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Getting Started with ANSYS

Workbench
ANSYS Release 11.0
January 2007
ANSYS, Inc. and
ANSYS Europe,
Ltd. are UL
registered ISO
9001:2000
Companies.
ANSYS, Inc.
Southpointe
275 Technology Drive
Canonsburg, PA 15317
ansysinfo@ansys.com
http://www.ansys.com
(T) 724-746-3304
(F) 724-514-9494
Copyright and Trademark Information
2007 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use, distribution or duplication is prohibited.
ANSYS, ANSYS Workbench, AUTODYN, CFX, FLUENT and any and all ANSYS, Inc. brand, product, service and feature names, logos and slogans are registered
trademarks or trademarks of ANSYS, Inc. or its subsidiaries located in the United States or other countries. ICEM CFD is a trademark used by ANSYS, Inc.
under license. All other brand, product, service and feature names or trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Disclaimer Notice
THIS ANSYS SOFTWARE PRODUCT AND PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION INCLUDE TRADE SECRETS AND ARE CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY PRODUCTS
OF ANSYS, INC., ITS SUBSIDIARIES, OR LICENSORS. The software products and documentation are furnished by ANSYS, Inc., its subsidiaries, or affiliates
under a software license agreement that contains provisions concerning non-disclosure, copying, length and nature of use, compliance with exporting
laws, warranties, disclaimers, limitations of liability, and remedies, and other provisions. The software products and documentation may be used, disclosed,
transferred, or copied only in accordance with the terms and conditions of that software license agreement.
ANSYS, Inc. and ANSYS Europe, Ltd. are UL registered ISO 9001:2000 Companies.
U.S. Government Rights
For U.S. Government users, except as specifically granted by the ANSYS, Inc. software license agreement, the use, duplication, or disclosure by the United
States Government is subject to restrictions stated in the ANSYS, Inc. software license agreement and FAR 12.212 (for non DOD licenses).
Third-Party Software
See the online documentation in the product help files for the complete Legal Notice for ANSYS proprietary software and third-party software. The ANSYS
third-party software information is also available via download from the Customer Portal on the ANSYS web page. If you are unable to access the third-
party legal notices, please contact ANSYS, Inc.
Published in the U.S.A.
Table of Contents
Welcome to the ANSYS Workbench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Learning About Workbench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Using Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Workbench Projects and Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Start Page Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Software Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Project Page Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Project Page Synchronization Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Headlines and Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Workbench Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Workbench Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Workbench Graphics Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Rotate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Box Zoom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Zoom to Fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Magnifier Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Previous View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Next View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Isometric View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Image Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Capped Isosurfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Results Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Legend Functionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Discrete Legends in Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Geometry Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Joint Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Results Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Named Legends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Date and Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Max, Min on Color Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Logarithmic Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
All Scientific Notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Digits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Independent Bands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Color Scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Workbench Windows Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Restore Original Window Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Window Manager Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Workbench Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Workbench Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Workbench Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Parameter Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
General Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The Workbench Parameter Manager Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The Workbench Parameter Manager Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
The Workbench Parameter Manager Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
v
Getting Started with ANSYS Workbench .ANSYS Release 11.0 . SAS IP,Inc.All rights reserved. Contains
proprietary and confidential information of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Sending values back to applications using the Parameter Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Running a parameter scenario in the Parameter Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Refreshing the values in the Parameter Manager Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Adding user defined variables to the Parameter Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Project synchronization and Workbench files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Creating Parameters within Workbench applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Customization via User Callable Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Parameter Manager User Callable Function (UCF) Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
The Remote Solve Manager (RSM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Setup and Solve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Solving via Remote RSM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Distributed ANSYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
User Accounts and Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Menu Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Tree View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
List View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Progress Pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Tray Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Integration with Unix/Linux using RSH/RCP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Integration with Unix/Linux using SSH/SCP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Additional Unix/Linux Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Integration with Platform LSF Cluster on Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Integration with Platform LSF Cluster on Unix/Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Integration with Microsoft Compute Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Integration with other Job Schedulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Customization Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
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Getting Started with ANSYS Workbench
Welcome to the ANSYS Workbench
The ANSYS Workbench, together with the Workbench projects and tabs, provides a unified working environment
for developing and managing a variety of CAE information and makes it easier for you to set up and work with
data at a high level.
If you have experience with previous standalone versions of ANSYS DesignSpace, ANSYS AGP (Analysis Geometric
Processor), or ANSYS DesignXplorer, you will discover that these applications work in the same way as before.
Within the Workbench environment however, they are referred to more as task modules. ANSYS DesignSpace
is referred to as Simulation, ANSYS AGP is referred to as DesignModeler, and ANSYS DesignXplorer is referred to
as DesignXplorer. Workbench provides enhanced interoperability and control over the flow of information
between these task modules.
Typical tasks you can perform in Workbench are:
Creating models using DesignModeler or importing models from a variety of CAD systems.
Performing finite element analyses using Simulation for structural, thermal, and electromagnetic simula-
tions.
Optimizing designs using DesignXplorer, and implementing a chosen design back into the original
model.
Additionally, Workbench includes the following modules:
Engineering Data: A repository of material and load history data for use by other Workbench applications.

FE Modeler: Uses input from NASTRAN, ABAQUS, or Simulation, and allows navigating and visualizing of
the finite element model for downstream analysis in ANSYS. It also facilitates creation of geometry from
legacy mesh information for further analyses in Simulation.
ANSYS AUTODYN: An explicit dynamics analysis tool for modeling nonlinear dynamics of solids, fluids,
gas, and their interaction.
Other modules for use in specialized applications such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations.
Learning About Workbench
The following resources are available to assist you in learning about Workbench:
The Simulation Approach section of the online help provides an overall procedure for performing simula-
tions in Workbench using the Workbench GUI. Included are descriptions of the various simulation types
that are realizable using the Workbench GUI. See also the Using Help section for assistance in navigating
throughout the Workbench online help.
The Workbench Community section of the ANSYS Customer Portal provides the latest information on
Workbench, including useful hints, samples, testimonials, tutorials, and other interesting user topics.
The Headlines and Messages section of the Workbench Project Page presents timely news and other
useful information pertaining to Workbench.
The ANSYS product online help includes descriptions of the underlying ANSYS commands and elements
that interact behind the scenes in Workbench. Also included is a theory manual and several analysis
guides that detail the background and operation of the types of analyses realizable in ANSYS. Because
Workbench is heavily based on ANSYS technology, consult the ANSYS online help for command or element
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Getting Started with ANSYS Workbench .ANSYS Release 11.0 . SAS IP,Inc.All rights reserved. Contains
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descriptions as well as details on various analysis types. Only a subset of the analysis types discussed in
the ANSYS online help can be performed directly through the Workbench GUI. However, several analysis
types can be performed in Workbench using commands objects.
A printable English version of the core ANSYS Help is available in PDF format
1
from the ANSYS Customer
Portal:
www.ansys.com> Customer Area> ANSYS Customer Portal> [Id and Password]> Product Information>
Product Documentation> ANSYS Complete User's Manual Set (.pdf)
Note
The ANSYS Help should be consulted strictly for background information on various engineer-
ing topics and types of analyses. Any GUI procedures that are presented there refer to the
ANSYS GUI. The equivalent Workbench GUI approach, where applicable, is presented in the
Workbench Help, primarily in the Simulation Approach section.
Additional Documentation
In addition to the online Workbench help, the following documentation is available:
A printable English version of the Workbench Help is available in PDF format
1
from the ANSYS Customer
Portal:
www.ansys.com> Customer Area> ANSYS Customer Portal> [Id and Password]> Product Information>
Product Documentation> ANSYS Workbench 110 Help
ANSYS Workbench Release Notes - print copy of the online version. The printed copy is included in the
product box.
ANSYS Workbench Errata - print version only, included in the product box.
ANSYS, Inc. Licensing Guide - print copy of the online version. The printed copy is included in the product
box.
ANSYS, Inc. Installation Guides - print copies of the online versions. The printed copies are included in the
product box.
1 - To view and print the contents of the PDF file, you must have Adobe Reader installed. A free reader download
is available at:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
Using Help
To start, click Help on the toolbar.
If you are on the Project Page, help topics are available through the following menu options:
Getting Started with ANSYS Workbench .ANSYS Release 11.0 . SAS IP,Inc.All rights reserved. Contains
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2
Welcome to the ANSYS Workbench
If you are working in any of the Workbench modules, that module's help topics are directly available,
along with the Expert Search and Installation and Licensing Help options.The following example shows
the Help menu available from within the Simulation module:
Online Help Interface
The product online help system describes the features and uses of the ANSYS Workbench. If you are a Windows
user, the help system for all ANSYS products is Windows HTML Help. If you are a UNIX user, all ANSYS products
use Oracle Help, a Java-based intuitive online help system.
Each help system is organized into sections, which are listed on the Contents tab. Click the document
icon or topic title next to each section to display its content in the right windowpane.
The Index tab allows you to view topics that are based on predetermined index terms that appear alpha-
betically in a list. Primary index terms are left-justified in the list while secondary index terms are indented.
As you type in a keyword or phrase in the field above the list, matching characters jump to the top of the
list and are highlighted. For the Workbench help system, the particular module's help is displayed in
brackets following all primary index terms.To go to the topic represented by a primary or secondary index
term, double-click the index term. To find out where you are in the help system, click the Contents tab
and the table of contents will display, showing you where the topic is.
The Search tab allows you to view topics that contain certain words or phrases you specify. When you
execute a search, all topics containing the search text display. To go to that topic, double-click the topic.
To find out where you are in the help system, click the Contents tab and the table of contents will display,
showing you where the topic is.
The Search tab in the Windows Help includes several capabilities to assist you in narrowing down inform-
ation returned in your searches. Some of these capabilities are:
Using quotes to search for literal phrases.
Using Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT, NEAR) to precisely define search expressions.
Using wildcard characters (*, ?) to search for expressions with identical characters.
Using parentheses to nest search expressions.
As an example, if you wanted to search for all sections in the Simulation Help that included both the words
probe and timeline, a suggested term to enter in the Search tab would be (probe and timel*) near
simulation.
The Search tab in the Windows Help also includes checkboxes located at the bottom of the panel that
allow you to search previous results, match similar words, or search titles only.
The Favorites tab in the Windows Help allows you to save topics that you frequently reference.
Context sensitive help for tree objects is available for some of the Workbench modules, and can be accessed by
highlighting the object and pressing the F1 key.
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Getting Started with ANSYS Workbench .ANSYS Release 11.0 . SAS IP,Inc.All rights reserved. Contains
proprietary and confidential information of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Online Help Interface
Workbench Projects and Databases
ANSYS Workbench uses projects to manage your workflow through the various task modules (DesignModeler,
Simulation, FE Modeler, DesignXplorer). A project helps you to manage the various sources of data needed to
complete an end-to-end CAE process. For example, if you insert a link to a CAD assembly into a project, an item
corresponding to the geometry source appears in a list on the Project Page. You may rename the item or re-link
the item to a different geometry source. You may delete the item from the project list, or delete any associated
files along with the project item.
When a project is created, a Workbench project database file is also created. Likewise, when you perform a task
within any of the task modules, a database file is also created that is associated with the module. The Workbench
project database file contains the project definition and links to the associated module database files.The following
filename extensions are associated with each of the database files:
Workbench project database file = .wbdb
DesignModeler database file = .agdb
CFX-Mesh database file = .cmdb
Simulation database file = .dsdb
Meshing database file = .cmdb
Engineering Data database file = .eddb
FE Modeler database file = .fedb
ANSYS AUTODYN database file = .ad
DesignXplorer database file = .dxdb
BladeGen database file = .bgd
Advanced Meshing database file = .prj (Requires the installation of ANSYS ICEM CFD and AI*Environment)
Note
You should only use database files created in this release or in the previous two releases. The success
of using database files created in any older releases cannot be guaranteed.
Start Page Navigation
The Start Page is your entry point to the ANSYS Workbench and streamlines the process of creating and accessing
data.
You access the Start Page either through your Start menu, or from a CAD system's ANSYS 11.0 menu. The Start
Page appears when Workbench starts and no project is open.
Getting Started with ANSYS Workbench .ANSYS Release 11.0 . SAS IP,Inc.All rights reserved. Contains
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4
Welcome to the ANSYS Workbench
You can perform the following tasks from the Start Page:
Select icon to create a new database or project. Icon availability depends on licenses available to your
system.
Click the Empty Project icon to proceed directly to the Workbench Project Page where you can build
a project that includes database files from various Workbench sessions.
Click the Geometry icon to create DesignModeler data.
Click the Simulation icon to create new Simulation data.
Click the Finite Element Model icon to create new FE Modeler data. You will be prompted to open a
NASTRAN bulk data file (*.bdf, *.dat, or *.nas) or an ABAQUS file (*.inp or *.dat) or an ANSYS
file (.cdb).
a
Click the ANSYS AUTODYN icon to create a new session of ANSYS AUTODYN.
