Fastflo, Release 3.0
DFLUX30NA
Linux (Intel), RedHat 5
Installer's Note
Contents
1. General Information
1.1. Introduction
1.2. Applicability
1.3. Distribution Medium
1.4. Fastflo System
1.5. Disk Space Requirements
2. Installation
2.1. Installation Method
2.2. License Management
2.3. Installation Test
3. Further Information
3.1. Configuration Files
3.2. Viewing the HTML Tutorial Guide
3.3. Version Information
3.4. Graphics Acceleration
4. Acknowledgements
5. Support from NAG
6. User Feedback
1. General Information
1.1. Introduction
This document is essential reading for the NAG Site Contact responsible
for installation and maintenance of the Fastflo implementation
specified in the title. The installer will be provided with a printed copy
of this document (Installer's Note).
The use of all supplied software must be in accordance with the terms and
conditions of the Software Licence signed by NAG and each site. Any
request to use NAG software on a computer other than the one licensed must
be referred to NAG (see Section 5).
1.2. Applicability
The Linux RedHat 5 version of Fastflo is considered suitable for operation
on the computer systems detailed below:
hardware: Intel-based PC with at least 32 Mb RAM and a
Pentium-class chip (Pentium, Pentium Pro, Pentium II,
Pentium III) running at 120 MHz or above
system software: Linux RedHat 5.2 or compatible
display properties: Fastflo requires at least 16-bit color, and will
function best at a screen resolution of at least
1024 by 768 pixels
This system has been developed under the RedHat 5.2 distribution of
Linux. It also works under the Mandrake 7.0 distribution. Other
distributions of Linux have not been tested, but might also work.
For information about implementations of Fastflo for use
on other computer systems please contact NAG.
1.3. Distribution Medium
Fastflo is distributed as a tar file on CD-ROM (please contact
NAG if you require alternative distribution media).
1.4. Fastflo System
The Fastflo distribution includes the following subdirectories:
bin The Fastflo application, and associated
items.
examples Example mesh and problem files, which
can be used as templates for your own
problems. These are the example problems
which are described in the Tutorial Guide.
tbexamples Example mesh and box files, which can be
used as templates for your own laminar
and turbulent flow problems. These are
the example problems which are described
in the ToolBox Guide.
readme The Installer's Note (this file) in HTML
and plain text format.
doc/Tutorial The Fastflo Tutorial Guide in HTML format.
doc/ToolBox The Fastflo Fluids ToolBox Guide in HTML
format.
doc/Help The Fastflo Help file in HTML and plain
text format.
IRISExplorer Modules and maps for use with the
IRIS Explorer visualization system
(available separately from NAG).
These items, which were custom built for
Fastflo, act as an interface to the IRIS
Explorer system, and allow visualization
and manipulation of 2D and 3D Fastflo
data sets.
license Fastflo license management daemons and
associated files.
lib Various shared libraries, see Section 3.4.
1.5. Disk Space Requirements
A complete installation of Fastflo needs approximately 45 Mb of
disk space.
2. Installation
2.1. Installation Method
To install Fastflo from the CD-ROM, change to the directory in which you
wish to install Fastflo and use the Unix tar command, e.g.
cd /usr/local/Linux
tar xvf /cdrom/luxna/df30.tar
(assuming the CD-ROM has been mounted as /cdrom).
A directory named Fastflo3.0 will be created, with subdirectories as
listed in Section 1.4.
Before running Fastflo it will be necessary to set a shell environment
variable, FASTFLOHOME and add $FASTFLOHOME/bin to your path. The
variable FASTFLOHOME must be set to point at the Fastflo root directory.
For example, if Fastflo has been installed into the directory
/usr/local/Linux/Fastflo3.0, in the C Shell or one of its derivatives
you might type
setenv FASTFLOHOME /usr/local/Linux/Fastflo3.0
setenv PATH $PATH":$FASTFLOHOME/bin"
or, in the Bourne Shell
FASTFLOHOME=/usr/local/Linux/Fastflo3.0; export FASTFLOHOME
PATH="$PATH:$FASTFLOHOME/bin"; export PATH
It is normally best to include these definitions in your startup
file.
In the subsequent description it is assumed that FASTFLOHOME has
been set, so that the bin directory described in Section 1.4 will
be referred to as $FASTFLOHOME/bin.
