System Requirements
for COMSOL
(Version 4.4)
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System Requirements for Microsoft Windows
General Requirements
These requirements are common to all platforms:
•
A working network card and internet connection is recommended during installation.
•
At least 1 GB memory, but 4 GB per processor core or more is recommended.
•
1-5 GB of disk space, depending on your licensed products and installation options.
•
Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 or later to view and print the COMSOL documentation in PDF format.
Floating Network Licenses
Floating network licenses are supported on heterogeneous networks of Windows, Linux, and Mac computers. Both
the license manager and the COMSOL application can run on either Windows, Linux, or Mac, and a single
computer can run both of them.
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System Requirements for Microsoft Windows
System Requirements for 32-bit Windows
The following 32-bit Windows operating systems are supported:
-
Windows 8
-
Windows 7
-
Windows Server 2008 R2
-
Windows Server 2008
-
Windows Vista
-
Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 or later
-
Windows XP with Service Pack 3 or later
Intel Pentium IV or AMD Athlon XP processor or later.
System Requirements for 64-bit Windows
The following 64-bit Windows operating systems are supported:
-
Windows 8
-
Windows 7
-
Windows Server 2012
-
Windows Server 2008 R2
-
Windows Server 2008
-
Windows HPC Server 2008 R2
-
Windows HPC Server 2008
-
Windows Vista
-
Windows Server 2003 x64edition Service Pack 2 or later
-
Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 or later
-
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition with Service Pack 2 or later
A PC with one of these processors: AMD with AMD64 or Intel with EM64T.
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Graphics System Requirements
COMSOL recommends hardware rendering for performance reasons. Hardware rendering requires drivers that
support OpenGL version 1.4 or DirectX version 9 on the local console. Alternatively, software rendering can be
used. TheOptimize for Quality setting in graphics preferences requires OpenGL 2.0. Hardware rendering requires
at least 24-bit color graphics. Software rendering also supports 16 bit color graphics. For performance reasons, we
recommend that the graphics card has at least 512MB memory.
Tested AMD Graphics Cards
Card Model
Operating System
Driver Version
FirePro™ V3900
Windows 7
8.911.3.1-120116a-132089E
FirePro™ V4900
Windows 7
8.85.7.1-110717a-124599C
FirePro™ V5900
Windows 7
8.85.7.2-110901a1-125182C
FirePro™ V7750
Windows Server 2008 R2 HPC
8.540.0.0
FirePro™ V7800
Windows 7
8.85.7.1-110717a-122786C
FirePro™ V7900
Windows 7
8.83.5.4-110520a-119550C
Tested NVIDIA® Graphics Cards
Card Model
Operating System
Driver Version
FirePro™ V3900
Windows 7
8.911.3.1-120116a-132089E
FirePro™ V4900
Windows 7
8.85.7.1-110717a-124599C
FirePro™ V5900
Windows 7
8.85.7.2-110901a1-125182C
FirePro™ V7750
Windows Server 2008 R2 HPC
8.540.0.0
FirePro™ V7800
Windows 7
8.85.7.1-110717a-122786C
FirePro™ V7900
Windows 7
8.83.5.4-110520a-119550C
The graphics cards listed above have been rigorously tested for compatibility with COMSOL Multiphysics. Please note,
however, that other AMD or NVIDIA graphics cards may also be compatible with COMSOL Multiphysics. Graphics cards
that belong to the same model series as one of the cards listed above are more likely to be compatible with COMSOL
Multiphysics.
External Function C Compiler
Visual Studio 2010 is officially supported.
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COMSOL Java API Requirements
The COMSOL Java API requires that you compile your Java files with JDK 1.6 or lower.
LiveLink™ for MATLAB® Requirements
LiveLink™ for MATLAB® is compatible with the following versions:
COMSOL Product
Supported file formats
MSOL Version
Supported MATLAB versions
COMSOL 4.3b
R2012b + R2013a
COMSOL 4.3a
R2012a + R2012b
COMSOL 4.3
R2011b + R2012a
COMSOL 4.2a
R2011a + R2011b
COMSOL 4.2
R2010b + R2011a
COMSOL 4.1
R2010a + R2010b
COMSOL 4.0a
R2010a + R2010b
LiveLink™ for Excel® Requirements
LiveLink™ for Excel® is compatible with Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010 and 2013 on Windows. Excel 2010 Starter is not
supported. Internet access is required for the installation.