Click the Blade Geometry icon to create new BladeGen data. See the BladeModeler Users Guide
for further information.
Click the Meshing icon to create new Meshing data.
Open an Existing Database File. The Open area includes a drop down list of the most recently used
database files. Click on a file name to open the database file directly in the associated Workbench module.
Not all database types support a recent file list. You can click the Browse... button to open a database file
whose name is not in the file list, or you can access additional file types. For example, you can run a startup
macro by choosing a script file.
The list is filtered according to your choice in the drop down list.
Choose Workbench Projects to display only Workbench database files (*.wbdb).
Choose Simulations to display only Simulation database files (*.dsdb).
Choose DesignModeler Geometry to display only DesignModeler database files (*.agdb).
Choose DesignXplorer Studies to display only DesignXplorer database files (*.dxdb).
Note
Double-clicking a *.dxdb file in release 11.0 will automatically open the Workbench
Projects file (*.wbdb) associated with the DesignXplorer file. If the Workbench application
cannot find the *.dxdb file, the double-clicking will open a blank project page.
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Getting Started with ANSYS Workbench .ANSYS Release 11.0 . SAS IP,Inc.All rights reserved. Contains
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Start Page Navigation
Choose Finite Element Models to display only FE Modeler database files (*.fedb).
a
Choose ANSYS AUTODYN Projects to display only ANSYS AUTODYN database files (*.ad).
The Tools section of the Start Page provides two selections:
Options - Displays a dialog box that allows you to define Workbench options or preferences that
modify Workbench's behavior.
Addins - This option launches the Addins manager dialog. This dialog allows you to load/unload
third-party add-ins that are specifically designed for integration within the Workbench environment.
You can enlarge the page by clicking the icon in the upper right corner of the Start Page. This will display more
information and minimize scrolling. You can toggle the Start Page back to the smaller size by clicking the icon
in the upper right corner again.
[a] If you choose to link to an ANSYS, NASTRAN or ABAQUS file, the Select Unit System dialog box appears on
the Project Page and allows you to select one of the five supported unit systems. A Custom choice is also
available that allows you to scale base units of length , time, and mass.
Software Licensing
You can choose which simulation license to use for the Workbench session by specifying it under Tools> Options>
Licensing> License Management using the Current setting. When choosing this option for the first time only,
there may be a time lag until the license list appears. This delay happens the first time within each Workbench
session. An analysis license is required for Simulation, ANSYS, and FE Modeler. (DesignModeler and DesignXplorer
have license requirements that are separate from the analysis license.)
The license will not be checked out until it is actually needed. For example, if you start a Workbench session,
specify an analysis license using this option setting, open DesignModeler, then exit the Workbench session, the
license is never checked out.
If you chose a license upon installation, that license will be the default. You can change the default under Tools>
Options> Licensing> License Management using the Default setting. Also, you will not be able to exchange
one simulation license for another during a Workbench session.To change a license, you must exit the Workbench
session and start a new session.
Workbench License Options
A list of Workbench GUI features and associated licenses is available in the Workbench Product Definition and
Licenses spreadsheet, under the WB MESH DM DX FEM tab and the WB SIMULATION tab. The interpretation of
the license codes is available from the PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS tab. This spreadsheet resides on the Customer
Portal at:
http://www1.ansys.com/customer
After logging in, you can access the document under Product Information> ANSYS Workbench.
Unexpected or Empty Icon List on Start Page
If the icons showing on the Start Page do not match what you expect to see, you need to verify your licensing.
Check the following items:
Verify that your license manager is running.
Getting Started with ANSYS Workbench .ANSYS Release 11.0 . SAS IP,Inc.All rights reserved. Contains
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6
Welcome to the ANSYS Workbench
Check your licensing preference settings under Start Page> Tools> Options. The icons that appear on
the Start Page are determined by the choice and availability of specific licenses. If the license listed first
in the preferences isn't available, the Start Page will use the next available license listed.
Verify that the licenses you have specified under preferences are available at your site. If you change or
upgrade licenses to different products, you will need to reset your Start Page preferences.
Verify that the requested licenses are available by using the View Status/Diagnostic Options> Display
the License Status option of the ANSLIC_ADMIN utility (accessible from the Start menu). See section
6.1, under License Administration in the ANSYS, Inc. Licensing Guide for more information.
Project Page Navigation
Once you have created or opened an existing Workbench project from the Start Page, a Project Page replaces
the Start Page as your project management tool, providing useful options as you move through the various
Workbench modules.
A project Name list is displayed on the right that indicates the database files associated with a particular project.
When you click on an item name in the Name list, the left panel changes to display options specifically related
to the item. These options provide control of the item and its relationships with other items in the Project. For
example, CAD geometry files display the following tasks: New geometry, New mesh, and New simulation.
Simulation items display a group of tasks used to update geometry from its source by either pushing or pulling
any parameter values. Simulation items also display tasks to create new parametric design studies if a version
of DesignXplorer is available. Displayed items are controlled by your current simulation license and the set of
other product licenses that are available on the license server. Not all options are controlled by the simulation
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Project Page Navigation
license selection. For example, New geometry is displayed only if you have a DesignModeler license on the
server.
Options Based on Selected Name
The following are summaries of the various options available based on your selection in the Project Tasks list:
Options for the Project Tasks list:
Link to an ANSYS APDL input file.
Link to a DesignXplorer RSX Results file.
Link to a Process Instruction File.
Link to ANSYS CDWRITE input.
a b
Link to a NASTRAN bulk data file.
a b
Link to an ABAQUS input file.
a b
Transfer to DesignModeler to create new geometry, including assigning a name and specifying the
length unit to be used.
Link to geometry from an open CAD system.
Link to geometry from a file.
[a] If you choose to link to an ANSYS, NASTRAN, or ABAQUS file, an Open file dialog box displays. Navigate
to the appropriate folder, select your file, and click the Open button. A new section called Group FE
Model into Multiple Bodies is displayed and contains a drop-down menu. From the drop-down menu,
select No Grouping (default value), by Material, or by Element Type. Select New FE Model (you also
need to choose a unit system, see below). The selected grouping is applied to the model once it is read
in to FE Modeler.
[b] If you choose to link to a ANSYS, NASTRAN, or ABAQUS file, a Unit Selection section appears on the
Project Page that allows you to select a supported unit system. A Custom choice is also available that allows
you to scale base units of length, time, and mass.
Based upon your licensing, the left panel may display TurboSystem Tasks, AUTODYN Tasks, and BladeGen.
For further information on these products, please see the AUTODYN Help or the BladeModeler Help (includes
information on both TurboSystem and BladeGen).
Options when you select CAD geometry name:
Transfer to DesignModeler and open the selected geometry. This requires that you select a length
unit. Then choose Generate from within DesignModeler to display and use the geometry.
Transfer to Meshing and open the selected geometry file.
Transfer to Simulation and open the selected geometry file.
Set Geometry Preferences. If you choose to import geometry from a CAD system, you can specify
preferences on how you would like the geometry to be transferred into Workbench. You can find a
description of these preferences included under Geometry Preferences. This section also includes
descriptions of geometry preferences you can specify in the Geometry Details View within Simulation.
Re-link to geometry from an open CAD system.
Re-link to geometry from a file.
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Note
This option relocates a file that may have moved. The geometry itself does not update
until you select either of the Update options in Simulation.
Various editing tasks.
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Options when you select DesignModeler name:
Transfer to DesignModeler and open the selected .agdb file.
Create and open a copy of the selected .agdb file to add new geometry into the Project Page. This
will modify the project to have one more DesignModeler model in the hierarchy. It will also create a
file for the new copy.
Transfer to Simulation based on the geometry in the selected .agdb file.
Set Geometry Preferences.
Delete...
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Options when you select Simulation name:
Transfer to Simulation and open the selected .dsdb file.
Start a new DesignXplorer What If study, DesignXplorer study, or DesignXplorer study based on the
analysis from the selected simulation.
Update the selected simulation with parameters and geometry that were specified in the DesignModeler
file and in all associative geometry sources.
Update the DesignModeler or geometry file using parameters from the selected simulation, then update
the selected simulation with the latest geometry.
Switch to ANSYS (if you have ANSYS installed) or FE Modeler from the selected Simulation environ-
ment(s). (List environments... appears if environment(s) were not yet viewed in Simulation. In this
case, click on List environments... to display the list, then click on the environment(s) that you want
to transfer.
To delete a shortcut created via the DesignXplorer Startup Wizard:
1. Close Workbench.
2. Open the Users Application Data folder (%appdata%).
3. Locate the *.xml files that pertain to the DX shortcuts (Shortcut_Name.xml).
4. Delete the files for the shortcut(s) that you do not want to appear in the Project Page.
Various editing tasks.
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Options when you select FE Modeler name:
Transfer to FE Modeler and open the FE model from the selected .fedb file.
Transfer to ANSYS (if you have ANSYS installed) and open or continue the analysis from the selected
environment.
Transfer to Simulation after Geometry Synthesis operations.
Various editing tasks.
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Options when you select ANSYS AUTODYN name:
Transfer to ANSYS AUTODYN and open the selected .ad file.
Various editing tasks.
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Options Based on Selected Name
Options when you select DesignXplorer name:
Transfer to DesignXplorer and open the selected .dxdb file.
Update the selected DesignXplorer study with the latest parameters and values from the input files.
Various editing tasks.
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[1] If you choose Delete..., a dialog box prompts you to choose one of the following options:
Delete only the selected item and any dependent items from the project (not any underlying files).
Delete the project items and underlying files from the system. The underlying files are listed in the dialog
box. This option does not delete CAD files, NASTRAN files, or ANSYS input files.
If you resume a .wbdb that contains a .dsdb, you must first open Simulation before you can remove the asso-
ciated CAD model or Simulation items from the project.
You can also view Headlines and Messages on the Project Page regardless of which name is highlighted.
Name Dependencies
The indentation level of an item in the Name list implies dependency and data flow. In the examples mentioned
above, a design study depends on a simulation, which in turn depends on geometry. For parametric updates,
the system pushes parameter values upwards through the dependencies and then updates items top-down. If
the listed file timestamp for a geometry item is newer than the timestamp for a dependent simulation, you may
need to update the simulation to incorporate edits made to the geometry.
Each item in the Name list provides a corresponding full path or file name in the list. If only a file name appears,
the file exists in the same folder as the location of the project database. A full pathname implies no relationship
between the location of the file and the project. Select an item to view its full path in the bar at the bottom of
the window.
The icon indicates the state of the item: saved, not saved, or not found. If not found, the item appears in red with
an X. The Project Page toolbar allows you to save individual items or all unsaved items at once. You may also
save an item from inside its associated task module. If you close a project with unsaved items, Workbench
highlights the items in the Project Page and prompts you to save all, save none, or return to the project. See the
next section, Project Page Synchronization Best Practices, for more information about properly saving Workbench
projects.
The Size column is filled in for every Project Page item that has been saved to disk. The Size column shows the
size of the file currently on disk, not the expected size of the current data set in memory. For example, suppose
you save a Simulation session to a DSDB file of size 200 KB, then continue to work in Simulation, adding branches
and generating meshes. Though the memory usage has increased, the Size column will not change its value
until you execute another save operation.
Project Page Synchronization Best Practices
This section examines some recommended practices when making changes to your Workbench projects.
Always Save All
To make sure that your projects stay synchronized, it is recommended that you use the Save All feature on the
Project Page once youve modified a Simulation or Meshing database to ensure that you are saving both the
project database and Simulation or Meshing database. If you choose No when prompted to Save All, the contents
of your Simulation or Meshing database will become out-of-sync with the project listings on the Project Page.
For example, if you add new models or delete old models and/or environments from your project and dont save
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accordingly (all), the links between the information displayed on the Project Page and the actually content of a
database become corrupted. As a result, when you reopen the project, you will see additional Simulation/Meshing
models listed on the Project Page.You can rectify this problem by closing all of your Workbench project databases
and choosing No when prompted to save, and then re-open the original Workbench project database.Therefore,
if you choose to discard modifications made in Simulation or Meshing, from the Project Page, you must also
discard the Workbench (.wbdb) database to avoid synchronization issues.
Interaction with Other Applets
If you attempt to open a database that is out-of-sync with the Workbench project on the Project Page in another
Workbench applet, such as FE Modeler, you will likely receive errors. Furthermore, any further interaction within
Simulation/Meshing with out-of-sync Project Page content may cause the Workbench project database to become
unusable. As stated above, simply close all Workbench databases without saving the changes and then re-open
the original database to eliminate the error situation.
Headlines and Messages
Current Workbench-related headlines from ANSYS Inc. appear at the bottom of the task panel in the Project
page. Click a headline title to view the article in a new web browser window. Headlines download from the internet
automatically when you create or open a Project. You can completely turn off this feature by setting Load
Headlines at Startup to No in the Options dialog box under User Interface. For dialup Internet connections,
the operating system may display an autodial prompt when starting Workbench. To avoid this prompt, you can
either disable the headlines feature or deactivate automatic (on demand) dialing.
