Photonic Solutions

Installation Guide
v2020.03

Synopsys, Inc.
 Copyright Notice and Proprietary Information
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Contents

1 Windows Installation 1
1.A. Getting Started .................................................................................. 1
1.B. Windows Installation Procedure ........................................................ 2
1.C. Support, Upgrades, and Resources .................................................. 4
1.D. Configure Licensing Utility ................................................................. 4
1.E. Troubleshooting a Windows Installation ............................................ 5
1.F. Contact Us for Help! .......................................................................... 5
1.G. Manual Windows Installation Steps................................................... 6
1.G.1. Setting the PATH for RSoft................................................. 6
1.G.2. Installing MPI for RSoft Clustering ...................................... 6
1.G.3. RSoft License Manager (rslmd.exe) ................................... 6
1.G.4. Configuring Firewalls and Installing a Network License ...... 7
1.G.5. Installing or Updating the License Key File ......................... 8
1.G.6. USB Dongle Drivers & HOST ID......................................... 8
1.G.7. Installing and Configuring SCL ......................................... 10
1.H. SCL Error Codes............................................................................. 10

2 Linux Installation 13
2.A. Getting Started ................................................................................ 13
2.B. Linux Installation Steps ................................................................... 14
2.C. Support, Upgrades, and Resources ................................................ 18
2.D. Troubleshooting a Linux Installation ................................................ 19
2.E. Contact Us for Help! ........................................................................ 20
2.F. Additional Linux Installation Information .......................................... 20
2.F.1. Required Packages, Distribution-Specific Requirements, &
Missing Libraries ......................................................................... 20
2.F.2. DOS Format RSoft *.ind & other text files ......................... 22
2.F.3. RSoft License Manager (rslmd)......................................... 22

Installation Guide 2020.03  iii

 2.F.4. Firewall Configuration ....................................................... 23
2.F.5. Installing the License Key File ........................................... 23
2.F.6. USB Dongle Drivers and HOST ID .................................... 24
2.F.7. Manually Stopping & Starting SCL .................................... 25
2.G. SCL Errors ...................................................................................... 25

3 Cluster Installation 29
3.A. Pre-Install Checklist ........................................................................ 29
3.B. Configuring and Testing a FullWAVE Cluster .................................. 30
3.B.1. ‘Standalone’ FullWAVE Clusters ....................................... 30
3.B.2. Configuring and Testing a Networked Cluster ................... 30

4 Uninstalling RSoft Tools 35

4.A. Uninstalling the Package ................................................................. 35
Windows: .................................................................................... 35
Linux: .......................................................................................... 36
4.B. Uninstalling Older Versions ............................................................. 36

Installation Guide 2020.03  iv

1

Windows Installation

This chapter describes the Windows installation for Synopsys’ Photonic Solutions.

1.A. Getting Started

You will need these items to install Synopsys’ Photonic Solutions on a Windows system:
 Installer: There are three toolsets; depending on the products you will use you may install one, two,
or all three:
 RSoft Photonic Device Tools, contains FullWAVE FDTD, BeamPROP BPM, DiffractMOD
RCWA, FemSIM FEM, BandSOLVE, GratingMOD, the RSoft CAD, LaserMOD, and various
utilities and options
 Photonic System Tools, contains OptSim and ModeSYS

 PIC Design Suite, contains OptSim Circuit and OptoDesigner

The required licensing program (Synopsys Common Licensing, or SCL) is included with all
installers. Multiple toolsets can be installed in any order. Note that you need to install both the
‘System’ and ‘OptoDesigner’ installer for the PIC Design Suite.
 License Key File: This file corresponds to your license and is not needed when installing a network
license on a client machine.
 USB Dongle: Purchased licenses require a USB dongle that corresponds to your license. For network
installations the dongle should be attached to the server machine.

Installation Guide 2020.03  1

How to Get the Installation Items:
 Evaluators will receive instructions via email.

 Customers who have purchased directly from Synopsys should create a SolvNetPlus account to
download installation files as well as License Key Files at http://solvnetplus.synopsys.com/. Contact
us at photonics_support@synopsys.com if you need assistance.
 Customers who have purchased through a Distributor will get these items via their distributor. See
https://www.synopsys.com/optical-solutions/support/support-global-contacts.html for a current list
of distributors.

System Requirements and Upgrade Notes:

See https://www.synopsys.com/photonic-solutions/product-system-requirements.html for a current list
of supported systems. Note the following about upgrading:
 Valid Maintenance Contract Required: Don’t upgrade unless you have a valid maintenance contract
as you may lose your installed version.
 Backup: Though not required, it is recommended to create a backup copy of the existing installation
directory (do not simply rename it).

1.B. Windows Installation Procedure

Once you have gathered all the items listed in Section 1.A, log in as Administrator and double-click the
installer. Multiple toolsets can be installed in any order.

If installing OptoDesigner with CodeMeter-based licensing, please follow the instructions here:
https://opticsportal.synopsys.com/optodesigner/Manuals/User_manual_install.pdf

Follow the steps in the setup wizard to complete the installation. If required, you will be prompted to
plug in the USB dongle after the drivers have been installed.
For most cases the default options are sufficient, here are more details about some options.
 Installation Directory
The default installation directory is preferred; you must use the same directory if installing multiple
suites.
 License Type Setup
 Nodelocked licenses are standalone software copies that are used on one computer.
 Network (Server) licenses are floating licenses installed on the Network License Server.

Installation Guide 2020.03  2

  Network (Client) licenses are floating licenses installed on client computers. You will be
prompted to enter the name or IP address of the Network License Server.
 Select License Key File
You can leave this blank if updating and a new license key file is not needed (if the installed and
new versions have the same first two numbers, i.e., 2020.03 and 2020.03-1). You can install a new
license key file after installation via the Configure Licensing Utility described in Section 1.D.
 Select SCL Installer
We recommend using the included SCL version that has been automatically selected. You may leave
this blank, the installer will automatically use the recommended SCL version.

Running the Software

Once installed, you can open the software via the Start Menu or shortcuts on the desktop:

Note: You can only run software that you have a valid license for. If the software does not start, see
Section 1.E for troubleshooting help and/or contact us as described in Section 1.F.

PIC Design Suite:

The PIC Design Suite includes OptoDesigner and OptSim Circuit:
 OptSim Circuit: The OptSim shortcut will open the OptSim CAD, the main control program for
OptSim Circuit.
 OptoDesigner: There be two OptoDesigner shortcuts on your desktop: The OptoDesigner shortcut
uses SCL-based licensing, the OptoDesigner – CodeMeter shortcut starts OptoDesigner with
CodeMeter-based licensing. See note below to help determine which license you have. When first
opening OptoDesigner you may need to enter the license server details. For example, if using port
27020 (the default) and a license server named od_scl_server, set to 27020@od_scl_server. You
should see green boxes next to the features you have a license for. You can enter this dialog later by
selecting Options/License from the top OptoDesigner menu.

Photonic System Tools:

 The OptSim shortcut will open the OptSim CAD, the main control program for OptSim and
ModeSYS.

RSoft Photonic Device Tools:

 The RSoft CAD Layout shortcut will open the RSoft CAD, the main control program for the passive
device simulators such as FullWAVE FDTD, BeamPROP BPM, DiffractMOD RCWA, FemSIM
FEM, GratingMOD, and BandSOLVE.
 The LaserMOD shortcut will open the LaserMOD software.

