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Autodesk Nastran 2021 Linux Installation Manual

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
47 views20 pages

Autodesk Nastran 2021 Linux Installation Manual

Uploaded by

lukasz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Autodesk Nastran 2021

Linux

Installation Guide
Installation Guide

© 2020 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Autodesk® Nastran® 2021

Except as otherwise permitted by Autodesk, Inc., this publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, by any
method, for any purpose.

Certain materials included in this publication are reprinted with the permission of the copyright holde r.

Trademarks

The following are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and other countries:
123D, 3ds Max, Alias, ATC, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD, Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, Autodesk 123D, Autodesk Homestyler, Autodesk Inventor,
Autodesk MapGuide, Autodesk Streamline, AutoLISP, AutoSketch, AutoSnap, AutoTrack, Backburner, Backdraft, Beast, BIM 360, Burn,
Buzzsaw, CADmep, CAiCE, CAMduct, Civil 3D, Combustion, Communication Specification, Configurator 360, Constructware, Content
Explorer, Creative Bridge, Dancing Baby (image), DesignCenter, DesignKids, DesignStudio, Discreet, DWF, DWG, DWG (design/logo), DWG
Extreme, DWG TrueConvert, DWG TrueView, DWGX, DXF, Ecotect, Ember, ESTmep, Evolver, FABmep, Face Robot, FBX, Fempro, Fire,
Flame, Flare, Flint, ForceEffect, FormIt, Freewheel, Fusion 360, Glue, Green Building Studio, Heidi, Homestyler, HumanIK, i-drop,
ImageModeler, Incinerator, Inferno, InfraWorks, InfraWorks 360, Instructables, Instructables (stylized robot design/logo), Inventor, Inventor
HSM, Inventor LT, Lustre, Maya, Maya LT, MIMI, Mockup 360, Moldflow Plastics Advisers, Moldflow Plastics Insight, Moldflow, Moondust,
MotionBuilder, Movimento, MPA (design/logo), MPA, MPI (design/logo), MPX (design/logo), MPX, Mudbox, Navisworks, ObjectARX,
ObjectDBX, Opticore, Pixlr, Pixlr-o-matic, Productstream, Publisher 360, RasterDWG, RealDWG, ReCap, ReCap 360, Remote, Revit LT,
Revit, RiverCAD, Robot, Scaleform, Showcase, Showcase 360, SketchBook, Smoke, Socialcam, Softimage, Sparks, SteeringWheels,
Stitcher, Stone, StormNET, TinkerBox, ToolClip, Topobase, Toxik, TrustedDWG, T-Splines, ViewCube, Visual LISP, Visual, VRED, Wire,
Wiretap, WiretapCentral, XSI.

NASTRAN® is a registered trademark of the National Aeronautics Space Administration. All other brand names, product names or trademarks
belong to their respective holders..

Disclaimer

THIS PUBLICATION AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS MADE AVAILABLE BY AUTODESK, INC. “AS IS.”
AUTODESK, INC. DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING THESE
MATERIALS.

Autodesk Nastran 2021 ii


Installation Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................................ 4
2. DOCUMENT CONVENTIONS ........................................................................................... 5
3. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................................ 6
4. OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................ 7
5. INSTALLATION ................................................................................................................. 8
5.1. Files Required for Installation .......................................................................................... 8
5.2. Installation ......................................................................................................................... 8
Helper Utility............................................................................................................................. 9
RPM Based Installation .......................................................................................................... 10
Thin Client Installation ............................................................................................................ 10
6. CONFIGURING THE INSTALLATION ............................................................................ 14
6.1. Environment Variables .................................................................................................... 14
6.2. Enabling Autodesk Nastran for Use ............................................................................... 15
6.2.1. Enabling for All Users............................................................................................... 15
6.2.2. Enabling for a Single User ....................................................................................... 15
6.3. Configuration of the Default Nastran.INI ........................................................................ 15
7. LICENSING...................................................................................................................... 16
7.1. Enabling the License ....................................................................................................... 16
8. RUNNING AUTODESK NASTRAN ................................................................................. 17
9. LINUX USAGE MODIFICATIONS ................................................................................... 18
9.1 Initialization File Redundancy ........................................................................................ 18
9.2 Supported Filename and Directory Naming Conventions ............................................ 18
9.3 Temporary Directories .................................................................................................... 19
10. UNINSTALLATION .......................................................................................................... 20
10.1 RPM Package removal .................................................................................................... 20
10.2 Removing a Thin-client server install ............................................................................ 20
10.3 Removing a Custom or Thin-client install ..................................................................... 20
11. TECHNICAL SUPPORT .................................................................................................. 22

Autodesk Nastran 2021 3


Installation Guide Overview

1. OVERVIEW

This document will help guide you through the set-up of Autodesk® Nastran® on your computer.

