Zencrack Installation and Execution

Zencrack - Installation And Execution Version Status
Installation And Execution

Issue 9.0
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and Zentech International Ltd.
assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document.
The ZENCRACK software described in this document is furnished under license and may be used or
copied only in accordance with the terms of such license.
Zentech document no.: i009/doc/900g
All pages of this manual are at Revision 0.
This version of the manual is for use with the latest software version indicated below and
may also be issued with subsequent software releases if updates are not required.
Software versions are identified by version number and build date.
The Zencrack version and build date are shown in the banner at the start of the output file (i.e. the .rep
file). The Zencrack GUI version and build date are shown in the program Help > About menu.
Program Version Build date Manual version
Zencrack 9.0-1 20 January 2022

Issue 9.0 Revision 0, 44 pages
Zencrack GUI 9.0-a 20 January 2022
Zentech International Limited i

Zencrack - Installation And Execution Version Status
Disclaimer
The Zencrack analysis program, the Zencrack GUI and Zencrack Plug-ins for Abaqus/CAE are proprietary
software products (Products) of Zentech International Ltd. (Zentech) and are offered under license for the
commercial use of its customers. Zentech reserves all rights and makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as
to the accuracy, validity or applicability of any results obtained through use of the Products; nor shall the fact
of distribution constitute any such warranty or responsibility in connection therewith.
Full terms and conditions governing the use of the Products are available at:
https://www.zentech.co.uk/download/license_agreement.pdf.
Zentech is continually improving the Products and welcomes suggestions and comments. Any error
encountered in the Products or documentation should be reported as soon as possible.
Zentech International Ltd. E-mail: [email protected]

Registered Office: Web: https://www.zentech.co.uk/
590B Finchley Road
London
NW11 7RX
U.K.
Abaqus is a trademark of Dassault Systèmes Simulia Corp. (SIMULIA), Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A.
Web site: https://www.3ds.com/products-services/simulia.
Ansys is a trademark of SAS IP, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ansys Inc., Canonsburg, Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
Web site: https://www.ansys.com.
NASTRAN is a registered trademark of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Simcenter
Nastran is an enhanced proprietary version developed and maintained by Siemens Product Lifecycle
Management Software Inc.
Web site: https://www.siemens.com.
Note: In this manual references to Simcenter Nastran should be read to include the still supported
earlier versions of NX Nastran 10.0, 11.0 and 12.0.
RLM is a license management system from Reprise Software, Inc., San Jose, U.S.A.
Web site: https://www.reprisesoftware.com.
Zentech International Limited ii

