MSC Nastran Installation and Operation Guide

MSC Nastran 2023.1

Installation and Operations Guide
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 Contents
Contents

Contents

Preface
List of MSC Nastran Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Training and Internet Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

1 Introduction
Document Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Key for Readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Definitions Used in this document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Document Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Supported Hardware and Operating Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
MSC Nastran Documentation Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Changes to MSC Nastran 2023 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
The Directory Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Multiple Products Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Multiple Computer Architecture Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

2 Installing MSC Nastran

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Installing MSC Nastran on Linux Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Installation Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Installation Procedure (GUI Based Installation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Console Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Silent Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Installing MSC Nastran on Windows Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Installation Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Installation Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Silent Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Main Index
 vi MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide

3 Configuring MSC Nastran

Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
System-Specific Tuning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
All Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Windows 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Systems Running on Intel® Processors with Hyper Threading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Using the “msc20231” Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Using the “mscinfo” Command (LINUX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Managing MSC Nastran Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
FLEXlm Licensing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Activating MSC Nastran Accounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Enabling Account ID and Accounting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Enabling Account ID Validation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Securing the Accounting ID Settings and Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Determining System Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Intel 64 - Linux. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Managing Remote and Distributed Hosts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Limiting “memory” Requests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Customizing the News File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Customizing the Message Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Defining a Computer Model Name and CONFIG Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Generating a Timing Block for a New Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Customizing Queue Commands (LINUX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Special Queues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Customizing the Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Keyword Reference Syntax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Keyword Reference Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Using Regular Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

4 Using the Basic Functions of MSC Nastran

Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Using nast20231 Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
File Types and Versioning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Using Filenames and Logical Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Using the Help Facility and Other Special Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Using the Basic Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Main Index
 Contents vii

All Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
LINUX Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Queuing (LINUX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Specifying Memory Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Maximum Memory Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Determining Resource Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Estimating BUFFSIZE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Using the Test Problem Libraries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Making File Assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
ASSIGN Statement for FORTRAN Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
ASSIGN Statement for DBsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Using Databases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Using the “dbs” Keyword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Using the ASSIGN Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Using the INIT Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Using the INCLUDE Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Specifying the INCLUDE Filename . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Requesting Subdirectory Searching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Locating INCLUDE Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Using the SSS Alter Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Resolving Abnormal Terminations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Interpreting System Error Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Terminating a Job. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Flushing .f04 and .f06 Output to Disk (LINUX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Common System Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

5 Using the Advanced Functions of MSC Nastran

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Using the Advanced Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
All Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
LINUX Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Queuing (LINUX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Using the NASTRAN Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
AUTOASGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
BUFFPOOL, SYSTEM(114) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
BUFFSIZE, SYSTEM(1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
IFPBUFF, SYSTEM(624). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
SMP, SYSTEM(107). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
SYSTEM(128) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
SYSTEM(198), SYSTEM(205). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Main Index
 viii MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide

SYSTEM(207) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
SYSTEM(275) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Managing Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Managing DBsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Using the SYS Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Using File Mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Using Buffered I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Using Asynchronous I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Interpreting Database File-Locking Messages (LINUX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Interpreting the .f04 File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Summary of Physical File Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Day Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
User Information Messages 4157 and 6439 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Memory and Disk Usage Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Database Usage Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Summary of Physical File I/O Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Running a Job on a Remote System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Installing/Running MSCRmtMgr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Running Distributed Memory Parallel (DMP) Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Determining Hosts Used by DMP Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Managing Host-Database Directory Assignments in DMP Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Managing Files in DMP Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
DMP Performance Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Running with a GPGPU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Configuring and Running SOL 700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Hardware and Software Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Network Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Installation Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Platform Specific MPI Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
User Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Running an ISHELL Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Defining Command Processor Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Using the ISHELL-INCLUDE Statement (“!”) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Improving Network File System (NFS) Performance (LINUX). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Creating and Attaching Alternate Delivery Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Using PEM Functions in MSC Nastran. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Running PEM jobs with multiple hosts on LINUX systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Running PEM jobs with multiple processors on Windows systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Using Intel oneAPI Compilers with UDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Main Index
 Contents ix

A Configuring the Runtime Environment

Specifying Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Command Initialization and Runtime Configuration Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Environment Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
User-Defined Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
General Keywords. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
PARAM Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Value Descriptors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Examples:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Resolving Duplicate Parameter Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Customizing Command Initialization and Runtime Configuration Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Symbolic Substitution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Simple Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Detailed Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

B Keywords and Environment Variables

Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
SYS Parameter Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Environment Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Other Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
System Cell Keyword Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

C System Descriptions
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Binary File Byte Ordering (Endian). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
System Descriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Numerical Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Computer Dependent Defaults. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Glossary

Main Index
 x MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide

Main Index
 Preface
MSC Nastran Installation and Operations GuideMSC Nastran Installation and Operations
Guide

Preface


List of MSC Nastran Guides 12

Technical Support 13

Training and Internet Resources 13

Main Index
 12 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide

List of MSC Nastran Guides

A list of some of the MSC Nastran guides is as follows:
Installation and Release Guides
 Installation and Operations Guide
 Release Guide
Reference Guides
 Quick Reference Guide
 DMAP Programmer’s Guide
 Reference Guide
 Utilities Guide
 Getting Started Guide
 SOL 400 Getting Started Guide
 MSC Nastran Error Messages Guide
Demonstration Guides
 Linear Analysis
 Implicit Nonlinear (SOL 400)
 Explicit Nonlinear (SOL 700)
 MSC Nastran Verification Guide
User’s Guides
 Automated Component Modal Synthesis (ACMS)
 Access Manual
 Aeroelastic Analysis
 Design Sensitivity and Optimization
 DEMATD
 Dynamic Analysis
 Embedded Fatigue
 Embedded Vibration Fatigue
 Explicit Nonlinear (SOL 700)
 High Performance Computing
 Linear Static Analysis
 Nonlinear (SOL 400)
 Numerical Methods
 Rotordynamics

Main Index
 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide 13
Preface

 Superelements and Modules

 Thermal Analysis
 User Defined Services
You may find any of these documents from Hexagon at:
https://simcompanion.hexagon.com/customers/s/article/MSC-Nastran-Support-Home-Page

Technical Support
For technical support phone numbers and contact information, please visit:
https://simcompanion.hexagon.com/customers/s/article/support-contact-information-kb8019304
Support Center (http://simcompanion.hexagon.com)

The SimCompanion link above gives you access to the wealth of resources for Hexagon products. Here you
will find product and support contact information, product documentations, knowledge base articles,
product error list, knowledge base articles and SimAcademy Webinars. It is a searchable database which
allows you to find articles relevant to your inquiry. Valid MSC customer entitlement and login is required to
access the database and documents. It is a single sign-on that gives you access to product documentation for
complete list of products from Hexagon, allows you to manage your support cases, and participate in our
discussion forums.

Training and Internet Resources

Hexagon corporate site has the information on the latest events, products and services for the
CAD/CAE/CAM marketplace.
http://simcompanion.hexagon.com

The SimCompanion link above gives you access to the wealth of resources for Hexagon products. Here you
will find product and support contact information, product documentations, knowledge base articles,
product error list, knowledge base articles and SimAcademy Webinars. It is a searchable database which
allows you to find articles relevant to your inquiry. Valid MSC customer entitlement and login is required to
access the database and documents. It is a single sign-on that gives you access to product documentation for
complete list of products from Hexagon, allows you to manage your support cases, and participate in our
discussion forums.
Design and Engineering e-Learning

The MSC-Training link above will point you to schedule and description of MSC Seminars. Following
courses are recommended for beginning Nastran users.
NAS120 - Linear Static Analysis using MSC Nastran and Patran

This seminar introduces basic finite element analysis techniques for linear static, normal modes, and
buckling analysis of structures using MSC Nastran and Patran. MSC Nastran data structure, the element
library, modeling practices, model validation, and guidelines for efficient solutions are discussed and
illustrated with examples and workshops. Patran will be an integral part of the examples and workshops and

Main Index
 14 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide

will be used to generate and verify illustrative MSC Nastran models, manage analysis submission requests,
and visualize results. This seminar provides the foundation required for intermediate and advanced MSC
Nastran applications.

Main Index
 Chapter 1: Introduction

1 Introduction


Document Scope

Document Structure

Supported Hardware and Operating Systems
 The Directory Structure

Main Index
 16 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Document Scope

Document Scope
The MSC Nastran Installation and Operations Guide (IOG) provides instructions on how to install,
customize, and use MSC Nastran 2023.1 on LINUX and Windows systems. This document assumes that
you have a working knowledge of the applicable operating environments.

Note: This document includes information for systems not yet supported by MSC Nastran. Hexagon
does not guarantee later support for these systems.

Key for Readers

The IOG uses certain stylistic conventions to denote user action, to emphasize particular aspects of a
MSC Nastran run, or to signal other differences within the text.

Italics Represent user-specified variables.

Example: The system RC file is install_dir/conf/nast20231rc.
Courier font Indicates system input or output.
Example: $ install_dir/bin/msc20231
Quote marks Distinguish words or phrases such as lowercase keywords, commands, variables,
Dbsets or file suffixes from regular text.?
Example: If “out” is not specified, MSC Nastran saves the output files using
the basename of the input data file as a prefix.

Definitions Used in this document

The IOG uses certain definitions to denote installation directories, and product versions of MSC Nastran.
The default install_dir of MSC Nastran 2023.1 is as follows:
Linux: /msc/MSC_Nastran/2023.1
Windows: C:\Program Files\MSC.Software\MSC_Nastran\2023.1

install_dir The full path to the directory used in the installation

Example: The system RC file is install_dir/conf/nast20231rc.
doc_install_dir The full path to the directory used in documentation/example installation.
Example: The documentation subdirectory is
doc_install_dir/doc
prod_ver The Product and Version of MSC Nastran
Example: For MSC Nastran 2023.1 prod_ver=msc20231
vernum The version number. For MSC Nastran 2023.1, this is 20231
arch The architecture of the platform.

Main Index
 CHAPTER 1 17
Introduction

Example: win64i8 for Windows 64 version

Example: linux64i8 for Linux 64 version
nast_ver The command used to run Nastran
Example: For MSC Nastran 2023.1 nast_ver=nast20231

Document Structure
The IOG focuses on three areas of MSC Nastran use and also features additional information in the form of
appendixes.

Note: Chapters 2 and 3, discussing installation and configuration, are the only two chapters intended
for system administrators; all other information in this document is intended for MSC Nastran
users.

Installation and Configuration

Chapter 2 discusses the installation of MSC Nastran, while Chapter 3 demonstrates how to configure your
system and MSC Nastran.

Basic and Advanced Use

Chapter 4 presents the basic functions of the nastran command and provides some details on how to use
system files and databases. Chapter 5 explains how to use the advanced features of the nastran command and
includes information on computer resource management.

Supplementary Information
In addition to these five chapters, the IOG also includes three appendixes. Appendix A contains the
information to configure the runtime environment. Appendix B contains keywords and environmental
variables and Appendix C contains system descriptions.

Main Index
 18 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Supported Hardware and Operating Systems

Supported Hardware and Operating Systems

Certified and Supported Operating Systems can be found at:
https://www.mscsoftware.com/platform-support

FORTRAN
Vendor Version C Version Default MPI
Linux (64-bit) Intel oneAPI 2022.1.0 Intel oneAPI 2022.1.0 Intel MPI 2021.7.1
Microsoft (64-bit) Intel oneAPI 2022.1.0 MSVC 14.31 MircroSoft MPI 10

Visual Studio 2022 17.1.7

Microsoft .NET 6

 This release uses the Cuda 11 toolkit to support the newest GPU accelerators from Nvidia, such as
the A-100 (based on the Ampere microarchitecture).  Nvidia drivers supporting Cuda 11 are
required for GPU-accelerated analyses (450.36.06 or newer for Linux x86_64, 456.38 or newer for
Windows). 

 A fully supported OS has passed Hexagon’s extensive QC process.

Caveats:
• Minimal testing has been made on a few unsupported OS’s, but these OS’s are not officially
supported.
• When running on Windows 10
• Update the Windows 10 before installing the .Net framework.
• Install .Net framework (might not be needed).
• Enable .net framework (might not be needed).

Main Index
 CHAPTER 1 19
Introduction

• URL to download the .net framework.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/confirmation.aspx?id=21
Note: For the latest information on supported platforms for upcoming releases of MSC products, please visit
the following web site: https://hexagon.com/support-success/manufacturing-intelligence/design-engineering-
support/platform-support

MSC Nastran Documentation Requirements

To view and navigate through the PDF based MSC Nastran Documentation, the following browsers are
recommended.

Desktop
Vendor Environment Browser Browser Version
Linux (64-bit) KDE Adobe Reader 10.1.4 or higher
Linux (64-bit) Gnome Adobe Reader 10.1.4 or higher
Microsoft (64-bit) Windows 10 Adobe Reader 10.1.4 or higher

Note: The browsers in the above table have been tested and work with the current version of the
MSC Nastran Documentation.

Changes to MSC Nastran 2023

 Intel compilers have been updated and are oneAPI compilers.
 Certified platforms listed on the support page have had a full test suite of problems run. Supported
platforms have had a minimum set of tests run on them.
 Supported/Certified platforms are now: RH 79, 86, SuSE12SP5, SuSE15SP3, Win10 (21H2,
22H2), Win11 (22H2).

The Directory Structure

The installation directory structure provides the following capabilities:
 Multiple versions of MSC products, such as the current and prior versions of MSC Nastran.
 Multiple computer architectures, such as linux64i8, win64i8, etc.

Note: If you create an installation by copying an existing installation, and the path is different than
the installation you are copying from, then “rcmd” will need to be changed in the
install_dir/prod_ver/arch/nastran.ini file to point to the new path.

Figure 1-1 shows the structure of the install_dir directory, which is selected during installation.

Main Index
 20 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
The Directory Structure

install_dir

acct bin conf prod_ver

Figure 1-1 Directory for install_dir

Multiple Products Support

The MSC Nastran installation directory structure supports multiple products by using product-dependent
and architecture dependent and independent directories and files. For example, Figure 1-2 shows that the
install_dir/prod_ver/nast, actran and dytran directories on LINUX and install_dir\prod_ver\nast, actran and
dytran directories on Windows contain the product-dependent files for MSC Nastran, Actran and Dytran
respectively. All architecture-dependent files are located within the arch directory while the util and access
directories contain the architecture-independent files for the various utilities and MSC.ACCESS. The utility
programs directory (install_dir/prod_ver/util on LINUX and install_dir\prod_ver\util on Windows)
contains source and make files for the utilities that are also delivered in source form. None of these files is
architecture dependent.

Multiple Computer Architecture Support

The MSC Nastran installation directory structure also supports multiple computer architectures by using
architecture-dependent directories and files. Several directories that hold architecture-dependent files are:
1. install_dir/prod_ver/arch on LINUX and install_dir\prod_ver\arch on Windows
2. install_dir/prod_ver/nast/beamlib/lib/arch, install_dir/prod_ver/nast/dr3/lib/arch,
install_dir/prod_ver/nast/spline_server/lib/arch on LINUX and
install_dir\prod_ver\nast\beamlib\lib\arch, install_dir\prod_ver\nast\dr3\lib\arch,
install_dir\prod_ver\nast\spline_server\lib\arch on Windows.

Main Index
 CHAPTER 1 21
Introduction

where arch is the name of the architecture, e.g., linux64, Win64 (see Table 3-1).

prod_ver

nast arch access util res sdk api actran dytran

Figure 1-2 Directory for prod_ver

Building beam servers and dresp3 servers uses SCONS. Two new subdirectories are created in the
install_dir/prod_ver/nast/ directory for building beam server, dresp3 server as shown in Figure 1-3. In
addition, another new subdirectory is added for building spine server.
The subdirectory for beam library server: install_dir/prod_ver/nast/beamlib
The subdirectory for DRESP3 server: install_dir/prod_ver/nast/dr3
The subdirectory for Spline server: install_dir/prod_ver/nast/spline_server
The data structures of three external servers are described below. The ~lib/ directory for each server directory
is architecture dependent.

nast
instest.dat
news.txt
combpch.bat
comonpch.py
demo
services
rfa
del sssalter beamlib dr3 spline_server

Figure 1-3 Directory for nast

The demo directory contains the demonstration problems.

The rfa directory contains rigid format alters.
The del directory contains DMAP for the delivery database
The beam server directory (install_dir/prod_ver/nast/beamlib on LINUX and
install_dir\prod_ver\nast\beamlib on Windows) contains three SCons configuration files, include, library
and source directories for the beam server sample programs. All architecture-dependent files are located
within the lib directory.

Main Index
 22 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
The Directory Structure

The dr3 server directory (install_dir/prod_ver/nast/dr3 on LINUX and

install_dir\prod_ver\nast\dr3 on Windows) contains three SCons configuration files, include, library and
source directories for the dr3 server sample programs. None of theses files is architecture dependent except
the lib directory.
The spline server directory (install_dir/prod_ver/nast/spline_server on LINUX and
install_dir\prod_ver\nast\spline_server on Windows) contains three SCons configuration files,
include, library and source directories for the spline server sample programs. None of theses files is
architecture dependent except the lib directory.
The services directory contains examples of pre-defined User Defined Services (UDS).

Default Documentation Directories:

The documentation and examples are available on a separate installer that can be downloaded from SDC
(MSC.Software Solutions Download Center) at https://mscsoftware.subscribenet.com. The default
installation directories for documentation/ examples (doc_install_dir) are:
Windows: C:\Program Files\MSC.Software\MSC_Nastran_Documentation\2023.1
Linux: /msc/MSC_Nastran_Documentation/2023.1

Figure 1-4 Directory for Documentation/ Example files

Main Index
 Chapter 2: Installing MSC Nastran
MSC Nastran Installation and Operations GuideMSC Nastran Installation and Operations
Guide

2 Installing MSC Nastran


Overview

Installing MSC Nastran on Linux Systems

Installing MSC Nastran on Windows Systems

Main Index
 24 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Overview

Overview
This chapter discusses the MSC Nastran interactive installation script, and includes installation procedures
for LINUX and Windows systems.

Installing MSC Nastran on Linux Systems

This section begins with a brief set of installation notes and general information regarding MSC Nastran and
MSC Licensing Helium or later. This section concludes with instructions on how to repeat a LINUX
installation; this is useful when MSC Nastran is being installed on a number of computers.
GUI based (also known as standard or default), console and silent modes of running installer are currently
supported. The GUI based mode requires a X windows environment and appropriately configured DISPLAY
variable.

Installation Notes
 If you need a license file (served by FLEXlm), please contact your MSC account manager or MSC
account administrator for assistance.

MSC Nastran
 Any run time libraries needed by MSC Nastran are included in this distribution.
 The installation test option will only be performed on the current architecture.
 If you install MSC Nastran in an installation base directory containing previous versions of
MSC Nastran, your current settings for the “authorize”, “sdirectory”, “buffsize”, and “memory”
keywords will be used as defaults.
 The installation directory should not contain non-standard characters such as “^” or “(“.
 To install MSC Nastran for Distributed Memory Parallel (DMP) operations, you must select one of
the following three installation schemes if you want to use more than one host in a single
MSC Nastran job:
• Install MSC Nastran on a filesystem that is global to every host. This provides the easiest
installation and system administration, but may present network load issues when the
MSC Nastran is started and the delivery databases are being read.
• Install MSC Nastran on every host on host-private file systems. This is harder to install and
administer, but reduces the network load when MSC Nastran is started.
• A combination of the above.

Note: In all cases, the nastran command must have the same pathname, or be in the default
PATH of every host that will run a DMP job. Recall that your “.profile” and “.login”
files are not used for scp/rcp and ssh/rsh operations.

MSC Nastran on windows needs to be installed on a network drive with no spaces to

use multiple hosts.

Main Index
 CHAPTER 2 25
Installing MSC Nastran

FLEXlm License Server Version Helium of later

 In general, you should only install the FLEXlm License Server on one computer. Advanced licensing
requirements may dictate more than one FLEXlm License Server.
 See Managing MSC Nastran Licensing for the systems supported by FLEXlm.
 If you have a FLEXlm network or counted node-lock license file, identify the name of the FLEXlm
license server using “FLEXlm Server” option in the “Authorization Information” menu.
 If you have a node-lock authorization code file, identify the pathname and license file using the
“Authorization File” option in the “Authorization Information” menu; the file will be appended to
install_dir/conf/authorize.dat.

Note: On Windows/Linux the licensing guide is available in the MSC Licensing\Helium

folder as pdf file: ‘licenseserver_usage_guide.pdf’.

Installation Procedure (GUI Based Installation)

The installer is self extracting binary that needs to be downloaded and run on your system to install all the
necessary components of MSC Nastran. You can download the binaries from:
https://mscsoftware.subscribenet.com

Installing using Downloaded Files

1. Login as root
2. “cd” to a temporary directory with enough disk space. Create a subdirectory and “cd” into the
subdirectory.
3. Download the delivery file from Solution Download Center. If you previously downloaded the file
please proceed to the next step.
4. Executing the installation binary may require adding execution privilege:
For MSC Nastran - chmod +x nastran_20xx_<platform>.bin
5. Execute the nastran_20xx_<platform>.bin script and follow the on screen prompts as described in
the following steps.
For Example, to execute the installation binary:

./nastran_20xx_linux64.bin

6. During the installation you will be prompted for several default options. These options are:
Installation Directory- Where MSC Nastran will be installed
Example: /opt/msc
Default: /msc/MSC_Nastran/2023.1
License Server - The server for MSC Nastran licensing

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 26 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Installing MSC Nastran on Linux Systems

Example:27500@node1
Memory - The amount of memory MSC Nastran will dynamically allocate by default.
Example: 4gb
Default: max
Buffsize - The size (in words) of MSC Nastran’s internal I/O buffer.
Example: 16385
Default: 32769
Scratch Directory - Directory to use for temporary files This directory should be a large and local file
system.
Example: /scratch
7. Cleanup: After installation is complete – you may remove the subdirectory created in
Step 2 above.

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 CHAPTER 2 27
Installing MSC Nastran

Console Installation
The MSC Nastran installation supports console installations, which run in a xterm window with no
graphical interface. Installations running in Console mode require the same input as the GUI based installer,
but without needing the graphics display. MSC Nastran Console installations are generally used to facilitate
installations on machines without graphics displays on your network

Installing using Downloaded Files

1. Login as root.
2. “cd” to a temporary directory with enough disk space. Create a subdirectory and “cd” into the
subdirectory.
3. Download the delivery file from Solution Download Center. If you previously downloaded the file
please proceed to the next step.
4. Executing the installation binary may require adding execution privilege:
For MSC Nastran - chmod +x nastran_20xx_<platform>.bin
5. Execute the mscnastran_20xx_<platform>.bin script in console mode. Follow the on screen prompts
(A detailed explanation of the Nastran paramters can be found throughout this document) for the
remainder of the installation process.
For Example, to execute the installation binary:

./nastran_20xx_linux64.bin --mode console

6. Cleanup: After installation is complete – you may remove the subdirectory created in
Step 2 above.

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 28 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Installing MSC Nastran on Windows Systems

Silent Installation
The MSC Nastran installation supports silent installations, which run in the background with no graphical
interface or interaction with the desktop. Installations running in Silent mode rely on a pre-configured
answer file config.rec to do the installation. Silent installations are generally used in a batch manner to
facilitate installation on many machines on a network

Creating the Answer file

To create the answer file you need to run the MSC Nastran installation in normal (GUI) mode with a special
switch which instructs the installation to record all of your answers in a specified answer file. The following
example is for Linux. For other platforms use appropriate setup instead of mscnastran_20xx_<platform>.bin
To build a response file run the installer with the following options:
./nastran_20xx_linux64.bin --record
An on-screen popup message will show the directory where the answer file will be saved. The config.rec
response file will be generated at the very end of the installer run.

Running the Silent mode installation

For the silent installation to run, the installer and the config.rec file must be in the same directory. The
installer will automatically look for config.rec and start the installation. To run installation in silent mode
use the following command:
./nastran_20xx_linux64.bin --mode silent

Installing MSC Nastran on Windows Systems

This section discusses the MSC Nastran Windows installation. The installation notes contain information
regarding performance and disk space requirements, directory structures and setup information.

Note: To install MSC Nastran on Windows, it is a required that you be a member of the
Administrator group.

Installation Notes
 You must have one of the following systems to install and run MSC Nastran:
• Windows 10-64, with at least 4 Gigabyte RAM, and 20 Gigabytes available disk space to install
MSC Nastran.
• Microsoft 2010 Redistributables are required. They may be downloaded from:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=26999

Note: The disk space listed above is for installation of MSC Nastran only. Additional disk
space is required to run MSC Nastran, dependent on the problem run.

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 CHAPTER 2 29
Installing MSC Nastran

 The following Microsoft Redistributables are installed if they do not already exist:
• MSC_Install_VC_2010_X64(); - Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 x86 Redistributable - 10.0.30319
• MSC_Install_VC_2012_X64(); - Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable (x64) -
11.0.61030
• MSC_Install_VC_2013_X64(); - Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable (x64) -
12.0.21005
• MSC_Install_VC_2015_X64(); - Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable (x64) -
14.0.23026
 To build the Utility Programs using the supplied source, you must also have a suitable set of
compilers. Refer to System Descriptions for details.
 The default directory (called the install_dir) for MSC Nastran products is “C:\Program Files\MSC
Software\MSC_Nastran\2023.1”. This can be changed to a new or existing directory of your choice.
 The default for the MSC Nastran scratch file directory is “c:\scratch”. Having this directory on a
separate drive from the system swap file can help performance.
 The default program group (folder) is named MSC.Software; you can have the icons installed in a
different group if you choose. This group is created as a common group if the user doing the
installation has administrator authority. Otherwise, this group is created as a private group.
 To run MSC Nastran from any directory, you must add the path install_dir\bin to your PATH.
You can change your path in Windows by selecting the “control panel”, and then “system”. Then,
click on the “Path” variable and add the following to text in the “Value” box.

install_dir\bin

Select “set”, then “OK”, and your path will be updated.

Installation Procedure
If you are downloading from the Solutions Download Center, download the self-extracting archive (.exe).
You can download the binaries from:
https://mscsoftware.subscribenet.com
Then follow these steps:
1. Download the self-extracting installer (.exe) file to a subdirectory with enough disk space where the
file can be executed.
2. Double clicking on the Product Installer will start the installation process.
3. During the installation you will be prompted for several default options. These options are:
Installation Directory- Where MSC Nastran will be installed
Example: C:\msc
Default: C:\Program Files\MSC.Software\MSC_Nastran\2023.1
License Server - The server for MSC Nastran licensing

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 30 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Installing MSC Nastran on Windows Systems

Example:27500@node1
Memory - The amount of memory MSC Nastran will dynamically allocateby default.
Example: 4gb
Default: max
Buffsize - The size (in words) of MSC Nastran’s internal I/O buffer.
Example: 16385
Default: 32769
Scratch Directory - Directory to use for temporary files This directory should be a large and local file
system.
Example: C:\scratch
4. Cleanup: You may remove the installer file from the subdirectory used in step 1 after the installation
is complete. If you remove the installer, you will have to download or copy the installer back onto
your computer to repair or modify your MSC Nastran installation. Uninstalling MSC Nastran can
be done using either the installer, or from Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel.

Silent Installation
The MSC Nastran installation supports silent installations, which run in the background with no graphical
interface or interaction with the desktop. Installations running in Silent mode rely on a pre-configured
answer file file.iss to do the installation. Silent installations are generally used in a batch manner to
facilitate installation on many machines on a network.

Creating the Answer file

To create the answer file you need to run the MSC Nastran installation in normal (GUI) mode with a special
switch which instructs the installation to record all of your answers in a specified answer file. The following
example is for windows.
To build a response file run the installer with the following options:
./nastran_20xx_win64.exe /r /f1"Full_path_to_file.iss"
The FILE.iss response file will be generated at the very end of the installer run.

Running the Silent Mode Installation

For the silent installation to run, the installer and the FILE.iss file must be in the same directory. To run
installation in silent mode use the following command:
./nastran_20xx_win64.bin /s /f1"Full_path_to_file.iss"

Main Index
 Chapter 3: Configuring MSC Nastran
MSC Nastran Installation and Operations GuideMSC Nastran Installation and Operations
Guide

3 Configuring MSC Nastran


Overview

System-Specific Tuning

Using the “msc20231” Command
 Using the “mscinfo” Command (LINUX)

Managing MSC Nastran Licensing

Activating MSC Nastran Accounting

Determining System Limits

Managing Remote and Distributed Hosts
 Limiting “memory” Requests
 Customizing the News File

Customizing the Message Catalog

Defining a Computer Model Name and CONFIG Number

Generating a Timing Block for a New Computer

Customizing Queue Commands (LINUX)

Customizing the Templates

Using Regular Expressions

Main Index
 32 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Overview

Overview
This chapter is intended for system administrators or anyone who needs to manage an MSC Nastran
installation. It starts with information on tuning your system for better performance. The chapter then
concentrates on configuring MSC Nastran for your system. Licensing must be configured before
MSC Nastran will run. Other items that may require configuration include system resource limits, the
command initialization file, runtime configuration files, timing blocks, and queue commands.
Two documentation conventions are used throughout the remainder of this document (typically in directory
specifications). The string “install_dir” indicates the directory where MSC Nastran was installed. On
LINUX, this might be “/msc/MSC_Nastran/2023.1” and on Windows “C:\Program Files\
MSC.Software\MSC_Nastran\2023.1”. The string “arch” indicates the Hexagon architecture name for your
computer; they are generally based on the operating system name on LINUX, while on Windows, they
describe the processor. The architectures are as follows:

Table 3-1 Architecture Names

Computer arch
Intel Linux x86-64 linux64i8
Intel Windows x86-64 win64i8

Throughout this document, while file pathnames and sample commands for Windows systems will use the
standard backslash “\” directory separator character, MSC Nastran also accepts pathnames using the slash “/”
character as a replacement.

Note: On Windows operating systems, the command shell, CMD.EXE does not accept slash “/”
characters as the first character in a pathname.

System-Specific Tuning
This section presents some information on system-specific tuning that can help MSC Nastran performance.

All Systems
All systems benefit from ensuring the I/O system is configured for the highest possible bandwidth. Setting
up disk striping, RAID-0, or using SSDs, for use with MSC Nastran databases is one of the most effective
I/O performance improvements that can be made for MSC Nastran.
MSC Nastran makes very high memory bandwidth demands, and particular attention should be paid to the
memory subsystem. A faster memory bus is more important to MSC Nastran performance than a faster
processor with a slower memory bus.

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 CHAPTER 3 33
Configuring MSC Nastran

Linux
 Linux uses memory to cache I/O automatically. Increasing memory may reduce I/O time.
 Do not use a network drive for scratch. Using network drives may cause performance issues

Windows 10
Hexagon has found performance issues on Windows with models greater than 100 thousand DOF. These
issues may be addressed using MAPIO options. Please see Using File Mapping in the MSC Nastran Installation
and Operations Guide for more information.

Systems Running on Intel® Processors with Hyper Threading

The Intel® Xeon® processor introduces a feature called Hyper Threading, where a single physical processor
can support more than one logical instruction stream, simulating multiple logical processors on a single
physical processor. For many applications and environments, this capability may offer performance
improvements over non-Hyper Threading processors. If multiple MSC Nastran analysis jobs are running
concurrently, however, there may be performance degradations. If an installation determines this to be the
case, hyper threading should be disabled.

Using the “msc20231” Command

The “msc20231” command is shown as a prefix for most of the programs and commands described in this
document, for example:

msc20231 nastran ...

Note: For simplicity, the symbol prod_ver will be used for msc20231.

By ensuring the prod_ver command is in each user’s PATH, all the commands and utilities in this release are
uniformly available. The prod_ver command also permits version-dependent utilities, such as
MSCPLOTPS, to be easily accessed.
The msc20231 command is located in

install_dir/bin/prod_ver

on LINUX, and

install_dir\bin\prod_ver

on Windows.

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 34 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Using the “mscinfo” Command (LINUX)

Using the “mscinfo” Command (LINUX)

The “mscinfo” command is available on LINUX systems to display various hardware and software
configuration info. This utility is run with the command

prod_ver mscinfo

mscinfo will display hardware and software configuration report, including

 Hostname.
 MSCID.
 Computer Manufacturer.
 OS Name, version, and patches.
 Computer Model.
 Processor type, number, and speed.
 Window manager, Motif version, and graphics board.
 Physical and virtual memory sizes.
 Temporary directory sizes, e.g. the partition size of /tmp directory.
 Local disk sizes.
Due to the machine-dependent nature of the information, the report will vary between computer
architectures.

Note: Root access is required to generate the complete report on some systems. If you are not root
when mscinfo is run, those items requiring root access will be noted in the report.

Managing MSC Nastran Licensing

Note: On Windows/Linux the licensing guide is available in the MSC Licensing\Helium folder as pdf
file: ‘licenseserver_usage_guide.pdf’. The default FLEXlm folder is

C:\Program Files\MSC.Software\MSC Licensing\Helium on Windows and

/msc/MSC.Software/MSC Licensing/Helium on Linux

In order to run, MSC Nastran requires one of the following licensing methods:
 The name of a network license server (if your computer supports FLEXlm).
 The pathname of a file containing FLEXlm licenses (if your computer supports FLEXlm).
 The pathname of a file containing one or more node-locked authorization codes.
When selecting the licensing method, MSC Nastran will use the first non-null value that it finds in the
following hierarchy:

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 CHAPTER 3 35
Configuring MSC Nastran

1. The value of the authorize keyword on the command line.

2. The value of the MSC_LICENSE_FILE environment variable.
3. The value of the “authorize” keyword in an RC file.
If a non-null value cannot be found, the following User Fatal Message (UFM) is displayed by the nastran
command:

*** USER FATAL MESSAGE (nastran.validate_authorize)

authorize="" (program default)

The keyword shall not be blank or null.

UFM 3060
If a non-null value is found for the “authorize” keyword, your MSC Nastran job will be started. If the
licensing information is later determined to be invalid or insufficient for the analysis, a UFM 3060 error
message is printed in the .f06 file:

*** USER FATAL MESSAGE 3060, SUBROUTINE MODEL - OPTION opt NOT IN APPROVED LIST.
SYSTEM DATE (MM/DD/YY): mm/dd/yy
SYSTEM MSCID: d (DECIMAL) h (HEXADECIMAL) SYSTEM MODEL NUMBER: m, SYSTEM OS
CODE: c

where opt is a keyword indicating the specific capability requested. The initial authorization check is for
option “NAST”, subsequent checks request specific features as required by your job. Other information
pertinent to this failure will be found in the LOG file.

FLEXlm Licensing
FLEXlm is available on the following MSC Nastran platforms:
 Intel - Linux x86-64
 Intel - Windows
Clients with network-licensed Hexagon installations are encouraged to employ the most recent versions of
the FLEXlm and MSC licensing daemons (lmgrd/lmutil/msc).
The binaries maintain downward compatibility, and regular upgrades are recommended, regardless of
whether the current software application level required the upgrade. Updates are available at:
FLEXlm utilities are available at:
Windows:
The msc_licensing_lithium_windows64.exe is available at:
https://mscsoftware.subscribenet.com/control/mnsc/product?child_plneID=593623
Linux:

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 36 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Managing MSC Nastran Licensing

The msc_licensing_lithium_linux64.bin at:

https://mscsoftware.subscribenet.com/control/mnsc/download?element=7087407
A license server on either LINUX or Windows can serve licenses for any number of LINUX and/or Windows
systems.
Additional information about configuring and running FLEXlm with MSC Nastran is available in the MSC
Licensing Lithium Guide. This guide is available at:
https://mscsoftware.subscribenet.com/control/mnsc/download?element=7087407
A fact sheet is also available to help users and system administrators to configure and manage the FLEXlm
licensing package.
https://simcompanion.mscsoftware.com/infocenter/index?page=content&id=DOC1095

Using FLEXlm Licensing

The following table describes various keywords that control MSC Nastran’s licensing subsystem.

Table 3-2 MSC Nastran Keywords Related to Licensing

Keyword Comments
authorize The license specification.
authque The number of minutes to wait for licenses if the license server cannot immediately
honor a license request, with 0 (zero) indicating no licensing queuing. If not specified,
20 minutes is the MSC Nastran default.
authinfo The level of licensing diagnostic messages written to the MSC Nastran log file, in the
range of 0-9 with 0 indicating minimal diagnostics, and 9 indicating extensive
diagnostic output.
a.port The default port number for FLEXlm licensing. The default value is "27500". If a.port
is set to an integer value greater than 0, FLEXlm license specifications in the form
"@node" are converted to "port@node", where port is the value of the keyword a.port.

If a.port is set to the value "no" or "0", FLEXlm license specifications in the form
"@node" are passed to the licensing subsystem without change. This allows use of the
FLEXlm "default port scanning" feature.

The “authorize” keyword is used to indicate the licensing source. The value can be any of the following:

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 CHAPTER 3 37
Configuring MSC Nastran

Value Comments
@node The specified node is the license server using the default port number
27500. See the description of the a.port keyword above for details.
port@node The specified node is running a license server listening on the specified
port.
filename The specified file is used for authorization. This file may contain FLEXlm
licensing information for either a node-locked or network license.
value:value:value on Linux A quorum of three redundant FLEXlm license server nodes.
or
value;value;value on windows
value:value:... LINUX: A list of FLEXlm licensing files, license server nodes, or
quorums.
value;value;... Windows: A list of FLEXlm licensing files, license server nodes, or
quorums.

Examples are:

auth=/msc/MSC.Software/MSC Licensing/Helium/license.dat

on a LINUX system, and

auth=c:\Program Files\MSC.Software\MSC Licensing\Helium\license.dat

on a Windows system, the specified FLEXlm license file will be used. If this license file contains one or more
“SERVER” lines, the file is only used to identify the server(s). If not, the file will be treated as a FLEXlm
node-lock license file.

auth=@troll

Node “troll” is a FLEXlm license server using the default port number. If a.port is set to "no", node "troll" is
a FLEXlm license server using a port number in the FLEXlm default range of 27000-27009.

auth=27500@troll

Node “troll” is a FLEXlm license server using the specified port number.
For LINUX:

auth=27500@banana1:27500@banana2

For Windows:

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 38 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Activating MSC Nastran Accounting

auth=27500@banana1;27500@banana2

Two alternate network license servers, “banana1" and “banana2", will be used to provide network licensing
services.

Activating MSC Nastran Accounting

MSC Nastran provides a simple accounting package that collects usage information from each job and saves
a summary of the job in the accounting directory, i.e., install_dir/acct on LINUX systems and install_dir\acct
on Windows systems.

Note: Users must be able to read, write, and create files in the accounting directory.

To activate MSC Nastran accounting, set the keyword “acct=yes” in any RC file or on the command line.
Placing the keyword in the System RC file will enable accounting for all jobs. The location of the System RC
files is described in Command Initialization and Runtime Configuration Files, 138 in Appendix A.
Instructions for generating usage summaries from the MSC accounting data are provided in the section titled
Using the Basic Keywords, 62.

Enabling Account ID and Accounting Data

The “acid” and “acdata” keywords are supported by the nastran command to provide hooks for a site to track
additional accounting data. The “acid” keyword may be used to specify an account ID. The “acdata” keyword
may be used to specify any additional accounting data needed by a site.
These keywords are activated as follows:
1. Activate accounting by putting the line “acct=yes” (page 172) in the command initiation file
(nastran.ini) or a system RC file.
2. The account validation keyword, “acvalid” (page 172), can be used to validate the “acid” keyword. If
“acvalid” is not defined in the command initialization file, MSC Nastran will not require the “acid”
keyword; if the “acvalid” keyword is defined, MSC Nastran will require a valid “acid”. See Enabling
Account ID Validation, 38 for a complete description of this capability.

Enabling Account ID Validation

Account ID validation is enabled by defining a non-null value for the “acvalid” keyword in the command
initialization file. Specifying Parameters, 138 in Appendix A contains additional information. There are two
types of account ID validation available. The nastran command’s built-in regular expression facility can be
used if the account ID can be described by a regular expression (see Using Regular Expressions, 55). Otherwise
an external program can be used.

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Configuring MSC Nastran

Validating an Account ID with a Regular Expression

To use a regular expression, the first character of the “acvalid” value must be “f” or “w” and the remainder of
the value is the regular expression. The “f” indicates that an “acid” value that is not matched by the regular
expression is a fatal error, while “w” indicates that an unmatched value is only a warning. Note, the regular
expression is always constrained to match the entire account ID string.
For the following examples, assume “acvalid=f” was set in the initialization file and an account ID is not
defined in any RC file.

nast_ver example

This job will fail with a message indicating an account ID is required.

nast_ver example acid=123

This job will be permitted to start. Since a regular expression was not defined, any non-null account ID is
valid.
For the following examples, assume “acvalid=w” is set in the initialization file and an account ID is not
defined in any RC file.

nast_ver example

A warning message will be issued indicating an account ID is required, but the job will be permitted to start.

nast_ver example acid=123

This job will be permitted to start. Since a regular expression was not defined, any non-null account ID is
valid.
For the following examples, assume the following line is set in the command initialization file and an account
ID is not defined in any RC file:

acvalid=f[A-Za-z][0-9]\{6\}

This regular expression requires the account ID to be composed of a single upper- or lower-case letter
followed by six digits

nast_ver example

This job will fail with a message indicating an account ID is required.

nast_ver example acid=123

This job will fail with a message indicating the account ID is not valid.

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 40 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Activating MSC Nastran Accounting

nast_ver example acid=Z123456

This job will be permitted to start.

Validating an Account ID with an External Program

To use an external program, the first character of the “acvalid” value must be a grave, “‘” and the remainder
of the value is a simple command to execute the external program. The command may include keyword
references but must not include pipes or conditional execution tokens.
The program must examine the account ID and write zero or more lines to its standard output indicating the
result of the examination. A null output indicates a valid account ID. The non-null output is composed of
two optional parts. The first part is indicated by an equal sign “=” as the first non-blank character. If this is
found, the next blank delimited token is taken as a replacement account ID. With this, the external program
can replace the user’s account ID with any other account ID. The second part is indicated by an “f” or “w”
character. If either of these two characters are present, the remainder of the line and all remaining lines of
output are taken as the body of an error message to be issued to the user. If no message text is provided, but
the “f” or “w” are present, a generic message is written.
Before we discuss the external program, let’s first consider some examples of the external program’s output.

=Z123456

This job will be permitted to start after the account ID is silently replaced with “Z123456".

f
The account ID is not valid.
See your Program Manager for a valid account ID.

This job will fail with the above message.

= Z123456
w
The account ID is not valid, it has been replaced by the standard
overhead charge. See your Program Manager for a valid account ID.

This job will be permitted to start after the account ID is replaced with “Z123456" and the above warning
message is issued.

Sample Account Validation Programs

The account validation program can be written in any language that can process the command line. Two
samples have been provided below. The Korn shell version is primarily intended for LINUX systems; the Perl
version can be used on any LINUX or Windows systems that have Perl installed.

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Configuring MSC Nastran

Note: You must have Perl installed on your system to use the Perl sample account validation program.
Perl is available from numerous sources, including the URL
http://www.perl.com
This is not an Hexagon MI site and Hexagon has no control over the site’s content. Hexagon
cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information on this site and will not be liable for any
misleading or incorrect information obtained from this site.

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 42 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Activating MSC Nastran Accounting

The Korn shell version is:

#!/bin/ksh
#
# THIS PROGRAM IS CONFIDENTIAL AND A TRADE SECRET OF Hexagon AB AND/OR ITS
# SUBSIDIARIES. THE RECEIPT OR POSSESSION OF THIS PROGRAM DOES
# NOT CONVEY ANY RIGHTS TO REPRODUCE OR DISCLOSE ITS CONTENTS,
# SELL, LEASE, OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER IT TO ANY THIRD PARTY,
# IN WHOLE OR IN PART, WITHOUT THE SPECIFIC WRITTEN CONSENT OF
# Hexagon AB AND/OR ITS SUBSIDIARIES.
#
# Sample site-defined account validation program.
#
# usage: ksh checkac.ksh _account_file_ _account_id_
#
# If the file containing the list of valid account ID's is not specified
# or cannot be opened, report a fatal error.
#
if [[ $#argv -lt 1 || $#argv > 2 ]] ; then
print "f"
print "Illegal usage. See System Administrator."
elif [[ ! -r $1 || ! -s $1 ]] ; then
print "f"
print "Account data file \"$1\" cannot be opened."
print "See System Administrator."
#
# If no argument is specified, issue a warning and use the default
# account ID of Z123456
#
elif [[ -z $2 ]] ; then
print "= Z123456"
print "w"
print "An account ID has not been specified."
print "The standard overhead charge has been assumed."
print "See your Program Manager for a valid account ID."
else
#
# The file is organized with one account ID per line.
# Make sure the account ID is in the file.
#
acid=$(fgrep -ix $2 $1 2>/dev/null)
[[ -n $acid ]] && {
print "$acid"
exit
}
#
# If we get here, the account is invalid.
#
print "f"
print "The account ID is not valid."
print "See your Program Manager for a valid account ID."
fi

On LINUX, this program is activated with the following

acvalid=‘install_dir/bin/checkac install_dir/acct/account.dat %acid%‘

The Perl version is:

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 CHAPTER 3 43
Configuring MSC Nastran

#!/usr/local/bin/perl
#
# THIS PROGRAM IS CONFIDENTIAL AND A TRADE SECRET OF Hexagon AB AND/OR ITS
# SUBSIDIARIES. THE RECEIPT OR POSSESSION OF THIS PROGRAM DOES
# NOT CONVEY ANY RIGHTS TO REPRODUCE OR DISCLOSE ITS CONTENTS,
# SELL, LEASE, OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER IT TO ANY THIRD PARTY,
# IN WHOLE OR IN PART, WITHOUT THE SPECIFIC WRITTEN CONSENT OF
# Hexagon AB AND/OR ITS SUBSIDIARIES.
#
# Sample site-defined account validation program.
#
# usage: perl checkac.pl _account_file_ _account_id_
#
# If the file containing the list of valid account ID's is not specified
# or cannot be opened, report a fatal error.
#
if( $#ARGV < 0 or $#ARGV > 1 ) {
print "f\n";
print "Illegal usage. See System Administrator.\n";
} elsif( ! open AC, $ARGV[0] ) {
print "f\n";
print "Account data file \"$ARGV[0]\" cannot be opened.\n";
print "See System Administrator.\n";
#
# If no argument is specified, issue a warning and use the default
# account ID of Z123456
#
} elsif( $#ARGV < 1 ) {
print "= Z123456\n";
print "w\n";
print "An account ID has not been specified.\n";
print "The standard overhead charge has been assumed.\n";
print "See your Program Manager for a valid account ID.\n";
} else {
#
# The file is organized with one account ID per line.
# Make sure the account ID is in the file.
#
$acid = lc "$ARGV[1]";
while( $line = <AC> ) {
chomp $line;
if( $acid eq lc "$line" ) {
print "= $line\n";
exit
}
}
#
# If we get here, the account is invalid.
#
print "f\n";
print "The account ID is not valid.\n";
print "See your Program Manager for a valid account ID.\n";
}

On Windows, this program is activated with the following

acvalid=‘perl install_dir\bin\checkac.pl install_dir\acct\account.dat %acid%‘

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 44 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Determining System Limits

Securing the Accounting ID Settings and Files

To secure the account ID settings, you must set the account ID keywords in a write-protected file and lock
the values to prevent changes. For example, the following keywords can be set in the command initialization
or system RC file

acct=yes
lock=acct
lock=accmd
acvalid=some-value-appropriate-to-your-site
lock=acvalid

LINUX
LINUX sites can also secure the accounting files to prevent unauthorized modification or inspection of the
accounting data. This can be done by making the accounting logging program,
install_dir/prod_ver/arch/acct, a “set uid” program.