• The installer supports both superuser installation to system locations and a non-superuser
installation to a location that the user has write privilege to.
• The installation supports RPM package installation and additionally supports compressed folder
installation on non-RPM systems, or where the installation is not into a system location.
• The help and reference documents will require a pdf reader and a rich text format (RTF) file
reader. Please see your Linux distributions provided documentation to determine the
applications that support these formats.
• We recommend using either Red Hat Enterprise Linux or CentOS Linux distributions. The
minimum release we support in these distributions is version 6.6. Earlier releases are not
supported.
• It is possible to install on Linux distributions that are not Red Hat Enterprise Linux or CentOS
Linux. In these cases the versions of particular core system components must be equal to
greater than that provided on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.6. Details of this are discussed in
section 4.

This Linux version is designed to be installed and executed from a system terminal. No graphical
interfaces are included with this installation and it is anticipated that setup and post-processing of the
computational models will be accomplished with external software. Potentially, this will be
accomplished on systems running an alternate operating system, such as Microsoft Windows. This
version is designed to be capable of being submitted to queues on Linux clusters and run on nodes
which may not have attached graphics terminals.

A complete installation requires 2 items in addition to this installation document:


1. A package containing all the necessary files, which will have a file name similar to (but may not
be exactly):
Autodesk_Nastran_2021.0.0.F-151.0.0.57884_Linux_64bit.tar
2. Licensing information. This will be the internet name of your Autodesk Nastran license server,
either in the form of a numerical IP address, or machine.domain.com.

This package does not provide an Autodesk License server, which is provided independently by your
reseller. It can be provided for a number of different operating systems.

Autodesk Nastran 2021 4


Installation Guide Document Conventions

2. DOCUMENT CONVENTIONS

Throughout the following document the following conventions will be used to denote specific sections
of text:

➢ Where a command should be entered into a system terminal, the prompt will be denoted as a
“>” and the command to be entered enclosed in a shaded box, for example:

> ls -lrt

➢ <Italicized text> indicates text that requires replacing with a user option. Formatted: Font: Not Italic
➢ Formatted: Bulleted + Level: 1 + Aligned at: 0.63 cm + Tab
after: 1.27 cm + Indent at: 1.27 cm

Autodesk Nastran 2021 5


Installation Guide Installation

3. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

There are no special hardware requirements for Autodesk Nastran beyond those imposed by the
Operating System. The table below shows the minimum requirements, along with our
recommendations, to achieve maximum performance with Autodesk Nastran. The table also lists other
supported hardware that you may want to consider depending on your analysis requirements and/or
budget.

Minimum and Recommended Hardware:

Minimum Recommended
Computer, CPU Intel or AMD 64-bit Intel or AMD 64-bit
Memory, RAM 1 GB 4 GB+
Hard Disk 30 GB free space 300 GB+
Network Card Required for network Required for network
installation with Autodesk installation with Autodesk
licensing. licensing.

There are many types of hardware that will allow you to use Autodesk Nastran. Proper choice of
hardware however, can often make the difference between frustration and productivity. Here are a few
suggestions:

1. Add more memory (RAM) above the minimum configuration. This will allow you to specify more
memory for Autodesk Nastran and reduce the likelihood of memory thrashing (excessive paging of
virtual memory to disk).
2. Required hard disk space is difficult to estimate, but in general you will never have enough. This is
especially true when running large models. If you are continuously running out of disk space, you
may want to invest in a larger and faster hard disk. Disk compression software may also help, but
may also degrade performance.
3. Solid State Drive’s (SSD’s) offer greatly improved read and write speeds. Autodesk Nastran can
read and write large amounts of data in the form of temporary and final output files to disk during
the course of its execution. Using a SSD for the temporary and final output locations can result in
significant performance gains.