Installation Guide 2020.03  3

1.C. Support, Upgrades, and Resources
The software typically has one year of maintenance, including support, updates, and resources.
 Technical Support & Product Updates.
Technical support is handled by Synopsys (photonics_support@synopsys.com), except in countries
where we have international representatives. For information about support or for product updates,
go to: https://www.synopsys.com/photonic-solutions/support.html.
 Product Manuals and README Files
Manuals can be accessed via menus and toolbar buttons in each program. For the RSoft tools, online
help files are in the \help subdirectory; printable PDF versions are in the \docs subdirectory, and
README files are in the \readme subdirectory and contain the latest information about new or
improved features and options.
 Example Design and Tutorial Files
The RSoft software comes with an extensive set of examples and tutorial files in the \examples
subdirectory. It is recommended to back up this directory as it is easy to accidentally overwrite these
files when experimenting. See the OptoDesigner manual for details about OptoDesigner examples.
 Resources on the Web
You can go to our website (https://www.synopsys.com/photonic-solutions.html) for additional
product resources, such as how to contact technical support, the latest product news, and more.
We also provide a Customer Support Portal exclusively for our users. The portal includes extensive
resources to help users become even more productive: including training materials, user group
presentations, links to Webinar recordings, example models, and more. The portal can be accessed at
https://opticsportal.synopsys.com.

1.D. Configure Licensing Utility

The Configure Licensing utility can be used to easily change licensing options after installation. To open
it, select Configure Licensing from the Start Menu. This utility can be used for the following functions
(you will need admin rights):
 Restarting SCL: Simply click Next for all screens.

 Installing a New License Key File: Select the new license key file in the appropriate screen; click
Next for other screens.

 Installing a New Version of SCL: Select the new SCL installer in the appropriate screen; click Next
for other screens. Note this should only be done at the direction of the support team.
 Changing License Type: Select the new license mode (nodelocked, network server, or network
client). Enter any new network information required; click Next for other screens.

Installation Guide 2020.03  4

1.E. Troubleshooting a Windows Installation
If you have followed the installation procedure above and one or more steps were unsuccessful, or if you
get a licensing error when the software is opened, here is a list of basic things to check:

If you are unable to find a solution, please contact us as described in Section 1.F.

 Error Message: Follow any instructions in the error message, particularly instructions about
collecting data to email photonics_support@synopsys.com for additional help.
 Check License Key File: Make sure that you are using the correct license key file for your license.
Use the Configure Licensing Utility (Section 1.D) to install a new license key file.
 Check USB Dongle: For purchased licenses, make sure the USB dongle is plugged in, that the light
in the dongle is continuously lit, and that Windows has recognized it. See Section 1.G.6 for more
instructions.
 SCL Server Not Running: The Synopsys Common Licensing (SCL) package is required to use the
RSoft or OptoDesigner software. If the SCL server is not running you will be instructed to restart it
via the Configure Licensing Utility (Section 1.D). If this fails, there may be a problem with SCL
configuration. Contact us as described in Section 1.F.
 Check Flexlog: The \licenses\flexlog.txt file can contain useful information to help solve
installation problems. Some things to look for are:
 If the flexlog is not present, or if the timestamps in the file are old, SCL is not running correctly.
Contact us as described in Section 1.F.
 If the USB dongle is not recognized or if it does not match the license file, you will get a -97
SCL error message and the flexlog will contain a message like ‘SERVER line says XXXX,
hostid is…’. See Section 1.G.6 for further instructions.

 Firewalls & Antivirus/Security Software: Ensure firewall(s) are opened as described in Section
1.G.4. Note firewall issues can occur for both Nodelocked and Network licenses.

1.F. Contact Us for Help!

Contact support for help with installing Photonics Solutions products by emailing
photonics_support@synopsys.com; if you have obtained the software through a distributor, contact your
distributor. See https://www.synopsys.com/optical-solutions/support/support-global-contacts.html for a
list of current distributors. Please provide a description and screenshot of the problem, as well as a copy
of the flexlog.txt, rsoft.lic, and rslmdlog.txt files (all in \licenses) if applicable.

Installation Guide 2020.03  5

1.G. Manual Windows Installation Steps
These steps are automatically performed by the RSoft installer, OptoDesigner licensing installer, and/or
the Configure Licensing Utility. You should only manually perform these steps if needed.

1.G.1. Setting the PATH for RSoft

The bin directory (C:\Synospys\PhotonicSolutions\XXXX.XX\RSoft\bin by default, where
XXXX.XX is the version number) must be in the systems’ PATH. Contact your IT Department to assist you
in modifying the PATH. Note that the installer does this by adding this to the PATH:
%PHOTONIC_SOLUTIONS_ROOT%\%PHOTONIC_SOLUTIONS_VERSION%\RSoft\bin

where PHOTONIC_SOLUTIONS_ROOT is set to the installation root directory

(C:\Synopsys\PhotonicSolutions by default) and PHOTONIC_SOLUTIONS_VERSION is set the version
number. To change versions, simply change the PHOTONIC_SOLUTIONS_VERSION variable.

1.G.2. Installing MPI for RSoft Clustering

To manually install MPICH2 which is required for clustering, log on as administrator, open a Command
Prompt (DOS window), and type the command:
smpd –install

Additional configuration steps are required for network clustering. See Chapter 3.

1.G.3. RSoft License Manager (rslmd.exe)

The RSoft License Manager (rslmd.exe) is required for all installations. To manually install it, log on
as administrator, open a Command Prompt (DOS window), and type the command:
rslmd –install

The rslmd process runs as a Windows service. Other options are:

options:
-? or -help prints this message
-install installs the service (Windows only)
-remove removes the service (Windows only)
-start starts the server as a background process
-stop stops the currently running server
-restart restarts the currently running server
-restartall restarts both rslmd and rslmgrd (i.e. LMGRD)
-status lists the running programs
-version displays the local and server version

The rslmd program keeps a log (\licenses\rslmdlog.txt), which may contain useful information for
debugging licensing problems.

Installation Guide 2020.03  6

1.G.4. Configuring Firewalls and Installing a Network License
Firewalls may need to be configured for the software to function (for both nodelocked and network
licenses), and, for network licenses, client machines need to be pointed to the server machine.

Pointing Client Machines to the Server

RSoft:
When using a Network license the environment variable RSLM_SERVER must be set to the network name
or IP address of the Network License Server. This must be done on the Network License Server and on
all network clients; contact your IT department to assist you in adding environment variables. This
variable must either be set system-wide or for all user accounts that will use the software. When using a
nodelocked license, this variable does not need to be set and a default value of localhost is assumed.

OptoDesigner:
When first opening OptoDesigner you may need to enter the license server details. For example, if using
port 27020 (the default) and a license server named od_scl_server, set to 27020@od_scl_server. You
should see green boxes next to the features you have a license for. You can enter this dialog later by
selecting Options/License from the top OptoDesigner menu.

Configuring Firewalls
Firewall(s) must be configured to allow the RSoft License Manager ( rslmd.exe) to communicate via
port 8988, and the SCL Server (lmgrd.exe and snpslmd.exe) to communicate on port 27020 by
default. Note that SCL uses another ‘vendor’ port which is set by the Photonics Solutions installer to
27021 by default. If you get an error such as a -96 SCL error, make sure both ports are open in any
firewalls.

Using a Custom SCL Port for the RSoft Tools

While it is recommended to use the default SCL port (27020), another port can be used if necessary. To
do this, create a text file named rslmd.ini in the <lic_dir> folder with the following content:
[RSLMD]
snpslmd_license_file=27020@localhost

where the <lic_dir> folder is c:\Synopsys\PhotonicSolutions\YYYY.MM\RSoft\licenses by

default. Changing the port in this file will change the SCL port used, be sure to leave localhost. Note
that you will also must change the port on the ‘SERVER’ line in the license key file as well. The vendor
port is set to 27021 by default but can be changed on the VENDOR line in the license file. You will have to
restart SCL to make any changes take effect.