Note: Before making install_dir/prod_ver/arch/acct a set-uid program, Hexagon recommends that

you carefully review the install_dir/prod_ver/util/mscact.c source code, ensure that you have
built install_dir/prod_ver/arch/acct in a controlled and repeatable manner, and have
performed adequate testing to ensure correct functionality.

The following commands may be executed (as root):

chown secure-user install_dir/prod_ver/arch/acct

chgrp secure-group install_dir/prod_ver/arch/acct
chmod ug+s install_dir/prod_ver/*/acct
chmod o= install_dir/acct
chmod o= install_dir/acct/*

where secure-user is the userid that will own the files and secure-group is the groupid of the group that will own
the files.

Determining System Limits

System resources can have a profound impact on the type and size of analyses that can be performed with
MSC Nastran. Resources that are too low can result in excessive time to complete a job or even cause a fatal
error. The current resource limits on the local computer are obtained with the following command:

nast_ver limits

On LINUX, the resource limits on a remote computer that has MSC Nastran installed are obtained with:

nast_ver limits node=remote_computer

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Configuring MSC Nastran

Note: 1. The limits can vary among users and computers. If a queuing system such as LSF or
PBS is installed, different limits may also be found on the various queues.
2. The output from the limits special function may specify “unlimited” on LINUX
systems. In this context, “unlimited” means there is no limit on your use of a resource
that is less than those architectural limits imposed by the processor or the operating
system.

Sample output from this command for the various computers used to port MSC Nastran follows.

Windows
Current resource limits:
Physical memory: 8125 MB
Physical memory available: 4165 MB
Paging file size: 16249 MB
Paging file size 12306 MB
available:
Virtual memory: 8388 MB
Virtual memory available: 8388 MB

Intel 64 - Linux
Current resource limits:
CPU time: unlimited
Virtual address space: unlimited
Working set size: unlimited
Data segment size: unlimited
Stack size: 10240 KB
Number of open files: 1024
(hard limit:1024)
File size: unlimited
Core dump filesize: 0 MB

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 46 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Managing Remote and Distributed Hosts

Managing Remote and Distributed Hosts

Your site can control the hosts available to remote and distributed (DMP) jobs by creating host “accept” or
“deny” utilities that list the hosts that a remote or DMP job may or may not use respectively.
A site administrator may create utilities for remote and DMP acceptance or denial nodes. These utilities could
be placed in install_dir/prod_ver/arch/ and called: rmtaccept, rmtdeny, dmpaccept, dmpdeny. They
would need to return the list of nodes for acceptance or denial for remote or DMP submittals.
The “rmtdeny” and “dmpdeny” utilities list those hosts that cannot be used by a remote or DMP job. The
“rmtaccept” and “dmpaccept” utilities lists those hosts that can be used by a remote or DMP job. At most
one and only one of these utilities will be used. The nastran command will first look for the “deny” utility. If
it exists and is executable, it will be run and its stdout parsed — any host listed cannot be selected by the job.
If the “deny” utility does not exist, the nastran command will look for the “accept” utility. If it exists and is
executable, it will be run and its stdout parsed — only those hosts listed can be selected by the job. If neither
utility exists, any host will be accepted.
The required output format of these utilities is one host per line of output. For example, consider the
following output:
banana1
banana2

If written by a “deny” utility, neither “banana1” nor “banana2” will be available to an MSC Nastran job; if
written by an “accept” utility, only these two hosts will be available.

Limiting “memory” Requests

The nastran command provides a “memorymaximum” keyword that permits you to specify a maximum
memory request on a site-wide, per-architecture, or per-node basis. This value can be set to any legal memory
size.
The default value is:

memorymaximum=0.5*physical

If this limit is exceeded, the nastran command will issue a UWM and reduce the memory request.
You may leave the default limits in place, or specify any value or values appropriate to your site.
It may be advisable to lock this keyword to ensure the limit is not removed. This is accomplished with the
RC file entry

lock=memorymaximum

Note: Be sure you specify this line after any specification of the “memorymaximum” keyword.

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Configuring MSC Nastran

Customizing the News File

MSC delivers a news file (install_dir/prod_ver/nast/news.txt on LINUX and
install_dir\prod_ver\nast\news.txt on Windows) that briefly describes important new features of the release.
You can also use news file to distribute information to the users of MSC Nastran.
There are two ways the news file can be viewed. The most common way is by specifying “news=yes” or
“news=no” on the command line or in an RC file. This specification will cause the news file to be printed in
the .f06 file just after the title page block. The other method is by using the news special function

nast_ver news

This will display the news file on the screen.

Customizing the Message Catalog

MSC Nastran uses a message catalog for many messages displayed in the .f06 file. The standard message
catalog source file is
install_dir/prod_ver/util/analysis.txt

on LINUX and
install_dir\prod_ver\util\analysis.txt

on Windows. This file may be modified to meet the needs of a site or a user.
When reviewing the analysis.txt file, note the use of system(319), also called keyword XMSG, to provide a
mechanism for printing additional information associated with messages. If the “I” in Information is a lower
case “i” and XMSG=1, then the additional information will be printed.
Once the changes have been made, a message catalog is generated using the command
prod_ver msgcmp myfile

where “myfile.txt” is the message catalog source file. This command will generate a message catalog in the
current directory with the name “myfile.msg”. The message catalog is identified with the “msgcat” keyword
(p. 193), and can be tested using the command
nast_ver msgcat=myfile.msg other_nastran_keywords

Once the message catalog has been validated, it may be installed with the command
cp myfile.msg install_dir/prod_ver/arch/analysis.msg

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 48 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Defining a Computer Model Name and CONFIG Number

on LINUX, or
copy myfile.msg install_dir\prod_ver\arch\analysis.msg

on Windows, where install_dir is the installation base directory and arch is the architecture of the system
using the message catalog. You will need write permission to the architecture directory to do this.

Defining a Computer Model Name and CONFIG Number

If the nastran command cannot identify a computer, the following message will be written to the screen
before the MSC Nastran job begins:

*** SYSTEM WARNING MESSAGE (nastran.validate_local_keywords)

s.config=0 (program default)
Default CONFIG value.

A config number for this computer could not be

determined. Defining this computer in the model file
install_dir/conf/arch/model.dat, using rawid=rawid; or
defining <config> in an RC file may correct this
problem.

There are two possible resolutions to this warning message. The preferred solution is to create the file
install_dir/conf/arch/model.dat on LINUX or install_dir\conf\arch\model.dat on Windows with the model
name and configuration number of the computer. This file contains zero or more lines of the form:

model, proc, rawid, config

where

model is the name of the computer model. This string should be enclosed in quote marks if it contains
spaces or commas.
proc is the file type of the alternate executable. This value is set to null to select the standard
executable. The “system” special function reports this name.
rawid is the “rawid” value reported in the above message text or by the “system” special function.
config The CONFIG number used to select the timing constants. If this value is null, rawid is used as
the CONFIG number.

Any values in this table will override the default values built into the nastran command.
An alternative solution to creating this file is to set the “config” keyword (page 176) in the node RC file; see
Command Initialization and Runtime Configuration Files, 138 in Appendix A and Customizing Command Initialization and
Runtime Configuration Files, 151 in Appendix A. Note, however, this will not set a model name.

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Configuring MSC Nastran

Generating a Timing Block for a New Computer

Generating timing blocks have been depreciated because the Multiply Add method selection has been
changed.

Customizing Queue Commands (LINUX)

The nastran command runs an MSC Nastran job by validating the command line and RC files, generating
a “job script” that will run the MSC Nastran executable, and running that script. When the “queue” keyword
is specified, the corresponding “submit” keyword defines the command used to run the job script. The
“submit” keyword (p. 209), only specified in RC files, consists of a list of queue names followed by the
command definition for the queues as shown below:
submit=queue_list=command_definition

or
submit=command_definition

When specified, the queue_list contains one or more “queue” names separated by commas. If a queue list is
not supplied (as shown in the second example), the command_definition applies to all queues.
The command_definition of the “submit” keyword value defines the command used to run a job when a
“queue” keyword is specified that matches a queue name in a submit keyword’s queue_list. The
command_definition can contain keyword names enclosed in percent “%” signs that are replaced with the
value of the keyword before the command is run.

Note: 1. When defining queue commands, it may be useful to build the job script but not
actually execute it. Use the “-n” option, for example
prod_ver -n nastran myjob queue=myqueue
2. The examples presented below are only intended to illustrate the “submit”, “qsub” and
“queue” keywords. The examples may not work with your queuing software.
3. The Korn shell must be used to run the script generated by the nastran command.

Consider the following example:

submit=small,medium,large=qsub -q %queue% -x -eo -s /bin/ksh %job%

In this example, the “qsub” command is used to run a job when “queue=small”, “queue=medium”, or
“queue=large” is specified.
Any keyword used by the nastran command may be specified in the “submit” keyword’s command definition.
The most common keywords used in the command definition are:

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Customizing Queue Commands (LINUX)

Keyword Value
after Value specified with the “after” keyword
cputime Value specified with the “cputime” keyword.
job Name of the job script file built by the nastran command.
log Name of the LOG file.
ppc Value of “ppc”, i.e, (%cputime% - %ppcdelta%).
ppm Value of “ppm”, i.e., (%memory% + %ppmdelta%).
prm Value of “prm”, i.e., (%ppm% + %prmdelta%).
qclass This can be used to define an optional queue class in the command definition.
qoption This can be used to define any option not directly represented by the other variables or
not explicitly included in the command definition.
username User name

Using the previous example, the command

nast_ver example queue=small

runs the job script using the command:

qsub -q small -x -eo -s /bin/ksh example.J12345

The %queue% keyword reference is replaced by the specified queue, and the %job% keyword reference is
replaced by the name of the execution script.
Keyword references can also contain conditional text that is included only if the value of the keyword is not
null, or matches (does not match) a regular expression. A complete description of the keyword reference
syntax is described in Keyword Reference Examples, 53. To check for a nonnull value, use the form
%kwd:condtext%

where kwd is the name of the keyword and condtext is the conditional text to be included. If the value of the
keyword is null, the keyword reference is removed from the command. If the value of the keyword is not null,
the keyword reference is replaced with the contents of condtext. Within condtext, the value of the keyword is
represented by an open-close brace pair “{}”.
For example:
submit=s=qsub -q %queue% %after:-a {}% -x -s /bin/ksh %job%

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In this example, the “aft” keyword is references with conditional text. Using this example, the command
nast_ver example queue=s after=10:00

runs the job script using the following qsub command:

qsub -q s -a 10:00 -x -s /bin/ksh example.J12345

Using the same “submit” keyword, the command

nast_ver example queue=s

runs the job script using the following command:

qsub -q s -x -s /bin/ksh example.J12345

In this case, the “after” keyword was not specified and the entire contents of the %after% keyword reference
was removed from the qsub command line.

Special Queues
When the “queue” keyword is not specified, the following three special queues are used:

Keyword Queue Name Command Definition

after -aft | at %after%
batch=yes -bg %job%
batch=no -fg %job%

Note: 1. If the first character of the command is the LINUX pipe character, “|”, the contents of
job script will be piped into the command.
2. The command for the “-bg” queue is always executed in the background; the “-fg” and
“-aft” commands are always executed in the foreground.

Changing the command definitions of these queues (using the “submit” keyword) will change the way the
nastran command runs a job under the “after” and “batch” keywords.

Customizing the Templates

The nastran command relies on several templates to construct the job script (LINUX) or control file
(Windows) that is built for every MSC Nastran job. Note that, for LINUX, the job script includes the
necessary commands to build the control file. Several templates are provided:

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Customizing the Templates

For LINUX, the following files are used. Note that the installed template files are the same for all
architectures. The file names in the arch directory are linked to files in the bin directory.
 install_dir/prod_ver/arch/nastran.dmp is used for DMP jobs.
The keyword defining this file name is 0.dmp.
 install_dir/prod_ver/arch/nastran.lcl is used for serial or SMP jobs run on the local system.
The keyword defining this file name is 0.lcl.
 install_dir/prod_ver/arch/nastran.rmt is used for serial or SMP jobs run on a remote system using
the "node" keyword. The keyword defining this file name is 0.rmt.
 install_dir/prod_ver/arch/nastran.srv is used for Toolkit jobs.
The keyword defining this file name is 0.srv.
The templates provided by Hexagon support all versions of MSC Nastran since MSC Nastran 68.0 for all
LINUX platforms.
For Windows,
 install_dir\prod_ver\arch\nastran.lcl is used for serial or SMP jobs run on the local system.
The keyword defining this file name is 0.lcl.
 install_dir\prod_ver\arch\nastran.rmt is used for serial or SMP jobs run on a remote system using
the "node" keyword. Currently, the remote system must be a LINUX system running the "rshd"
daemon.
The keyword defining this file name is 0.rmt.
 install_dir\prod_ver\arch\nastran.srv is used for Toolkit jobs.
The keyword defining this file name is 0.srv.
These templates may be modified to suit your needs. Please make backup copies if you modify these files.
You may also use the appropriate keyword, specified in either the INI file or on the command line, to specify
the location of your modified template file.

Note: When customizing the templates, it may be useful to build the job script or control file but
not actually execute it. Use the "-n" option, e.g.,
nast_ver -n myjob

The name of the generated file will be echoed to stdout.

Keyword Reference Syntax

The script templates use the keyword reference syntax that was partially introduced in the previous section.
Table 3-3 provides examples.

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Configuring MSC Nastran

Table 3-3 Keyword Syntax

Syntax Value Side effects
%% %
%keyword% Value of keyword.
%keyword:condtext% condtext
%keyword=re% Value of the parenthetic expression
if specified in the re, otherwise the
string matched by the re.
%keyword=re:condtext% condtext if re is matched.
%keyword!re:condtext% condtext if re is not matched.
%keyword:% Kill remainder of line if keyword
has null value. In a case
construct, the default case.
%keyword=re:% Kill remainder of line if re does
not match.
%keyword!re:% Kill remainder of line if re does
match.
%keyword?:% Start of case construct.
See Using Regular Expressions, 55.
%keyword>cmp:context% condtext if keyword is > than cmp
%keyword>=cmp:condtext% condtext if keyword is > than cmp
%keyword<cmp:condtext% condtext if keyword is < than cmp
%keyword=<cmp:condtext% condtext if keyword is < than cmp
%keyword>cmp:% Kill remainder of line if keyword
is not > than cmp
%keyword>=cmp% Kill remainder of line if keyword
is not > than cmp
%keyword<cmp:% Kill remainder of line if keyword
is not < than cmp
%keyword<=cmp:% Kill remainder of line if keyword
is not < than cmp

Keyword Reference Examples

The keyword reference syntax is described using the following examples from the LINUX
“install_dir/msc20231/MSC_ARCH/nastran.lcl” file. The same syntax is supported for the Windows
control file templates.

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 54 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Customizing the Templates

Unconditional Keyword Substitution

export MSC_BASE=”%MSC_BASE%”

The keyword reference “MSC_BASE” will be replaced by the value of the “MSC_BASE” keyword.

export DBSDIR=%dbs=\(.*\)/%

The keyword reference %dbs=\(.*\)/% will be replaced with the value of the parenthetic regular expression.
For example, given the keyword value “onedir/anotherdir/myfile”, the parenthetic expression is
“onedir/anotherdir”, and the substituted line would read:

export DBSDIR=onedir/anotherdir

Conditional Keyword Substitution

%sysfield:SYSFIELD={}%

The keyword reference %sysfield:SYSFIELD={}% will be replaced by the string “SYSFIELD=keyword-value”

if and only if the keyword is not null.

%dcmd=dbx:run%

The keyword reference %dcmd=dbx:run% will be replaced by “run” if and only if “dcmd=dbx” was specified.
If the equal sign in the keyword reference was replaced by an exclamation mark, i.e., %dcmd!dbx:run%, then
the keyword reference will be replaced by “run” if and only if “dcmd” was set to a nonnull value not equal to
“dbx”.

Conditional Inclusion
%MSC_ARCH=linux:%startdate=date +%%a %%h %%d %%H:%%M:%%S %%Z %%Y
%MSC_ARCH!linux:%startdate=date

Conditional inclusion is indicated by a null conditional text string; i.e., the colon is immediately followed by
a percent sign. This capability is generally used with a regular expression to include the remainder of the line
if a keyword value matches or does not match a regular expression. In the first line, the remainder of the line
will be included if the “MSC_ARCH” keyword contains the string “linux” while the remainder of the second
line will be included if “MSC_ARCH” does not contain the string “linux”. More than one conditional
inclusion keyword reference can be used on a line to create more complex tests.
%prt=y:%%pdel=y:%/bin/rm %out%.f04 %out%.f06 %out%.log

The “rm” command will included if and only if “prt=yes” and “pdel=yes”.

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Configuring MSC Nastran

A “case” structure is specified as follows:

...%s.model?:%
...%s.model=2600 MHz:% echo Node 1 % s.model%,
...%s.model=2330 MHz:% echo Node 2 % s.model%,
...%s.model=%

if “s.model” is “2600 MHz” then the following is printed:

Node 1 2600 MHz

if “s.model” is “2330 MHz” then the following is printed:

Node 2 2330 MHz

Case constructs can be nested, but a keyword may only be active in one case at a time.
Greater and less-than comparisons can be used instead of regular expression matching to control conditional
inclusion. These comparisons are done with integer, floating, or string values based on the types of the two
values.

%a.release>2014.0: %CONFIG=%config%

The CONFIG statement will be included if “a.release” is greater than 2014.

Nested Keyword Values

One level of nested keywords may occur anywhere within the %.*% string. Only unconditional keywords
substitutions are supported for nested keywords. Nested keywords are specified as \%keyword\%.

%dmparallel>\%maxnode\%:%#@ node = %maxnode%

This sequence will cause the “#@ node ..” text to be included if the value of the “dmparallel” keyword is
greater than the value of the “maxnode” keyword.

Using Regular Expressions

The regular expression syntax supported by the nastran command is compatible with the standard ed(1)
regular expression syntax with the exception that only one parenthetic expression is permitted. The syntax
follows.

One-character Regular Expressions

 Any character, except for the special characters listed below, is a one-character regular expression
that matches itself.

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Using Regular Expressions

 A backslash, “\”, followed by any special character is a one-character regular expression that matches
the special character itself. The special characters are: period, “.”, asterisk, “*”, and backslash “\”,
which are always special except when they appear within brackets; circumflex, “^”, which is special at
the beginning of a regular expression or when it immediately follows the left bracket of a bracketed
expression; and dollar sign “$”, which is special at the end of a regular expression.
 A period, “.”, is a one-character regular expression that matches any character.
 A nonempty string of characters enclosed within brackets, “[” and “]”, is a one-character regular
expression that matches one character in that string. If, however, the first character of the string is a
circumflex, “^”, the one-character regular expression matches any character except the characters in
the string. The circumflex has this special meaning only if it occurs first in the string. The dash, “-”,
may be used to indicate a range of consecutive characters. The dash loses this special meaning if it
occurs first (after an initial circumflex, if any) or last in the string. The right square bracket, “]”, does
not terminate such a string when it is the first character within it (after an initial circumflex, if any).

Regular Expressions
 A one-character regular expression is a regular expression that matches whatever the one-character
regular expression matches.
 A one-character regular expression followed by an asterisk, “*”, is a regular expression that matches
zero or more occurrences of the one-character regular expression. If there is any choice, the longest
left most string that permits a match is chosen.
 A one-character regular expression followed by “\{m\}”, “\{m,\}”, or “\{m,n\}” is a regular expression
that matches a ranges of occurrences of the one-character regular expression. The values of m and n
must satisfy 0  m  n  254 ; “\{m\}” exactly matches m occurrences; “\{m,\}” matches at least m
occurrences; “\{m,n\}” matches any number of occurrences between m and n inclusive.
 A concatenation of regular expressions is a regular expression that matches the concatenation of the
strings matched by each component of the regular expression.
 A regular expression enclosed between the character sequences “\(” and “\)” defines a parenthetic
expression that matches whatever the unadorned regular expression matches. Only one parenthetic
expression may be specified.
 The expression “\1" matches the same string of characters as was matched by the parenthetic
expression earlier in the regular expression.

Constraining Regular Expressions

 A circumflex, “^”, at the beginning of an entire regular expression constrains the regular expression
to match an initial segment of a string.
 A dollar sign, “$”, at the end of an entire regular expression constrains the regular expression to
match a final segment of a string.
 The construction “^re$” constrains the regular expression to match the entire string.
 The construction “^$” matches a null string.

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 Chapter 4: Using the Basic Functions of MSC Nastran
MSC Nastran Installation and Operations GuideMSC Nastran Installation and Operations
Guide

4 Using the Basic Functions of

MSC Nastran


Overview

Using nast20231 Command

Using the Basic Keywords
 Specifying Memory Sizes
 Determining Resource Requirements

Using the Test Problem Libraries

Making File Assignments

Using Databases

Using the INCLUDE Statement

Using the SSS Alter Library

Resolving Abnormal Terminations

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 58 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Overview

Overview
This chapter is directed to the engineer running MSC Nastran, and discusses how the basic functions of MSC
Nastran are used. It covers using the nastran command, including file types, filenames, logical symbols, the
help facility, and other functions. In addition, this chapter provides an overview of the basic keywords,
outlines resource requirements, describes how to specify memory sizes, introduces the sample problem
libraries, and how to make file assignments, as well as how to use databases, how to apply the INCLUDE
statement, and how to resolve abnormal terminations.

Using nast20231 Command

MSC Nastran is executed from the command line using the command nast20231. This command sets
environment variables in order for MSC Nastran to correctly execute on your system and it also has
capabilities to predict memory and solvers (as of MSC Nastran 2023.1 with solve=auto). The basic
format of the nast20231 command is:
nast20231 input_data_file keywords
nast20231 input_data_file [keyword1=value1 keyword2=value2 …]
where input_data_file is the name of the file containing the input data and keyword=valuei is one or more
optional keyword assignment arguments. For example, to run an MSC Nastran job using the data file
example1.dat, enter the following command:
nast20231 example1.dat
Various options to the nast20231 command are available using keywords. Keyword assignments consist
of a keyword, following by an equal sign, followed by a keyword value. For example,
nast20231 example1.dat memorymax=16gb

Note: In Windows you can use a hash mark # instead of the equal sign. This is useful if
nast20231 example1.dat memorymax=16gb command is placed in .bat
file.

nast20231 example1.dat memorymax=16gb

The details of submitting an MSC Nastran job are specific to your machine. Contact your IT personnel or
refer to the MSC Nastran Installation Guide for further information. Keyword assignments can be specified
on the command line or included in RC files.
The following sets of RC files are controlled by you:
 The user RC files are used to define parameters applicable to all MSC Nastran jobs you run.
 The local RC files should be used to define parameters applicable to all MSC Nastran jobs that
reside in the input data file’s directory, and are located in the same directory as the input data file. If
the “rcf” keyword is used, this local RC file is ignored.
The locations and names of these RC files are described in Command Initialization and Runtime Configuration Files,
138 in Appendix A.

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Note: 1. The LINUX tilde (~) shorthand is not recognized within RC files.
2. Environment variables are only recognized when used in the context of a logical symbol
(see Using Filenames and Logical Symbols, 60) or when used to initialize user defined
keyword (see User-Defined Keywords, 143 in Appendix A).
3. When a keyword is specified on the command line, embedded spaces or special
characters that are significant to the shell must be enclosed in quote marks; quotes
marks should not be used within RC files unless they are significant to the keyword’s
value.

File Types and Versioning

MSC Nastran’s default input and output files use the following types: For a more comprehensive list, refer to
FORTRAN Files and Their Default Attributes (p. 59) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide.

Type Type of File Description of File

.dat Input Input Data File
.f04 Output Execution Summary File
.f06 Output Output Data File
.log Output Job Log File
.op2 Input Output OUTPUT2 File
.pch Output Punch File
.plt Output Binary Plot File
.xdb Output Results Database

Note: 1. If the input file is specified as “example” and the files “example.dat” and “example”
both exist, the file “example.dat” will be chosen. In fact, it is impossible to use a file
named “example” as the input data file if a file named “example.dat” exists.
2. The “jidtype” keyword may be used to specify an alternate default suffix for the input
data file. For example, “jidtype=bdf” will change the default file type to “.bdf”.
3. The XDB file is not versioned.
4. The “oldtypes” keyword may be used to specify a list of additional file types that are
versioned. For example, “oldtypes=xdb” will cause the XDB file to be versioned.

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Using nast20231 Command

When a job is run more than once from the same directory, the previous output files are versioned, or given
indices. The indices are integers appended to the filename; the same integer will designate files for the same
job. For example,
v2401.f04 v2401.f04.1 v2401.f04.2 v2401.f04.3
v2401.f06 v2401.f06.1 v2401.f06.2 v2401.f06.3

The files listed (according to time of execution from oldest to newest) are:
v2401.f04.1 v2401.f06.1
v2401.f04.2 v2401.f06.2
v2401.f04.3 v2401.f06.3
v2401.f04 v2401.f06

Using Filenames and Logical Symbols

Several of the parameters used by MSC Nastran, including command line arguments, initialization and RC
file commands, and statements within MSC Nastran input files, specify filenames. The filenames must follow
your system’s standard filename conventions, with the addition that filenames can include a “logical symbol”
component, i.e., the filename can be specified in either of the following forms:
filename
logical-symbol:filename

Logical symbols provide you with a way of specifying file locations with a convenient shorthand. This feature
also allows input files containing filename specifications to be moved between computers without requiring
modifications to the input files. Only the logical symbol definitions that specify actual file locations need to
be modified.
Only one logical symbol name may be used in a filename specification. This logical symbol must be the initial
component of the filename string, and it must be separated from the filename by a colon “:”. If the symbol
has a non-null value, the actual filename is created by replacing the symbol name with its value and replacing
the colon with a slash; otherwise, both the symbol name and the colon are left as is.

Note: 1. A logical symbol can be defined using any environment variable or previously defined
symbol. Use the standard environment variable reference convention, i.e., “$name” or
“${name}” on LINUX and “%name%” on Windows.
2. Logical symbols must be more than one character long, i.e., the filename reference
“D:\temp\myfile.dat” will be interpreted on Windows as a drive reference followed by
a pathname.
3. MSC Nastran will accept Windows pathnames using the slash “/” character as a
replacement for the backslash “\”.

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For example, assume that your home RC file contains the line

SYMBOL=DATADIR=/dbs/data

on LINUX, or

SYMBOL=DATADIR=d:\dbs\data

on Windows, and a job is submitted with the command

nast_ver DATADIR:nastran example

Since MSC Nastran automatically sets the OUTDIR environment variable to the value of the “out” keyword,
if DATADIR is defined as above, the filenames

'DATADIR:myfile.dat'
'OUTDIR:testdata.info'

will reference the files

/dbs/data/myfile.dat
./testdata.info

on LINUX and

d:\dbs\data\myfile.dat
.\testdata.info

on Windows respectively, see symbol, 210 for more information.

Several other symbols are automatically created by the nastran command. These include DELDIR,
DEMODIR, TPLDIR, and SSSALTERDIR to access the delivery database source directory, and DEMO,
TPL, and SSSALTER libraries, respectively.

Using the Help Facility and Other Special Functions

Several special functions are supported by reserved input data filenames. If these names are specified as the
input data file, the nastran command will execute the special function and exit.

Note: If you need to use one of these reserved names as an actual input filename, you must either
prefix the filename with a path or append a file type to the filename.

The special functions are invoked as follows:

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Using the Basic Keywords

nast_ver help

This request will display the basic help output. Additional help capabilities are described in the basic help
output.

nast_ver help keyword1 [keyword2 ...]

This request will display help for the keywords listed on the command line.

nast_ver limits

This request will display the current LINUX resource limits.

nast_ver news

This request will display the news file.

nast_ver system

This request will display system information about the current computer.
On LINUX, these requests can be executed on a remote computer that has MSC Nastran installed by also
specifying the keyword “node=nodename”, for example:

nast_ver system node=thatnode

Using the Basic Keywords

The following table is a partial list of the basic keywords that may be used on the command line or placed
into RC files as appropriate. More advanced keywords are listed in Using the Advanced Keywords, 86, and a
complete list of all keywords and their syntax is listed in Keywords, 172.

All Systems

Keyword Purpose
append Combines the .f06, .f04, and .log files into a single file after the jobs completes.
dbs Specifies an alternate name for user database files.
memory Specifies the amount of memory to be used by the job.
old Renames existing output files with version numbers or deletes existing output
files.
out Specifies an alternate name for output files.

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Keyword Purpose
rcf Specifies an alternate name of the local RC file.
scratch Indicates databases are to be deleted when job completes.
sdirectory Specifies an alternate scratch file directory.
symbol Defines a symbolic name and value.

LINUX Systems

Keyword Purpose
after Holds the job until the specified time.
batch Runs the job in background or foreground.

Queuing (LINUX)

Note: These capabilities depend upon the queue submission commands defined by the “submit”
keyword and your queuing system. The keywords may not work on your system.

Keyword Purpose
cputime Specifies maximum CPU time to be allowed.
queue Specifies name of queue where the job will be submitted to.

Specifying Memory Sizes

Several MSC Nastran keywords specify memory sizes. In all cases, the value can be specified either as the
number of words (64-bit) or as a number followed by one of the following modifiers:

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Specifying Memory Sizes

Table 4-1 Memory Size Specifications

Specification Size (Words)
nT nTW n  1024 
4

nTB  1024 
4
n -------------------
bpw
nG nGW n  1024 
3

nGB 3
 1024 
n -------------------
bpw
nM nMW n  1024 
2

nMB  1024 
2
n -------------------
bpw
nK nKW n  1024 
nKB n  1024 -
-------------------
bpw
n*physical, nxphysical n  memory physical
n*virtual, nxvirtual n  memory virtual

where: bpw = 8 ; “physical” is the computer’s physical memory, i.e., the “RAM”; and “virtual” is the swap
size on LINUX systems, and the maximum paging file size on Windows systems.

Note: In order to use the “physical” and “virtual” specifications, the computer’s physical memory and
swap file size must be known to the nastran command. The nastran command always knows
both these sizes. The computer’s physical and virtual memory sizes can also be set via the
“s.pmem” and “s.vmem” keywords respectively.

Examples are

nast_ver example memory=1gb

Set the memory request to one gigabyte, 1024 megabytes, 1048576 kilobytes, 1073741824 bytes,
134217728 words.

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nast_ver example memory=0.5xPhys

Set the memory request to 50% of the computer’s physical memory.

Maximum Memory Size

Table 4-2 lists the maximum “memory” size for MSC Nastran platforms. A “memory” request larger than this
value results in an error as the job starts.

Note: The actual maximum value you can specify depends on several factors, including the physical
memory systems and the swap file size on LINUX systems, the paging file size on Windows
systems, and your virtual memory limit on most LINUX systems. You must also deduct from
the maximum value the size of the executable, listed in System Descriptions (App. C), and space
required for the various operating system and Fortran runtime libraries. Jobs submitted with
mode=i8 on platforms that support it, have unlimited memory.

Table 4-2 Maximum Memory Size

Platform Memory
Linux64 limited by system limits and virtual address space
Win64 limited by system limits and virtual address space

Determining Resource Requirements

For most models of moderate size (up to 500,000 grid points for static analysis), you need not be concerned
with resource requirements since the default MSC Nastran parameters allocate sufficient resources. The
analysis of larger models may require you to check the resource requirements and the various options that are
available to manage memory and disk resources.
There are several tools available to assist you in determining the resource requirements of your job, however
using mem=max is the best way to reduce solver and I/O times. Table 4-3 and Table 4-4 are the simplest tools,
they present gross estimates of the memory and total disk space requirements of static analyses using default
parameters with normal output requests. Other solution sequences will generally have greater requirements.

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Determining Resource Requirements

Table 4-3 Estimated Memory Requirements of Static Analyses

Memory
Requirements
Degrees of Freedom Others
DOF  100000 10 Mb
100000  DOF  400000 50 Mb
400000  DOF  1000000 1 Gb

Table 4-4 Estimated Total Disk Requirements of Static Analyses

Degrees of Freedom Total Disk Space Requirements

DOF  100000 1 Gb
100000  DOF  400000 4 Gb
400000  DOF  1000000 10 Gb

More detailed resource estimates can be obtained from the ESTIMATE program. ESTIMATE reads the
input data file and calculates the job's memory and disk requirements. The ESTIMATE program is most
accurate in predicting the requirements of static analyses that don't have excessive output requests. The
memory requirements for normal modes analyses using the Lanczos Method are reasonably accurate;
however, the disk requirements are dependent upon the number of modes. The number of modes is a value
that ESTIMATE does not know. Memory and disk requirements for other solutions are less accurate.
The best estimates of the memory requirements for a job are available in User Information Message 4157,
described in User Information Messages 4157 and 6439, 100, but this requires an MSC Nastran run.

Estimating BUFFSIZE
Table 4-5 presents recommendations for BUFFSIZE based on model size. These values have been chosen to
represent the best compromise between database access speed and storage requirements for typical problems.
An excessively large BUFFSIZE can result in more I/O data transferred and wasted space in the database for
smaller problems; an excessively small BUFFSIZE can result in increases I/O counts for larger problems. You
may be able to achieve higher performance or smaller databases using other values.

Table 4-5 Suggested BUFFSIZE Values

Degrees of Freedom BUFFSIZE
DOF  100000 8193
100000  DOF  400000 16385
DOF  400000 32769

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Note: The actual I/O transfer size is  BUFFSIZE – 1   bpw where bpw is 8.

Using the Test Problem Libraries

One library of test problems are delivered with MSC Nastran. It is only installed with the “Complete”
installation option.
 These files are accessible via the DEMODIR symbol, or via the path
install_dir/prod_ver/nast/demo on LINUX and install_dir\prod_ver\nast\demo on Windows.
 The test problem library (TPL) contains a general selection of MSC Nastran input files showing
examples of most of the MSC Nastran capabilities. This directory of test files is on a separate
documentation/ example installation. In general, these files are not documented. The files are
accessible via the TPLDIR symbol, or via the path doc_install_dir/tpl (or tpl6) on LINUX, and
doc_install_dir\tpl (or tpl6) on Windows.
The DEMO and TPL libraries contain “demoidx.dat” and “tplidx.dat” respectively. These files contain one-
line descriptions of the library members. Also included are files named “tplexec” and “demoexec”, which are
scripts used to run the problems on LINUX, or “tplexec.bat” and “demoexec.bat”, which are batch files used
to run the problems on Windows.
If you only want to run a job from the DEMO or TPL libraries, the easiest method is to use either the
“DEMODIR” or “TPLDIR” symbols, running the command from any convenient directory. For example,

nast_ver DEMODIR:d10101d

If you want to experiment with the file, copy the file to your own directory and then execute the problem.
Note that several of the library files have “INCLUDE” files that should also be copied if they too will be
modified, or they can be referenced as-is via the standard INCLUDE file processing; see Using the INCLUDE
Statement, 75.
Some example problems contain references to files that are qualified with the following logical symbols:
TPLDIR
DEMODIR
DBSDIR
OUTDIR
Unless they already exist in your environment as environment variables, the logical symbols DEMODIR and
TPLDIR automatically point to the DEMO and TPL libraries respectively. DBSDIR and OUTDIR are
always based on the “dbs” and “out” keywords respectively.

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Making File Assignments

Making File Assignments

Using the ASSIGN statement in your input file, you can assign physical files used by MSC Nastran to
FORTRAN units or DBset files or you can modify the properties of existing or default file assignments. The
ASSIGN statement is documented in the File Management Statements (Ch. 3) in the MSC Nastran Quick
Reference GuideMSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide.

ASSIGN Statement for FORTRAN Files

For FORTRAN files, the format of the ASSIGN statement is

ASSIGN logical-key[={filename|*}] [UNIT=u] [[STATUS=]{NEW|OLD|UNKNOWN}]

[[FORM=]{FORMATTED|UNFORMATTED|BIGENDIAN|LITTLEENDIAN|LTLEND|<ostype>}] [DEFER]
[{TEMP|DELZERO}] [DELETE] [SYS='sys-spec']

Currently, there are no values of the SYS field defined for FORTRAN files on any system. For a list of the
FORTRAN files and their default attributes, please refer to Table 3-1 in the File Management Statements (Ch. 3)
in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide. For more information about byte-ordering within binary files
(the "endian" of a file), please refer to Binary File Byte Ordering (Endian) (App. C).

ASSIGN Statement for DBsets

ASSIGN logical-name[=filename|*}] [TEMP] [DELETE] [SYS='sys-spec']
See Using the SYS Field, 91 for details on the SYS field for DBsets.

Scratch DB Set Names

The default base name for scratch DB Sets uses the base name of the input data file as a prefix; this will permit
you to more easily identify the job that created specific files in the scratch directory.

LINUX: nast_ver example sdir=/tmp

Windows: nast_ver example sdir=c:\temp

The SCRATCH DBset names will be named “/tmp/example.T<unique>.*” on the LINUX systems and
“c:\temp\example.T<unique>.*” on Windows systems where “<unique>” is a string created from the process
ID of the nastran command and the current time.

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The following tables give information about the DBALL and SCRATCH DBset default allocations.

DBset Memory BUFFSIZE Physical File Attribute

Logical Physical
Type Size Units Assignable Size Name Name Size
MASTER RAM 200000 Words YES 32769 MASTER dbs.MASTER 5000
DBALL N/A - YES 32769 DBALL dbs.DBALL See Table 4-6
OBJSCR N/A - NO 32769 OBJSCR sdir.OBJSCR 5000
SCRATCH SMEM See note GINO YES 32769 SCRATCH sdir.SCRATCH See Table 4-6
Blocks
SCRATCH N/A - YES 32769 SCR300 sdir.SCR300 See Table 4-6
User DBset N/A - YES 32769 DBset dbs.DBset 25000

Note: The default SMEM value is 100 GINO Block (1 BLOCK= 1 BUFFSIZE) for all platforms.

where:

DBset The DBset name.

Memory The size of memory (in words) used by the RAM of the MASTER DBset. The
size may be modified using the FMS statement, INIT MASTER (RAM = value).
BUFFSIZE The buffer size (words) used for I/O transfer for each DBset. This size may be
changed if “YES” is in the Assignable column.
Logical Name The logical name of the DBset. This name may be set with the ASSIGN or INIT
statement.
Physical Name The name of the file as known to your operating system. This name may be
changed by using the ASSIGN statement.
Size The default maximum file size (in GINO blocks) allowed for each DBset. This
size may be changed by using the INIT statement.

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Using Databases

Table 4-6
Default Maximum DBALL and SCRATCH DBset Sizes in GINO Blocks
Memory (MEM) BUFFSIZE
32769 BUFFSIZE
BUFFSIZE < 32769 < 65537 BUFFSIZE = 65537
MEM < 512mb 500,000 1,000,000 1,000,000
512mb < MEM < 4096mb 1,000,000 2,000,000 2,000,000
MEM > 4096mb 10,000,000 20,000,000 20,000,000

Note: These values will be reduced, if necessary and without any information messages, to the
maximum file size supported by the file system on which the file was allocated.

Default Maximum DBALL and SCRATCH DBset Sizes in GB for Specific BUFFSIZE Values
Memory (MEM) BUFFSIZE
8193 32769 65537
MEM < 512mb 30 Gb 244Gb 488Gb
512mb < MEM < 4096mb 61 Gb 488Gb 976Gb
MEM > 4096mb 610 Gb 4882Gb 9765Gb

Using Databases
MSC Nastran uses a database for the storage and subsequent retrieval of matrices and tables. This facility
consists of several database sets (DBsets) that conform to the following specifications:
 The MSC Nastran limit on the maximum number of DBsets for an analysis is 200. Your computer
may have a lower limit on the maximum number of open files that a process can open. This limit is
displayed as the “Number of open files” by the “limits” special function. See Using the Help Facility and
Other Special Functions, 61.
 Each DBset may consist of 1 to 20 physical files. Again, this is subject to the maximum number of
open files that your system permits.
 The maximum size of each DBset is machine dependent. There are several factors affecting the
maximum size a given file can reach. Among these are: the job’s file resource limit; the available
space of the file system containing the file; the maximum file size supported by the operating system,
and the BUFFSIZE. On LINUX systems, the “df” command lists the maximum space and available
space in a file system. Your resource limit is displayed by as the “Maximum file size” by the “limits”
special function.

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Table 4-7 Database I/O Capabilities

Computer File Mapping Buffered I/O Async I/O
Intel Linux64 No Yes Yes
Intel Windows Yes Yes Yes

The default database provides for five DBsets that are subdivided into two categories (scratch and permanent
DBsets) as follows:
 Three DBsets are scratch DBsets that are typically deleted automatically at the end of a run. The
logical names for these DBsets are SCRATCH, SCR300, and OBJSCR.
 The remaining two DBsets have the default names of dbs.MASTER and dbs.DBALL, where dbs is
set by the “dbs” keyword.
The database may be defined in two different ways:
1. Using the “dbs” keyword on the command line; see Using the “dbs” Keyword, 71.
2. Using ASSIGN statements in the FMS Section of the input data file. See ASSIGN Statement for DBsets,
68 and Using the ASSIGN Statement, 73.

Using the “dbs” Keyword

To illustrate the use of the “dbs” keyword, see the TPL file “am762d.dat”
ID MSC, AM762D $ JFC 30SEP88
$ DBS=AM762D SPECIFIED WHEN JOB SUBMITTED
TIME 2
SOL 101 $ SUPERELEMENT STATICS
CEND
TITLE = EXAMPLE: SPECIFY DBS=AM762D WHEN JOB SUBMITTED AM762D
SUBTITLE = COLD START
LOAD = 11
DISPLACEMENT = ALL
ELFORCE = ALL
BEGIN BULK
CBEAM,1,1,10,20,0.,1.,0.
FORCE,11,20,,100.,1.,.8,1.
GRID,10,,0.,0.,0.,,123456
GRID,20,,10.,0.,0.
MAT1,100,1.+7,,.3
PBEAM,1,100,1.,.08,.064,,.1
ENDDATA $ AM762D

To run this job, enter

nast_ver TPLDIR:am76/am762d

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Using Databases

The default value for “dbs” in this example is “./am762d” on LINUX and “.\am762d” on Windows. The
DBALL and MASTER DBsets are created in your directory as “am762d.DBALL” and “am762d.MASTER”
respectively; and the output files are “am762d.f04”, “am762d.f06”, and “am762d.log”.
To restart from the previously created DBsets, use the following command:

nast_ver TPLDIR:am76/am762r dbs=am762d

The input data for the restart is TPL file am762r.dat. The “dbs” keyword is set to “am762d”. The following
is sample input for the am762r.dat file:
RESTART VERSION = 1 $ RESTART FROM AM762D
$ DBS=AM762D SPECIFIED WHEN JOB SUBMITTED
ID MSC, AM762R $ JFC 30S3088
TIME 2
SOL 101
CEND
TITLE = EXAMPLE: RESTART, ATTACH DATABASE VIA DBS=AM762D AM762R
SUBTITLE = RESTART WITH LARGER LOAD
SELG = ALL $ GENERATE NEW LOAD
SELR = ALL $ REDUCE NEW LOAD
LOAD = 11
DISPLACEMENT = ALL
ELFORCE = ALL
BEGIN BULK
FORCE,11,20,,100.,1.,.8,1.
ENDDATA $ AM762R

The existing DBALL and MASTER DBsets created in your directory by the “am762d” job are used. The
output files from this job are “am762r.f04”, “am762r.f06”, and “am762r.log”.