Zencrack - Installation And Execution Contents
Table of Contents
1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................................................. 4
1.1 License types ................................................................................................................................................. 4
1.2 Hardware requirements............................................................................................................................... 4
1.3 Software requirements ................................................................................................................................ 5
1.3.1 Finite element interfaces ....................................................................................................................... 5
1.3.2 Fortran compiler .................................................................................................................................... 5
1.3.3 License server ......................................................................................................................................... 6
1.3.4 Changes in software configurations .................................................................................................... 6
2. Installation - Zencrack Product ............................................................................................................................. 7
2.1 Windows........................................................................................................................................................ 7
2.1.1 To install the program files (Windows) .............................................................................................. 7
2.1.2 To un-install Zencrack (Windows) ..................................................................................................... 9
2.1.3 To install the documentation files (Windows) .................................................................................. 9
2.1.4 To un-install the documentation files (Windows) ..........................................................................10
2.1.5 Remote execution of the finite element code..................................................................................10
2.1.6 Possible issues.......................................................................................................................................10
2.1.6.1 Program Compatibility Assistant warning ...........................................................................10
2.1.6.2 Zencrack GUI fails to execute ...............................................................................................11
2.2 Linux ............................................................................................................................................................11
2.2.1 To install the program files (Linux) ..................................................................................................11
2.2.2 To un-install Zencrack (Linux) ..........................................................................................................12
2.2.3 To install the documentation files (Linux).......................................................................................12
2.2.4 To un-install the documentation files (Linux).................................................................................13
3. Installation - License Server .................................................................................................................................14
3.1 Windows......................................................................................................................................................14
3.2 Linux ............................................................................................................................................................15
4. Setup Of Zencrack Product After Installation .................................................................................................16
4.1 The zencrack.ini file...................................................................................................................................16
4.1.1 [ABAQUS] section ..............................................................................................................................17
4.1.2 [ANSYS] section ..................................................................................................................................18
4.1.3 [NXNASTRAN] section ....................................................................................................................19
4.1.4 [LICENSE] section .............................................................................................................................20
4.1.5 [FORTRAN_LINUX] section ..........................................................................................................20
4.1.6 [FORTRAN_WINDOWS] section ..................................................................................................21
4.1.7 [REMOTEFE] section........................................................................................................................21
4.1.8 [RUNTIME] section ...........................................................................................................................21
4.1.9 [MISC] section ......................................................................................................................................22
4.1.10 [SETUP] section ..................................................................................................................................22
4.2 The Zencrack GUI ....................................................................................................................................22
4.3 Using Zencrack user subroutines ............................................................................................................22
4.4 Configuring the plug-ins for Abaqus/CAE...........................................................................................24
5. Running Zencrack .................................................................................................................................................26
5.1 Command prompt setup in Windows ....................................................................................................26
5.2 Terminal window setup in Linux ............................................................................................................26
5.3 Execution using “runzcr90”.....................................................................................................................27
5.4 Examples of command line execution ...................................................................................................28
5.5 Killing a Zencrack job during execution ................................................................................................29
5.5.1 Windows ................................................................................................................................................29
5.5.2 Linux 29
6. Verifying An Installation ......................................................................................................................................30
7. Nodelocked and License Server (Network) Licensing ....................................................................................31
7.1 Information required to generate a license file .....................................................................................31
7.2 Nodelocked license file .............................................................................................................................31
7.3 Network License server ............................................................................................................................32
7.3.1 Configuring the license server............................................................................................................32
7.3.2 Starting the RLM server ......................................................................................................................33
Zentech International Limited 1
7.3.2.1 Running the RLM server as a service on Windows ............................................................33

7.3.2.2 Starting the RLM server at system boot time on Linux systems ......................................34
7.3.3 Browser-based license administration ..............................................................................................34
7.3.3.1 Installing an updated RLM license file..................................................................................35
7.3.4 Releasing locked licenses ....................................................................................................................35
7.3.5 Contents of the RLM license file.......................................................................................................36
7.3.6 Configuring a client machine .............................................................................................................36
8. Remote Execution Of The Finite Element Analysis .......................................................................................38
8.1 Configuration..............................................................................................................................................38
8.2 Remote command timeout period ..........................................................................................................41
8.3 Zencrack input file .....................................................................................................................................42
8.4 Execution of a Zencrack job with remote F.E. analysis......................................................................42
8.5 Limitations of the remote transfer capability ........................................................................................43
9. References ...............................................................................................................................................................44

List of Figures
Figure 2-1 – Program Compatibility Assistant warning (shown for Zencrack 8.0-1 on Windows 7) .................10
Figure 2-2 – Failure of execution of the Zencrack GUI on Windows 7 machine..................................................11
Figure 4-1 – Zencrack command prompt (Windows).................................................................................................23
Figure 4-2 – Plug-in access in Abaqus/CAE ................................................................................................................25
Figure 5-1 – Zencrack command prompt (Windows).................................................................................................26
Figure 7-1 – Typical license status screen after selecting “Status” from the left side menu .................................34
Figure 7-2 – Typical server license status after selecting “zentechint” from the Server Status of the main
status screen ............................................................................................................................................................35
Figure 7-3 – Typical server usage status ........................................................................................................................36

