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Quick Start Guide: Installing Ansys Mechanical/Fluids 2022 for Research via CADpass Client Secure Connection

Licensing Requirements or Restrictions
Usage terms and conditions apply to this software. For more information, refer to Licensing Requirements or Restrictions on the associated product page:

Table of Contents

CADpass client secure connection (will be referred to as CADpass client or CADpass in this document) is a utility provided by CMC Microsystems that creates a secure connection between client PC’s, workstations, and computer sessions, and the CMC managed infrastructure. 

This quick start guide is provided to help subscribers install and run Ansys Mechanical and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modules. These instructions are for a Windows 10, 64-bit operating system using CMC Microsystems’ CADpass to access shared licenses on the CMC License Management System (LMS).

Prerequisites for Installing Ansys with CMC License Management System (LMS)

Before you begin with this installation, you must:

  • Register with CMC Microsystems. Students and faculty can register with CMC at https://account.cmc.ca/en/MyAccount/MyAccount.aspx.
  • Have a Research subscription with CMC if you are faculty, or belong to a research group supervised by an appropriately subscribed faculty member. Faculty can subscribe through the CMC subscription page at https://www.cmc.ca/subscriptions/
  • Complete all applicable access agreements listed at https://www.cmc.ca/tools/
  • Have administrator privileges for the workstation on which you are installing this software
  • Have a unique login name (LINUX or Windows) that does not contain a blank space. The following are examples of unacceptable login names: admin or administratorcmcmgrrootstcmgrsupersysadmuserownerstudent, guest, temp, and system.

System Requirements

The technical staff at Ansys provide the following recommendations for making the best use of their software, including the operating system, graphics card, CPU, and other hardware.

For a list of the features in this bundle, contact cad@cmc.ca.

Note: Not all modules are available for the supported operating systems (LINUX and Windows). Refer to the vendor’s recommendations for details.

Setting up CADpass client for Use with Ansys Mechanical/Fluids

CADpass client is a CMC Microsystems’ license access client and is used by subscribers across Canada to connect to our secure license server(s).

  1. Follow the instructions in the quick start guide to download and install CADpass client.
  2. Start CADpass client and then log in using your CMC Microsystems Username and Password.
  3. When the CAD access window appears, double-click Ansys Campus Solutions Bundle.

A red checkmark appears next to the entry, as shown in Figure 1. Leave this checked while you are using the software.


Figure 1: Ansys Campus Solutions Bundle Entry in CADpass client with a License Requested

Obtaining the Software

To obtain the latest Ansys software from CMC Microsystems:

  1. Navigate to the Ansys download site on the CMC Microsystems website at Ansys Campus Solutions downloads.
  2. Choose the appropriate version for your operating system and download the installation file archive to your workstation.

Installing the Software

You need to install the following software:

  • Ansys Mechanical/Fluids Software

Before installing the Ansys software:

  1. Start CADpass client and log in using your CMC Microsystems Username and Password.
  2. Double-click Ansys Campus Solutions (Research).
  3. Download the installer archive.
  4. Extract this archive into a separate temporary folder.

To install the Ansys software:

  1. In the temporary folder, open the Disk 1 archive and double-click setup.exe.
  2. In the window that is displayed, click Install Ansys Products, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Install Ansys 2022 Products Main Window

  1. In the next window, read the CLICKWRAP software license agreement.
  2. If you agree to the terms, select I AGREE, and click Next.

To learn more about your obligations under this agreement, contact cad@cmc.ca. If you do not want to continue, click Exit in the lower right-hand corner to end this installation.

  1. In the next window, select your installation directory and click Next to continue.
  2. In the next window, specify which parts of the bundle you want to install.

Note: The “Campus Solutions” bundle does not include all Ansys features listed by the installer program. Contact cad@cmc.ca to find out which modules are included.

  1. Click Next when you have made your selections.
  2. If you want to configure your CAD Geometry interfaces, you may do so in the next window. For these instructions, select the checkbox No. Skip configuration. I will configure later and click Next to continue, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Skip the CAD Geometry Interface Configuration and Continue with the Installation

  1. If you are satisfied with the summary of the installation to be performed, click Next. If you want to make changes, click Back to return to the previous windows and alter your selections.

Depending upon the number of modules you selected, and the hardware in your computer, installation could take an hour or more to complete. The ANSYS installer counts down the time left during your installation, as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4: The Ansys Installer Counts Down the Remaining Installation Time

When the installation has completed, the estimated remaining time drops to zero.

