Release 11.0 Documentation for ANSYS
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Use the ANSYS launcher when you want to run an ANSYS program, one of the auxiliary programs, or to access a modifiable ANSYS file. You can access some launcher functionality directly from the Windows Start Menu. To access ANSYS functionality, including the launcher, on Windows systems, choose Start> Programs> ANSYS 11.0 and select the appropriate option.
To activate the launcher on UNIX systems, enter the following command:
launcher110
You can also place one of the following commands in your .login or .profile file:
.login file command:
launcher110 >& /dev/null &
.profile file command:
launcher110 > /dev/null 2> &1 &
Either command causes the launcher to appear automatically when you log onto the system.
To activate the launcher on Windows, choose Start> Programs> ANSYS 11.0> ANSYS Product Launcher
From the ANSYS Start Menu, you can select other options in addition to the launcher:
Utilities, such as the ANS_ADMIN or Display utilities
Help
Applications, such as ANSYS or ANSYS Workbench
Web portal access
You can run the products directly by choosing ANSYS, ANSYS Workbench, etc., from the Start Menu. If you have not yet run the launcher, selected any products, or defined any profiles, the highest product that your site is licensed for will be run, or the product as specified by your license administrator using the Specify Product Order option of the ANSLIC_ADMIN utility (see the ANSYS, Inc. Licensing Guide). If you have run the launcher, then running the product directly from the Start Menu will start the product with the last launcher configuration.
The launcher creates a log file named launcher.110.log. This file contains a history of launcher selections along with any error messages that may occur. On UNIX systems, this file is written to your home directory. On Windows, it is written to the directory specified with the TEMP environment variable. If TEMP is not set, the file is written to the root directory of the value specified on the WINDIR environment variable. The log file is always written by default. You can turn off the log file via the Options menu, but we do not recommend doing so.
Use the launcher to select product settings, such as the simulation environment, the specific license, and any add-on modules or analysis type you want to run. Based on your product selections, you can then specify file management, customization/preferences, solver setup, and LSF options. Product settings and the options under each tab are explained below. You may not see all options, depending on your product selection.
The launcher tabs are:
You can also access launcher-specific functionality via the menu bar. The File, Profiles, Options, Tools, Links, and Help menus are explained in later sections.
In addition to the tabs and the menu bar options, the launcher also has additional buttons at the bottom.
Run launches the product you have selected with the settings specified on the various tabs.
Cancel Run allows you to cancel an ANSYS Batch or an MFX - ANSYS/CFX run. For an ANSYS Batch run, the analysis must be nonlinear or full transient (linear or nonlinear), or use the PCG, ICCG, or JCG solver (linear or nonlinear solutions). The cancel run request will be ignored for any other types of analyses.
For an ANSYS Batch run, Cancel Run creates a file in the working directory called Jobname.ABT. For an MFX - ANSYS/CFX run, the file is created in the master's working directory and is called Jobname_mfx.ABT. If you are running multiple jobs, be sure to specify a unique jobname for each job.
Queue allows you to launch a batch run at a later time. When you click the Queue button, you will be prompted to enter a delayed start time and date. This option is only available on UNIX systems.
LSF Run runs your batch job via the LSF program. This option is only available if you have the LSF/Batch product installed.
Product Help launches the help file for the selected simulation environment.
In most places where you can specify path names, you can specify paths using drive letters or UNC paths. However, you may encounter places where UNC paths cannot be used. If you see a message indicating that UNC paths are not available, re-enter the path using drive letters.
Here you specify your simulation environment, license, and add-on modules. The simulation environment indicates which interface you want to use to run interactively or allows you to start a batch run. Options include:
ANSYS Workbench
ANSYS
ANSYS Batch
MFX - ANSYS/CFX
LS-DYNA Solver
Depending on which environment you select and what licenses are available at your site, the remaining product selection choices and the options under the remaining tabs will vary.
In the License field, select a license from the available types. Only those licenses that are both available for your site and valid with the simulation environment selected will be shown.
The order in which products are listed can be modified using the ANSLIC_ADMIN's Specify Product Order option. See the ANSYS, Inc. Licensing Guide for more information. Once the launcher has been run, the product order will no longer apply, and the launcher profile will take precedence.
You can then select from available add-on modules or other product-specific options. You will only be able to pick modules/options that are available for the selected environment. If a choice is grayed out, then that choice is available for the selected environment, but your site does not have the necessary license. To obtain a license for any grayed-out option, please contact your ANSYS sales representative.