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Using the ASSIGN Statement

This section contains two examples using the ASSIGN statement. The first example, TPL file am763d.dat
shows how to use the ASSIGN statement to create the database files. The second example shows how to use
the ASSIGN statement to assign database files in a restart job.
ASSIGN ’MASTER=DBSDIR:am763d.MYMASTER’
ASSIGN ’DBALL=DBSDIR:am763d.MYDBALL’
$
$ DBSETS CREATED WITH DIRECTORIES AND NAMES AS ASSIGNED ABOVE.
$ THIS IS ALTERNATE METHOD TO BE USED INSTEAD OF SPECIFYING DBS = AM763D
$ WHEN JOB IS SUBMITTED.
$
ID MSC, AM763D $ FILENAME CHANGED 16SEP88 -- JFC
TIME 2
SOL 101 $ STRUCTURED SUPERELEMENT STATICS WITH AUTO RESTART
CEND
TITLE = EXAMPLE: DATABASE CREATED VIA ASSIGN CARDS AM763D
SUBTITLE = COLD START.
LOAD = 11
DISPLACEMENT = ALL
ELFORCE = ALL
BEGIN BULK
CBEAM,1,1,10,20,0.,1.,0.
FORCE,11,20,,100.,1.,.8,1.
GRID,10,,0.,0.,0.,,123456
GRID,20,,10.,0.,0.
MAT1,100,1.,.08,.064,,.1
ENDDATA

Before you submit this job, create a “dbs” directory in your current working directory and set the DBSDIR
environment variable to “dbs” as follows:

export DBSDIR=dbs

in the Korn shell,

setenv DBSDIR dbs

in the C-shell, or

set DBSDIR=dbs

on Windows.
Once the DBSDIR environment variable is set, the job is submitted with the command:

nast_ver TPLDIR:am76/am763d

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Using Databases

The DBsets “mydball” and “mymaster” are created in the “dbs” directory with the names
“am763d.MYMASTER” and “am763d.MYDBALL” respectively. The output files “am763d.f04”,
“am763d.f06”, and “am763d.log” are created in the current working directory.
The second example (TPL file am763r.dat) illustrates a restart that uses the ASSIGN statement:
RESTART $ RESTART FROM AM763D, SAVE VERSION 1 ON DATABASE
$ ATTACH AM763D DATABASE WITH ASSIGN COMMANDS BELOW
ASSIGN MASTER=’DBSDIR:am763d.MYMASTER’
ID MSC,AM763R $ FILENAME CHANGED 16SEP88 -- JFC
TIME 2
SOL 101
CEND
TITLE = EXAMPLE: RESTART, DATABASE ATTACHED VIA ASSIGN CARDS AM763R
SUBTITLE = RESTART -- ADD STRESS RECOVERY COEFFICIENTS TO PBEAM
LOAD = 11
DISPLACEMENT = ALL
ELFORCE = ALL
STRESS = ALL
BEGIN BULK
$ WITH STRUCTURED SOLUTION SEQUENCES (SOL 101+), ALL BULK DATA IS STORED
$ ON DATABASE.
$ ON RESTART, ONLY INCLUDE ADDITIONAL CARDS OR CHANGED CARDS.
/,6 $ DELETE OLD PBEAM CARD ON DATABASE, ADD STRESS RECOVERY COEFFICIENTS
$ AND REPLACE AS FOLLOWS.
PBEAM,1,100,1.,.08,.064,,.1,,+PBEAM1
+PBEAM1,0.0,0.5,0.0,-0.5,0.3,0.0,-0.3,0.0,+PBEAM2
+PBEAM2,YES,0.5,1.0,.08,.064,,.1,,+PBEAM3
+PBEAM3,0.0,0.5,0.0,-0.5,0.3,0.0,-0.3,0.0
ENDDATA $ AM763R

To submit the above file, issue the command:

nast_ver TPLDIR:am76/am763r

The DBsets “am763d.MYMASTER” and “am763d.MYDBALL” created by the previous job in the “dbs”
directory are used. The output files “am763r.f04”, “am763r.f06”, and “am763r.log” are created in the current
working directory.

Using the INIT Statement

DBsets are created using the INIT statement, which is documented in the The File Management Section (FMS)
(p. 47) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide. For example,

INIT DBALL LOGICAL=(DBALL1(2000),DBALL2(300KB))

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creates and allocates two members DBALL1 and DBALL2 to the DBALL DBset with a maximum size of
2000 GINO blocks for DBALL1 and a maximum size of 300 kilobytes for DBALL2. The maximum size
can be specified either as the number of GINO blocks or as a number followed by one of the following
modifiers:
M or Mw 2
Multiply the size by 1024 , round up to a BUFFSIZE multiple.
Mb 2
Multiply the size by 1024   bpw  , round up to a BUFFSIZE multiple.
K or Kw Multiply the size by 1024, round up to a BUFFSIZE multiple.
Kb Multiply the size by 1024   bpw  , round up to a BUFFSIZE multiple.
w Round the size up to a BUFFSIZE multiple.
b Divide the size by bpw, round up to a BUFFSIZE multiple.

where bpw is 8. The modifier may be specified using any case combination.

Note: This syntax is similar to, but not the same as, the syntax described in Specifying Memory Sizes, 63.

Using the INCLUDE Statement

The INCLUDE statement is used to insert a specified file into the input file. This statement is especially
useful when you want to partition your input into separate files. The format is:
INCLUDE filename
or
INCLUDE logical-symbol:filename
The file name must be quoted in single quotes if the name contains spaces, commas, special characters or
dollar signs or, on LINUX; lowercase characters. for example,
INCLUDE 'filename'
The file name may include a directory specification, where directory levels are indicated using a using a
directory level separator character ("/" on Linux and "/" or "\" on Windows).

Note: The RFINCLUDE and RFALTER statements may be used instead of the INCLUDE
statement to insert a specified file into the input file. Except for the directory searching order
specified below, these statements are processed in the same manner that the INCLUDE
statement is processed.

Specifying the INCLUDE Filename

The filename can be continued, if necessary, on multiple lines of the input file. The filename is obtained from
an INCLUDE, RFALTER, or RFINCLUDE statement as follows:

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1. The filename is built up by concatenating tokens. A token is either a blank- or comma-delimited

unquoted word or a quoted string (which can be continued across lines).
2. Token are separated by blanks or commas. The blanks or commas separating the tokens are ignored.
3. Statements may be continued by following the last token on a line by a comma, or specifying an
incomplete quoted string (i.e., the closing quote is missing from the line). All trailing blanks on the
incomplete quoted string’s initial line, all leading and trailing blanks on the incomplete quoted
string’s intermediate lines, and all leading blanks on the incomplete quoted string’s final line are
ignored.
4. Comments may be specified after the last filename token of a line that is not within an incomplete
quoted string. The comment is started with an unquoted dollar sign “$”, and continues to the end of
the current line.
5. Only the first 72 columns of a line are scanned, i.e., any characters from column 73 and onward are
ignored.
These rules are best explained via some examples.

Note: The following examples contain a mixture of LINUX and Windows pathnames. The concepts
demonstrated by each example are valid on both systems.

include datafile.dat
The filename is “DATAFILE.DAT”.

include 'c:\abc\def\ghi.include'

The filename is “c:\abc\def\ghi.include”.

include '/mydir' /level1 /level2/ 'myfile.x'

The filename is “/mydir/LEVEL1/LEVLEL2/myfile.x”.

RFAlter '/mydir
/level1
/level2
/level3/mydata'

The filename is “/mydir/level1/level2/level3/mydata”.

include '/proj
/dept123
/sect 456
/joe/flange.bdf'

The filename is “/proj/dept123/sect 456/joe/flange.bdf”.

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rfinclude c:\project,
$ A comment line
'\Data Files' \subdir\thisfile

The filename is “C:\PROJECT\Data Files\SUBDIR\THISFILE”.

include 'MYTESTDIR:*/mytestfile.dat'

If the logical symbol MYTESTDIR has the value "/myfiles/test", the expanded filename is
"/myfiles/test/*/mytestfile.dat". Note that this filename includes a subdirectory search request, explained
below.
The following examples illustrate what happens when comments or quotes are incorrectly placed.

include 'TPLDIR:alter.file $ comment

stmt 2 $ word ' $ comment 3 ' info

The filename is “TPLDIR:alter.file $commentstmt 2 $ word ”.

include '/proj, $ Proj Name

'/dept123, $ Dept Name
'/sect456, $ Sect Name
'/myfile.dat $ File Name

The filename is “/proj, $ Proj Name/DEPTNAME/sect 456, $ Sect Name/MYFILE.DAT”.

Requesting Subdirectory Searching

MSC Nastran has the ability to search subdirectories when attempting to locate an INCLUDE file. This can
be requested in two ways:
1. Specify "*" as the last directory component within the filename specification. For example,

include '/testdir/dir1/dir2/*/myfile.dat'

says that the directory "/testdir/dir1/dir2" and all of its subdirectories, including nested
subdirectories, are to be searched for the file to be included. Note that the "*" specification must be
followed by a directory level separator character as described above and, if it is not the first character
in the file name, must be preceded by a directory level separator character.
2. Omit any directory specifications on the filename specification and specify "*" as the last directory
component of a directory in the directory list specified by the "jidpath" keyword. See the description
of the jidpath keyword in the Keywords and Environment Variables (App. B).

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Locating INCLUDE Files

Once the filename has been obtained from the include statement and any logical symbols have been
expanded, up to four filenames on LINUX systems and two filename on Windows systems will be searched
for. The filenames are:
1. The filename as specified by the include statement. If filename does not end in the file type specified
by the “jidtype” keyword, it is appended.
2. LINUX: The filename constructed immediately above, converted to lower-case, unless filename is
already all lower-case (i.e., it was specified as a quoted string).
3. The filename as specified by the include statement, without the file type specified by “jidtype”.
4. LINUX: The filename specified above, converted to lower-case, unless filename is already all lower-
case (i.e., it was specified as a quoted string).
For example, consider the statement

include File1

and assume “jidtype=dat” was specified or defaulted. MSC Nastran will consider the following filenames on
LINUX in the order specified:

FILE1.dat
file1.dat
FILE1
file1

and the following filenames on Windows in the order specified:

file1.dat
file1

Note: Recall that character-case is insignificant to Windows file names.

For another example, consider the statement

include 'File1.bdf'

and assume “jidtype=dat” was specified or defaulted. MSC Nastran will consider the following filenames on
LINUX in the order specified:

File1.bdf.dat
file1.bdf.dat
File1.bdf
file1.bdf

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and the following filenames on Windows in the order specified:

File1.bdf.dat
File1.bdf

Here is an example with a directory specification. Consider the statement

include 'mydir/File1.dat'

and assume “jidtype=dat” was specified or defaulted. MSC Nastran will consider the following filenames on
LINUX in the order specified:

mydir/File1.dat
mydir/file1.dat

and the following filename on Windows:

mydir/file1.dat

If filename contains a directory component, MSC Nastran will attempt to locate one of the four LINUX or
two Windows filenames in the specified directory as follows.
 If there is no subdirectory search request specified, MSC Nastran will look in the specified directory
for the file.
 If there is a subdirectory search request specified, MSC Nastran will look for the file first in the
specified directory then in all of its subdirectories
If none of the names exist or are not readable, a UFM will be issued and the job will exit.
If filename does not contain a directory component, MSC Nastran will attempt to locate one of the four
LINUX or two Windows filenames by searching the following directories or search paths:
 the current working directory (the "." directory, i.e., the directory where the nastran command was
run).
 If an RFALTER or RFINCLUDE statement is being processed
• the directory specified by the RFADIR environment variable, if that variable is defined.
• the directory specified by the SSSAALTERDIR environment variable, if that variable was
defined.
 the directory containing the file that specified the INCLUDE, RFALTER or RFINCLUDE
statement.
 If file that specified the INCLUDE, RFALTER or RFINCLUDE statement itself was included, the
directory containing the parent file will be searched. This nesting will continue until the directory
containing the input data file has been searched.

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Using the SSS Alter Library

 the list of directories specified by the “jidpath” keyword will be searched in order, noting that one or
more of the directories in this list may specify subdirectory searching.
 If an INCLUDE statement is being processed:
• the directory specified by the RFADIR environment variable, if that variable is defined.
• the directory specified by the SSSALTERDIR environment variable, if that variable was defined.
If no readable file can be found in any of these directories, a UFM will be issued and the job will exit.

Using the SSS Alter Library

The SSS Alter directory, install_dir/prod_ver/nast/sssalter on LINUX and install_dir\prod_ver\nast\sssalter
on Windows, contains alters (modifications to MSC Nastran solution sequences) and associated support files
that represent client-requested or prototype features that are not yet implemented in MSC Nastran's standard
solution sequences. These alters can be inserted using the INCLUDE statement and the SSSALTERDIR
symbol. For example,

INCLUDE 'SSSALTERDIR:zfreqa.dat'

Note: The SSSALTERDIR specification is not required since the directory specified by the
SSSALTERDIR is one of the directories automatically searched as part of INCLUDE file
processing. However, using the SSSALTERDIR specification is suggested to ensure that the file
in the SSS Alter directory is the one actually used instead of a file with the same name located
in one of the other directories in the INCLUDE file search paths.

Resolving Abnormal Terminations

MSC Nastran generates a substantial amount of information concerning the problem being executed. The
.f04 file provides information on the sequence of modules being executed and the time required by each of
the modules; the .log file contains system messages. A list of known outstanding errors for MSC Nastran is
delivered in the file doc_install_dir/doc/error.doc on LINUX and doc_install_dir\doc\error.doc on Windows.
Please consult this file for limitations and restrictions.
MSC Nastran may terminate as a result of errors detected by the operating system or by the program. If
DIAG 44 is set (see the keyword diag, 180 and the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide), MSC Nastran will
produce a dump of several key internal tables when most of these errors occur. Before the dump occurs, there
may be a fatal message written to the .f06 file. The general format of this message is

***SYSTEM FATAL ERROR 4276, subroutine-name ERROR CODE n

This message is issued whenever an interrupt occurs that MSC Nastran is unable to satisfactorily process. The
specific reasons for the interrupt are usually printed in the .f06 and/or .log file; “n” is an error code that is
explained in MSC Nastran Reference Guide.

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Whenever the System Fatal Error 4275 or 4276 is associated with a database error, further specific
information is written to the .f06 file as follows:

bio-function ERROR - STATUS = errno, FILX = i, LOGNAME = logical, NSBUF3 = j

FILE = filename
BLKNBR = k
ERROR MESSAGE IS --
error-message-text

The FILE and/or BLKNBR lines may not be present, depending upon the bio-function issuing the message.

Interpreting System Error Codes

If an operating system error occurs, an attempt is made to catch the error and place the error number in the
.log file. A description of these error numbers may be obtained with the following command:
LINUX man 2 intro

Terminating a Job
There may be instances when a running job must be prematurely terminated; this is accomplished using one
of the following procedures:

Job Running in the Foreground (batch=no on LINUX; all jobs on Windows)

Use the interrupt sequence “Ctrl-C”.

Job Running in the Background (batch=yes or after=time on LINUX)

Use the “ps” command to find the process ID (PID) of the MSC Nastran job (i.e., the
install_dir/prod_ver/arch/analysis executable) and issue the command

kill pid

where pid is the process ID.

Job Running in the Background (after=time on Windows)

Find the job with:

schtasks | findstr Nast

Delete the job with:

schtasks /delete /tn JOB

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Job Running Under LSF or PBS (queue=queue_name on LINUX)

1. Use “qstat -a” to find the request-id of your job.
2. Use “qdel request-id” to delete a job that has not yet started; or use “qdel -k request-id” to kill a job
that has already started where request-id is the request ID.

Flushing .f04 and .f06 Output to Disk (LINUX)

As MSC Nastran writes to the .f04 and .f06 files, the FORTRAN runtime libraries will buffer this I/O in
memory to reduce the amount of time consumed by disk I/O. When the buffers are filled (i.e., MSC Nastran
has written a sufficient amount of information to the .f04 or .f06 file), the buffers will be flushed to the files
by the FORTRAN runtime libraries. In a large job, some modules may do substantially more computation
than I/O. As a result, the I/O may remain in the FORTRAN buffers (possibly for several hours) before they
are written to disk.
Linux computers support asynchronous flushing of the .f04 and .f06 files. To do this, enter the command

kill -USR2 pid

where pid is the process ID of the running MSC Nastran job (i.e., the install_dir/prod_ver/arch/analysis
executable). There may be a time delay between the time you issue the kill command and the time the files
are actually updated.

Common System Errors

The most common system errors encountered during an MSC Nastran job are described below.

LINUX Disk I/O Errors

 ERRNO 1 (EPERM) - no permission to file (all systems).
Please check the ownership and mode of the file or directory with the “ls -l” command. Change
either the ownership or permissions of the file or the directories along the path. The chgrp(1)
command is used to change the group of a file, chmod(1) is used to change permissions of the file,
and chown(1) is used to change ownership of the file.
 ERRNO 27 (EFBIG) - file is too large (all systems)
This error occurs if a file's size exceeds a resource limit. The resource limits in effect during the job's
execution are printed in the .log file under the heading “Current Resource Limits.” Increase the “-If”
and “-IF” parameters on your qsub command if you are running NQS or NQE; ask your system
administrator to increase your “File Size” limit (all platforms).
 ERRNO 28 (ENOSPC) - disk space is completely filled (all systems).
MSC Nastran deletes its scratch files at termination even if the disk space fills up. Therefore, the
df(1) command may show a large amount of free space even though the job failed due to lack of disk
space. Both the current working directory and the scratch directory need to be checked. Move your
files to a disk with more space (see the “out”, “dbs”, and “sdirectory” keywords), or delete
unnecessary files from the disk.

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Inability to Allocate the Requested Amount of Memory (OPEN CORE Allocation Failed)
 Temporary lack of swap space (all systems).
This error may be caused by too many processes running at the same time. Decrease the number of
processes or increase the available swap space.
 The data segment of the process has exceeded the LINUX resource limit.
The resource limits in effect during the job's execution are printed in the .log file under the heading
“Current Resource Limits.” Ask your system administrator to increase your “Data Segment Size”
(all), or “Virtual Address Space” (all others).
It may also be possible to correct these errors with the following:
 Reduce the amount of memory requested by the “memory” keyword.
 Increase the “-lm” and “-lM” parameters if you directly submitted your job to NQS or NQE using a
“qsub” command.
 Increase the “prmdelta” or “ppmdelta” keyword values if you submitted your job to NQS or NQE
using the nastran command’s “queue” keyword.

Linux - Too many files open

Fatigue Analysis (NEF) creates DAC files from tables. In some cases, the number of DAC files may exceed a
system limit. Below are instructions for increasing this limit on linux systems:
Step 1: Look at your limits:
#nast20231 limits
Current resource limits:
CPU time: unlimited
Virtual address space: unlimited
Working set size: unlimited
Data segment size: unlimited
Stack size: 10240 KB
Number of open files: 1024 (hard limit: 1024)
File size: unlimited
Core dump file size: 0 MB
Step 2: Log on as ROOT and modify /etc/security/limits.conf. The line below increases the limit to
10000 files
* hard nofile 10000
Step 3: Log out, log back in, then reset your local limits for that session:
ulimit -n 10000
Step 4: Verify new limits are available:
#nast20231 limits
Current resource limits:
CPU time: unlimited
Virtual address space: unlimited
Working set size: unlimited
Data segment size: unlimited
Stack size: 10240 KB

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Number of open files: 10000 (hard limit: 10000)

File size: unlimited
Core dump file size: 0 MB

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Chapter 5: Using the Advanced Functions of MSC Nastran
MSC Nastran Installation and Operations Guide

5 Using the Advanced

Functions of MSC Nastran

Overview

Using the Advanced Keywords
 Using the NASTRAN Statement

Managing Memory

Managing DBsets
 Interpreting the .f04 File

Running a Job on a Remote System
 Running Distributed Memory Parallel (DMP) Jobs
 Running with a GPGPU

Configuring and Running SOL 700

Running an ISHELL Program

Using the ISHELL-INCLUDE Statement (“!”)

Improving Network File System (NFS) Performance (LINUX)

Creating and Attaching Alternate Delivery Databases

Using PEM Functions in MSC Nastran

Using Intel oneAPI Compilers with UDS

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Overview

Overview
This chapter discusses the NASTRAN statement, as well as how to manage MSC Nastran’s internal memory
allocations and databases. It also shows how to interpret performance related information in the .f04 file and
some of the lower-level database messages, how to run a job on a remote system, run a DMP job, use the
ISHELL module, and finally, how to create alternate delivery databases.

Using the Advanced Keywords

The following is a partial list of the advanced keywords that may be used on the command line or placed into
RC files as appropriate. More basic keywords are listed in Using the Basic Keywords, 62; keywords specific to
remote processing are listed in Running a Job on a Remote System, 103, while keywords specific to distributed
processing are listed in Running Distributed Memory Parallel (DMP) Jobs, 111. Finally, a complete list of all keywords
and their syntax is listed in Keywords (App. B).

All Systems

Keyword Purpose
bpool Specifies the number of GINO blocks set aside for buffer pooling.
buffsize Specifies the size of database I/O transfers.
casi If set to “no” it will disable the casi solver as a possible option when "solve=auto" is
specified.
delivery Specifies an alternate delivery database name.
dmp Specifies the number of DMP processors used.
exe Specifies an alternate solver executable.
ifpbuff Specifies the size of IFPStar database I/O transfers
nastran Specifies NASTRAN statements.
proc Specifies an alternate solver executable file type.
rank Specifies the rank size for the sparse solvers.
smem Specifies the number of GINO blocks to set aside for MEMFILE portion of the
SCRATCH DBset.
smp Specifies the number of SMP processors to use in certain numeric modules.
solve Specifies either "auto" to automatically select the solver/parallel/memory options or
"train" to update Pardiso memory coefficients. These options may be placed on the
command line or in the User's RC files.
sysfield Specifies global SYS parameters. See Using the SYS Field, 91.
sysn Specifies SYSTEM cell values.

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LINUX Systems

Keyword Purpose
post Specifies LINUX commands to be executed after the job completes.
pre Specifies LINUX commands to be executed before the job begins.

Queuing (LINUX)

Note: These capabilities are dependent upon the queue submission commands defined by the
“submit” keyword and your queuing system. The keywords may not work on your system.

Keyword Purpose
ppcdelta Specifies the per-process CPU time limit delta.
ppmdelta Specifies the per-process memory limit delta.
prmdelta Specifies the per-request memory limit delta.
qclass Specifies an optional queue class.
qoption Specifies other queue command options.
submit Defines queues and their associated submittal commands.

Using the NASTRAN Statement

The NASTRAN statement allows you to change parameter values at runtime.
The format of NASTRAN statements is

NASTRAN KEYWORD1=A, KEYWORD2=B, ... KEYWORDi=I for MSC Nastran

An input file may contain more than one NASTRAN statement. A full description of these keywords is
found in (p. 13) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide. A brief description of a few of the keywords
follows:

AUTOASGN
AUTOASGN is used to determine which DBsets are automatically assigned (see the following table). The
default is AUTOASGN=7, which specifies that all DBsets are to be automatically assigned.

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Using the NASTRAN Statement

Value Default DBsets Delivery DBsets DBLOCATEd DBsets

0
1 X
2 X
3 X X
4 X
5 X X
6 X X
7 (Default) X X X

Note: 1. Default DBsets are the user-default DBsets and any DBsets specified by INIT
statements (see Table 4-7).
2. Delivery DBsets contain the Structured Solution Sequences.
3. DBLOCATEd DBsets are the DBsets specified by DBLOCATE statements. See
DBLOCATE (p. 85) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide.

BUFFPOOL, SYSTEM(114)
See the “bpool” command line keyword, (bpool (App. B)).

BUFFSIZE, SYSTEM(1)
See the “buffsize” command line keyword, (buffsize (App. B)).

IFPBUFF, SYSTEM(624)
See the "ifpbuff" command line keyword (ifpbuff (App. B)).

SMP, SYSTEM(107)
See the “smp” command line keyword, (smp (App. B)).

SYSTEM(128)
SYSTEM(128) specifies the maximum interval of CPU time (in minutes) between database directory updates
to the MASTER DBSET when the INIT MASTER(RAM) option is being used. The default is 5 minutes
on all systems. See DBUPDATE (p. 92) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information.

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SYSTEM(198), SYSTEM(205)
See the “rank” keyword, (rank (App. B)).

SYSTEM(207)
See the “LOCK” SYS field keyword, (lock (App. B)).

SYSTEM(275)
SYSTEM(275) sets the time-out for an ISHELL program to complete its work. If the value is negative (the
default is -1), the ISHELL module will wait until the executable finishes, i.e., there is no time-out. If the
value is positive, the ISHELL module will wait for the specified number of seconds.
If the value is zero, the ISHELL module will determine if an executable can be found, and return a zero status
if found and a non-zero status if it can’t be found.

Managing Memory
Memory is dynamically allocated at runtime with the “memory” keyword of the nastran command. The
memory can be partitioned in a variety of ways (see the memory map at the top of the .f04 file for the actual
memory allocation used in a job). To make the most effective choice of the sizing parameters, see the
following map of MSC Nastran’s memory:

User Open Core

Executive System
Work Area
Amount Specified by
“memory” Keyword.
Memory Resident File MASTER(RAM)
and Executive Tables

SCRATCH(MEM) Area

Buffer pool Area

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As can be seen in this diagram, the memory available for use by MSC Nastran modules (user open core) is
the amount specified by the “memory” keyword (total memory) less the space required by memory resident
files and executive tables. The actual user open core is calculated as follows

UserOpenCore = MEM – (EXEC + RAM + SMEM X BUFFSIZE + BUFFPOOL X (BUFFSIZE + 10 ))

MEM The total amount of memory specified by MEMORY keyword. The installation default
is “mem=max. Set by the “memory” keyword, (p. 191). If “mem=max” is specified then
the max physical is allocated. An estimate for the solver is made and the remaining
memory is given to buffpool. Refer to the MSC Nastran Release Guide for more
information.
EXEC The executive system work area. The size is approximately 7 MB.
RAM NDDL tables. The default is 30000. Set by the FMS statement
INIT MASTER (RAM=value).
SMEM The memory-resident file space for temporary database files. The default is 100 GINO
Blocks of BUFFSIZEs.
BUFFSIZE The maximum BUFFSIZE used for all the DBsets referenced by the job. The default is
32769. Set by the “buffsize” keyword, buffsize (App. B).

BUFFPOOL The buffer pool area for permanent database files. Refer to bpool for details. If
“mem=max” is specified, an estimate of memory is made and the remaining RAM is
used for buffpool.

The INIT statement may be used to size MASTER and SCRATCH memory. Several examples of the INIT
statement, along with an explanation of their uses, follow:
1. If the available memory is a critical resource, then using the following selection reduces memory
requirements at the expense of increased CPU and wall-clock time.

INIT SCRATCH(NOMEM) $ temporary database files

2. Performance gains may be made by increasing the memory-resident area for the scratch and
permanent DBset(s) as follows. Note that the default RAM is sufficiently large and need not be
increased.

NASTRAN BUFFPOOL=70 $ increase permanent DBsets

INIT SCRATCH (MEM=200) $ increase scratch memory

3. If disk space is critical, then all DBsets may be deleted at the end of the job by specifying “S” on the
INIT MASTER statement as follows:

INIT MASTER(S) $ delete DBsets at end of job

This statement is identical to specifying “scratch=yes” on the command line.

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4. If disk space is critical, but data recovery restarts are required, then a database may be created that will
support data recovery restarts by setting “scratch=mini” on the command line.

nast_ver example scratch=mini for MSC Nastran

Managing DBsets

Using the SYS Field

The SYS field is used to specify computer-dependent parameters on ASSIGN statements. If your computer
does not recognize a particular parameter, it is silently ignored. This keyword is specified as a comma
separated list of keyword=value pairs. For example, file locking may be disabled on for a particular DBset
with the following statement:
ASSIGN DBALL=mydball.DBALL SYS='LOCK=NO'
A global SYS field for all DBsets can be specified by the “sysfield” keyword, (page 86).
The following tables describe the SYS field parameters. A complete description of parameters and their
syntax is available in SYS Parameter Keywords.

All Systems

Keyword Purpose
lock Lock database files.

Systems Supporting File Mapping (see Table 4-7)

Keyword Purpose
mapio Use the virtual memory system to map database files to memory.
wnum Specifies the default number of maps used on database files.
wsize Specifies the default size of maps used on database files.

Systems Supporting Buffered I/O (see Table 4-7)

Keyword Purpose
buffio Use intermediate buffers to hold database file records

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Keyword Purpose
wnum Specifies the default number of buffers used for database files
wsize Specifies the default size of buffers used for database files
raw RAW=YES to specify that no intermediate buffering of file data is to be done for the next
file to be opened/created. Because of restrictions imposed by the operating system on
the use of this capability, “RAW=YES” will only be honored when:

Buffered or asynchronous I/O is being used. That is, “BUFFIO=YES”or

"ASYNC=YES" must also be specified.

The record length of the file (i.e., the RECL value specified when the file is created or
opened), when converted to bytes, must be an exact multiple of the disk sector size
(normally 512 bytes) of the disk containing the file.

If either of these conditions is not met, “RAW=NO” will be forced.

RAW=NO to specify that intermediate buffering of file data is to be allowed for the next
file to be opened/created. This is the default.

Systems Supporting Async I/O (see Table 4-7)

Keyword Purpose
async Use intermediate buffers to hold database file records, doing predictive read-ahead
wnum Specifies the default number of buffers used for database files
wsize Specifies the default size of buffers used for database files
raw See note for raw keyword in Systems Supporting Buffered I/O (see Table 4-7), 91.

Using File Mapping

Notes:
 See Table 4-7 to determine if file mapping is available on your computer.
File mapping is a way to tell the operating system to use the virtual paging system to process a file. From the
perspective of the process, file mapping effectively changes the file I/O operations from synchronous to
asynchronous because the paging functions of the operating system perform the I/O as part of its normal
virtual memory management. File mapping can be used for both permanent and temporary DBsets.
The “wsize” and “wnum” parameters, described in SYS Parameter Keywords, 215, specify the size of the window
mapping the file to memory and the number of windows or maps that will be used for each file. The larger
the window, the less often it must be moved when the file is sequentially read or written. Multiple maps allow
several I/O streams to be active in the same file.

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File mapping is controlled globally using the “sysfield” command line keyword (page 86) and, for individual
DBsets, using the ASSIGN statement SYS field or the logical-name capability of the "sysfield" command line
keyword. These same statements can be used to specify the number and size of the windows using the
"wnum" and "wsize" keywords.
As an example, if file mapping is to be enabled for all files, the “sysfield” keyword in the command
initialization or RC file or on the command line is:
sysfield=mapio=yes
If file mapping is to be disabled for all files, the “sysfield” keyword is:
sysfield=mapio=no
Enabling file mapping for all but a specified set of DBsets may be done in either of the following ways:
 using both the “sysfield” keyword and ASSIGN specifications. In the command initiation file
(nastran.ini), RC file, or on the command line, specify:
sysfield=mapio=yes
and, in the MSC Nastran data file, specify:
ASSIGN logical-name=filename, SYS='MAPIO=NO'
for those files to be processed using normal disk I/O processing.
 using the logical-name capability of the "sysfield" keyword. In the command initialization file, RC
file, or on the command line, specify:
sysfield=mapio=yes,logical-name(mapio=no)
If more than one file is to be processed using normal disk I/O processing, the other logical-names may be
specified on the same "sysfield" statement, on subsequent "sysfield" statements or using the "wildcard"
capabilities of the logical-name capability. For example, if there are two user DBsets, USER1 and USER2,
that are to be processed using normal disk I/O processing, specify:
sysfield=mapio=yes,user*(mapio=no)
Disabling file mapping for all but a specified set of DBsets may be done in either of the following ways:
 using both the “sysfield” keyword and ASSIGN specifications. In the command initialization file,
RC file, or on the command line, specify:
sysfield=mapio=no
and, in the MSC Nastran data file, specify:
ASSIGN logical-name=filename, SYS='MAPIO=YES'
for those files to be processed using file mapping.
 using the logical-name capability of the "sysfield" keyword. In the command initialization file, RC
file, or on the command line, specify:
sysfield=mapio=no,logical-name(mapio=yes)
If more than one file is to be processed using file mapping, the other logical-names may be specified on the
same "sysfield" statement, on subsequent "sysfield" statements or using the "wildcard" capabilities of the
logical-name capability. For example, if the scratch DBsets, SCRATCH and SCR300, are to be processed
using file mapping, specify:

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sysfield=mapio=no,scr*(mapio=yes)

Using Buffered I/O

Notes:
See Table 4-7 to determine if buffered I/O is available on your computer.
Buffered I/O instructs MSC Nastran to “buffer” or use intermediate memory areas to hold records of a file
before either writing them out to disk or copying them to the MSC Nastran internal areas. The primary
purpose for using buffered I/O is to increase data reuse and, in some cases, to increase the actual read/write
data lengths beyond that normally used by MSC Nastran. Buffered I/O can be used for both permanent and
temporary DBsets.
The “wsize” and “wnum” parameters, described in SYS Parameter Keywords, 215, specify the size of the buffer to
be used to hold file records and the number of such buffers to be used. The larger the buffer, the less often
actual physical read/write operations are needed when the file is sequentially read or written. Multiple buffers
allow several I/O streams to be active in the same file.
Buffered I/O is controlled globally using the “sysfield” command line keyword (page 86) and, for individual
DBsets, using the ASSIGN statement SYS field or the logical-name capability of the "sysfield" command line
keyword. These same statements can be used to specify the number and size of the buffers using the "wnum"
and "wsize" keywords.
As an example, if buffered I/O is to be enabled for all files, the “sysfield” keyword in the command
initialization or RC file or on the command line is:
sysfield=buffio=yes
If buffered I/O is to be disabled for all files, the “sysfield” keyword is:
sysfield=buffio=no
Enabling buffered I/O for all but a specified set of DBsets may be done in either of the following ways:
 using both the “sysfield” keyword and ASSIGN specifications. In the command initialization file,
RC file, or on the command line, specify:
sysfield=buffio=yes
and, in the MSC Nastran data file, specify:
ASSIGN logical-name=filename, SYS='BUFFIO=NO'
for those files to be processed using normal disk I/O processing.
 using the logical-name capability of the "sysfield" keyword. In the command initialization file, RC
file, or on the command line, specify:
sysfield=buffio=yes,logical-name(buffio=no)
If more than one file is to be processed using normal disk I/O processing, the other logical-names may be
specified on the same "sysfield" statement, on subsequent "sysfield" statements or using the "wildcard"
capabilities of the logical-name capability. For example, if there are two user DBsets, USER1 and USER2,
that are to be processed using normal disk I/O processing, specify:

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sysfield=buffio=yes,user*(buffio=no)
Disabling buffered I/O for all but a specified set of DBsets may be done in either of the following ways:
 using both the “sysfield” keyword and ASSIGN specifications. In the command initialization file,
RC file, or on the command line, specify:
sysfield=buffio=no
and, in the MSC Nastran data file, specify:
ASSIGN logical-name=filename, SYS='BUFFIO=YES'
for those files to be processed using buffered I/O.
 using the logical-name capability of the "sysfield" keyword. In the command initialization file, RC
file, or on the command line, specify:
sysfield=buffio=no,logical-name(buffio=yes)
If more than one file is to be processed using buffered I/O, the other logical-names may be specified
on the same "sysfield" statement, on subsequent "sysfield" statements or using the "wildcard"
capabilities of the logical-name capability. For example, if the scratch DBsets, SCRATCH and
SCR300, are to be processed using buffered I/O, specify:
sysfield=buffio=no,scr*(buffio=yes)

Using Asynchronous I/O

Notes:
See Table 4-7 to determine if asynchronous I/O ("Async I/O") is available on your computer.
Asynchronous I/O instructs MSC Nastran to use a predictive "read-ahead" algorithm to detect read patterns
within a file (either forwards or backwards) and to issue asynchronous reads to bring data in from the file in
anticipation of its later use. These reads use “buffers” or intermediate memory areas to hold the records of a
file before they are actually used, i.e., copied to the MSC Nastran internal areas. The primary purpose for
using asynchronous I/O is to have records already in buffers when they are requested by MSC Nastran
through the use of the predictive logic. A secondary purpose, just as for buffered I/O, is to increase data
reuse and in some cases, to increase the actual read/write data lengths beyond that normally used by MSC
Nastran. Asynchronous I/O can be used for both permanent and temporary DBsets.
The “wsize” and “wnum” parameters, described in SYS Parameter Keywords, 215, specify the size of the buffer
to be used to hold file records and the number of such buffers to be used. Because the number of buffers
affects how much actual "read-ahead" is possible, it is important that the number of available buffers be as
large as possible. Typically, this value should be at least twice the number of expected different read patterns
in file (some MSC Nastran operations may be accessing as many as four different portions of the scratch files
at a time). More buffers allow more read-ahead and allow several I/O streams to be active in the same file.
Asynchronous I/O is controlled globally using the “sysfield” command line keyword (page 211) and, for
individual DBsets, using the ASSIGN statement SYS field or the logical-name capability of the "sysfield"
command line keyword. These same statements can be used to specify the number and size of the buffers
using the "wnum" and "wsize" keywords.

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As an example, if asynchronous I/O is to be enabled for all files, the “sysfield” keyword in the command
initialization or RC file or on the command line is:
sysfield=async=yes
If asynchronous I/O is to be disabled for all files, the “sysfield” keyword is:
sysfield=async=no
Enabling asynchronous I/O for all but a specified set of DBsets, specifying that sixteen buffers are to be used
when it is enabled, may be done in either of the following ways:
 using both the “sysfield” keyword and ASSIGN specifications. In the command initialization file,
RC file, or on the command line, specify:
sysfield=async=yes,wnum=16
and, in the MSC Nastran data file, specify:
ASSIGN logical-name=filename, SYS='ASYNC=NO'
for those files to be processed using normal disk I/O processing.
 using the logical-name capability of the "sysfield" keyword. In the command initialization file, RC
file, or on the command line, specify:
sysfield=async=yes,wnum=16,logical-name(async=no)
If more than one file is to be processed using normal disk I/O processing, the other logical-names
may be specified on the same "sysfield" statement, on subsequent "sysfield" statements or using the
"wildcard" capabilities of the logical-name capability. For example, if there are two user DBsets,
USER1 and USER2, that are to be processed using normal disk I/O processing, specify:
sysfield=async=yes,wnum=16,user*(async=no)
Disabling asynchronous I/O for all but a specified set of DBsets and, for those DBsets, that sixteen buffers
are to be used, may be done in either of the following ways:
 using both the “sysfield” keyword and ASSIGN specifications. In the command initialization file,
RC file, or on the command line, specify:
sysfield=async=no
and, in the MSC Nastran data file, specify:
ASSIGN logical-name=filename, SYS='ASYNC=YES,WNUM=16'
for those files to be processed using asynchronous I/O.
 using the logical-name capability of the "sysfield" keyword. In the command initialization file, RC
file, or on the command line, specify:
sysfield=async=no,logical-name(async=yes,wnum=16)
If more than one file is to be processed using asynchronous I/O, the other logical-names may be
specified on the same "sysfield" statement, on subsequent "sysfield" statements or using the
"wildcard" capabilities of the logical-name capability. For example, if the scratch DBsets,
SCRATCH and SCR300, are to be processed using asynchronous I/O, specify:
sysfield=async=no,scr*(async=yes,wnum=16)

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Interpreting Database File-Locking Messages (LINUX)

All database files are locked using the operating system function “fcntl(2)”. This prevents two or more MSC
Nastran jobs from interfering with one another; however, this does not prevent any other program or
operating system command from modifying the files.
A read-write (exclusive) lock is requested for every database file that is to be modified. A read-only (shared
lock) is requested on every database file that is not modified, e.g., DBLOCATEd databases. If the lock
request is denied because another MSC Nastran job is using the file in a potentially conflicting manner, the
following fatal error message is written to the .f06 file:

bio-function ERROR - STATUS = errno, FILX = i, LOGNAME = logical, NSBUF3 = j

FILE = filename
ERROR MESSAGE IS --
Unable to acquire a lock_type lock.
lock-type-explanatory-text
Process ID pid is holding a conflicting lock.

where lock-type-explanatory-text is:

 lock_type is “read-only”:

This operation failed because another process already holds a read-

write lock on this file.

 lock_type is “read-write”:

This operation failed because another process already holds a

read-write or read-only lock on this file.

Some systems will deny a file lock because of an internal resource limit. In these cases, the job is allowed to
continue, and the following message will be written to the .f06 file:

bio-function WARNING - STATUS = errno, FILX = i, LOGNAME = logical, NSBUF3 = j

FILE = filename
ERROR MESSAGE IS --
Unable to acquire a lock_type lock.
computer-specific-text
advisory-text

where computer-specific-text is:

All Systems The system wide maximum number of file locks has
been exceeded. See ENOLCK in man 2 fcntl.

and advisory-text is:

 lock_type is “read-only”

If another job modifies this file during this run, there is the
potential for incorrect results to occur in this job.

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Interpreting the .f04 File

 lock_type is “read-write”

If another job accesses this file during this run, there is the
potential for the file to be damaged and/or incorrect results to
occur in both jobs.

Disabling File Locking

File locking can be disabled by:
 Setting “sysfield=lock=no” in an RC file or on the command line; see Using the Advanced Keywords, 86.
This affects all DBsets in the job.
 Setting SYSTEM(207) to a nonzero value using the NASTRAN statement; see Using the NASTRAN
Statement, 87. This affects all DBsets in the job.
The following informational message is written to the .f06 file:

*** SYSTEM INFORMATION MESSAGE - BIO

SYSTEM(207).NE.0 - File locking suppressed.

 Setting SYS=LOCK=NO on an FMS INIT statement; see Using the SYS Field, 91. This only affects the
specific DBset (s).

Interpreting the .f04 File

MSC Nastran writes information to the .f04 file that aids in monitoring and tuning the performance of your
job. An overview of the complete .f04 file can be found in Section Output Description (Ch. 7) in the MSC
Nastran Reference Guide. This section contains more detailed explanations of selected portions of the .f04 file.

Summary of Physical File Information

This summary table describes the physical files used for the DBsets. A sample of this table, located near the
top of the .f04 file, is shown below.

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S U M M A R Y O F P H Y S I C A L F I L E I N F O R M A T I O N

ASSIGNED PHYSICAL FILE NAME RECL (BYTES) MODE FLAGS

------------------------------------------------------------ ------------ ---- ---
--
/tmp/65872_57.SCRATCH 8192 R/W L
/tmp/65872_57.OBJSCR 8192 R/W L
/tmp/65872_57.MASTER 8192 R/W L
/tmp/65872_57.DBALL 8192 R/W L
/tmp/65872_57.DBALL2 8192 R/W L
/tmp/65872_57.SCR300 8192 R/W L
/msc20231/linux64/SSS.MASTERA 8192 R/O L
/msc20231/linux64/SSS.MSCOBJ 8192 R/O L

FLAG VALUES ARE --

F FFIO INTERFACE USED TO PROCESS FILE
H HPIO INTERFACE USED TO PROCESS FILE
L FILE HAS BEEN LOCKED
M FILE MAPPING USED TO PROCESS FILE
R FILE BEING ACCESSED IN ’RAW’ MODE

** PHYSICAL FILES LARGER THAN 2GB FILES ARE NOT SUPPORTED ON THIS PLATFORM

In this summary, “ASSIGNED PHYSICAL FILENAME” is the physical FILENAME with any symbols
translated; “RECL” is the record length in bytes; “MODE” is the file access mode, R/W is read-write mode,
R/O is read-only mode. The “FLAGS” column will contain various letters depending on the capabilities of
the platform and user requests, the text below the table indicates flag values that are possible on the specific
platform.
In this example, an INIT statement was used to create the DBALL DBset with two files using the logical
names DBALL and DBALL2.
Below the summary is a message indicating if large files (see Using Databases, 70) are available on this platform.
Memory Map
Immediately following the “Summary of Physical File Information” is a map showing the allocation of
memory. This map is also described in Managing Memory, 89.

** MASTER DIRECTORIES ARE LOADED IN MEMORY.

USER OPENCORE (HICORE) = 3804612 WORDS
EXECUTIVE SYSTEM WORK AREA = 78605 WORDS
MASTER(RAM) = 30000 WORDS
SCRATCH(MEM) AREA = 204900 WORDS ( 100 BUFFERS)
BUFFER POOL AREA (GINO/EXEC) = 76183 WORDS ( 37 BUFFERS)

TOTAL MSC Nastran MEMORY LIMIT = 4194300 WORDS

In this table “USER OPENCORE” is the amount of memory available to the module for computation
purposes; “EXECUTIVE SYSTEM WORK AREA” is the space reserved for the executive system;
“MASTER(RAM)” is the space reserved to cache datablocks from the MASTER DBset;
“SCRATCH(MEM) AREA” is the space reserved to cache datablocks from the SCRATCH and SCR300
DBsets; “BUFFER POOL AREA” is the space reserved for the buffer pool; “TOTAL MSC Nastran
MEMORY LIMIT” is the total memory allocated to MSC Nastran using the “memory” keyword.

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Interpreting the .f04 File

Day Log
The Day Log portion of the .f04 is a DMAP execution summary. This log, in table format, contains the vast
majority of the information in the .f04. The beginning of the Day Log is shown below:

DAY TIME ELAPSED I/O MB DEL_MB CPU SEC DEL_CPU SUB_DMAP/DMAP_MODULE MESSAGES

10:32:16 0:16 13.6 .3 .8 .0 SESTATIC 20 IFPL BEGN

10:32:16 0:16 13.7 .1 .8 .0 IFPL 29 IFP1 BEGN
10:32:16 0:16 13.7 .0 .8 .0 IFPL 39 XSORT BEGN

In the Day Log, “DAY TIME” is the time of day of the entry; “ELAPSED” is the elapsed time since the start
of the job; “I/O MB” is the megabytes of I/O to the databases since the start of the job; “DEL_MB” is the
delta I/O since the previous entry; “CPU SEC” is the total CPU seconds since the start of the job;
“DEL_CPU” is the delta CPU since the previous entry; “SUB_DMAP/DMAP_MODULE” indicates the
DMAP statement being executed; and “MESSAGES” are any messages issued by the module, “BEGN” is the
start of the module and “END” is the end.

Note: 1. If SYSTEM(84) is set to 0, the “I/O MB” column will be the number of GINO I/Os.
2. The “I/O MB” column will be scaled by gigabytes and a “G” will be appended after
each number if the value is greater than or equal to 100 000.

User Information Messages 4157 and 6439

The UIM 4157 text provides decomposition estimates upon completion on the preface of the decomposition
module. This message has a counterpart, UIM 6439, which provides actual information from the completed
decomposition process. These two messages are interspersed within the Day Log at each decomposition. The
following example is from a sparse decomposition.

*** USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 4157 (DFMSYN)

PARAMETERS FOR SPARSE DECOMPOSITION OF DATA BLOCK KLL ( TYPE=RDP ) FOLLOW
MATRIX SIZE = 726 ROWS NUMBER OF NONZEROES = 16926 TERMS
NUMBER OF ZERO COLUMNS = 0 NUMBER OF ZERO DIAGONAL TERMS = 0
CPU TIME ESTIMATE = 0 SEC I/O TIME ESTIMATE = 0 SEC
MINIMUM MEMORY REQUIREMENT = 58 K WORDS MEMORY AVAILABLE = 6978 K WORDS
MEMORY REQR’D TO AVOID SPILL = 133 K WORDS MEMORY USED BY BEND = 20 K WORDS
EST. INTEGER WORDS IN FACTOR = 48 K WORDS EST. NONZERO TERMS = 79 K TERMS
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM FRONT SIZE = 210 TERMS RANK OF UPDATE = 6
*** USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 6439 (DFMSA)
ACTUAL MEMORY AND DISK SPACE REQUIREMENTS FOR SPARSE SYM. DECOMPOSITION
SPARSE DECOMP MEMORY USED = 133 K WORDS MAXIMUM FRONT SIZE = 210 TERMS
INTEGER WORDS IN FACTOR = 8 K WORDS NONZERO TERMS IN FACTOR = 79 K TERMS
SPARSE DECOMP SUGGESTED MEMORY = 91 K WORDS

The most important elements of the UIM 4157 message are the “MINIMUM MEMORY
REQUIREMENT”, which is an estimate of the user open core memory that will allow the decomposition
to run, but with heavy spilling to disk. The “MEMORY REQR’D TO AVOID SPILL” will allow the
decomposition to run in “in core”, i.e., without spilling to disk. These two values represent the extremes of
memory requirements, the memory for optimal CPU performance is between the two. The “ESTIMATED
MAXIMUM FRONT SIZE”, a function of the model, affects the memory estimates; the minimum memory
is a function of the front size, and the memory to avoid spill is a function of the square of the front size. The

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“NUMBER OF NONZEROES” is the size of the input matrix, multiply this value by 8 to estimate the size
of the input file in bytes. The sum of “EST. INTEGER WORDS IN FACTOR” and “EST. NONZERO
TERMS” is the size of the output matrix, multiply the integer value by 4 on all machines, and the nonzero
value by 8 to estimate the size of the output file in bytes. The “RANK OF UPDATE” is the number of rows
that will be simultaneously updated during the decomposition. This value is set by either the “rank” keyword
or SYSTEM(205).