Installation Guide 2020.03  7

1.G.5. Installing or Updating the License Key File
License key files can be installed via the installer or the Configure Licensing Utility (Section 1.D).
License key files are not needed when installing on network client. For additional help with SCL contact
us as described in Section 1.F.

A valid license key file is required to use the software. Note that license key files have start and end
dates and will not work outside this range. See Section 1.A for details about obtaining license key files.

Using rsfixlic to Install or Update a License Key File

Open a command prompt (DOS window), move to the directory which contains the unedited license key
file, and type this command:
rsfixlic [options] <file> <lic_dir>\rsoft.lic

where <file> is the unedited license key file and <lic_dir> is the installation directory
(c:\Synopsys\PhotonicSolutions\YYYY.MM\RSoft\licenses by default). After installing a new
license key file with rsfixlic you need to configure and restart SCL with the Configure Licensing
Utility (Section 1.D).

Manually Installing or Updating a License Key File

To edit a license key file by hand, open it in a text editor and make the following changes:
 Change ‘hostname1’ on the line that begins with ‘SERVER’ to the name of the computer where the
license key file will be installed.
 Make sure the port (after the Host ID) on the ‘SERVER’ line is set to 27020.
 Change ‘path/to/snpslmd’ on the line that begins with ‘VENDOR’ to ‘snpslmd’.
 Optional: you can set the vendor port by adding it to the end of the line that begins with ‘VENDOR’.
The syntax for this line is ‘VENDOR snpslmd snpslmd port=27021’.
Save a copy of the edited file in the licenses\ directory with the name rsoft.lic, and configure and
restart SCL with the Configure Licensing Utility (Section 1.D).

1.G.6. USB Dongle Drivers & HOST ID

The USB dongle driver is installed by the installer. Also, in most cases, Windows will automatically
locate an appropriate driver for the USB Dongle via Windows Update (requires internet access) when it
is first plugged into the computer.

For CodeMeter dongles, see:

https://opticsportal.synopsys.com/optodesigner/Manuals/User_manual_install.pdf. Contact us (Section
1.F) for additional help with USB dongle issues.

Installation Guide 2020.03  8

Dongle Issue Symptoms
If your license requires a dongle and the correct USB dongle is not recognized, you will get a -97 SCL
error message and the flexlog (licenses\flexlog.txt) contains a message like ‘SERVER line says
XXXXX, hostid is…’ (where XXXXX is your actual Host ID).

You can check that the dongle is working correctly by using the commands ‘rslmd –rsoftid’ (RSoft
dongles) or ‘lmhostid –flexid’ (FLEX dongles). Both commands will return the Host ID of the
dongle which should match what is physically written on the side of the dongle. Note that the lmhostid
command must be run from its location ( c:\synopsys\scl\VVV\win32\bin\ by default, where VVV is
the SCL version).
After fixing a dongle issue, use the Configure Licensing Utility to restart SCL (Section 1.D).

What to Check
 Make sure that the dongle is attached and that the red light inside the dongle is continuously lit. If it
is not lit, try installing the dongle driver as described below or try another USB port. If the dongle is
blinking, contact us as described in Section 1.F.
 If using the software on a virtual machine, make sure that the emulation software is set so that the
virtual machine sees the dongle attached to the parent machine.
 If using a FLEX dongle and you get a ‘Can't get hostid of type 15 []’ error in the flexlog
(licenses\flexlog.txt), install the SCL_FLEXID9_Installer.exe package as described below.
 Make sure the dongle driver is installed as described below.

Manually Installing Dongle Drivers

For cases where you must manually install the USB dongle drivers, log on as Administrator, open a
Command Prompt (DOS window), move to the hardlock subdirectory, and type the command:
haspdinst –install

If previous versions of the drivers were installed, use the command ‘haspdinst –fremove’ to uninstall
them. You can check what driver version is installed with the ‘haspdinst –info’ command. If needed,
you can download the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website. Go to http://www.safenet-
inc.com/sentineldownloads/ and select Sentinel HASP/LDK – Command Line Run-time Installer.
If manually installing the dongle drivers for a FLEX dongle the SCL_FLEXID9_Installer.exe package
must be installed. This package can be found in the Synopsys/SCL folder in the Start Menu after SCL
has been installed. Once the dongle drivers have been installed, you must configure and restart SCL with
the Configure Licensing Utility (Section 1.D).

Installation Guide 2020.03  9

1.G.7. Installing and Configuring SCL
SCL is not required when installing network license on a client machine. For additional help with SCL
contact us as described in Section 1.F.

SCL (Synopsys Common Licensing) is required to run the software and is automatically installed and
configured by the installer. It is recommended to use the Configure Licensing Utility (Section 1.D) to
manually install and configure SCL.
SCL can be manually restarted using the ‘rslmgrd –restart’ command. Other commands can be used
to interact with the SCL server to install, stop, start, or remove the server. To see a complete list of
options, use the command ‘rslmgrd –help’.

1.H. SCL Error Codes

SCL error codes indicate the type of error that has occurred. Additional information is shown in the SCL
error dialog and, in some cases, more detailed information can be found in the flexlog.txt log file (in
\licenses by default).

The error code refers to the first number in the SCL error; look under ‘-97’ for a ‘-97,234’ error.

Error Description
Code
-97 The desired vendor daemon is down
This class of errors occurs when the SCL license server has gone down. Check
flexlog.txt for additional details about your specific error. The error is usually
due to one of the following:
 The USB dongle is not connected or recognized (see Section 1.G.6).
 All products licensed in the license key file have expired. In this case,
flexlog.txt will indicate ‘No features to serve, exiting.’ Contact your
account representative for more details.
 The computer was woken from hibernation/sleep and SCL did not come back
online. Restart SCL using the Configure Licensing Utility (Section 1.D).
 The license key file was modified or edited incorrectly. Try re-installing it
with the Configure Licensing Utility (Section 1.D).

-96 License server machine is down

Installation Guide 2020.03  10

 This error occurs when the client computer (where the software is being used) is
not able to contact the license server. Check that the server is running, and that the
client can access the server machine. See Section 1.G.4 for suggested firewall
configurations.

-88 System clock has been set back

This error indicates that the system clock may have been changed. Make sure the
system time is correct, and, if the problem persists, contact RSoft support as
described in Section 1.F.

-18 License server system does not support this feature

If this error mentions the feature ‘RSOFT_LMGRD_CHECK’, the SCL Server is most
likely not running correctly. Try restarting SCL with the Configure Licensing
Utility (Section 1.D) or look flexlog.txt for additional details.
In all other cases, this error occurs when an unlicensed feature is attempted to be
used. If you get this error while using a feature that you should be licensed for,
please check your license key file and contact your account representative.

-15 Cannot connect to license server system

This class of errors occurs when the SCL license server did not successfully start,
or has not finished starting. Check flexlog.txt for additional details about your
specific error. The error is usually due to one of the following:
 If there are no errors in flexlog.txt then the SCL server has not finished
starting. Wait 30 seconds and try to open the software again. If the error
persists, wait a few minutes, check flexlog.txt again. If there are no errors
contact us (Section 1.F).
 If flexlog.txt contains an error, the usual cause is that the USB dongle is not
connected or recognized or the license key file was not installed correctly.
Make sure the USB dongle is recognized (Section 1.G.6), and the license key
file has been installed (Section 1.D), and then try restarting SCL (Section 1.D).

-9 The hostid of this system does not match the hostid specified in the license file
This class of errors can occur in the following cases:
 The USB dongle is not recognized (see Section 1.G.6).
 The software is being used through Remote Desktop. If this is the case, contact

Installation Guide 2020.03  11

RSoft support as described in Section 1.F.