2.2. License Management
The use of Fastflo is controlled by the FLEXlm network license
management system (FLEXlm is a registered trademark of GLOBEtrotter
Software Inc). This release of Fastflo uses version 7.0e of FLEXlm.
The remainder of this section describes how a FLEXlm license key should be
installed to enable the use of Fastflo. Further details about FLEXlm
and how it may be configured to suit your local circumstances are included
in the FLEXlm End User Manual and FAQ supplied in the directory
$FASTFLOHOME/license/htmlman.
NAG usually provides a license key of one of two types; uncounted and
counted licenses.
Uncounted licenses which expire after a short period are issued to
potential users of Fastflo who wish to try out the product before
buying it; these are sometimes called DEMONSTRATION or EVALUATION
licenses. Uncounted licenses are also issued if you have bought Fastflo
for use on a specific machine.
An uncounted license key consists of one FEATURE or INCREMENT line for
each product licensed, for example:
FEATURE Fastflo NAG 3.000 31-oct-2001 0 \
CBDA2041DC1BC45D2B68 "ANY" 80896b27
This enables an unlimited number of instances of version 3.0 of the
application Fastflo until the date specified on the system with
hostid 80896b27 only. Note that the line is continued by escaping the
newline character with '\'.
Counted licenses are suitable for networks of machines. Such networks may
consist of machines which are all the same type, or some machines may be
different. A counted license allows you to run a number of Fastflo
sessions concurrently on any computer on the network. When Fastflo
starts it communicates with the FLEXlm daemon (lmgrd) running on some
computer on the network (the license server). lmgrd requests a Fastflo
license from the NAG daemon. Depending on the license details and
the number of Fastflo sessions that are already running on the
network, the request is granted or denied. Due to the complexity of the
installation you are advised to have counted licenses installed by your
system administrator. Counted licenses are sometimes referred to as
NETWORK licenses.
A counted license key specifies the license server and the location of
the NAG daemon in addition to one FEATURE or INCREMENT line for each
product licensed, for example:
SERVER derwent 55001341 7312
DAEMON NAG /usr/local/flexlm/naglm/bin/NAG
FEATURE Fastflo NAG 3.000 31-oct-2001 7 \
CBDA2041DC1BC45D2B68 "LUX,"
This nominates the license server with hostname derwent, hostid 55001341
using communications 'port number' 7312. The full path to the NAG
daemon is specified on the second line. Up to 7 concurrent Fastflo
sessions are allowed. Note that the FEATURE line is continued by
escaping the newline character with '\'.
The server hostname, port number and path to the NAG daemon are the
only items that may be changed. The port number should be chosen so
that it does not conflict with other applications (not mentioned in this
license file) managed by FLEXlm.
For uncounted licenses it is sufficient to install the license; no other
licensing software is required and these licenses are therefore easy to
install.
Counted licenses also require the installation of the license daemon,
the NAG daemon and the FLEXlm utility programs.
Only one license daemon and NAG daemon are required per network. They must
both be installed on the license server. Any machine on the network may
be the license server. You need to consider which machine is most suitable.
It should be a machine that is always up and running when anyone on the
network is likely to be running Fastflo. It also needs to have an
architecture and operating system that is supported by FLEXlm. The
following are supported:
alpha_u3 - DEC Alpha AXP Digital UNIX [Compaq Tru64 UNIX]
hp700_u9 - Hewlett Packard 9000/700 series HP-UX
i86_g2 - Intel 80x86 Linux (RedHat 5 and equivalents)
i86_l1 - Intel 80x86 Linux (RedHat 4 and equivalents)
i86_n3 - Intel 80x86 Microsoft Windows (NT/2000 and 95/98)
i86_r6 - Intel 80x86 Linux (RedHat 6 and equivalents)
rs6000_u3 - IBM RISC System/6000 AIX
sgi32_u5 - Silicon Graphics IRIX version 5
sgi32_u6 - Silicon Graphics (n32 ABI) IRIX version 6
sgi64_u6 - Silicon Graphics (64-bit ABI) IRIX version 6
sun4_u5 - Sun 4 (SPARC) SunOS version 5 (Solaris)
An uncounted license may be a simple time expiring or demonstration license
or it may be bound to a specified computer through the hostid. If you have
negotiated a time expiring demonstration license you will not need to
supply the hostid. NAG will provide the license key which should be
installed as described in Section 2.2.1.