Note: Setting SYSTEM(69)=64 will cause MSC Nastran to terminate after printing UIM 4157. This
can be useful for determining a job’s memory and disk space requirements.

In UIM 6439, “SPARSE DECOMP MEMORY USED” states the actual memory used in the
decomposition process. Based on the execution of the module, the “SPARSE DECOMP SUGGESTED
MEMORY” will result in optimal throughput performance.

Memory and Disk Usage Statistics

These tables are written after the job has completed, and indicate the maximum memory used by any sparse
numerical module and the maximum disk used by any module during the job. A sample follows.

+---------- SPARSE SOLUTION MODULES -----------+ +------------- MAXIMUM DISK USAGE -------------+
HIWATER SUB_DMAP DMAP HIWATER SUB_DMAP DMAP
(WORDS) DAY_TIME NAME MODULE (MB) DAY_TIME NAME MODULE
517786 04:35:44 SEKRRS 18 DCMP 15.625 04:35:48 SESTATIC 186 EXIT

In the left hand table, “HIWATER (WORDS)” is the maximum amount of open core used by certain sparse
numerical modules; “DAY_TIME” is the time of day the module ran. “SUB_DMAP NAME” is the name
of the SUBDmap; “DMAP MODULE” indicates the line number and module name that made the
maximum request. Similarly, in the right hand table, “HIWATER (MB)” is the maximum amount of disk
space used by any module; “DAY_TIME” is the time of day the module ran. “SUB_DMAP NAME” is the
name of the SUBDmap; “DMAP MODULE” indicates the line number and module name that made the
maximum request.

Database Usage Statistics

These statistics, provided in table format, summarize the I/O activity for the DBsets.

*** DATABASE USAGE STATISTICS ***

+---------------- LOGICAL DBSETS ----------------+ +------------------------------ DBSET FILES -----------------------------+

DBSET ALLOCATED BLOCKSIZE USED USED FILE ALLOCATED ALLOCATED HIWATER HIWATER I/O TRANSFERRED
(BLOCKS) (WORDS) (BLOCKS) % (BLOCKS) (GB) (BLOCKS) (GB) (GB)

MASTER 5000 65536 52 1.04 MASTER 5000 2.44 152 0.074 1.449
DBALL 2000000 65536 3 0.00 DBALL 2000000 976.56 3 0.001 0.003
OBJSCR 5000 8192 374 7.48 OBJSCR 5000 0.31 374 0.023 0.529
SCRATCH 4000100 65536 291 0.01 (MEMFILE 100 0.05 100 0.049 0.000)
SCRATCH 2000000 976.56 28297 13.817 209.438
SCR300 2000000 976.56 1992 0.973 24.080
==============
TOTAL: 235.498

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Where:
This statistical table contains two parallel tables. The "LOGICAL DBSETS" table lists each DBset while
"DBSET FILES" tables lists the component files of the DBset. In these tables:
LOGICAL DBSETS:
 DBSET is the name of the DBset
 ALLOCATED is the MSC Nastran DBset size limit in blocks
 BLOCKSIZE is the BUFFSIZE of the DBset minus one.
 USED (BLOCKS) and USED % are the number of blocks and percent of the DBset used. For
SCRATCH it is the amount used during cleanup. Refer to HIWATER for total use.
DBSET FILES:
 FILE is the file's logical name associated with the DBset to the left.
 ALLOCATED is the number of BLOCKS/Gb allocated by MSC Nastran for the file
 HIWATER is the number of BLOCKS/Gb actually used in the file.
 I/O TRANSFERRED is te amount if I/O to the file.
In this example, the MASTER and OBJSCR DBsets are each composed of one file. The MASTER, DBALL
and OBJSCR are each composed of one file. The SCRATCH DBset has three components, MEMFILE,
SCRATCH, and SCR300.
This table can be used to determine if the DBsets and files are appropriately sized and the amount of I/O
activity associated with each file. Best elapsed time performance can be obtained if the files with the greatest
activity are on different physical devices (and better yet, separate I/O controllers or busses).

Summary of Physical File I/O Activity

This summary describes the physical file I/O for each database file.

*** SUMMARY OF PHYSICAL FILE I/O ACTIVITY ***

ASSIGNED PHYSICAL FILENAME RECL (BYTES) READ/WRITE COUNT MAP WSIZE (NUM) MAP COUNT
------------------------------------------------------------ ------------ ----------- --------------- -----------
/tmp/65872_57.SCRATCH 8192 1 128KB ( 4) 1
/tmp/65872_57.OBJSCR 8192 378 128KB ( 4) 24
/tmp/65872_57.MASTER 8192 1247 128KB ( 4) 11
/tmp/65872_57.DBALL 8192 26 128KB ( 4) 1
/tmp/65872_57.SCR300 8192 1 128KB ( 4) 1
/msc20231/linux64/SSS.MASTERA 8192 162 N/A N/A
/msc20231/linux64/SSS.MSCOBJ 8192 202 N/A N/A

In this summary, “ASSIGNED PHYSICAL FILENAME”, “RECL (BYTES)”, and “MAP WSIZE (NUM)”
are repeated from the “Summary of Physical FIle Information” table. “READ/WRITE COUNT” is the
number of GINO reads and writes that were performed on the file and “MAP COUNT” is the number of
times the map window had to be remapped (these columns are only present on systems supporting mapped
I/O).
This summary can be used to tune I/O performance. For mapped I/O systems, if the map count approaches
the number of reads and writes, the map size and/or the number of maps should be increased. Increasing the
number of maps is suggested if a module simultaneously accesses more data blocks or matrices in a file than

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there are windows. Increasing the size of the windows is suggested if a file contains very large data blocks or
matrices. Best elapsed time performance, with or without mapping, can be obtained if the files with the
greatest activity are on different physical devices (and better yet, separate I/O controllers or busses).

Running a Job on a Remote System

The nastran command offers a mechanism to run simple jobs on a computer other than the computer you
are currently logged onto via the "node" keyword, (page 195). In the descriptions that follow, the "local" node
or system is the computer you issue the nastran command on; the "remote" node or system is the computer
named by the "node" keyword, i.e., the system where the MSC Nastran analysis will run.
The method used to communicate between the local and remote nodes depends on the operating system on
the remote node:
 If the remote node is a LINUX system (or a similar system such as Linux), the "ssh/scp"
communications programs may be used. The users who want to use "rsh/rcp" may add the
following lines to <install_dir>/prod_ver/arch/nastran.ini:
s.ssh=/usr/bin/rsh
s.scp=/usr/bin/rcp
To configure ssh/scp:
# Make sure there is a directory called ${HOME}/.ssh
cd $HOME
ls .ssh
#If it does not exist, create it:
mkdir .ssh
chmod 700 .ssh
cd .ssh
# Execute the command:
ssh-keygen -t rsa -f id_rsa -P ''
# It is -P followed by two single quotes. This option will create
# two files: id_rsa and id_rsa.pub.
# Copy id_rsa into a file called identity:
cp id_rsa identity
# Appened id_rsa.pub to a file called authorized_keys
cat id_rsa.pub >> authorized_keys
chmod 600 authorized_keys
# The directory $HOME/.ssh should now contain at a minimum four files
# id_rsa, id_rsa.pub, identity and authorized_keys.

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 If the remote node is a Windows system (i.e., a system running Windows 10), the
"MSCRmtCmd/MSCRmtMgr" communications programs must be used. (See Installing/Running
MSCRmtMgr, 110.)
Following are some general requirements for running remote jobs:
 MSC Nastran must be properly installed on the remote system.
 The input data file must be accessible on the local host.
 INCLUDE files must be local-to, or visible-from, the remote system unless the "expjid" keyword is
used (or taken by default).
 All default output files, i.e., those without ASSIGN statements, will be written to a directory
accessible to the local host.
 In a restart, i.e., a job that uses an existing database, the DBsets must be local-to, or visible-from, the
remote system.
If the ssh/scp communications programs (LINUX ONLY) are to be used:
 You must have "remote execution" privileges on the remote system. That is, a password must not be
required to execute a remote copy (scp) or remote shell (ssh) command. See your system
administrator for information on this. You can test this with the following command:

ssh <node> [-l <username>] date # All others

where "<node>" is the name of the remote node and "<username>" is an alternative username on the
remote system if your current username is not valid. For example:
ssh node1 date
The output from the above command should be a single line containing the current date on node1 in a format
similar to:
Tue Jul 16 15:05:47 PDT 2002
If any other output is present, please determine the source of the output and correct the problem. If you
cannot eliminate the output, you will not be able to use the remote execution capabilities of the nastran
command for the specified remote node.
If the MSCRmtCmd/MSCRmtMgr communications programs are to be used:
 The MSCRmtMgr program must be running on the remote system, either as an installed and started
service or as a console mode program running in a Command Prompt window (started with the
"-noservice" command line option). You can test this with the following command:

<install_dir>\bin\prod_ver mscrmtcmd -h <node> -i (from Windows)

<install_dir>/bin/prod_ver MSCRmtCmd -h <node> -i (from LINUX)

where "<install_dir>" is the installation directory for the local MSC Nastran installation and "<node>"
is the name of the remote node. For example:

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c:\msc\bin\prod_ver mscrmtcmd -h node1 -i (From Windows)

/msc/bin/prod_ver MSCRmtCmd -h node1 -i (From LINUX)

The output from the above command(s) should be a single line containing configuration information for
node1 in a format similar to:

1@2@"C:/WINDOWS/system32/cmd.exe" (If node1 is Windows)

2@2@"/bin/bsh" (If node1 is Linux)

If any other output is present or if the request fails, please determine the source of the output and correct the
problem. If you cannot eliminate the output, you will not be able to use the remote execution capabilities
of the nastran command for the specified remote node.

Note: Recall that, for remote LINUX nodes, remote executions do not run a "login" shell. That is,
your ".profile" or ".login" script is not executed. This is true regardless of the communications
programs (ssh/scp or MSCRmtCmd/MSCRmtMgr) being used.

If the node specified by the "node" keyword is the same as the local node, the "node" keyword is ignored and
processing will continue as if "node" had not been defined.
The MSCRmtCmd/MSCRmtMgr communications programs may also be used when the remote node is a
LINUX system. However, there are no inherent advantages over using the ssh/scp programs.
When running a remote job, nastran keywords are processed on both the local and remote systems.
Keywords that control the job's output and interaction with you are processed on the local system Keywords
that specify information about the remote system's installation or that affect the actual analysis are processed
on the remote system. MSC suggests that those keywords that specify information about the remote system's
installation be defined in conditional Initialization or Runtime Configuration File sections based on the
"node" keyword and that those keywords that specify information about the local system's installation be
defined in conditional Initialization or Runtime Configuration File sections based the "s.hostname"
keyword.
The following table lists some of the keywords that affect remote processing. These keywords are described
in detail in Keywords, 172.

Table 5-1 Remote Processing Keywords

Keyword Purpose
append Requests the .f06, .f04 and .log files to be concatenated.
batch Requests the job is to be run in the background with batch = yes. (LINUX only.)
delete Unconditionally deletes files after job completion.
expjid Specifies data file expansion on the local system.

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Table 5-1 Remote Processing Keywords (continued)

Keyword Purpose
lsymbol Specifies logical symbol values to be used on the local system.
ncmd Specifies an alternate notification command.
node Specifies the node the job will be processed on.
notify Requests notification when the job completes.
old Specifies versioning or deletion of previously existing output files.
oldtypes Specifies additional user file types to be version or deleted.
out Specifies an alternate output file prefix.
rcmd Specifies the nastran command path on the remote system.
rostype Specifies the remote node operating system type.
rrmtuse Specifies the communication programs to be used.
rsdirectory Specifies the directory on the remote system to contain MSC Nastran temporary
files.
scratch Specifies the DBsets are to be deleted at job completion
sdirectory Specifies the directory on the local system to contain MSC Nastran temporary
files. If "rsdirectory" is not specified, this directory will also be used on the remote
system.
symbol Specifies logical symbol values to be used on the remote system.
trans Requests translation of the .xdb file.
username Specifies an alternate username on the remote host.

The "sdirectory"/"rsdirectory" keywords are special, as the command line, RC files on the current host and
RC files on the remote host will all be considered when establishing a scratch directory. As part of its
processing, the nastran command may generate temporary files on both the local system (e.g., as part of
"expjid" processing) and on the remote system (e.g., the location where temporary RC files are placed and
where output files are generated). These files are placed in the "scratch" directories on the local and remote
systems. If the "rsdirectory" keyword is not specified, the "sdirectory" location must be valid on both the
local and remote systems. (Note that this is not possible if the systems are running different types of operating
systems.) All other keywords specifying path/file names will only be scanned on the remote system and must
specify path/file names appropriate for that system.
Once "node=remotenode" is processed, the following processing takes place:
1. Process the RC files on the local system if the "version" keyword has been defined in the command
initialization file or the command line.
2. Process the RC file specified by the "rcf" keyword if it was defined on the command line.
3. Reprocess the command initialization file and any RC files if any contained conditional sections. (See
Resolving Duplicate Parameter Specifications, 148 for a more complete description of Command
Initialization file and Runtime Configuration file processing.)

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4. Determine the full pathname of the input file so that its visibility from remotenode can be tested.
5. If the "rmtdeny" utility, i.e., install_dir/prod_ver/arch/rmtdeny on LINUX and
install_dir\prod_ver\arch\rmtdeny.exe on Windows, exists and is executable, run it and examine its
output. If remotenode is listed, display an error and cancel the job.
6. If the "rmtaccept" utility, i.e., install_dir/prod_ver/arch/rmtaccept on LINUX and
install_dir\prod_ver\arch\rmtaccept.exe on Windows, exists and is executable, run it and examine its
output. If remotenode is not listed, display an error and cancel the job.
7. Verify that remotenode exists and you are able to run a command on that system. This process also
determines the communications programs to be used and the remotenode operating system type.
Although the nastran command can determine this information dynamically, processing may be
much faster if you specify the proper information using the "rrmtuse" and/or "rostype" keywords (for
example, in an INI or RC file conditional section). The information is set as follows:
8. If the "MSCRmtCmd/MSCRmtMgr" communications programs are selected (by either defining
"rrmtuse=mscrmtcmd" or defining "rostype=windows" or dynamically selected), the remotenode
operating system type is determined automatically.
9. If the "ssh/scp" communications programs are selected (by either defining "rrmtuse=ssh" or defining
"rostype=unix" or dynamically selected), the remotenode operating system type is assumed to be
LINUX.
10. If both the local node and remote node operating system types are LINUX, create a "touch" file in
the specified output file so that its visibility from remotenode can be tested.
11. If "rsdirectory" has not been defined or contains multiple values, set it as follows:
a. If "rsdirectory" has been defined but contains multiple values, change its value to the first value.
12. If "sdirectory" has not been set and the local system is Windows, set "rsdirectory" to "c:\tmp" if the
remotenode operating system is Windows and to "/tmp" otherwise.
13. If "sdirectory" has not been set and the local system is LINUX, set "rsdirectory" to "c:\tmp" if the
remotenode operating system is Windows and to the path defined by the "TMPDIR" environment
variable otherwise.
14. If "sdirectory" has been set but rsdirectory has not been set, then "rsdirectory" will be set to the first
(or only) value defined by "sdirectory.
15. Ensure "scratch=no" was set if the "dbs" keyword was set.
16. If the "rcmd" keyword was specified, attempt to execute that command on remotenode, displaying an
error and canceling the job if it fails.
Otherwise, attempt to execute the pathname of the current nastran command on remotenode. If it
fails, attempt to run the basename of the current nastran command on remotenode. Display an error
and cancel the job if both checks fail.
17. Run the remote nastran command identified in the previous step to determine:
If the directory specified by "rsdirectory" is valid.
If "scratch=no" is set, if the directory specified by "dbs" is valid.
18. The numeric format of the remote system.

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19. If both the local and remote modes are LINUX, the following tests are also made:
If the input data file is visible.
If the "touch" file is visible.
If "expjid" was specified, if the "expjid" expand directory is visible.
20. Display an error and cancel the job if an "rsdirectory" was identified on the command line or in a
local RC file, but does not exist on the remote node.
21. Display an error and cancel the job if the "dbs" directory was identified on the command line or in a
local RC file, but does not exist on the remote node.
22. If a "touch" file was created above, delete it.
If the local system is a LINUX system, the following steps are done in a background process (possibly some
time later if "batch=yes" or "after" was specified). If the local system is a Windows system, the following steps
are done from within the nastran command itself.
23. Copy the input data file (or the expanded file if "expjid" processing was performed) to the remote
system's scratch directory if the remote host could not see the file or if the local and remote operating
system types are different.
24. Set the "out" to the remote system's scratch directory if the remote host could not see the output
directory or if the local and remote operating system types are different.
25. Copy the remaining keywords on the command line that were not processed to a local RC file in the
scratch directory on the remote node.
26. Run the job on the remote node.
27. Process the "old" and "oldtypes" keywords on the local node.
28. If the output directory was not visible from the remote node or if the local and remote operating
system types are different, copy the output files (.f04, .f06,.log, .ndb, .pch, .plt) to the directory
specified by the "output" keyword and delete the files from the remote node.
29. Process the "append" keyword on the local node.
30. If the output directory was not visible from the remote node or if the local and remote operating
system types are different and if an .xdb file was created on the remote node, run the RECEIVE
program if required by the "trans" keyword or copy the .xdb file to the directory specified by the
"output" keyword and delete the .xdb file from the remote node.
31. Process the "notify" keyword on the local node.
Once the job has completed, the .f06, .f04, .log, .ndb, .op2, .plt, .pch and .xdb files will be present as if the
job were run locally. Binary files, i.e., .op2 and .plt, will only be usable on the local node if the local and
remote nodes use the same numeric format.

Note: No attempt is made to copy DBset files between the local and remote systems. If this is
required, you must handle this yourself and set the "dbs" keyword as required.

Several examples are provided.

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nast_ver example node=othernode batch=no (LINUX)

nast_ver example node=othernode (Windows)

This job will run on node "othernode". The .f04, .f06, .log, .pch, .plt, and .xdb files will be brought back
to the current node as if the job were run locally. (Note that Windows systems do not support the use of the
"batch" keyword.)

nast_ver example node=othernode rcmd=/some/path/bin/nast20231

This job will also run on "othernode" (assumed to be a LINUX system) but the path to the nastran
command has been specified explicitly.

nast_ver example node=othernode rcmd=d:/a/path/bin/nast20231

This job will also run on "othernode" (assumed to be a Windows system) but the path to the nastran
command has been specified explicitly. Note the use of forward slashes ('/') in the "rcmd" value. If the local
system is a Windows system, either forward slash ('/') or back slash ('\') characters may be used. If the local
system is a LINUX system, forward slash ('/') characters must be used or the entire rcmd specification must
be enclosed in quotes to prevent the shell from interpreting the back slash ('\') characters as "escape"
characters. When the rcmd specification is used on "othernode", the forward slash characters will be changed
to back slash characters as needed.

nast_ver example node=othernode dbs=/dbs

This job will also run on "othernode" (assumed to be a LINUX system) but will use the
"/dbs/example.*" DBset files. These files must exist on "othernode" prior to running this command
if this is a restart job. Once the job completes, the DBset files will be left as is.

nast_ver example node=uxsrv rsdir=/tmp sdir=/scratch

This example will run a job on LINUX node "uxsrv" using the nastran command in the default PATH with
all scratch files on the local system residing in /scratch and all scratch files on the remote system residing in
/tmp. Note that the "sdir" and "rsdir" keywords could have been set in an RCF file.

nast_ver example node=uxsrv rsdir=

This job will use the default scratch directory on "uxsrv".

nast_ver example node=uxsrv rsdir= rcmd=/msc/bin/nast20231

This job will use the nastran command /msc/bin/nast20231 on "uxsrv".

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Installing/Running MSCRmtMgr
The MSCRmtMgr program provides the server-side communications support used by the MSCRmtCmd
client-side program. That is, MSCRmtMgr provides functions equivalent to the LINUX rshd/rexec services.
MSCRmtMgr is primarily intended for use on Windows systems.
For Windows systems, MSCRmtMgr may only be run on Windows. MSCRmtMgr may be run as a
command-mode program or as a service, providing the same functionality in either case.

Running MSCRmtMgr as a Command-mode Program

This is the simplest way to run MSCRmtMgr but is the least flexible in that MSCRmtMgr must be restarted
every time the operating system is restarted. In this mode, MSCRmtMgr is started in a "Command Prompt"
window that is left open as long as the Windows system is to act as a server. The command is:
<instdir>\bin\prod_ver MSCRmtMgr -noservice
The "-noservice" operand is required and tells MSCRmtMgr that it is not to attempt to run as a Windows
service program. In this mode, MSCRmtMgr will run using the authorization and access control provided
by the currently logged on user. MSCRmtMgr may be terminated using <CNTL-C> or by using the Task
Manager.

Installing and Running MSCRmtMgr as a Windows Service

The MSCRmtMgr program may also be run as a Windows Service program. Doing this requires the
Microsoft Windows Resource Kit SC.exe (Services Control) utility program, available from Microsoft, and
run from a command prompt. Install MSCRmtMgr as a service using the following command:
sc create MSCRmtMgr type= share start= auto
binpath= <instdir>\prod_ver\arch\mscrmtmgr.exe
where:

type= share indicates that MSCRmtMgr can be shared. This option is useful if
ADMIN starts the service. If the service is only needed for a specific user
then you may use “own” instead of “share”.
start= auto indicates that MSCRmtMgr is to be automatically started at boot time.
This may also be specified as "start= demand".
binpath= ... specifies the full path to the MSCRmtMgr program.

Note the blanks between the equal sign following the option and the actual value. These blanks are required.
Once MSCRmtMgr has been installed as a service, it may be started or stopped using the Services
Administrative Tools program or using SC.exe as follows:
To start MSCRmtMgr:
sc start MSCRmtMgr -service -name "MSCRmtMgr"
To stop MSCRmtMgr:
sc stop MSCRmtMgr

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If MSCRmtMgr is no longer required, it may be deleted as a service using SC.exe as follows:

sc delete MSCRmtMgr
Note that this will remove MSCRmtMgr as a service but will not actually delete the executable. It may be
reinstalled as a service using the command described above.

Running Distributed Memory Parallel (DMP) Jobs

MSC Nastran offers the ability to run certain solution sequences (see the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide) in
parallel using the Message Passing Interface (MPI), an industry-wide standard library for C and Fortran
message-passing programs. MPI programs can be run on SMP computers, NUMA computers, and
distributed computers.

Note: Further information on the MPI standard can be obtained online at the URL
http://www.mpi-forum.org

This is not a Hexagon AB and/or its subsidiaries sites and Hexagon has no control over the site’s
content. Hexagon cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information on these sites and will not
be liable for any misleading or incorrect information obtained from these sites.

In most cases, MSC Nastran uses the hardware vendor’s MPI implementation. While this usually results in
the highest performance levels, it also presents a limitation--a DMP job can only run on computers
supported by the vendor’s MPI package. As an example, you cannot use a mixture of Linux and Windows
machines to run a single MSC Nastran DMP job.
The following table lists the hardware and software prerequisites for every host that will take part in running
an MSC Nastran DMP job:

Table 5-2 DMP System Prerequisites

Platform System Prerequisites
AMD/Intel Linux OS Any supported version

MPI Intel MPI 2019 Update 9 (Default)

AMD/Intel Windows MPI Microsoft MPI 9.0 (Default)

.NET Framework

In the descriptions that follow, the “local” node is the computer you issue the nastran command on, the
“parent” node is the first computer named by the “hosts” keyword, the “child” nodes are the remaining
systems listed in the “hosts” list.
The following are some general comments and requirements for running MSC Nastran DMP jobs:

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1. MSC Nastran must be properly installed on, or accessible to, all the hosts listed by the “hosts”
keyword.
2. On both Linux and Windows the MPI programs are delivered with MSC Nastran. If users have
installed MSMPI, and MSMPI_BIN is set, then those files will be used.
3. For Linux systems you must have s-command access to each system you want to access in a distributed
job.
You can test this with the following command:

ssh <node> [-l <username>] date # All others

where “<node>” is the name of the node and “<username>” is an alternate username on the remote
system if your current username is not valid. For example:

ssh node1 date

The output from the above command should in a single line containing the current date on node1 in
a format similar to:

Sun Sep 30 13:06:49 PDT 2012

If any other output is present, please determine the source of the output and correct the problem. If
you cannot eliminate the output, you will not be able to use the distributed execution capabilities of
MSC Nastran. If ssh and scp are not available, then RSH and RCP may be used by adding s.ssh=rsh
to the command line.
4. The input data file must be accessible on the local host.
5. On Windows systems, all pathnames will be converted, if necessary, to Universal Naming
Convention (UNC) format for all accessibility tests. If a pathname has no equivalent UNC name, it
will be considered “not accessible”. Also, if “ccsnodesmust=no” is specified, the input data file and
output directory must be visible from all nodes specified by the “hosts” keyword.
6. On all systems, you must have write access to the output directory.
7. INCLUDE files must be local-to, or visible-from, each host.
8. All default output files, i.e., those without ASSIGN statements, will be written to a directory
accessible to the local host.
9. The scratch directory can be a global or local file system. MSC recommends the scratch directory be
local to each host, i.e., you specify per-host “sdirectory” values. See Managing Host-Database Directory
Assignments in DMP Jobs, 117 for more information.
10. The pathname of the nastran command must be the same on all hosts, or on the default PATH of
each host, used in the analysis.

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11. For Linux systems you must have “remote execution” privileges on all the hosts listed by the “hosts”
keyword. That is, a password must not be required to execute a remote copy (scp) or remote shell (ssh
or remsh) command. See your system administrator for information on this.

Note: For Linux systems recall that remote executions do not run a “login” shell. That is, your
“.profile” or “.login” script is not executed.

12. For windows:

a. For multiple hosts the MSCRmtCmd service must be started on each host (see Installing/Running
MSCRmtMgr).
b. For multiple hosts the SMPD service must be started on each host. This service may be started
several ways:
• Individual users may issue:
SMPD -D 3
However, multiple users may not have this service running.
• For multiple users, it is best to start as ADMIN with:
C:\Windows\system32>sc start MSMPILaunchSvc
SERVICE_NAME: MSMPILaunchSvc
TYPE : 10 WIN32_OWN_PROCESS
STATE : 2 START_PENDING
(NOT_STOPPABLE, NOT_PAUSABLE, IGNORES_SHUTDOWN)
WIN32_EXIT_CODE : 0 (0x0)
SERVICE_EXIT_CODE : 0 (0x0)
CHECKPOINT : 0x0
WAIT_HINT : 0x7d0
PID : 9916
FLAGS :

c. Multiple hosts users may get messages to allow analysis and MSCRmtMgr to run on each system
the first time it occurs.

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When running a DMP job, nastran keywords are processed on both the local and parent/child systems.
Keywords that control the job’s output and interaction with you are processed on the local system. These are:

Table 5-3 DMP Processing Keywords

Keyword Purpose
append Requests the .f06, .f04, and .log files to be concatenated.
childout Specifies the .f04 and .f06 files from the child tasks are to be appended to the
.f04 and .f06 files of the parent task.
hostovercommit Requests more tasks per host than CPUs.
hosts Specifies list of hosts to use. Separate hosts with a comma or with the PATH
separator, i.e., “:” on Linux and “;” on Windows.
mergeresults Specifies the results from each DMP task are to be merged into the standard
files from the parent host.
ncmd Linux: Specifies an alternate notification command.
notify Requests notification when the job completes.
old Specifies versioning or deletion of previously existing output files.
oldtypes Specifies additional user file types to be versioned or deleted.
out Specifies an alternate output file prefix.
rcmd Specifies the nastran command path on the parent/child systems.
rmtdiskmsg Enables or disables the “sdir and/or dbs disks are remotely mounted” message.
scratch Specifies the database DBsets are to be deleted at job completion.
sdirectory Specifies each per-host directory to contain MSC Nastran temporary files.
Separate directories with a comma or with the PATH separator, i.e., “:” on
Linux and “;” on Windows.

The “sdirectory” keyword is special, as the command line, RC files on the current host, and RC files on the
each parent and child host will all be considered when establishing a scratch directory. All remaining
keywords are only scanned on the parent and child systems.
Once “dmparallel=number” is processed, the following processing takes place:
1. Process the RC files on the local system if the “version” keyword has been defined in the command
initialization file or the command line.
2. Process the RC file specified by the “rcf” keyword if it was defined on the command line.
3. Determine the full pathname of the input file so that its visibility from the parent and each child host
can be tested. For Windows, this full pathname will be converted to UNC format, if necessary.
4. Create a “touch” file in the specified output directory so that its visibility from the parent and each
child host can be tested.
5. If the “dmpdeny” utility, i.e., install_dir/prod_ver/arch/dmpdeny, exists and is executable, run it, and
save its output.

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6. If the “dmpaccept” utility, i.e., install_dir/prod_ver/arch/dmpaccept, exists and is executable, run it,
and save its output.
7. Ensure “scratch=no” was set if the “dbs” keyword was set.
8. Determine every possible pairing of host and sdirectory by scanning each list in a round-robin order.
That is, the first host is paired with the first sdirectory, the second host with the second sdirectory, and
so on.
9. Execute the following steps for each host-sdirectory pair determined above until host-sdirectory pairs
have been assigned to each of the tasks requested by the “dmparallel” keyword or no more host-
sdirectory pairs are available. Steps a. through g. are executed only once per host-sdirectory pair.
a. Verify that host exists. For Linux systems, verify that you are able to run a command on that
system.
b. If the “rcmd” keyword was specified, attempt to execute that command on host, display an error
and cancel the job if it fails.
c. Otherwise attempt to execute the pathname of the current nastran command on host. If it fails,
attempt to execute the basename of the current nastran command on host. Display an error and
cancel the job if both checks fail. For Windows systems, these pathnames are converted to UNC
format, if necessary, before they are used.
d. Run the remote nastran command identified in the previous step to determine: if the input data
file is visible; if the “touch” file is visible; if the “sdirectory” (if identified on the local system)
exists; if the “dbs” directory (if identified on the local system) exists; the “sdirectory” value in the
RC files defined on host; and finally the numeric format of host.
e. Drop this host-sdirectory pair from further consideration if a scratch directory was identified on
the command line or in a local RC file and that specified a list of directories, but the sdirectory
does not exist on host.
f. Display an error and cancel the job if the numeric format of host differs from the numeric format
of the local host or if the operating system type of host differs from the operating system type of
the local host, i.e., you cannot mix Linux hosts with Windows hosts.
g. Display an error and cancel the job if the directory specified by a “dbs” keyword on the command
line or in a local RC file does not exist on host.
h. Assign the current host-sdirectory pair to the next task; save the “sdirectory” value and the per-
host visibility flags and “rcmd” value.
10. Display an error and cancel the job if one or more of the tasks requested by the “dmparallel” keyword
have not been assigned.
11. Delete the “touch” file created above.
12. For Linux systems, the remaining steps are done in a background process (at possibly some time later)
if “batch=yes” or “after” was specified.
a. Copy the input data file to the scratch directory of any host that could not see the input data file.
b. Set “out” to the host-specific scratch directory value of every host that could not see the output
directory.

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c. Copy the remaining keywords on the command line that were not processed to a local RC file in
the “out” directory. Copy this RC file to the host-specific scratch directory on any host that could
not see the output directory.
d. Process the “old” and “oldtypes” keywords on the local node.
e. Run the DMP job using the system’s MPI startup command. Note that each task will write to
task-specific names.
f. If the parent task could not see the output directory, copy the output files (.f04, .f06, .log, .ndb,
.pch, .plt) from the parent node to the output directory (the directory specified by the “output”
keyword) and delete the files from the parent node.
g. Process the “append” keyword on the local node.
h. For Linux systems, process the “notify” keyword on the local node.
Once the job has completed, the .f06, .f04, .log, .ndb, .op2, .plt, .pch, and .xdb files from the parent task will
be present as if the job were run locally.

Note: No attempt is made to copy DBset files between the local and parent/child systems. If this is
required, you must handle this yourself and set the “dbs” keyword appropriately.

Determining Hosts Used by DMP Jobs

The nastran command uses the following hierarchy to determine the list of hosts to use:
1. The nastran command “hosts” keyword on the command line
2. The nastran command “hosts” keyword in an RC file.
3. The local host.
Consider the following examples:

nast_ver example dmparallel=4

On linux, this job will run on the local host.

nast_ver example dmparallel=4 hosts=node1:node2:node3:node4:node5

On windows, this job will run on the local host.

nast_ver example dmparallel=4 hosts=node1;node2;node3;node4;node5

This job will run on the first four available nodes from the set “node1”, “node2”, “node3”, “node4”, “node5”.

nast_ver example dmparallel=4 hosts=my.host.list

This job will read the file “my.host.list”.

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The nastran command provides a simple host allocation method. If a host listed by the “hosts” keyword is
unavailable, it will be skipped and the next host considered. As long as at least the number of processors
specified by the “dmparallel” keyword are available on one or more of the listed hosts, the job will be allowed
to run.
.

Note: You may also need to modify the <install_dir>/prod_ver/arch/nastran.dmp file if job queuing
information must be embedded in the job stream.

A hypothetical example is included.

THE SAMPLE QUEUING INFORMATION MAY NOT WORK WITH YOUR SITE’S
QUEUING REQUIREMENTS

nastran Command “hosts” Keyword (Distributed Jobs Under LSF)

The “hosts” keyword will default to the value set by LSF when running as a distributed job and no other
value for “hosts” was set on the command line or in an RC file.

Example:
bsub -n 4 nast_ver example dmp=4

This job will use four hosts selected by LSF. Note, the number of tasks appears twice: once for use by LSF,
and once for use by MSC Nastran.

Managing Host-Database Directory Assignments in DMP Jobs

The performance of the disk subsystem containing the permanent and SCRATCH DBsets can have a
significant impact on MSC Nastran performance. In the case of a DMP job, the impact can be even greater
if multiple tasks are using the same file system. For SCRATCH DBsets, there are two ways in which this can
be handled: one by specifying host-specific scratch directory values in an RC file and one by specifying a list
of scratch directories using the “sdirectory” keyword. For DBsets, you may specify a list of DBset locations
using the “dbs” keyword. When the list method is used to specify multiple scratch directories or DBsets, the
entries are paired with the “hosts” keyword specified host names in a round-robin order. With these
capabilities, you can finely control the use of disk I/O access paths by your job.
In the case of SCRATCH DBsets, the simplest method of specifying individual directory paths for each host
is to use the RC file method, reserving the “sdirectory” list method for situations where you are assigning
multiple DMP tasks to a single host and you want to separate the SCRATCH DBsets, placing each on a
separate file system. The following is an example of an RC file that defines the default SCRATCH directory
for each node in a four-node configuration with node names “node1”, node2”, “node3” and “node4”. This
example assumes that the MSC Nastran installation directory is available to and is used by each node. The
following would, typically, be included in the RC file in the “conf” directory, noting that the technique is
available on all platforms, where customizing the node-specific SCRATCH directory pathnames being the
only change needed:

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# Define node-specific scratch directories

[ s.hostname = node1 ]
sdir=/nodel/scratch

[ s.hostname = node2 ]
sdir=/node2/scratch

[ s.hostname = node3 ]
sdir=/node3/scratch

[ s.hostname = node4 ]
sdir=/node4/scratch

Note that none of the “sdirectory” keyword values should be in “list” format, that is, contain multiple
directories separated by a comma or colon (Linux) or semi-colon (Windows) unless you wish that
specification to be used whenever DMP processing is requested and when you are sure that the list will match
the order in which host names are specified in the “hosts” keyword.
The following examples show the effect of the round-robin ordering. These examples are the Linux syntax.

nast_ver example dmparallel=4 hosts=a:b sdirectory=/aa:/ba:/ab:/

bb dbs=/aa:/ba:/ab:/bb

This example will assign the following host-sdirectory pairs (assuming hosts “a” and “b” each have at least two
processors):

Scratch
Task Host Directory DBS Directory
1 a /aa /aa
2 b /ba /ba
3 a /ab /ab
4 b /bb /bb

If directory “/ba” was not available for writing by you on host “b”, the tasks assignments would be (assuming
host “a” has at least three processors):

Scratch
Task Host Directory DBS Directory
1 a /aa /aa
2 a /ab /ab
3 b /bb /bb
4 a /aa /aa

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Managing Files in DMP Jobs

When an MSC Nastran DMP job is running, the input file is directly read by each MPI task that can read
the file, e.g., via NFS. Each host that cannot read the input file will read a local copy of the file that is copied,
via rcp(1) or scp(1) for Linux or using MSC developed utilities on Windows, to the job’s scratch directory
(“sdirectory” keyword) before the job begins.
A similar check is made for the output directory. Any host that can write to the output directory (“out”
keyword) will directly write its .f04, .f06, .log and other default output files to that directory. Any host that
cannot see the output directory will write its default output files to the job’s scratch directory. For Linux
systems, these files will then be copied, again via rcp(1) or scp(1) for Linux, back to the output directory at
the end of the job.

Note: The nastran command will perform these tests by converting your pathname value to an
absolute pathname. As a result, a path that varies depending upon the host will be labeled as
unreadable.

If the “sdirectory” keyword is not specified on the command line or in an RC file on the local host or is not
specified in list format, i.e., with multiple directory specifications separated by commas or colons (Linux),
each parent or child host will use its own scratch directory. This directory is determined on the parent and
each child host by examining its command initialization file and version-specific RC files if the “version”
keyword was defined.
DO NOT use an ASSIGN statement for any file that will be written by MSC Nastran in a Distributed
Memory Parallel (DMP) job. Instead, use the “sdirectory” and “dbs” keywords to specify names of the
SCRATCH and permanent DB Sets.

DMP Performance Issues

In addition to the normal performance issues associated with a serial or SMP job, a DMP job adds
communication bandwidth as a critical performance characteristic. The basic communications channels, are:
 Shared memory - SMP and NUMA systems.
 Interconnect, adapter, or switch - NUMA and distributed systems.
 High-speed special-purpose network.
 TCP/IP network - all systems.
 Infiniband works on Linux with IntelMPI. To use it, please add the following to your command
line ( note that performance gained from Infiniband varies:
symbol=I_MPI_DEVICE=rdssm
The performance of any MSC Nastran job is very much dependent on CPU, memory subsystem, and I/O
subsystem performance. A Distributed Memory Parallel (DMP) job on an SMP or NUMA system is
extremely sensitive to I/O subsystem performance since each task independently accesses the I/O subsystem.
You are especially encouraged on SMP and NUMA systems to partition your scratch directory and database
assignments on DMP jobs using the “sdirectory” and “dbs” nastran command keywords.

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Example:
nast_ver example dmp=4 sdir=/scr1:/scr2:/scr3:/scr4\
dbs=/dbs1:/dbs2:/dbs3:/dbs4

The following assignments will be made in this job:

Task sdirectory dbs

1 /scr1 /dbs1
2 /scr2 /dbs2
3 /scr3 /dbs3
4 /scr4 /dbs4

The preceding example will perform substantially better than the following job, which uses the default
assignments for the “sdirectory” and the “dbs” keywords.

Example:
nast_ver example dmp=4

While the ultimate effect of the communications channel on job performance is dependent upon the solution
sequence, for best overall job performance, you should try to use the fastest communications channels
available.

Running with a GPGPU

MSC Nastran can now utilize Nvidia CUDA-capable GPGPU (General-Purpose computational Graphics
Processing Units) cards as well as CPUs. GPGPU support for AMD and/or other computational modules
will follow in future MSC Nastran releases.

System Requirements
 Nvidia CUDA-capable GPGPU card(s) with at least 1.5GB on-board memory
 A double precision card (e.g. A100)
 MSC Nastran GPGPU license
 The Window's driver needed in past releases for the GPU was 396.26. The new driver needed is:
NVIDIA-SMI 465.19.01 Driver Version: 465.19.01
 The minimum driver required on Linux is:
NVIDIA-SMI 471.41 Driver Version: 471.41
 MSC has tested the following Nvidia GPU cards:
• Quadro GV100, Tesla K40m, P40, V100 and A100

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The Nvidia M4000 will not work.

GPGPU card Identification

If a GPU card cannot be detected by Nastran, change to the TCC (Tesla Compute Cluster) mode with the
Nvidia SMI utility. Refer to the pertinent Nvidia documents for details.
On linux, "nvidia-smi" may be used to determine your cards:
Node <80> /usr/bin/nvidia-smi
+------------------------------------------------------+
| NVIDIA-SMI 471.41 Driver Version: 471.41 |
|-------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| Nb. Name | Bus Id Disp. | Volatile ECC SB / DB |
| Fan Temp Power Usage /Cap | Memory Usage | GPU Util. Compute M. |
|===============================+======================+======================|
| 0. Tesla C2075 | 0000:0F:00.0 Off | 0 0 |
| 30% 59 C P0 79W / 225W | 1% 79MB / 5375MB | 1% Default |
|-------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------|
| 1. Tesla C2070 | 0000:42:00.0 On | 0 0 |
| 32% 83 C P0 N/A / N/A | 2% 89MB / 5375MB | 2% Default |
|-------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------|
| Compute processes: GPU Memory |
| GPU PID Process name Usage |
|=============================================================================|
| 0. 5996 /devl/msc/2023.1/msc20231/linux64/analysis 66MB |
| 1. 6043 /devl/msc/2023.1/msc20231/linux64/analysis 66MB |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
On Windows, to verify TCC, one has to run as administrator as follows:
1. In the 'startup' window, type in 'cmd' and hit 'ctrl+shift+enter' instead of just 'enter'
2. In the 'cmd' window, change dir to where nvidia-smi.exe is and execute the command:

C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\NVSMI>nvidia-smi --id=1 --driver-model=1

Driver model is already set to TCC for GPU 0:42:0.
If one doesn't run as root, one would not be able to determine the mode:
C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\NVSMI>nvidia-smi --id=1 --driver-model=1
Unable to determine current driver model for GPU 0:42:0: Unknown Error

Using the GPU

Submit with gpuid, e.g,

nast_ver job gpuid=0

In MSC Nastran 2023.1 release, the GPUs are used for two types of operations: matrix factorization and
matrix multiplication. In the routines that use GPUs for matrix factorization, only one GPU will be used per
DMP process. So in order to use multiple GPUs, the user must also use multiple DMP processes:

nast_ver job gpuid=0,1,...,ngpu-1 dmp=ndmp, where ndmp ≥ ngpu

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Each DMP process will be assigned a GPU ID in round robin fashion.

In MPYAD and FASTFR modules, on the other hand, multiple GPUs can be used for matrix multiplication
by a single process, as long as the number of SMP-threads is equal to or larger than the number of GPUs.
These modules also use multiple parallel streams for data transfer between the GPU and the host system, so
it is recommended to use the maximum number of available CPU cores/threads because that helps reduce
the overhead of data transfer between the host and the GPUs.

So, for example, in order to achieve the best performance on a system with 20 CPU cores and 2 GPUs the
user is advised to run Nastran with:
nast_ver job dmp=2 smp=10 gpuid=0,1
or
nast_ver job dmp=4 smp=5 gpuid=0,1

Guidelines and Limitations

For the best performance, a sparse direct solver intensive SOL101 or SOL108 job should set sys653=3, or
sys653=1 if the model is positive definite or diagonally dominant.

Known Issues
The pivoting method in sys653=3 is not as robust as that in sys653=1. Therefore, for models that have large
numbers of Lagrange multipliers, such as those encountered in SOL400 and SOL200, sys653=3 should be
avoided. Generally speaking, only SOL101 and SOL108 jobs should use sys653=3 until future improvement.

Verification GPGPU is Being Activated

The log file will have lines similar to:
07:50:58 Acquired 1 license for Nastran GPGPU from license server on host msclic
…
device id = 0
device id = 1
For more information on GPGPU, see http://gpgpu.org.

Configuring and Running SOL 700

Hardware and Software Requirements

Although no specific hardware requirements exist for MSC Nastran to run distributed memory parallel
mode, it is preferable to have fast network connections between the machines if more than one machine is
used. It is recommended that the network should have a speed of at least 100 MBit per second. If only two
machines are to be used, you can use a hub or a cross-over cable to connect them. If more than two machines
are to be used, a switch is preferable. TCP/IP is used for communications.

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Compatibility
MSC Nastran supports connection of homogeneous networks with machines of the same type. Two
machines are compatible if they can both use the same executables. Some examples of compatible machines
are:
 Several machines with exactly the same processor type and O/S.

Definitions
1. Root machine: The machine on which the job is started.
2. Remote machine: Any machine other than the root machine that is part of a distributed parallel run
on the network.
3. Shared installation: MSC Nastran is installed in an NFS shared directory on one machine only. Other
machines can access the executables since the directory is shared.
4. Distributed installation: MSC Nastran is installed on all machines. Each machine accesses its own
versions of the executables.
5. Distributed execution: SOL 700 is run on multiple machines that are connected with a network.
Each machine loads the executables either from shared or local directories and then executes them.
6. Shared I/O: MSC Nastran reads and writes data in an NFS shared directory. Each executable running
on the network reads and writes to the same directory.
7. NFS – Network File System.