Zencrack - Installation And Execution Introduction
1. Introduction
This document describes installation, set-up and execution of Zencrack version 9.0-x for Windows
x86 and Linux x86 platforms. The document includes installation of the Zencrack analysis product
and GUI, and the RLM license server (which is required for network licensing). For sub-versions
9.0-2 onwards, any explicit references to 9.0-1 in this document should be read with 9.0-1 replaced
by the appropriate sub-version number. In some places a generic reference is made to version 9.0-x.
64bit versions of Zencrack 9.0 are available for x86 machines running 64bit Windows or Linux.
Documentation uses pdf files (Adobe Acrobat version 5) and requires a suitable reader. The native
Reader apps in Windows 8 and 10 that open pdf files do not allow use of cross-document links
such as those in the Zencrack documentation main page. An alternative such as Adobe Reader is
recommended instead. This can be downloaded from:
https://get.adobe.com/uk/reader
Up-to-date information on compatibility of different versions of the interfaced finite element codes
is maintained on the Zencrack section of the Zentech website:
https://www.zentech.co.uk/zencrack.htm
If Zencrack user subroutines are to be used then an appropriate version of the Intel Fortran
compiler must be installed. Up-to-date information on compatibility of compiler versions can also
be found on the Zentech website:
https://www.zentech.co.uk/zencrack_support_fortran.htm
1.1 License types

Zencrack can be licensed using a nodelocked license file or using a token-based license server (i.e.
network licensing) system. Both systems are based on the Reprise License Manager (RLM) [Ref. 1].
For a nodelocked system the software (either Zencrack Standard or Zencrack Professional) can
only be executed on the machines(s) specified in the license file. The nodelocked method does not
require installation of a license server – only the placement of the supplied license file into the
license sub-folder of the Zencrack installation.
For network licensing, a license server must be installed on a specified machine. The license file
declares this machine as the license server and contains information about the licensed products.
All files required for the license manager are supplied by Zentech – there is no requirement to
download files from the Reprise website. The Zencrack product is then installed on one or more
client machines (one of which could be the server machine). When a Zencrack job is executed on a
client machine a request is made to the server to check out the required number of tokens for the
job. This manual covers the basics of installing, starting and using the RLM license server.
Additional information can be found in the RLM License Administration Manual supplied as part
of the license server installation and the Zencrack documentation.
1.2 Hardware requirements

Memory requirements are generally governed by the requirements of the finite element analysis
rather than by Zencrack so provided there is sufficient memory to run the finite element analyses of
typical user models there should not be any memory issues for Zencrack.
The Zencrack analysis program is an “analysis engine” so there are no special hardware
requirements. Input and output to the analysis program is via ASCII text files.

The Zencrack GUI is available for Windows 64bit installations and allows reading, modification
and writing of Zencrack input files as well as display of finite element meshes and results data. It
requires OpenGL support on the graphics card.
The Zencrack plug-ins for Abaqus/CAE and Abaqus/Viewer have no special hardware
requirements beyond any requirements for running /CAE or /Viewer.
THE RLM license server and client installations are available for Windows 64bit machines or Linux
64bit machines.
1.3 Software requirements

Zencrack is supplied as an installer that contains executables, object files and ancillary support files
– no third party files are required to be installed other than the finite element code which the user
intends to use with Zencrack.
For Windows platforms Windows 10 is recommended.
1.3.1 Finite element interfaces

Zencrack is interfaced to Abaqus/Standard [Ref. 2], Ansys/APDL [Ref. 3] and Simcenter Nastran
[Ref. 4]. The Zencrack user license permits use with one or more of these finite element programs
(which must be licensed separately from the appropriate vendor). The finite element program must
be executed on the same machine as Zencrack unless the remote finite element execution option is
activated. This capability is available if Zencrack is installed on a Windows PC with the finite
element analysis required on a remote Linux or Unix machine.
It is generally expected that a machine on which Zencrack is to be installed already contains a local
installation of Abaqus, Ansys or Simcenter Nastran. During the Zencrack installation procedure a
setup program runs and requests user input about the f.e. version(s) to be used by Zencrack.
1.3.2 Fortran compiler