For a longer term uncounted or counted license you will have to inform NAG
of the hostname and hostid. To obtain the hostid, locate the FLEXlm
utility program 'lmutil' in the appropriate subdirectory of
$FASTFLOHOME/license/bin, and run it with argument 'lmhostid'.
2.2.1. Installing an Uncounted License
Store the text of the license key in a file, say
/usr/local/lib/nag/license.demo
The location of this file must be made known to the NAG application by
setting the environment variable LM_LICENSE_FILE to the full pathname
of the file before the application is invoked.
For example, in the C-shell, type:
setenv LM_LICENSE_FILE /usr/local/lib/nag/license.demo
or in the Bourne shell, type:
LM_LICENSE_FILE=/usr/local/lib/nag/license.demo
export LM_LICENSE_FILE
No other actions are required to install an uncounted license,
and you may skip to Section 2.3.
2.2.2. Installing a Counted License and FLEXlm on Unix
If your license server is already running FLEXlm v7.0e or later for a
NAG product, add the FEATURE line for Fastflo to your existing
license file and use the lmreread utility. The only other action
required in this case is to ensure that the environment variable
LM_LICENSE_FILE is set as described below. Apart from this, the
remainder of this section may be skipped.
Store the text of the license key in a file on the license server, say
/usr/local/flexlm/naglm/license.dat, ensuring that the word after SERVER
is the network name of the license server and the path on the DAEMON
line is /usr/local/flexlm/naglm/bin/NAG.
On the system(s) where Fastflo is to be run, set the environment
variable LM_LICENSE_FILE to "port@host", where port is the port number
on the SERVER line and host is the hostname of the license server.
For example, in the C-shell, type:
setenv LM_LICENSE_FILE 7312@derwent
or in the Bourne shell, type:
LM_LICENSE_FILE=7312@derwent
export LM_LICENSE_FILE
If Fastflo is to be used on the license server only,
LM_LICENSE_FILE may be set to the full pathname to the license file.
Copy the FLEXlm daemons and utilities from the appropriate sub-directory
of $FASTFLOHOME/license/bin into /usr/local/flexlm/naglm/bin on the
license server (this should be on a local filesystem, not NFS). With
/usr/local/flexlm/naglm/bin as the current directory, execute the script
$FASTFLOHOME/license/bin/mklinks to make links from lmutil to the
FLEXlm utility command names that are used in the documentation.
Ensure that the SERVER line in the license file is the same as that
printed by mklinks.
Set the environment variable LM_LICENSE_FILE to the full path of the
license file and enter the command ./lmgrd to start the license manager.
If any problems are reported, rectify them using the information in the
FLEXlm End User Manual and FAQ. Stop the license manager with the
command ./lmdown.
lmgrd should be started on the license server whenever the run level
changes into multi-user mode. You need to be 'root' to arrange this,
but lmgrd does not have to be run as root so you should set up a
non-privileged username, for example flexrun. An appropriate entry
in /etc/passwd would be:
flexrun:*:22:22:Runs FLEXlm lmgrd only:/nonexistent:/bin/sh
This example places flexrun in group 22, which should be lmadmin. The
entry in /etc/group is:
lmadmin:*:22:root,flexrun
In the scripts executed by init, lmgrd should be started with a
command like:
su flexrun -c "umask 022; /usr/local/flexlm/naglm/bin/lmgrd \
-c /usr/local/flexlm/naglm/license.dat -2 -p \
-l /usr/local/flexlm/naglm/lmgrd.log"
Refer to the FLEXlm End User Manual for a full description of the
possible arguments to lmgrd.
2.2.3. Installing a Counted License and FLEXlm on Windows NT/2000
In this subsection, we assume that drive C: is the Windows system drive.
If your WINNT directory is on another drive, use the proper drive letter
in all paths.
If your license server is already running FLEXlm v7.0e or later for a
NAG product, add the FEATURE line for Fastflo to your existing
license file and use the Reread option of the lmtools utility. The only
other action required in this case is to ensure that the environment
variable LM_LICENSE_FILE is set as described below. Apart from this,
the remainder of this section may be skipped.
Store the text of the license key in a file on the license server, say
C:\FLEXLM\NAGLM\LICENSE.DAT, ensuring that the word after SERVER
is the network name of the license server and the path on the DAEMON
line is C:\FLEXLM\NAGLM\BIN\NAG.EXE. The file must be saved as a simple
text file.
