Abaqus is a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software that engineers use to simulate complex real-world problems. Abaqus clusters are High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems that connects multiple compute nodes to execute large, complex simulations using the Abaqus software.
What Is Abaqus?
Abaqus is a versatile Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software known for its modularity and flexibility. Abaqus boasts a comprehensive library of element types and material models.
Abaqus allows engineers to perform a wide range of simulations including stress, deformation, heat transfer, mass diffusion, and much more in pretty much any geometry or material.
What sets Abaqus apart is its modularity and adaptability. With Abaqus, users can combine elements, materials, procedures, and loading sequences to construct models tailored to their specific needs.
This flexibility empowers engineers to explore innovative ideas without constraints, bringing their concepts to life through simulation.
What Is an Abaqus Cluster?
An Abaqus cluster is just a network or collection of servers/computers (called nodes) with the objective of running complex simulations using the Abaqus software.
In other words, by leveraging multiple interconnected computing nodes, Abaqus clusters distribute the computational workload across the cluster, accelerating simulation times and enabling the analysis of larger and more complex models.
These clusters can range from simple configurations to more complex setups, tailored to the specific needs and resources of engineers and businesses.
Engineers and businesses have the option to either build their own clusters or utilize HPC solutions from providers such as TotalCAE.
On-premises HPC clusters, while requiring a capital purchase, offer the advantage of faster data transfer and overall lower operational costs for day to day work.
On the other hand, on-demand cloud HPC clusters provide a more flexible and scalable solution, allowing users to access computational resources as needed without the upfront investment in infrastructure.
Applications of Abaqus Clusters
Businesses in a wide variety of industries leverage Abaqus clusters to perform complex simulations and analyses. Here are some examples of sectors that use Abaqus clusters:
- Automotive
- Aerospace
- Industrial products
- Research institutions
What Do You Need to Build an Abaqus Cluster?
To build an Abaqus cluster, you’ll need to carefully plan and execute several steps to ensure efficient performance and scalability.
1. Assess Your Needs
Understand your organization’s computational needs to determine the scale of the cluster required. Consider factors such as the size and complexity of simulations, expected workload, amount of Abaqus tokens, and future growth projections.
2. Hardware Selection
Choose suitable server hardware based on performance requirements and budget constraints. Ensure compatibility with the Abaqus software and scalability for future expansion. TotalCAE offers pre-built and hardware templates optimized for Abaqus/Explicit and Abaqus/Standard.
3. Build a Compute Node
Install scheduling, monitoring, and cluster management tools on the cluster, and install high-speed interconnect drivers and software.
Other tasks in this section include creating shared cluster storage, capturing an image of the compute node, and cloning it across all compute nodes in the cluster.
4. Configure InfiniBand or EFA
Set up a high-speed interconnect such as InfiniBand for efficient network communication between cluster nodes that allow Abaqus jobs to scale up to large core counts.
5. Job Configuration
Implement job scheduling and queuing mechanisms to manage workload distribution efficiently and schedule around your Abaqus DSLS or FLEXlm licensing.
What Budget Is Needed to Build an Abaqus Cluster?
A starter Abaqus cluster can cost as little as $1,500 per month and scales up based on your workload requirements. HPC clusters are affordable for business of all sizes and are not just for the Rich and Famous.
Harness the Power of HPC & Abaqus With TotalCAE
At TotalCAE, we provide a range of HPC solutions for businesses looking to leverage the power of High-Performance Computing.
We offer both on-premises HPC solutions and cloud HPC solutions that can be fully customized depending on your own needs.
Our team of experts will take care of managing your cluster so you can focus on what’s important to you – Engineering. Submit jobs in a few clicks, and access the results. We make it simple for you.
Start taking advantage of the power of HPC with TotalCAE. Contact us today!