Autodesk Nastran 2021 6


Installation Guide Installation

4. OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS


The Linux version of Autodesk Nastran is built on CentOS 7. We
recommend you use version 7 or newer of this Linux distribution.
This release will also work on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
versions. Support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and 6 has been
discontinued.

Autodesk Nastran may work on other Linux distributions which are not officially supported. On other
Linux distributions, binary compatibility of Autodesk Nastran requires that a specific version, or greater,
of two core system components be installed. These system components are the glibc library and the
libstdc++ library. The version of the libstdc++ library is usually tied to the version of gcc on your system.
Additionally, newer Linux distributions may have moved the required libstdc++ libraries to a “compat-
libstdc++” package. Please consult your distributions documentation to learn how to determine the
versions you have installed. Alternatively websites, such as http://www.distrowatch.org, maintain
databases of the versions of components available with specific distributions. The table below
summarizes the requirements.

Minimum Recommended
Operating System RedHat or CentOS 76.6 RedHat or CentOS 76.6 +
glibc 2.172 2.172 +
libstdc++ / compat-libstdc++ 5.3.14.4.7 5.3.14.4.7 +

We recommend you upgrade to the latest stable version of Linux. The improvements in performance,
security and reliability may be beneficial - even if you only use Autodesk Nastran occasionally.
Installation requires a number of standard system utilities such as gzip, tar, sed, grep and bash which
are most likely installed by default on your system. If you find these are missing, please ask your system
administrator to install.

Autodesk Nastran 2021 7


Installation Guide Installation

5. INSTALLATION

This section details how to install Autodesk Nastran onto your system. Autodesk Nastran is supplied as
a single Linux archive file which can be expanded into a set of install packages and an installation script
that supports both workstation installs and thin client installs. In order to provide compatibility with
broadest range of Linux distributions possible, both RPM packages and simple compressed folder
installation methods are supported. Additionally, installation into standard user locations is now
supported.

5.1. Files Required for Installation

A complete installation requires 2 items in addition to this installation document:


1. A package containing all the necessary files, which will have a file name similar to that shown
below. Exact version numbers may vary from that shown here.
Autodesk_Nastran_2021.0.0.F-151.0.0.57884_Linux_64bit.tar
2. Licensing information. This will be the internet name of your Autodesk Nastran license server,
either in the form of a numerical IP address, or machine.domain.com.

This package does not provide an Autodesk License server. Autodesk provides license servers for a
number of operating systems and your retailer can provide the appropriate license server for your
requirements.

5.2. Installation

This section provides the steps required to install Autodesk Nastran. The following package names are
provided as examples and may vary from that shown. Please adjust the following commands and
packages based on the packages you have been provided.

1. Unpack the provided package using the following command. This command will create a sub-
directory in your current location that contains the files necessary to install Autodesk Nastran 2021
(The package version numbers may be slightly greater than shown below).

> tar xf Autodesk_Nastran_2020.0.0.F-11.0.0.84Autodesk_Nastran_2021.0.0.F-


15.0.0.578_Linux_64bit.tar

2. Change your working folder to the created folder:

> cd ./Autodesk_Nastran_2021.0.0.F

3. Start the installer by entering the following command. If you wish to do a system install you will
need to start the installer from a terminal prompt as the superuser or using the ‘sudo’ option. If the
installer detects insufficient privileges to perform a system install, it will reduce the install options
presented to performing only a Thin-client or custom install. On a terminal in which a standard
user or superuser is logged in, start the installer like so:

> ./install.sh

Autodesk Nastran 2021 8


Installation Guide Licensing

Or, using sudo, from a terminal that a user is logged into:

> sudo ./install.sh

4. Please read and accept the licensing agreement provided. A copy of the licensing agreement can
be found after the install at:
/opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021/adlm/EULA.txt

5. Depending on the privilege level of the user starting the installer, three possible installation
mechanisms will be presented to the user.
• The first mechanism provides system installation using RPM
packages. Autodesk
Nastran installs into the location /opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021 which complies with the
Linux Standard Base (LSB) specifications.
• The second option provides a system installation for thin client server using RPM
packages. This option only installs licensing components that will be used by a thin client
installed using the third option.
• The third option permits an install into a user defined location. Upon selecting this option
the user will be prompted to specify a location to install into. This option is useful for
users installing for thin-client scenarios and for individual users installing into their own
home folders. This option will be presented to users installing without superuser
privileges.
Please select the installation mechanism that is suitable for your purposes.