  1. Click Next to continue.
  2. The message Installation Complete is displayed, as shown in Figure 5. Completion of the Ansys survey is optional.

Figure 5: The Ansys Installation Complete Window

  1. Click Exit to close the installer.

Important: Do not install the Ansys License Manager software on your computer. It will block CADpass client from reaching CMC Microsystems’ license server ports. See Figure 6 for location of this installer link.

Figure 6: Do Not Install the Ansys License Manager Software on Your Computer

Setting up Ansys Mechanical/Fluids License Access

  1. Navigate to Start | ANSYS 2022 Rx | and click Ansys Client Licensing Settings 2022 Rx.
  2. Select Run as Administrator.
  3. Under the License Servers title, select FlexNet Publisher.
  4. In the License Utility GUI, select Add Server Machine Specification.
  5. Use the license address as follows:
    • Port: 6624
    • Server1: a2.cmc.ca

as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7: The License Configuration for Ansys Mechanical/Fluids 2022 Rx

  1. Click Save to accept these settings and close the window.

To Test Your Ansys Installation

  1. Ensure that you have CADpass client running and have the appropriate icon checked, as shown in Figure 1.
  2. Select one or more modules from your main Windows menu.

For example, Start menu | Ansys 2022 Rx | Fluent 2022 or SpaceClaim 2022 Rx or other, as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8: Test Your Installation by Starting a CAD Module (e.g., FLUENT)

Troubleshooting Your Installation

The following suggestions are based upon difficulties some of our subscribers have had when upgrading their workstations to the latest release from earlier Ansys installations.

  • Local anti-virus and firewall programs sometimes interfere with installation programs. If you think either or both may be interfering with your license connection, check your firewall rules for permissions. An example of this interference is shown in Figure 9.

Figure 9: Windows Firewall Can Block Certain Ansys Features

If you followed these instructions and cannot start this suite, open a support case with CMC Microsystems.

Other Tricks and Tips

For high-performance computing (HPC) applications, the Ansys Campus Solutions bundle is designed to work as follows:

  • Each time one of the main modules (e.g., Fluent, CFX, or MAPDL) is started by one of our subscribers, this module can be run on a maximum of four (4) cores without asking for any  additional license features.
  • Specifically, if your local workstation has a multi-core processor, you may set your simulation to call on all its cores for computations, up to a limit of four, using any tool sourcing a feature named electronics_desktop, ansys or cfd_base.

Table 1 identifies the license allotments.

Table 1: Main Modules Versus Max. No. CPU Cores

Ansys CAD ToolCampus Solutions? Base License Feature NameMax. No. CPU Cores for Feature
HFSS (Ansys EDT)electronics_desktop4
Mechanical and Mechanical APDLansys4
Fluentcfd_base4
High-performance Computing (HPC)anshpc1
  • The Ansys license file leased annually by CMC Microsystems includes a high-performance computing (HPC) license feature named anshpc. There are hundreds of this feature type included in this license file.
  • Each anshpc HPC feature is equal to one (1) additional physical core you may use. When a simulation is started, an Ansys module (e.g., Fluent or HFSS) checks out anshpc features to fill the user’s request  – if more than four cores are specified – and releases these features when the simulation is finished.
  • In this way, our subscribers share one large pool of licenses with each other across our research community.
  • As of January 2021, CMC licensing staff has placed a restriction on the anshpc feature of 60. This means that one Ansys user may run a simulation on a maximum number of 64 cores (4 base + 60 HPC).

Note: If you find that you are experiencing denials when attempting simulations, your token(s) may be in use by another member of your group. Look at the report here to see if this is the case. If this is not the case, then contact our office for support.

References and Resources to Get You Started

  • Ansys has provided many useful tutorials with their software under their respective Help menus
  • There are online training modules and Getting Started guides included with Ansys software
  • For other examples and hints, visit the Ansys Resource Library located here: Resource Library
  • For additional help, our student subscribers are entitled to browse the Ansys Academic Support Resources
  • For specific help learning how to use SpaceClaim, go to the Ansys SpaceClaim Tutorials

Acknowledging CMC

If your research benefits from products and services provided by CMC Microsystems, please acknowledge this support in any publications about your work. Publications may include journal articles, conference papers, scientific posters, presentations, thesis, and other documents that feature your research. For more information, please visit https://www.cmc.ca/be-sure-to-acknowledge-cmc/.

Does your research benefit from products and services provided by CMC Microsystems?
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