Fidap/Gambit on Strauss

Description

The steps to run FIDAP and GAMBIT on Strauss are presented below. This is not a tutorial on FIDAP or GAMBIT and is only meant to supply the minimum number of steps to initiate their execution. Please consult the online FIDAP documentation and GAMBIT documentation for complete information.

FIDAP interactive (graphical) execution

The steps described here invoke the "interactive" (graphical) mode of FIDAP. You must be at a Sun Ray terminal or running an X server package (such as Cygwin or Exceed) to run FIDAP interactively. Alternatively, you can run FIDAP in non-interactive mode.

Select an ID for your job. This is just an arbitrary name which will be used as a root for the names of the output files. For example, "ex1" would be appropriate for an input file named "ex1.FDREAD". Type the following command:
```
	     fidap -g -id ex1

      
```
(where you would replace "ex1" with the ID you chose note that if you are re-using an ID then you should also specify the command-line option "-clean"). After a while, the FIDAP window will open:

NOTE: The "FIDAP Command History" window may not show up immediately. The second pink button on the right is a three-way toggle for this window. Clicking it cycles between "small" (as shown), "large", and "hidden."
Click on the "READFILE" button (middle of the second row at the top) to bring up a "READFILE Command" window:
In the "READFILE Command" window, click on the FILE button. This will bring up the "Select Read File" window:
In the "Select Read File" window, click on the file you want to run. In our example, this is "ex1.FDREAD". Then click the "ACCEPT" button. The window will disappear. Click the "ACCEPT" button in the "READFILE Command" window. That window will disappear, and the "FIDAP Command History" will appear and display messages as FIDAP processes the input file (ex1.FDREAD). If the process is successful, there will be a message similar to this one:
Next, click on the "RUN" button at the top of the main FIDAP window:

Click on "FISOLV" in the pull-down menu.
This will produce a "RUN Command" window:

In this window, click "ACCEPT".
If the run is successful, the "FIDAP Command History" window will display messages like these:
A successful run will produce a set of files like this one:
```
   % ls ex1*
   ex1.FDBASE  ex1.FDOUT   ex1.FDREAD  ex1.FIECHO  ex1.FIOUT
   ex1.FDCONV  ex1.FDPOST  ex1.FDSTAT  ex1.FIJOUR  ex1.FISTAT
```
NOTE: The output files will be created in the directory where you were when you started FIDAP, not necessarily the directory where the data file resides. Therefore, it is a good idea to create a separate directory for each run, and cd to that directory before running FIDAP.

FIDAP non-interactive execution

The following series of commands will produce the same output as the example given above, but without invoking the graphical interface:


   fidap -id ex1 -in ex1.FDREAD
   fidap -id ex1 -run fisolv

GAMBIT interactive

GAMBIT is a graphical-only program - there is no "non-interactive" mode (as there is in FIDAP). You must be at a Sun Ray terminal or running an X server package (such as Cygwin or Exceed) to run GAMBIT. The following command will start GAMBIT with a new (empty) data set:


   gambit -new -id ex1

where you should replace "ex1" with whatever you want to call your data set. Consult the online documentation by clicking the "Help" menu and selecting "Table of Contents" to become familiar with GAMBIT's grahpical user interface. When you are finished, be sure to save your work under the "File" menu. This will produce a set of output files that looks like this:


   % ls ex1.*
   ex1.dbs  ex1.jou  ex1.trn

To load an existing data set in subsequent sessions, type the command:


   gambit -old -id ex1

Where "ex1" is the ID you gave the data set. Note that GAMBIT maintains a locking file for your data set (e.g., "ex1.lok") while it is running. If your gambit session ends prematurely for any reason (e.g., connection drops, computer crashes) you must delete the '.lok' file before you can load that data set again. Otherwise you will get a message like:


   ERR[6506] IDENTIFIER "ex1" CURRENTLY OPEN

and GAMBIT will not start.

FIDAP documentation and examples

Online help is available from within FIDAP by clicking the pink "HELP" button in the upper-right corner of the window. Clicking this button launches a Netscape browser window that can take quite a while to appear. You may find it more convenient to view the FIDAP documentation at https://www.udel.edu/topics/software/special/statmath/fidap/fidap-docs.

NOTE: This documentation is only viewable by University of Delaware users with a valid UDelNet ID and password. When prompted to login, type your UDelNet ID and password.

FIDAP example programs (including the "ex1.FDREAD" file used above) are available on Strauss in the following location:


     /opt/fidap/Fluent.Inc/fidap8.7.4/examples

GAMBIT documentation

Online help is available from within GAMBIT by clicking the "HELP" menu in the upper-right corner of the main window and selecting "Table of Contents." Choosing this menu item launches a Netscape browser window that can take quite a while to appear. You may find it more convenient to view the GAMBIT documentation at https://www.udel.edu/topics/software/special/statmath/fidap/gambit-docs.

NOTE: This documentation is only viewable by University of Delaware users with a valid UDelNet ID and password. When prompted to login, type your UDelNet ID and password.

I got a "License Manager" warning!

In some circumstances, you may see a message like the following:


Warning: Fluent Inc. license manager daemon is not running.
         Daemon must be started manually on remote server ls1.nss.udel.edu.
         fidap(gambit) may not run until this is done.
         See License Manager Installation Instructions.

Two things may happen when you see this message:

The warning appears, but FIDAP or GAMBIT runs normally. In this case you may safely ignore the warning message. The University maintains redundant license manager servers. If the first server does not respond, the program issues the warning and attempts to contact the next server. If contact is successful with any license manager server, FIDAP/GAMBIT will start. This is expected behavior.
The warning appears, and FIDAP or GAMBIT does not start. In this case, all of the redundant license managers have failed, or there is another problem. Contact the IT Help Center at 831-6000 and ask them to "submit a request to restart the FIDAP license manager daemon."

If you still need help

If you need help quickly, call the University of Delaware's IT Help Center at 831-6000 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Or you can submit a question via a web request form or e-mail.

FIDAP/GAMBIT

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