Possible Add-on Modules include:
Enables the Drop Test Module (DTM) advanced task (add-on). The DTM is an optional add-on feature to the ANSYS LS-DYNA product that simplifies the procedure for simulating a drop test.
Enables the ANSYS DesignXplorer advanced task. The DesignXplorer module is part of the ANSYS Workbench product and is used to compute the requested results for the entire range of all design parameters with one solve. See the DesignXplorer online help for more information.
Enables the Variational Technology Accelerator capability, which reduces the overall number of iterations and allows substantial speedup (2X-10X for initial solutions, 5X-30X for parameter changes) of nonlinear and transient analyses, structural modal cyclic symmetry analysis, and both structural and high frequency electromagnetic harmonic analysis . You must have an ANSYS Mechanical HPC license for each processor on which you want to enable the VT Accelerator.
Possible Analysis Types available with the LS-DYNA Solver environment include:
Typical LS-DYNA Analysis
Implicit-to-Explicit Sequential Solution
Simple Restart Analysis
Small Restart Analysis
Full Restart Analysis
This tab contains the information necessary to manage your files, such as location of your working directory and job name. The available options will differ depending on the simulation environment you selected.
If you selected the ANSYS or ANSYS Workbench simulation environment, you can specify:
Sets the directory in which the ANSYS run will be executed. The program writes files it generates to this directory. To change the working directory, type the new directory name in the Working Directory text box or press the Browse button to display a file selection dialog box. On Windows, you must use an absolute path.
You can also specify the working directory by defining the ANSYS110_WORKING_DIRECTORY environment variable. If ANSYS110_WORKING_DIRECTORY is set, the launcher will use that setting as the default. However, any working directory that is specified via the launcher (such as a profile) overrides the ANSYS110_WORKING_DIRECTORY environment variable setting.
If you run ANSYS as an administrator using a particular working directory, and then run as a non-administrator using the same directory, you may encounter permission problems with the .log file. Users with administrator privileges should not use the same working directory as non-administrator users.
Defines the base filename used for all files generated by the ANSYS run. The initial jobname defaults to file. You can change it to any alphanumeric string up to 32 characters long.
If you selected the ANSYS Batch simulation environment, you can specify the above items as well as the following:
Specifies the file of ANSYS commands you are submitting for batch execution. You can either type in the desired filename or click the Browse button to display a file selection dialog box or click on Edit to view the file in an editor. If you specify a relative path, it will be relative from the working directory as specified in the launcher.
Specifies the file to which ANSYS directs text output by the program. If you specify a relative path, it will be relative from the working directory as specified in the launcher. If the filename already exists in the working directory, it will be renamed to jobname.out.<timestamp> when a new batch job is started. The timestamp is in the format YYYY-MM-DD@hh_mm_ss and reflects the date that the file was renamed, not the date the original file was created. You can choose to overwrite the output file rather than rename it by unchecking the Save Existing Output Files From Batch Runs item under the Options menu on the launcher.
The Working directory and Jobname options include Update I/O path and Update I/O name toggles, respectively. If these toggles are checked, the directory path that appears in the Input file name and the name that appears in the Output file name text boxes will be updated automatically to match the specified Working directory and Jobname.
Includes or excludes the input file listing at the beginning of the output file.
On UNIX systems, if you wish to start your batch job at a later date, click the Queue button. You will be prompted to enter a start date and time. To use this option, you must have permission to run the at command on UNIX systems, meaning your user name must appear in the at.allow file. If that file does not exist, the at.deny file is checked to see if access should be denied. If neither file exists, only users with root access may use this feature. If at.deny is empty, global usage is permitted.
These files consist of one user name per line and can be modified only by the superuser. The location of the at.allow and at.deny files on each hardware platform is listed below:
HP AlphaServer (Compaq), HP, SGI, Sun, Fujitsu: /usr/lib/cron
IBM: /var/adm/cron
Intel Linux, AMD Opteron Linux: /etc
If you selected the LS-DYNA Solver simulation environment, you can specify the working directory as described above, and the following:
Specify the name of the file.k that ANSYS writes. On Windows systems, the file must reside in the working directory.
Specify the name of the small restart input file. On Windows systems, the file must reside in the working directory. For more information, see the EDSTART command.
The settings under this tab allow you to specify detailed settings about your working environment, such as memory settings, parallel/distributed processing settings, custom executables, and additional parameters. The available options will differ depending on the simulation environment you selected on the first tab.