Network Configuration
MSC Nastran only needs to be installed on the root machine where the installation directory is shared via
NFS (shared installation). It can also be installed on the remote Machines, which then use their own
executables (distributed installation). The root machine is the one on which the SOL 700 job is started. The
remote machines can be located anywhere as long as they are connected to the network. The working
directory on each machine can be a shared directory on any machine on the network (shared I/O) or it
can be a local directory on the hard disk of each machine in the analysis (distributed I/O). User Notes in this
chapter provide instructions for specifying the working directory to use.

Installation Notes
This part describes the specific steps needed to install and set up a network version of SOL 700. For
distributed parallel, install MSC Nastran on the root machine and, if needed, on the remote machines.
MSC Nastran only needs to be installed on the root machine if it is a shared installation. There is nothing
special that needs to be done related to the installation itself for the network version. In order to run parallel
jobs on machines connected over the network, jobs have to be set up properly. If any of the remote hosts do
not have MSC Nastran installed, the installation directory on the root machine needs to be shared using NFS
or some other mechanism so that all executables are available from the remote machines. Users need to be
able to connect between the machines using rlogin without having to provide a password. For some

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platforms, special attention requiring root access are required to make SOL 700 jobs run which will be
described in the next section.

Platform Specific MPI Configurations

Linux X8664 (Intel MPI)
In order to run Nastran SOL 700 on a Linux X8664 machine with Intel MPI, Python Version 2.7 or higher
needs to be installed and must be the default. When Python version 2.6 is the default, SOL 700 with Intel
MPI, may not be able to execute properly.

User Notes
This section assumes that MSC Nastran, including the MPI, has been successfully installed on two machines
that are to be used in a distributed analysis and that the appropriate MSC licenses are in order.
Assume that host1 is the host name of the root machine from which the job is to be started and the host name
of the other machine (the remote machine) is host2.
First, make sure that the two machines are properly connected. (On Windows: from host1, access host2 with
Network Neighborhood.) If this is not possible, a network run will not be possible.

Command Line Option

SOL 700 may be run parallel in a manner similar to standard DMP parallel. If a user specifies dmp700=n
(where n is the number of processors) and does not have a sol700.pth file, then a temporary file is created
using the hosts specified by HOSTS= either in the command line or RC file. The sol700.pth file is used if
PATH=3 is specified on the SOL 700 entry.

PATH=3 Option
In order to perform an analysis over a network, a special file called a hostfile needs to be created by the user.
This file defines which machines are to be used, how many processes are to run on each, what working
directory should be used, and where the Dytran executable can be found on each machine. No specific name
or extension is used for the host file except that the name jobid.hostfile must be avoided since it is used
internally.

Specification of the Hostfile

The hostfile has the following general format:
host1 n1 workdir1 exe1
host2 n2 workdir2 exe2
host3 n3 workdir3 exe3
Each line must start at column 1 (no initial blanks). Blank lines and lines beginning with a # (number
symbol) are ignored. The first entry is the host name of a machine to be used in the analysis. The root
machine must be listed first and each machine must only occur once. The second entry specifies the number
of processes to run on the machine specified in the first entry. The default is 1 cpu for each machine. The

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sum of the number of processes given in the hostfile will be equal the number of domains used. In a five-
domain job, it is will be n1+n2+n3=5.
The third entry specifies the working directory to use on this host. This entry is ignored for SOL 700, as all
I/O occurs on the working directory of the root machine.
The fourth entry specifies the location of the executable including to the full path to the executable. For the
first entry (the root machine), the MSC Nastran Installation can figure out automatically which exe to take.
The default for all subnodes is the same location as the location of the exe on the root machine. In case the
subnodes have a different MSC Nastran installation location, this can be specified here. In case exe2,
exe3, etc. are used, n2, n3 and workdir2, workdir3 are required input and can not be skipped. In
case the location of the executables on the remote machines is exactly the same as on the root machine, the
workdir and the exe location can be omitted from the hostfile.

Example of the Hostfile

The different domains are associated with the different machines as follows. Suppose a five-domain job is run
using a hostfile, defined as:
host1 2
host2 1
host3 2
Domains 1 and 2 will be associated with host1, domain3 with host2 and domains 4 and 5 with host3.

Running an ISHELL Program

The ISHELL module allows you to invoke your own program from DMAP to perform custom processing.
Two features are provided to make running your program easier.
The first feature is the ability to construct a full named based on the up-to eight character name provided by
DMAP and a list of file-type associations. MSC Nastran will first attempt to find an executable in the current
directory using the name as-is from the DMAP call, i.e., all upper-case. On LINUX, if this name cannot be
found, another attempt is made by converting the name to all lower-case.
If a name was not found, the Command Processor Associations defined by the “ishellext” keyword will be
used to construct additional names by concatenating the DMAP name with each file-type in turn until the
name is found or the table is exhausted. The command processor extensions consist of pairs of file-types and
commands. On LINUX systems, the default command processor associations are:

File-Type Command Processor

null directly execute
.sh sh
.ksh ksh
.csh csh

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File-Type Command Processor

.pl perl
.prl perl
.py python

On Windows, the default command processor associations are:

File-Type Command Processor

.bat directly execute
.exe directly execute
.com directly execute
.pl perl
.prl perl
.py python

Note: While this capability is similar to the Windows “File Type Associations,” it does not use that
information.

These tables are processed in the order shown.

If none of the names exist in the current working directory, MSC Nastran will resort to the second feature
design to assist in using the ISHELL module, the “ishellpath” keyword. If this keyword is set, MSC Nastran
will repeat the search described above for each of the directories listed by the keyword. To aid in using this
keyword, the nastran command will set the default value for “ishellpath” as the directory containing the input
data file if you have not set the keyword on the command line, via the MSC_ISHELLPATH environment
variable, or in an RC file.
If a file has still not been found in either the current working directory or any of the directories listed by the
“ishellpath” keyword, the system PATH will be searched. Finally, if a suitable file was not found, a UFM will
be issued.

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A sample ISHELL job is provided by the files doc_install_dir/tpl6/cc705/qaishell.dat,

doc_install_dir/tpl/qaishell and doc_install_dir/tpl/qaishell.pl. The ISHELL call is
.
.
.
ISHELL//’QAISHELL’/S,N,IRTN/
NOINT/NOREAL/NOCMPX/NOCHAR/NOUNIT/
INT1/INT2/INT3/INT4/
REAL1/REAL2/REAL3/REAL4/
CMPL1/CMPL2/CMPL;3/CMPL4/
STRING1/STRING2/STRING3/STRING4/
/UNIT1/UNIT2/UNIT3/UNIT4 $
.
.
.

For the following example, assume the nastran command provides the default value for the “ishellpath”
keyword, i.e., the directory containing the input data file.

nast_ver qaishell

On LINUX, the following names will be checked (assuming the default command processor associations):
QAISHELL, qaishell, QAISHELL.sh, qaishell.sh, QAISHELL.ksh, qaishell.ksh, QAISHELL.csh,
qaishell.csh, QAISHELL.pl, qaishell.pl, QAISHELL.prl, qaishell.prl, QAISHELL.py and finally qaishell.py.
Since the file “QAISHELL” exists in the same directory as the input file, it will be found after first looking
for the names in the current working directory.
On Windows, the following names will be checked (assuming the default command processor associations):
QAISHELL.BAT, QAISHELL.EXE, QAISHELL.COM, QAISHELL.PL, QAISHELL.PRL and finally
QAISHELL.PY. Since the file “qaishell.pl” exists in the same directory as the input file, it will be found after
first looking for the names in the current working directory.

Defining Command Processor Associations

The nastran command treats each specification of the “ishellext” keyword as either an addition to,
modification of, or deletion from, the current definition. For example, using the default command processor
associations, specifying

ishellext=tcl=wish

will add a new processor, “wish”, for the file-type “.tcl”, after the last currently defined processor. Specifying

ishellext=pl=

will delete the current association of “perl” for the file-type “.pl”. Finally,

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Using the ISHELL-INCLUDE Statement (“!”)

ishellext=sh=ksh

will replace the “sh” definition for the “.ksh” file type on LINUX.
To change the processing order, delete the current entry and then respecify it (to append it to the end of the
table). For example, to force LINUX systems to find “qaishell.pl” before “QAISHELL”, specify

ishellext=.=,.=’’

Note that this first deletes the null processor “.=”, and then re-specifies it as “.=’’”.

ishellext=.=’’,sh=sh,ksh=ksh,csh=csh,pl=perl,prl=prl
ishellext=bat=’’,exe=’’,com=’’,pl=perl,prl=perl

These two examples are the default associations for LINUX and Windows respectively.

Special Considerations (Windows)

On Windows, all executable files must have a non-null file type; this is why the “QAISHELL” script cannot
be used on Windows, even if you have a Korn shell installed.
You may need to define “CMD.EXE” on Windows as the command processor for certain “.exe” files.
Examples include 16-bit compiled Basic programs.
Finally, you can use a hash mark, “#”, in place of the equals sign on Windows to facilitate setting the processor
association in a “.bat” file. For example,

ishellext#bat#’’,exe#’’,com#’’,pl#perl,prl#perl

is an alternate definition of the default Windows association.

Using the ISHELL-INCLUDE Statement (“!”)

The ISHELL module provides a way to dynamically alter the instruction stream of a running DMAP, making
it easier to integrate your own programs, and simplifying the task of customizing MSC Nastran. The
ISHELL-INCLUDE statement (“!”) extends the ISHELL feature to the instruction stream of the input file.
This capability is derived by merging the features of both the ISHELL and the INCLUDE statements (by
first executing the external program and then including the output in the input stream). The format is:
! embedded shell command.
! continuations are indicated simply by the presence
! of another “!” in the first non-blank position of the next line.
! all characters following the “!” are passed to the appropriate
! shell for evaluation.

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The shell (or command processor) is determined by the MSC_ISHELLEXT environment variable, or by the
ishellext keyword from the command line or RC file (see “Running an ISHELL Program” for more details).
On LINUX systems, the command processor associated with the null file type is used for the ISHELL-
INCLUDE statement. In most cases this requires one of the following keyword assignments to be added to
the command line:

ishellext=.=/bin/csh # for csh scripts

ishellext=.=/bin/ksh # for ksh scripts
ishellext=.=/bin/sh # for sh scripts
ishellext=.=perl # for perl scripts
ishellext=.=python # for python scripts

Note: The ISHELL-INCLUDE statement is currently not supported for Windows.

Like the INCLUDE statement, the ISHELL-INCLUDE statement can appear anywhere in the input file.
However, the output (captured from “stdout”) must be appropriate to the section in which it will be included
(i.e. the final input stream must constitute a valid MSC Nastran input file). Unlike the INCLUDE
statement, nested ISHELL-INCLUDE statements are not supported.
The processing of an embedded shell script is done as follows:
1. The entire script is extracted and written to a temporary file.
2. If the ISHELL-INCLUDE occurs within a DMAP alter, the processing is delayed until the DMAP
compiler is invoked.
3. Otherwise, the input file processing is suspended, and the external program is executed. Output from
the external program is captured to another temporary file which is immediately opened and included
into the input stream.
4. Once the reading of the entire output is completed, processing of the input file is resumed.
The following additional processing steps are done for an embedded shell script located within a DMAP
alter:
1. The DMAP statements that are selected by the alter are extracted to an external file named:
“ishell.stdin”.
2. If stdout is written to, then that output is included in the alter; otherwise, “ishell.stdin” is read. This
allows an interactive program like “vi” to simply save the modified input buffer, and it is
automatically included in the alter.

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Improving Network File System (NFS) Performance (LINUX)

An immediate benefit of the ISHELL-INCLUDE statement is the ability to customize the MSC Nastran job
to dynamically record (and/or respond) to the run time environment. The following example captures the
value of a few environment variables as comments in the f06 file:
example.dat:
echooff $ removes copy of the ishell script below from
the f06
! echo # just the results from the shell will be
"echoon" echoed
! echo “$”
! echo “$ License File: `printenv MSC_LICENSE_FILE`"
! echo “$ Job was run on host: `printenv HOST`"
! echo “$ Nastran Version: `printenv MSC_VERSD`"
! echo “$ Temporary Directory: `printenv MSC_SDIR`"
! echo “$ TMPDIR: `printenv TMPDIR`"
! echo "$ Scratch: `printenv MSC_SCR`"
! echo "$ User: `printenv USER`"
! echo "$ Display: `printenv DISPLAY`"
! echo "$ Base: `printenv MSC_BASE`"
! echo "$ Path: `printenv MSC_JID`"
! echo "$ Memory: `printenv MSC_MEM`"
! echo "$ Assign File: `printenv MSC_ASG`"
! echo "$ Shell: `printenv SHELL`"
! echo "$ Ishell Ext: `printenv MSC_ISHELLEXT`"
! echo "$ Ishell Path: `printenv MSC_ISHELLPATH`"
! echo "$ Ishell File: $0"
! echo "$ "

The example above should be executed with /bin/csh as the command processor:
> nastran example.dat scr=yes ishellext=.=/bin/csh

Improving Network File System (NFS) Performance

(LINUX)
The Network File System (NFS) is software allowing file systems on remote computers to appear as if they
were mounted on the local computer. There are two daemons that handle NFS traffic: “nfsd” handles file
system access requests by the local computer to remotely mounted file systems; “biod” handles requests by
remote computers to access local file systems.

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These daemons have been designed so that multiple executing copies of each daemon increase NFS traffic
capacity. Two of the possible causes of poor NFS performance are a lack of sufficient daemons to handle NFS
requests made by the local computer to remotely mounted file systems (nfsd), or a lack of sufficient daemons
to handle NFS requests of local file systems by remote computers (biod). The default number of daemons
for nfsd and biod is typically four of each. This default is usually fine for a stand alone workstation used by
one person. If you or others are accessing many remote file systems or run many MSC Nastran jobs accessing
file systems on file servers or remote workstations, you may need to increase the number of nfsd and biod
daemons on both systems to increase NFS performance.
If you are running three or more MSC Nastran jobs accessing disks on remote computers via NFS, Hexagon
recommends increasing both nfsd and biod daemons above the standard defaults. A good starting point is
twelve (12) nfsd daemons and eight (8) biod daemons per CPU on client and server computers, respectively.
Your system administrator can change both system’s configurations to start additional NFS daemons. The
administrator can also monitor network statistics with “nfsstat” to ensure network traffic is being handled
efficiently. Additional daemon tuning may be necessary for your specific network needs.

Creating and Attaching Alternate Delivery Databases

MSC Nastran uses the Structured Solution Sequences (SSS), located in install_dir/prod_ver/arch on LINUX
and install_dir\prod_ver\arch on Windows, to specify the default solution sequences. You may modify and
store a tailored solution sequence by creating a new delivery database. This procedure is also useful to
eliminate unwanted solutions from the delivery database or add additional solution sequences.
The following files are delivered in the install_dir/prod_ver/nast/del/ directory on LINUX and
install_dir\prod_ver\nast\del\ on Windows:

Filename Description
buildsss.py Python script used to build the delivery data base
*.dmap SubDMAP source
*.dti timing constants

Using MSC-Supplied Source

To rebuild the delivery database using the MSC-supplied source, the following procedure is used:
1. Change the working directory to an empty work directory. For example,
On Linux:

cd $HOME/new-del

Or on Windows:

cd %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\new-del

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Creating and Attaching Alternate Delivery Databases

2. Rebuild the delivery database.

On Linux:

$MSC_BASE/$MSC_ARCH/nast/del/buildsss.py –prog
$MSC_BASE/bin/nast20231

Or on Windows

$MSC_BASE\$MSC_ARCH\nast\del\buildsss.py –prog
$MSC_BASE\bin\nast20231

Upon completion of this procedure, the delivery files SSS.MASTERA, SSS.MSCOBJ, and SSS.MSCSOU
are created. These files are attached with the “delivery” keyword, (p. 180).
These files may be installed in the master architecture directory (if you have write access) with the command:
on LINUX

cp SSS.* install_dir/prod_ver/arch

Or on Windows.

copy SSS.* install_dir\prod_ver\arch

Using Modified Source

To build a modified delivery database, use the following procedure.
1. Change the working directory to an empty work directory. For example,
On LINUX,

cd $HOME/new-del

Or on Windows.

cd %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\new-del

2. Copy the subDMAP and NDDL source files that are to be modified to the current directory.
On LINUX,

cp install_dir/prod_ver/nast/del/subDMAP.dmap .
cp install_dir/prod_ver/nast/del/nddl.ddl .

or on Windows where subDMAP and nddl are the specific files to be modified.

copy install_dir\prod_ver\nast\del\subDMAP.dmap .
copy install_dir\prod_ver\nast\del\nddl.ddl .

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3. Modify the desired subDMAP and/or NDDL source files using a text editor.
4. Rebuild the delivery database.
prod_ver buildsss src=.
Upon completion of this procedure, the delivery files SSS.MASTERA, SSS.MSCOBJ, and SSS.MSCSOU
are created. These files are attached with the “delivery” keyword (page 180).
These files may be installed in the master architecture directory (if you have write access) with the command:
On LINUX

cp SSS.* install_dir/prod_ver/arch

or on Windows.

copy SSS.* install_dir\prod_ver\arch

Using PEM Functions in MSC Nastran

Running PEM jobs with multiple hosts on LINUX systems

For Porous-elastic Material, PEM, job with multiple processors from single host, it is sufficient to specify
DMP and/or SMP during job submittal. To run PEM job with multiple hosts, following steps need to be
observed.
1. PEM job with multi-hosts must be submitted from a directory which is visible across all hosts.
2. A local rc file must be prepared with following line
j.env=ACTRAN_MPI_OPTS='-machinefile hostfile -mca plm_rsh_agent
/usr/bin/ssh'
3. A 'hostfile' must exist in the directory where job will be submitted. This 'hostfile' will be used by both
MSC Nastran and ACTRAN.
4. 'hosts=hostfile' should be used as part of PEM job submittal command.

Running PEM jobs with multiple processors on Windows systems

To run a PEM job with DMP>1 and/or SMP>1 on Windows system, MSMPI_BIN environment variable
must be set as follows
(set MSMPI_BIN="c:\Program Files\Microsoft MPI\bin")
Or, use control panel (system/advanced system settings/environment variables/system variables) to set
MSMPI_BIN.
If PEM DMP>1 and/or SMP>1 job hangs, execute following command at command prompt:

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 134 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Using Intel oneAPI Compilers with UDS

install_dir\prod_ver\actran\win64\Actran_20nn\mpi\intelmpi\
bin\hydra_service.exe -install

Using Intel oneAPI Compilers with UDS

MSC Nastran allows users to recompile files. This capability is accessed with the uds keyword. The
compilation has required the same Intel compilers (linux: FORTRAN/C, Windows: FORTRAN) that MSC used
for development. MSC now allows the Intel oneAPI compilers to be used.
To access Intel oneAPI compilers, add oneAPI=true to the command line.

Details/Caveats:
 This option will only affect FORTRAN and not C compilers on windows.
 If Intel oneAPI compilers are not available, but the standard compilers are available, then a warning
will be printed and the job will continue using the standard compilers.
 If UDS jobs are required to build IDL files, then in order to use the Intel oneAPI compilers, the
SDK_InstallDir/Tools/genskeleton.py file needs to be modified by adding
STRICT_CHECK=False to the cmd around line 224:
else:
if len(buildargs):
cmd += " " + " ".join(buildargs)

cmd += " STRICT_CHECK=False"

if self._VERBOSE: print(cmd)
pcmd = Popen(cmd, shell=True, stdout=PIPE, stderr=STDOUT, encoding='utf-8')
output = pcmd.communicate()[0].splitlines()

builderror = None
builddone = None
 The scripts were tested with IntelONEAPI compilers/versions installed here
# LINUX
\opt\intel\oneAPI\compiler\2022.0.1\
# WINDOWS
C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\oneAPI\compiler\2022.0.0
If the user has them installed in a different place, then modify:
MSC_BASE\msc20231\sdk\bin\uds.py

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# WINDOWS
1629 if (ONEAPI):
1630 INTEL_COMP_ROOT=os.path.join("C:\\","Program Files
(x86)","Intel","oneAPI","compiler","2022.0.0","windows")
1631 args.append('STRICT_CHECK=False')
1632 args.append('INTEL_COMP_ROOT='+INTEL_COMP_ROOT)
1633 args.append('FORTRAN='+INTEL_COMP_ROOT+'/bin/intel64/ifort')
1634 else:
1635 args.append('scons')
1636 if (ONEAPI):
1637 INTEL_COMP_ROOT="/opt/intel/oneapi/compiler/2022.0.1/linux"
1638 args.append('STRICT_CHECK=False')
1639 args.append('INTEL_COMP_ROOT='+INTEL_COMP_ROOT)

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Using Intel oneAPI Compilers with UDS

Main Index
 Appendix A: Configuring the Runtime Environment
MSC Nastran Configuring the Runtime Environment

A Configuring the Runtime

Environment
 Specifying Parameters

User-Defined Keywords

Resolving Duplicate Parameter Specifications

Customizing Command Initialization and Runtime Configuration Files

Symbolic Substitution

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Specifying Parameters

Specifying Parameters
MSC Nastran execution is controlled by a variety of parameters, either keywords or special Nastran
statements, both required and optional. The purpose of this section is to describe how and where these
parameters may be specified, not to describe these parameters in detail. This is done in subsequent sections.
The MSC Nastran parameters may be specified on the command line, in a command initialization (INI) file,
in runtime configuration (RC) files and, for some parameters, from environment variables. The information
from these sources is consolidated at execution time into a single set of values. Much of this information is
passed to analysis processing in a "control file", built using the templates (Customizing the Templates). (The
records in this control file are echoed to the .log file.) Examples of INI and RC files are given in the User-
Defined Keywords and Customizing Command Initialization and Runtime Configuration Files.

Command Initialization and Runtime Configuration Files

Although the purposes of the INI and RC files are somewhat different, the format of each file is the same.
All INI and RC files are processed twice, once (the "first" pass) to extract parameters (keywords and other
information) that are to be used for all MSC Nastran jobs, and once (the "second" pass) to extract parameters
specific to a particular job. This is accomplished by separating the INI and RC files into a series of "sections"
identified by a "section header" and "subsections" within sections, identified by a subsection "header." There
are two types of sections: "unconditional" and "conditional." Subsections are always "conditional."
 An unconditional section is one that starts with the name of the section enclosed in square brackets
("[","]"). Section names may not contain any embedded blanks but may be separated from the
square brackets by any number of blanks. As currently implemented, there are three valid
unconditional names: "General", "Solver" and "Nastran". (These section names are case-
insensitive.) In addition, there is an implicit "unnamed" section that consists of all parameters in the
INI or RC file that appear before the first named section or subsection. There is no special meaning
assigned to any of the unconditional sections. Their use is optional; the section names are intended
to be used for descriptive purposes.
 A conditional section or subsection is one that starts with an expression in the form:

<keyword><operator><value>

enclosed in section header identification characters. For a conditional section, the section header
identification characters are square brackets ("[","]"), just as for unconditional sections. For a
subsection, the section header identification characters are "less than" and "greater than" ("<",
">") characters. Keywords and values may not contain any embedded blanks but may be separated
from each other and from the enclosing section header identification characters (the square brackets
or "less than"-"greater than" characters) by any number of blanks. In the expression:

<keyword> represents any valid internal keyword (see Keywords) or user-defined

keyword (see User-Defined Keywords).
<operator> specifies the comparison to be performed between <keyword> and
<value> as follows:
= equal (either string or numeric)

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Configuring the Runtime Environment

! not equal (either string or numeric)

!= not equal (either string or numeric)
< numerically less than
<= numerically less than or equal
> numerically greater than
>= numerically greater than or equal
<value> specifies the appropriate keyword value to be used in the comparison.
Keywords and values may be specified in any case.

Parameters in unconditional sections, but not in subsections (which are always conditional) within
unconditional sections, are processed on the first pass through an INI or RC file. On the second pass, these
parameters are ignored (they are not reprocessed). Parameters in conditional sections and subsections are
ignored on the first pass. Parameters in conditional sections and subsections whose expressions evaluate to
"true" are processed on the second pass through an INI or RC file, thus allowing conditional expressions to
reference all of the valid keywords. Note that for subsections within conditional sections, both the
conditional expression for the section and the conditional expression for the subsection must evaluate to
"true" before parameters in the subsection are processed.
Parameter specifications in, either unconditional or conditional sections, may be continued, if necessary, by
specifying a backslash (“\”) character as the last non-blank character of the line. Note for Windows users, if
the parameter value itself ends with a backslash, the statement must have additional characters, such as a
comment, after the value specification. For example, a specification such as:
sdir=e:\
will not work properly. Instead, write the statement as:
sdir=e:\ $ Specify the scratch directory
In addition to parameters, INI and RC files may contain “comment” records. There are two types of
comment records: ignored and printed.
 Ignored comments are records that start with a semi-colon (";") or pound sign ("#"). These records
are completely ignored. When running in Windows, there is a special form of ignored comments
that may be specified in an INI file (but not in RC files). These are records that start with "REM",
short for "REMARK". The test for "REM" is case-insensitive.
 Printed comments are records that start with the currency symbol ("$"). These records are passed
on as part of the analysis information but are otherwise ignored.

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Specifying Parameters

Note: Although sectioning within INI and RC files was first introduced in MSC Nastran 2004, valid
INI and RC files from prior versions of MSC Nastran are fully compatible with this new
format. Since sections were not supported in previous versions (except for INI files on
Windows, which allowed unconditional sections), all parameters will be in the "unnamed"
implicit section (or, on Windows, in named unconditional sections) and will be processed on
the first pass through the file. No information will be extracted from these files on the second
pass.

 Command Initialization (INI) File

This file is used to define keywords that are to be set whenever the nastran command is executed.
Typical keywords in the unconditional sections include the installation base directory and the
version of MSC Nastran. Conditional sections and subsections might include keywords such as
"rcmd" and "rsdirectory" in sections that are conditional upon the value of the "node" keyword.
Default installation directories are:
LINUX: install_dir/prod_ver/arch/nastran.ini
Windows: install_dir\prod_ver\arch\nastran.ini

Starting with MSC Nastran 2011, there are two possible RC files that may be defined in each of the
locations that are searched for RC files. The first name is a version independent name and the second name
is a version dependent name, where the version number is indicated by <vernum> in the file name and the
version number for MSC Nastran is 2023.1. The list below specifies the INI and RC files that MSC
Nastran uses. Any or all of these files may be ommitted. Table 1-1 lists the keywords that are generally set
in the unconditional sections of the command initialization file. Table 1-2 lists the keywords that are
generally set in RC files.
prod_ver is the msc version (msc20231 for MSC Nastran 2023.1).
In addition, the default install_dir of MSC Nastran 2023.1 is as follows:
Linux: /msc/MSC_Nastran/2023.1
Windows: C:\Program Files\MSC.Software\MSC_Nastran\2023.1.

 System RC Files
These files are used to define parameters that are applied to all MSC Nastran jobs using this
installation structure. Many of the parameters that might be specified in the INI file could,
alternatively, be specified in this file.
LINUX: install_dir/conf/nastranrc and
install_dir/conf/nast<vernum>rc
Windows: install_dir\conf\nastran.rcf and
install_dir\conf\nast<vernum>.rcf

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Configuring the Runtime Environment

 Architecture RC Files
This files are used to define parameters that are applied to MSC Nastran jobs using this
architecture.
LINUX: install_dir/conf/arch/nastranrc and
install_dir/conf/arch/nast<vernum>rc
Windows: install_dir\conf\arch\nastran.rcf and
install_dir\conf\arch\nast<vernum>.rcf
 Node RC Files
These files are used to define parameters that are applied to MSC Nastran jobs running on this
node. Alternatively, the parameters in this file could be specified in a conditional section in one
of the previous files, using nodename as the value of the "s.hostname" keyword in the
conditional expression.
LINUX: install_dir/conf/net/nodename/nastranrc and
install_dir/conf/net/nodename/nast<vernum>rc
Windows: install_dir\conf\net\nodename\nastran.rcf and
install_dir\conf\net\nodename\nast<vernum>.rcf
 User RC Files
These files are used to define parameters that are applied to MSC Nastran jobs run by an
individual user.
LINUX: $HOME/.nastranrc and
$HOME/.nast<vernum>rc
Windows: %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\nastran.rcf and
%HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\nast<vernum>.rcf
 Local RC Files
These files should be used to define parameters that are applied to MSC Nastran jobs that reside
in the input data file's directory. This RC file is in the same directory as the input data file. If
the "rcf" keyword (rcf) is used, this local file is ignored.
LINUX: .nastranrc and
.nast<vernum>rc
Windows: nastran.rcf and
nast<vernum>.rcf

Please note that the LINUX shorthand "~", to refer to your or another user's home directory, cannot be used
in an RC file. In addition, environment variables are only recognized within the context of a logical symbol
definition.

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Also, note that, on LINUX systems, the leading period (“.”) on the User RC Files and Local RC Files file
names cannot be deleted even if alternate names are specified using the “a.urc” and “a.urcb” keywords as
described below.
The file names listed above may be changed by the user using the “a.rc”, “a.rcb”, “a.urc” and “a.urcb”
keywords, noting that the directories in which the files are located may not be changed.
 The “a.rc” keyword can be used to change the names of the version dependent RC file names for the
System RC Files, the Architecture RC Files and the Note RC File. The default for this keyword is
“nast<vernum>rc” for LINUX and “nast<vernum>.rcf” for Windows.
 The “a.rcb” keyword can be used to change the names of the version-independent RC file names for
the System RC Files, the Architecture RC Files and the Node RC Files. The default for this keyword
is “nastranrc” for LINUX and “nastran.rcf” for Windows.
 The “a.urc” keyword can be used to change the names of the version dependent RC file names for
the User RC Files and the Local RC Files. For LINUX, the default for this keyword is the value of
the “a.rc” keyword with a leading period (“.”) added. For Windows, the default for this keyword is
the value of the “a.rc” keyword.
 The “a.urcb” keyword can be used to change the names of the version-independent RC file names
for the User RC Files and the Local RC Files. For LINUX, the default for this keyword is the value
of the “a.rcb” keyword with the leading period (“.”) added. For Windows, the default for this
keyword is the value of the “a.rcb” keyword.
In addition to keyword specifications, the following MSC Nastran statements (from the NASTRAN and
FMS Sections) may appear in RC files and conditional sections in an INI file: NASTRAN, ACQUIRE,
ASSIGN, CONNECT, DBCLEAN, DBDICT, DBFIX, DBLOAD, DBLOCATE, DBSETDEL,
DBUNLOAD, DBUPDATE, DEFINE, ECHOOFF, ECHOON, ENDJOB, EXPAND, INCLUDE,
INIT, PROJ, RESTART and RFINCLUDE. Except for minimal checking of the NASTRAN and PARAM
statements, the syntax of these statements is not validated. These records are simply passed on for use in MSC
Nastran analysis processing.
INI files and RC files also may contain PARAM statements that specify values that affect MSC Nastran
analysis processing. The values associated with PARAM names may be specified using PARAM statements in
INI files and RC files or by using PARAM keywords, defined using the PARAM keywords feature as
described in User-Defined Keywords, 143. PARAM statements must be specified in "free-field format", i.e., in
the Case Control PARAM format (PARAM,name,value), not in Bulk Data fixed-field format. Please see
Parameters (Ch. 6) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on PARAM names and
statements and their usage.

Environment Variables
Several keywords may have their values set from associated environment variables. When this is the case, the
environment variable takes precedence over any INI or RC file keyword specification. A command-line
specification will over-ride the environment variable specified value. This same precedence rule applies to
user-defined keywords that may have their initial values taken from environment variables, as described in
the next section. A list of the keywords and their associated environment variables, along with a description
of each keyword, may be obtained by using the following command:

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nast_ver help env

User-Defined Keywords
In addition to the internally defined keywords (see Keywords, 172), MSC Nastran allows users to define their
own keywords. There are two classes of user-defined keywords:
 General keywords. These are intended for use in INI file or RC file conditional section clauses, in
user modifications to the run template files (nastran.dmp, nastran.lcl, nastran.rmt or nastran.srv)
and, for LINUX, in customized queue commands (“submit” keyword).
 PARAM keywords. These are keywords associated with a PARAM name. Using descriptive
keywords to set a PARAM value may be more convenient than specifying the PARAM statement in
an RC file. Also, keywords are not limited to a maximum of eight characters, as PARAM names are,
and may be more descriptive of the action being affected or requested.
User-defined keywords are supported by the “help” and “whence” functions.

General Keywords
These keywords are defined in the file specified by the "0.kwds" keyword. While the file is not delivered, an
administrator could create the file. The default file names are:

LINUX: install_dir/prod_ver/arch/nastran.kwds
Windows: install_dir\prod_ver\arch\nastran.kwds or
install_dir\bin\nast20231.kwds
The file used is the first one found.

The records in this file consist of:

 Comment records. These are records that start with a comment character (hash, '#', semi-colon, ';',
or currency symbol, '$') and are completely ignored.
 Blank or null records. These records are ignored.
 Keyword records. These records consist of the keyword name along with an optional value
descriptor and comment in the form:

keyword_name[,attributes] : value_descriptor comment

where:

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User-Defined Keywords

keyword_name is the name to be assigned to the user keyword. This name may not
contain any embedded blanks and may not be the same as any internal
keyword or previously specified user-defined keyword. It is also case-
insensitive except in the case when its initial value may be set from an
environment variable with the same name.
attributes specifies optional attributes to be assigned to the keyword defined by
keyword-name. Currently, the only defined attribute is:
argv keyword and its value is to be added to the “r.argv” keyword
value
Any number of blanks may separate keyword_name, the separating
command and the attributes specification.
value_descriptor is optional. If specified, it should be as described in Value Descriptors, 145 and
may not contain any embedded blanks. If this field is not present, the
separating colon may be omitted.. The default value descriptor is
"string". This field may also specify that the initial value of this
keyword be taken from an environment variable with the same name.
comment is an optional comment field. If present, it must be separated from
value_descriptor or keyword_name by blanks or must begin with
a comment character.

There may be any number of leading blanks in the record and before and after the separating colon.
General keywords and the values assigned to them only affect MSC Nastran processing if:
 there are customized INI and RC files that have conditional sections, using these keywords in
expressions, that specify other keywords and statements (e.g., NASTRAN and PARAM statements)
that modify MSC Nastran processing to meet the requirements of a user's site and installation.
 they are used in customized templates (Customizing the Templates).
 for LINUX systems, they are used in customized queue commands defined using the "submit"
keyword (Customizing Queue Commands (LINUX)).

PARAM Keywords
These keywords are defined in the file specified by the "0.params" keyword The default file names are:

LINUX: install_dir/prod_ver/arch/nastran.params
Windows: install_dir\prod_ver\arch\nastran.params

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The records in this file consist of:

 Comment records. These are records that start with a comment character (hash, '#', semi-colon, ';',
or currency symbol, '$') and are completely ignored.
 Blank or null records. These records are ignored.
 Keyword-name records. These records consist of the keyword name, the associated PARAM name,
along with an optional value descriptor and comment in the form:

keyword_name : param_name : value_descriptor comment

where:

keyword_name is the name to be assigned to the PARAM keyword. This name is case-
insensitive, may not contain any embedded blanks and may not be the
same as any internal keyword, general user-defined keyword or
previously specified PARAM keyword.
param_name is the PARAM name to be associated with keyword_name. This
name is case-insensitive, may be a maximum of eight characters, must
begin with an alphabetic character and may not contain any embedded
blanks. Also, it may not be the same as any previously specified
PARAM name.
value_descriptor is optional. If specified, it should be as described in Value Descriptors and
may not contain any embedded blanks. If this field is not present, the
separating colon may be omitted. The default value descriptor is
"string".
comment is an optional comment field. If present, it must be separated from
value_descriptor or param_name by blanks or must begin with a
comment character.

There may be any number of leading blanks in the record and before and after the separating colons.
Keyword names that are the same as PARAM names are allowed, as long as the keyword name is not an
internal or general user-defined keyword name.
Values associated with PARAM names, whether set using PARAM keywords or set using PARAM statements
(statements having the form PARAM,name,value), directly affect MSC Nastran analysis processing.

Value Descriptors
Value descriptors enable limited syntax checking for values assigned to general and PARAM user-defined
keywords. For general keywords, they may also specify that the initial value of the keyword be set from the
value associated with the environment variable having the same name as the keyword. There are two types
of syntax checking available: value must be one of a list of entries or value must be numeric. Also, the two
forms can be combined. These are specified as follows:
List: {"val1","val2",...,"valn"}

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User-Defined Keywords

That is, the acceptable values are enclosed in double quotes (") and separated from each other by commas.
The specification, including the various acceptable values, may not contain any embedded blanks. Values are
case-insensitive and any partial specification is acceptable and will be replaced by the full value. For example,
if a keyword may only have the values "preliminary", "check" and "final", the value descriptor would be:

{"Preliminary","Check","final"}

and a value specification of "Ch" would be accepted and replaced by "check".

Numeric: number
Values will be checked to see if they are valid numbers, either integer or floating point. For example, valid
keyword value specifications could be: "1", "-3.247", "4.e-5". "3.75-4", "4.24x" and "-4-5" are
invalid specifications.

Note: This checking does not support the NASTRAN "nnnseee" numeric format, where the 'e'
between the number and the signed exponent ("seee") is missing.

Complex value: number,number

This format is only supported for PARAM keyword value descriptors. Values will be checked to see if they
consist of two valid numeric values, separated by a comma.
Combined: {"val1","val2",...,"valn",number}

Note: This "combined" format does not support complex numbers.

In addition, for general keywords, if the value descriptor starts or ends with the string "env", specified in any
case and separated from the rest of the value descriptor with a comma (unless the value descriptor is only
"env"), the keyword value will be set using the value associated with the environment variable having the
same name as the keyword. The environment value will be subjected to the same syntax-checking rules that
an INI file, RC file or command line specification would be, with a warning message generated if syntax
checking fails. This occurs even if the keyword is specified on the command line. Note that, for LINUX
systems, since environment variable names are case-sensitive, the keyword name must be specified exactly the
same as the environment variable name. This is the only time that the keyword name is case-sensitive. For
Windows systems, since environment variable names are not case-sensitive, this restriction does not apply.
Keyword values set from environment variables over-ride keyword values set in INI or RC files but do not
over-ride keyword values set on the command line.
If a value descriptor is omitted or is not one of these formats, no syntax checking will be performed.

Examples:
1. The following value descriptor would accept a value of "test", "final" or a number:

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{"Test","Final",Number}

Acceptable values would be: te (replaced by test), FIN (replaced by final), 7, 14.5, 3.e-4, -5
2. The following value descriptor would accept only the strings "abc", "def", "ghi" and "glm":

{"abc","def","ghi","glm"}

Acceptable values would be: g (replaced by ghi), aB (replaced by abc), gl (replaced by glm), D
(replaced by def)
3. The following value descriptor, only valid for a PARAM keyword, would only accept a complex
number specification:

number,number

Acceptable values would be: 1,2, 7.54,3.14

4. The following value descriptors, only valid for a general keyword, would accept only the strings "qrs",
"test", and "xyz". In addition, the value descriptor requests that the keyword value be set from the
environment.

enV,{"qrs","test","xyz"}

or

{"qrs","test","xyz"},Env

Acceptable values would be: q (replaced by qrs), xY (replaced by xyz), T (replaced by test)

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Resolving Duplicate Parameter Specifications

Resolving Duplicate Parameter Specifications

MSC Nastran processing information is obtained by scanning the various INI and RC files, the system
environment, and the Nastran command line in the following order:
1. Nastran command line, first pass. Only "program options", i.e., "-x" options, are processed during
this command line scan. For example, this is when the "-i ini_file_name" program option is
processed.
2. Environment variables, first pass. During this pass, the only keywords whose values are set are those
that may only be specified as environment variables. This includes keywords such as HOME (for
LINUX), HOMEDRIVE and HOMEPATH (for WINDOWS) and PWD.
3. INI file, first pass, if this file exists. During this pass, only unconditional sections are processed.
Generally, the only keywords processed in this pass are: 0.kwds, 0.params, accmd, acvalid, rcmd,
rsdirectory, sysmsg and version (although rcmd and rsdirectory probably should be in conditional
sections scanned during the second pass).
4. Environment variables, second pass. During this pass, only those keywords that may only be set in
global sections of the INI file or as environment variables are processed. This includes keywords such
as MSC_ARCH, MSC_BASE and MSC_VERSD.
5. Nastran command line, second pass. The only general use keywords processed during this command
line scan are: dmparallel, jid, jidpath, jidtype, node, pause, rcf, username, version and whence. The
processing of other command line keywords is deferred until later command line scans.
This is the time that the user-defined keyword definition files (for both general use and PARAM keywords),
if any, are processed and the keyword specifications defined by these files are added to the keywords tables.
The keywords defined in these files may be used just as internal keywords are used. (See User-Defined
Keywords.)
6. System RC files, first pass, if these files exist. During this pass, only unconditional sections are
processed.
7. Architecture RC files, first pass, if these files exist. During this pass, only unconditional sections are
processed.
8. Node RC files, first pass, if these files exist. During this pass, only unconditional sections are
processed.
9. User RC files, first pass, if these files exist. During this pass, only unconditional sections are
processed.
10. Local RC files, first pass, if these files exist. During this pass, only unconditional sections are
processed.
11. Environment variables, third pass. During this pass, only "general" user-defined keywords that have
been flagged to be set from environment variables are processed. (This pass will be skipped if there
are no "general" user-defined keywords.)
12. Nastran command line, third pass. Only "general" user-defined keywords are processed during this
command line scan. (This pass will be skipped if there are no "general" user-defined keywords.)
At this point, all keyword values that can be used in conditional section expressions are known.

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13. INI file, second pass, if this file exists and has conditional sections. During this pass, only the
conditional sections are processed.
14. System RC files, second pass, if these files exist and have conditional sections. During this pass, only
the conditional sections are processed.
15. Architecture RC files, second pass, if these files exist and have conditional sections. During this pass,
only the conditional sections are processed.
16. Node RC files, second pass, if these files exist and have conditional sections. During this pass, only
the conditional sections are processed.
17. User RC files, second pass, if these files exists and have conditional sections. During this pass, only
the conditional sections are processed.
18. Local RC files, second pass, if these files exist and have conditional sections and if they are not
ignored. During this pass, only the conditional sections are processed.
19. Environment variables, fourth pass. During this pass, all keywords that may be set from environment
variables and that have not been processed previously are now processed.
20. Nastran command line, fourth pass. All keywords not processed during the previous passes are now
processed. For example, this is when user-defined PARAM keyword specifications are processed.
At this point, all information necessary to generate the "control file" has been collected. This file is
generated when the "script templates" (see Customizing the Templates) are processed.
21. NASTRAN, FMS and PARAM statements in the input file.
If duplicate keywords are encountered, the last specification found is the one used. That is, the above list
specifies the precedence order, from lowest precedence (number 1) to highest (number 21). The only case
in which the last keyword specification is not used is when keywords are "locked", i.e., when a specification
of the form

lock=keyword

is processed. After this "lock" request is processed, any requests to set keyword, whether from INI files, RC
files, environment variables or command line arguments, are quietly ignored. That is, processing proceeds
as if any keyword specifications specified after the "lock=keyword" request do not exist. Once a
keyword has been "locked,” there is no way to "unlock" it. (Note that it is valid to "lock" the lock keyword
itself.)
If duplicate NASTRAN and FMS statements are encountered, they are simply passed on for use in MSC
Nastran analysis processing in the order in which they were encountered.
Thus, the general rule for resolution is:
 Information specified in NASTRAN input data files always takes precedence over any other values.
 Command line parameters have the next highest precedence.
 Environment variables associated with keywords and that have non-null values are next.
 RC file parameter specifications are next.
 INI file parameter specifications are last.

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Generally, the only exceptions to this precedence ordering are "general" user-defined keyword specifications.
The command line values take precedence over values specified in unconditional INI file and RC file sections
but have lower precedence than values specified in conditional INI file and RC file sections. Because the
primary purpose for general user-defined keywords is for conditional section selection, changing a general
user-defined keyword in a conditional section may lead to unexpected results. Such specifications should be
used with care. Also, because user-defined PARAM keywords on the command line are not processed until
the last command line scan, PARAM keywords should not be used in INI file and RC file conditional section
expressions since command line specified values will not be in effect when these expressions are evaluated.
Because PARAM values may be specified either using PARAM statements or using PARAM keywords, they
require further explanation. PARAM statements and PARAM keywords referring to the same PARAM name
are considered equivalent definitions for the PARAM name. As such, the last specification, regardless of
whether it was a PARAM statement or a PARAM keyword, is the one that is used to establish the value
associated with the PARAM name.

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Customizing Command Initialization and Runtime

Configuration Files
Table 1-1 lists the keywords that are generally set in the unconditional sections of the command initialization
file.

Table 1-1 Command Initialization File Keywords

Keyword Purpose
0.kwds Alternate name for user-defined keywords definition file.
0.params Alternate name for PARAM keywords definition file
acct Enables job accounting, see Enabling Account ID and Accounting Data.
acvalid Activates account ID validation, see Enabling Account ID Validation.
MSC_BASE Defines the installation base directory.
version Specifies the default version of MSC Nastran to be run.

Most of the command line keywords can be set in any of the RC files. Table 1-2 lists keywords that are
generally set in the system, architecture, or node RC files:

Table 1-2 RC File Keywords

Keyword Preferred RC File Purpose
accmd System Command line to invoke accounting logger
program.
acct System Enables job accounting.
acvalid System Enables account ID (acid) validation.
authorize System Specifies the licensing method.
buffsize System Set the default buffsize. Suggested values are in
Table 4-5.
lock Any Prevent further changes to a keyword's value.
memory Node Specifies a default memory allocation
memorymaximum Node Specifies a maximum "memory" request. May
be specified as a percentage of RAM e.g.
memorymax=0.5xPhysical
ncmd Architecture Specifies the notify command when
"notify=yes" is set.
news System Controls the display of the news file at the
beginning of the .f06 file.

