With cloud calculations, you can perform RFEM calculations on an external calculation server. This new capability will increase efficiency and free up your computer's processing power for other tasks. You can also use machines that are more powerful than your own hardware. It may be necessary to analyze several variants of a model in order to find the optimal solution. Using the cloud calculation, calculating such variants can be done in parallel.
Requirements
- You are using the latest version of RFEM.
- The cloud calculation has been activated by Dlubal Software.
- You have a reliable Internet connection.
Performing Cloud Calculations
If the requirements have been met, the following three additional menu items are available:
On the Calculate menu, click Calculate in Cloud. You are asked to select a machine for the calculation.
Currently, there are four machines with different capacity available in the Microsoft Azure Cloud. The machines differ in the number of CPU cores and the RAM equipment.
- 4 CPU cores, 8 GB RAM
- 8 CPU cores, 16 GB RAM
- 16 CPU cores, 32 GB RAM
- 32 CPU cores, 64 GB RAM
The CPU core type is the same for all machines.
These are not four individual machines, but images. When starting the cloud calculation on one of these machines, a new virtual machine is created from the selected image, which is then available exclusively for the calculation job. This means that the number of machine copies that can be created is practically unlimited. Therefore, it cannot happen that a machine is currently occupied.
When selecting a machine, it should be noted that not every RFEM calculation benefits equally from many CPU cores. Models with many load combinations, for which the calculation of a single load combination takes a certain time, and for which the computing time for the design add-ons is relatively short, are well suited for machines with many cores.
Monitoring
When a calculation job has been sent, you can monitor the current status.
Download of Results
When the calculation is completed, you will receive an email notification. In the email you will find a link to download the calculated file. Alternatively, it is possible to use the link in the calculation monitoring for download.
The downloaded files are usually packaged in a ZIP archive.
Billing
The billing of the cloud calculation is carried out using credits, a virtual "currency".
Depending on the performance of the machine used, different amounts of credits are charged per computing minute.
Credits can be purchased in the online shop.