Installation Guide 2020.03  12

2

Linux Installation

This chapter describes the Linux installation for Synopsys’ Photonic Solutions.

2.A. Getting Started

You will need these items to install Synopsys’ Photonic Solutions tools on a Linux system:
 Installer: There are three toolsets; depending on the products you will use you may install one, two,
or all three:
 RSoft Photonic Device Tools, contains FullWAVE FDTD, BeamPROP BPM, DiffractMOD
RCWA, FemSIM FEM, BandSOLVE PWE, GratingMOD CMT, the RSoft CAD, LaserMOD,
and various utilities and options
 Photonic System Tools, contains OptSim and ModeSYS

 PIC Design Suite, contains OptSim Circuit and OptoDesigner

If needed, the required licensing program (Synopsys Common Licensing, or SCL) is included with
all installers. Multiple toolsets can be installed in any order. Note that you need to install both the
‘System’ and ‘OptoDesigner’ installer for the PIC Design Suite.
We recommend installing to a shared location that all users of the software will be able to access.
 License Server:
 Synopsys Common Licensing (SCL): You must run SCL on the license server. You may use an
existing SCL server if your Photonic Solutions licenses have the same Host ID and Site ID as
your existing licenses. If not, you will need to create a new SCL server. The required SCL

Installation Guide 2020.03  13

 installation files are included with the Photonic Solutions installers listed above if needed. Note
that legacy OptoDesigner licenses may use CodeMeter licensing instead of SCL, see notes
below.
 License Key File: This file corresponds to your license.

 USB Dongle: Purchased licenses require a USB dongle corresponding to your license.

 User Configuration: Each user’s environment must be configured to use the tools, either through a
module or several environment variables.

How to Get the Installation Items:

 Evaluators will receive instructions via email.

 Customers who purchased directly from Synopsys should create a SolvNetPlus account to
download installation files as well as License Key Files at http://solvnetplus.synopsys.com/. Contact
us at photonics_support@synopsys.com if you need assistance.
 Customers who purchased through a Distributor will get these items via their distributor. See
https://www.synopsys.com/optical-solutions/support/support-global-contacts.html for a list of
distributors.

System Requirements and Upgrade Notes:

See https://www.synopsys.com/photonic-solutions/product-system-requirements.html for a current list
of supported systems. Most required dependencies are typically included on Linux systems by default;
see Section 2.F.1 for required packages and distribution-specific instructions. Note the following about
upgrading:
 Valid Maintenance Contract Required: Don’t upgrade unless you have a valid maintenance contract
as you may lose your installed version.
 Backup: Though not required, it is recommended to create a backup copy of the existing installation
directory.

2.B. Linux Installation Steps

Gather the necessary items listed in Section 2.A and consult your System Administrator before
following these steps. These instructions are for a typical RedHat system, see Section 2.F.1 for notes
about installing on other distributions. Commands are for a bash shell; modify as appropriate for other
shell types.

Note: If installing OptoDesigner with CodeMeter-based licensing, please follow the instructions here:
https://opticsportal.synopsys.com/optodesigner/Manuals/User_manual_install.pdf

Installation Guide 2020.03  14

Note on installation locations:
 The default Synopsys installation directory is /usr/synopsys and is referred to in these instructions
as <synopsys-root>. Use the actual installation directory if installing elsewhere. All Synopsys
Photonic Solutions tools should be installed to the same Synopsys installation directory; we
recommend installing to a shared location that all users of the software can access.
 Photonic Solutions software is installed to <synopsys-root>/photonicsolutions, referred to as
<ps-root> in these instructions. Software is installed in versioned sub-directories. The version is
referred to as <ps-version> and so the path of an individual version will be <ps-root>/<ps-
version>.

Step 1: Running the Installers

Only install tool(s) that you are licensed for. Note /usr/synopsys is the standard installation directory
for Synopsys’ software, see notes above if installing elsewhere.

In these instructions, <installer-bin> refers to the installation binary file which will be named
something like:

Tool Set Installer(s)

RSoft Photonic Device Tools photonicsolutions_device_<VER>.bin

Photonic System Tools photonicsolutions_system_<VER>.bin

PIC Design Suite photonicsolutions_layout_<VER>.bin

photonicsolutions_system_<VER>.bin

They can be installed in any order using these commands:

chmod +x <path>/<installer-bin>
<path>/<installer-bin>

Notes:
 You will be asked for the installation directory; this corresponds to <synopsys-root> described
above.
 For the ‘layout’ installer:
 SCL is automatically installed, you can skip the Site ID questions. If you already have SCL
installed, take care not to overwrite your existing installation.
 You can alternatively install using the Synopsys Installer with these files:
photonicsolutions_<VER>_common.spf
photonicsolutions_<VER>_linux64.spf
photonicsolutions_INSTALL_README.txt

and use the default Synopsys installation procedure described in the readme file.

Installation Guide 2020.03  15

Step 2: Configuring the SCL License Server
There are two possible ways to configure an SCL license server:

Method A - Install SCL Only:

Choose this method if you are using an existing SCL server:
 This may require manual configuration to get working, see the SCL Documentation for more details
on installing and configuring SCL.
 Once SCL is running and serving the relevant licenses, skip to Step 3.

Method B - Install SCL using the Photonic Solutions Tools:

Choose this method for nodelocked installations or if you want a more automated installation process:
1. Install SCL:
Before running the SCL install script, you may need to set several environment variables:
 If <synopsys-root> was not /usr/synopsys, set:
export RSOFT_PROGRAMPATH=<ps-root>/<ps-version>/rsoft/bin

 SCL will be installed to /usr/synopsys, if you need to install to a different folder, set:
export SYNOPSYS_ROOT=<synopsys-root>

Run the SCL install script (you can skip the site ID question):
cd <ps-root>/<ps-version>/rsoft/etc
./install_scl
2. Copy Library (if using a FLEX USB dongle only)
If using a FLEX dongle (your HOSTID has “FLEXID=”) you must copy a file to /usr/lib:
cd <synopsys-root>/scl/<version>/linux64/drivers
copy libhasp_linux_x86_64.so /usr/lib
3. Install License Key File:
If your license file <lkf> needs to be updated, run these commands:
cd <ps-root>/<ps-version>/rsoft/licenses
../bin/rsfixlic <lkf> rsoft.lic
4. Start Licensing Daemons:
See Section 2.F.1 for Linux distribution-specific pre-requisites that may be needed before running
these commands. For example, some distributions have additional requirements before using
rc.local, running the USB dongle daemon, etc.
The RSoft License daemon (rslmd), the SCL daemons (lmgrd/snpslmd), and, if required, the USB
driver daemon (aksusbd) must be run on the license server. This is done by a sequence of

Installation Guide 2020.03  16

 commands in your system startup script (e.g., /etc/rc.d/rc.local), which can be configured by
executing the following command once during installation:
<ps-root>/<ps-version>/rsoft/etc/setup_rsoft <ps-root>/<ps-version>

For reference, the above will add the following commands to the startup script:
export RSOFT_PROGRAMPATH=<ps-root>/<ps-version>/rsoft/bin
#export RSOFT_LICENSEPATH=$RSOFT_PROGRAMPATH/../licenses
#export SCL_PATH=<synospys_root>/scl/<version>
$RSOFT_PROGRAMPATH/../hardlock/hldinst_usb
$RSOFT_PROGRAMPATH/rslmgrd -install
$RSOFT_PROGRAMPATH/rslmd &

If you did not install SCL and/or the license file to the default directory, you will need to uncomment
and edit the commented-out lines above as appropriate. Run these commands manually or source the
startup script to ensure that the proper daemons are running.
See Section 2.F.7 for more information about starting/stopping lmgrd and see Section 2.F.3 for
information about starting/stopping rslmd. Note that firewalls may need to be configured to allow
both lmgrd and rslmd to communicate. See Section 2.F.4 for details.