Headlines and Messages will not slow or interrupt your use of Workbench. If anything goes wrong (for example,
if your computer cannot connect to the Internet) the Headlines and Messages simply won't appear in the task
panel. Note that Internet Explorer is not supported on the UNIX and Linux platforms thereby the links are disabled.
Customizing Headlines and Messages
Workbench includes a simple news reader that works with RSS, a standard for publishing news article abstracts
and links.The mechanism involves Workbench downloading a small XML text file from a specific Internet address.
You can view up to three extra headlines from a custom source by typing the address to an RSS feed in the Options
dialog box under Custom RSS Feed Address. For example, your ANSYS distributor may provide a feed to regularly
updated articles on using Workbench. Or, you may choose a feed from a source such as Yahoo!

News to view
the day's top stories. For more information, perform a search on "RSS" on the Internet. Some news feeds may
not be compatible with Workbench.
Workbench Tabs
The Start/Project Page, and each of the Workbench modules have a tab that appears at the top of the Workbench
window. The tabs appear as each page or module is used in a particular Workbench session. You can click on
any tab to immediately access the page or module represented by the tab.
You may work with multiple tabs simultaneously (e.g. the project, a DesignModeler item, a Simulation item, and
so on), but you cannot open two tabs associated with the same module.To close an item, click the X button inside
its tab. This action only removes the tab, but the data associated with the tab is still in memory, and is accessible
from the Project Page.
Workbench Interface
Most of the Workbench modules share a common interface.
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Workbench Interface
Workbench Graphics Controls
The following graphics controls are common to most of the Workbench modules. In some cases their behavior
may vary from module-to-module and therefore are more precisely explained in their respective module's Help.
Each control listed below is represented by their Tool Tip designation in the Graphical User Interface.
Rotate
Pan
Zoom
Box Zoom
Zoom to Fit
Magnifier Window
Previous View
Next View
Isometric View
Image Capture
Capped Isosurfaces
Results Animation
Rotate
Rotate is one of the four cursor modes accessible via the right mouse button. Module-specific details are available
for DesignModeler and Simulation and FE Modeler. Rotate in DesignXplorer exhibits behavior comparable to
that in Simulation.
Pan
Pan is one of the four cursor modes accessible via the right mouse button. Module-specific details are available
for DesignModeler and Simulation and FE Modeler. Pan in DesignXplorer exhibits behavior comparable to that
in Simulation.
Zoom
Pan is one of the four cursor modes accessible via the right mouse button. Module-specific details are available
for DesignModeler and Simulation and FE Modeler. Zoom in DesignXplorer exhibits behavior comparable to
that in Simulation.
Box Zoom
Box Zoom is one of the four cursor modes accessible via the right mouse button or the toolbar. Module-specific
details are available for DesignModeler and Simulation and FE Modeler. Box Zoom in DesignXplorer exhibits
behavior comparable to that in Simulation.
Zoom to Fit
Zoom to Fit accessible via the right mouse button or the toolbar. Module-specific details are available for
DesignModeler and Simulation and FE Modeler. Zoom to Fit in DesignXplorer exhibits behavior comparable to
that in Simulation.
Magnifier Window
The Magnifier Window can be toggled on and off via the toolbar button. It is not accessible via the right mouse
button. Module-specific details are available for DesignModeler and Simulation and FE Modeler. Magnifier Window
in DesignXplorer exhibits behavior comparable to that in Simulation.
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Previous View
To return to the last view displayed in the graphics window, click the Previous View button on the toolbar. By
continuously clicking you can see the previous views in consecutive order.
Next View
After displaying previous views in the graphics window, click the Next View button on the toolbar to scroll forward
to the original view.
Isometric View
Isometric View Button
The Isometric View button allows you to view your model in the custom isometric state.
Set Button
The ISO icon button allows you to set the isometric view. You can define a custom isometric viewpoint based
on the current viewpoint (arbitrary rotation), or define the up direction so that geometry appears upright.
Restore Default Button
The Restore Default icon button resets the isometric view to its default state.
Keyboard Support
The same functionality is available via your keyboard. The numbers correlate to the following functionality:
0 = View Isometric
1 = +Z Front
2 = -Y Bottom
3 =+X Right
4 = Previous View
5 = Default Isometric
6 = Next View
7 = -X Left
8 = +Y Top
9 = -Z Back
. (dot) = Set Isometric
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Keyboard Support
Image Capture
The Image Capture icon button allows you to save the contents of the Graphics window in a standard image file
format. The following file formats are supported:
Windows Bitmap (.bmp)
Joint Photographic Experts Group (.jpg)
Encapsulated PostScript (.eps)
Tagged Image File (.tif )
Portable Network Graphics (.png)
Capped Isosurfaces
Capped Isosurface mode displays surface bodies through the geometry that correspond to a given value
within the calculated range for a selected result. To view a capped isosurface, display the Capped Isosurface
toolbar from Simulation or from DesignXplorer.
The value for the isosurface is set by the slider or textbox in the toolbar. The slider represents the range from
min to max for the selected result.
The three radio buttons control if any solid geometry remains visible on either side of the isosurface.The leftmost
button displays the isosurface only, the center button displays the surface body and geometry with values below
the surface body, the right button displays the surface body and values above.
Results Animation
The Animation feature displays in the Timeline window when you select a result object in Simulation. Here is
an example of the Timeline window with a result object selected. The specific functions of the toolbar options
are presented below.
Play: Initiates a new animation.
Pause: Pauses an existing animation. Choosing Play after Pause
does not generate new animation frames. When the animation is
(same toolbar location as Play)
paused, as you move the cursor across the Timeline controller,
the cursor's appearance changes to a double horizontal arrow
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when you hover over the current frame indicator. With the cursor
in this state, you can drag the frame indicator to define a new
current frame. The result graphic will update accordingly.
Stop: Halts a result animation. Choosing Play after Stop generates
new animation frames.
Distributed: For static analyses, frames display linearly interpolated
results. Frame 1 represents the initial state of the model and the
final frame represents the final results calculated by the solver.
For stepped and transient analyses, the frames in Distributed
mode are distributed over a time range selected in the Timeline
controller.
1
Result Sets: (available only for sequenced and transient simula-
tions) Frames represent the actual result sets that were generated
by the solver.
1
Frame Markers: display what time points are being used in the
animation by placing a vertical line at the time points.
Chooses the number of frames in the animation.
Chooses the desired amount of time for the entire animation.
Export Video File: Saves animation as an AVI file.
Note
When exporting an AVI file, make sure that you keep
the Workbench module window in front of other
windows until the exporting is complete. Opening
other windows in front of the module window before
the exporting is complete may cause those windows
to be included in the AVI file capture.
1 - For sequenced and transient simulations, as you move the cursor across the Timeline controller, the cursor's
appearance changes to a scope icon for solved solution points.
Animation Behavior
Depending upon the type of simulation that you perform, the behavior of the resulting animation varies.
For a static simulation, the progression of an animation occurs in a linear forward/backward manner. The color
contours begin with the initial condition, advance to the solution state, and then rewinds to the initial conditions.
For thermal transient and sequenced simulations that have an associated time or step range, the animation begins
at the initial time or step value, progresses to the final set, and then stops and starts at zero again. It does not
traverse backward as it does for static simulations.
In addition for thermal transient simulations, you can right-click the mouse in the Timeline to receive the following
options:
Generate Static Analysis with Thermal Condition
Generate Transient Analysis with Initial Condition
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Animation Behavior
As illustrated below, you may also select a specific time period to animate that is a subset of the total time. To
do so, drag the mouse through the time period in the Timeline window pane. The selected time period turns
blue. Press the Play button to animate only through that period. While that specific period is playing, you can
right-click the mouse to receive the options to Pause, Stop, or to Zoom To Range, which expands the defined
period across the entire Timeline.
The following demo is presented as an animated GIF. Please view online if you are reading the PDF version of the help.
Interface names and other components shown in the demo may differ from those in the released product.
Caution
UNIX platform only: If you are viewing an animation of a result and attempt to move an outline
window that is not docked, the animation is paused. Clicking Play restarts the animation.
Probe Animation
In a dynamic analysis, probe animation for joints is only supported if there is at least one rigid body. See Probes.
Legend Functionality
To view the legend, confirm that the Legend option is selected in the View menu. The legend is displayed in the
top left corner of the graphics window when you click on an object in the tree outline. In Simulation the legend
is active for several objects in the tree outline. In DesignXplorer, the legend is active only for results. Note that
the legend is not accessible via any of the toolbars in any of the modules.
Repositioning Legend
To reposition the legend within the graphics window, select the legend with your mouse, hold down the left
mouse button and drag the mouse. Note that the multiple view window configuration does not allow for the
legend to be permanently saved in a unique location. Resumption of a database file and toggling between a
single view and multiple views will result in the legend being saved to its default position in the upper left corner
of the graphics window.
Discrete Legends in Simulation
Geometry Legend: Contents is driven by Display Style selection in the Details View panel.
Joint Legend: Depicts the free degrees of freedom characteristic of the type of joint.
Results Legend: Contents is accessible via the right mouse when an object in the Solution folder is selected.
Geometry Legend
Within the Details View, you can control the Display Style:
Part Color (default)
Material
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Nonlinear Material Effects
Stiffness Behavior
Joint Legend
Shows degrees of freedom active.
Results Legend
By default the results legend displays the following information:
Object Title: Name of the selected tree object.
Right mouse button click on the object title to display:
Named Legends
Date and Time
Max, Min on Color Bar
Logarithmic Scale
All Scientific Notation
Digits
Independent Bands
Color Scheme
Type: Type of the selected tree object.
Units: Current unit system.
Time: Current solution time for the result.
Time stamp: Current real world time.
Maximum/Minimum Contour Range
If the context menu is displayed from a color band instead of the title bar, the following items appear at the top
of the menu, followed by a separator:
Custom Color: A pop-up color appears when you right click a color band. The same color can be used for
more than one band.
Automatic Color: The default color is restored.
By hovering your mouse over the contour values in the maximum/minimum contour range, you edit the high-
lighted information. Two items appear at the top of the context menu:
Edit: You can enter a custom value in the field at the top of the contour provided it is greater than the
default value calculated by the program.
Automatic Value: The value calculated by the program.
You can set the number of bands between the bottom and top of the contour using the + or buttons. The
number of bands can range from 4 to 14.
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Maximum/Minimum Contour Range
Named Legends
A name can represent the following data:
Number of contours
Color scheme
Color overrides per band
Value break per break, either automatic or numeric
Use the Named Legends option to create new ones or to manage existing ones thatcan be edited independently.
New Named Legends
By selecting New, an input dialog box is display where you can specify a name. Future edits will all legends with
the same name. You can create an independent variation of a named legend by choosing Unnamed or New.
Below the context menu separator Unnamed is selected by default. Unnamed which means that the legend can
be edited independently.
Managing Named Legends
The Named Legends dialog box allows you to manage styles. Options included:
Import
Export
Rename
Delete
Checked named legends appear in the legend context menu by default for new databases only.
Date and Time
Toggles line in Object Title.
Max, Min on Color Bar
If checked, extremes are shown . If unchecked, they appear in the title book.
Logarithmic Scale
Displays result values.
All Scientific Notation
Displays result values.
Digits
Contains 2 through 8. The default is 3.
Independent Bands
Use to set the alarm color representing the maximum/minimum contour range. The following choices are
available:
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None (default)
Top
Bottom
Top and Bottom
Color Scheme
Use to change the color spectrum. The choices available are:
Rainbow (default)
Reverse Rainbow
Gray scale
Reverse Gray scale
Reset Colors
Workbench Windows Manager
The Workbench window contains a number of panes that house graphics, outlines, details and other views and
controls. The window manager allows you to move, resize, tab dock and autohide panes.
Tab dock means that two or more panes reside in the tabs in the same space on screen.
Autohide means that a pane (or tab docked group of panes) automatically collapses when not in use to free
screen space.
Note
The management of these windows differs on Windows platforms vs. UNIX platforms.
Restore Original Window Layout
Choose Restore Original Window Layout from the View menu to return to the default original pane configuration.
Window Manager Features
AutoHiding
Panes are either pinned or unpinned . Toggle this state by clicking the icon in the pane title bar.
A pinned pane occupies space in the Workbench window. An unpinned pane collapses to a tab on the periphery
of the window when inactive.
To work with an unpinned pane, move the mouse pointer into the tab; the pane will fly out on top of other panes
in the Workbench window. The pane will remain visible as long as it is active or contains the mouse pointer. Pin
the pane to restore its previous configuration.
Moving and Docking
Drag the title bar to move a pane, or drag a tab to undock panes. Once the drag starts a number of dock targets
appear overtop the Workbench window:
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Moving and Docking
Move the mouse pointer over a target to preview the resulting location for the pane. Arrow targets indicate ad-
jacent locations; a circular target allows tab-docking of two or more panes (to share screen space). Release the
button on the target to move the pane.