Helper Utility
Helper utility is available in a location similar to this:
/opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensing/9.0.0.1462/helper/AdskLicensingInstHelper

This provides various helper functions:

Help Documentation:

Example usages

sudo /opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensing/9.0.0.1462/helper/AdskLicensingInstHelper -- help

sudo /opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensing/9.0.0.1462/helper/AdskLicensingInstHelper register -- help

Registering product:

Example usage:

sudo /opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensing/9.0.0.1462/helper/AdskLicensingInstHelper register --pk


987L1 --pv 2021.0.0.F --cf /opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021/clicV2SDK/InventorNastranConfig.pit --el
"US" --ls [email protected] --lm NETWORK

List the registered components:

Example usage:

Autodesk Nastran 2021 9


Installation Guide Licensing

/opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensing/9.0.0.1462/helper/AdskLicensingInstHelper list

De-register product components

Example usage:

sudo /opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensing/9.0.0.1462/helper/AdskLicensingInstHelper deregister --


pk 987L1 --pv 2021.0.0.F

RPM Based Installation


Installs ClicV3 licensing components and registers the product.

Provides a utility shell script at /opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021/bin/nastran_lic_reg.sh

This script can be run to register the product

Provide the license server with ip address and port ( eg; port@hostname )

Troubleshooting:
Run the utility above to list the registered component and ensure that the product, license server, etc
are correctly registered.

Ensure that the variables defined in the nastran_lic_reg.sh point to the desired values.

Run the script to register the product.

Sometimes, the license checkout fails on machines minimal installations. Install


libGL.

Thin Client Installation

Thin client installation consists of two parts as described below.

Thin Client Server Installation


This needs to be installed on a server ( not necessarily the license server on which NLM is installed).

Requires super user privileges.

Use helper utility to register the license server.

The purpose of this server is to connect with the NLM server and checkout license as needed,

Once the ClicV2 licenses are installed, be sure to register the product with the helper utility.

Configure the server so that it can connect with client:

Look up the file : /var/opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensingService/AdskLicensingService.data

Look for string like this: "Addr":"127.0.0.1:4321"

Change the IP to the IP of this server machine.

Open the port so that the thin clients can connect to this server via that port.

Autodesk Nastran 2021 10


Installation Guide Licensing

Thin Client Installation


This is installed on a user defined location.

Does not require super user privileges.

Configure the client so that it can connect with the server:

Find out the IP address and the port on the server.

Look up the Custom XML file located here:


<user_defined_path>/Nastran_2021/bin/AdlmCustomEnv.xml

Ensure that the port and IP are correctly setup in the XML as shown below:

<KEY ID="ADSK_SERVICE_ADDRESS">
<!--Licensing service address-->
<STRING>IPADDRESS:PORT</STRING>
</KEY>
Make sure that AUTODESK_ADLM_THINCLINT_ENV environment variable points to this
AdlmCustomEnv.xml

Log Files Generation


The log level configurations below are for documentation purposes.
The log level configurations below are for documentation purposes.
Verbose: In order to enable verbose logging manually, please refer to the following for each
component.

Default: The default mode for CLM V3 only logs limited levels of messages.

Important: After configuration updated, make sure Service is restarted and running.

Environment Variables
The environment variable, ADLSDK_LOG_LEVEL, controls the SDK's log level. If not set, default
SDK log level will be "E". To increase verbosity, create a SYSTEM or USER environment variable,
and set to level T (Trace).
Windows command line: set ADLSDK_LOG_LEVEL=T
MacOS/Linux command line: export ADLSDK_LOG_LEVEL=T

Valid settings are as follows:


T = ADLSDK_LOG_TRACE
D = ADLSDK_LOG_DEBUG
I = ADLSDK_LOG_INFO
W = ADLSDK_LOG_WARN
E = ADLSDK_LOG_ERROR
C = ADLSDK_LOG_CRITICAL
O =ADLSDK_LOG_OFF