Step 3: Configuring User’s Environment

All users must set these environment variables to use the software, this can be done via a module or via
setting the variables in the user’s login script. We use bash syntax, convert as needed:
export PHOTONICS_SOLUTIONS_ROOT=<ps-root>
export PHOTONICS_SOLUTIONS_VERSION=<ps-version>
export RSOFT_PROGRAMPATH=
$PHOTONICS_SOLUTIONS_ROOT/$PHOTONICS_SOLUTIONS_VERSION/
rsoft/bin
export PATH=
$PHOTONICS_SOLUTIONS_ROOT/$PHOTONICS_SOLUTIONS_VERSION/
optodesigner/bin:$PATH
export PATH=$RSOFT_PROGRAMPATH:$PATH
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$RSOFT_PROGRAMPATH
export SNPSLMD_LICENSE_FILE=<port>@<server-name>

In addition to the above required variables, several other variables may need to be set:
 If you used Method 2 to install the SCL License Server, you may alternatively set this variable to
point to the license server:
export RSLM_SERVER=<server-name>

 If you are using FullWAVE or MOST clustering between machines, set the P4_RSHCOMMAND variable
as described in Chapter 3.

Step 4: Running the Software

See Section 2.D for troubleshooting help if the software does not start.

Installation Guide 2020.03  17

PIC Design Suite:
The PIC Design Suite includes OptoDesigner and OptSim Circuit:
 OptSim Circuit: The command OptSim opens the OptSim CAD, the main control program for
OptSim Circuit.
 OptoDesigner: The command OptoDesigner opens OptoDesigner. Note:

 To run OptoDesigner with CodeMeter, open the software with the following arguments:
OptoDesigner -lic licsystem=codemeter

 You can use the following wrapper script to set the correct environment variables and start
OptoDesigner:
$<ps-root>/<ps-version>/optodesigner/bin/optodesigner.sh

 When first opening OptoDesigner you may need to enter the license server details. For example,
if using port 27020 (the default) and a license server named od_scl_server, set to
27020@od_scl_server. You should see green boxes next to the features you have a license for.
You can enter this dialog later by selecting Options/License from the top OptoDesigner menu.

Photonic System Tools:

 The command OptSim opens the OptSim CAD, the main control program for OptSim and
ModeSYS.

RSoft Photonic Device Tools:

 The command xbcad opens the RSoft CAD, the main control program for the passive device
simulators such as FullWAVE FDTD, BeamPROP BPM, DiffractMOD RCWA, FemSIM FEM,
GratingMOD, and BandSOLVE.
 The command xlasermod opens the LaserMOD software.

2.C. Support, Upgrades, and Resources

RSoft software normally comes with one year of maintenance that includes technical support, product
updates, and resources.
 Technical Support & Product Updates.
Technical support is handled by Synopsys (photonics_support@synopsys.com), except in countries
where we have international representatives. For information about support or for product updates,
go to: https://www.synopsys.com/photonic-solutions/support.html.
 Product Manuals and README Files

Installation Guide 2020.03  18

 Manuals can be accessed via menus and toolbar buttons in each program. For the RSoft tools, online
help files are in the /help subdirectory; printable PDF versions are in the \docs subdirectory.
README files are in the readme subdirectory and contain the latest information about new or
improved features and options.
 Example Design and Tutorial Files
The RSoft software comes with an extensive set of examples and tutorial files in the /examples
subdirectory. As it is easy to accidentally overwrite these files when experimenting, it is
recommended to back up this directory such as home directory. See the OptoDesigner manual for
details about OptoDesigner examples.
 Resources on the Web
You can go to our website (https://www.synopsys.com/photonic-solutions.html) for additional
product resources, such as how to contact technical support, the latest product news, and more.
We also provide a Customer Support Portal exclusively for our users. The portal includes extensive
resources to help our software users become even more productive: including training materials, user
group presentations, links to Webinar recordings, example models, and more. The portal can be
accessed here: https://opticsportal.synopsys.com.

2.D. Troubleshooting a Linux Installation

If you have followed the installation procedure above and one or more steps were unsuccessful or if you
get a licensing error when the software is opened here is a list of basic things to check:

If you are unable to find a solution, please contact us as described in Section 2.E.

 Error Message: Follow any instructions in the error message, particularly instructions about
collecting data to email (photonics_support@synopsys.com) for additional help.
 Check License Key File: Make sure that you are using the correct license key file for your RSoft
license.
 Check Distribution-Specific Instructions: See Section 2.F.1 for instructions related to the specific
type of Linux you are using.
 Check USB Dongle: For purchased licenses, make sure the USB dongle is plugged in, that the light
in the dongle is continuously lit, and that the driver has been installed. See Section 2.F.1 for
additional distribution-specific instructions and Section 2.F.6 for dongle troubleshooting.
 SCL Server Not Running: The Synopsys Common Licensing (SCL) package is required to use the
RSoft software. If the SCL server is not running, you will have to start it as described in the
installation steps above or in Section 2.F.7. If this fails, there may be a problem with SCL
configuration. Contact us as described in Section 2.E.

Installation Guide 2020.03  19

 Check Flexlog: The rsoft/licenses/flexlog.txt file can contain useful information to help
solve installation problems. Some things to look for are:
 If the flexlog is not present, or if the timestamps in the file are old, SCL is not running correctly.
Contact us as described in Section 2.E.
 If the USB dongle is not recognized or if it does not match the license file, you will get a -97
SCL error message and the flexlog will contain a message like ‘SERVER line says XXXX,
hostid is…’. See Section 2.F.6 for further instructions.

 Firewalls & Antivirus/Security Software: Ensure firewall(s) are opened as described in Section
2.F.4. Note firewall issues can occur for both Nodelocked and Network licenses.

2.E. Contact Us for Help!

Contact support for help by emailing photonics_support@synopsys.com; if you have obtained the
software through a distributor, contact your distributor. See https://www.synopsys.com/optical-
solutions/support/support-global-contacts.html for a list of distributors. Please provide a description and
screenshot of the problem, as well as a copy of the flexlog.txt, rsoft.lic, and rslmdlog.txt files
(all in rsoft/licenses) if applicable.

2.F. Additional Linux Installation Information

If after performing the installation an error message appears when the program is opened, review the
instructions above and the notes in this section. If a solution cannot be found, contact us.

2.F.1. Required Packages, Distribution-Specific Requirements, &

Missing Libraries
Most required dependencies are typically included on Linux systems by default. However, depending on
your exact configuration, some additional steps might be required.

Missing Libraries and Required Packages:

This is a list of general requirements, see next section for distribution-specific requirements.

 If you get a message about a missing library, Use the command ‘ldd <binary>’ to see which
libraries required by a file. If libraries are missing, check your distribution’s repository first. If no
library is available check the etc subdirectory in the RSoft installation directory. These libraries can
be installed by moving to the /bin subdirectory and using the command ‘tar zxf
../etc/libXXX.taz’, where XXX corresponds to the library name.

