Ansys optiSLang Virtual Desktop

Ansys optiSLang is supported on Windows and Linux virtual desktops.

To establish a simulation workflow by connecting a solver to optiSLang, both the solver and optiSLang must be installed on a virtual desktop, and the solver must be functioning on the virtual desktop.

Follow the instructions in Creating a Virtual Desktop in the Administration Guide.

When creating a virtual desktop with Ansys optiSLang, use the following guidelines:

  • Operating system: Windows or Linux

    On Windows, Ansys 2025 R2 applications are only supported on the Windows Server 2022 operating system, while 2025 R1 and earlier releases are supported on both Windows Server 2022 and Windows Server 2019.

    If creating a Linux virtual desktop using the Rocky Linux by CIQ image, see What You Should Know About the Rocky Linux OS Image by CIQ in the Administration Guide.

  • Applications: Ansys optiSLang

    The Windows package automatically adds Mozilla Firefox. The Linux package automatically adds XRDP for GNOME and GNOME Desktop Latest Version.

    Note:

    • For a Windows virtual desktop, Ansys recommends that you create the virtual desktop without any applications, and then add the application after the virtual desktop has been created. See Adding Applications to a Virtual Desktop in the User's Guide. Sometimes, Windows updates are triggered on newly created virtual machines, causing application installation to fail.

    • Ansys optiSLang packages include the optiSLang application and a Service Pack update. When using other Ansys applications with optiSLang, make sure that you use the same Service Pack version of those applications. For example, if using Ansys optiSLang 2025 R2, which contains the Service Pack 3 update, use the 2025 R2 Service Pack 3 version of Ansys applications. For details of available application versions, see Ansys Applications.

  • Hardware: Ansys recommends a VM size with at least 8 physical cores and 32 GB RAM. However, the size you choose depends on the solver to be connected to optiSLang, the size of the model, and the number of parallel computations expected. To determine the recommended virtual machine sizes for the solver, refer to Recommended Hardware for VDI Workflows.

    Note:

    • A workflow that runs on a local configuration will run on a similar configuration on a virtual desktop.

    • Higher CPU frequency and in some cases more CPU cores will accelerate execution.

    • With more CPU cores, memory demand may increase.

    • Some VM sizes have Hyper-Threading (Intel CPUs) or Simultaneous Multithreading (AMD CPUs) enabled which can optimize usage of computing resources.

      To determine whether a VM size supports Hyper-Threading/multithreading, check the vCPUs column in the hardware table. Specifically, look for an information icon next to the number of vCPUs.

When the resource is in the Running state and the Connect button is displayed, you can connect to the virtual desktop. See Launching a Virtual Desktop Session in the User's Guide.