On the system(s) where Fastflo is to be run, set the environment
variable LM_LICENSE_FILE to "port@host", where port is the port number
on the SERVER line and host is the hostname of the license server.
For example, in the C-shell, type:
setenv LM_LICENSE_FILE 7312@derwent
or in the Bourne shell, type:
LM_LICENSE_FILE=7312@derwent
export LM_LICENSE_FILE
Copy the contents of $FASTFLOHOME/license/bin/i86_n3 into
C:\FLEXLM\NAGLM\BIN on the license server.
Open an MS-DOS Command Prompt window, change directory to
C:\FLEXLM\NAGLM and type the command:
bin\lmgrd -app -c C:\FLEXLM\NAGLM\LICENSE.DAT
This will start the license manager and report its success or failure.
If any problems are reported, rectify them using the information in the
FLEXlm End User Manual and FAQ. To terminate the license manager, change
directory to C:\FLEXLM\NAGLM and type the command:
bin\lmutil lmdown -c C:\FLEXLM\NAGLM\LICENSE.DAT
The license manager many be installed as a Windows Service using the
INSTALLS utility (which has a command line interface), or the LMTOOLS
utility. The latter has a number of useful diagnostic and configuration
facilities.
2.3. Installation Test
Check that the environment variable $FASTFLOHOME has been set and that
$FASTFLOHOME/bin is included in your path (as described in Section 2.1).
Check also that you have followed the instructions in Section 2.2
to set up the license management system. Then execute the Fastflo
main program fastflo.dp (double precision) or fastflo.sp (single
precision).
When the Fastflo GUI has appeared:
(i) Use the "File" menu to read a mesh file from the installed examples
directory - choose menu item "Read Mesh", then load file
"crucible.msh".
(ii) Use the "File | Read Prob" menu item to read the corresponding
Fastflo problem file, which is named "crucible.prb", from the same
examples directory.
(iii) Choose "Execute | Run" menu item. Fastflo should respond by printing
some information about the mesh and problem in its output window
(the middle window of the three windows on the left-hand side).
(iv) Click in the input window (the top window of the three windows on
the left-hand side) with the left mouse button, so that it becomes
the active window. Then type the command "run1" followed by a
carriage return.
If all goes well, Fastflo should solve the specified problem,
drawing several contour plots successively in the graphics
window (the large black window on the right-hand side). You can exit
Fastflo by using the "File | Exit" menu item.
Depending on your system configuration you may see a warning message
No default configuration 'mesa3.1' in init file
from the Mesa library appearing in the shell from which Fastflo was
launched. This will not effect the functioning of Fastflo. It is due
to the fact that a previous version of Mesa has already been installed
on your machine. This warning can be removed by adding a line
(config-mesa mesa3.1 ())
within the file /etc/mesa.conf installed with the previous version.
The directory $FASTFLOHOME/lib includes a mesa.conf file containing
this line.
3. Further Information
3.1. Configuration Files
When Fastflo starts, it reads configurable parameters from a file
named fastflo.cfg. The file is searched for in the following order:
(i) the current directory
(ii) the user's home directory
(iii) the Fastflo root directory
When the file is found, no further searching takes place; thus,
a fastflo.cfg in the current directory takes precedence over one
in the home directory or the Fastflo root directory (the latter
file can be regarded as holding "fall-back" parameter values).
The installer should edit the copy of fastflo.cfg in the Fastflo
root directory ($FASTFLOHOME), to set sensible values for
some of the parameters. In particular, the values of the "Editor"
and "Browser" parameters might be altered, according to comments
in the file.
3.2. Viewing the HTML Tutorial Guide and Fluids ToolBox Guide
The Fastflo Tutorial Guide and Fluids ToolBox Guide are provided
in HTML format as part of this distribution. To view the Tutorial
load the file
$FASTFLOHOME/doc/Tutorial/tutorial.html
into your browser. Some additional navigation features are available
in the document if you have JavaScript enabled.
Similarly, the Fluids ToolBox Guide can be viewed by loading the
file
$FASTFLOHOME/doc/ToolBox/toolbox.html
into your browser.
3.3 Version Information
Invoking Fastflo with the -v command line option prints information
about the versions of compiler and libraries used to build Fastflo.
The same information can be found in the About | Versions menu once
Fastflo is running.