Installation Guide 2020.03  20

 SCL (Synopsys Common Licensing) requires several packages:
 The LSB (Linux Standards Base) package is required. If you get error messages such as ‘No such
file or directory’ or ‘bad ELF interpreter,’ when running lmgrd, check to see if the LSB package
is installed; on RedHat/CentOS, try the redhat-lsb package and on Ubuntu try the lsb package.
 The csh package is required.
 If installing the USB dongle driver you will need your distribution’s 32-bit compatibility package.
Errors include ‘…aksusb: not found’ or ‘bad ELF interpreter’. See Distribution Specific Instructions
below for more details for RedHat/CentOS and Ubuntu.
 75dpi and 100dpi font packages are required for the RSoft tools. Some distributions also require a
font server. See Distribution-Specific Notes in the next section.
 The openmotif package is required for the RSoft tools.
 If using SE Linux and you get messages about a needed library (but not that it is missing), move to
the bin subdirectory and give the command ‘../etc/chconlib *.so*’.

Distribution-Specific Instructions:
This section contains distribution-specific instructions that some of our users have found useful. Since
every Linux system can be slightly different, the specific steps you need might be slightly different.
Please consult your System Administrator before trying these steps; contact us (Section 2.E) with
questions.
 Enabling rc.local for Ubuntu Systems:
Some Linux distributions use systemd instead of rc.local. As an example, rc.local can be
enabled for Ubuntu 16.04 by running the command:
systemctl enable rc-local.service

and then removing the line exit 0 in the file etc/rc.local. The setup_rsoft script in the main
installation instructions can then be run to add the required commands to the rc.local file.
 Installing the USB Dongle on RedHat/CentOS 7.x or Ubuntu Systems:
Installing the USB dongle driver on RedHat/CentOS 7.x or Ubuntu systems requires additional
steps:
 The 32-bit compatibility package is required (glibc.i686 for RedHat/CentOS or libc6-dev-
i386 for Ubuntu).

 Remove the dongle if attached.

 Stop all ‘aksusbd’ daemons: Run ‘ps –ef | grep aksusbd’, kill all the processes, and then
run the ps command again to check that they are gone.
 Copy the file rsoft/hardlock/80-hasp.rules to /etc/udev/rules.d. Note that you will
have to modify the path to the aksusbd daemon in the 80-hasp.rules file several times.

Installation Guide 2020.03  21

  If using a FLEX dongle, you will need to copy the Flex Dongle Library as described in the main
installation instructions in Section 2.B.
 Install the USB driver with the command rsoft/hardlock/hldinst_usb.
 Attach the USB dongle to the computer. It may be necessary to restart udev and reload the rules
with the commands ‘service udev restart’ and ‘udevadm control –-reload-rules’.
 An easy way to check if the dongle is recognized is using the commands: ‘rslmd –rsoftid’ (if
your Host ID starts with ‘RSOFT=’) or ‘lmhostid -flexid’ (if your Host ID starts with
‘FLEXID=’).
 If this does not work, try one or more of the following and retry: 1) For older Ubuntu systems
you may have to use the archived older 80-hasp.rules file. 2) Remove the executable bit from
80.hasp.rules (chmod –x 80-hasp.rules). 3) Try renaming the rules file 90-hasp.rules.
This may help the changes become persistent after reboot.
 Installing 75dpi and 100dpi Fonts on RedHat and Ubuntu:
If you get a message about missing fonts, try the following. If remotely accessing the Linux
machine, you may have to do this both on the client and server.
 RedHat: install these 75dpi and 100 dpi font packages:
xorg-x11-fonts-75dpi
xorg-x11-fonts-100dpi
xorg-x11-fonts-ISO8859-1-75dpi
xorg-x11-fonts-ISO8859-1-100dpi

 Ubuntu: install the packages xfonts-100dpi and xfonts-75dpi. Additionally, it may be

necessary to tell the X server where to find these fonts:
xset +fp /usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi,/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi
 Use BandSOLVE and DataBROWSER from command line on CentOS 7:
 The package compat-libtiff3 is required.

2.F.2. DOS Format RSoft *.ind & other text files

The Windows and Linux versions of Synopsys’ RSoft products are functionally identical and input files
can be interchanged between platforms. However, input ASCII files transferred between Windows and
Linux should be converted to the native format of the new platform. This is easily accomplished using
the dos2unix and unix2dos utilities which are most likely included with your Linux distribution but if
not are widely available on the Internet.

2.F.3. RSoft License Manager (rslmd)

There are several commands can be used to interact with the daemon:
options:
-? or -help prints this message

Installation Guide 2020.03  22

 -install installs the service (Windows only)
-remove removes the service (Windows only)
-start starts the server as a background process
-stop stops the currently running server
-restart restarts the currently running server
-restartall restarts both rslmd and rslmgrd (i.e. LMGRD)
-status lists the running programs
-version displays the local and server version

The rslmd program keeps a log (rsoft/licenses/rslmdlog.txt ), which may contain useful
information for debugging licensing problems.

2.F.4. Firewall Configuration

Firewall(s) must be configured to allow the RSoft License Manager ( rslmd) to communicate via port
8988, and the SCL Server (lmgrd and snpslmd) to communicate on port 27020. Note that SCL uses
another ‘vendor’ port which is chosen when the server starts. This typically does not cause problems, but
if you have opened both standard ports and still experience issues such as a -96 SCL error, rerun the
rsfixlic utility with –vport option to force the vendor port to +1 more than the SCL port (vendor port
is 27021 when the SCL port is the default 27020). See Section 2.F.5 for more details.

Using a Custom SCL Port

While it is recommended to use the default SCL port (27020), another port can be used if necessary. To
do this, create a text file named rslmd.ini in the rsoft/licenses/ folder with the following content:
[RSLMD]
snpslmd_license_file=27020@localhost

Changing the port in this file will change the SCL port used. Note that you will also must manually
change the port on the ‘SERVER’ line in the license key file as well.

2.F.5. Installing the License Key File

See Section 2.A for details about obtaining license key files. License key files are not required for
network client installations.

Installing a license key file requires you to edit the file and copy it to the correct location. This process is
automatically done by the rsfixlic utility. The basic usage is to copy the license key file (represented
by <lkf>) to the rsoft/licenses directory and running these commands:
cd <ps-root>/<ps-version>/rsoft/licenses
rsfixlic <lkf> rsoft.lic

The edited license file (rsoft.lic) will be put in the rsoft/licenses folder. Use the -vport option to
set the SCL vendor port described in Section 2.F.4:
rsfixlic -vport <lkf> rsoft.lic

Installation Guide 2020.03  23

Manually Editing the License
To manually edit a license file and install it, open it in a text editor and make the following changes:
 Change ‘hostname1’ on the line that begins with ‘SERVER’ to the name of the computer where the
license key file will be installed.
 Make sure the port (after the Host ID) on the line that begins with ‘SERVER’ is set to 27020.
 Change ‘path/to/snpslmd’ on the line that begins with ‘VENDOR’ to ‘snpslmd’.
 Optional: you can set the vendor port by adding it to the end of the line that begins with ‘VENDOR’.
The syntax for this line is ‘VENDOR snpslmd snpslmd port=27021’.
Save the edited file as rsoft/licenses/rsoft.lic and start the SCL server.

2.F.6. USB Dongle Drivers and HOST ID

For CodeMeter dongles, see:
https://opticsportal.synopsys.com/optodesigner/Manuals/User_manual_install.pdf. Contact us (Section
1.F) for additional help with USB dongle issues.

If your license requires a dongle and the correct USB dongle is not recognized, you will get a -97 SCL
error message and the flexlog (<ps-root>/<ps-version>/rsoft/licenses/flexlog.txt) contains a
message like ‘SERVER line says XXXXX, hostid is…’ (where XXXXX is your actual Host ID).
You can check that the dongle is working correctly by using the commands ‘rslmd –rsoftid’ (RSoft
dongles) or ‘lmhostid –flexid’ (FLEX dongles). Both commands will return the Host ID of the
dongle which should match what is physically written on the side of the dongle.