Service

Autodesk Nastran 2021 11


Installation Guide Installation

To enable Service verbose logging, open "AdskLicensingService.data" in text editor. Add key-value
pair "Dev":true to AdskLicensingService.data
Note: you may need administrator privileges to save the AdskLicensingService.data file
{
"Addr": "127.0.0.1:12345",
"Dev" : true, // Developer (Dev) mode, default false
"AutoPickFreePort": true
}
Service generates the configuration data file in the following location:
/var/opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensingService/AdskLicensingService.data

Agent

Platfor file name Location


m

Linux ..AdskLicensingAgent /var/opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensingService/.AdskLicensingAge


-log.conf nt-log.conf

Paste the following content to .AdskLicensingAgent-log.conf file:

Linux
{
"message_pattern": "%{appname}[%{pid}] | %{time yyyy-MM-dd h:mm:ss.zzz} | %{type} |
%{category}: %{message}",
"filter_rules": "*.debug=true",
"log_path": "/var/opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensingService/Log",
"console_output": true,
"file_output": true
}
For convenience this Zip File contains each of the above examples. If you add international characters
to the file, you may need to adjust the encoding.

7. The Linux version of Autodesk Nastran requires a network license. The installer will display a Formatted: No bullets or numbering, Tab stops: Not at 1.27
screen requesting the details of your license server. This needs to be provided in the format cm
[port]@1.2.3.4 or [port]@machine.domain.com, where [port] is optional and only required if a non-
standard port was used in the license server setup. If you do not know your license server details, or
wish to change it at a later date, please enter a temporary value of @127.0.0.1. The network server in
use can be changed later by directly editing the text file:

Autodesk Nastran 2021 12


Installation Guide Licensing

/opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021/bin/nastran_vars.sh

Autodesk Nastran requires particular environment variables to be set prior to execution. An option will
be presented during the install which enables all users to have their environment variables adjusted
automatically when they first create a terminal. This option creates a link in the system settings folder
to enable automatic setting of the required environment variables. It is highly recommended that you
enable this option. Alternatively, two other methods are described if this mechanism is unsuitable for
your intended usage.

6. CONFIGURING THE INSTALLATION

In general, no additional configuration should be required after the installation program has been
executed. However, in the event of non-standard modifications, it may be helpful to be aware of the
environment variables used and the locations of the shell script file that sets these correctly. Autodesk
Nastran provides a shell script file to set the required environment variables and add the Autodesk
binaries to the system search paths. This shell script file needs to be ‘sourced’ prior to execution or
when a terminal is created. The file is located here:
/opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021/bin/nastran_vars.sh

NOTE: On a Linux machine to ‘source’ a file means to perform either of the following two operations:
> . /opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021/bin/nastran_vars.sh
> source /opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021/bin/nastran_vars.sh

6.1. Environment Variables

Autodesk Nastran interacts with a number of existing system and created environment variables as
listed below. The appropriate modifications to these environment variables occur in the script
mentioned above.
PATH
This system environment variable lists the directories that the Linux system searches for
executables. After modification, it will contain an entry similar to
“/opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021/bin”

ADSK_NASTRAN_HOME
This points to the base of the Autodesk Nastran 2021 installation. Setting this value
enables Nastran to locate the default configuration files. A standard installation will set it
to the value: /opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021.

ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE
This variable sets the location of the license system or file. Its format is an IP address
or host name of a license server. This will be shown in the following format, where [port]
is optional and depends on whether your system administrator has customized the install
of the license server. It must contain the ‘@’ symbol.
[port]@10.4.206.99

Autodesk Nastran 2021 13


Installation Guide Licensing

Or
[port]@myhost.mydomain.com

NOTE: Using the host name format of the license server requires the DNS service to be
correctly setup on your client machine.

To permit Autodesk Nastran to work, you need to source the appropriate shell script file. This can be
done by default by the superuser, or by adding lines to your personal shell configuration files as
explained below. This shell script file sets the environment variables described in the previous section
and adds the Autodesk Nastran executable (nastran.x) to the default search path.

6.3.1.6.2.1. Enabling for All Users

Simply link the shell script file into the location /etc/profile.d as follows. When you log on, these files
are automatically read. An option is presented during the install process to automatically do this.

> ln –s /opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021/bin/nastran_vars.sh /etc/profile.d/nastran_vars.sh

6.3.2.6.2.2. Enabling for a Single User

In the users .bashrc file add the following line:

. /opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021/bin/nastran_vars.sh

NOTE: There is a space required between the . and the /opt/… in the above command.

