Windows

A compatible NVIDIA graphics driver (version 452.39 or newer) must be installed on Windows operating system. CUDA-enabled GPUs with compute capabilities of 5.0 or higher are supported.

NVIDIA Data Center and RTX GPUs support two driver modes on Windows. In WDDM driver mode, the GPU is a shared resource for display output (for example, pre- and post-processing) and CUDA compute jobs. In TCM driver mode, GPU is reserved for CUDA compute jobs and Windows has no display access to the GPU.

After installation at $INSTALL_DIR, follow these steps to verify nanoFluidX has been installed correctly.

  1. Run system tests with the following: 
    system_tests.ps1
    1. If you do not have the rights to run PowerShell scripts, you may set a temporary session through the following: 
      Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope Process
    2. Alternatively, run the following batch script: 
      system_tests.bat
  2. A successful test will produce output similar to the figure below.
    Figure 1.
  3. Copy dambreak case from demo_cases to the location of choice <LOC>.
  4. Run the following: 
    nanoFluidX:nFX_SP -i dambreak_3D_H300_dx0p005_wt.cfg -m 10.
The test run is successful when the message Finished (reached maximum steps) appears at the end.
Note: Simulation time may vary.
Figure 2.

Launch a Simulation via Windows Terminal

Launch with CMD

  1. Open a CMD window through either of the following methods:
    • Double-click the set_nFX_environment.bat file.
    • Run relative/or/absolute/path/to/set_nFX_environment.bat in an already open CMD window to set solver paths.
    Note: The shell window type changes to PowerShell (PS).
  2. Change to your case directory. Although it is possible to use absolute paths, it is recommended to use relative paths.
  3. Run nFX_SP -i case.cfg.

Launch with PowerShell

  1. Open a PowerShell window and run relative/or/absolute/path/to/set_nFX_environment.ps1.
    You may need to set your PowerShell execution policy to “Unrestricted” by typing one of the following commands before running the script:
    • Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope CurrentUser

      This command allows for the execution of scripts for the current user permanently until changed. This may or may not be a security risk, depending on the user behavior.

    • Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope Process

      This command allows for temporary execution of scripts within the current PowerShell session. It has to be input for every new PowerShell window, if no other permanent method of setting execution policy has been used.

  2. Change to your case directory. Although it is possible to use absolute paths, it is recommended to use relative paths.
  3. Run nFX_SP -i case.cfg.

nanoFluidX auxiliaries (nanoFluidX[c], nanoFluidX[p], nanoFluidX[m])

The script set_nFX_environment.bat/.ps1 also sets the environment for the nanoFluidX auxiliaries and they can be run through nanoFluidX[c], nanoFluidX[p], and nanoFluidX[m] (no need for .exe extension) and passing the relevant options. For example:
  1. nFXc --nfx nfxccase.cfg
  2. nFXp -i case.cfg
  3. nFXm -f PATH
Remember: Windows style paths with backslash “\” are not supported. This is important when using nanoFluidX[c]. Use of relative paths is encouraged.