What to Check
 Make sure that the dongle is attached and that the red light inside the dongle is continuously lit. If it
is not lit, try installing the dongle driver as described below or try another USB port. If the dongle is
blinking, contact us as described in Section 2.E.
 If using the software on a virtual machine, make sure that the emulation software is set so that the
virtual machine sees the dongle attached to the parent machine.
 If you get errors like ‘aksusb: not found’ or ‘bad ELF interpreter’, make sure you have your Linux
package’s 32-bit compatibility package installed. See Section 2.F.1 for distribution specific
instructions.
 If using a FLEX dongle and you get a ‘Can't get hostid of type 15 []’ error in the flexlog
(rsoft\licenses\flexlog.txt), make sure the libhasp_linux_x86_64.so library is copied as
described in the installation steps.
 Make sure the dongle driver is installed as described in the installation steps.

Installation Guide 2020.03  24

 If needed, you can download the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website http://www.safenet-
inc.com/sentineldownloads/.

2.F.7. Manually Stopping & Starting SCL

If the license key file has been installed and the SCL server has been started, most SCL errors occur
when the SCL server is not running. While ensuring that the USB dongle is attached and restarting the
computer will fix most problems, this is not the preferred solution. The rslmgrd utility can be used to
easily interact with the SCL Server. To stop and start the SCL server, use these commands:
rslmgrd –restart

Note that the server can take several seconds to completely start. Other commands can be used to
interact with the SCL server to install or remove the server. To see a complete list of options, use the
command rslmgrd –?.
You can check if the SCL server has correctly started by looking at the <ps-root><ps-
version>/rsoft/licenses/flexlog.txt log file. Additional information can be found in the
rslmdlog.txt file in the same directory.

Alternatively, you can start the SCL server with a command like:
<scl_path>/linux64/bin/lmgrd
–c /<ps-root>/<ps-version>/rsoft/licenses/rsoft.lic
-f /<ps-root>/<ps-version>/rsoft/licenses/flexlog.txt

where <scl_path> is the SCL installation path. You may have to modify this command based on the
license file location.

2.G. SCL Errors

SCL error codes indicate the type of error that has occurred. Additional information is shown in the SCL
error dialog and, in some cases, more detailed information can be found in the flexlog.txt file (in
rsoft/licenses by default).

The error code refers to the first number in the SCL error; look under ‘-97’ for a ‘-97,121’ error.

Error Description
Code
-97 The desired vendor daemon is down
This class of errors occurs when the SCL license server has gone down. Check
flexlog.txt for additional details about your specific error. The error is usually
due to one of the following:
 The USB dongle is not connected or recognized.

Installation Guide 2020.03  25

  All products licensed in the license key file have expired. In this case,
flexlog.txt will indicate ‘No features to serve, exiting.’ Contact your
account representative for more details.
 The computer was woken up from hibernation/sleep and the SCL server did
not come back online.
 The license key file was modified or edited incorrectly.

-96 License server machine is down

This error occurs when the client computer (where the software is being used) is
not able to contact the license server. Check that the server is running, and that the
client can access the server machine. See Section 2.F.4 for details about firewall
configuration.

-88 System clock has been set back

This error indicates that the system clock may have been changed. Make sure the
system time is correct, and, if the problem persists, contact RSoft support as
described in Section 2.E.

-18 License server system does not support this feature

If this error mentions the feature ‘RSOFT_LMGRD_CHECK’, the SCL Server is most
likely not running correctly.
In all other cases, this error occurs when an unlicensed feature is attempted to be
used. If you get this error while using a feature that you should be licensed for,
please check your license key file and contact your account representative.

-15 Cannot connect to license server system

This class of errors occurs when the SCL license server did not successfully start,
or has not finished starting. Check flexlog.txt for additional details about your
specific error. The error is usually due to one of the following:
 If there are no errors in flexlog.txt then the SCL server has not finished
starting. Wait 30 seconds and try to open the software again. If the error
persists, wait a few minutes, check flexlog.txt again, and if no errors, try to
open the software.
 If flexlog.txt contains an error, the usual cause is that the USB dongle is not
connected or recognized or the license key file was not installed correctly.

Installation Guide 2020.03  26

 Make sure the USB dongle is recognized, and the license key file has been
installed correctly, and then try starting SCL.

-9 The hostid of this system does not match the hostid specified
in the license file
This class of errors can occur in the following cases:
 The USB dongle is not recognized.
 The software is being used through Remote Desktop. If this is the case, contact
RSoft support as described in Section 2.E.

Installation Guide 2020.03  27

3

Cluster Installation

This chapter describes the configuration of an RSoft cluster for both Windows and Linux systems.
Synopsys’ RSoft products support a customized version of the MPICH2 implementation of MPI from
Argonne National Lab (Copyright 2002 Argonne National Lab). The complete distribution and further
information regarding MPICH2 can be found at http://www.mcs.anl.gov/mpi/mpich2/.

3.A. Pre-Install Checklist

Please read this section before starting to use clustering features.
 Licensing
Clustering allows simulations to use multiple cores, CPUs, or machines utilizing the message
passing interface (MPI). Clustering is included with every license of FullWAVE. The number of
processes is limited by the number of FullWAVE licenses available, and each machine to be used in
the cluster must be licensed for FullWAVE.
 Basic Software Installation
Before configuring a cluster installation, the software should be installed on all nodes (computers) as
described in the previous chapters.
 Cluster Installation and Testing
It is recommended that all cluster users first configure and test a standalone cluster. Users who are
licensed for network clustering can then proceed to configuring and testing a networked cluster.

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3.B. Configuring and Testing a FullWAVE Cluster
See Chapter 6 in the MOST manual for instructions on configuring and testing a MOST cluster.

A standalone (e.g. non-networked) cluster allows users to utilize multiple cores/CPUs in a single
computer, and networked clusters allows users to utilize multiple cores/CPUs across a computer
network.

3.B.1. ‘Standalone’ FullWAVE Clusters

Standalone clustering is enabled by default. If the software installation has been successful, there should
be no additional configuration necessary. If not, here are some steps to follow:
 Windows users need to install MPICH to use a ‘standalone’ FullWAVE cluster. This is done
automatically during installation but can be done manually as described in Section 1.G.2.
 Linux users need to set the environment variable P4_RSHCOMMAND=rshlocal in their login script.
This is automatically done by the software, but can be done manually if needed.
To test clustering, open the file \examples\FullWAVE\wg.ind in the CAD interface. Click the Perform
Simulation button in the left toolbar. Make sure that Auto is set in the Cluster Options dialog and that #
Procs is set to Auto. Click OK to start the clustered simulation. See the FullWAVE manual for more
details about using clustering.

3.B.2. Configuring and Testing a Networked Cluster

A networked cluster allows users to utilize multiple cores/CPUs/machines on a network. First the
connectivity between the nodes must be ensured, and then the cluster can be tested. Note that clusters
cannot be a mix of Windows and Linux machines.

Ensuring Network Connectivity

Nodes within a cluster must be able to access the same simulation data and communicate with each
other across the network to remotely start jobs and share data.

Windows Clusters
To ensure network connectivity under Windows, perform these steps:
 Configure firewall(s)
Any firewalls on the network must be configured to allow MPICH2 traffic to pass through it.
 User accounts and running mpiexec
MPICH2 requires that a single user account be able to remotely access and start simulation jobs on
all computers in the cluster. The account should be created on each node if using a Windows

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 workgroup, or created on the domain controller if using a Windows domain. Do not use user
accounts with the name ‘administrator’ or blank passwords.
To enable MPICH2 access, issue this command on the master node:
mpiexec –register

Enter the username and password to be used. To check that the user does indeed have remote access,
issue the command
mpiexec –validate –host cluster_node_name

where cluster_node_name is the name of a specific node computer. Repeat this test for all nodes in
the cluster.
 Using a shared workspace
The working directory where simulation files are stored must be a shared folder on the network that
all cluster nodes can access and have full read/write permission. Furthermore, it must be accessible
via the same path by all nodes in the cluster.
 Open design files (.ind) via their UNC path on the master node. For example, if design files are
located in the directory c:\tmp on a computer named master_node, and this directory is shared
on the network as cluster_sims, open the file from the location
\\master_node\cluster_sims.