A Fortran compiler is only required if a Zencrack user subroutine option is to be used. When a job
runs that requires a user subroutine, the Zencrack execution program automatically compiles the
subroutine and links it with the supplied object files to create a new executable. This can be
achieved using the -u command line option (see section 5.2). The Intel Compiler Classic, Version
2021.1 (part of Intel oneAPI) is required if user subroutines are to be used. Updated information
about compatibility with Intel Fortran versions is available at:
https://www.zentech.co.uk/zencrack_support_fortran.htm
If user subroutines are not used, there is no requirement to have an Intel Fortran Compiler
installed.
If there is uncertainty about the requirements for user subroutines at the time of
installation, it is recommended that the “no compiler” option is selected during the
installation setup process. This can be changed at a later date by re-running the setup
program.
Each installation of Zencrack contains a readme.txt file in its top-level directory that provides
details of the operating system and compiler used to create that version of the software. If you have
an earlier compiler version, you may need to upgrade to at least the compiler version used to create
Zencrack, or have the necessary run-time files in place.

1.3.3 License server

For users with a license server arrangement all necessary files for the server installation are supplied
in a separate license server installation file, i.e. one installation file for client product installation and
one for license server installation.
1.3.4 Changes in software configurations

In the event of changes to the software configurations (for instance installing a newer version of
the interfaced f.e. code, changes to the license server machine, installing a Fortran compiler), the
Zencrack setup program may be re-run or the zencrack.ini file may be manually edited (see section
4).

Zencrack - Installation And Execution Installation - Zencrack Product
2. Installation - Zencrack Product

This section describes installation of the Zencrack product. This is applicable for nodelocked
licenses and for client installations when using a network license server.
2.1 Windows
The Zencrack product is supplied as two files:
Zencrack_9-0-x_Windows-64.exe
setup program containing the analysis program files and GUI.
Zencrack_9-0-x_Windows-doc.exe
setup program containing the documentation files.
The default program installation location is c:\Zencrack\9.0-x but this may be changed if required.
Please note that:
• The user installing the program must have sufficient privilege to create files in the chosen
installation location.
• If multiple user accounts exist on the machine, any desktop shortcuts or Start Menu / Apps
Page shortcuts are installed for the current user only.
As part of the program installation, a setup program is run to complete the configuration of the f.e.
interface(s) and Fortran. This setup program runs in a command prompt/terminal window and
searches for f.e. and Intel Fortran Compiler for oneAPI versions in default locations. If no suitable
versions are found, options are provided to widen the search.
The documentation can be installed before or after installation of the program. It is recommended
that the documentation be installed into a sub-directory of the main Zencrack folder. For this
reason the default documentation location is c:\Zencrack\9.0-x_document.
It is generally not recommended to run analyses or create any other files within the Zencrack
installation directories. If this is done, such files will be left behind by the uninstaller when the
program is uninstalled.
2.1.1 To install the program files (Windows)

1. Log in as the user required to execute Zencrack. Administrator privilege is not required
but may reduce any system messages regarding UAC. The installing user must have
permissions to create files in the chosen installation location.
2. Run the Zencrack_9-0-x_Windows-64.exe setup program to install Zencrack. Accept the
license terms.
3. Define parameters for the installation on a series of screens. The default home directory
c:\Zencrack\9.0-x is used throughout the remainder of these instructions. If selected, an
uninstaller executable, uninstall_9-0-x.exe, is created in the installation home directory. It
is recommended that an uninstaller is created.
4. The following directory structure is created under the home directory:
bin Zencrack executable, object and library files
crack Crack-block files
defaults Files with various default settings e.g. tol.dat
demos Example input files – see the readme.txt file in this directory
fe_abaqus Files related to the Abaqus interface (including /CAE plug-in files)
fe_ansys Files related to the Ansys interface
fe_gmsh Files related to remeshing
fe_nxnastran Files related to the Simcenter Nastran interface
gui Files related to the Zencrack GUI