During the creation of a new terminal, these files are read in and the environment variables are adjusted
appropriately to enable execution of Autodesk Nastran.

6.4.6.3. Configuration of the Default Nastran.INI

The file /opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021/ini/Nastran.INI is the default initialization file for all users.
Directions for customization of its values are given in the main Initialization section of the Nastran Solver
Reference Guide. However, it should be noted that, where required, paths should be specified in
absolute form i.e. with a ‘/’ at the front of the path. This is required for variables such as the location of
the temporary paths. See Section 9.3 for further details.

Configuration of Autodesk Nastran is now complete.

Autodesk Nastran 2021 14


Installation Guide Licensing

A license is an authorization to run Autodesk Nastran or any of its related software modules.
Possession of a license indicates that the software has been obtained legally and is an authorized copy
which may be executed.

The software can be run as a client-server model where the license server is possibly on a different
machine. Autodesk provides license servers for a number of operating systems and your retailer can
provide the appropriate license server for your requirements. This package does not provide an
Autodesk License server.

We strongly recommend that you have installed and activated your license server before installing
Autodesk Nastran.

8.1.7.1. Enabling the License

Once you have received your license information you will need to do the following:

1. Install the required license onto the license server and ensure that is operational.
Documentation on this process is supplied with the license server. You will need to know the
network name or IP address, and possibly the license server port of the license server, in order
to configure the environment variables discussed in Section 6.1 correctly.
2. Run the Autodesk Nastran install process to correctly set the license server settings for the
package.

You should be aware that licensing may require specific ports open on the client and server machine
and that your firewalls may need to be adjusted accordingly. Please see your system documentation
to accomplish this if required. Details of what ports are required are contained in the documentation for
the license server.

Autodesk Nastran 2021 15


Installation Guide Running Autodesk Nastran

8. RUNNING AUTODESK NASTRAN

Having reached this section, you now have a fully operational Autodesk Nastran installation. If not,
please review the previous sections before proceeding.

Autodesk Nastran is run from the command line by typing the name of the program (nastran.x) and then
the name of the initialization file and the name of the nastran model file you wish to execute. The order
of the nastran model file and initialization file is not important. e.g.

> nastran.x Nastran.INI sample.nas

and the following is equally valid

> nastran.x simple.nas Nastran.INI

Additionally, other options can be specified on the command line as referenced in the NASTRAN
Command Line section of the Nastran Solver Reference Guide. These options should be placed before
the initialization or model files on the command line. e.g.

> nastran.x [OPTIONS] Nastran.INI sample.nas

e.g. an example with multiple options:

> nastran.x NPROCESSORS=1 SYSTEMSTATUS=ON Nastran.INI sample.nas

A simple example is used to illustrate the execution of Autodesk Nastran. With the following commands,
we create a folder to work in and then copy a test file and a Nastran.INI into the newly created folder.
Then we illustrate how to execute Autodesk Nastran. The command sequence is shown below:

> mkdir nas_test


> cd nas_test
> cp /opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021/Example\ Files/en-us/Test.nas .
> cp /opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021/ini/Nastran.INI .
> nastran.x Nastran.INI Test.nas

NOTE: In the example shown a space was present in the name of the folder and a backslash was
required on the command line to ‘escape’ this and allow the command to work. This will be required for
other ‘special’ characters when they are used on the command line. The ‘ .’ (space + period) is also
required at the end of the 3rd and 4th lines. The period represents the current working directory.

This should result in a working simulation. If this fails, please check your license settings or contact
Technical Support.

Autodesk Nastran 2021 16


Installation Guide Linux Usage Modifications

9. LINUX USAGE MODIFICATIONS


The Linux version of Autodesk Nastran has a number of small changes associated with some aspects
of the execution when compared with the Windows version. These variations are documented here.

9.1 Initialization File Redundancy

In the event that an initialization file is not found on the command line, the Linux version of Autodesk
Nastran will examine, in order, each of the following locations for an initialization file. This will trigger a
series of Linux specific warnings to inform you that this is occurring and the initialization file it detects
and uses. Used correctly, this mechanism allows you to set default parameters on a per-user basis, or
simply the default system initialization file. Autodesk Nastran will use the first initialization file it finds in
the following ordered sequence:

1. <command line>
An initialization file found on the command line takes precedence.

