What is Installed with GSim?

Upon completing the installation process (described in GSim Installation Instructions), GSimComposer, the GSim Computation Engine, Python, and MPI will be installed on your computer. These are described in detail below.

GSimComposer

GSimComposer is a graphical user interface for

  • Creating and editing GSim input files

  • Executing GSim

  • Analyzing GSim generated data

  • Visualizing GSim generated data

  • Viewing the documentation.

The GSimComposer editor and validator have built-in functions and graphical components that help you to create input files. Example input files, ranging in complexity from beginning to advanced, are included with GSimComposer. New GSim users can use these examples as templates. Advanced GSim users can use GSimComposer to validate the syntax of their own input files, whether their files have been created using GSimComposer or by using a text editor.

The GSimComposer Run pane invokes the GSim engine with user definable settings for number of steps, number of data dumps, and restart file, if any. It also allows selection of serial versus parallel GSim.

GSimComposer now allows selection of analysis programs, either supplied with GSim or user written.

The visualization in GSimComposer is provided by the graphical analysis tool VisIt (see https://wci.llnl.gov/codes/visit/). VisIt is embedded within GSimComposer. Data generated by GSim or by analysis programs automatically appears in the Visualization pane.

All documentation can be seen from within GSimComposer, fully cross-referenced.

GSim Computational Engine

The GSim computational engine runs both as a serial (vorpalser) and parallel (vorpal) application for multi-processor / multi-core systems that support MPI. GSim now comes in the specialized GSim packages. The GSim computational engine is embedded within GSimComposer.

Python

Python is an open-source, interpreted scripting language managed by the Python Software Foundation. For more information about Python (See http://www.python.org/).

GSim uses Python to process input files, allowing users to set up simulations with math functions, variable substitutions, and macros.

GSim uses its own embedded version of the Python interpreter to pre-process input files and execute any Python code in an input file.

MPI

The Message Passing Interface (MPI) is an application programming interface (API) for communicating between processes that execute in parallel. There are many implementations. The Linux and Mac versions come with the OpenMPI (See http://www.open-mpi.org/) implementation of MPI. The Windows versions come with the Microsoft MPI implementation The appropriate MPI implementation is embedded within GSimComposer.

More Information

More information about GSim can be found at the GSim Product Website (https://www.txcorp.com/gsim). Send questions about installing or running GSim to Tech-X Customer Support at support@txcorp.com.

Extensive assistance in the use of GSim or simulation in general is available from Tech-X Professional Services. Please contact Tech-X directly for sales, consulting, and other questions at sales@txcorp.com.