If you selected the ANSYS, ANSYS Workbench, or ANSYS Batch simulation environment, you can specify:
Specifies the use of custom memory settings rather than using the default memory model. You must select custom memory settings in order to set the - m or - db options. See "Memory Management and Configuration" in the Basic Analysis Guide for information about memory management.
Specifies the amount of memory requested for the ANSYS run. It defaults to 1 GB (1024 MB) for 64-bit machines or 512 MB for 32-bit machines. These values are sufficient for most modest-sized models. Choosing a higher number allows more space for solution of large wavefront models, and choosing a lower number allows more concurrent ANSYS runs. This option is not valid unless Use Custom Memory Settings is selected.
Specifies the portion (in megabytes) of total memory that the database will use. It defaults to 512 MB for 64-bit machines or 256 MB for 32-bit machines. These values are sufficient for most modest-sized models.
The launcher provides an option to start a customized ANSYS executable.
If you run a custom executable from the Customization/Preferences tab of the launcher:
Enter the full pathname to the custom executable in the ANSYS Custom Executable field. Executable names must be one of the following:
ansys.exe (Windows)
ansyscust.e110 (UNIX)
ansyscustdis.e110 (Distributed ANSYS on UNIX)
You cannot specify a custom Distributed ANSYS executable on Windows.
See Running Your Custom Executable in the Guide to ANSYS User Programmable Features for more information.
You can use this option to set parameter values at ANSYS start-up.
For example, you can set ANSYS modeling parameters at program start-up using the format -name value. For instance, -rad1 2.825 -rad2 5.675 -thick .25 defines three parameters: rad1=2.825, rad2=5.675, and thick=0.25. The parameter name must be at least two characters long. See the ANSYS Parametric Design Language Guide for details about ANSYS parameters.
Specifies a translated language file. If you specify a language that does not have the associated translated files, the launcher defaults to US English. ANSYS, Inc. does not provide translated files for all products. For information on the availability of translated language files, contact your ANSYS sales representative.
Sets the graphics device. The GUI requires a terminal that supports graphics. For UNIX systems, the graphics device can be X11 (default), X11c, or 3D. Choose 3D if you have a 3-D graphics device; otherwise, use the default. For Windows systems, the graphics device can be WIN32 (default), WIN32c, or 3D. Not available with the ANSYS Batch simulation environment.
(UNIX only) Directs the output of the ANSYS program to the screen only, to an output file only, or to both. For systems that support two-way redirection of output, the default is to send output to both the screen and the output file (Jobname.OUT). If queuing is used, output will be directed to the output file only.
Indicates whether the start110.ans file is read at start-up. You can include commands to be executed when the program starts up in the start110.ans file. See Setting Preferences with the start110.ans File for more information. Uncheck the box to not read the start110.ans at start-up.
If you selected the LS-DYNA Solver simulation environment, you can specify the following items:
Specify the memory to be used, in words. For more information, see the EDSTART command.
Specify the scale factor for binary file size. For more information, see the EDSTART command.
Specify the number of CPUs to be used for shared memory parallel processing.
Specify if consistency is to be forced or not for shared memory parallel processing. Forcing consistency will ensure that calculations are performed in the same order across all machines, avoiding differences in results that could otherwise occur.
For more accurate results, you can use the double-precision capabilities of ANSYS LS-DYNA. This feature is especially useful in sequential explicit-to-implicit springback types of analyses.
For more information on these settings or ANSYS LS-DYNA in general, see the ANSYS LS-DYNA User's Guide.
Use this tab to launch ANSYS to run shared-memory ANSYS with multiple processors or to run Distributed ANSYS with the proper MPI configuration.
To activate shared-memory ANSYS with multiple processors, click Use Shared-Memory Parallel (SMP) and specify the number of processors. You will need an ANSYS Mechanical HPC license for each processor after the first two.
To activate the distributed settings, click Run Distributed ANSYS. You then need to specify machine information using one of the following methods:
A local machine with multiple processors
Multiple machines, specifying the machines via the launcher
Multiple machines, specifying the machines via an existing MPI file
If you are running on an HP or Linux system running HP MPI, you can specify secure shell (ssh) instead of remote shell (rsh). You can also choose to use the working directory as specified on the File Management tab as the directory structure on the master and all nodes. If you select this option, all machines will require the identical directory structure matching the working directory specified on the launcher. This option will override any existing MPI_WORKDIR settings on the master or the nodes.