Abort the drag operation by pressing the ESC key.
Resize panes by dragging the borders.
Workbench Behavior
When transitioning between the ANSYS Workbench modules, expect to encounter unique behavioral scenarios
as described below.
Open an Existing Database
From the Start Page when you choose to open an existing database, either Simulation (.dsdb), DesignModeler
(.agdb), or DesignXplorer (.dxdb), you are prompted to select a project name and location under the heading
entitled Choose a default project name and location. The project name is the default name for any .dsdb,
.agdb, or .dxdb. If you have an existing file with the same name in your project folder, you will be prompted
for permission to overwrite that file. If you want to preserve the existing file, choose a different project folder on
the Start Page.
Note
In order to maintain data link integrity, ANSYS Workbench must create these files for you upon project
startup. Failure to do so may cause the following error message to appear:
Deleting Files From A Project
When you delete a file from a project, you are given options of deleting only the selected item and any dependent
items from the system (not any underlying files), or deleting the selected item, dependent items, and all under-
lying files from the system (not including CAD, NASTRAN, or ANSYS input files). If you choose the first option,
removing a file from a project does not remove it from the disk. If you choose the second option, selected items
and their associated files listed in the dialog box will be deleted from the disk. If you don't remove the file from
a project and attempt to create a new project item, a new name is generated, generally with a number appended
to the original name. If you remove the file, then the original name could be reused.
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File Dependencies
When attempting to open a project that includes database files from more than one of the ANSYS Workbench
modules, you must be sure the files are in their original location, or in the same folder, for the project to construct
properly. For example if the DesignXplorer database (.dxdb) cannot find the Simulation database (.dsdb) or
DesignModeler database (.agdb) that it is dependent upon, the project will be constructed with only the .dxdb
and DesignXplorer can only be used to view the saved results.
CAD Plug-Ins
In a third-party CAD program, when you select the ANSYS 11.0 option, the drop-down menu allows you to select
either Simulation or Workbench. When you choose the Simulation option, you are directed into the Simulation
module of ANSYS Workbench and the CAD geometry is automatically transferred. A default Simulation database
(dsdb) name and location is created. If you save the data, the file name and location default to match your CAD
file and location. If the .dsdb already exists a warning message allows you to overwrite the file.
When you choose the Workbench option, you are redirected to the Start Page.
Workbench Options
You can set several options or preferences that govern Workbench behavior from the Start Page or by performing
the following procedure from within any of the Workbench tabs.
1. From the main menu, choose Tools> Options. An Options dialog box appears and is identical regardless
of where you accessed the menu item.
2. Expand any of the major options listed on the left then click on a specific option within that category.
3. Change any of the option settings by clicking directly in the option field on the right. You will first see a
visual indication for the kind of interaction required in the field (examples are drop down menus, secondary
dialog boxes, direct text entries).
Note
If you are accustomed and prefer to use the mouse button combination of a particular CAD
package, you can map to those settings in Graphics Interaction.
4. Click OK.Whenever an option is changed, the change is reflected in all of the applications or task modules
running inside Workbench. The options that you set are persistent from run to run.
Common Settings
The Common Settings options include the following general options governing graphics and interfacing.
Graphics Style
Graphics Interaction
User Interface
Geometry Import
DesignModeler
Refer to the DesignModeler Options section located in the DesignModeler help.
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DesignModeler
ANSYS AUTODYN
Refer to the Overview - ANSYS AUTODYN options section of the ANSYS AUTODYN Help.
Meshing
Refer to the Meshing Options section located in the Meshing help.
Simulation
Refer to the Simulation Options section located in the Simulation help.
FE Modeler
Refer to the FE Modeler Options section located in the FE Modeler help.
DesignXplorer
Refer to the DesignXplorer Options section located in the DesignXplorer help.
Licensing: License Management
When you choose this folder for the first time in a Workbench session, there may be a time lag until the options
appear.
The Analysis, Geometry Modeler, and PrepPost, categories include one or both of the following options:
Current: Specifies the license to use for the Workbench session. You choose a license from a drop down
list of license names. If you choose Use Default (one of the options in the list), the license reverts to the
Default setting described below.
Default: When you start a Workbench session, the license stated here will be used. You can change the
default license by choosing it from a drop down list that is similar to the one used for the Current setting.
Note
The Current license selection overrides the Default selection for the current Workbench session
only. The next time you run Workbench the Current selection will be restored to Use Default. Con-
versely, the Default license selection is persistent from run to run.
Graphics Style
The Graphics Style category includes:
Background Style: sets a solid graphic background or a gradient background that varies from top to
bottom, left to right, or diagonally. The default is the top to bottom gradient.
Background Color: sets a graphic background color from the built-in color palette. The default color is
blue.
Background Color2: sets a second graphic background color from the built-in color palette. The second
color is used for gradient background displays. For example, if you want a top-bottom gradient that starts
out white and ends up black, Background Color should be set to white and Background Color2 should
be set to black. The default color is white.
Edge Color: sets the color of all edges from the built-in color palette. The default color is black.
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Unshared Edge Color: sets the color of all edges that are not touching. This is useful for finding modeling
errors in surface body parts. For example, if you see a red line running through the middle of a surface
body part, you'll know that the faces on either side of the line do not share an edge, even though it appears
that they do. Colors from the built-in color palette are available. The default color is red.
Mesh Edge Color: sets the color of all meshed edges from the built-in color palette. The default color is
black.
Text Color: sets the color of all text from the built-in color palette. The default color is black.
Graphics Interaction
The Mouse Buttons category includes options for setting the various button controls on the mouse as well as
button combinations with the Shift and Ctrl keys.
The Zoom category allows you set the preference of whether to zoom on a model by moving the mouse in or
out.
The Rotation category has the following setting:
Dynamic Viewing: If set to Yes and you are making a standard view change (such as front, back, left,
right, bottom, top, isometric, and Look At Face/Plane/Sketch) a short animation is drawn showing the
model moving/twisting toward its final pose. When set to No, there is no animation shown and the view
is immediately changed to the model's final pose. The default setting is Yes. Choose No if you are using
an older graphics card.
The Spaceball category has the following setting:
Use Spaceball: enables the use of the Spaceball 3D import device (not supported in UNIX). The default
setting is Yes.
The Selection category has the following settings:
Extend Selection Angle Limit (degrees): Sets a limit in degrees for what kind of face and edge angles
the system considers smooth. This affects the Extend to Adjacent and Extend to Limits Extend Selection
toolbar buttons in DesignModeler. Extend Selection buttons are also present in Simulation. The default
value is 20
o
and the range is from 0
o
to 90
o
.
Gizmo angle increment (degrees): Sets the angular increment of the Configure tool when defining a
joint. It is used in combination with the Control key. See step 9 under Example: Configuring Joints.
User Interface
The Startup category includes:
Custom Start Screen Configuration URL: Address of an XML configuration file that defines custom
content for the Start Page screen.
Load Headlines at Startup: Indicates if the Headlines and Messages section should appear on the
Project Page when Workbench is started. The default is Yes.
Custom RSS Feed Address: URL to a custom RSS to allow the Headlines and Messages section to list
headlines from that RSS.
The Value Display category includes:
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User Interface
Number of Significant Digits: Sets the number of digits that appear for numbers throughout Workbench.
The default is 5 and the range is from 3 to 10. This setting affects only the numbers that are displayed. It
does not imply any numerical round off of internal calculations.
The Menus/Toolbars category includes:
Show Beta Options: Allows testing of unreleased Workbench features. If the setting is Yes, the beta features
under the tree nodes will be displayed with the word beta in parenthesis. The default is No. Beta features
remain untested in this release and therefore are neither documented nor supported.
Omit Text on Toolbars: Indicates if text tips are to be omitted from toolbar buttons. The default is No.
Note
All toolbars in the Workbench environment have similar behavior in that they truncate rather than
wrap.
The File Management category includes:
Folder for Temporary Files: Determines where temporary files used by ANSYS Workbench will be placed.
The default is operating system dependent.
Save As Preferred Default: Determines the default settings when you choose File> Save As.... The
following choices are available:
Name and location of most recent link (e.g., CAD file) [default]
Location of most recently saved database
Command Line
Under certain conditions such as creating a new simulation from CAD, the default file name and location
are based on the geometry file. If you prefer to organize databases in a separate location, adjusting this
option may provide a more convenient default.
The CAD Licensing Management category includes:
CAD Licensing: Determines whether the CAD license will be released when not in use. When the CAD li-
cense is accessed repeatedly (for example, during DesignXplorer studies), the license may not always be
available if the Release option is used. The following choices are available:
Release (default)
Hold
The Solution Status Startup Management category includes:
Start: Controls the startup of the Solution Status Monitor available on Windows platforms only. The
following choices are available:
When ANSYS Workbench starts (default): Starts the Solution Status Monitor whenever Workbench
starts. If you choose this option and if you had closed the Solution Status Monitor, the Solution
Status Monitor will start when a background solution is performed.
I will start it myself: Allows you to start the Solution Status Monitor manually from the Start menu
using ANSYS11.0> Workbench Utilities> ANSYS Solution Status Monitor.
Use old Solution Status: Allows you to use the Job Status tab in Simulation. This option will not be
available in future releases.
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24
Welcome to the ANSYS Workbench
Geometry Import
Refer to the Geometry Preferences section located in the Simulation help.
CAD Configuration
The CAD Configuration category includes:
Unigraphics Root Directory
Unigraphics License File
Unigraphics Custom Dictionary Filename
Pro/ENGINEER Start Command
Geometry From CAD Opens In
Workbench Limitations
The following limitation applies to the Workbench environment and is not limited to a particular module.
Startup Limitation
You should avoid using a configxx.ans file when using Workbench. Specifically, issuing the ANSYS command
/CONFIG,NOELDBW,1 causes solving problems in Workbench. Also, Workbench ignores any startxx.ans
and stopxx.ans files.
Opening Applet from Start Page
Running Workbench on SuSe 9 sometimes may hang when invoking any applet from the Start Page.To workaround
this hang, set the enviornent variable setenv USEWBANSYS_GL and then run Workbench.
Technical Support
We are dedicated to producing the world's finest mechanical design software tools. Please contact your ANSYS
support provider for any questions you may have on this product.
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Parameter Manager
The following topics are covered in this section:
Limitations
General Description
Operation
Customization via User Callable Functions
Limitations
DesignXplorer and the Parameter Manager cannot be run with linked environments in Simulation
General Description
The Parameter Manager UI is a window that displays all parameters within WB modules. This window can be
used to view input and output parameters, as well as change input parameter values and re-run the complete
analysis to generate new output parameter values. Expressions can be used to relate or combine input parameters,
and new user defined input variables can be added to represent constants or drive exposed input parameters.
Note
Parameter Manager expression always use angle as radians by default.
The Parameter Manager is global throughout the WB applications that support parameters. The exception to
this rule is DesignModeler, which is treated as any other CAD system (i.e. the parameters will not be available
within WB, until the geometry is attached to a WB module.) The Parameter Manager window is a non-docked
floating window, which will remain in place when switching between applications that support parameters. Feel
free to interact with WB and the Parameter Manager simultaneously, as the WB applications should always be
synchronized with the Parameter Manager.
When items within WB are promoted to the Parameter Manager, the value within the application becomes read
only. This should not cause a problem, because the Parameter Manager is always available and the values can
be changed from the Parameter Manager grid.
The Workbench Parameter Manager Window
The Parameter Manager window is a floating, modeless window that contains a toolbar, a simple grid where
each row represents a different parameter, and a status bar to reflect information (progress, error messages,
warnings, etc.)
Fields in a light gray color are read-only, just as in the rest of WB. Fields that have the normal background color
are editable.
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The Workbench Parameter Manager Toolbar
Item Descriptions: For convenience, the tool bar functionality is also provided via a right mouse button context
menu:
Add Variable ( ): Add a user defined variable to the Parameter Manager.
Delete Variable ( ): Delete a user defined variable from the Parameter Manager.
Copy ( ): Copy the contents of one or more cells to the clipboard.
Paste ( ): Paste the contents of the clipboard to one or more selected cells.
Send Values ( ): Send the current values of all input parameters back to the respective applications.
Refresh ( ): Refresh the current values in the Parameter Manager from the respective applications.
Run ( ): Send the current values of all input parameters back to the respective applications and then run
these applications to produce the output parameter values.
Stop ( : Stop the operations that are currently being performed within the Run.
Help ( ): Access the Parameter Manager help system.
Note
Items in the toolbar and right mouse button menu are context sensitive, i.e. they will be enabled or
disabled depending on your current selection or right mouse button click location within the Para-
meter Manager grid.
The Workbench Parameter Manager Grid
Column Descriptions:
Unnamed (checkbox) : Controls whether or not the parameter is exposed to external applications and/or
DesignXplorer. If the box is checked, then the parameter is exposed.