Products for CAD Interoperability
The following products support import of 3D CAD files on Windows platforms:
Product
Supported file formats
CAD Import Module
ACIS (SAT), Creo Parametric,
IGES, Inventor, Parasolid,
Pro/ENGINEER, SolidWorks,
and STEP
COMSOL Multiphysics
LiveLink™ for SolidWorks®
Same as above
COMSOL Multiphysics
LiveLink™ for SpaceClaim®
Same as above
COMSOL Multiphysics
LiveLink™ for Inventor®
Same as above
COMSOL Multiphysics
LiveLink™ for AutoCAD®
Same as above
COMSOL Multiphysics
LiveLink™ for Creo™ Parametric
Same as above
COMSOL Multiphysics
LiveLink™ for Pro/ENGINEER®
Same as above
COMSOL Multiphysics
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Required products
LiveLink™ for SolidWorks®
LiveLink™ for SolidWorks® is compatible with SolidWorks 2012 and 2013.
LiveLink™ for SpaceClaim®
LiveLink™ for SpaceClaim® requires SpaceClaim 2012 or 2012+, and the Data Exchange II module available from
SpaceClaim.
LiveLink™ for Inventor®
LiveLink™ for Inventor® is compatible with Autodesk Inventor 2013 and Autodesk Inventor 2014.
LiveLink™ for AutoCAD®
LiveLink™ for AutoCAD® is compatible with AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD 2014.
LiveLink™ for Creo™ Parametric
LiveLink™ for Creo™ Parametric is compatible with Creo Parametric 1.0 and 2.0.
LiveLink™ for Pro/ENGINEER®
LiveLink™ for Pro/ENGINEER® is compatible with Wildfire 4.0 and Wildfire 5.0.
LiveLink™ for Solid Edge®
LiveLink™ for Solid Edge® is compatible with Solid Edge ST5.
Parallel System Requirements
COMSOL supports shared-memory parallelism and distributed-memory parallelism on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.
Distributed-memory parallelism requires Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 with Service Pack 1, Windows HPC
Server 2008, or Windows HPC Server 2008 R2.
Internet Protocol Support
IPv4 and IPv6 are supported on all Windows platforms.
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System Requirements for Linux
System Requirements for 32-bit Linux
•
GNU C Library version 2.3.6 or later
•
Linux kernel 2.6.18 or later
•
Intel Pentium IV or AMD Athlon XP processor or later.
System Requirements for 64-bit Linux
•
GNU C Library version 2.3.6 or later
•
Linux kernel 2.6.18 or later
•
A PC with one of these processors: AMD with AMD64 or Intel with EM64T.
Officially Supported Linux Distributions
The following Linux distributions are officially supported by COMSOL.
Platform
Distribution
32-bit Linux
Debian 5.0, 6.0, OpenSUSE 11.3, RedHat Enterprise 5* and 6, Ubuntu 10.04 and 12.04 LTS
64-bit Linux
Debian 5.0, 6.0, OpenSUSE 11.3, RedHat Enterprise 5* and 6, Ubuntu 10.04 and 12.04 LTS
* RedHat Enterprise 5 is only supported for server, batch, and cluster operation.
Graphics System Requirements
Prefer hardware rendering for performance reasons. Drivers supporting OpenGL version 1.4 are required. For using
theOptimize for Quality setting in graphics preferences you need OpenGL 2.0. Prefer using drivers from you
graphics card vendor. Alternatively, use software rendering. The Nouveau video driver is only supported for
software rendering. Hardware rendering requires at least 24-bit color graphics. Software rendering also supports
16-bit color graphics
Supported AMD Graphics Cards
Card Model
FirePro™ V4800
Operating System
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS
Driver Version
8.723.1-10048a-09850C-ATI
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Supported NVIDIA® Graphics Cards
Card Model
Quadro™ FX 1800
Operating System
Debian 6.0
Driver Version
195.36.31
The graphics cards listed above have been rigorously tested for compatibility with COMSOL Multiphysics.
External Function C Compiler
Intel Compiler version 11.0 and GCC 4.1 are officially supported.
COMSOL Java API Requirements
The COMSOL Java API requires that you compile your Java files with JDK 1.6 or lower.