For detailed information on using this tab, see the Distributed ANSYS Guide. This tab is not available in all simulation environments.
Use this tab to launch ANSYS and CFX with the proper licenses, settings, and input files to run the MFX solver. You must select the MFX - ANSYS/CFX simulation environment to activate this tab. For detailed information on using this option, see "Multi-field Analysis Using Code Coupling" in the Coupled-Field Analysis Guide.
When using this launcher tab, you will be able to open and run CFX on the local machine only. If you will be running CFX on a different machine, you must use the command method. You can, however, start the ANSYS run using this tab, regardless of whether or not you start the CFX run from the launcher.
If you selected the ANSYS/Batch simulation environment, and you have Platform Computing's Load Sharing Facility (LSF/Batch) program installed, you will see this tab. ANSYS LSF/Batch is not supported on all platforms.
Platform Computing's Load Sharing Facility (LSF/Batch) is a separately-purchased product that supports batch job management and intelligent queues.
When you select the LSF tab, you will see a list of Host Types, Available Hosts, and Available Queues.
The Host Type box lists the type of machines (such as HP PA11) available as hosts at your site. Available Hosts are the actual machine names available for your use on the network. Available Queues are predefined queues that you have permission to access.
You can also specify additional input and output files to be transferred via LSF. To add an additional file, click Add (either under Additional Input Files or Additional Output Files) and enter the name of the file in the text entry dialog that appears and press the OK button. The file is added to the list. To remove a file from the list, select the file from a list. The file name appears in the text entry box under the list. Highlight the file name and press the Remove key.
If you make selections or changes and want to return to your default settings on this tab, click the Refresh button.
Select the appropriate values, then choose the LSF Run button to send the batch job to a queue for processing.
For information on how to use ANSYS LSF/Batch, check the documentation on this product from Platform Computing. The LSF/Batch product is documented in the manual LSF JobScheduler User's Guide, available online and from Platform Computing.
You can also launch LSF/Batch from the ANSYS input window. See Launching LSF/Batch from the ANSYS Input Window.
To configure LSF to run correctly on your system, see Configuring LSF/Batch on Your System.
You can find launcher-specific controls under several launcher menu options. The menu options are:
Use the File menu to restart the launcher if it is already running or to exit. If you choose the Restart Launcher option, the license environment will be refreshed (including changes to the license servers). Any settings that you changed on any of the tabs will be reset to their default values. However, restarting the launcher will not pick up any changes to environment variable settings, including licensing environment variables.
Use the Profiles menu to save a specific launcher configuration. The profile you are currently running is displayed in the launcher title bar. An asterisk (*) follows the profile name if you have changed any settings from what is saved.
Click Save Profile to save the current launcher configurations. You can enter a name for this profile. The last run profile will automatically be set as the default unless you specify otherwise. If you want to set a subsequent profile as the default, you will need to check the Set as Default box when you define that profile.
Click Load Profile to select the last run profile, the initial settings (the default configuration as shipped by ANSYS), or one of your saved profiles.
Click Manage Profiles to rename a profile, specify a different default profile, unset a default profile, or delete a profile.
On UNIX, once you've run the launcher at least once and established a “last run” profile, you can quickly “run now” using the most recent launcher configuration by typing:
launcher110 -runae
runae will launch the ANSYS environment. You can launch other simulation environments using the following options instead of runae:
| ANSYS Batch: -runbatch |
| ANSYS Workbench: -runawe |
| ANSYS LS-DYNA: -rundyna |
| MFX - ANSYS/CFX: -runmfx |
When you “run now, “ you can also specify a particular profile using the -profile profilename option:
launcher110 -runae -profile myprofile1where myprofile1 is the name of a previously-defined profile. You can specify “default” as the profile name to launch the product using your default profile:
launcher110 -runae -profile default
Before you can use -runmfx, you must have executed an MFX run through the MFX - ANSYS/CFX tab on the launcher at least once, or defined and saved a profile.