Source: A text string that represents the source of the parameter. This Column is Read-Only.
ID: The parameters expression ID. This is the identifier that will be used within parameter expressions. This
field can be changed, provided that the identifiers x, y, z, and time are not used.
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Parameter Manager
Name: The Name of the parameter. This field can be changed. Names do not have to be unique, but it is re-
commended to name the parameters well, to avoid confusion. An icon in this field is used to identify each
parameter as an input parameter ( ) or an output parameter ( ).
Current Value : The current value of the parameter. This value can be changed for input parameters, but is
Read-Only for output parameters.
Expression: This field can be blank, or contain an expression that defines the current value of the input
parameter.This field cannot be used for output parameters.The expression can be either numerical or contain
any valid combination of expression IDs (see Expressions for more information).
Operation
The following topics are covered in this section:
Sending values back to applications using the Parameter Manager
Running a parameter scenario in the Parameter Manager
Refreshing the values in the Parameter Manager Grid
Adding user defined variables to the Parameter Manager
Expressions
Restrictions
Project synchronization and Workbench files
Creating Parameters within Workbench applications
Sending values back to applications using the Parameter Manager
Input parameter values can be sent back to their respective applications by changing the values in the Current
Value column and then clicking the Send Values ( ) button. When the button is clicked, the applications will
be synchronized with the Parameter Manager Current Values. Note that this operation does not actually run
the analysis, but only sets the value within each application.
Running a parameter scenario in the Parameter Manager
Clicking the Run ( ) button in the toolbar will essentially perform a Send Values and then a complete run of the
analysis. The Parameter Manager understands the structure of the project and can therefore update the para-
meters and run the project items in the correct order.
For instance a simple Workbench scenario that contains geometry input parameters and Simulation input/output
parameters will be run by the following steps:
1. The geometry input parameters will be sent back to the CAD system.
2. The geometry will be updated in the CAD system and automatically transferred into Simulation
3. The Simulation input parameters will be sent back to Simulation.
4. Simulation will perform the necessary meshing and solving steps.
5. The output parameters in the Parameter Manager will be updated.
While these steps are taking place, progress messages will be displayed to reflect the current solution status.
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Running a parameter scenario in the Parameter Manager
Also notice that many of the operations within the Parameter Manager Toolbar are disabled. If at any point you
wish to stop the analysis, just click the Stop button in the toolbar, or select Stop ( ) button in the right mouse
button context menu for any row in the Parameter Manager Grid.
Note
It is not recommended that you interact with Workbench while the Parameter Manager is running.
Refreshing the values in the Parameter Manager Grid
In some rare cases, the values within the Parameter Manager Grid may appear to be out of synch with values in
the applications. This can happen if the application databases are saved, but the Workbench Project file is not
saved when exiting Workbench. To re-synchronize the values in the Parameter Manager Grid with the values in
the applications themselves, simply click the Refresh ( ) button in the toolbar.
Adding user defined variables to the Parameter Manager
The Parameter Manager also allows the insertion of input parameters that can be used to drive other input
variables or define useful constants within expressions.
To add an input variable to the Parameter Manager Grid, simply click the Add Variable ( ) button in the toolbar.
This action will add a new input variable, with the default value of 0 and the lowest possible Pn expression
id, where n is the next consecutive integer in the existing list of Pn expression ids.
Feel free to change the expression id. An expression id can be any string that begins with an upper or lower case
letter and does not contain any non-alphanumeric characters. The case of the expression id will be respected
within the expressions, however, it is not recommended to give parameters expression ids with varying case.
For instance, using A and a as expression ids at the same time can become very confusing.
Certain variable names that are used throughout Workbench are also restricted. The following expression ids
cannot be used within the Parameter Manager: X, x, Y, y, Z, z, and time.
To delete a variable (or any parameter) simply select a cell in the row for the parameter that needs to be deleted
and click the Delete ( ) button in the toolbar. Be careful, as this operation will invalidate any expression that is
currently using the variable that is deleted.
Expressions
Expressions within the Parameter Manager can be used to relate input parameters or create constant values
(such as pi, e, etc.) The last column in the Parameter Manager Grid contains this expression. Expressions can be
any combination of input parameters and/or constant values. Output parameters cannot be used within expres-
sions. If an expression to a discrete parameter evaluates to a non-integer value, the value will be truncated.
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Parameter Manager
Assuming input parameters with Expression IDs of P1, P2, PI, and P5 exist; all of the following are valid equations:
P1 PI*5
PI acos(-1)
P5 P1 + 10/50
Parsing errors are detected in a first pass through the parameter expressions. If any parsing errors occur, none
of the parameter expressions are evaluated.The error is always indicated by a bright yellow color.The expressions
will not be evaluated until the parsing error is resolved. Expressions that are not evaluated are indicated by a
light yellow color.
Circular references are not allowed. If a circular reference is detected, none of the other expressions are evaluated.
For instance, the simplest form of a circular expression is setting a parameter equal to itself.
P1 P1
Similarly, using the parameters expression id within the expression is a circular reference.
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Expressions
P1 5 + 1*P1 + cos(P1)
Using parameter ids within expressions in any cyclic fashion is in fact not allowed.
P1 P2
P2 P1
Or
P1 P5
P2 P1
P5 P2
Notice that the first circular reference is highlighted in yellow, and that all expressions that are dependent on
the first circular reference are highlighted in pink. All parameter expressions that depend on the cell for which
the circular reference is detected contain an error message back to the row in which the error originates. All
other expressions will not be evaluated until the circular reference is resolved.
Numerical errors are detected in a similar fashion.
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32
Parameter Manager
In this case, a divide by 0 is attempted in the expression for parameter P1. This is indicated by highlighting the
expression field in yellow. All parameters that depend on this expression are highlighted in pink.
The main difference between parsing/circular reference errors and numerical errors is that the remaining expres-
sions are evaluated if a numerical expression is detected.
In addition to numerical errors, if an expression evaluates to a value which falls outside of the range of values
that are acceptable for the parameter (this range is defined by the application that creates the parameter) then
the expression will be treated as if a numerical error occurs. It may be necessary to read the documentation for
the value for which the parameter is exposed to determine why the expression evaluates to a value outside of
the acceptable range.
The Parameter Manager first checks for parsing errors. If no parsing errors are found, the Parameter Manager
checks for circular references. If either parsing errors or circular references are found, the remaining expressions
are not evaluated. If neither parsing errors nor circular reference errors are found, the expressions are evaluated
in dependency based order. If a numerical error is encountered, expressions depending on the expression that
causes the numerical error are not evaluated, but all other expressions are evaluated.
Restrictions
1. DesignModeler is treated as any other CAD system. The Parameter Manager is not directly supported
from DesignModeler. In order to expose CAD parameters to the Parameter Manager, Simulation must
attach to the geometry. The personal parameter key is respected in the exposure of parameters to the
Parameter Manager.
2. Output parameters cannot be used within parameter expressions.
3. Parameters that are driven by an expression will not be exposed to DesignXplorer.
4. If there are parsing errors, circular reference errors, or numerical errors within any Parameter Manager
Expression, DesignXplorer will not start.
5. In Simulation only Constant fields can be promoted to the Parameter Manager. Items defined with
Tabular or Function cannot be promoted.
6. If the state of an item is changed within a Workbench component all parameters associated with that
item will be removed. For instance, changing a force from Define By Magnitude to Define By Vector
will cause all parameters associated with the Force to be removed.
7. If an item is deleted from a Workbench component, all parameters associated with that item will be re-
moved. For instance, removing a material,Structural Steel from Engineering Data will cause all para-
meters associated with Structural Steel to be removed.
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Restrictions
8. If the name of an item within a Workbench component is changed after a parameter is already created
for that item, the name of the parameter will not be updated. Simply remove and then re-add the para-
meter to see the updated name, or update the name manually in the Parameter Manager Grid.
9. Geometry parameters cannot be deleted from the Parameter Manager directly. To remove a geometry
parameter, you must remove the parameter from the CAD system itself.
10. Do not use localhost as the Solve Manager within Simulations Solve Process Settings. Instead, use the
machine name of the local machine directly. This will functionally produce the exact same behavior, but
will avoid potential problems related to the management of the Simulation result files.
Project synchronization and Workbench files
All parameter information within Workbench is stored within a *.params file that resides in the Workbench Project
directory. This file is saved and resumed simultaneously with the Workbench Project file. It is important to always
save the Workbench Project file as well as always resume a Workbench session using the Workbench Project
(*.wbdb) file.
There are a few scenarios within the current implementation that can be problematic if they are not handled
correctly.
1. Resuming old Simulation databases that contain parameters: Take care to save both the Simulation
database and the Workbench Project file if you resume a Simulation database from a previous release.
For old databases that include Command objects whose Input Arguments are parameterized as indicated
by checked boxes, the boxes will be unchecked when the database is resumed into the current release
of the product. You will need to re-check the boxes to allow the parameters to enter the Parameter
Manager.
2. Exiting Workbench without saving the Project file: This is not recommended. You should always save
the project file when working with parameters.
3. Resuming files other than the Workbench Project file: When working with parameters, you should
always resume via the Workbench Project (*.wbdb) file.
4. DesignModeler: Since DesignModeler does not interact directly with the Parameter Manager, it is not
necessary to save/resume from the Project level if you plan to *ONLY* use DesignModeler within Work-
bench.
5. Copying Workbench files to a different location: Copying individual files from the project directory
is not recommended. The entire project directory should be copied if it needs to be relocated or sent to
another user.
6. Save AsWithin Simulation: If you are using parameters, do not use the Save As feature within
Simulation.
7. Unit Synchronization: Each parameter stores information about the unit system of the Current Value.
When resuming a database within Workbench, checks are done to assure that the unit system of the
application is synchronized with the unit system of the parameter Current Value. If the unit systems are
not synchronized, the Parameter Manager will reset the parameter Current Value to reflect the unit system
and value as defined in the application.
Creating Parameters within Workbench applications
When you resume a 9.0 or 10.0 Simulation database into release 11.0, and the database contains "Parameter
Manager" items in the Simulation tree, the items are displayed as read only to allow the runs to be copied. These
runs can then be pasted into a new DesignXplorer What-If session. When the database is saved in release 11.0,
the "Parameter Manager" items in the Simulation tree will no longer display any data.
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Parameter Manager
Customization via User Callable Functions
Workbench User Callable Functions (WBUCF) provide Application Programming Interface (API) wrappers that
are used to access the ANSYS Workbench Parameter Manager. APIs are only supported on the Windows platform.
SDKDLL applet using C++ (Windows Systems Only)
The API supported by the WBUserCallableFunctions Module (WBUCF) is accessed from within an SDKDLL applet.
CComPtr < IWBUCF > GPIWBUCF;
CComPtr < IUCFDataSet > GPIDATASET;
.
.
.
if (GPIWBUCF == NULL)
{
// Create an instance of a WBUCF
hr = CoCreateInstance(CLSID_WBUCF,NULL,
CLSCTX_INPROC_SERVER,IID_IWBUCF,(void**) & GPIWBUCF);
if(!SUCCEEDED(hr)) return false;
// Attach the current WB to the WBUCF
hr = GPIWBUCF->LoadWB( (IDispatch*)(sdk_WB.pObject) );
if(!SUCCEEDED(hr)) return false;
// Get the DataSet
hr = GPIWBUCF->get_DataSet( & GPIDATASET);
if(!SUCCEEDED(hr)) return false; }
At this point you are ready to get an instance of the Parameter Manager.
Standalone application using C++ (Windows Systems Only)
The API supported by the WBUserCallableFunctions Module (WBUCF) can be accessed from within a standalone
application. The following code snippet would be added to the applications main function.
CComPtr<IWBUCF>GPIWBUCF;
CComPtr<IUCFDataSet>GPIDATASET;
.
.
.
if (GPIWBUCF == NULL)
{
hr = CoInitialize(NULL);
if(!SUCCEEDED(hr)) return false;
// Create an instance of a WBUCF
hr = CoCreateInstance(CLSID_WBUCF,NULL,
CLSCTX_INPROC_SERVER,IID_IWBUCF,
(void**) &GPIWBUCF);
if(!SUCCEEDED(hr)) return false;
//Attach the current WB to the WBUCF
hr = GPIWBUCF->LoadWB(NULL);
if(!SUCCEEDED(hr)) return false;
// Activate the WB
hr = GPIWBUCF->RunWB(VARIANT_FALSE);
if(!SUCCEEDED(hr)) return false;
// Get the DataSet
hr = GPIWBUCF->get_DataSet(&AUTODYN_DataSet);
if(!SUCCEEDED(hr)) return false;
}
At this point you are ready to get an instance of the Parameter Manager.
WBUCF::ExitWB (Savekey)
The savekey (WBUCF::ExitWB) is not used at this time.
