CADpass client secure connection (will be referred to as CADpass client or CADpass in this document) is a utility provided by CMC Microsystems that creates a secure connection between client PCs, workstations, and computer sessions, and the CMC-managed infrastructure.
This quick start guide is provided to help subscribers install and run Ansys Mechanical and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modules. These instructions are for a Windows 10, 64-bit operating system using CMC Microsystems’ CADpass to access shared licenses on the CMC License Management System (LMS).
Prerequisites for Installing Ansys with CMC License Management System (LMS)
Before you begin with this installation:
- Students must register with CMC at https://account.cmc.ca/MyAccount/MyAccount.aspx.
- Faculty supervisors can subscribe through the CMC subscription page at https://www.cmc.ca/subscriptions/.
- You must complete all required agreements for Ansys software use, which may be obtained at https://www.cmc.ca/tools/.
- You must have administrator rights for the workstation on which you are installing this software.
- You must have a unique login name (Linux or Windows) that does not contain a blank space. A username such as “charlie brown” contains a space, while usernames such as “charlie.brown” or “charlie_brown” do not contain spaces.
The following are examples of unacceptable login names because they are not unique: admin or administrator, root, sysadm, user, owner, student, guest, temp, and system.
Setting up CADpass Client for Use with Ansys Mechanical/CFD
CADpass client is a CMC Microsystems’ license access client used by subscribers across Canada to connect to our secure license server(s).
- Follow the instructions in the CADpass quick start guide to download and install the CADpass client.
- Start the CADpass client and log in using your CMC Microsystems Username and Password.
- When the CAD access window appears, double-click Ansys for Academics.
A red checkmark appears next to the entry, as shown in Figure 1. Leave this checked while you are using the software.
Obtaining the Software
To obtain the latest Ansys software from CMC Microsystems:
- Navigate to the Ansys download site on the CMC Microsystems website at Ansys 2024 downloads.
- Choose the appropriate version for your operating system and download the installation file archive to your workstation.
Installing the Software
You need to install the following software:
- Ansys Mechanical/CFD software
Before Installing the Ansys Software
- Start the CADpass client and log in using your CMC Microsystems Username and Password.
- Download the installer archive.
- Extract this archive into a separate temporary folder.
To install the Ansys software
- In the temporary folder, open the Disk 1 archive and double-click setup.exe.
- In the window displayed, click Install Ansys Products, as shown in Figure 2.
- In the next window, read the CLICKWRAP software license agreement.
- If you agree to the terms, select I agree to the terms…, and click Next.
Note: To learn more about your obligations under this agreement, contact cad@cmc.ca. If you do not want to continue, click Exit in the lower right-hand corner to end this installation.
- In the next window, select your installation directory and click Next to continue.
- In the next window, specify which parts of the bundle you want to install.
- Click Next when you have made your selections.
- If you want to configure your CAD Geometry interfaces, you may do so in the next window. For these instructions, select the checkbox No. Skip configuration. I will configure later and click Next to continue, as shown in Figure 3.
- If you are satisfied with the summary of the installation to be performed, click Next. If you want to make changes, click Back to return to the previous windows and alter your selections.
Depending upon the number of modules you selected and the hardware in your computer, installation could take an hour or more to complete. The Ansys installer counts down the time left during your installation, as shown in Figure 4.
When the installation is complete, the estimated remaining time drops to zero.
- Click Next to continue.
- The message Installation Complete is displayed, as shown in Figure 5. Completing the Ansys survey is optional.
- Click Exit to close the installer.
Important: Do not install the Ansys License Manager software on your computer. It will block the CADpass client from reaching CMC Microsystems’ license server ports. See Figure 6 for the location of this installer link.
Setting up Ansys Mechanical/CFD License Access
- Navigate to Start | Ansys 2024 Rx | and click Ansys Licensing Settings 2024 Rx.
- Select Run as Administrator.
- Under the FlexNet Publisher title, select License servers.
- In the License Utility GUI, select Add Server Machine Specification.
- Use the license address as follows:
- Port: 6624
- Server1: a2.cmc.ca, as shown in Figure 7.
- Click Save to accept these settings and close the window.
To Test Your Ansys Installation
- Ensure that you have the CADpass client running and have the appropriate icon checked, as shown in Figure 1.
- Select a module from your main Windows menu.
For example, Start menu | Ansys 2024 Rx | Fluent 2024 Rx or SpaceClaim 2024 Rx, as shown in Figure 8.
Troubleshooting Your Installation
The following suggestions are based upon difficulties our subscribers have had when installing or upgrading their Ansys software.
- Local anti-virus and firewall programs sometimes interfere with installation programs. If you think either or both may interfere with your license connection, check your firewall rules for permissions. An example of this interference is shown in Figure 9.
If you followed these instructions and cannot start this suite, open a support case with CMC Microsystems.
Other Tricks and Tips
For high-performance computing (HPC) applications, the Ansys Academic Research suite works as follows:
- Each Ansys module is associated with licence file features that CMC hosts on its licence servers. HFSS starts when it is connected to a feature called electronics_desktop. Fluent starts when connected to a feature called cfd_base. Mechanical starts when connected to feature ansys. CADpass Client is the application that links your local computer to our licence servers.
- Each time you start one of these modules, it will run on up to four (4) CPU cores.
- If your workstation has a processor with more than four cores, you may set your simulation to call on them using a licence feature called anshpc.
Table 1 identifies the license allotments.
Table 1: Main Modules Versus Max. No. CPU Cores
| Ansys Module | License Feature Name | Max. no. CPU Cores for Feature |
| HFSS | electronics_desktop | 4 |
| Mechanical | ansys | 4 |
| Fluent | cfd_base | 4 |
| anshpc (High-Performance Computing, or HPC) | 1 |
- The Ansys license file leased annually by CMC Microsystems includes a high-performance computing (HPC) license feature named anshpc. This license file includes dozens of this feature type.
- This feature is generic. All Ansys solvers can request feature anshpc for high-performance simulation runs.
- Each anshpc HPC feature request equals one additional physical core per simulation.
When a simulation starts, an Ansys module requests enough anshpc features to fill the user’s demands, if more than four cores are specified. The module releases these features when the simulation is finished.
This way, our subscribers share one large pool of licenses across our research community.
Note: If you find that you are experiencing denials when attempting simulations, your token(s) may be in use by another member of your group. Look at the report here to see if this is the case. If this is not the case, then contact our office for support.
References and Resources
- Ansys has provided useful tutorials and examples with their modules under their respective Help menus.
- For other examples and hints, visit the Ansys Resource Library located here: Resource Library.
- For additional help, our student subscribers are entitled to browse the Ansys Academic Support Resources.
- For help with simulations, hardware recommendations or other questions about how to set up and run Ansys projects, you are welcome to open a support case on the Ansys “Learning Forum”. Registration there is free of charge, and is available on this page.