3.4. Graphics Acceleration
Fastflo for Linux has been dynamically linked against Mesa 3.2, the public
domain OpenGL(tm)-like library. For the convenience of the user we have
included the Mesa libraries in $FASTFLOHOME/lib. The source of the Mesa
libraries and additional information can be found at the official Mesa Web
site:
http://www.mesa3d.org
For certain hardware configurations (such as 3Dfx Voodoo Graphics and Rush
based boards) it may be possible to improve the performance of the
rendering in Fastflo by obtaining the Mesa 3.2 source from the Mesa site
and building a version of the shareable libraries in $FASTFLOHOME/lib
specifically suited to your hardware. You should then make sure that the
dynamic linker chooses these replacement libraries by renaming the
existing libraries and installing the replacements in the same location
in $FASTFLOHOME/lib. Alternatively you can install the replacements in a
new location and modify the variable shlib set in the scripts
$FASTFLOHOME/bin/fastflo.sp and $FASTFLOHOME/bin/fastflo.dp to give the
path to the shared libraries you wish to use. You can check which versions
of the libraries are being selected by setting the environment variable
FF_SCRIPTDBG before starting Fastflo. Once Fastflo is running you can also
check the versions from the About | Versions menu, or from the command
line with the -v option.
4. Acknowledgements
Fastflo was developed in Australia by scientists at CSIRO Division of
Mathematical and Information Sciences.
Partners in the original syndicate were CSIRO, Compumod and The Broken Hill
Proprietary Company. Financial support of Australia's Industry R&D Board is
gratefully acknowledged.
5. Support from NAG
(a) Contact with NAG
Queries concerning this document or the implementation generally should
be directed initially to your local Advisory Service. If you have
difficulty in making contact locally, you can contact NAG directly at
one of the addresses given in the Appendix. Users subscribing to the
support service are encouraged to contact one of the NAG Response
Centres (see below).
(b) NAG Response Centres
The NAG Response Centres are available for general enquiries from all
users and also for technical queries from sites with an annually
licensed product or support service.
The Response Centres are open during office hours, but contact is
possible by fax, email and phone (answering machine) at all times.
When contacting a Response Centre please quote your NAG site reference
and NAG product code (in this case DFLUX30NA).
(c) NAG Websites
The NAG websites are an information service providing items of interest
to users and prospective users of NAG products and services. The
information is reviewed and updated regularly and includes
implementation availability, descriptions of products, downloadable
software, product documentation and technical reports. The NAG websites
can be accessed at
http://www.nag.co.uk/ or
http://www.nag.com/ (in North America) or
http://www.nag-j.co.jp/ (in Japan)
(d) CSIRO Fastflo Website
For extra information about Fastflo, see also the CSIRO Fastflo Website
at
http://www.cmis.csiro.au/Fastflo
(e) NAG Electronic Newsletter
If you would like to be kept up to date with news from NAG you may want
to register to receive our electronic newsletter, which will alert you
to special offers, announcements about new products or product/service
enhancements, case studies and NAG's event diary. To register visit one
of our websites or contact us at nagnews@nag.co.uk.
6. User Feedback
Many factors influence the way NAG's products and services evolve and your
ideas are invaluable in helping us to ensure that we meet your needs. If you
would like to contribute to this process we would be pleased to receive your
comments by email at feedback@nag.co.uk. Alternatively contact the
appropriate NAG Response Centre who will be happy to record your comments.
Appendix - Contact Addresses
NAG Ltd
Wilkinson House
Jordan Hill Road
OXFORD OX2 8DR NAG Ltd Response Centre
United Kingdom email: support@nag.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1865 511245 Tel: +44 (0)1865 311744
Fax: +44 (0)1865 310139 Fax: +44 (0)1865 310139
NAG Inc
1431 Opus Place, Suite 220
Downers Grove
IL 60515-1362 NAG Inc Response Center
USA email: infodesk@nag.com
Tel: +1 630 971 2337 Tel: +1 630 971 2345
Fax: +1 630 971 2706 Fax: +1 630 971 2706
Nihon NAG KK
Yaesu Nagaoka Building No. 6
1-9-8 Minato
Chuo-ku
Tokyo
Japan
email: help@nag-j.co.jp
Tel: +81 (0)3 5542 6311
Fax: +81 (0)3 5542 6312
[NP3594/IN]