 Map a shared drive to the shared directory where the design files are located. For example, if the
local drive c:\tmp on the master node is shared on the network and mapped as z: on all the
nodes, open the file from the mapped drive (z:\) on the master node.
In both scenarios, each node will be able to access the design files using the same path.

Linux Clusters
To ensure network connectivity under Linux, perform these steps:
 Configure firewall(s)
Any firewalls on the network must be configured to allow MPI traffic to pass through it.
 Enable ssh
You must enable ssh to remotely access nodes involved in a networked cluster (note ssh is not
needed for local clustering). You should ask your system administrator if these steps are necessary as
many systems already have this enabled:
 Add ‘export P4_RSHCOMMAND=ssh’ to your user login file.
 Assuming that the cluster has a shared directory structure and that your home directory is the
same when you log into any node, issue the command ‘ssh-keygen –t dsa’ from your home
directory.

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  Accept all the defaults (including the empty passphrase), then issue the commands ‘cd ~/.ssh’
and ‘cp id_dsa.pub authorized_keys2’. This will allow you to ssh from one node to another
without a password.
 Test this by using the command ‘ssh cluster_node_name’ twice from the master node. The
first time you try each node, you will get a question about the authenticity of the host - type yes
to continue. After that, you will not be asked again.
 This should be repeated for each cluster node.
 Creating a shared workspace
The working directory where simulation files are stored must be a shared folder on the network that
all cluster nodes can access and have full read/write permission. Furthermore, it must be accessible
via the same path by all nodes in the cluster. This is most easily done by accessing all design files
and running all simulations with UNC paths. For example, if design files are located in the directory
\tmp on a computer named master_node, and this directory is shared on the network as
cluster_sims, open the file from the location \\master_node\cluster_sims.

 Environment Variables
In order for remote shells created by ssh to function correctly, they require any variables defined
locally to be set in the new shell. Since ssh only uses standard shell initialization files, make sure
that any environment variables used by RSoft software ( RSLM_SERVER, PATH, RSOFTPROGRAM_PATH,
LD_LIBRARY_PATH, etc.) are defined in the standard login file.

 X11 forwarding
For FullWAVE simulation windows to appear on the master node, you must enable X11 forwarding
in the ssh configuration file. This can be done by creating (or editing) the ~/.ssh/config file and
adding the line ‘ForwardX11=yes’. FullWAVE can of course be used in a non-graphic mode if
desired.

Testing a Networked FullWAVE Cluster

First test each node separately and then test as a group.

Testing Nodes Separately

Open a command prompt on a node, move to the \examples\FullWAVE directory, and issue the
following command:
fwmpirun –np1 –hosts localhost –show1 wg.ind

This command indicates that a clustered simulation of the file wg.ind should be performed on the local
machine with one process (CPU). A FullWAVE simulation window should open showing a ‘normal’
simulation of a simple waveguide.
Next, issue this command to use two processes (CPUs) on the local machine:

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 fwmpirun –np2 –hosts localhost –show1 wg.ind

A FullWAVE simulation window should open that shows half of the simulation domain seen before. If
this appears MPICH is working correctly. This should be repeated on all nodes to ensure they function
correctly.

Testing Nodes Together

Once the nodes have been verified to work on their own, the networked aspect of the clustering can be
tested. Open a command prompt on the master node and move to the shared directory created in the
previous section. Copy the file \examples\FullWAVE\wg.ind to this directory and issue the command
fwmpirun –np2 –hosts master_node_name,cluster_node_name –show1 wg.ind

where master_node_name and cluster_node_name are the names of the master node and a cluster
node respectively. Note that the path to the design file (wg.ind) might have to be modified as described
in the previous section depending on where it is located. If everything has been set up correctly, a
simulation window will open showing half of the simulation domain. Repeat this test with the rest of the
cluster nodes to ensure they have been set up correctly.
For more details on the usage of FullWAVE clustering, including how to integrate FullWAVE with a
cluster scheduling system, see Chapter 7 in the FullWAVE manual.

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Installation Guide 2020.03  34
4

Uninstalling RSoft Tools

Should you choose to uninstall Synopsys’ RSoft products, please follow these instructions:

4.A. Uninstalling the Package

Before uninstalling the software, it is recommended to back up the installation directory including any
license key files and user work.
Some of these steps require administrative (root) access and, if done incorrectly, can seriously impair
your system; consult your IT department before performing any of these steps.

Windows:
In most cases, it is sufficient to uninstall the package via the Add/Remove Programs option in the
Control Panel. However, if it is necessary to completely remove the package, use these steps:
 Run the following commands from the command line (DOS Window) to remove the MPI daemon,
the License Manager, and USB dongle driver:
smpd –remove
rslmd –remove
haspdinst –fremove

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 Remove the following environment variables if they exist: RSLM_SERVER, RSOFT_PROGRAMPATH,
RSOFT_LICENSEPATH, RSOFT_MATLIB_GROUP_PATH, or HLS_IPADDR.

 Delete BCADW32.INI, WINPLOT.INI, and LASERMOD.INI from the user’s home directory.
 Modify the PATH environment variable to remove RSoft's executable directories c:\rsoft\bin and
c:\rsoft\bin32.

 Delete the installation directory (c:\RSoft by default). If all of the above steps have been
completed, it should be able to be removed. If not, contact us for assistance.
 If needed, uninstall SCL (Synopsys Common Licensing) from the Windows Control Panel.

Linux:
To uninstall the package under Linux, remove any commands from login/startup scripts related to the
package, including:
 Commands that start the USB dongle driver and License Daemon.
 Remove the following environment variables if they exist: RSLM_SERVER, RSOFT_PROGRAMPATH,
RSOFT_LICENSEPATH, LD_LIBRARY_PATH, RSOFT_MATLIB_GROUP_PATH, or HLS_IPADDR.

 Commands that add the executable directories /usr/local/rsoft/bin and

/usr/local/rsoft/bin32 from the system PATH.

Finally, delete the installation directory /usr/local/rsoft.

4.B. Uninstalling Older Versions

These instructions are for versions earlier than RSoft CAD 5.0g, OptSim 4.0, and LaserMOD 2.0.

To remove any of these versions, it is first recommended to back up any license key files and the
installation directory (usually C:\BEAMPROP, C:\LINKSIM, or C:\LaserMOD on Windows,
/usr/local/beamprop on Linux). Then, depending on the platform, perform the following:

These steps require administrative access and, if not done correctly, can seriously impair your system;
consult your IT department before performing any of these steps.

 Windows only: Remove dongle driver by opening a Command Prompt (DOS Window), moving to
the old installation directory, and issuing the following command: ‘hldinst –remove’ or ‘hlinst –
d’. If you are running a network license server, first stop and remove the server by typing ‘hls32svc
–remove’.

 Linux only: Remove any lines in rc.local or other startup scripts for the dongle driver.

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 Remove any environment variables for RSoft products that you may have set and remove all PATH
settings that refer to the installation directory.
 Delete the installation directory.
 Linux only: Links in /usr/local/bin will be broken after deleting/renaming the old installation
directory. These can be manually removed, or, if installing the new version, can be automatically
removed.

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