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WBUCF::ExitWB (Savekey)
Parameter Manager User Callable Function (UCF) Interfaces
This section outlines the User Callable Function (UCF) Interfaces and Enumerations used with the Workbench
Parameter Manager.
UCFParameterManager Interface
The following Properties and Methods are associated with the UCFParameterManager interface.
Description Property
Returns all parameters in the parameter collection. Parameters
Parameters
HRESULT Parameters(IUCFParameterCollection** pVal);
Description Method
Generates output based on the current parameter settings. Run
Run
HRESULT Run();
UCFParameterCollection Interface
The following Properties and Methods are associated with the UCFParameterCollection interface.
Description Properties
Returns the number of parameters in the collection. Count
Returns a collection item as a UCFParameter interface. Item
Count
HRESULT Count(long* pVal);
Item
HRESULT Item(long index, IUCFParameter** pVal);
Note
Index is 1based
Description Methods
Returns a collection of parameters based on the filter string. Filter
Returns a collection of parameters matching the input string. FindParameterByID
Filter
HRESULT Filter(BSTR bsFilterString, IUCFParameterCollection** pVal);
Valid filter strings:
Input
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Parameter Manager
Output
Continuous
Published
Dirty
Source
FindParameterByID
HRESULT FindParameterByID(BSTR bsParamID, IUCFParameter** pVal);
UCFParameter Interface
The following Properties and Methods are associated with the UCFParameter interface.
Description Properties
Returns whether the parameter is an input or output. Access
Returns all attributes in the attribute collection. Attributes
Sets or returns the parameters caption. Caption
Sets or returns the parameters current value. CurrentValue
Returns the unique ID of the parameter. ID
Returns the nature of the parameter. Nature
Access
HRESULT Access(eUCFParameterAccess* pVal);
Attributes
HRESULT Attributes(IUCFAttributeCollection** ppVal);
Caption
(put) HRESULT Caption(BSTR newVal);
(get) HRESULT Caption(BSTR* pVal);
CurrentValue
(put) HRESULT CurrentValue(VARIANT vtVal);
(get) HRESULT CurrentValue(VARIANT* vtVal);
ID
HRESULT ID(BSTR* pVal);
Nature
HRESULT Nature(long* pVal);
UCFAttributeCollection Interface
The following Properties and Methods are associated with the UCFAttributeCollection interface.
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UCFAttributeCollection Interface
Description Properties
Returns the number of attributes in the collection. Count
Returns an attribute item as a UCFAttribute interface. Item
Count
HRESULT Count(long* pVal);
Item
HRESULT Item(VARIANT vtIndex, IUCFAttribute** pVal);
Note
Index is 1based
UCFAttribute Interface
The following Properties and Methods are associated with the UCFAttribute interface.
Description Properties
Returns the number of attribute values in the attribute. Count
Returns an attribute value item as a UCFAttributeValue interface. Item
Returns the attributes name. Name
Count
HRESULT Count(long* pVal);
Item
HRESULT Item(VARIANT vtIndex, IUCFAttributeValue** pVal);
Note
Index is 1based
Name
HRESULT Name(BSTR* pVal);
UCFAttributeValue Interface
The following Properties and Methods are associated with the UCFAttributeValue interface.
Description Properties
Returns the attribute values name. Name
Returns the value of the attribute value. Value
Name
HRESULT Name(BSTR* pVal);
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Parameter Manager
Value
HRESULT Value(VARIANT* vtVal);
Enumerations
eUCFParameterAccess
eAccessInput = 1,
eAccessOutput
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Enumerations
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The Remote Solve Manager (RSM)
The following topics are covered in this section:
Quick Start
Introduction
Setup
User Accounts and Passwords
Terminology
Capabilities
User Interface
Administration
Integration with Unix/Linux using RSH/RCP
Integration with Unix/Linux using SSH/SCP
Additional Unix/Linux Considerations
Integration with Platform LSF Cluster on Windows
Integration with Platform LSF Cluster on Unix/Linux
Integration with Microsoft Compute Cluster
Integration with other Job Schedulers
Customization Guide
Quick Start
Remote Solve Manager (RSM) is a tool used to offload solve processes to remote machines with more processing
power. To use RSM, you must first understand the following primary functions:
Compute Server - A Compute Server is the machine on which jobs are run. In most cases, the Compute
Server refers to a remote machine, but it can also refer to your local machine (My Computer). Compute
Servers are created using the RSMuser interface.
Queue - A Queue is a list of Compute Servers. When a job is sent to a Queue, the Solve Manager selects
an idle Compute Server in the list. Queues are created using the RSMuser interface.
Solve Process Setting - Solve Process Settings are defined in Workbench Simulation.They specify, among
other things, the Solve Manager and Queue to use for the job.
The following sections describe the steps to setup RSM and Solve Process Settings in Workbench as well as the
steps to use RSM to solve a Workbench project locally, via a remote machine, and using Distributed ANSYS.
Setup and Solve
Solving via Remote RSM
Distributed ANSYS
Setup and Solve
The following procedure describes the steps to quickly setup a remote solve. It will allow you to become familiar
with the setup procedure as well as the RSM user interface.
1. Open RSM user interface: The RSM user interface application automatically starts when Workbench is
opened and runs as a Windows tray application. Double-click the icon in the tray to open the main window.
You can also use the Start menu to launch the RSM.
2. Set Password: If this is the first time you are using the RSM, it is necessary to cache your Windows account
password. See the User Accounts and Passwords section for details.
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3. Create Compute Server.Windows Compute Servers require different settings than Linux/UNIX Compute
Servers. See the various Integration sections for details.
Note
Once created, be sure to test the Compute Servers configuration: Select the new server, right-
click the mouse, and then select Test Server. Use the log window to validate the test.
4. Create a Queue: See the Creating a Queue section for more information. Select only the Compute
Servers created in the step above.
5. Solve a project in Workbench:
a. In Simulation, select Tools>Solve Process Settings.
b. Press the Add Local button to create a new Solve Process Setting. The Solve Manager is automat-
ically set to My Computer. Set the Queue to the Queue created above.
c. Press OK. See the Solving Overview section of the Simulation documentation for additional details.
d. To send your job to the Queue, select the drop-down menu next to the Solve button in Simulation
and select the Solve Process Setting created above. The progress of the job can be viewed in the
RSM user interface.When the job is selected in the top list, the Log Messages pane will be populated.
e. When the solution is complete, a green arrow appears beside Solution in the Outline. To display
the results of the remote solve in Workbench, right-click Solution and select Get Results.
Solving via Remote RSM
To view and send jobs to Queues that are managed by remote RSM:
1. In the RSM user interface select Tools>Options.
2. In the name field, enter the name of the remote Solve Manager machine. This machine must have the
RSM installed.
3. Press the Add button and then OK.The remote machine and all of its Queues and Compute Servers appear
in the tree view. See the Solving Overview section of the Simulation documentation for additional details.
4. Set the password again for the account on the remote machine.
5. From an open project in Simulation, select Tools>Solve Process Settings.
6. Press the Add Remote button to create a new Solve Process Setting.
7. Name the Solution Process Setting.
8. Enter the name of the remote RSM machine in the Solve Manager field.
9. Select a Queue from the Queue drop-down menu and click OK.
10. Send your job to the Queue by selecting the drop-down menu beside the Solve button and select the
Solve Process Setting created above. View the progress of the job in the RSM user interface.The remote
Solve Manager must be selected in the tree for those jobs to be listed.
11. When the solution is complete, a green arrow appears beside Solution in the Outline. To display the
results of the remote solve in Workbench, right-click Solution and select Get Results.
Distributed ANSYS
It is possible to use Distributed ANSYS via the Remote Solve Manager.
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The Remote Solve Manager (RSM)
1. Open the RSM user interface: If this is the first time you are using the RSM, it is necessary to cache your
Windows account password. See the User Accounts and Passwords section for details.
2. Create a Compute Server that corresponds to the master machine for the desired solve. Windows
Compute Servers require different settings than Linux/UNIX Compute Servers. See the various Integration
sections for details.
Note
Once created, be sure to test the Compute Servers configuration: Select the new sever, right-
click the mouse, and then select Test Server.
3. Create a Queue: Under Queues, select only the Compute Servers that correspond to the master machine.
No other machines should be in the Queue. See the Creating a Queue section for more information.
4. Solve a project in Workbench Simulation:
a. From Simulation, select Tools>Solve Process Settings.
b. Click the Add Local button to create a new Solve Process Setting. Set the Queue to the Queue
created above.
c. In the same dialog box, press the Advanced button. Check Distribute ANSYS Solution. If using
multiple processors on the master machine only, select the number of processors. If distributing
among multiple machines, in the Additional Command Line Arguments text box, enter the argu-
ments that correspond to machine configuration. For example:
-machines mastermachine:#cpu:othermachine:#cpu
For a multiple machine run, the master machine (the only machine in the Queue created above)
must be the first machine listed after the -machines argument.
d. Click the OK button in the Advanced Properties dialog box and press OK again in the Solve Process
Settings dialog box. See the Solving Overview section of the Simulation documentation for addi-
tional details.
e. To send your job to the Queue, select the drop-down menu next to the Solve button in Simulation
and select the Solve Process Setting created above. The progress of the job can be viewed in the
RSM user interface.
f. When the solution is complete, a green arrow appears beside Solution in the Outline. To display
the results of the remote solve in Workbench, right-click Solution and select Get Results.
Introduction
Remote Solve Manager is a job queuing system. Any computer with RSM installed can act as the Client, Solve
Manager or Compute Server.These different functions are often referred to as the tiers of the software architecture.
Further, a computer with RSM installed may act simultaneously as two or all three of the tiers.
The Client is the computer that submits the job to the Solve Manager. The Client has the end-user application
installed such as Workbench Simulation.
The Solve Manager is configured with Compute Servers and Queues. Jobs are submitted to a Queue and the
Solve Manager is responsible for dispatching the job to an idle Compute Server. The RSM administrator decides
if users should use the Solve Manager on their local machine or a central Solve Manager. This will depend on the
number of users and compute resources. The most effective use of RSM is to designate one computer as the
Solve Manager for central management of compute resources. All clients then submit jobs to one or more Queues
configured for that Solve Manager and their jobs are dispatched as compute resources become available.
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Introduction
The Compute Server is the computer on which the Job is run. A Compute Server may be the local machine
(localhost) or a remote Windows computer. Compute Server Proxy settings are used to utilize Unix/Linux
computers and integrate with third party queuing systems (for example, LSF, Microsoft Compute Cluster). Once
Compute Servers are configured, they are added to a Queue. A Queue can contain multiple Compute Servers.
Jobs must specify a Queue when they are submitted to Solve Manager.
RSM is really the underlying services that dispatch and run jobs. Included with RSM is an administration and
status application that allows you to view and manage local and remote Solve Managers. This application is not
required for RSM to function, however, for the purposes of this documentation we may refer to this application
and RSM as being one and the same. This application may also be referred to as the RSM user interface.
The RSM user interface is a single instance application that, by default, loads in the Windows system tray. Double-
clicking on the tray icon ( ) will open the application main window. With the RSM user interface you can filter
jobs by status, manage queues and servers of local and remote solve managers, monitor the progress of jobs,
and delete jobs. In addition, the Desktop Alert is a small popup dialog that appears in the bottom right portion
of the screen near the system tray. It provides limited status information without opening the main window.
Clicking on the desktop alert dialog will also open the main window.
Setup
RSM is normally installed along with ANSYS Workbench products by checking Remote Solve Manager during
the setup. If installed this way, RSM will be automatically removed when Workbench is uninstalled. ANSYS Remote
Solve Manager (RSM) 11.0 will appear separately in the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel applet and can
be safely removed this way also.
If a computer will be acting solely as the Solve Manager such that Workbench and ANSYS Solvers are not required,
RSM can be installed separately by locating and running the [media]\RSMSetup\JMSetup.MSI Windows Installer
package.
Note
A Windows Compute Server may require a reboot before functioning properly. For example, if a job
fails with an RSM log message ANSYS110_DIR not found, it is likely that a reboot is required for
RSM services to see newly created environment variables set by the Workbench setup.
User Accounts and Passwords
One of the first things a user should do after installing RSM is cache their Windows account password with
the local (My Computer) and/or remote Solve Manager. RSM caches Windows account passwords so that it
can run Jobs on the Compute Server on behalf of the user. The passwords are encrypted and stored by the Solve
Manager. Each Solver Manager has a list of registered Windows accounts. Anytime a password changes, it must
be reset in RSM. See the Tree View section under User Interface for details about setting account passwords.
RSM is designed to be used in a domain environment. This means users have network domain accounts rather
than accounts on their local computer. The users account must have permission to access the network and then
execute Jobs on Compute Servers.
Terminology
Client: The Client computer submits the Job to the Solve Manager via an end-user application such as ANSYS
Workbench.
Solve Manager: This computer has Queues and Compute Server configured.