license Nodelocked license file should be placed here 1

machine_id Utility to extract details required to license Zencrack
tools Execution file and location of the zencrack.ini file
utils Utility programs:
3dmesh : crack profile generator
process : creates a .csv data file for specified node(s) on a crack front
rainflow : rainflow cycle counting
tanh : creates tabular growth data from tanh growth equation data
T4eRexec: used for remote f.e. execution
T4eSSH : used for remote f.e. execution
examples directory for utility programs
readme.txt Installation information
versions.txt Version information
5. After placing files onto your hard disk the installer runs the final part of the Zencrack
configuration in a command prompt window. This configuration procedure requests
information on the location of f.e. codes and of the Fortran environment (if any). It then
configures the Zencrack .ini file accordingly.
6. Choose whether or not to create entries in the Start Menu/Apps Page and/or desktop
shortcuts. The Start Menu/Apps Page entries include a shortcut to the Zencrack
command prompt and the Zencrack GUI (i.e. the same as the optional desktop
shortcuts). This concludes the execution of the setup program.
7. If the “Zencrack configuration” command prompt phase of the setup was successfully
run during the setup (step 5), this step can be skipped, otherwise open a command
prompt window, “cd” to the c:\Zencrack\9.0-x\tools directory and issue the command
“runzcr90 setup”. This configuration procedure requests information on the location of
f.e. codes and of the Fortran environment (if any) and license type. It then configures the
Zencrack .ini file accordingly.
8. For nodelocked licenses put a copy of your license file (see section 7) into the license
directory if this was not done during the installation process.
9. Some items in the zencrack.ini file can be manually modified after completion of
installation. These items are described in section 4.
If no desktop shortcut was selected at step 6 but a shortcut is desired at a later date, the following
procedure can be used:
Right-click on the Zencrack shortcut file in the c:\Zencrack\9.0-x\tools directory and

drag it onto your desktop. This shortcut is the file called “Zencrack 9.0-x”. Depending
upon the view setting for the folder, the file looks like this:
Details or List Icons Tiles Content
Select “Copy here” or “Create shortcut here”.

Repeat this process for the file c:\Zencrack\9.0-x\gui\zcrgui.exe to create a shortcut for
the Zencrack GUI.
The desktop shortcuts should look like this after completion:
1 The nodelocked license file is supplied separately from the program installation files. See section 7.
If the shortcuts do not display with these icons, a re-boot may be necessary.
Note: the configuration program detailed in step 5 above must be run at least once, either during
the installation process or directly as described in step 7.
2.1.2 To un-install Zencrack (Windows)

The installation process creates an entry in the standard Windows list of installed programs if the
“Create uninstaller” option is used during the install process. The installation can then be
uninstalled in one of two ways:
1. By selecting Zencrack 9.0-x from the standard Windows “Uninstall a program / app” in
the appropriate section of Control Panel or Settings. This is the recommended method.
2. By double-clicking the uninstall_9-0-x.exe file in the installation home directory.
If an uninstaller was not created during the install process, the following procedure can be used to
manually remove the installation:
1. Delete files under the installation directory, e.g. c:\Zencrack\9.0-x in the above example,
making sure to first backup any analysis files that may have been located there. It is not
recommended to run analyses or create any other files within the Zencrack installation
directories.
2. Delete any desktop shortcuts that were created.
2.1.3 To install the documentation files (Windows)

It is recommended that the documentation be installed into a sub-directory of the main Zencrack
folder. The documentation is in pdf format and requires a suitable reader.
1. Double-click on Zencrack_9-0-x_Windows-doc.exe to start the installation process.

