Simio System Requirements

Hardware Requirements

1 GHz or faster processor 1 GB of RAM (2 GB or more recommended) Available hard drive space of 500 MB minimum for installation(1) 1,024x768 display (higher resolution recommended) A 16-bit graphics card with 128 MB compatible with DirectX version 9 Internet connection required for online services

If you are using an existing system, then the above guidelines should provide acceptable performance. If the system falls short in memory or graphics, note that most systems with inadequate memory can be easily and inexpensively upgraded. Likewise often graphics cards can also be easily upgraded. If you are buying a new system, we recommend getting one with dual or quad core processors because Simio takes full advantage of multiple processors(2). Most new systems come with adequate graphics cards, but we would recommend a higher than standard screen resolution, perhaps 1920x1200 and perhaps even a second monitor again Simio takes full advantage of higher resolution and multiple monitors(3). Additional memory will allow larger models to run.
(1) Additional prerequisite software packages other than this product may require installation and these other packages may require additional available hard drive space for installation purposes. (2) Multiple scenarios and replications run in the Experiment Window take full advantage of each available processor (e.g. a quad-core processor will execute 4 replications or scenarios simultaneously). (3) Not only can you use a second or even a third monitor for displaying help and documentation, but most Simio windows can be undocked and moved to a second screen. For example, you can display the Trace or Dashboard window on the second screen. Or you can simply have the animation span two screens. In many configurations you can load multiple copies of Simio, for example to display a SimBit on one screen while you are working on your model on another.

Software Requirements

Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition with Service Pack 2 or later, Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 or later, Windows 7, or Windows 8. Your system must also be capable of installing .NET Framework Version 4.0 Client Profile. If you are using a newer OS than XP, you may realize significant speed improvements by manually updating your system to .NET 4.5. You can find that free update here: Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5

Simio Installation Notes

Recommended Automatic Installation
Unzip the contents of the Simio .zip file into a temporary directory anywhere on your machine. You can then start installing Simio by opening that directory and starting setup.exe. If the requirements below have not been previously installed on your machine, the setup.exe will install them for you. Note: On Vista and Windows 7 machines, watch for a confirmation dialog halfway through the installation to provide administrative approval. If you do not accept this within a short period of time, the install will fail. The Simio Release Notes and the Simio Reference Guide are both available using the links on Simios Start Page. Or you can find them in the install folder (by default \Program Files\Simio). If you have difficulties during download or installation, you can go to our on-line knowledgebase and search on the keyword install for many useful articles: http://simio.devsuite.net/scripts/texcel/CustomerWise/CLogin.dll?ProjectID=20

Optional Manual Installation Procedure

The above automatic installation procedures work for most people, but if you have systemspecific problems you may manually install the required software by following the instructions below. Universities & Network Activations see important note below.

Step 1 Install .NET 4 Client Profile

Simio requires the .NET Framework Version 4.0 Client Profile. If the framework is not already installed on your computer and you want to perform a manual install, you can download it from the .NET Framework Downloads page: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/aa569263.aspx Full .NET 4 Framework However, Simio only requires .NET Client Profile. You can download the Client Profile via a Standalone Installer or Web Installer. The Standalone version is a larger download, while the Web version requires an internet connection during installation. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=e5ad0459-cbcc-4b4f-97b6fb17111cf544&displaylang=en - .NET 4.0 Client Profile Standalone Installer http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=5765d7a8-7722-4888-a970ac39b33fd8ab&displaylang=en .NET 4.0 Client Profile Web Installer It may also be installed by doing a Windows Update, depending upon your particular system configuration.

Step 2 Install DirectX

In order to use the 3D features, you may also need to install the DirectX End-User Runtimes from March 2009 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=0cf368e5-5ce1-4032a207-c693d210f616). First create a new directory on your desktop called DirectXInstall. When you have downloaded directx_mar2009_redist.exe, double click to open it. When prompted, choose the DirectXInstall directory on your desktop as the location to extract the contents of the archive. Now, go into the DirectXInstall directory, and double click on DXSETUP.exe. This should install the proper DirectX components onto your machine. Once DXSETUP.exe is finished, you can delete both the new directory on your desktop and directx_mar2009_redist.exe.

Step 3 Install Newest .NET Framework

If you are using a newer OS than XP, you may realize significant speed improvements by manually updating your system to .NET 4.5. You can find that free update here: Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5

Step 4 If you have not already installed Simio, you can now install the Simio software itself
by starting setup.exe from the downloaded Simio zip file.

Note for Universities

Installing a large number of copies across a network? You can simplify the installation process by activating Simio from the command line for multi-machine deployment. Simio can be activated with a command-line argument. So after deploying the image, one can run a post-deployment step that looks something like this:
C:\Program Files\Simio\Simio.exe -authenticate:THIS-ISMY-AUTH-KEY

Simio will set the "errorlevel" value to 0 if the authentication is successful, or 1 if not. Note that in order to authenticate, Simio must be able to connect to the internet to access our authentication web service. The authentication is based on the machine name, so this post-deployment step would have to run after each computer has been given its final unique name. This implies that if a particular machine needs to be re-deployed, it would need to be given the same machine name as before, otherwise the re-authentication process would consume another valid authentication from the key.

Note for Network Version

Some Simio versions come with network client/server activation capability available. If you are the person responsible for installing and configuring the network license server, you will find the latest instructions and support files in a separately available file named SimioNetworkLicenseFiles.zip. You can download a recent version of just the instructions here: http://www.simio.com/downloads/public/SimioNetworkLicenseServer.pdf. These instructions are only for users of the network client/server activation. Do not use this for the node-locked activation provided with Design, Express, and Student versions of Simio.