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The Remote Solve Manager (RSM)
Compute Server: As of this writing this is always a Windows-based computer (non-Window operating system
equipped with Mono [http://www.mono-project.com/] may be supported in a future release). This Job Script
runs on this computer.
Queue: A list of one or more Compute Servers. A Job specifies a Queue when submitted to the Solve Manager.
The Solve Manager dispatches queued jobs to available Compute Servers.
Job: A Job is defined by input and output files and a script to run that will perform some task Jobs are submitted
to a local or remote Solve Manager. RSM handles the transfer of input and output files.
Job Template: An XML file that defines the Job: inputs, outputs and Job Script. Job templates are located in
%ANSYSRSM_ROOT110%\Config\xml on the Solve Manager machine.
Job Script: One or more code files defined in Code Template (see below). The Job Script is sent to the Compute
Server, compiled and run.
Code Template: An XML file containing code files (for example, C#, VB, JScript), references and support files re-
quired for the Job. Code Templates are located in %ANSYSRSM_ROOT110%\Config\xml on the Solve Manager
machine.
Job Script: One or more code files defined in Code Template.The script are sent to the Compute Server, compiled
and run.
Compute Proxy: A Compute Proxy is defined in the Compute Server properties dialog. Proxy settings are used
by Job Scripts to integrate with Unix/Linux machines and third party job schedulers (for example, LSF, Microsoft
Compute Cluster).
Capabilities
RSM natively supports Windows 2000 and later versions as well as 64-bit versions. In a future release, RSM will
natively support non-Windows operating systems equipped with Mono: an open source equivalent to Microsoft
.Net.Natively means that RSM is installed and runs directly on that platform.
RSM also supports non-Windows operating systems via Compute Proxy settings and customized Job Scripts.
Built-in Job Scripts for the ANSYS Solvers utilize RSH and SSH network communication protocols. Support for
other protocols is possible through customization of Job Scripts (see the Customization Guide).
Support of third party job schedulers such as LSF and Microsoft Compute Cluster (MSCC) are also supported using
Compute Proxy settings and custom Job Scripts. Built-in Job Scripts for the ANSYS Solvers integrate with LSF
and MSCC in this way. Additional job schedulers can be integrated via customization of Job Scripts (see the
Customization Guide).
User Interface
This section describes the functional elements of the RSM administration and status application (also known as
the RSM user interface). The main window of the application is shown below.
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User Interface
The functional elements of the interface include the following:
Description Interface Element
Provides selectable menu options. Menu Bar
Toolbar Show: drop down list - filters jobs that will display. Choices are: All
Jobs, Completed, Running, Queued, and Failed.
Delete button - deletes a currently selected job or jobs.The function
is the same as using the Remove option of the List View context
menu or the Delete key.
All Owner Jobs button - Displays or hides jobs that belong to owners
other than yourself. The function is the same as using View> All
Owner Jobs in the Menu Bar.
Progress Pane button - Displays or hides the progress pane. The
function is the same as using View> Progress Pane in the Menu Bar.
Shows configured queues and servers for one or more Solve Managers. Tree View
Displays current jobs. You may delete jobs from this area. List View
Displays the job progress and log messages. Progress Pane
Located at the bottom of the interface window, it contains two panes: Status Bar
Information pane shows the status of the application and displays
informative tips when you hover your mouse above a menu item.
Job count pane displays the number of jobs displayed in the list
view.
The tray context menu is a duplication of most options available via the
main menu.
Tray
In addition, to the user interface elements described above, the Remote Solve Manager user interface provides
two other interactive elements that include:
RSM Tray Icon - Double clicking the tray icon displays the main window. The tray icon changes based on
the status of jobs (no jobs running, at least one job is running, at least one job has failed). A tool tip is
available on the tray icon to display the current status of jobs.
Desktop Alert - The Desktop Alert automatically displays when jobs are active. It displays the running,
queued and completed jobs. The number of queued, running and completed jobs is also displayed in the
window title. Tool tips are available on the individual jobs that show the full name of the job. If all jobs
are finished, the desktop alert will disappear automatically. If you wish to hide the desktop alert, use the
menu options or tray context (right-click) menu to turn it off. Closing the desktop alert will not cause it
to hide itself permanently, it will pop-up again as long as jobs are active unless turned off. Finished jobs
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The Remote Solve Manager (RSM)
can be hidden by using the Tools> Options menu or the tray context menu. A screen capture of this
window is shown below.
The following sections describe further details of the RSM interface:
Menu Bar
Tree View
List View
Progress Pane
Tray Context Menu
Menu Bar
The menu bar provides the following functions.
Function Selections Menu
Hides the main window. The application continues to
run in the tray.
Close File
Main window remains in front of all other windows
unless minimized.
Always On Top Options
If checked, RSM will not appear in the task bar when
minimized. It will only appear as a tray icon.
Hide When Minimized
Displays or hides jobs that belong to owners other than
yourself (if checked, shows your jobs and other owners,
otherwise displays only jobs which you own).
All Owner Jobs View
Displays or hides the progress pane. Progress Pane
Forces the list view to update immediately, regardless
of the update speed setting.
Refresh Now
Provides the following submenu selections: Update Speed
High - updates the display automatically every 2
seconds.
Normal - updates the display automatically every 4
seconds.
Low - updates the display automatically every 8
seconds.
Paused - the display will not automatically update.
Enables/disables the desktop alert window. Desktop Alert Tools
Deletes the selected job or jobs. Remove
Displays the Remote Solve Manager options window. Options
Displays the Help system in another browser window. ANSYS Remote Solve Manager Help Help
Provides information about the program. About ANSYS Remote Solve Manager
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Menu Bar
Tree View
The tree view contains a list of servers and queues setup on either your local machine (shown as My Computer)
or a remote Solve Manager.You can set passwords and configure queues and servers via the context (right-click)
menus of the tree nodes. See the Administration section for further details.
List View
You can customize which fields are displayed in the list view using the context (right-click) menu. You may also
sort the displayed fields by selecting the appropriate column you wish to sort. You may delete jobs that belong
to you by clicking the delete button in the toolbar, or clicking Remove in the context menu, or pressing the delete
key.The List View supports the deletion of multiple jobs by highlighting the jobs you wish to remove and following
the above steps to delete them. If you delete a job, the job may not be removed from the list view immediately.
It will disappear the next time the List View is refreshed.
Note
Removing a Running job may not cleanup processes spawned by the Job. Caution should be used
when using this functionality. In general, it is safer to use the job stopping option in the application
that submitted the job (for example, ANSYS Workbench Simulation).
If a Job was in the Running state when removed, it will be cancelled (stopped) but remain in the
list. Use Remove again to remove the Job from the list.
List View Context Menu Options
The List View context menu provides the following options:
Remove - same as main menu.
Set Priority - see Changing Job Priority below.
Job - always available.
Status - display or hide the status column.
Submitted - display or hide the submitted column.
Owner - display or hide the owner column.
Priority - display or hide the priority column.
Server - display or hide the server column.
Queue - display or hide the queue column.
Changing Job Priority
When jobs are submitted they have a default priority of Normal. To change the priority of a Queued job, click
the right mouse button on the job name, choose Set Priority from the context menu, and change the priority.
The higher priority jobs in a queue will run first. Changing the priority of a job that is in any state except Queued
will have no effect. Only RSM Administrators can change a priority to the highest level.
Progress Pane
This pane provides the following fields:
The Progress bar shows actual progress, however, the progress is only as accurate as what is provided
by the Job Script.
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The Remote Solve Manager (RSM)
The Log Messages pane displays messages about the job. You can copy the log messages using the
context menu or the Copy (Ctrl+C) key combination. The log will automatically scroll to keep the most
recent messages in view. To stop automatic scrolling, select one or more lines in the log. To resume
automatic scrolling Ctrl-select the selected line(s) so that no lines are selected.
Tray Context Menu
By right-clicking the Tray icon, you receive the following options:
Description Menu Option
Displays the Options dialog box, which includes: Options
Solve Managers list the list of available solve manager machines.
You can Add, Delete, or Change machine names in the list.
Desktop Alert Settings check boxes, which include the following:
Show Running Jobs
Show Pending Jobs
Show Completed Jobs
Same as Menu Bar option. Help
Same as Menu Bar option. About
Same as Menu Bar option. All Owner Jobs
Same as Menu Bar option. Desktop Alert
Displays the main solution status monitor window. Open Job Status
Exits the RSM administration and status application. Exit
Administration
RSM administrators must satisfy one of the following requirements.
They are a Windows administrator on the Solve Manager machine (they are in the local or domain Admin-
istrators group).
They are a member of the RSM Admins group on the Solve Manager machine. If this method is used,
the RSM services [ANSYS JobManager Service and ANSYS ScriptHost Service] may need to be restarted
for the changes to take effect.
A user with RSM administrator privileges can create/modify Compute Servers and Queues, set Job priority and
delete Jobs of any user.
Creating a Compute Server
To create a Compute Server right click on the Compute Servers node for the desired Solver Manager and select
Add. For example, to create a Compute Server in your local Solve Manager, select the Compute Servers node
under My Computer. The Compute Server Properties dialog will appear as shown below.
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Creating a Compute Server
A short description of each field is displayed in the bottom portion of the dialog box when a field is selected.
1. General
Friendly Name: This name can be any descriptive string for the compute server. It is initialized to
Server (date time) to guarantee its uniqueness. Examples of friendly names include My Computer,
Bobs Computer, or My Computer to Linux Proxy.
Machine Name: Currently, this is always a Windows-based computer that has RSM installed. Use
localhost for the local machine or an actual network machine name. If using localhost, note that this
means the Solve Manager machine is also acting as the Compute Server.
Enabled: If True, this Compute Server can accept Jobs.
Working Directory: Directory on the Compute Server where the Job is run. Job Scripts, input and
output files are located in this directory. If blank, the system temporary directory is used which is
defined by the TMP environment variable. RSM Administrator users must have write access to
this directory.
Logging Enabled: If True, a log file is created in the Windows temporary directory on the Solve
Manager machine. The file name will have the form RSM_machine.log.
Start Time: Time in 24 hr HH:MM:SS format at which time the Compute Server can accept Jobs. Use
00:00:00 for both Start Time and End Time for 24 hour availability.
End Time: Time in 24 hour HH:MM:SS format at which time the Compute Server stops accepting
jobs. Jobs already running at the end time will continue to run. Use 00:00:00 for both Start Time and
End Time for 24 hour availability.
2. Compute Proxy
Keyword: Keywords invoke customized Job Scripts. For example, the standard Code Template for
an ANSYS Solver job is AnsysCode.xml. If the keyword RSH is entered, the Code Template Ansy-
sCode_RSH.xml is used which contains a different set of code files designed to communicate with
another computer using the RSH/RCP protocol. The remaining proxy settings are used exclusively
by the custom Job Script.
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The Remote Solve Manager (RSM)
Machine Name:This proxy setting is normally used to specify a non-Windows compute proxy machine.
This value is accessed with the Task.ProxyMachine property in the Job Script.The setting can be used
for any purpose by a custom Job Script.
Account Name: This proxy setting is normally used to specify an account name on a non-Windows
compute proxy machine.This value is accessed with the Task.ProxyAccount property in the Job Script.
The setting can be used for any purpose by a custom Job Script. A blank entry is allowed.
Working Directory: This proxy setting is normally used to specify a working directory on the non-
Windows compute proxy machine. This value is accessed with the Task.ProxyWorkingDirectory
property in the Job Script. The setting can be used for any purpose by a custom Job Script. A blank
entry is allowed.
Testing a Compute Server
A Compute Server configuration can be tested by right clicking on the Compute Server node in the tree selecting
Test Server. This will run a test Job using the settings provided. By viewing the Log Messages in the Progress
Pane, you can determine if the actual Job will work.
Creating a Queue
To create a Queue, right-click on the Queues node for the desired Solver Manager and select Add. For example,
to create a Queue in your local Solve Manager, select the Queues node under My Computer. The Queue
Properties dialog will appear as shown below.
The Queue Properties dialog contains the following:
Name: This name can be any descriptive string for the Queue. It is initialized to Queue (date time) to
guarantee its uniqueness. Examples of Queue names include My Computer, Linux Servers, or MS Compute
Cluster.
Enabled: If True, the Solve Manager will dispatch queued Jobs to available Compute Servers. If False,
Jobs will remain in a Queued state until the Queue is enabled.
Assigned Servers: Check the Compute Servers that will be utilized for this Queue. A Queue can contain
more than one Compute Server. A Compute Server may be a member of more than one Queue.
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Creating a Queue
Computers with Multiple Network Interface Cards (NIC)
This special case requires manual editing of the JobManagerService.exe.config and ScriptHostSer-
vice.exe.config files on the multi-NIC machine adding machineName=ip_address to the TCP channel
configuration. Do not make any other changes. Restart both the Ansys JobManager Service and the Ansys
ScriptHost Service in Control Panel> Administrative Tools> Services after making the change. For example:
...
