Remote Solve Setup

Note: The information on this page is only applicable to the desktop version of Simulation Mechanical.

Using the desktop version of Simulation Mechanical, you can choose to run a job on a remote computer, specifically one that is connected to the same local or wide area network (LAN or WAN) as your workstation. Remote solutions free up your computer to work on other tasks and let you take advantage of the greater power and storage capacity of a superior network computer. Define target computers in the Remote Solve Setup dialog box. Specify the remote computer to use for solving a design scenario in the Target Computer field within the Solver Manager dialog box. Remote solutions can be scheduled to run at a later time in the same manner as local solutions.

Attention: The job server application, which controls execution of remote solutions, runs as a system-level service. The remote computer does not have to be logged in to a Windows® user account. It merely has to be turned on. In addition, login credentials are not required for submitting a job to, or retrieving the results from, the remote computer.

Prerequisites to Running Jobs on a Remote Computer

• Define a target computer for your solutions using the Remote Solve Setup command. This command is on the ribbon under the Analysis tab, in the pull-out portion of the Analysis panel. Once a computer is defined, it remains available as a Target Computer in the Solver Manager. See the Remote Computer Setup Procedure section on this page.
• Both computers, local and remote, must have a complete installation of Simulation Mechanical.
• Both computers must be members of the same network domain or workgroup, and reside on the same local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), or virtual private network (VPN). Performance may be degraded over WAN and VPN connections due to slower data transfer rates between the two computers.
• Both installations must have a valid Simulation Mechanical license, either stand-alone or network. Two licenses are consumed during a remote solve. Exception: If the job is run as a scheduled task, and the Simulation Mechanical software is not running on the local computer when the scheduled task is executed, only one license is needed.
• Any firewall application, on both computers must, be configured to allow the job server application to communicate across the network. See the Firewall Configuration section on this page.

Remote Computer Setup Procedure

You must know the Computer Name or IP address (IPv4) of the remote workstation. You do not need to have a login account on the remote computer, nor do you need to know the login credentials for the remote computer. The setup procedure is as follows:

1. Click Analysis Analysis Remote Solve Setup.
2. Click Add computer.
   1. In the Display name field, enter a name to identify the remote computer. This name appears in the Target Computer selector of the Solver Manager. Specify any combination of letters, numbers, symbols, or spaces. This name does not have to match the actual computer name.
   2. In the Computer name field, specify the actual name of the remote computer, as it is identified on the network. Do not include two backslashes (\\) before the name. Alternatively, you can specify the IPv4 address of the remote computer.
   3. Click OK.
      Note: The software does not attempt to verify the remote computer when you define it. If you do not type the computer name correctly, the name is accepted. However, remote solution attempts will fail.
3. Repeat step 2 for any other remote computers you wish to define.
4. Optionally, to remove or edit a previously defined remote computer, select the line to modify by clicking it. Then, click Remove or Edit. The software prompts you to confirm removal of a computer.
5. Click OK to close the Remote Solve Setup dialog box.

Firewall Configuration

If a firewall application protects either the local or remote computer, define a program exception to allow remote solutions to function. The procedure depends upon the firewall application being used. For instructions on setting program exceptions, consult the documentation for your particular firewall application . To configure the built-in Windows® firewall, complete the following steps. This procedure is based on Windows® 7, 8, or 8.1 and may differ from other versions:

1. Type the following into the Start menu's Search field:

   Allow through Windows Firewall

   Then, click the provided shortcut. This action produces the Allowed Programs or Allowed apps dialog box of the Windows Firewall, depending on your Windows® version.

2. Click Allow another program or Allow another app, again depending on the version of your operating system.
3. Click Browse and then,
   1. Navigate to the folder C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Mechanical SJM. Substitute the correct path if the software has not been installed to this default location.
   2. Select the file dssp_jobserver.exe. The .exe extension may not be shown, depending upon your Windows® configuration.
   3. Click Open. You are returned to the Add a Program or Add an app dialog box. A new entry, Autodesk Simulation Job Manager Local Service, is now visible and highlighted.
4. While the new entry is still selected, click Network location types or Network types.
   1. Activate the Domain and Home/Work (Private) checkboxes. Make sure that the Public option is not activated.
   2. Click OK.
5. Click Add to accept the program exclusion and close the Add a Program or Add an app dialog box.
6. Click OK to close the firewall settings window.

Troubleshooting Remote Solve Failures

If a remote solution fails, check the solver summary and log files to see if an error in the model setup is causing the problem. If the remote solution never starts, hangs or fails to progress, and no log files are produced, then the problem is likely one of the following:

Problem Description	Things to Check
Communication failure between the local and remote computer.	Double-check the computer name spelling or IP address in the Remote Solve Setup dialog box. From a Command window, try to ping the remote computer (ping computer name or ping IPv4 address ) to verify successful communication. Ensure that the application dssp_jobserver.exe is allowed to work through the firewall on both computers (see preceding Firewall Configuration section). Try specifying the IP address of the remote computer instead of the name. You can resolve problems with name resolution on domain name services (DNS) in this way. You can also try flushing the DNS Resolver Cache. From a Command window, type ipconfig /flushdns.
Software version conflict.	Ensure that the installed Simulation Mechanical software on both computers is compatible. For example, trying to submit a task fails if the remote computer has a newer major version of the software.
Scheduled task fails to start.	First, check the items listed in the previous problem descriptions (communication failure or software version conflict). Close and reopen the Solver Manager to refresh the task list and schedule. Make sure that your Windows® login credentials are entered within the Solver Manager. These credentials are required for the scheduling service, not for remote computer access. Close and reopen the model file. This action can sometimes resolve issues on the client side (local computer) Also, see the next item (insufficient number of licenses).
Insufficient number of product licenses available.	As previously explained, two licenses are consumed during a remote solution task. The exception is when the job is run from the scheduler while the Simulation Mechanical software is shut down on the local computer. This problem is specific to network licenses. If each computer has a standalone license, then two licenses are available. If two network licenses are not available, then perform one of the following actions: Schedule the job to run at a future time and then, shut down Simulation Mechanical on the local computer. Run the job locally (Target Computer = My Computer).

• Communication failure between the two computers