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Table 1-2 RC File Keywords (continued)

Keyword Preferred RC File Purpose
post Architecture LINUX: Specifies commands to be run after
each job is completed.
ppcdelta Architecture LINUX: Specifies the value that is subtracted
from the "CPU" keyword value to determine
the NQS per-process CPU time limit.
ppmdelta Architecture LINUX: Specifies the value that is added to the
"memory" keyword value to determine the
NQS per-process memory limit.
pre Architecture LINUX: Specifies commands to be run before
each job begins.
prmdelta Architecture LINUX: Specifies the value that is added to the
"ppm" value to determine the NQS per-request
(per-job) memory limit.
qoption Architecture LINUX: Specifies a string of additional queuing
options to be set in the queue submittal
command.
rcmd Any Specifies the remote Nastran command to be
used when "node" is specified. Should be in a
conditional section using "node" in the
conditional expression.
real Node Specifies the "REAL" parameter to limit virtual
memory usage.
rsdirectory Any Specifies the scratch directory to be used when
"node" is specified. Should be in a conditional
section using "node" in the conditional
expression.
scratch Any Specifies the default job status as scratch or
permanent.
sdirectory Node Specifies a default scratch directory.
submit Architecture LINUX: Defines queues and their associated
submittal commands.
sysn Any Specifies system cells. Can also be specified
using the synonym keywords, e.g., buffsize is
equivalent to sys1.

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Examples
The following (relatively simplistic) examples illustrate how unconditional and conditional sections could be
used.

Example 1:
Assumptions: There are three computer nodes, sysnode1, sysnode2 and sysnode3, that may be accessed.
On sysnode1:
 MSC Nastran 2014 and MSC Nastran 2023.1 are installed:
• MSC Nastran 2014 is accessed using "/local/msc/bin/nast2014"
• MSC Nastran 2023.1 is accessed using "/local/msc/bin/nast20231"
• The scratch directory is /local/temp
On sysnode2:
 Only MSC Nastran 2014 is installed and is accessed using "/local1/msc/bin/nast2014"
 The scratch directory is /local1/temp
On sysnode3:
 MSC Nastran 2014 and MSC Nastran 2023.1 are installed:
• MSC Nastran 2014 is accessed using "/local2/msc/bin/nast2014"
• MSC Nastran 2023.1 is accessed using "/local2/msc/bin/nast20231"
 The scratch directory is /local2/temp
All of this information could be specified in an INI file, identical on all three nodes, as follows:
;
; This is the MSC Nastran Command Initialization File
; The default version is to be set to 2023.1
;
version=2023.1
; Define conditional sections giving the appropriate sdir
; values when MSC Nastran is run locally.

[ s.hostname = sysnode1 ]
sdir=/local/temp
[ s.hostname = sysnode2 ]
sdir=/local1/temp
[ s.hostname = sysnode3 ]
sdir=/local2/temp

; Define conditional sections giving the appropriate

; remote access keywords when a "node" value,
; requesting remote execution, is specified.
;
[ node = sysnode1 ]
rsdir=/local/temp
< version = 2014.0 >
rcmd=/local/msc/bin/nast2014

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< version = 2023.1 >

rcmd=/local/msc/bin/nast20231

[ node = sysnode2 ]
rsdir=/local1/temp
< version = 2014.0 >
rcmd=/local1/msc/bin/nast20140

[ node = sysnode3 ]
rsdir=/local2/temp
< version = 2014.0 >
rcmd = /local2/msc/bin/nast2014
< version = 2023.1 >
rcmd=/local2/msc/bin/nast20231

;
; This is the end of the Command Initialization file
;
Alternatively, the information could be split between an INI file and a system RC file, identical on all three
nodes, as follows:
In the INI file:
;
; This is the MSC Nastran Command Initialization File
; The default version is to be set to 2023.1
;
version=2023.1

; Define conditional sections giving the appropriate

; remote access keywords when a "node" value,
; requesting remote execution, is specified.
;
[ node = sysnode1 ]
rsdir=/local/temp
< version = 2014.0 >
rcmd=/local/msc/bin/nast2014
< version = 2023.1 >
rcmd=/local/msc/bin/nast20231

[ node = sysnode2 ]
rsdir=/local1/temp
< version = 2014.0 >
rcmd=/local1/msc/bin/nast20140

[ node = sysnode3 ]
rsdir=/local2/temp
< version = 2014.0 >
rcmd = /local2/msc/bin/nast2014
< version = 2023.1 >
rcmd=/local2/msc/bin/nast20231

;
; This is the end of the Command Initialization file;
In the system RC file, identical on all three nodes:
;
; This is the MSC Nastran system RC file.
;

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; Define conditional sections giving the appropriate sdir

; values when MSC Nastran is run locally.

[ s.hostname = sysnode1 ]
sdir=/local/temp
[ s.hostname = sysnode2 ]
sdir=/local1/temp
[ s.hostname = sysnode3 ]
sdir=/local2/temp

;
; This is the end of the system RC file
;

Example 2:
Assumptions: User keywords defining "run type" and "data complexity" are needed and AUTOSPC,
AUTOSPCR, BAILOUT and ERROR PARAM values are to be set based on these keywords.
The nastran.kwds file could be:
; User Keywords
Runtype:{"prelim","development","final"};Analysis stage
Level : number # Data complexity level
;
The nastran.params file could be:
; PARAM keywords

Set_AutoSPC : AutoSPC : {"Yes","No"}

Set_AutoSP_CR : AUTOSPCR : {"yes","no"}
Bailout_Value : bailout : number
Set_Error : Error : number
;
Then, the system RC file could contain:
; RC file
[ runtype = prelim ]
set_autospc = yes
bailout_value = -1
set_error = 0
set_autosp_cr = yes

[ runtype = development ]
set_autospc=yes
bailout_value=0
set_error=-1

[runtype=final]
set_autospc=no
param,bailout,0
param,error,-1
param,autospcr,no

[level < 3]
; basic data complexity parameters
[level >= 3]
<level>8>

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Customizing Command Initialization and Runtime Configuration Files

; advanced data complexity parameters

<level<=8>
; intermediate data complexity parameters

; End of RC file

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Configuring the Runtime Environment

Symbolic Substitution

Introduction
Symbolic Substitution is a capability added to MSC Nastran that allows a user to effectively modify a Nastran
data file using command line and RC file keyword specifications without actually editing the file. This
capability is very similar to “environment variable” expansion that happens in various command prompt
shells such as the Linux Bourne, Korn and C shells and the Windows Command Prompt shell when scripts
are processed. It is also analogous in some ways to the capabilities provided by programming language
preprocessors, for example, the CPP preprocessor used by the various C/C++ compilers. The key feature of
symbolic substitution is that these modifications do not affect the actual data file but present the data read
from the data file to the processing program as if it was the modified data that was being processed.
Generally, symbolic substitution means that a data record is scanned to see if it contains special data strings
(that identify the “symbolic” variables) that specify “symbolic substitution” requests. If such strings are found,
the record is modified to replace the special data strings with user-defined substitution (replacement) strings
(the values currently associated with the “symbolic” variables, i.e., the variable “values”) and it is this modified
record that is actually processed. This symbolic substitution happens before any other processing of the
record occurs, thus making it transparent to the rest of the program processing the data record. In the case
of MSC Nastran, this symbolic substitution processing will happen immediately after a record is read from
the Nastran data file and before any other processing (with the possible exception of special processing
required to satisfy licensing requirements) is performed.

Simple Examples
Two very simple examples illustrate how this capability could be used in Nastran data files. Note that the
details of the syntax are completely described in the following sections and may be ignored for now. Also note
that the examples do not deal with things such as managing the output from multiple Nastran runs. These
issues, involving, among other techniques, using command line or RC file keywords such as "out=",
"append=" and "old=yes", are beyond the scope of this document.

Example 1:
Suppose you want to make several tests where the thickness of a PSHELL element is to be varied. You could
do this by defining the thickness of the PSHELL element as a "symbolic variable" (identified using the string
"%thickness%"), setting a default value (using the "%defrepsym" statement) and specifying the
desired thickness on the command line (using the "REPSYM=" keyword). A very simple data file
(sym.dat) could be (where most of the BULK entries are in an include file named "model.bdf", not
shown here):
%defrepsym thickness=5.0
SOL 103
CEND
TITLE = 1st perturbation, t = %thickness%
ECHO = NONE
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 100
SPC = 1

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Symbolic Substitution

DISP = ALL
BEGIN BULK
EIGRL,100,,,6
PARAM,POST,0
PARAM,GRDPNT,0
$PBEAML Properties
PBEAML 2 1 I
70.0 60.0 60.0 3.3 5. 5.
$
$PSHELL Properties
$
pshell,1,1,%thickness%,1,,1
$
include 'model.bdf'
enddata
If the test is run using the following command line:
nast20231 sym repsym=thickness=1.0 ...
the test will run as if the "TITLE" and "pshell" records are:
TITLE = 1st perturbation, t = 1.0
and
pshell,1,1,1.0,1,,1
If the test is run using the following command line:
nast20231 sym repsym=thickness=3.5 ...
the test will run as if the "TITLE" and "pshell" records are:
TITLE = 1st perturbation, t = 3.5
and
pshell,1,1,3.5,1,,1
If the test is run without specifying any REPSYM setting for "thickness", e.g., using the following
command line:
nast20231 sym ...
the test will run as if the "TITLE" and "pshell" records are:
TITLE = 1st perturbation, t = 5.0
and
pshell,1,1,5.0,1,,1

Example 2:
Suppose you have a test that contains two superelements, where the only difference between the data for each
superelement is the area of a PBAR element. Instead of having two different definitions, you could have a
single definition of the data in an include file, where the area of the PBAR is specified as a symbolic variable.
The include file (called "bar.bdf") could be:
%defrepsym area=1.
grid,2,,1.0,0.0,0.0
grid,3,,2.0,0.0,0.0

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grid,4,,3.0,0.0,0.0,,123456
cbar,2,2,2,3,0.,1.,0.
cbar,3,2,3,4,0.,1.,0.
pbar,2,2,%area%,1.,1.,1.
mat1,2,1.e7,,.3
and the actual input file could be:
sol 101
cend
title=simple part se
echo=both
subcase 1
load=1
disp=all
elforce=all
begin bulk
grid,1,,0.0,0.0,0.0
grid,2,,1.0,0.0,0.0
cbar,1,1,1,2,0.,1.,0.
pbar,1,1,1.,1.,1.,1.
mat1,1,1.e7,,.3
force,1,1,,1.,1.,1.,1.
$
begin super=1
%setrepsym area=1.
include 'bar.bdf'
$
begin super=2
%setrepsym area=2.
include 'bar.bdf'
enddata
The first "include 'bar.bdf'" statement will be processed as if the pbar record is
pbar,2,2,1.,1.,1.,1.
and the second "include 'bar.bdf'" statement will be processed as if the pbar record is
pbar,2,2,2.,1.,1.,1.

Detailed Specifications
The use of the Symbolic Substitution capability is defined by a number of “rules”. These “rules” are given in
the following sections and provide the complete specification. Following the rules, there is information
about requesting report information and about error handling. Finally, there are some (again simple)
examples showing usage.

Symbolic Substitution Rules

The following rules define the symbolic substitution user interface. The descriptions start with the rules for
variable naming, followed by the rules for defining the replacement width information, followed by the
various keywords and statements used to control symbolic substitution.

Variable Naming
The rules for naming symbolic substitution variables are:

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 Symbolic variable names are not case-sensitive, are a maximum of 32 characters long and may not
contain leading, trailing or embedded blanks or special characters including (“_”). Variable names
must start with an alphabetic character followed by zero or more alphabetic or numeric characters.
For example:
• The variable name "VaRiaBLe1" is the same as "VARIABLE1" and "variable1"
• The following variable names are valid:

 abcdef
 abc123
 Name1

• The following variable names are not valid:

 123abc Does not start with an alphabetic character

 a bcd Contains an embedded blank
 abc& Contains an invalid character ('&')
 /def Does not start with an alphabetic character
 _abc123 Uses an underscore in the name.

 Unless symbolic variable values are quoted, they are not case-sensitive and may not contain leading,
trailing or embedded blanks or percent (''%') characters. The quoting rules are given below.

Substitution Field Width Specification

The ability to control the appearance of any symbolic substitution is an important requirement when
generating data for a program such as MSC Nastran. The result of a symbolic substitution request is
identified as a field. Substitution field width information can be taken by default, specified in the data file or
specified using command line and/or RC file keywords. These methods are explained below.
The rules for defining substitution field width information are:
 Symbolic variable substitution is, by default, exact. That is, the number of characters occupied by the
symbolic symbol replacement is exactly the same as the replacement value. However, this default
replacement processing can be controlled by specifying the substituted field width, the field precision
and the justification within the field. This information is specified using the syntax
-w.p
where the ‘-‘, ‘w’ and ‘p’ are all optional and have the following meanings.
• The field width specification (w) defines the minimum number of characters the field is to have
as a decimal integer value. If the replacement value has fewer characters than the field width, it
will be padded with spaces on the left (by default) or on the right (if the left justification flag is
specified). If the replacement value has more characters than the field width and if no precision

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value was specified, the entire replacement string will be used. A field width value of 0 (zero) is
equivalent to omitting the width specification. Note that a negative width value will be processed
as if the “left-justification” flag was specified (see below) since a negative field width is
meaningless.
• The field precision specification (p) defines the maximum number of characters the field is to
have. The format is a period (.) followed by a decimal integer value. If the replacement value
length exceeds the precision value, only the last p (by default) or the first p (if the left justification
flag is set) characters of the replacement value will be used. A field precision value of 0 (zero) (or
a negative value) is equivalent to omitting the precision specification.
• If both field width and field precision are specified and are positive, the precision value cannot be
less than the width value. If it is, it will be reset to the field width.
• The ‘-‘ character is the “left-justification” flag and specifies that the replacement value is to be
left-justified within the field. If this character is omitted, the replacement value will be right-
justified within the field.
 For example, the width, precision and justification of a typical field in the Bulk Data portion of a
Nastran data file is:
-8.8
meaning that the field is exactly eight characters wide and that data is to be left-justified within the
field. For a wide-format Bulk Data record, this specification would be:
-16.16
The specification for an exact replacement, i.e., where the replaced field is exactly the size of the
replacement value, is:
0.0
 To simplify width specification for Nastran widths, the following (case-insensitive) synonyms for
common widths are available and may be used wherever a width specification can be used:

exact is equivalent to 0.0

bulk is equivalent to -8.8
wide is equivalent to -16.16

It is very important to note that there are two distinct portions to a Nastran data file, that part that is before
the first BEGIN statement and that has “free format”, and that part that is after the first BEGIN statement
(the Bulk Data Section) and often has fixed format fields. Because of this, two different sets of field width
information are maintained for use when field width information is not explicitly specified as part of a
symbolic substitution request, one for use before the first BEGIN statement and one for use after the first
BEGIN statement.

Defining Variable Values and Width Information

Symbol names and associated values and symbol width specifications may be set using keywords on the
command line or in RC files and may be set using special statements in the Nastran data file itself. Each
keyword and statement is explained in detail.

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Using Command Line or RC File Keywords

Setting Variable Value Using REPSYM

Symbolic variables and associated values may be set on the Nastran command line or in RC files using the
keyword
repsym=<varname>=<varvalue>
where <varname> specifies the name of the symbolic variable and <varvalue> specifies the value to be
associated with the variable name. For example,
repsym=abc=1.23e-5
Setting Variable Width Information Using REPWIDTH

Symbolic variable substitution default width information may be set on the Nastran command line or in RC
files using the keyword
repwidth=<widthinfo1>,<widthinfo2>
where <widthinfo1> specifies the default width information for the portion of the Nastran data file before
the BEGIN statement and <widthinfo2> specifies the default width information for the portion of the
Nastran data file after the BEGIN statement. Each is specified using a -w.p specification or as one of the
synonyms, as described previously. If either width specification is omitted, the current default for that section
is not changed. Note that the separating comma is required if the Bulk Data Section width value is to be set,
i.e., if <witdhinfo2> is specified. For example,
repwidth=12,bulk
specifies that symbolic substitution default width is to be 12.0 before the BEGIN statement is encountered
and -8.8 after the BEGIN statement is encountered and
repwidth=,bulk
specifies that symbolic substitution default width is to be EXACT (or 0.0, the default) before the BEGIN
statement is encountered and -8.8 after the BEGIN statement is encountered.
Just as with other Nastran command line or RC file keywords, the REPSYM and REPWIDTH keywords are
not case-sensitive.
Using Special Statements in a Nastran Data File

Setting Values Using setrepsym

Symbolic variables and associated values may be set in a Nastran data file using the following statement:
%setrepsym <varname>=<varvalue>
where the '%' character must be in column 1 and nothing else may appear in the record except for
optional comments following <varvalue>, where the start of the comment is indicated by a ' $' (blank,
currency symbol). The setrepsym string is not case-sensitive and at least one blank must separate this
string from the <varname> specification. For example,
%setrepsym abc=1.23e-5

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Clearing ("Unsetting") Values Using unsetrepsym

A symbolic variable value set using the %setrepsym statement may cleared ("unset") in a Nastran data file
using the following statement:
%unsetrepsym <varname>
where the '%' character must be in column 1 and nothing else may appear in the record except for optional
comments following <varname>, where the start of the comment is indicated by a ' $'. The
unsetrepsym string is not case-sensitive and at least one blank must separate this string from the
<varname> specification. For example, to clear the variable abc, use
%unsetrepsym abc
Setting Default Values Using defrepsym

Default variable values can be set in a Nastran data file using the following statement:
%defrepsym <varname>=<varvalue>
where the '%' character must be in column 1 and nothing else may appear in the record except for optional
comments following <varvalue>, where the start of the comment is indicated by a ' $'. The
defrepsym string is not case-sensitive and at least one blank must separate this string from the
<varname> specification. The specified value will be used only if a value for <varname> was not previously
set, i.e., by a repsym keyword on the command line or in an RC file or by a %setrepsym statement
previously specified in the data file that has not been unset by a %unsetrepsym statement. For example,
%defrepsym abc=2.46e+2
Clearing ("Unsetting") Default Values Using undefrepsym

The default value for a symbolic variable may cleared ("unset") in a Nastran data file using the following
statement:
%undefrepsym <varname>
where the '%' character must be in column 1 and nothing else may appear in the record except for optional
comments following <varname>, where the start of the comment is indicated by a ' $'. The
undefrepsym string is not case-sensitive and at least one blank must separate this string from the
<varname> specification. For example, to clear the default value associated with variable abc, use
%undefrepsym abc
Setting Width Information Using setrepwidth

Symbolic variable substitution default width information may be set in a Nastran data file using the following
statement:
%setrepwidth <widthinfo1>,<widthinfo2>
where the '%' character must be in column 1 and nothing else may appear in the record except for optional
comments following <widthinfo2>, where the start of the comment is indicated by a ' $'. The
setrepwidth string is not case-sensitive and at least one blank must separate this string from the width
specifications. There may not be any blanks within the width specifications. <widthinfo1> specifies the
width information for the portion of the Nastran data file before the BEGIN statement and <widthinfo2>
specifies the width information for the portion of the Nastran data file after the BEGIN statement. Each is

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specified using a -w.p specification or as one of the synonyms, as described above. If either width
specification is omitted, the current width information for that section is not changed. Note that the
separating comma is required if the Bulk Data Section width value is to be set, i.e., if <widthinfo2> is
specified. For example,
%setrepwidth 0.0,wide
specifies that the symbolic substitution width specification is to be 0.0 before the BEGIN statement and is
to be -16.16 after the BEGIN statement.
Clearing ("Unsetting") Width Information Using unsetrepwidth

Symbolic variable substitution width information set using the %setrepwidth statement may be cleared in
a Nastran data file using the following statement:
%unsetrepwidth
where the '%' character must be in column 1 and nothing else may appear in the record except for optional
comments following the unsetrepwidth string, where the start of the comment is indicated by a ‘ $'. The
unsetrepwidth string is not case-sensitive and must be followed by at least one blank. This statement does
not have any arguments and clears both width specifications.
Setting Default Width Information Using defrepwidth

Default symbolic variable substitution width information may be set in a Nastran data file using the following
statement:
%defrepwidth <widthinfo1>,<widthinfo2>
where the '%' character must be in column 1 and nothing else may appear in the record (except for optional
comments following <widthinfo2>, where the start of the comment is indicated by a ' $'. The
defrepwidth string is not case-sensitive and at least one blank must separate this string from the width
specifications. There may not be any blanks within the width specifications. <widthinfo1> specifies the
default width information for the portion of the Nastran data file before the BEGIN statement and
<widthinfo2> specifies the default width information for the portion of the Nastran data file after the
BEGIN statement. Each is specified using a -w.p specification or as one of the synonyms, as described
above. If either width specification is omitted, the current width information for that section is not changed.
Note that the separating comma is required if the Bulk Data Section width value is to be set, i.e., if
<widthinfo2> is specified. For example,
%defrepwidth 0.0,wide
specifies that default symbolic substitution is to be 0.0 before the BEGIN statement and is to be -16.16
after the BEGIN statement.
Clearing ("Unsetting") Default Width Information Using undefrepwidth

Default symbolic variable substitution width information may be cleared in a Nastran data file using the
following statement:
%undefrepwidth
where the '%' character must be in column 1 and nothing else may appear in the record except for optional
comments following the undefrepwidth string, where the start of the comment is indicated by a ‘ $'. The

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undefrepwidth string is not case-sensitive and must be followed by at least one blank. This statement does
not have any arguments and clears both default width specifications.
General Information For Special Statements

The %setrepsym, %unsetrepsym, %defrepsym, %undefrepsym, %setrepwidth,

%unsetrepwidth, %defrepwidth and %undefrepwidth statements are deleted, logically, from the data
file and will never be processed by the rest of Nastran unless an error is encountered while they are being
processed. This is discussed in the Error Handling, 168.
Requesting Symbolic Substitution

Symbolic variable substitution will occur when a string having the form
%<varname>,<widthinfo>:<varvalue>%
is found anywhere within a Nastran data file, except that this string may not span records, i.e., the
substitution request must be on a single record (line). The leading and trailing '%' characters are required as
is the <varname> field. The <widthinfo> field is optional. If it is omitted, the comma (,) separating it
from the <varname> field may be omitted and the rules for determining what width specification will be
used are discussed below. The <varvalue> field is optional and provides a way of specifying a default value,
i.e., the “local default value”, as described below. If it is omitted, the colon (:) separating it from the
<varname> (or <widthinfo>) field may be omitted. The rules for determining what symbolic value will
be used as the substitution value are discussed below. For example, if the symbolic variable abc is to be
replaced by its current value with no special processing (or if default width processing is to be used), the
substitution request would be:
%abc%
If the symbolic variable is to be replaced by its current value, with the minimum field width to be 12
characters and with the value always to be left-justified, the substitution request would be:
%abc,-12%
Quoting Rules For Symbolic Variable Values

 If a symbolic variable value is case-sensitive, if it contains leading, trailing or embedded blanks or if

it contains percent characters, tab characters or other special characters, it must be quoted. (Note
that "escape" sequences such as '\t' or '\n' are not given any special treatment; that is, they are left
as is.)
• If the value is part of a repsym keyword command-line specification, the quoting rules of the
command shell being used apply.
• If the value is part of a repsym keyword specified in an RC file, it must be enclosed in single
quotes (').
• If the value is part of a %setrepsym or %defrepsym record or if it specified as the “local default
value” in a symbolic substitution request, quoting a symbolic variable value means enclosing the
value in one of the following pairs of characters:

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Starting Quote Character Ending Quote Character

" "
' '
/ /
\ \
[ ]
{ }
( )

If the first non-blank character encountered in a variable value specification is one of the starting
quote characters, the variable value must be ended by the associated ending quote character. The
actual variable value will be the (possibly null) string between (but not including) the starting and
ending quote characters. If the variable value starts with one of the starting quote characters, it
must be quoted using an alternate quote character.
General Rules For Symbolic Variable Substitution

 Nested symbolic substitution is not supported. Even if the value associated with a symbolic variable
name is, itself, in the format of a symbolic variable substitution request, that request will be ignored.
That is, after symbolic variable substitution has occurred, the substituted string is not re-scanned.
 Determining what symbolic variable value will be used when a variable substitution request is
encountered depends on where the variable value associated with the specified variable name was set.
The first value encountered in the following hierarchy is the value that will be used:
• A value specified in the Nastran data file using the %setrepsym statement, if there is one active,
i.e., if it has not been deactivated by a %unsetrepsym statement.
• A value specified on the Nastran command line or in RC files using the repsym keyword.
• As part of the variable symbol substitution request, using the local default value, if there is one.
• A value specified in the Nastran data file using the %defrepsym statement, if there is one active,
i.e., if it has not been deactivated by a %undefrepsym statement.
This precedence follows normal MSC Nastran ordering, i.e., "the data file wins," while still
providing great flexibility. Also, the ordering of the last two items in this hierarchy allows a user to set
all defaults except for special cases and follows the idea that the specification "closest" to the use is
the one used. If no replacement value is found, the substitution request will be ignored and the
record will be unchanged.
 Determining what symbolic width specification will be used when a variable substitution request is
encountered depends on where the width information has been specified and on the part of the
Nastran data file that is being processed, i.e., is the variable substitution request before or after the
first BEGIN statement. The first width specification value encountered in the following hierarchy is
the specification that will be used:
• A value specified in the symbolic substitution request itself, i.e., if a <widthinfo> entry was
specified as part of the symbolic substitution request.

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• A value specified on a %setrepwidth statement corresponding to the current section in the

Nastran data file, if there is one active, i.e., if it has not been deactivated by an %unsetrepwidth
statement.
• A value specified on the Nastran command line or in RC files using the repwidth keyword
corresponding to the current section in the Nastran data file.
• A value specified in the Nastran data file using the %defrepwidth statement corresponding to
the current section in the Nastran data file, if there is one active, i.e., if it has not been deactivated
by a %undefrepwidth statement.
• The program default value of exact (0.0).
This precedence also follows normal Nastran ordering, i.e., "the record wins followed by the data file
wins," while still providing great flexibility.
 When running in licensing "Interlock" mode, i.e., in CRC validation mode, the following
restrictions will be in effect. If a restriction is violated, Nastran processing will be terminated.
• The %setrepsym, %unsetrepsym, %defrepsym and %undefrepsym statements are not
allowed. Also, specifying a default value within the symbolic substitution request is not allowed.
That is, symbolic variable values may only be set using the repsym keyword on the command
line or in an RC file. Note that the %setrepwidth, %unsetrepwidth, %defrepwidth and
%undefrepwidth statements are allowed.
• A maximum of two symbolic substitution specifications are allowed per record and a maximum
of ten symbolic substitution requests are allowed in the entire input data file.
• Interlock CRC calculations will be made on the input record before symbolic substitution occurs.
Note that any alterations to the record made as part of the CRC calculation processing will not
affect symbolic substitution processing.

Requesting Symbolic Substitution Replacement Information Using REPINFO

 A report of what symbolic substitutions were made is generated at the end of Nastran processing,
with the level of detail in the report controlled by an "information level" flag set using the
repinfo=n
keyword, where n is an integer number that specifies the level of detail desired. The meanings
the various values for n are as follows:

0 suppress the report altogether

1 report the various values assigned using the repsym keyword
2 same as 1 except add the various values assigned using the setrepsym statement
3 same as 2 except add the various values assigned using the defprepsym statement
4 same as 3 except add the various values assigned as local default values
5 same as 1 except add all locations where the specified repsym value was used
6 same as 2 and 5 except add all locations where the specified setrepsym value was used

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7 same as 3 and 6 except add all locations where the specified defrepsym value was used
8 same as 4 and 7 except add all locations where local default values were used.

The report is written to the .f06 file. If there is not enough dynamic memory available to save the
report information, the repinfo level may be reduced. When running in MSC Nastran, the default
is repinfo=1. Otherwise, repinfo=0 will be forced.
 Just as with other Nastran command line or RC file keywords, the REPINFO keyword is not case-
sensitive.

Error Handling
If an error is encountered processing a setrepsym, unsetrepsym, defrepsym, undefrepsym,
setrepwidth, unsetrewidth, defrepwidth or undefrepwidth statement, a comment string will be
added to the record giving the error information and the record will be passed to Nastran (or the application
reading the data file) as if the record was a normal Nastran data record. If an error is encountered in a record
containing a symbolic substitution request, the symbolic substitution request will not be processed and, if
repinfo=1 or greater is in effect, a message giving information about the error will be written to the .log
file. It is expected that the statements in error will not be valid Nastran statements and so will be flagged as
an error.

Examples
1. The value on an “OPTION” statement is to be settable using the command line, taking a default
value of “OPT1val” (case-sensitive) if no command line value is set. The OPTION statement could
be
OPTION=%Option:’OPT1val’%
and the command line parameter that would be used to set OPTION to a different value, OP2VAL
(not case-sensitive), would be
RepSym=Option=op2val
2. An INCLUDE file contains records that are to be used four times in the Bulk Data Section of a
Nastran data file, with the only difference being the value in Field 3 of one record. The first time the
file is used, this field must contain the value 1.234, the second time this field must contain the value
4.567 and the last two times this field must contain the value -12.578. In all cases, the replacement
field must be eight characters wide and the data must be left-justified in the field. Assuming that the
symbolic variable is DATFL3 and that the include file name is incl.data, this could be done as follows:
In the include file, specify the following statements before the record to be modified:
%DefRepSym datfl3=-12.578
then the record to be modified could be specified as follows:
FL1 FL2 %datfl3%FL4 FL5 FL6
and, for completeness, specify the following record after the record to be modified:
%Undefrepsym datfl3
Then the data file would contain:

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. . .
%setrepsym DATFL3=1.234
%DefRepWidth ,bulk
include ‘incl.data’

. . .
%setrepsym DATFL3=4.567
include ‘incl.data’
%Unsetrepsym datfl3
. . .
include ‘incl.data’
. . .
include ‘incl.data’

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 Appendix B: Keywords and Environment Variables
MSC Nastran Installation and Operations GuideMSC Nastran Installation and Opera-
tions Guide

B Keywords and Environment

Variables


Keywords

SYS Parameter Keywords
 Environment Variables

Other Keywords
 System Cell Keyword Mapping

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Keywords

Keywords
The following is a complete list of the keywords that may be used on the command line or placed into RC
files as appropriate.
Keywords that use yes/no values accept partial specification and case-independent values. For example, “yes”
may be specified as “y”, “ye”, or “yes” using uppercase or lowercase letters.

acct acct=yes,no Default: No

Indicates solution accounting is to be performed. The new “lock” keyword may
be used to ensure that all jobs have solution accounting enabled.
For example, the following RC file lines force all jobs to use accounting:
Example: acct=yes
lock=yes
The first line turns accounting on. The second line ensures accounting is on for
every job; see the “lock” keyword for more details.
acdata acdata=string Default: None
Specifies site defined accounting data. See your system administrator to
determine if and how this keyword is to be used. See Enabling Account ID and
Accounting Data for additional information.
acid acid=string Default: None
Specifies the site defined account ID for this job. See your system administrator
to determine if and how this keyword is to be used. See Enabling Account ID and
Accounting Data for additional information.
acvalid acvalid=string Default: None
Note: This keyword can only be set in the command initialization file, see the
sections titled Enabling Account ID and Accounting Data and Specifying Parameters in
Appendix A.
Indicates account ID validation is to be performed. If “acvalid” is not defined, or
is null, then no checks are made of the account ID. If “acvalid” is defined, then
account ID validation is performed. Enabling Account ID and Accounting Data contains
more information on defining this keyword.
after after=time Default: None

(LINUX) Holds the job’s execution until the time specified by time. See the description of
the “at” command in your system documentation for the format of time.
Example: nast_ver example after=10:00
The job is held until 10:00 AM.

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(WINDOWS) Submits the job to the Windows Scheduler. The JOB name will be “Nast_JOB”.
Comments:

1. The status of the job may be found with “schtasks | findstr Nast”
2. The time should be specified in 24 hours increments. Times less than
10:00 should have a preceding 0. e.g. aft=06:00.
3. The job will be left in the scheduler. You may clean with:
schtasks /delete /tn Nast_JOB
4. after= is not supported with DMP jobs at this time on windows.

append append=yes,no Default: No

Combines the F04, F06, and LOG files into a single file after the run completes.
If “no” is specified, the files are not combined. If “yes” is specified, the files are
combined into one file with the type “.out”.
Example: nast_ver example append=yes
The F04, F06, and LOG files are combined into a file named “example.out”.
application application=NASTRAN
Specifies the application to be run.
Note: This keyword should always be set to “NASTRAN”, and may only be
specified on the command line or in the command initialization file. See Specifying
Parameters in Appendix A.
attdel attdel=number Default: 0 (enables automatic
assigning)
Controls automatic assignment of the delivery database. See the Executing MSC
Nastran in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this
keyword.
autoasgn autoasgn=number Default: 7 (all)
Controls automatic assigning of DBsets. See the Executing MSC Nastran in the MSC
Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
authinfo authinfo=number Default: 0
Specifies the amount of information written to the LOG during authorization
processing. Values greater than zero indicate additional information is to be
written.

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authorize authorize=spec Default: The Default is set during the

installation.
Selects the licensing method for MSC Nastran. The spec can take on several
forms. They include:

authorize=FLEXlm-license-spec
FLEXlm licensing has been selected.
authorize=pathname
This specifies either a FLEXlm license file. If only a directory is
specified, the program assumes that either “authorize.dat” or
“license.dat” is in the specified directory.
Example: nast_ver example
auth=myauthfile
The job runs using the node-locked authorization code in “myauthfile”.
authque authque=number Default: 20
All systems: Specifies the time in minutes to wait for a seat to become available. If
the seat becomes available before this specified time period expires, the job will be
allowed to continue. If not, the job will be terminated.
Note: When a job is waiting for a seat to become available, it consumes computer
resources such as memory, swap file space, disk space, etc. Too many jobs waiting
for licenses could have a severe impact on the system.
Example: nast_ver example
auth=myauthfile
The job runs using the node-locked authorization code in “myauthfile”. If a seat
is not available within 20 minutes of the start of the job, the job terminates.
Example: nast_ver example
auth=myauthfile authque=10
The job is run using the node-locked authorization code in “myauthfile”. If a seat
is not available within 10 minutes of the start of the job, the job will be
terminated.
batch batch=yes,no Default: Yes

(LINUX) Indicates how the job is to be run. If “yes” is specified, the job is run as a
background process. If “no” is specified, the job is run in the foreground. If the
“aft” or “queue” keywords are specified, the batch keyword is ignored.
Note: If the job is already running in an NQS or NQE batch job, the default is
“no”.
Example: nast_ver example batch=no
The job is run in the foreground.

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bfgs bfgs=number Default: 0

Selects strategies of BFGS updates for the arc-length methods in non-linear
analysis. See the Executing MSC Nastran in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide
for more information on this keyword.
bpool bpool=value Default See text below.
Specifies the number of GINO and/or executive blocks, or memory size in MB,
GB, etc., that are placed in buffer pool.
The size is specified as the number of blocks (BUFFSIZE words long), a
percentage of MEM, or the number of words or bytes followed by one of the
modifiers: "T", "TW", "TB", "G", "GW", "GB", "M", "MW", "MB", "K",
"KW", "KB", "W", "B". See Specifying Memory Sizes for a description of these
modifiers.
If mem=max (which is the default) or/and solve=auto is not used, the default of
bpool is 150 GINO blocks.
If solve=auto is used, bpool will be set automatically.
If mem=max is used, the default of bpool will be set to:
 25% of memory for non SOL 101 or SOL 400.
 the remaining memory after memory estimate needed for the solver for
SOL 101 or SOL 400.
Example: nast_ver example bpool=100mb
buffpool buffpool=number Default: See bpool
Specifies the number of GINO and/or executive blocks, or memory in MB, GB,
etc., that are placed in the buffer pool. This keyword is a synonym for the "bpool"
keyword. See the description of the "bpool" keyword for more information.

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buffsize buffsize=value Default: 32769

Specifies the physical record size, in words (32769 * 8 bytes), of all MSC Nastran
DBsets except those specified with INIT statements and MSCOBJ. The physical
I/O size is BUFFSIZE-1 words.

If “buffsize=estimate” is specified, ESTIMATE will be used to determine value.

See Estimating BUFFSIZE for recommended BUFFSIZE values based on model size.
BUFFSIZE must reflect the maximum BUFFSIZE of all DBsets attached to the
job including the delivery database, which is generated with a BUFFSIZE of
8193. If you generate your own delivery database, this default may be different.
The maximum value of BUFFSIZE is 65537 words. BUFFSIZE must be one plus
a multiple of the disk block size. The disk default block size may be determined
with the “system” special function described in Using the Help Facility and Other Special
Functions; specific block size information may be obtained from your system
administrator.
Example: nast_ver example buffsize=16385
The BUFFSIZE is set to 16385 words.
casi If set to “no” it will disable the casi solver as a possible option when "solve=auto"
is specified.
childout childout=yes,no Default: No
Specifies the output files from the child nodes are to be copied back to the local
node.
config config=number Default: Computer dependent
Specifies the configuration (CONFIG) number used by MSC Nastran to select
timing constants. You can change this value to select the timing constants of a
different computer model. A configuration number of zero is considered
undefined by the nastran command. See Defining a Computer Model Name and CONFIG
Number and Generating a Timing Block for a New Computer for additional information.
constitle constitle=yes, no Default: Yes

(Windows) Specifies whether or not the console title bar is to be modified to have the job
identification. This keyword is only applicable to Windows systems.

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cpumax cpumax cpumax=n Default: 1

Selects the best SMP and DMP combinations for SOL 101, 103, 107, 108,111,
200 and 400 based on the solver (matrix solver of MSCLDL, PARDISO, CASI, or
modal solver of Lanczos, ACMS) selected and limit the number of cores
((#DMP)(#SMP) ≤ n). This option is usually used together with solve=auto but
can be used without solve=auto. If solve=auto is used without cpumax, then
cpumax is the number of processors on the system (of one node). If solve=auto is
used with cpumax = n, it sets the limit for the number of cores ((#DMP)(#SMP)
≤ n).

The cpumax may be set on the command line or in a user's RC file.

If neither cpumax or solve=auto is used, the cores of #SMP or/and #DMP are
dependent on the smp or/and dmp selection. If none of cpumax, solve=auto, smp,
dmp or their combination is used, the job will be run serially without using parallel.
cputime cputime=cputime Default: None

(LINUX)
Note: The following capability is dependent upon the queue submission commands
defined by the “submit” keyword and your queuing system. The capability or
examples may not work on your system.
Specifies the maximum amount of CPU time that the complete job is permitted to
use when the “queue” keyword is used. This time includes the execution of the
driver program, the MSC Nastran executable, plus any commands specified by the
“pre” and “post” keywords. See your system’s queuing documentation for the
format of cputime.

The value can be specified as either “hours:minutes:seconds”, “minutes:seconds”, or

“seconds”; it will always be converted to seconds by the nastran command.
Example: nast_ver example
queue=small cputime=60
This example defines the maximum CPU time for the complete job as 60 seconds.
Example: nast_ver example
queue=small cpu=1:15:0
nast_ver example queue=small
cpu=75:0
nast_ver example queue=small
cpu=4500
These examples all define the maximum CPU time for the complete job as one
hour and fifteen minutes.
dballco dballco=value Default: 1
Allows you to scale DBALL estimates. This scale factor is applied before the
"dballmin" value, that provides a lower bound for DBALL estimates.

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Example: prod_ver estimate example

dballco=2
This will double the DBALL disk estimate and then apply the "dballmin" lower
bound.
Example: prod_ver estimate example
dballco=0.5
This will halve the DBALL disk estimate. An estimate less than the lower bound
specified by "dballmin" will be set to the lower bound.
dballmin dballmin=value Default: 1mb
Allows you to define the lower bound for all DBALL estimates. This bound is
applied after the "dballco" value, that multiplies the actual estimate by a
"conservatism" factor.
Example: prod_ver estimate example
dballmin=2mb
This will set the minimum DBALL disk estimate to 2 MB.
dbs dbs=pathname Default: .
Creates database files (see Table 4-7) using an alternate file prefix. If “dbs” is not
specified, database files are created in the current directory using the basename of
the input data file as the prefix. If the “dbs” value is a directory, database files are
created in the specified directory using the basename of the input data file as the
filename.
Note: If “dbs” is specified and “scratch=yes” is specified, a warning will be issued
and “scratch=no” assumed.
In the following examples, assume the current directory includes sub-directories
“mydir” and “other”, and that an “example.dat” exists in both the current directory
and “other”. That is, ./example.dat, ./mydir, ./other, and ./other/example.dat exist
on LINUX; and .\example.dat, .\mydir, .\other, and .\other\example.dat exist on
Windows.
Example: nast_ver example
Database files are created in the current directory with the name “example”, e.g.,
./example.DBALL on LINUX; and .\example.DBALL on Windows.
Example: nast_ver other/example
Database files are created in the “other” directory with the name “example”, e.g.,
../other/example.DBALL on LINUX and .\other\example.DBALL on Windows.
Example: nast_ver example dbs=myfile
Database files are created in the current directory with the name “myfile”, e.g.,
./myfile.DBALL on LINUX and .\myfile.DBALL on Windows.
Example: nast_ver example dbs=mydir

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Keywords and Environment Variables

Database files are created in the mydir directory with the name “example”, e.g.,
./mydir/example.DBALL on LINUX and .\mydir\example.DBALL on Windows.
Example: nast_ver example dbs=mydir/myfile
Database files are created in the mydir directory with the name “myfile”, e.g.,
./mydir/myfile.DBALL on LINUX and .\mydir\myfile.DBALL on Windows.
Example: nast_ver example dmp=4
host=a:b:c:d dbs=/aa:/bb:/cc:/dd
This example will set the “dbs” directory to “/aa” on host a, “/bb” on host b, “/cc”
on host c, and finally “/dd” on host d.
Note: The use of distinct per-task database directories can have a significant impact
on elapsed time performance of DMP jobs on SMP and NUMA systems.
dbverchk dbverchk=0, 1 Default: 0 (check is performed)
Specifies whether or not database version checking is to be skipped. See the
Executing MSC Nastran in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more
information on this keyword.
delete delete=yes, no, all, jid, list Default: No
Note: This keyword is only intended to be used when MSC Nastran is running as a server
or is embedded within an other application. The deletion occurs before the post
commands are run.
Unconditionally delete files after an MSC Nastran job completes. Specifying
"delete=yes" will delete the F04, F06 and LOG files when the job completes;
"delete=all" will delete the F04, F06, LOG, NDB, OP2, PCH, PLT and XDB files
when the job completes. You can also specify a list of file types, e.g.,
"delete=f04,log,plt" will only delete the F04, LOG and PLT files. Note that, on
LINUX systems, this list of file types is case-sensitive. That is, "delete=master" will
delete files with an extension of "master" but not files with an extension of
"MASTER" and "delete=MASTER" will delete files with an extension of
"MASTER" but not files with an extension of "master".
Example: nast_ver example delete=op2,plt
After the MSC Nastran job has completed, the "example.op2" and "example.plt"
files will be unconditionally deleted. These files are normally kept if they are not
empty.
Example: nast_ver example
delete=plt,MASTER,DBALL
After the MSC Nastran job has completed, the "example.plt",
"example.MASTER" and "example.DBALL" files will be unconditionally deleted.
Normally, the "example.plt" file will kept if it is not empty and the
"example.MASTER" and "example.DBALL" files are kept unless "scratch=yes"
was specified.

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delivery delivery=pathname Default: MSCDEF

Specifies an alternate delivery database option. See Creating and Attaching Alternate
Delivery Databases for further information on alternate delivery databases.

The special pathname “MSCDEF” indicates the standard MSC Nastran delivery
database.
Example: nast_ver example del=mysss
The job runs using a solution sequence from the delivery database
“mysss.MASTERA”.
diag diag=flag,flag,... Default: None
Sets MSC Nastran diagnostics. This keyword may also be set with the DIAG
Executive Control Statement. See DIAG (p. 124) in the MSC Nastran Quick
Reference Guide for information on the default value and legal values for this
keyword. The diagnostics set using this keyword are in addition to any diagnostics
set with the DIAG statement in the input file.
Example: nast_ver example diag=5
The MSC Nastran job is run with DIAG 5 set.
diaga diaga=number Default: None
Set MSC Nastran diagnostic flags 1-32. The value specified over-rides any previous
"diag=n" values where n is in the range 1 to 32. These diagnostics are set in addition
to any diagnostics set via the Executive Control "DIAG" statement in the input
data file. See the Executing MSC Nastran in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide
for more information on this keyword.
diagb diagb=number Default: None
Set MSC Nastran diagnostic flags 33-64. The value specified over-rides any
previous "diag=n" values where n is in the range 33 to 64. These diagnostics are set
in addition to any diagnostics set via the Executive Control "DIAG" statement in
the input data file. See the Executing MSC Nastran in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference
Guide for more information on this keyword.
disksave disksave=number Default: 0 (no save)
Specifies Lanczos High Performance Option controlling whether or not the
matrix/vector multiply is saved in a scratch file. See the Executing MSC Nastran in the
MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
distort distort=number Default: 0 (terminate run)
Specifies element distortion fatal termination override. Applies to all p-elements
and the TETRA h-elements. See the Executing MSC Nastran in the MSC Nastran
Quick Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.

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dmparallel dmparallel=number Default: 0

(See Table 5-2) Specifies the number of tasks for a Distributed Memory Parallel (DMP) analysis.
The value must be null or zero to cancel DMP processing, or a number greater than
zero to enable DMP processing.

See Running Distributed Memory Parallel (DMP) Jobs for additional information.
Example: nast_ver example dmp=4
The job is run with four DMP tasks.
dmpmem dmpmem=number Default: 80
Specifies the percentage of the total memory specified by memorymax for a DMP
job to be allocated to the Parent DMP process. The dmpmem keyword is
applicable only for DMP jobs that use ACMS (VERSION=NEW).

The percentage of memory not given to the Parent DMP process by dmpmem is
split evenly among the remaining DMP processes.