<channels>
<channel ref="tcp" port="8088" machineName="1.2.3.4">
<serverProviders>
<formatter ref="binary" typeFilterLevel="Full"/>
</serverProviders>
</channel>
</channels>
...
To determine the correct IP address to use, use the ping utility at the command prompt from a separate computer
using the multi-NIC computers DNS name. For example:
C:\>ping multiNICmachine
Pinging multiNICmachine.mycompany.com [10.2.10.32] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 10.2.10.32: bytes=32 time=56ms TTL=61
In this example, the IP address 10.2.10.32 represents the public network for this machine.
Integration with Unix/Linux using RSH/RCP
Remote Solve Manager supports using RSH/RCP (remote shell/remote copy) in custom Job Scripts. The built-
in Job Scripts for the ANSYS Solver have been tested using the RSH client (rsh.exe) provided by Windows.
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The Remote Solve Manager (RSM)
RSH Configuration
In order to send Jobs to a remote Unix/Linux machine using RSH, RSH must be configured to allow access from
a specific user and a specific machine. This is done by editing the .rhosts file in the home directory of the
Unix/Linux account under which the job will run. The entry is of the form:
windows_machine_name windows_username
or
windows_machine_IP windows_username
For example, if the windows domain account is COMPANY\johnd and the Windows Compute Server is named
jdoexp06, the .rhosts entry would be:
jdoexp06 johnd
In some network environments it is necessary to use the fully qualified name of the Windows computer:
jdoexp06.company.com johnd
Along with the Test Server feature of the RSM user interface, the following troubleshooting commands can be
used to verify the RSH configuration. These commands are executed at the Windows command prompt on the
Compute Server that will be communicating directly with the Unix/Linux machine.
1. If Windows and Unix/Linux account names match, this command will list the home directory on the remote
machine:
C:\>rsh unixmachine ls -l
2. If the Windows and Unix/Linux account names are different, this command will list the home directory
of the unixaccount on the remote machine.
C:\>rsh unixmachine -l unixaccount ls -l
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RSH Configuration
Integration with Unix/Linux using SSH/SCP
Remote Solve Manager supports using SSH/SCP (secure shell, secure copy) in custom Job Scripts. The built-in
Job Scripts for the ANSYS Solver have been tested using the PuTTY SSH client http://www.chiark.green-
end.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty.
PuTTY SSH Configuration
In order to send RSM jobs to a remote Unix/Linux machine using SSH, SSH must be configured to allow access
from a Windows machine. SSH configuration involves creating a cryptographic key on the Windows Compute
Server and placing public portions of the key on the Unix/Linux machine. Use the following configuration steps
to set up PuTTY SSH:
1. Download and install PuTTY from http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html.
If this link is invalid, perform a web search for putty.
2. Create cryptographic key using PuTTYGen (puttygen.exe).
a. Click Generate.
b. Move the mouse as instructed.
c. Change key comment to include your machine name and windows username.
d. Save private key file without passphrase, for example, <drive>:\Program
Files\Putty\id_rsa.ppk. Using passphrase will result in jobs being hung at prompt to enter
passphrase. Be sure to secure the private key file using some other means. For example, if key only
being used by you, save to My Documents folder where only you and Administrators will have access
to the file. If multiple users will use the same key, allow owner full control. Then create a group and
allow only users in that group to read this file.
e. Move public portion of key to Unix machine.This requires editing the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
file on the Unix machine. This can be done in a telnet session on the Windows machine. Copy all
the text from the box under Public key for pasting and paste it into ~/.ssh/author-
ized_keys. All of this text should be one line. If the authorized_keys file does not exist, create
one. Alternatively, paste into a text file and get that file to the Unix machine for editing.
3. Modify environment variables using Explorer>My Computer>Properties>Advanced.
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The Remote Solve Manager (RSM)
a. Add PuTTY install directory to Path, such as C:\Program Files\putty. You must add to the system
environment variable area at the bottom of the dialog.
b. Add a KEYPATH environment variable with full path to private key file, such as <drive>:\Program
Files\Putty\id_rsa.ppk. Use a user variable if the key file is used only by you. Use a system
variable if other users are sharing the key file. If users will have their own key file in My Documents,
set KEYPATH = %USERPROFILE%\My Documents\id_rsa.ppk. This will expand to
<drive>:\Documents and Settings\ <user> \My Documents\id_rsa.ppk.
c. Reboot the Windows machine for RSM to pick up environment changes.
4. As an initial test, run the following from the command prompt (quotes around %KEYPATH% is required):
plink -i %KEYPATH% unixlogin@unixmachinename pwd
a. If plink prompts you to store the key in cache, select Yes.
b. If plink prompts you to trust key, select Yes.
5. Set up a server in the RSM using PSSH keyword as shown above and use Test Server... to verify the
configuration.
Additional Unix/Linux Considerations
Unix/Linux Path Configuration
On Unix/Linux machines, the RSM Unix/Linux job scripts (currently keywords RSH, SSH, PSSH) require that the
job executable be in the path when running the remote command. For example, the built-in scripts to run the
ANSYS solver require that the ANSYS command ( ansys110 for version 11.0) can be found in the path. If the job
is not running properly, check the job log in the RSM windows for "Command not found". If this is the case, the
Unix/Linux account will need to be configured so that this command is found. Remote command clients like
RSH generally use the remote account's default shell for running commands. For example, if the account's default
shell is CSH, the following line needs to be added to the .cshrc file (path may be different for your environment):
set path = ( $path /ansys_inc/v110/ansys/bin )
Note
Different shells use different initialization files from the account's home directory and may have a
different syntax than shown above. Refer to the man page for the specific shell or consult the machine
administrator.
RSH and SSH Job Limitations
The Windows RCP and PuTTY SCP clients have file size limitations that RSM circumvents by splitting and joining
very large files (greater than 2GB). The Windows compute server and the Unix/Linux compute proxy machine
may also have file system limitations beyond the control of RSM. In order to transfer files larger than approximately
2GB, the Unix/Linux machine must be configured with large file support and the Windows file system must be
NTFS. If any job output file is not successfully retrieved, all job output files are left on the Compute Proxy machine.
Consult the Job log for the temporary directory name used for the job.These files can then be retrieved manually
and loaded by ANSYS Workbench Simulation. See Writing and Reading ANSYS Files in the Simulation Help for
details.
The Windows RCP client has exhibited hanging behavior under some conditions. Other third party clients are
available if this becomes a problem. The supplied RSH Job Scripts assume rsh.exe and rcp.exe are in the users
path so they made need to be customized to utilize another RSH/RCP client (See Customization Guide).
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RSH and SSH Job Limitations
An alternative SCP client is WinSCP (http://www.winscp.com) which resolves the 4GB file size limitation. At the
time of this writing, the PSSH Job Scripts do not support the SCP client. Secure FTP (SFTP) is another alternative
that is not currently supported. Many third party SFTP clients are available online. Utilizing WinSCP or an SFTP
client will require customization of Job Scripts (See Customization Guide).
Before embarking on Job Script customization, consult ANSYS Technical Support or your ANSYS Software Dis-
tributor to check if new Job Scripts have been made available after release.
Distributed ANSYS Solver and MPI
MPI must be in the path on all Unix/Linux machines involved. See Unix/Linux Path Configuration above.
Integration with Platform LSF Cluster on Windows
To integrate with a Windows-based LSF cluster, RSM must be installed on at least one node of the cluster and
that node must be an LSF submission host (bsub and lsrcp [requires RES service] commands are available).
Create a Compute Server as shown below where lsfClusterNode1 is the name of the node on which RSM is in-
stalled. Then Create a Queue and add this Compute Server. Jobs can now be submitted to this Queue and will
be forwarded to LSF for scheduling.
LSF job templates similar to an RSM job template are located in [rsmInstallDir]\config\scripts (AnsysLSF-
Job.xml, TestLSFJob.xml). The template uses the normal queue by default. This can be changed by
editing the following XML tag in the template.
<queue>normal</queue>
Alternatively, if the queue tag is missing from the template, the RSM queue is used. For example, if the RSM
job is submitted to a queue named priority, then the LSF priority queue is used automatically. Compute Server
test jobs are submitted to a built-in Immediate queue so it is not recommended to remove the queue tag from
the TestLSFJob.xml template.
Integration with Platform LSF Cluster on Unix/Linux
As of this writing, non-Windows LSF clusters are not officially supported. Contact ANSYS Technical Support or
your ANSYS Software Distributor to inquire about availability of Job Scripts for Unix/Linux LSF clusters.
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56
The Remote Solve Manager (RSM)
Integration with Microsoft Compute Cluster
To integrate with a Microsoft Computer Cluster (MSCC), RSM must be installed on the head node of the cluster.
Furthermore, only the x64 versions of RSM and ANSYS Workbench are supported.
Create a Compute Server as shown below where msccHeadNode is the name of the cluster head node. The
MSCC Job Scripts for the ANSYS solvers assume that ANSYS Distributed Solver is being used on the cluster. The
ANSYS Distributed Solver requires that the same working directory be used on all job nodes. Use the Compute
Proxy Working Directory to specify this directory.
Now Create a Queue and add this Compute Server. Jobs can now be submitted to this Queue and will be forwarded
to the MSCC for scheduling.
Passwords
RSM requires that your Windows password be cached with MSCC. If not, MSCC will prompt at job submission.
There is currently no way to enter a password in RSM to respond to the prompt. The job will eventually fail after
a time-out period.
A password can be cached using a MSCC administrative tool. Alternatively, a user can login into the head node
computer and run the following command:
[rsm_install_dir]\bin\mccsubmit localhost
This command submits a test job to the cluster.You are prompted for a password and then asked if the password
should be cached. You must repeat this process whenever the Windows password is changed.
Mixed Domains
RSM can be used when the client computer and the cluster are different domains. The assumption is that the
client computer and user account are on the corporate domain and the cluster is its own domain. In this case,
the cluster domain must be configured to have a one-way trust with the corporate domain. That is the cluster
domain trusts the corporate domain but not visa versa. Essentially, corporate domain users must be able to use
cluster resources (login as CORPORATE\user into a cluster node). If the cluster administrator can add corporate
domain accounts as cluster users then this trust has likely been configured when the cluster domain was created.
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Mixed Domains
Multiple Network Interface Cards
Cluster nodes, especially the head node, generally have multiple network interface cards (NIC) to facilitate sep-
arate public and private networks. See Computers with Multiple Network Interface Cards (NIC) in the Administration
section for necessary manual configuration.
RSM Setup
If RSM fails to install on the head node of the cluster, it is likely due to a required HotFix 909613 from Microsoft.
Information about this HotFix can be found at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/909613/.
Integration with other Job Schedulers
This topic is addressed in the Customization Guide.
Customization Guide
Before embarking on Job Script customization, consult ANSYS Technical Support or your ANSYS Software Dis-
tributor to check if new Job Scripts have been made available after release.
Customizing an Existing Job
Job Templates, Code Templates, and code for ANSYS Workbench Simulation are included with the RSM installation
are located in:
[installdir]\Config\xml and \scripts
Visual Studio projects are supplied in the scripts folder to aid in editing.
Editing Scripts
The Job Script files are currently delivered in the C# language. Theoretically, it is possible to use Visual Basic and
JScript languages but currently this has not been officially tested. C++ may also be supported in future release.
Using Keywords
Keywords are used to invoke specialized scripts to integrate with non-native operating systems (e.g. Unix, Linux)
and third party job schedulers (e.g. LSF, MS Compute Cluster). The Keyword is appended to the base Job Code
Template name. For example, if the code template is named ServerTestCode.xml and the Keyword is LSF, RSM
will first look for ServerTestCode_LSF.xml. Keywords are the best way to invoke custom scripts without
affecting the existing jobs.
Job Templates
Job Templates define the Code Template (see below), inputs and outputs of a Job. The Job Template for a Server
Test job is shown below.
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<jobTemplate>
<script>ServerTestCode.xml</script>
<debug>TRUE</debug>
<cleanup>TRUE</cleanup>
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58
The Remote Solve Manager (RSM)
<inputs>
<file type="ascii">*.in</file>
</inputs>
<outputs>
<file type="ascii">*.out</file>
</outputs>
</jobTemplate>
Code Template
A Code Template for a Server Test Job is shown below. The template contains sections for the actual code files,
referenced assemblies (.dlls) and support files (such as localized strings). These files are transferred to the
Compute Server and processed by the ScriptHostService on that computer.
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<codeDefinition>
<codeFiles>
<codeFile>ServerTest.cs</codeFile>
</codeFiles>
<references />
<supportFiles />
</codeDefinition>
RSM Integration
Submitting completely new jobs (as opposed to customizations to existing jobs) involves using the RSM API in
the client application. Contact ANSYS Technical Support for information on integrating an application with RSM.
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proprietary and confidential information of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
RSM Integration
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60

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