Use the Options menu to select or deselect the following options:
Close the launcher on run
Write out the launcher log file (launcher.110.log)
Show the hostname in the launcher title bar
Use detailed working directory browse dialog box
Check for CFX Licenses for 'MFX - ANSYS/CFX' Simulation Environment
Pause at the end of a run (where applicable)
Specify your terminal emulator (UNIX only)
Save existing output files from batch runs
Use the full ANSYS executable path in LSF runs (Windows only)
Use 'nohup' to start batch runs with output sent To 'File Only' (UNIX only)
Delete all settings/profiles
Reset ANSYS GUI configuration (Windows only)
Use C Shell Scripts For Runs Submitted Through the Batch 'Queue' (UNIX only)
If you choose to use the detailed working directory browse dialog box, it shows you what files are contained in each directory, allows you to create a new directory, and allows you to filter on file type. The standard browse dialog displays only the directories from which to choose.
By default, the launcher saves existing output files from batch runs. When a new file is created, the old one is renamed to jobname.out.<timestamp> when the batch job is started. The timestamp is in the format YYYY-MM-DD@hh_mm_ss and reflects the date that the file was renamed, not the date the original file was created. To overwrite the output file rather than renaming it, uncheck the Save Existing Output Files From Batch Runs item under the Options menu on the launcher.
Use the Reset ANSYS GUI Configuration option to return the ANSYS GUI to its default configuration if you've rearranged the menus or toolbars. This option is especially useful if you've moved an ANSYS GUI component out of your screen's viewable area.
The Check for CFX Licenses for 'MFX - ANSYS/CFX' Simulation Environment option is selected by default. Turn this option off only if you are using the CFX license manager utility to manage your CFX licenses. Turning off this check allows you to submit your MFX run from the launcher even if you do not run CFX through the ANSYS License Manager.
The Use Full Executable Path in LSF Runs option allows you to specify whether a full ANSYS executable path should be used in the command line for LSF runs. If this option is set (the default), the execution host must have ANSYS installed in the same directory as on the local machine. If you choose to unset this option, your path on the execution host must be able to find the required ANSYS executable. All machines on the LSF cluster must be configured the same way: they must all either use the same installation directory or must all be set up so that the path can find the ANSYS executable.
If you choose to unset this option AND the correct path to the ANSYS executable is correctly placed in your paths, LSF may still not be able to find the correct path. In this case, your LSF system administrator may need to add the line JOB_STARTER=preservestarter to each queue in the lsb.queues file of the LSF cluster used to run ANSYS. If JOB_STARTER lines already exist for the queues, you can add the preservestarter option to the existing line, separating it with a semicolon. After adding the JOB_STARTER line, you need to restart the LSF cluster. See your LSF documentation for more information on the lsb.queues file and the JOB_STARTER option.
The Use 'nohup' To Start Batch Runs With Output Sent To 'File Only' option is required only on some systems. On some systems, you may need to select this option to allow batch jobs to continue running after you log out of a session. Please refer to your system documentation to determine if your system automatically provides the ‘nohup’ capability. We do not recommend using this setting on systems that automatically set ‘nohup.’
The Delete All Settings/Profiles option deletes all profiles saved for this release and sets all Options menu settings back to the defaults. The launcher will also close automatically.
The Use C Shell Scripts For Runs Submitted Through the Batch 'Queue' option is necessary on some machines that require a C shell script rather than a Bourne shell script. For the machines that require C shell scripts, if a Bourne shell script is submitted, the run will fail (possibly with an "export: Command not found" message). If your machine requires Bourne shell scripts and you select this option (i.e., your machine does NOT require C shell scripts), the run will fail. This option is only used when runs are submitted via the Queue option.
Use the Tools menu to view the ANSYS command line, to open a file in a text editor, or to access ANSYS's auxiliary programs. You may or may not see all of these programs and utilities, depending on what products you have installed. The programs you can access include:
ANS_ADMIN utility
ANIMATE utility (Windows only)
DISPLAY utility
Results Tracker utility. See the NLHIST command for more information.
CFX Launcher. This option is only applicable if you have a CFX product installed. On Windows, this will open the launcher for the last-installed version of CFX. This version will typically be the latest version of CFX you have on your machine. However, if you installed an earlier version of CFX after a later version, then this option will open the launcher of that earlier version. On UNIX systems, this option will search for the CFX launcher first in the default CFX installation directory; if not found, then it searches for the version of CFX that appears first in your path.
If you have LSF/Batch installed, you can display the LSF command line as well.
Use the Links menu to access related web sites, such as the ANSYS Customer Portal, the ANSYS Workbench Community Portal, and the ANSYS Home Page.
Use the Help menu to access more information. From this menu, you can access:
Launcher help for more detailed information on this launcher.
Site Information.
The About Launcher information.