LiveLink™ for MATLAB® Requirements
LiveLink™ for MATLAB® is compatible with the following versions:
COMSOL Version
Supported MATLAB versions
COMSOL 4.3b
R2012b + R2013a
COMSOL 4.3a
R2012a + R2012b
COMSOL 4.3
R2011b + R2012a
COMSOL 4.2a
R2011a + R2011b
COMSOL 4.2
R2010b + R2011a
COMSOL 4.1
R2010a + R2010b
COMSOL 4.0a
R2010a + R2010b
COMSOL 4.0
R2010a + R2010b
Note: The programs xterm and csh are required.
The xterm program is necessary for the command comsol server matlab. The csh program is needed to call
MATLAB functions from COMSOL.
To install the missing packages on Debian and Ubuntu, type
sudo apt-get install xterm csh
To install the missing packages on RedHat Enterprise and Fedora, type
sudo yum install xterm tcsh
To install the missing packages on OpenSUSE, type
sudo zypper install xterm tcsh
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Optional Products for CAD Interoperability
The following products support import of 3D CAD files on Linux platforms:
Product
Supported file formats
Required products
CAD Import
Module
ACIS (SAT), Creo Parametric, IGES, Parasolid, Pro/ENGINEER, and
STEP
COMSOL
Multiphysics
Note: To import ACIS, SAT, STEP, IGES and Pro/ENGINEER files on a 64-bit Linux system, the system must be able to
run 32-bit programs.
Parallel System Requirements
COMSOL supports shared-memory parallelism and distributed-memory parallelism for 32-bit and 64-bit Linux. For
distributed-memory parallelism, COMSOL supports Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and 6, and all computers in the
cluster must use the same Linux version and should have similar hardware. It is recommended that OpenFabrics
Enterprise Distribution (OFED) 1.4 or higher is installed. If you are using an RDMA-capable network fabrics a DAPL
1.2 or later version compliant driver or library is required. The software is usually provided with your hardware.
Internet Protocol Support
IPv4 and IPv6 are supported on all Linux platforms.
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System Requirements for Mac OS X
System Requirements for Intel 64-bit Processor
•
Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7, or 10.8
•
Java 1.6
Java Availability
In Mac OS X 10.6 Java is included by default. In Mac OS X 10.7 and 10.8 you need to download and install Java.
1.
Open Finder > Applications > Utilities.
2.
Open Java Preferences.
3.
If Java is not installed on the system, you will be asked to do so.
Graphics System Requirements
Prefer hardware rendering for performance reasons: drivers supporting OpenGL version 1.4 are required.
Alternatively, use software rendering.
Supported NVIDIA® Graphics Cards
Card Model
Operating System
GeForce™ GT 120
Mac OS X 10.6
Driver Version
-
The GeForce™ GT 120 has been rigorously tested on OS X for compatibility with COMSOL Multiphysics.
External Function C Compiler
Intel Compiler version 11.0 and GCC 4.0 are officially supported.
COMSOL Java API Requirements
The COMSOL Java API requires that you compile your Java files with JDK 1.6 or lower.
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LiveLink™ for MATLAB® Requirements
LiveLink™ for MATLAB® is compatible with the following versions for Mac OS X:
COMSOL Version
Supported MATLAB versions
COMSOL 4.3b
R2012b + R2013a
COMSOL 4.3a
R2012a + R2012b
COMSOL 4.3
R2011b + R2012a
COMSOL 4.2a
R2011a + R2011b
COMSOL 4.2
R2010b + R2011a
COMSOL 4.1
R2010a + R2010b
COMSOL 4.0a
R2010a + R2010b
COMSOL 4.0
R2010a + R2010b
Products for CAD Interoperability
The following products support import of 3D CAD files on OS X:
Product
Supported file formats
Required products
CAD Import
Module
ACIS (SAT), Creo Parametric, IGES, Parasolid, Pro/ENGINEER, and
STEP
COMSOL
Multiphysics
Note: Note that the CAD Import Module requires 64-bit Mac OS X 10.6 or later.
Parallel System Requirements
COMSOL supports shared-memory parallelism on 32-bit and 64-bit Mac OS X. Distributed-memory parallelism is not
supported.
Internet Protocol Support
IPv4 is supported on all Mac OS X platforms.
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