The value of dmpmem must be between 51 and 95. The default value of dmpmem
is 80. By default, 80% of the total memory specified by memorymax and
mem=max is reserved for the Parent DMP process. The remaining 20% is reserved
for the Child DMP processes.
dranas_nast_mem dranas_nast_mem=value Default=2048mb
Defines the memory for MSC Nastran Server. In case of large data base if Patran
cannot attach to the MSC Nastran data base then the cause could be that the server
has run out of open core memory. In such a case, increasing the value of the variable
could solve the problem.
dskco dskco=value Default: 1
Allows you to define a factor to scale total disk estimates. This scale factor is applied
before the "dskmin" value, that provides a lower bound for total disk estimates.
Example: prod_ver estimate example dskco=2
This doubles the total disk estimate and then applies the "dskmin" lower bound.
Example: prod_ver estimate example
dskco=0.5
This will halve the total disk estimate. An estimate less than the lower bound
specified by "dskmin" will be set to the lower bound.
dskmin dskmin=value Default: 1mb
Allows you to define the lower bound for all total disk estimates. This bound is
applied after the "dskco" value, that multiplies the actual estimate by a
"conservatism" factor.
Example: prod_ver estimate example
dskmin=2mb

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This will set the minimum total disk estimate to 2 MB.

executable executable=pathname Default: Computer dependent
Specifies the name of an alternate solver executable. This keyword overrides all
architecture and processor selection logic. If a directory is not specified by
pathname and the file does not exist in the current directory, the default architecture
directory is assumed.
Example: nast_ver example exe=analysis.um
The job runs using the executable “analysis.um”. Since a directory was not
specified, this file must exist in either the current directory or
install_dir/prod_ver/arch on LINUX or install_dir\prod_ver\arch on Windows.
expjid expjid=no, yes, auto, pathname Default: Auto
Specifies whether or not the input file is to be "expanded" or not, that is, whether
or not the input file is to be read and all "include" files processed. If "expjid=no"
is specified, the input file will be used directly.
If "expjid=yes" is specified, the input file will be expanded and stored in the
location specified by "out", with an extension of "exp" added.
If "expjid=pathname" is specified, the input file will be expanded and stored in the
location specified by pathname. If pathname specifies a directory, the expanded file
will be stored using the base name of the input file, with an extension of "exp"
added. If pathname specifies a file name without an extension, and extension of
"exp" will be added.
If "expjid=auto" is specified (or taken by default):
 If "node" is specified, the input file will be expanded only if it is not visible
from the remote node.
 If "node" is not specified, the input file will not be expanded, i.e.,
processing will be as if "expjid=no" was specified.
If the input file is expanded:
 If "node" is specified, the expanded file will be copied (if necessary) to the
remote node for processing and will be deleted from both the remote and
local nodes at the completion of processing.
 If "node" is not specified, processing will terminate without actually
invoking the MSC Nastran analysis program and without storing any
other files.

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Keywords and Environment Variables

extdefault extdefault=logname1(ext1),logname2(ext2),... Default: None

Changes the default extension(s) associated with the specified logical name(s). The
logical name (lognamei) specification is case-insensitive. For LINUX/Linux
systems, the extension (exti) is casesensitive; for Windows systems, it is not. This
keyword may be specified as often as necessary and the values will be comma-
separated and appended. If the same logical name is specified more than once, the
extension in the last specification will be the one used.

Example: extdefault=plot(myplot),punch(mypunch)
changes the default extension assigned to logical name PLOT from "plt" to
"myplot" and the default extension assigned to logical name PUNCH from "pch"
to "mypunch".

Restrictions:

1. Only FORTRAN files identified as "Assignable" may have their default

extension changed . See Table 2-1 in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference
Guide, Volume 1.
2. The extension may not be one of the reserved extensions. These reserved
extensions are: f06, f04, log, MASTER, DBALL, OBJSCR, SCRATCH
and SCR300.
3. Extensions must be from one- to eight-characters long.
f04 f04=number Default: 4
Specifies FORTRAN unit number for Execution Summary Table. See the Executing
MSC Nastran in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on
this keyword.
f06 f06=number Default: 6
Specifies FORTRAN unit number for standard output file. See the Executing MSC
Nastran in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this
keyword.
fbsmem fbsmem=number Default = 0
Reserves memory for faster solution of the Lanczos method of eigenvalue
extraction. This keyword may also be set with the “sys146” command line
keyword. See the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for information for this keyword.
gmconn gmconn=pathname Default: None
Specifies the name of the external evaluator connection file. External geometric and
bar or beam element evaluators may be specified. See the MSC Nastran Version 69
Release Guide for additional information on external bar or beam elements. Also,
see Using BEAMSERV for information on running an MSC Nastran job using a beam
server.

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Example: nast_ver example gmconn=mybeamserver

The job is run with the external evaluators specified in “mybeamserver”.
gpuid gpuid=id,id or gpuid=id:id Default: none
id: the ID of a licensed GPGPU device to be used in the analysis. Multiple IDs may
be assigned to Nastran distributed memory processor (DMP) runs. Separate a list of
IDs with a comma or a colon. Each DMP process will be assigned a GPU ID in
round robin fashion.
gpu_min_front gpu_min_front=value Default: 16
The criteria for GPGPU execution during matrix factorization are the frontal matrix
front size and the rank of the frontal matrix. Minimum dimensions are set via
gpu_min_front and its companion parameter, gpu_min_rank. The value specified
must be an integer greater or equal to 1. If the front size is smaller than value, the
rank update of the front is processed on the CPU. Otherwise, the GPGPU device
would be used for the rank update of the front. This keyword may also be set via
SYSTEM cell 656.
gpu_min_rank gpu_min_rank=value Default: 1024
The criteria for GPGPU execution during matrix factorization are the frontal matrix
front size and the rank of the frontal matrix. Minimum dimensions are set via
gpu_min_front and its companion parameter, gpu_min_rank. The value specified
must be an integer greater or equal to 1. If the rank of the frontal matrix is smaller
than value, the rank update of the front is processed on the CPU. Otherwise, the
GPGPU device would be used for the rank update of the front. This keyword may
also be set via SYSTEM cell 655.
hicore hicore=memory_size Default: Dependent on "memory" and other
keywords
Specifies maximum working memory. See the Executing MSC Nastran in the MSC
Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
hostovercommit hostovercommit=yes,no Default: No
Allows this job to assign more tasks to a host than processors. This does not prevent
other MSC Nastran jobs or users from using the processors. See also the “hosts”
keyword below.

If “hostovercommit=no” is specified, at most one task will be assigned for each

processor on the host, i.e., a four processor system can only have four tasks assigned.

If “hostovercommit=yes” is specified, tasks are assigned to hosts in a round-robin

order until all tasks are assigned, without regard to the number of processors on the
host.
Note: Assigning more tasks to a host than it has processors will impact the elapsed-time
performance of your DMP job.
In the following examples, assume that host1 and host2 each have two processors.

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Keywords and Environment Variables

Example: nast_ver example dmp=6

hosts=host1:host2 hostovercommit=no
The job will not be started because a total of only four processors are available on
host1 and host.
Example: nast_ver example dmp=6
hosts=host1:host2 hostovercommit=yes
The job will be allowed to start, with three tasks each assigned to host1 and host2.
hosts hosts=host:host:... Default: See text

hosts=host;host;...

hosts=filename
Defines the list of candidate hosts to be used for a DMP analysis. This list is scanned
in a round-robin order until all tasks have been assigned to a host. If
“hostovercommit=no” is specified, at most one task will be assigned for each
processor on the host, i.e., a four processor system can only have four tasks assigned.

Multiple hosts are specified in the standard manner for the PATH environment
variable, that is “hosts=host1:host2:...” on LINUX and “hosts=host1;host2;...” on
Windows.
The default is the current system.

See Running Distributed Memory Parallel (DMP) Jobs for additional information.

In the following examples, assume that the current host, host1, and host2 each have
two processors.
Example: nast_ver example dmp=2
The job will be run on the current host.
Example: nast_ver example dmp=3
hosts=host1:host2
The first and third tasks will be assigned to host1, the second task will be assigned to
host2.
Example: nast_ver example dmp=3
hosts=myhostfile
The file ./myhostfile on LINUX and .\myhostfile on Windows will be read to
determine the list of hosts to use.
Some linux systems may require the setting when running on multiple hosts:

export I_MPI_HYDRA_BOOTSTRAP=ssh
ifpbuff ifpbuff=value Default: 4096

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Specifies the physical record size, in words, of MSC Nastran IFPStar database. The
physical I/O size is IFPBUFF-1 words. The maximum value of IFPBUFF is 65537
words.
Example: prodver nastran example ifpbuff=8193 The IFPBUFF is
set to 8193 words.
ishellext ishellext=value,value,... Default: See text.
Defines command processor associations for ISHELL executables. Each value is
specified as “file-type=processor” where processor is the executable used by MSC
Nastran to execute an ISHELL program with the specified file-type. See Running an
ISHELL Program for information on using an ISHELL program and the default list of
processors.

Specify two consecutive quotes, e.g., ishellext=ksh=“” to specify a null processor, that
is, to directly execute the ISHELL program.
Note: You will need protect the quotes from the shell if specified on the command line.
Specify a null file-type to define a processor for files without a file type.

Specify “.=''” to specify a null file-type and a null processor.

Specifying a file-type already defined in the table will replace the previous entry;
specifying a file-type not yet defined in the table will append the new entry to the end
of the table, that is, it will be processed last.

Note: On Windows, all executable files must have a non-null file-type. This is why
“TPLDIR:QAISHELL” executable cannot be used on Windows, but
“TPLDIR:qaishell.pl” can. Where TPLDIR is the directory that contains the files
in the tpl or tpl6 directories in the seperate documentation/ example problem
installer.

On Windows, it may be necessary to define “CMD.EXE” as the processor for

certain “.EXE” files. This can be done with “ishellext=exe=cmd”

Up to twenty associations can be defined.

This keyword may also be set with the MSC_ISHELLEXT environment variable.
The environment variable overrides the RC files; the command line overrides the
environment variable.
Example: nast_ver example
ishellext=tcl=wish,sh=ksh
This example will add one association and replace another. If the ISHELL program
name exists with the file type “.tcl”, the wish executable will be used; if the ISHELL
program name exists with the file type “.sh”, the ksh executable will be used. Since
neither processor specification included a pathname component, the system PATH
will be searched for the executables.

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Keywords and Environment Variables

ishellpath ishellpath=value:value:.. Default: See text.

ishellpath=value;value;..
Defines a list of directories to search for the ISHELL program if a suitable ISHELL
program doesn’t exist in the current working directory. If this list is exhausted before
finding a suitable ISHELL program, the standard PATH is searched. Multiple paths
are specified in the standard manner, that is “ishellpath=/dir1:/dir2:...” on LINUX
and “ishellpath=\dir1;\dir2;...” on Windows.

If you have not set a value for “ishellpath”, the value will be set to the directory
containing the input data file, this automatically handles the common case where
the ISHELL program is located in the same directory as the input data file
referencing it.

This keyword may also be set with the MSC_ISHELLPATH environment variable.
The environment variable overrides the RC files; the command line overrides the
environment variable.
Example: nast_ver TPLDIR:qaishell
Assuming no RC file set “ishellpath” and the environment variable
MSC_ISHELLPATH was not defined, the “ishellpath” value will be set to the
directory referenced by “TPLDIR:”. MSC Nastran will attempt to locate the
ISHELL program in the current working directory, the TPL directory, or in the
PATH.
Example: prod_ver example ishellpath=bin
This example assumes either the current working directory or the bin subdirectory
contains the ISHELL program
iter iter=yes, no Default: No (do not execute iterative
solver)
Controls execution of iterative solver. See the Executing MSC Nastran in the MSC
Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
jid jid=pathname Default: None
Specify the name of the input data file. An input file must be defined on the
command line. Any command line argument that does not have a keyword is
assumed to be the input file; only the last filename is used.
Example: nast_ver this that example
The input file “example.dat” is used; the tokens “this” and “that” are ignored.
Note: If the input file is specified as “example” and the files “example.dat” and “example”
both exist, the file “example.dat” will be chosen. In fact, it is impossible to use a file
named “example” as the input data file if a file named “example.dat” exists.

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jidpath jidpath=path-spec Default: None

Specify a list of directories to search if the input data file or any INCLUDE file does
not specify a pathname component and does not exist in the current directory. One
or more of these directories may include a "wildcard" specification, as described
below, requesting sub-directory searching. On LINUX, the directory level separator
character is slash ("/"). On Windows , the directory level separator character can
be slash ("/") or back-slash ("\").

This keyword may also be set by the MSC_JIDPATH environment variable. The
environment variable overrides the RC files, and the command line overrides the
environment variable.

This keyword may not be specified in a conditional section of an RC file.

It is very important to note that the directory list specified by this keyword is not
cumulative. That is, the directory list specified by this keyword completely replaces
the directory list specified by a previous instance of this keyword. However, see the
description below about environment variable replacement for an example of how a
cumulative definition could be specified.
LINUX example: nast_ver example jidpath=$HOME
Windows Example: nast_ver example
jidpath=%HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%
These will find the file “example.dat” or “example” if it is located in either the
current working directory or your home directory.

Multiple directories are specified using the standard syntax for the PATH
environment variable.

Sub-directory searching is requested by specifying the "wildcard" character ("*") as

the last directory component of a search path directory. If sub-directory searching
is requested, the directory specification up to (but not including) the wildcard
specification and all of its sub-directories will be searched for the input data file.
Note: If there are multiple files in the sub-directories with the same filename, it is
unpredictable which file will be located.
Notes: On LINUX, the "tilde" capability is supported. That is, if a directory in the list
starts with a tilde ("~"), it will be replaced with the home directory of the current
user if the tilde is the only character in the directory or if the tilde is followed by a
"/". If the tilde is followed by a character string, i.e., has the form "~name", the
entire "~name" specification be replaced by the home directory of user "name". If
the home directory information cannot be determined, the directory will be
skipped.

On LINUX, jidpath specifications on the command line that include any sub-
directory searching requests should be enclosed in quotes to prevent the Shell from
expanding the wildcard character. Quoting generally is not required for Windows.

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For example:
LINUX example: nast_ver example
jidpath=/models/a:/models/b
Windows Example: nast_ver example
jidpath=\models\a;\models\b
If sub-directory searching is to be enabled for the second directory, the specification
could be:
LINUX example: nast_ver example
jidpath="/models/a:/models/b/*"
Windows Example: nast_ver example
jidpath=\models\a;\models\b\*
Your specification of this value in RC files can include environment variable
references. On LINUX, use the standard shell “$name” or “${name}” syntax; on
Windows use the standard “%name%” syntax. This method, for example, could be
used to implement a "cumulative" search path specification

For example, if the current keyword value (e.g., "/new/path") is to be added to

the search path prior to the previous value, on LINUX, the keyword could be
specified as:

jidpath=/new/path:$MSC_JIDPATH

and if it is to be added at the end of the previous value, on Windows, the keyword
could be specified as:

jidpath=%MSC_JIDPATH%;/new/path
jidtype jidtype=file-type Default: dat
Specify an alternate default file-type of the input data file and any INCLUDE files.
Example: nast_ver example jidtype=bdf
This example will set the default file type to “bdf”, i.e., the nastran command will
look first for a file named “example.bdf”, and if that is not found for the file
“example”; if neither file is found, an error will be reported.

If you have not defined a value for the “jidtype” keyword, the nastran command will
set the keyword to the actual file type of the input data file.
Example: nast_ver example.bdf
The nastran command looks for “example.bdf.dat”, if that file does not exist, it then
looks for “example.bdf”. Assuming that file exists, and no other value for “jidtype”
has been defined, the nastran command sets “jidtype=bdf”.
ldqrkd ldqrkd=number Default: 0 (Version 68+ method)

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Selects the differential method for CQUAD4 and CTRIA3 elements. See the
Executing MSC Nastran in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more
information on this keyword.
locbulk locbulk=number Default: 0 (RESTART FMS statement)
Specifies that special Bulk Data processing is in effect. See the Executing MSC Nastran
in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
lock lock=keyword Default: None
The “lock” keyword can be used by a site or a user to prevent modification of a
keyword’s value.

For example, the following RC file lines will force all jobs to use accounting by
setting the “acct” keyword on and then preventing the keyword from being changed
later in an RC file, or on the command line:
Example: acct=yes
lock=acct
Once these lines are read, any attempt to set the “acct” keyword later in the same RC
file, in an RC file read after this file, or on the command line will be silently ignored.
See RC File Keywords in Appendix A for information on RC file and command line
processing.

The “lock” keyword may appear anywhere a keyword is accepted. The lock keyword
itself can be locked with “lock=lock”.
Example: authorize=license-spec
lock=authorize
Once these lines are read, any attempt to set the “authorize” keyword later in the
same RC file, in an RC file read after this file, in the environment via
“MSC_LICENSE_FILE” or “LM_LICENSE_FILE”, or on the command line will
be silently ignored.
lsymbol lsymbol=name=string Default: None
This keyword has the same general function and syntax as the "symbol" keyword
except that it defines a "local" symbolic (or logical) name. Symbols defined using
this keyword will not be passed to remote hosts, i.e., to hosts specified by the "node"
keyword. When the "node" keyword is not specified, this keyword is synonymous
with the "symbol" keyword.
maxlines maxlines=number Default: 999999999
Specifies the maximum number of output lines. See the Executing MSC Nastran in the
MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
memmin memmin=value Default: 16mb
Allows you to define the lower bound for all memory estimates. This bound is
applied after the "memco" value, that multiplies the actual estimate by a
"conservatism" factor.

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Example: prod_ver estimate example

memmin=8mb
This will set the minimum memory estimate to 8 MB.
This keyword may also be set with the MP_NODES environment variable. The
environment variable overrides the RC files; the command line overrides the
environmental variable.
memory memory=size Default: max
Specifies the amount of memory to allocate. If "memory=estimate" is specified,
ESTIMATE will be used to determine size. If "memory = max" is specified. memory
will be set to memorymaximum (divided by number of DMP processors per node).
bpool will be set to:

 25% of MEM for non SOL 101 or SOL 400.

 the remaining memory after memory estimate needed for the solver for
SOL 101 or SOL 400.
Otherwise, the size is specified as a memory size, see Specifying Memory Sizes.

If a value was not assigned to the “memory” keyword, or if “memory=estimate” was

specified and ESTIMATE failed to provide an estimate, the nastran command will
use the value specified by the “memorydefault” keyword. If the “memorydefault”
value is null, the nastran command will issue a fatal error and the job will end.

Example:
nast_ver example memory=200MB
The job is run using a memory size of 25 MW, or 25600 KW, or 26214400 words.

Example:
nast_ver example memory=0.5xPhysical
If run on Windows, the job is run using a memory size of half the computer’s
physical memory. If run on LINUX and the computer’s physical memory was not
defined using the “s.pmem” keyword, the job will fail.
memorydefault memorydefault=size Default: 8mw
Specifies the default memory size if a null value was defined for the “memory”
keyword, or “memory=estimate” was defined and the ESTIMATE utility failed to
provide an estimate.
Note: If a null value is defined for “memorydefault” and it is used as described above, the
job will not start.
memorymax memorymax=size Default: 0.5*physical

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Specifies the maximum memory size that may be requested. Any request in excess
of this will be limited to the “memorymaximum” value. See Specifying Memory Sizes
for MSC Nastran’s maximum memory limits.
Note: If size includes a reference to “physical” or “virtual”, and the value is not known, the
“memorymaximum” value will be silently ignored.
In the following examples, assume “memorymaximum=1gb” was set in an RC file.
Example: nast_ver example memory=900mb
The job is run using a memory size of 900MB.
Example: nast_ver example memory=1200mb
The job is run using a memory size of 1GB, i.e., the “memorymaximum” value set
in the RC file.

If multiple Nastran jobs are running simultaneously on the same node of a compute
system, it is recommended to set memorymax to 0.8*physical_memory divided by
the number of possible Nastran jobs running on the same node. Otherwise, one
might encounter an error due to lack of memory on small models. The error can be
avoided by using above setting in the system RC file or mem=size specified properly
for the job in the command line.
mergeresults mergeresults=yes,no Default: Yes
Specifies the results from each DMP task are to be merged into the standard files
from the parent host.

Setting “mergeresults=yes” will cause the output from all tasks to appear in the
output files for the parent task. That is, as if the analysis were run with one task.

Setting “mergeresults=no” will cause the output from each tasks to appear task-
specific output files. That is, each file will need to be examined to get all results.
Note: If “mergeresults=no” is specified in a static run the results of the individual domains
will not be sent back to the parent and the system solution will not be obtained.

The keyword “mergeresults” has no affect on a solution 103 or 111 run.

The only circumstances where “mergeresults=no” is recommended is where xdb files

are requested and intended to be attached using Patran in solution 108.

In solution 108, if “mergeresults=no” is specified and “childout=yes” is not specified,

then the results of the child processors will be lost.

In solution 108, it is possible to get a through-put advantage by saving

communication between the parent and children when “mergeresults=no” and
“childout=yes” is specified.
metime metime=number Default: -1

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Minimum time for execution summary table message. See the Executing MSC Nastran
in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
mindef mindef=number Default: 1 (do not check)
Indefinite Mass Matrix Check flag. See the Executing MSC Nastran in the MSC Nastran
Quick Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
minfront minfront=number Default: Machine dependent
Set the rank minimum front size in the sparse modules. See the Executing MSC Nastran
in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
This value may also be set with the "rank" keyword.
mode Deprecated. MODE =i8 is set running Installation to I8. MODE=I4 is no longer
supported.
mperturb mpreturb=number Default: 1 (do not perturb)
Set the perturbation factor for indefinite mass matrix. See the Executing MSC Nastran
in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
mpyad mpyad=number Default: See the MSC Nastran Quick
Reference Guide.
Selects/deselects multiplication method selection. This keyword may also be set
with the “sys66" command line keyword. See the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide
for information on the default value and legal values for this keyword.
msgbell msgbell=yes, no, bell Default: Yes
Specifies whether or not the job completion string will include an audible message
("bell" sound) or not. "Yes" or "bell" says that three "bell" sounds will be appended
to the job completion string. "No" suppresses the bell sounds.

msgcat msgcat=pathname Default: LINUX:

install_dir/prod_ver/arch/
analysis.msg

Windows:
install_dir\prod_ver\arch\
analysis.msg
The “msgcat” keyword specifies an alternate message catalog containing the
message text used for many MSC Nastran messages. A site or user can modify the
message file to include message text that is more appropriate to their operations,
compile the new catalog using the MSGCMP utility, and invoke the new catalog
using this keyword.
Example: nast_ver example
msgcat=mycat.msg
This example will use the file “mycat.msg” as the message catalog. See the sections
titled Customizing the Message Catalog and MSGCMP for additional information.

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Note: Message catalogs are computer-dependent, “Binary File Compatibility”, identifies

the systems that are binary compatible; binary compatible systems can use the
same message file.
nastran nastran keyword=value Default: None
Specifies a value for the NASTRAN statement.
Note: This keyword can only be specified in an RC file. If the last character of the
keyword value is a comma, or a quote or parenthetic expression is open, the next
line in the RC file is considered a continuation. The statement will continue until
the quote or parenthetic expression is closed and a line that is not ended by a
comma is found.
ncmd ncmd=command Default: print msg | write user tty
Specifies an alternate job completion notification command (see the “notify”
keyword). If this keyword is being set on the command line, and command
contains embedded spaces, enclose command in quotes.
If the specified command contains the two-character sequence {}, the sequence is
replaced by the text “MSC Nastran job name completed”.
Example: nast_ver example notify=yes
ncmd="print {} |
mail -s {} $(whoami)"
At the end of the job, mail is sent to the user submitting the job. The braces in the
“ncmd” value are replaced by the job completion text, and the modified command
is run:
print "MSC/NASTRAN job example completed" |
mail -s "MSC/NASTRAN job example completed" user
Windows example: nast_ver example “ncmd=echo
done”
The word “done” will be printed in the command window when the job
completes.
newhess newhess=number Default: See the MSC Nastran Quick
Reference Guide.
Requests the complex eigenvalue method. This keyword may also be set with the
“sys108" command line keyword. See EIGC in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference
Guide, and the MSC Nastran Numerical Methods User’s Guide for information on
the default value and legal values for this keyword.
news news=yes,no,auto Default: Yes
Displays the news file (install_dir/prod_ver/nast/news.txt on LINUX and
install_dir\prod_ver\nast\news.txt on Windows) in the F06 file. If “auto” is
specified, the news file is only displayed if it has been modified since the last time
it was displayed for you. If “yes” is specified, the news file is displayed in the F06
file regardless of when it was last changed. If “no” is specified, the news file is not
displayed in the F06 file.

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Example: nast_ver example news=yes

The news file is displayed in the F06 file after the title page block.
Note: The news file can also be displayed on the terminal by using the command:

nast_ver news
nlines nlines=number Default: 50
Specifies number of lines printed per page of output. See the Executing MSC Nastran
in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
node node=nodename Default: None
Executes the job on the specified node. See Running a Job on a Remote System, 103 for
additional information. This keyword may only be specified on the command
line.
Use the "username" keyword to specify an alternate user name on the remote
node.
Example: nast_ver nastran example
node=othernode
The job is run on the computer named "othernode".
If the remote node is a LINUX node, ssh/scp processing must be enabled.
If the remote node is a Windows node running Window 7 or 10, the
MSCRmtMgr program must be running on that node, either as a started service
or as a program running in a command prompt window.
notify notify=yes,no Default: Yes
Sends notification when the job is completed. See the “ncmd” keyword to define
an alternate notification command.
Note: If the job is queued using the “queue” keyword, or the job is already running in
an NQS batch job, the default is “notify=no”.
Example: nast_ver example notify=yes
nsegadd nsegadd=number Default: 2
Number of segments in the element error table in adaptive analysis. See the
Executing MSC Nastran (p. 1) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more
information on this keyword.
numseg numseg=number Default: See text.
Sets the number of segments for the Lanczos High Performance Option. See EIGRL
(p. 1755) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for information on the
default value and legal values for this keyword.
Note: In a DMP job, the default is the number of tasks specified by the “dmparallel”
keyword.
old old=yes,no Default: Yes

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Saves previous copies of the F04, F06, LOG, OP2, OUT, PCH, and PLT output
files using sequence numbers (additional user-specified file types can be versioned
with the “oldtypes” keyword). Sequence numbers are appended to the keyword
filename and are separated by a period.
If “yes” is specified, the highest sequence number of each of the output files is
determined. The highest sequence number found is incremented by one to
become the new sequence number. Then, all current output files that do not
include sequence numbers are renamed using the new sequence number as a type.
Example: nast_ver example old=yes
For example, assume your current working directory contains the following files:
v2401.dat v2401.f04 v2401.f06 v2401.log
v2401.f04.1 v2401.f06.1 v2401.log.1
v2401.f04.2 v2401.log.3
Apparently, the user ran the job four times, but deleted some of the files, e.g.,
v2401.f04.3, v2401.f06.2, and v2401.f06.3. When the job is run again with
“old=yes”, the files are renamed as follows: v2401.f04 is renamed to v2401.f04.4,
v2401.f06 is renamed to v2401.f06.4, and v2401.log is renamed to v2401.log.4.
The sequence number 4 is used because it is one greater than the highest sequence
number of all of the selected files (the highest being v2401.log.3).
oldtypes oldtypes=list Default: None
Specifies additional file types that will be subject to versioning and deletion via the
“old” keyword. The items in the list may be separated by either spaces or commas;
they should not include the leading “.”. You may specify file types that do not
exist.
Example: nast_ver example
oldtypes=xdb,mytype
The files “example.xdb” and “example.mytype” will be subject to versioning or
deletion as specified by the “old” keyword.
This keyword may also be set by the MSC_OLDTYPES environment variable.
The environment variable overrides the RC files, and the command line overrides
the environment variable.
Intel oneAPI Intel oneAPI=true,false Default: false
UDS jobs will use Intel oneAPI compilers when applicable. Please see Using the
Advanced Functions of MSC Nastran for details.
This option may not be set in RC files.
out out=pathname Default: .

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Saves the output files using a different file prefix or in a different directory. If “out”
is not specified, the output files are saved in the current directory using the
basename of the input data file as a prefix. If the “out” value is a directory, output
files are created in the specified directory using the basename of the input data file
as the filename.
In the following examples, assume the current directory includes sub-directories
“mydir” and “other”, and that an “example.dat” exists in both the current
directory and “other”. That is, ./example.dat, ./mydir, ./other, and
./other/example.dat exist on LINUX; and .\example.dat, .\mydir, .\other, and
.\other\example.dat exist on Windows.
Example: nast_ver example
or: nast_ver other/example
Output files are created in the current directory with the name “example”, e.g.,
./example.f06 on LINUX and .\example.f06 on Windows.
Example: nast_ver example out=myfile
Output files are created in the current directory with the name “myfile”, e.g.,
./myfile.f06 on LINUX and .\myfile.f06 on Windows.
Example: nast_ver example out=mydir
Output files are created in the mydir directory with the name “example”, e.g.,
./mydir/example.f06 on LINUX and .\mydir\example.f06 on Windows.
Example: nast_ver example
out=mydir/myfile
Output files are created in the mydir directory with the name “myfile”, e.g.,
./mydir/myfile.f06 on LINUX and .\mydir\myfile.f06 on Windows.

parallel parallel = value Default: 0

Specify the Number of processors used for Shared Memory Parallel
Example: nast_ver example parallel=2
The job is run in SMP mode on a maximum of two cores.

pause pause=keyword Default: no

Pause the nastran command before exiting to wait for the “Enter” or “Return” key
to be pressed. This can be useful when the nastran command is embedded within
another program. The values are “fatal”, “information”, “warning”, “yes”, and
“no”. Setting “pause=yes” will unconditionally wait; “pause=fatal”,
“pause=warning”, and “pause=information” will only wait if a fatal, warning, or
information message has been issued by the nastran command. The default is
“pause=no”, i.e., do not wait when the nastran command ends.

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post post=command_string Default: None

Runs the specified command after the job has completed and after the F06, F04,
and LOG files have been concatenated if “append=yes” is specified. Commands
with spaces in the path, arguments or linux pipes should be put in a single
command file and “post=” should point to that command. For example, consider
the windows batch script in a directory with spaces and command line arguments:
D:\scratch>type "a b\c.bat"
echo off
echo in c.bat
echo %1
There are spaces in the path and the command has arguments, resulting in
additional spaces. To execute, create a command file with appropriate quotes:
D:\scratch>type cmd.bat
"a b\c.bat" x
This command can then be run with "post=cmd.bat":
Similar structures may be used on Linux with pipes, wildcards, etc.
Note: In order to allow the “post” keyword to operate on the output files, the standard
output from the post commands is not written to the output files.
ppcdelta ppcdelta=time Default: None
(LINUX)
Note: The following capability is dependent upon the queue submission commands
defined by the “submit” keyword and your queuing system. The capability or
examples may not work on your system.
Specifies the amount of time to subtract from the specified CPU time to
determine the per-process CPU time limit. This subtraction will ensure that MSC
Nastran does not consume all of the time allocated to the job.
The value can be specified as either “hours:minutes:seconds”, “minutes:seconds”, or
“seconds”, and will always be converted to the number of seconds.
Example: nast_ver example
queue=small cpu=1000
ppcdelta=5
The job is submitted to the small queue with a total CPU time limit of 1000
seconds; the MSC Nastran job will be limited to 995 seconds.
ppmdelta ppmdelta=memory_size Default: 105% of executable size
(LINUX)
Note: The following capability is dependent upon the queue submission commands
defined by the “submit” keyword and your queuing system. The capability or
examples may not work on your system.

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Specifies the amount of memory to add to the “memory” value to determine

“ppm”, the per-process memory value. The per-process limit is the total amount
of memory that each process may acquire. This includes the executable, open core
memory (via the “memory” keyword), disk file buffers, and etc. (Altix systems also
include EAG FFIO cache).
The size is specified as a memory size, see Specifying Memory Sizes, 63.
If size is less than 1000, then “ppmdelta” equals size divided by 100 and multiplied
by the size of the executable, i.e., 105 specifies the default 105% of executable
size.
If size is greater than 1000, but less than the size of the executable, then
“ppmdelta” equals size plus the executable size.
If size exceeds the size of the executable, then “ppmdelta” equals size.
Example: nast_ver example
queue=small mem=100m
ppmdelta=10m
The job is submitted to the small queue with a memory size of 100 MW, and a
per-process memory limit of 110 MW.
pre pre=command_string Default: None
Runs the specified command before the job begins. Commands with spaces in the
path, arguments or linux pipes should be put in a single command file and "pre="
should point to that command. See post for examples
See Environment Variables, 217, for a list of environment variables that may be used
in a “pre” command.

prmdelta prmdelta=size Default: 5120

(LINUX)
Note: The following capability is dependent upon the queue submission commands
defined by the “submit” keyword and your queuing system. The capability or
examples may not work on your system.
Specifies the amount of memory to add to the specified “ppm” value to determine
“prm”, the per-request or per-job memory value. The per-job limit is the total
amount of memory that all processes in the job may acquire. This includes the
MSC Nastran process plus any other concurrent or parent processes. The
minimum value is 5120 words = 5120*8 bytes.

The size is specified as a memory size, see Specifying Memory Sizes, 63.
Example: nast_ver example
queue=small prmdelta=10k
The per-job memory limit is 10 KW larger than the per-process memory limit.

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processor processor=file_type Default: Computer dependent

Specifies the file type of the solver executable. On some computers, MSC Nastran
provides more than one executable. The baseline executable has the filename
“analysis” on LINUX and “analysis.exe” on Windows. Other, advanced-
architecture executables are named “analysis.file_type” on LINUX and
“analysis.file_type.exe” on Windows. The nastran command will select the correct
executable based on the current computer. In some cases, it may be desirable to
use one of the other executables. For example, to run the baseline executable on
an advanced system, specify “proc=”. To run an advanced-architecture on a new
computer not correctly identified by the nastran command, specify
“proc=file_type”.
Note: This keyword overrides the processor selection logic. Specification of an
incompatible executable may cause errors or incorrect operations.
punch punch=number Default: 7
Specifies FORTRAN unit number for PUNCH file. See the Executing MSC Nastran
(p. 1) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this
keyword.
q4skew q4skew=number Default: 30.0
Minimum allowable value of skew for the CQUAD4 element. See the Executing
MSC Nastran (p. 1) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more
information on this keyword.
q4taper q4taper=number Default: 30.0
Maximum allowable value of taper for the CQUAD4 element. See the Executing
MSC Nastran (p. 1) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more
information on this keyword.
qclass qclass=string Default: None
(LINUX) The following capability is dependent upon the queue submission commands
defined by the “submit” keyword and your queuing system. The capability or
examples may not work on your system.
qoption qoption=string Default: None
(LINUX)
Note: The following capability is dependent upon the queue submission commands
defined by the “submit” keyword and your queuing system. The capability or
examples may not work on your system.

Defines the options to add to the queue submittal command. See the “submit”
keyword.
Example: nast_ver example
queue=small qoption=-mu

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Keywords and Environment Variables

The job is run with the additional job submission parameter “-mu” if the keyword
reference %qopt% was included in the queue’s command definition.
quadint quadint=number Default: 0 (quadratic)
Specifies quadratic or linear interpolation for line search method in nonlinear
analysis. See the Executing MSC Nastran (p. 1) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference
Guide for more information on this keyword.
queue queue=string Default: None
(LINUX)
Note: The following capability is dependent upon the queue submission commands
defined by the “submit” keyword and your queuing system. The capability or
examples may not work on your system.
Specifies the name of the queue to use for job submittal. This keyword requires
the submit keyword to define the available queues and queue submittal
commands. See the “submit” keyword.
Example: nast_ver example queue=small
This example submits the job to the small queue.
radlst radlst=number Default: 0
Print radiation area summary. See the Executing MSC Nastran (p. 1) in the MSC
Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
radmtx radmtx=number Default: 0
Type of radiation exchange coefficients. See the Executing MSC Nastran (p. 1) in the
MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
rank rank=number Default: See System Descriptions, 227
Sets both SYSTEM(198) and SYSTEM(205) to the specified value.
SYSTEM(198) and SYSTEM(205) set the minimum front size and number of
rows that are simultaneously updated, respectively, in sparse symmetric
decomposition and FBS. The sparse solver will build a front, a k k sub matrix,
until k is at least as large as SYSTEM(198). Once a sufficiently large front has been
built, it is updated m rows at a time, where m is the value of SYSTEM(205).

For best performance, SYSTEM  205   SYSTEM  198  . The optimal

values for these system cells is problem and processor dependent; the default
values for these system cells are set to processor-dependent values.
The actual value used for SYSTEM(205) may be found in the F04 file in the text
of USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 4157 as the RANK OF UPDATE value.
See Table 3-5 for the default values of these system cells.
rcf rcf=pathname Default: None

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Specifies the name of the local RC file. If this keyword is not specified, the local
RC files located in the input data file’s directory are used. See Command Initialization
and Runtime Configuration Files, 138 in Appendix A for information about the names
of these files.
Example: nast_ver example rcf=nast.rcf
The nastran command will process ./nast.rcf on LINUX, or .\nast.rcf on
Windows in lieu of the default local RC files.
rcmd rcmd=pathname Default: See text.
(LINUX) Specifies the path of the nastran command on the remote system when remote
processing has been requested via the “node” keyword. If this value is not set, the
nastran command will first try its own absolute path on the remote system, if this
fails, the path will be removed, i.e., the default PATH of the remote system will
be used.
Example: nast_ver example
rcmd=/msc/bin/nast20231
The pathname of the nastran command on the remote system is explicitly defined
as /msc/bin/nast20231. If this file does not exist, or is otherwise not executable,
the job will fail.
rdbs rdbs=pathname_prefix Default: .
Remote Node alternate user database prefix. Overrides "scratch=yes" and "dbs=".
If the prefix is a directory, 'jid-basename' is appended. The default on the remote
node is "dbs=./'jid-basename'". This keyword is ignored unless "node=" is
specified.
rdelivery rdelivery=pathname, MSCDEF Default: MSCDEF
Remote Node alternate delivery database prefix or "MSCDEF". This keyword
overrides all MSC-supplied solution sequences. See Creating and Attaching Alternate
Delivery Databases, 131 for further information on alternate delivery databases. If a
directory is not specified, the default delivery database directory is assumed. The
default is "rdelivery=MSCDEF. This keyword is ignored unless "node=" is
specified.
real real=size Default: See text.
Specifies the amount of open core memory that certain numerical modules will
be restricted to. This keyword may be used to reduce paging, at the potential
expense of spilling. The keyword may also be set with the “sys81" keyword. See
the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for further information.

The size is specified as a memory size, see Specifying Memory Sizes, 63.

On LINUX systems, the default is “0”. On Windows systems, the default is

calculated using “realdelta”.

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realdelta realdelta=size Default: 12MB

(Windows) Specifies the difference between physical memory and the “real” parameter if
neither “real” nor “sys81” were set.
The size is specified as a memory size, see Specifying Memory Sizes, 63.
If size is greater than 1000, the value is subtracted from the physical memory size.
If size is less than 1000, it is assumed to be a percentage of the physical memory
size.
Example: nast_ver example realdelta=50
The “real” value will be set to 50% of the physical memory if no value has been
assigned to “real” or SYSTEM(81).
repinfo repinfo=info_value Default: 1
Specifies the Symbolic Substitution report level. This information is printed at
the end of the .f06 file, after the “END OF JOB” record. This keyword may be
specified in initialization or RC files and on the command line. A value of 0
suppresses the report entirely. The maximum value is 8.
repsym repsym=name=string Default: None
Defines a Symbolic Substitution variable name and value. This keyword may be
specified in initialization or RC files and on the command line. The symbol
definition may include references to previously defined symbols or environment
variables using the standard “$name” or “${name}” syntax on LINUX or
%name% syntax on Windows. For convenience, the character separating the
"repsym" and “name” specification and the “name” and “string” specification may
be either an equal sign (“=”) or a hash mark (“#”). The use of a hash mark allows
this keyword to be specified as an argument to a Windows .bat file.
Symbolic Substitution names are processed in the order they are encountered
while processing the initialization and RC files and the command line. If a
duplicate name is encountered, the new value replaces the previously specified
value.
Symbolic names must be 16 characters or less, the value assigned to the symbolic
name must be 256 characters or less.
repwidth repwidth=width_spec Default: exact,exact
Specifies the width information to be used in Symbolic Symbol substitution. This
keyword may be specified in initialization or RC files and on the command line.
rexecutable rexecutable=pathname Default: Computer dependent
Remote Node alternate solver executable. This keyword overrides all architecture
and processor selection logic. If a directory is not specified, the default executable
directory is assumed. This keyword is ignored unless "node=" is specified.
rgmconn rgmconn=pathname Default: None

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Remote Node Geometric evaluator connection file. See the description of the
"gmconn" keyword for more detailed information. This keyword is ignored
unless "node=" is specified.
rmsgcat rmsgcag=pathname Default: See msgcat= keyword
Remote Node binary message catalog path name. If a directory is not specified,
the default executable directory is assumed. This keyword is ignored unless
"node=" is specified.

rdebug rdebug=yes, no, number Default: Yes

This keyword controls what, if any, debug settings ("-d" options) are propagated
to a remote node. "Yes" will send all current debug flags (except for "SHELL"
and "RSHELL"), "no" will not pass any current debug flags. Specifying a number
will set the remote debug flags to that value, where a value of "0" is equivalent to
"no". This keyword is ignored unless "node" is specified.
rostype rostype=windows, 1, linux, 2 Default: None
Specifies the remote node operating system type. "Windows" and "1" are
equivalent. "Linux" and "2" are equivalent. If this keyword is not specified, the
nastran command will attempt to determine the remote node operating system
type dynamically. This type code is used to determine the format of the remote
commands used, for example, to test for file existence or to delete temporary files
on the remote node. Also, if "rrmtuse" is not specified, this keyword will
determine what communications programs are used, where "Windows" is
equivalent to "rrmtuse=mscrmtcmd" and "Linux" is equivalent to "rrmtuse=ssh".
This keyword is ignored unless "node" is specified.
rrmtuse rmtuse=mscrmtcmd, 1, ssh, 2 Default: None
Specifies which communications programs are to be used to access the remote
node. "mscrmtcmd" and "1" are equivalent. "ssh" and "2" are equivalent. If
"ssh" is specified, the remote node will be assumed to be a LINUX system. If this
keyword is not specified and if the "rostype" keyword is specified, "mscrmtcmd"
will be assumed if the "rostype" value is "windows" and "ssh" will be assumed if
the "rostype" value is "unix". This keyword is ignored unless "node" is specified.
rsdirectory rsdirectory=pathname Default: See sdirectory= keyword
Remote Node directory for scratch files. This is the default directory for user
database files if "scratch=yes". If this keyword is not specified, the "sdirectory"
value is used. Please see the description of the "sdirectory" keyword for the
default value. This keyword is ignored unless "node=" is specified.
rtimeout rtimeout=number Default: 60
Specifies the timeout value, in seconds, to be used by "mscrmtcmd" (or the
program defined by the "s.rmtcmd" keyword) in accessing a remote node. This
keyword is ignored unless "node" is specified.

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s.rmtcmd s.rmtcmd=pathname Default: mscrmtcmd

Specifies the full pathname to the MSC Remote command used to communicate
with Windows or Linux systems. This keyword may only be specified in the
Initialization file or on the command line. This keyword is ignored unless "node"
is specified.
scr300 scr300=number Default: 2 (create)
Requests creation of SCR300 partition on SCRATCH DBset. See the Executing
MSC Nastran (p. 1) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more
information on this keyword.
scr300co scr300co=value Default: 1
Allows you to define a factor to scale SCR300 estimates. This scale factor is
applied before the "scr300min" value, that provides a lower bound for SCR300
estimates.
Example: prod_ver estimate example
scr300co=2
This will double the SCR300 disk estimate and then apply the "scr300min" lower
bound.
Example: prod_ver estimate example
scr300co=0.5
This will halve the SCR300 disk estimate. An estimate less than the lower bound
specified by "scr300min" will be set to the lower bound.
scr300del scr300del=number Default: 100
Sets minimum number of blocks of SCR300 partition of SCRATCH DB set at
which it is deleted. See the Executing MSC Nastran (p. 1) in the MSC Nastran Quick
Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
scr300min scr300min=value Default: 1mb
Allows you to define the lower bound for all SCR300 estimates. This bound is
applied after the "scr300co" value, that multiplies the actual estimate by a
"conservatism" factor.
Example: prod_ver estimate example
scr300min=2mb
This will set the minimum SCR300 disk estimate to 2 MB.

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scratch scratch=yes,no,mini,post Default: No

Deletes the database files at the end of the run. If the database files are not
required, “scratch=yes” can be used to remove them preventing cluttering of the
directory with unwanted files. If “mini” is specified, a reduced size database that
can only be used for data recovery restarts will be created. See Chapter 12: Interface
With Other Programs of the MSC Nastran Reference Guide for further details on the
“mini” database. If scratch=post is specified, a reduced size database intended for
use by Patran or the toolkit will be created. Scratch=post also performs the actions
of NASTRAN INDEX=19.
Example: nast_ver example scratch=yes
All database files created by the run are deleted at the end of the job in the same
way as the FMS statement INIT MASTER(S).
scratchco scratchco=value Default: 1
Allows the user to define a factor to scale SCRATCH estimates. This scale factor
is applied before the "scratchmin" value, that provides a lower bound for
SCRATCH estimates.
Example: prod_ver estimate example
scratchco=2
This will double the SCRATCH disk estimate and then apply the "scratchmin"
lower bound.
Example: prod_ver estimate example
scratchco=0.5
This will halve the SCRATCH disk estimate. An estimate less than the lower
bound specified by "scratchmin" will be set to the lower bound.
scratchmin scratchmin=value Default: 1mb
Allows you to define the lower bound for all SCRATCH estimates. This bound
is applied after the "scratchco" value, that multiplies the actual estimate by a
"conservatism" factor.
Example: prod_ver estimate example
scratchmin=2mb
This will set the minimum SCRATCH disk estimate to 2 MB.
scrsave scrsave=number Default: 0 (do not reuse)
Lanczos High Performance Option that controls reuse of scratch files in segment
logic. See the Executing MSC Nastran (p. 1) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference
Guide for more information on this keyword.

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sdball sdball=size Default: Computer dependent

Specifies an alternate default size for the DBALL DBset. The computer-
dependent default is listed in Computer Dependent Defaults, 230. This default is
overridden by an INIT FMS statement. If the value “sdball=estimate” is specified,
ESTIMATE will be used to determine a suitable default.
The size is specified as the number of blocks (BUFFSIZE words long) or the
number of words or bytes followed by one of the modifiers: "T", "TW", "TB",
"G", "GW", "GB", "M", "MW", "MB", "K", "KW", "KB", "W", "B". See
"Specifying Memory Sizes, 63 for a description of these modifiers.
Note: No attempt is made to verify if the DBALL DBset can ever grow to the size
specified by this keyword.
Example: nast_ver example sdball=1024gb
Defines the default size of the DBALL DBset as 1TB.
Example: nast_ver example sdball=.5tb
Defines the default size of the DBALL DBset as .5TB or 512GB.
sdirectory sdirectory=directory Default: See text.
Note: See Determining System Limits, 44 for information on estimating a job’s total disk
space requirements.
Specifies the directory to use for temporary scratch files created during the run.
MSC Nastran can create very large scratch files, the scratch directory should
contain sufficient space to store any scratch files created during a run. You must
have read, write, and execute privileges to the directory.
LINUX: The default value is taken from the TMPDIR environment variable if it
is set to a non-null value. Otherwise the computer’s default temporary file
directory is chosen; this is usually /tmp.
Windows: The default value is taken from the TEMP environment variable.
LINUX example: nast_ver example sdir=/scratch
Scratch files are created in the /scratch directory.
Windows example: nast_ver example
sdir=d:\scratch
Scratch files are created in the d:\scratch directory
If a DMP run was selected with dmparallel  1 , unique task-specific scratch
directories may be set for each host using the standard PATH separator, i.e, “:” on
LINUX and “;” on Windows, to separate entries. The directories will be paired
with each host in a round-robin order, that is, the list will be reused if more tasks
than directories are specified.
See Running Distributed Memory Parallel (DMP) Jobs, 111 for additional information.