2. ./Nastran.INI
Nastran will look in the current working directory for this specific initialization file.

3. ~/.Nastran.INI
Nastran will look for a “hidden” initialization file placed in the users home directory. The extra ‘.’
before the filename means it will not be visible to an ‘ls’ command unless you use the ‘-a’ option
to the ‘ls’ command. Place this file here if you always use the same options for your simulations.

4. /opt/Autodesk/Inventor_Nastran_2021/ini/Nastran.INI
This is the default initialization file configured at the time of installation. It will most likely not be
editable by a standard user.

9.2 Supported Filename and Directory Naming Conventions

Support for spaces or other punctuation marks in the filenames and folder names has been enabled.
However, it should be noted that it requires additional levels of precaution to escape, or quote, the
filenames and folder names on the terminal command line when executing Autodesk Nastran. This has
the potential to lead to an error and it is considered safer to avoid this possibility by avoiding the use of
spaces and other punctuation marks in the names of files and folder names (underscores and dashes
can be used without additional effort.

Additionally, we recommend using absolute pathnames, which start with a leading '/', instead of the
abbreviations '.', '..', or '~'. However, support for these options is enabled, although you are advised to
test this before using extensively.

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Installation Guide Linux Usage Modifications

9.3 Temporary Directories

The Linux Autodesk Nastran version is intended to be used on cluster systems where there may be
multiple users running Autodesk Nastran or a user running multiple simulations simultaneously. To
ensure that each running instance of Autodesk Nastran on a Linux system does not interfere with
another running instance, the Linux version of Autodesk Nastran will create a unique directory within
the location specified by the FILESPEC(x) directives. The name of this unique directory will have the
format “nastmp_XXXXXX”, where the XXXXXX will be replaced at the time of execution by a sequence
of system generated characters to ensure uniqueness.

Upon successfully completion this folder will be removed. Should a Autodesk Nastran simulation be
interrupted, this folder will not be automatically removed. In that case, it may be necessary to manually
remove this folder.

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Installation Guide Technical Support

UNINSTALLATION
The used to uninstall Autodesk Nastran depends on the mechanism used to install it.

11.110.1 RPM Package removal

If Autodesk Nastran was installed using RPM packages then it can be removed using either of the
following mechanisms:
1. Your systems graphical uninstallation tools.
2. By entering the following commands in a terminal (with superuser permission):

> rpm -e autodesk-nastran-2021-*


> rpm -e adsklicensing9. *
> rpm -e adlmapps17-*
> rpm -e adlmflexnetclient-17.*

Note: you can substitute the command “rpm –e” with the command “yum remove” or “dnf remove” on
more recent Linux distributions that have these commands available. If these are available, it is the
preferred mechanism of package removal.

If you have more than one Autodesk product installed then the clm* and adlm* rpm’s may fail to uninstall
as they are required by the other Autodesk products. If this occurs, please do not try and force the
uninstall of these items.

11.210.2 Removing a Thin-client server install

Removal of a non-RPM system install requires access to a terminal or filesystem browser with
superuser permissions. The following assumes you are using a terminal to remove the software. To
remove the core Autodesk Nastran files please run the following commands:

> rpm -e adsklicensing9. *


> rpm -e adlmapps17-*
> rpm -e adlmflexnetclient-17.*
> rm -rf /var/opt/Autodesk/Nastran_2021/

11.310.3 Removing a Custom or Thin-client install

The Autodesk Nastran Custom or Thin-client install is self-contained within the folder you installed it
into. Removal is accomplished by deleting this folder.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT

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Installation Guide Technical Support

Visit the Autodesk Account portal (https://accounts.autodesk.com) if you need technical support for
Autodesk Nastran.

To assist us in resolving an issue, please provide the following information to help us locate the problem
and solve it faster:

1. A detailed description of the problem (error messages, problem size, directive, command, and entry
types used).
2. Details of the computer system the problem occurred on. In particular, the amount of memory
(physical and virtual) available at the time of execution and the free disk space at program execution.
3. If applicable, include a copy of your Model Initialization (Nastran.INI), Model Input (filename.NAS),
Model Results Output (filename.OUT), and System Log (filename.LOG) files.
4. Any other information you think might be useful.

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