Distributed Analysis Configuration - Machines Tab

On the Analysis Configuration window, the Machines tab allows you to provide machine information, either by specifying remote machine details, or by importing a list of machines from a file. You can then add, enable, remove, test, and reorder machines from the list.

Manually Adding a Machine

You can add the Local machine, or add a machine by IP Address, DNS Name, or UNC Name. Select the applicable radio button, enter the machine's information in the specified format, then click Add Machine to List.

The added machine(s) will appear under Machines for Distributed Analysis.

Importing a Machine List

You can import a machine list from a text file. Each line of the file should contain a machine's information in the following format:

<MachineName>:<NumTasks>:<NumCores>

Machine List Details

The Machines for Distributed Analysis area lists machines in the order in which you entered them, irrespective of the load on the machines. To control the list order, select one or more machines, and use the Move up and Move down buttons. To remove one or more machines, select the machine(s) and click Remove.

The following columns can appear in the list:

• Name – the machine name.
• Tasks – this column allows you to specify the number of tasks a given machine will perform simultaneously. Each separate solver or instance counts as one task.

  If you have selected Use Automatic Settings, this column does not appear because there is no need for it.

• Cores – specifies the total number of cores that will be used on the given machine. The total number of Tasks and Cores are described just above the machine list.

  For distributed tasks, the software will allocate the total cores on a given machine to that machine's tasks. If a machine with 8 cores is running 2 distributed tasks, the software will automatically allocate 4 cores to each task. If it is running 4 distributed tasks, each gets 2 cores. And if it is running 3 distributed tasks, the first two tasks get 3 cores and the last task gets 2 cores. The number of Cores must always be greater than or equal to the number of Tasks.

  For a given variation (for example, frequency or geometry), you should make assignments so that each task has the same number of cores. This is because the solvers attempt to make each task computationally balanced. For example, with two machines, one with eight cores and another with four, assuming that the memory is proportionally equivalent, you could assign two tasks for machine 1, and one task for machine 2, giving all tasks the same number of cores.

• GPUs – supports GPU acceleration. See: Enabling GPU.
• RAM Limit (%) – specifies the maximum percentage of each machine's RAM you would like to be in use by the solver.
• Enabled – use the check boxes to enable or disable machines.

In general, Ansys Electromagnetics Suite solvers use machines in the distributed analysis machines list in the order in which they appear. If you select a distributed configuration (rather than Local) from the Toolbar menu and you launch multiple analyses from the same UI, Ansys Electromagnetics Suite solvers select the machines that are running the fewest number of engines in the order in which the machines appear in the list. For example, if the list contains 4 machines, and you launch a simulation that requires one machine, the solver chooses the first machine in the list. If another simulation is launched while the previous one is running, and this simulation requires two machines, the solver chooses machines 2 and 3 from the list. If the first simulation then terminates and we launch another simulation requiring three machines, the solver chooses 1, 4, and 2 (in that order).

Testing Machines

When multiple users on a network are using distributed solve or remote solve, they should check the status of their machines before launching a simulation to ensure that no other Ansys EM processes are running on the machine. To do this, select one or more machines and click Test Machines.

The Test Machines dialog box appears. The test goes through the current machine list and gives a report on the status of each machine. A progress bar shows testing progress. When the test is complete, click OK to close the dialog box. If you need to disable or enable machines based on the report, you can do so in the Analysis Configuration window.