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LINUX example: nast_ver example dmp=4 \

sdir=/scratch1:/scratch2
In this example, /scratch1 will be used for the first and third tasks, while /scratch2
will be used for the second and fourth tasks.
smaster smaster=size Default: Computer dependent
Specifies an alternate default size for the MASTER DBset. The computer-
dependent default is listed in Computer Dependent Defaults, 230. This default is
overridden by an INIT FMS statement.
The size is specified as the number of blocks (BUFFSIZE words long) or the
number of words or bytes followed by one of the modifiers: "T", "TW", "TB",
"G", "GW", "GB", "M", "MW", "MB", "K", "KW", "KB", "W", "B". See
Specifying Memory Sizes, 63 for a description of these modifiers.
Note: No attempt is made to verify if the MASTER DBset can ever grow to the size
specified by this keyword.
Example: nast_ver example smaster=1024gb
Defines the default size of the MASTER DBset as 1TB.
Example: nast_ver example smaster=.5tb
Defines the default size of the MASTER DBset as .5TB or 512GB.
smemory smemory=value Default: 100
Specifies the amount of space in memory to reserve for scratch memory.
The size is specified as the number of blocks (BUFFSIZE words long) or the
number of words or bytes followed by one of the modifiers: "T", "TW", "TB",
"G", "GW", "GB", "M", "MW", "MB", "K", "KW", "KB", "W", "B". See
Specifying Memory Sizes, 63 for a description of these modifiers. The value specified
using this keyword may be overridden by the FMS statement INIT SCRATCH
(MEM=value).
Example: nast_ver example smem=200
This example reserves 200 GINO blocks for scratch memory.
Example: nast_ver example smem=4mw
This example reserves 4,194,304 words for scratch memory.
Example: nast_ver example smem=2.5mw
This example reserves 2,621,440 words for scratch memory.
smp smp=value Default: 0
Specifies the maximum number of processors selected for shared-memory parallel
(SMP) processing in several numeric modules. SMP processing reduces elapsed
time at the expense of increased CPU time. The default is 0, which specifies no
SMP processing. If “smp=1", the parallel algorithms are used on one processor.

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Note: If you need to vary the number of SMP processors during a job, you must set
either the “smp” keyword or SYSTEM(107) on a MSC NASTRAN statement to
the maximum number of SMP processors that will be requested. Some systems
cannot process a DMAP request for processors in excess of this initial value.
solve solve=option Default: None
solve=auto will automatically set the memory, cores, and solver based on your
model and available hardware. This option may be put on the command line or
User's RC files. Solve=train will train a system for memory required for the
Pardiso sovler. See the HPC Guide for more information.

SOLVE=AUTO may under predict memory for models with CPYRAM

elements.
sparse sparse=number Default: See QRG.
Sparse matrix method selection. This keyword may also be set with the “sys126"
command line keyword. See the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for information
on the default value and legal values for this keyword.
sscr sscr=size Default: Computer dependent
Specifies an alternate default size for the SCRATCH DBset. The computer-
dependent default is listed in Computer Dependent Defaults. This default is
overridden by an INIT FMS statement. If the value “sscr=estimate” is specified,
ESTIMATE will be used to determine a suitable default.
The size is specified as the number of blocks (BUFFSIZE words long) or the
number of words or bytes followed by one of the modifiers: "T", "TW", "TB",
"G", "GW", "GB", "M", "MW", "MB", "K", "KW", "KB", "W", "B". See
Specifying Memory Sizes for a description of these modifiers.
Note: No attempt is made to verify if the SCRATCH DBset can ever grow to the size
specified by this keyword.
Example: nast_ver example sscr=1024gb
Defines the default size of the SCRATCH DBset as 1 TB.
Example: nast_ver example sscr=.5tb
Defines the default size of the SCRATCH DBset as .5TB or 512GB.
submit submit=[list=]definition Default: None
(LINUX) Defines the command and options used to run a job when the “queue” keyword
is specified. The “submit” keyword, only specified in RC files, consists of an
optional queue list, followed by the command definition for the specified queues
as shown below:
submit=list=command
submit=command

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When specified, the list contains one or more “queue” names separated by
commas. If a queue list is not supplied, the command applies to all queues.
The command section of the “submit” keyword value defines the command used
to run a job when a “queue” keyword is supplied that matches a queue name in
the list. The command can contain keyword names enclosed in percent “%” signs
that are replaced with the value of the keyword before the command is run. A
complete description of the command is found in Customizing Queue Commands
(LINUX).

symbol symbol=name=string Default: None

Defines a symbolic (or logical) name used in ASSIGN and INCLUDE statements
and in command line arguments. This keyword may be specified in initialization
or RC files and on the command line. The symbol definition may include
references to previously defined symbols or environment variables using the
standard "$name" or "${name}" syntax on LINUX or %name% syntax on
Windows. For convenience, the character separating the "symbol" and "name"
specification and the "name" and "string" specification may be either an equal sign
("='") or a hash mark ("#"). The use of a hash mark allows this keyword to be
specified as an argument to a Windows .bat file.
If "node" is specified, symbolic names defined using this keyword are not used on
the local system. Instead the specified values are passed to the remote system.
This means that any pathnames must be valid on the remote system. Use the
"lsymbol" keyword to specify symbolic names for the local system.
If "node" is not specified, symbolic names defined using the "lsymbol" keyword
are processed as if they were defined using the "symbol" keyword.
Symbolic names are processed in the order they are encountered while processing
the initialization and RC files and the command line. If a duplicate symbolic
name is encountered, the new value replaces the previously specified value.
Symbolic names must be 16 characters or less, the value assigned to the symbolic
name must be 256 characters or less. If the symbolic name used in an ASSIGN
or INCLUDE statement or in command line arguments is not defined, it is left
in the filename specification as is.
For example, many of the TPL and DEMO input data files have ASSIGN
statements such as the following:
ASSIGN 'MASTER=DBSDIR:abc.master'
The string "DBSDIR:" specifies a symbolic name that is to be replaced by another
string. The replaced string is defined by the "symbol=" keyword (or "lsymbol="
keyword if "node" was not specified) in an initialization or RC file, on the
command line, or as environment variable. For example,
(LINUX) symbol=DBSDIR=/dbs

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(Windows) symbol=DBSDIR=d:\dbs
When the previous ASSIGN statement is processed, the filename assigned to the
logical name MASTER is /dbs/abc.master on LINUX and
d:\dbs\abc.master on Windows. An alternate way of defining symbolic
names is through the use of environment variables. For example, typing the
following command
export DBSDIR=/dbs
at a Korn shell prompt, or
setenv DBSDIR /dbs
at a C-shell prompt, or
set DBSDIR=d:\dbs
at a Windows shell prompt, is equivalent to the "symbol" keyword definition.
Note: If a symbolic name is defined by both a symbol statement in an RC file and by an
environment variable, the symbol statement value will be used.
The section titled Environment Variables contains a list of environment variables that
are automatically created by the nastran command. Of particular interest to the
logical symbol feature are the OUTDIR and DBSDIR variables. These variables
refer to the directory that will contain the output files (set using the "out"
keyword) and the directory that will contain the permanent database files (set
using the "dbs" keyword), respectively.
sysfield sysfield=option,option,... Default: None
Defines a global SYS value that is applied to Dbsets. Each option must have one
of the following formats:

keyword=value

or

LNAMEXP(keyword=value,keyword=value,...)
where:
LNAMEXP = specifies a logical name
expression using the
LINUX/Windows file name
specification format
Characters may be specified in any case. Internally, they are converted to upper-
case before they are used.
Most characters in a substitution pattern match themselves but you can also use
some special pattern-matching characters in the pattern.
These special characters are:

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* = Matches any string,

including the null string.
? = Matches any one character.

[...] = Matches any one of the characters enclosed in the square brackets.
[!...] = Matches any one character other than one of the characters that follow
the exclamation mark within square brackets.

Inside square brackets, a pair of characters separated by a - (minus)

specifies a set of all characters that collate within the range of that pair,
as defined by the ASCII collating sequence, so that [a-dy] is
equivalent to [abcdy].
keyword=value = Specifies a keyword and value to be used for the Dbset file. If the entry
is part of an option qualified by an LNAMEXP expression, the keyword
and value will only be used for a Dbset file whose logical name is
selected by the expression specified by LNAMEXP. Otherwise, the
keyword and value will be used for all Dbset files. Note that a null
LNAMEXP expression will match any logical name.

The "sysfield" keyword may be specified more than once. The options are
processed in the order specified on the various specifications. If multiple
"keyword=value" options specify the same keyword, the last one encountered is
the one that is used. You may use the "whence" keyword to see the "sysfield"
keyword values. Also, the "sysfield" keywords are listed in the LOG file.

See the sections titled Using the SYS Field or SYS Parameter Keywords for details on the
valid keyword options.
Example: nast_ver example sysfield=lock=no
This example disables file locking for all Dbsets.
Example: nast_ver example sysfield=lock=no
sysfield=scr*(mapio=yes,lock=yes)
This example disables file locking for all files and then enables filemapping
("mapio=yes") and turns file locking back on for Dbsets whose logical names
start with "SCR". The end result is that file locking is disabled for all Dbsets
except those whose logical names start with "SCR" and file mapping and file
locking are enabled for Dbsets whose logical names start with "SCR".

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sysn sysn=value Default: None

Sets the SYSTEM(n) cell to value. This keyword may be repeated any number of
times. All non-repeated cells are used, but only the last repeated cell is used. If
there is a "name" associated with the SYSTEM(n) value, that keyword will also be
set to value. The System Cell number to System Cell name equivalence is listed in
the Executing MSC Nastran in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide. The form
"system(n)=value" may be used, but the entire keyword-value string must be
quoted when used on a LINUX command line.
Example: nast_ver example sys114=200
or nast_ver example
"system(114)=200"
These examples set SYSTEM(114) to 200 GINO blocks. The second example
shows how to quote the parenthetic form. Also, in this example, since
SYSTEM(114) has the name "BUFFPOOL", the value of the "buffpool" keyword
is also set to 200 GINO blocks.
t3skew t3skew=number Default: 30.0
Controls minimum vertex angle for TRIA3 elements at which User Warning
Message 5491 is issued. See the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide, Section 1, The
NASTRAN Statement, for more information on this keyword.
tetraar tetraar=number Default: 100.0
Specifies maximum allowable aspect ratio of longest to shortest edge for the
CTETRA element. See the Executing MSC Nastran in the MSC Nastran Quick
Reference Guide for more information on this keyword.
uds Path to User Defined Subroutine Default: none
name
User defined subroutine source file name. Refer to the MSC Nastran User Defined
Services User’s Guide for more details.
username username=name Default: Current user name
(LINUX) Specifies an alternate username on the remote host when the “node” keyword is
specified. This keyword may only be specified on the command line.
Example: nast_ver example node=othernode
user=fred
This example will run MSC Nastran on node othernode as user “fred”.
usparse usparse=number Default: See the description below.
Unsymmetrix sparse matrix method selection. This keyword may also be set with
the “sys209" command line keyword. See the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for
information on the default value and legal values for this keyword.
version version=version_number Default: Latest installed version.

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Specifies the version number. The keyword may only be specified on the
command line or in the command initialization file.
Example: nast_ver example version=2023.1
This example will run MSC Nastran V2023.1 assuming it has been installed in
the same installation base directory as this version of MSC Nastran.
whence whence=keyword_list Default: None
Displays value and source for listed keywords. This keyword may be used to
determine a keyword's value and where it was set. An input datafile (JID) is
optional; the job will not be run. If the "node" keyword is specified, the request
will be passed to the remote node for processing. Otherwise, information will be
displayed for the local node. If multiple "whence" keywords are specified, the
keywords in the various keyword lists will be concatenated, except that if a null list
is specified, all existing keywords in the accumulated list will be deleted. Any
keywords in the "keyword_list" that have the format "sysn" will attempt to return
the value associated with the System Cell name associated with system cell n, if
possible. The entries in the "keyword_list" may also request information about a
PARAM name. These entries have the format "p:name", where "name" is the
PARAM name (not the name of the associated PARAM keyword, if any).
Normally, the output is two lines for each keyword. The first line specifies the
"source", i.e., from where the keyword value is obtained; the second line specifies
the keyword and its value. The only exception is when the keyword is "symbol",
"system" or "j.params". In these cases, there will be multiple lines of keyword
value information. If an unknown keyword is specified, a "User Warning
Message" will be generated and the keyword will be ignored.
Example: nast_ver iter=yes
whence=sys1,bpool
whence=sscr,iter
Assuming that none of these values is modified in configuration files, the output
from this request is:
MSC Nastran V2023.1 (...) ...
$ internal default
sys1=8193
$ internal default
bpool=37
$ internal default
sscr=250000
$ command line[1]

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 APPENDIX B 215
Keywords and Environment Variables

iter=yes
xdbold xdbold={yes|no} Default=yes
Keeps or deletes the previous copy of the .xdb.
If "yes" is specified, the previous copy is kept and
appended by the current run.
If "no" is specified, the previous copy is deleted and a
new file is created. This gives the same behavior as below
FMS statement:
ASSIGN dbc=<file_name>.xdb delete
Example: nast20231 example xdbold=no

SYS Parameter Keywords

The following keywords may be used for DBset files and for DBC Fortran files.

async async=yes,no,must Default: No

(See Table 4-7) This keyword specifies the file is to be read using asynchronous I/O. If
“async=yes” is specified and a memory allocation operation fails, then
unbuffered disk I/O will be used. If “async=must” is specified and a memory
allocation operation fails, then a fatal error will be issued and the job
terminated. See Using Asynchronous I/O for further information.
buffio buffio=yes,no,must Default: No
(See Table 4-7) This keyword specifies the file is to be buffered. If “buffio=yes” is specified and
a memory allocation operation fails, then unbuffered disk I/O will be used. If
“buffio=must” is specified and a memory allocation operation fails, then a fatal
error will be issued and the job terminated. See Using Buffered I/O for further
information.
lock lock=yes,no Default: No for Delivery DBsets
Yes for all others.
(LINUX) Specifies the file is to be locked when it is opened. Locking a file prevents two
or more MSC Nastran jobs from interfering with one another; however, this
does not prevent any other program or operating system command from
modifying the file.
SYSTEM(207) can also be used to globally control DBset locking. Setting
SYSTEM(207)=1 will disable locking unless overridden for a specific file by
SYS=LOCK=YES on an ASSIGN FMS statement. Setting SYSTEM(207)=0
will enable locking of read-write DBsets unless overridden for a specific file by
SYS=LOCK=NO on an ASSIGN FMS statement.
mapio mapio=yes,no,must Default: No
(See Table 4-7) This keyword specifies the file is to be mapped. If “mapio=yes” is specified and
a mapping operation fails, then normal disk I/O will be used. If “mapio=must”
is specified and a mapping operation fails, then a fatal error will be issued and
the job terminated. See Using File Mapping for further information.

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SYS Parameter Keywords

report report=yes,no Default: No

Requests that a summary report about the number of file operations and other
information about the I/O processing done for a particular file be written to the
file defined by stderr when the file is closed. In addition, if TIMING=YES is
specified, this report will contiain timing information about the various steps
involved in the I/O processing. If ASYNC=YES, BUFFIO=YES or
MAPIO=YES, the report will contain additional information about the
processing specific to these methods.
timing timing=yes,no Default: No
Requests that operation timing be enabled for the file. This timing information
will be included in the .f04 file and, if REPORT=YES is also in effect, in the
report written to stderr.
wnum wnum=number Default: 4 (ASYNC=NO)
8 (ASYNC=YES)
(See Table 4-7) Specifies the number of windows or buffers that will be maintained for each
mapped, buffered or asynchronous I/O file. The use of multiple windows or
buffers permits multiple I/O streams to target a file (e.g., simultaneously
reading one matrix and writing another) without forcing an excessive number
of window remap operations or buffered read/writes. The number must be
between 1 through 32 inclusive, values outside of this range are ignored without
acknowledgement.
wsize wsize=size Default: See text.
(See Table 4-7) File Mapping. Specifies the size of the window mapping the file into memory.
The window is that portion of the file that is visible through the map. If the
window is the same size as the file, then the entire file is visible. If the window
is smaller than the file, then any portion of the file within the window or
windows can be directly accessed; the rest of the file cannot be accessed until a
window is remapped to include the desired file location. The default is 128KB
or 4*BUFFSIZE, whichever is larger.
(See Table 4-7) Buffered I/O. Specifies the size of the buffer read from or written to disk. If the
buffer is the same size as the file, then the entire file is memory resident. If the
buffer is smaller than the file, then any portion of the file within the buffer or
buffers can be directly accessed; the rest of the file cannot be accessed until a
buffer is read to include the desired file location. The default is 4*BUFFSIZE
or 64K, whichever is larger.

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 APPENDIX B 217
Keywords and Environment Variables

(See Table 4-7) Asynchronous I/O. Specifies the size of the buffer used to hold data read from
disk. If the buffer is the same size as the file, then the entire file is memory
resident. If the buffer is smaller than the file, then any portion of the file within
the buffer or buffers can be directly accessed; the rest of the file cannot be
accessed until a buffer is read to include the desired file location. The default is
8*BUFFSIZE or 64KB, whichever is larger.
The total window or buffer size (WNUM value * WSIZE value) is limited to
25% of the available address space or, for Windows, to 25% of the physical
memory. The address space limit is displayed by the “limits” special function,
see Using the Help Facility and Other Special Functions, as the “Virtual Address Space”
limit. If the address space limit or physical memory cannot be determined for a
particular platform, a value of 8GB for 64-bit pointer systems is used as the
25% limit value. If “wsize=0" is specified for a read-only file, the entire file will
be mapped or buffered into memory, subject to the 25% address space limit.
(The 25% limit can be overridden if the numeric value is specified as a negative
number. The 25% test will be suppressed and the actual window size value will
be the absolute value of the specified numeric value. It is the user’s responsibility
to ensure that the specified value is valid and does not cause performance
problems.)

The size is specified as a memory size, see Specifying Memory Sizes.

If size is less than the file’s BUFFSIZE, then size is multiplied by BUFFSIZE.

Environment Variables
The following environment variables affect the execution of the nastran command.

Table 2-1 Environment Variables Affecting the nastran Command

Name Purpose
DISPLAY LINUX: The default display for xmonast.
HOME LINUX: The user’s home directory.
HOMEDRIVE Windows: The user’s home drive.
HOMEPATH Windows: The user’s home directory.
LM_LICENSE_FILE Alternate means to set the “authorize” keyword.
LOGNAME LINUX: The user ID.
MSC_ARCH Specifies the MSC Nastran architecture.
MSC_BASE If set, the script will use this directory as the install_dir.
MSC_ISHELLEXT Alternate means to set the “ishellext” keyword.
MSC_ISHELLPATH Alternate means to set the “ishellpath” keyword.

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Environment Variables

Table 2-1 Environment Variables Affecting the nastran Command (continued)

Name Purpose
MSC_JIDPATH Alternate means to set the “jidpath” keyword.
MSC_LICENSE_FILE Alternate means to set the “authorize” keyword.
MSC_NOEXE If set, the nastran command will build the execution script but
will not actually execute it. This may be useful for debugging
purposes.
MSC_OLDTYPES Alternate means to set the “oldtypes” keyword.
MSC_VERSD MSC use only.
MSCDBG Specify debugging flags.
TEMP Windows: If set, this is the default value for the “sdirectory”
keyword. If not set, use the system default temporary file
directory as the default value.
TMPDIR LINUX: If set, this is the default value for the “sdirectory”
keyword. If not set, use the system default temporary file
directory as the default value.
USER LINUX: The user’s home directory (if LOGNAME is not set
or is a null string).

The following environmental variables are available for use by the “pre” and “post” keywords.

Table 2-2 “Pre” and “Post” Keyword Environment Variables

Name Purpose
DBSDIR The directory part of MSC_DBS, i.e., the directory that will
contain the permanent database files.
DELDIR Directory containing the solution sequence source files
(install_dir/prod_ver/nast/del on LINUX and
install_dir\prod_ver\nast/del on Windows).
DEMODIR Directory containing DEMO library
(install_dir/prod_ver/nast/demo on LINUX and
install_dir\prod_ver\nast\demo on Windows).
JIDDIR Directory containing the input file.
MSC_APP yes,no
MSC_ASG MSC use only.
MSC_ARCH The actual architecture used by the nastran command.
MSC_LICENSE_FILE Licensing value.
MSC_BASE The actual install_dir used by the nastran command.
MSC_DBS Default prefix of permanent databases.

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 APPENDIX B 219
Keywords and Environment Variables

Table 2-2 “Pre” and “Post” Keyword Environment Variables (continued)

Name Purpose
MSC_EXE Executable path.
MSC_JID Input data file path.
MSC_MEM Open core memory size in words.
MSC_OLD yes,no
MSC_OUT Prefix of F06, F04, and LOG files.
MSC_SCR yes,no
MSC_SDIR Default prefix of scratch databases.
MSC_VERSD MSC use only.
OUTDIR Output file directory.
SSSALTERDIR Directory containing SSS alters
(install_dir/prod_ver/nast/sssalter on LINUX and
install_dir\prod_ver\nast\misc\sssalter on Windows).
TEMP Windows: Temporary directory.
TMPDIR LINUX: Temporary directory.
TPLDIR Directory containing TPL library (doc_install_dir/tpl (or tpl6)
on LINUX and doc_install_dir\tpl (or tpl6) on Windows).

Other Keywords
The following keywords are available for use by the nastran command and script templates. You will generally
not need to set or use these values.

Table 2-3 Other Keywords

Keyword Purpose
0 Pathname of the nastran command.
0.acceptdeny Pathname of accept/deny utility used in this job.
0.dmp DMP job template pathname.
0.dmpaccept Pathname of dmpaccept utility.
0.dmpdeny Pathname of dmpdeny utility.
0.ini Command initialization file pathname.
0.kwds=filename Pathname of User-defined general keywords file
0.lcl Local job template pathname.

The path needs to be fully qualified.

0.params=filename Pathname of User-defined PARAM keywords file

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Other Keywords

Table 2-3 Other Keywords (continued)

Keyword Purpose
0.rmt Remote job template pathname.
0.rmtaccept Pathname of rmtaccept utility.
0.rmtdeny Pathname of rmtdeny utility.
0.srv Server job template pathname.
0.tmplt Alternate template pathname, overrides local/remote template selection logic.
a.addall=list Comma separated list of extensions to be added to the j.all list
a.addapp=list Comma separated list of extensions to be added to the j.app list.
a.addofp=list Comma separated list of extensions to be added to the j.ofp list.
a.addold=list Comma separated list of extensions to be added to the j.old list.
a.appdir Application specific base pathname relative to MSC_BASE.
a.altmode The INTEGER mode associated with the alternate architecture.
a.altmodedir The directory name associated with the alternate architecture.
a.archdir Architecture specific base pathname relative to MSC_BASE.
a.estimate ESTIMATE executable filename relative to “a.archdir”.
a.exedir Directory part of any file name specified by “executable”.
a.flex Pathname of default FLEXlm license file.
a.fms Comma-separated list of FMS keywords recognized in RC files.
a.k Multiplier for K factor.
a.msgcat Pathname of default message catalog.
a.news News filename relative to “a.appdir”.
a.port Default FLEXlm port number.
a.rc Version dependent RC files base filename. For LINUX, default is
“nast<vernum>rc” and for Windows, default is “nast<vernum>.rcf”.
a.rcb Version independent RC base filename. Default is the “a.rc” keyword value.
a.release Release number, same as MSC Nastran version number.
a.sbcm Pathname of default node-locked authorization code file.
a.solver Solver executable filename relative to “a.archdir”.
a.sss Delivery database filename relative to “a.archdir”.
a.tier MSC internal variable.
a.touch News file touch pathname.
a.urc Version dependent User and Local RC files base filename. For LINUX, will
always be prefixed by “.”. For LINUX, default is “nastranrc” and for Windows
default is “nastran.rcf”.

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 APPENDIX B 221
Keywords and Environment Variables

Table 2-3 Other Keywords (continued)

Keyword Purpose
a.urcb Version independent User and Local RC files base file name. Default is the
“a.rcb” keyword value. For LINUX, will always be prefixed by “.”.
d.dbsds Blank separated list of per-task “dbs” directory values of DMP jobs.
d.hosts Blank separated list of per-task hostnames
d.jidvis Blank separated list of per-task JID visibility flags.
d.outvis Blank separated list of per-task output directory visibility flags.
d.rcmds Blank separated list of per-task “rcmd” values.
d.sdirs Blank separated list of per-task “sdirectory” values.
d.tid DMP task ID.
datecmd Date command. Only used on Windows.
dcmd Debugger.
debug Run solver under debugger.
j.all Blank separated list of file types to be deleted at job completion if “delete=all”
is specified.
j.app Blank separated list of file types to be appended at job completion if
“append=yes” is specified.
j.argv Comma separated list of keywords and values to be added to the r.argv
argument list.
j.base Job basename.
j.command Job submittal command string.
j.dir Job directory.
j.env Job environment variable list.
j.expbase Generated <expjid> base name.
j.expdir Generated <expjid> directory.
j.expjid Generated <expjid> file name.
j.ext_xdb File type associated with logical name DBC files. Built from "dbc(xdb)" as
modified using "extdefault".
j.extall Blank separated list of output file types (extensions) to be deleted at job
completion if "delete-all" is specified. Built from "j.all" and "a.addall" as
modified using "extdefault".
j.extapp Blank-separated list of output file types (extensions) to be appended at job
completion if "append=yes" is specified. Built from "j.app" and "a.addapp"
as modified using "extdefault".

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 222 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Other Keywords

Table 2-3 Other Keywords (continued)

Keyword Purpose
j.extofp Blank-separated list of output file types that will be deleted at job completion
if and only if they are empty. Built from "j.ofp" and "a.addofp" as modified
using "extdefault".
j.extofp_old Blank-separated list of output file types that will be used in "dmparallel"
mode to define the files to be merged or deleted. (See "mergeresults".) Built
from "j.ofp", "a.addofp" and "oldtypes" as modified using "extdefault".
j.extold Blank-separated list of output file types that will be versioned ("old=yes") or
deleted ("old=no") at job start. Built from "j.old", "a.addold" and "oldtypes"
as modified using "extdefault".
j.msg Job completion message.
j.nascar List of NASTRAN entries.
j.news News file pathname.
j.ofp Blank separated list of file types to be deleted at job completion if and only if
they are empty.
j.old Blank separated list of file types to be versioned or deleted under the “old”
keyword.
j.out Appended output file type.
j.params Generated list of PARAM statements. Contains the result of INI file, RC file
and command line PARAM processing
j.rcfiles Comma-separated list of RC files.
j.server MSC Nastran server flag
j.shell Shell debugging flag.
j.startdate Job start date-time string.
j.tty TTY name.
j.type Space separated list of file types to be versioned.
j.unique Job unique name.
job Job script filename, created in out directory.
log Pathname of LOG file.
msgdest System message destination.
nprocessors Number of processors.
ppc Per-process CPU time limit.
ppm Per-process memory limit.
prm Per-request memory limit.
PWD Current working directory.

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 APPENDIX B 223
Keywords and Environment Variables

Table 2-3 Other Keywords (continued)

Keyword Purpose
r.altmode The INTEGER mode associated with the remote mode alternate
architecture.
r.altmodedir The directory name associated with the remote node alternate architecture.
r.argv List of arguments to be processed on rmt/dmp host.
r.expvis "expjid" visibility flag for remote job. Value is "yes" or "no".
r.jidvis JID visibility flag.
r.oscode Remote system operating system code, 1 = Windows, 2 = LINUX.
r.outvis Output directory visbility flag.
r.rmtcode Remote communications protocol, 1 = mscrmtcmd, 2 = ssh/scp.
r.rshell Remote node Shell pathname. Only used when "r.rmtcode" is 1.
s.arch System architecture name.
s.block Words per disk block.
s.bpw Bytes per word.
s.config CONFIG number.
s.cpu CPU name.
s.hostname Simple hostname.
s.model System model name.
s.modeldata Pathname of site specific model data.
s.nproc Number of processors.
s.numeric Encoded numerical format.
s.os OS name.
s.osv OS version.
s.pmem Physical memory, in MB. Only known on LINUX and Windows.
s.proc Default processor subtype.
s.rawid Raw configuration number.
s.scp Remote file copy command.
s.ssh Remote shell command.
s.type System description.
s.vmem Virtual memory, in MB. Only known on Windows.
tcmd Timing command.

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 224 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
System Cell Keyword Mapping

System Cell Keyword Mapping

The following table lists the System Cell Name - System Cell Number equivalence used by MSC Nastran
when processing the sysn and whence keywords:

Table 2-4 System Cell Name -- System Cell Number

System Cell Name System Cell Number
attdel 124
autoasgn 133
bfgs 145
buffpool 114
buffsize 1
ifpbuff 624
chexaint 212
config 28
cordm 204
cpyinput 305
dblamkd 155
dbverchk 148
diaga 25
diagb 61
disksave 193
distort 213
f04 86
f06 2
fastio 194
fbsmem 146
fbsopt 70
frqseq 195
hicore 57
iter 216
ldqrkd 170
locbulk 143
massbuff 199
maxset 263

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 APPENDIX B 225
Keywords and Environment Variables

Table 2-4 System Cell Name -- System Cell Number

System Cell Name System Cell Number
metime 20
mindef 303
minfront 198
mperturb 304
mpyad 66
newhess 108
nlines 9
nsegadd 200
numseg 197
punch 64
q4skew 190
q4taper 189
quadint 141
radlst 88
radmtx 87
real 81
scr300 142
scr300del 150
scrsave 196
smp 107
sparse 126
t3skew 218
tetraar 191
usparse 209

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System Cell Keyword Mapping

Main Index
 Appendix C: System Descriptions
MSC Nastran Installation and Operations Guide

C System Descriptions


Overview

System Descriptions

Numerical Data

Computer Dependent Defaults

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 228 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Overview

Overview
This appendix presents quantitative information for evaluating the processing requirements of MSC Nastran.
It includes system descriptions, numerical data, and information on computer dependent defaults.

Binary File Byte Ordering (Endian)

The term "endian" refers to the byte ordering for numeric data used by a particular computer architecture.
"Big-endian" specifies that the most significant byte (MSB) of a data element is stored at the lowest byte
address, while "little-endian" specifies that the least significant byte (LSB) of a data element is stored at the
lowest byte address. Most LINUX platforms are big-endian machines, while all Intel x86 and compatible
platforms, e.g., Intel Xeon, including those running both Windows and Linux, are little-endian machines.
Some architectures can be run in either endian mode. For example, the Intel Itanium processor runs in big-
endian mode when running HP-UX and in little-endian mode when running Linux or Windows.

System Descriptions

Table 3-1 System Description – Intel – Linux

Item Description
Supported Model(s) Intel and Intel-compatible
Operating System(s) RedHat 7.9, 8.6, SuSE 12SP5, 15SP3
Compiler
Linux 64 Intel oneAPI 2022.1
Compiler Options
FORTRAN
Linux 64 -nbs -cm -pad_source -save -zero -w90 -WB -W0 -Qdyncom
XNSTRN -mp1 -pc80 -O2 -fPIC
C++
Linux 64 -O2 -shared -Bsymbolic
Word Length 64 bits
Build Type LX8664 ILP64
Memory Management Virtual

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 APPENDIX C 229
System Descriptions

Table 3-2 System Description – Intel – Windows

Item Description
Supported Model(s) Intel and Intel-compatible
Operating System(s) Windows 10 (21H2, 22H2). Windows 22 (22h2)
Compiler
Windows 64 Intel oneAPI 2022.1

MSVC 14.31

Visual Studio 2022 17.1.7

Microsoft .NET 6
Compiler Options
FORTRAN
Windows 64 /fixed /nologo /nbs /WB /MD /Quppercase /Qdyncom XNSTRN
/Qzero /Qsave /O2 /cm /IC:\Program
C++
Windows 64 /MD /EHs /O2 /W3 /Wp64 /FC /nologo
Word Length 64 bits
Build Type X8664 ILP64
Memory Management Virtual

Numerical Data

Table 3-3 Numerical Data – 64-bit, little endian

Item Description
INTEGER Bit Representation 0 1 63
S Integer

REAL Bit Representation 0 1 15 16 63

S Exponent Mantiss

Exponent Range for a REAL Number +2644

Precision of a REAL Variable 14 digits (48 bits)

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 230 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Computer Dependent Defaults

Table 3-3 Numerical Data – 64-bit, little endian

Item Description

DOUBLE PRECISION Bit Representation 0 1 15 16 63

S Exponent Mantissa
64 79 80 127
(Unused) Mantissa (continued)

Exponent Range for a DOUBLE PRECISION +2466

Number

Precision of a DOUBLE PRECISION Variable 28 digits (96 bits)

Computer Dependent Defaults

These tables list the computer-dependent default values for MSC Nastran. The default rank values are listed
in Table 3-5.

Table 3-4 Computer-Dependent Defaults,

Command Line
Parameter Input File Settings Settings Default Comment
BUFFPOOL NASTRAN BUFFPOOL=n bpool=n 150 GINO Blocks
BUFFSIZE NASTRAN BUFFSIZE=n buffsize=n 32769 Max: 65537
BUFFSIZE NASTRAN SYSTEM(136)=n sys136=n 128 Words
Increment
DBALL Size INIT DBALL , sdball=n 50,000 GINO Blocks
LOGICAL=(DBALL(n))
DBS Update NASTRAN SYSTEM(128)=n sys128=n 5
Time
Lanczos HPO NASTRAN SYSTEM(193)=n sys193=n 0 Save
Lanczos HPO NASTRAN SYSTEM(194)=n sys194=n 0 Pack/Unpack

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 APPENDIX C 231
System Descriptions

Table 3-4 Computer-Dependent Defaults,

Command Line
Parameter Input File Settings Settings Default Comment
MAXSET NASTRAN MAXSET=n sys263=n 7
SCRATCH Size INIT SCRATCH , sscr=n 10,000,000 GINO Blocks
LOGICAL=(logname(n)),
SCR300=(logname(n))
SMEM INIT SCRATCH (MEM=n) smem=n 100 GINO Blocks
Sparse Ordering NASTRAN SYSTEM(206)=n sys206=n 4 Prefer Extreme
Method reordering

Table 3-5 Computer-Dependent Default Rank Values

Computer Type Model SYS198 SYS205
Linux 64 Xeon All 27 64
Linux 64 Opteron All 6 64
Windows (64 bit) All 8 8

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 232 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide
Computer Dependent Defaults

Main Index
 Glossary
MSC Nastran Installation and Operations GuideMSC Nastran Installation and Opera-
tions Guide

Glossary

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 234 MSC Nastran 2023.1 Installation and Operations Guide

3060 A User Fatal Message indicating that authorization to run MSC Nastran has
been denied (see Managing MSC Nastran Licensing, 34).
6080 A User Warning Message indicating that timing blocks must be generated for
your computer (see Generating a Timing Block for a New Computer, 49).
acct MSC accounting file directory, “install_dir/acct” on LINUX and
“install_dir/acct” on Windows. Also, the program
(install_dir/prod_ver/arch/acct on LINUX and
install_dir\prod_ver\arch\acct.exe on Windows) that updates the current
month’s accounting data file. See MSCACT for the program source.
architecture RC The RC files residing in the “install_dir/conf/arch” directory on LINUX and
files in the “install_dir\conf\arch” directory on Windows. See Command Initialization
and Runtime Configuration Files, 138 in Appendix A for information about the
names of these files and Table 3-1 for a listing of architecture names.
ASSIGN A File Management Section (FMS) statement that is used to assign physical
files to DBsets or FORTRAN files.
authorize Command line and RC file keyword that is used to set the authorization code
required to run MSC Nastran.
basename The part of a pathname exclusive of the directory and file type (e.g., the
basename of /temp/myfile.dat. is “myfile”).
buffer pool A disk cache of GINO blocks.
BUFFPOOL The NASTRAN statement keyword that sets the size of the buffer pool.
BUFFSIZE One plus the number of words in a GINO physical record. Also, the
NASTRAN statement keyword that sets the default buffer size.
conf The MSC configuration file directory (install_dir/conf on LINUX and
install_dir\conf on Windows) contains the system, architecture, and node RC
files and other site-specific files.
counted license A counted license is a FLEXlm license that limits the number of concurrent
executions of MSC Nastran. Counted licenses always require a FLEXlm
license server.
daemon A LINUX program that runs in the background and provides services to the
operating system and to users. Daemons are generally started when the
system is bootstrapped and terminate when the system shuts down.
dat Default input data file type.
DBALL Default DBALL DBset file type. The DBALL DBset contains your model
and results.
dbl700 Specifies that SOL 700 will use double precision. This keyword is only used
if PATH=3 is specified on the SOL 700 entry and no sol700.pth file exists.
The default is dbl700=no. Note that significant performance degradation will
occur if “dbl700=yes” is specified.

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 235
Glossary

DBset Database file set.

DDLPRT Utility program that prints the contents of the results database (XDB) data
definition language database (install_dir/prod_ver/arch/dbc.xdb on LINUX
and install_dir\prod_ver\arch\dbc.xdb on Windows) and illustrates the batch
recovery of the data definition language.
DDLQRY Utility program that prints the contents of the results database (XDB) data
definition language database (install_dir/prod_ver/arch/dbc.xdb on LINUX
and install_dir\prod_ver\arch\dbc.xdb on Windows) and illustrates the
interactive recovery of the data definition language.
del Delivery database library,
DEMO The demonstration problem library (install_dir/prod_ver/nast/demo on
LINUX and install_dir\prod_ver\nast\demo on Windows) contains a
selection of MSC Nastran input files that are documented in the MSC
Nastran Demonstration Problem Manual.
DEMO1 Sample program that prints information from a graphics database file.
DEMO2 Sample program that prints information from a graphics database file.
DMAP Direct Matrix Abstraction Program, which is the programming language of
the MSC Nastran solution sequences.
DMP Distributed Memory Parallel. In MSC Nastran, DMP execution is enabled by
the “dmparallel” keyword.
dmp700 Specifies the number of hosts for an SOL 700 run. This keyword is only used
if PATH=3 is specified on the SOL 700 entry and no sol700.pth file exists.
The default hosts are the same for MSC Nastran.
doc Documentation file directory.
ESTIMATE Utility that estimates memory and disk requirement of a data file and make
suggestions on improving the performance of MSC Nastran.
F04 The F04 file is created by MSC Nastran and contains a module execution
summary as well as a database information summary. The F04 file has the file
type“.f04".
F06 The F06 file is created by MSC Nastran and contains the numerical results of
the analysis. The F06 file has the file type “.f06".
file locking A mechanism to prevent multiple MSC Nastran jobs from interfering with
one another. For example, two jobs attempting to write to the same DBset
interfere with one another, whereas two jobs reading the delivery database do
not interfere with one another.
file mapping A mechanism to use the system’s virtual paging system to access a file. MSC
Nastran can use file mapping to access GINO files. See Table 4-7 for a listing
of systems that support file mapping.

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FMS File Management Section of the input file, which is used to attach and
initialize DBsets and FORTRAN files.
GINO The MSC Nastran database subsystem.
GINO block A block of data transferred by GINO.
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. A professional society.
The floating point formats and, to a lesser extent, algorithms used on most
MSC Nastran computers are defined by IEEE Standard 754.
IFPBUFF Specifies the physical record size, in words, of MSC Nastran IFPStar database.
The physical I/O size is IFPBUFF-1 words. The maximum value of
IFPBUFF is 65537 words.
INCLUDE A general MSC Nastran input file statement that inserts an external file into
the input file. INCLUDE statements may be nested.
INIT The INIT statement is part of the File Management Section (FMS) and is
used to create a temporary or permanent DBset.
local RC files The RC files residing in the directory containing the input data file. See
Command Initialization and Runtime Configuration Files, 138 in Appendix A for
information about the names of these files.
LOG The LOG file is created by MSC Nastran and contains system information as
well as system error messages. The LOG file has the file type “.log”.
MASTER Default MASTER DBset file type. The MASTER DBset contains the names
of other database members and indices.
MATTST Sample program that reads the OUTPUT4 matrix files.
mem700 The default memory (in MegaWords) used the dynamic portion of SOL 700
runs. This keyword is only used if PATH=3 is specified on the SOL 700 entry
and no sol700.pth file exists.
memory Command line keyword that is used to define the amount of memory
allocated for open core.
MPI Message Passing Library. An industry-standard library for message passing
programs.
MPL The module properties list is a table that defines the properties of DMAP
modules.
MSC.ACCESS FORTRAN-callable subroutine library that reads and writes results database
(XDB) files.
MSCACT Utility program that generates accounting reports. The source for this utility
and the accounting file update program are maintained in the same file
(install_dir/prod_ver/util/mscact.c on LINUX and
install_dir\prod_ver\util\mscact.c on Windows).
MSGCMP Utility program that compiles a text file to create a message catalog.
NAO The Network Authorization Option of MSC Nastran.

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ndb Default neutral-format results database file type.

neu Default neutral-format plot file type. Only created by NEUTRL.
NEUTRL Utility program that converts binary plot (.plt) files to neutral plot (.neu) files.
node RC files The RC files residing in the “install_dir/conf/net/nodename” directory on
Linux and “install_dir\conf\net\nodename” directory on Windows. See
Command Initialization and Runtime Configuration Files, 138 in Appendix A for
information about the names of these files.
NUSR The node-locked license enforcement of the maximum number of users
concurrently running MSC Nastran. See Enabling Account ID Validation, 38 for
additional information.
on2 Default neutral-format OUTPUT2 file type.
op2 Default binary-format OUTPUT2 file type.
open core Amount of working memory in words.
pch Default punch file type.
PLOTPS Utility program that converts binary (.plt) or neutral (.neu) plot files to
PostScript (.ps) files.
plt Default binary-format plot file type.
ps Default PostScript plot file type.
RC file Runtime configuration file that is used by MSC Nastran to control execution
parameters.
RCOUT2 Utility program that converts a neutral OUTPUT2 (.on2) file to a binary
OUTPUT2 (.op2) file.
SCR300 Default SCR300 DBset file type.
SCRATCH Default SCRATCH DBset file type.
sdir Keyword that is used to set the directory for temporary scratch files produced
by MSC Nastran.
SMEM Scratch memory area for memory-resident database files.
smemory Command line keyword to set SMEM.
SMP Shared Memory Parallel. In MSC Nastran, SMP execution is enabled by the
“parallel” keyword.
SMPLR Sample program that reads graphics database files.
SSS Structured Solution Sequences. The delivery database files (SSS.MASTERA,
SSS.MSCSOU, and SSS.MSCOBJ) are found in “install_dir/prod_ver/arch”
on LINUX and “install_dir\prod_ver\arch” on Windows; the source files are
found in “install_dir/prod_ver/nast/del” on LINUX and
“install_dir\prod_ver\nast/del” on Windows.

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SSSALTER Additional alter and error corrections library,

“install_dir/prod_ver/nast/sssalter” on LINUX and
“install_dir\prod_ver\nast\sssalter” on Windows.
SYS An ASSIGN statement parameter that is used to specify special
machine-dependent information. File locking and file mapping of database
files are controlled through the SYS parameter.
sysfield The global SYS parameter that can be specified on the command line or in an
RC file.
system RC files The RC files residing in the “install_dir/conf” directory on LINUX and in
the “install_dir\conf” directory on Windows. See Command Initialization and
Runtime Configuration Files, 138 in Appendix A for information about the names
of these files.
SYSTEM(x) System cells that are used by MSC Nastran to control analysis parameters.
TABTST Sample program that reads binary-format OUTPUT2 files.
TPL The test problem library (TPL, doc_install_dir/tpl (or tpl6) on LINUX and
doc_install_dir\tpl (or tpl6) on Windows) contains a general selection of
MSC Nastran input files showing examples of most of the MSC Nastran
capabilities, in general, these files are not documented. These files may be
installed from the Documentation/Test File Installer.
TPLDIR The tpl or tpl6 directories that are available in documentation/ example
problem installer.
type The part of the pathname exclusive of the directory and basename (e.g., the
file type of myfile.dat is “.dat”).
UFM A User Fatal Message that describes an error severe enough to terminate the
program.
UFM 3060 A User Fatal Message indicating that authorization to run MSC Nastran has
been denied (see Using the “mscinfo” Command (LINUX), 34).
UIM A User Information Message that provides general information.
uncounted license An uncounted license is a FLEXlm license that allows any number of
concurrent executions of MSC Nastran on a given node. An uncounted
license does not require a FLEXlm license server.
user RC files The RC files residing in the “$HOME” directory on LINUX and in the
“%HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%” directory on Windows. See
Command Initialization and Runtime Configuration Files, 138 in Appendix A for
information about the names of these files.
util Utility program library, “install_dir/prod_ver/util” on LINUX and
“install_dir\/prod_ver\util” on Windows.
UWM A User Warning Message that warns of atypical situations. You must
determine whether a problem exists in the analysis.

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Glossary

UWM 6080 A User Warning Message indicating that timing blocks must be generated for
your computer (see Generating a Timing Block for a New Computer, 49).
version A file is “versioned” by appending a dot followed by a version number to the
file’s name. The latest version of a file does not have a version number, all
earlier versions do, with the oldest having the smallest version number and the
latest having the highest version number.
XDB The XDB file is created by MSC Nastran and contains results information for
use by various post-processing programs. See the “POST” parameter in
Parameters (p. 793) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide for further
information on generating XDB files. XDB files are not versioned. The XDB
file has the file type “.xdb”.

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Main Index