support
fire@[Link]
• Please make sure you once more check the requirements explained in the previous chapters and
quickly check whether the basic setup is done. E.g. files shares accessible from all hosts, runtime
environment and license setup working (local starts), …
[ page
• Additionally, if not checked already as setup verification steps mentioned in the 7.7. Checklist
33[
, a local MPI simulation could verify the basic function of a MPI run.
• Is the IBM Platform MPI Remote Service running on the hosts used for the simulation?
• Have you checked the simple MPI remote connection status commands mentioned in the 7.3. MPI
[ page 31[
Environment Setup ?
• Have you checked/adjusted your Firewall settings or is it possible to temporarily disable the Firewall
to check whether the Firewall is blocking a required connection?

8. User Function Environment Setup

Learn about the necessary environment setup for FIRE™.
AVL FIRE™ supports the possibility to extend the solvers functionality by writing and compiling/linking
so-called user functions.
Please refer to the FIRE™ User Functions manual.
This section offers additional information about the necessary environment setup so the built-in FIRE™
utilities can be used to get started with FIRE™ user functions.

8.1. Environment Setup

Usually the compiler installations necessary to compile and link user functions into a new custom
FIRE™ solver executable already come with environment setup scripts which can be used to setup a
basic environment. The FIRE™ runtime environment does not setup this compiler environment itself but
expects the necessary tools to be setup and found in the operating system environment before starting.
A detailed specification about which compiler is necessary for the actual FIRE™ version can be found
[ page 5[
in 2.1. BOOST™, EXCITE™, FIRE™ and FIRE™ M .

Microsoft Windows
On MS Windows typically a combination of a MS Visual Studio installation (covering the C/C++ part)
and a Fortran compiler (actually Intel) is necessary.
 AST | 9. Uninstalling AVL Simulation Model Database | 35

Having the MS Visual Studio Visual C compiler installed before the Intel Fortran installation makes the
environment easier but is not necessary.
To setup the necessary environment to use FIRE™ user functions conveniently, a Windows batch file
calling the setup scripts provided by the compiler installations can be used.
The following examples use default installation paths and example versions. Please adjust them for
your specific version.
@echo off
call "C:\ Program Files (x86)\Intel\Composer XE 2013 SP1\bin\[Link]"
intel64
call "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\VC\[Link]" x64
REM "C:\Program Files (x86)\AVL\<release>\bin\[Link]"
The example batch script should give an idea about how the environment setup could look.
Such a script could either be sourced on demand just by calling it in, for example, a DOS command
shell or can be appended by an actual start command (e.g. AST Launcher) to directly start FIRE™ right
after the environment setup.
As mentioned, the script can be simplified if the Intel compiler installation is able to locate the MS
Visual Studio installation. In this case calling the MS Visual Studio batch script can be omitted.

Linux
Similar to the environment setup for MS Windows the setup scripts provided by the compiler installation
can also be used on Linux to, for example, extend the users login scripts. This is a convenient way to
make the compiler available in a Linux shell and further on allows FIRE™ to directly call the configured
compile and link commands. Depending on the login shell, one of the following lines can be used to
source the pre-configured environment setup scripts and should be added to the desired position of the
login sequence.
(ba)sh:
/share/astenv/devtools/compilers/x86_64-unknown- linux_r5i12/intel/
composer_xe_2013.5.192/bin/[Link] intel64
(t)csh:
source/share/astenv/devtools/compilers/x86_64-unknown- linux_r5i12/intel/
composer_xe_2013.5.192/bin/[Link] intel64

8.2. MPI
To correctly support user functions also for the MPI simulation mode in addition to the compiler
installation, a Perl installation is also necessary on Windows as the compiler internal compile process
in this use case is based on a set of Perl scripts.
To fulfill this requirement please make sure you have a recent Perl installation installed and that the
interpreter is found in the operating system (PATH) environment.
Internal tests are done with Active State Perl but as no complex tasks are done by the mentioned Perl
scripts, basically every working Perl interpreter should work. Active State Perl can be downloaded
directly from Active State.

9. Uninstalling AVL Simulation Model Database

For v2017 release, AVL Simulation Model Database will not feature a fully automated uninstall. For this
reason it is necessary to perform additional manual steps to finish the uninstallation.
 AST | 10. Model Database Requirements FAQ | 36

Note: The steps are to be executed after the regular automatic uninstall is done.

Open IIS Manager

1. Start [Link] from IIS installation folder. (e.g. C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv
\[Link])
a) Delete Model Ice, Model Database
In tree view under Sites delete Model Ice and Model Database nodes.
b) Delete Model Ice, Model Database application Pool
In tree view under Application pool delete Model Ice and Model Database nodes.
c) Delete the Model Database CGI handler
In tree view root node open FastCGI Settings and delete path that points to sdt_python.exe.

Delete ModelIce database in your MSSQL Server instance

2. Using [Link] utility, SQL Server Management Studio, or any other database client.
Delete ModelIceIndex task.
3. Open Windows Task Scheduler and delete ModelIceIndex task.
Delete the installation folder
4. Delete the installation folder you selected when installing AVL Simulation Model Database.

10. Model Database Requirements FAQ

Discover the answers to most frequent questions regarding supported server versions, database
specifications, support access etc.
• Which Microsoft SQL server versions and editions are supported?
SDT model database supports MS SQL Server Version 2008 R2 and later. All editions are
supported including MS SQL Server Express. For a new setup we recommend a more recent
version, MS SQL Server Version 2014 or later.
• Do we need some other additional installations to establish a SDT model database server?
1. MS IIS web server (plus modules listed in the manual[ page 20[)
2. Oracle Java JRE 8
• What are minimum and recommended database server specifications?
The recommendations strongly depend on the use case. In general, we recommend MS SQL
Server Standard edition and at least 16 GB of RAM for productive use. A smaller system could also
run on a machine with 8 GB of RAM and MS SQL Server Express, but with some limitations. The
operating system should be Windows Server 2016.
 AST | 10. Model Database Requirements FAQ | 37

• What would be the approximate size of a database with e.g. 15 users and if there are any
restrictions?
MS SQL Server database only stores relatively small amount of meta-information and most of the
data is stored in the file system. A single version of the project in the database is roughly the same
size as the project saved in the file system without SDT model database usage.
Note: Keep in mind that each push to the database creates a new version of the project,
so the used file system space will heavily depend on how exactly the database is used by a
particular user (e.g. push to database for each small change or push to database once a day)

• Can SDT model database be installed on a shared server?

Other services and databases can run on the SDT model database server as long as their operation
does not overload the server or interferes with SDT model database services in some other way.
• Are there any support access requirements?
We do not require direct access to the server for support purposes by default. For a concrete
support case various measures like access to log files, limited access to database content or
even monitored interactive remote access to the server might prove useful if they are possible and
allowed.