Specify a home directory for the installation. The documentation does not have to be
installed in the same location as the program files. The default is:
c:\Zencrack\9.0-x_document
2. Choose whether or not to create an uninstaller. If selected, an uninstaller executable,
uninstall_9-0-x_document.exe, is created in the installation home directory. It is
recommended that an uninstaller is created.
3. Choose whether or not to create entries in the Start Menu/Apps Page and/or a desktop
shortcut. The Start Menu/Apps Page entries include a shortcut to the Zencrack
documentation (i.e. the same as the optional desktop shortcut) and the Zencrack unit
conversion utility.
If no desktop shortcut was selected at step 3 but a shortcut is desired at a later date, the following
procedure can be used:
Right-click on zencrack90_documentation.pdf file in the c:\Zencrack\9.0-x_document

directory.
Drag it onto your desktop.
Select “Create shortcut here”.

2.1.4 To un-install the documentation files (Windows)

The installation process creates an entry in the standard Windows list of installed programs if the
“Create uninstaller” option is used during the install process. The installation can then be
uninstalled in one of two ways:
1. By selecting Zencrack Documentation 9.0-x from the standard Windows “Uninstall a

program / app” in the appropriate section of Control Panel or Settings. This is the
recommended method.
2. By double-clicking the uninstall_9-0-x_document.exe file in the installation home
directory.
If an uninstaller was not created during the install process, the following procedure can be used to
manually remove the installation:
1. Delete files under the installation directory, e.g. c:\Zencrack\9.0-x_document in the

above example.
2. Delete any desktop shortcuts that were created.
2.1.5 Remote execution of the finite element code

A capability exists to allow remote execution of the finite element code on a Linux or Unix
machine when Zencrack is installed on a Windows machine. This differs from the normal
arrangement in which Zencrack and the finite element code are executed on the same machine.
Please see section 8 for more information. The standard installation procedure described in the
previous sections must be followed before configuration of remote execution of the finite element
code is possible.
2.1.6 Possible issues
2.1.6.1 Program Compatibility Assistant warning

If Windows UAC (User Account Control) is running on the installation machine, there may be
additional system messages generated when installing from these files. In particular, for Windows 7
or 8 the Program Compatibility Assistant may appear at the end of an installation or uninstallation
process e.g.:
Figure 2-1 – Program Compatibility Assistant warning (shown for Zencrack 8.0-1 on Windows 7)
If this occurs, you may safely click on "This program installed correctly" or "Cancel":
• If you click on "This program installed correctly", Windows will create a registry entry to
prevent this warning if you re-run the installer at a later date.
• If you click on "Cancel", Windows will not make any entry in the registry regarding this warning.
This is the recommended option.

2.1.6.2 Zencrack GUI fails to execute

On Windows 7 machines the Zencrack GUI for version 9.0-x may fail to execute after installation
and give a message "Failed to execute script zcrgui". To resolve this issue please install the latest
Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable runtime files for Visual Studio 2017 (vc_redist.x64.exe) by
searching at https://support.microsoft.com/ for “Visual C++ redistributable”.
Figure 2-2 – Failure of execution of the Zencrack GUI on Windows 7 machine
2.2 Linux
The Zencrack product is supplied as two files:
Zencrack_9-0-x_Linux_64.exe
setup program containing the program files
Zencrack_9-0-x_Linux-doc.exe
setup program containing the documentation files
The default program installation location is /home/Zencrack/9.0-x where /home is the home
directory for the user installing the program. This may be changed if required. The user installing
the program must have sufficient privilege to create files in the chosen location.
As part of the program installation, a setup program is run to configure the installation. During this
configuration process the choice is made regarding location of finite element code(s), the Fortran
environment and the licensing type.
The documentation can be installed before or after installation of the program. It is recommended
that the documentation be installed into a sub-directory “document” of the main Zencrack
installation.
It is generally not recommended to run analyses or create any other files within the Zencrack
installation directories. If this is done, such files will be left behind by the uninstaller when the
program is uninstalled.
2.2.1 To install the program files (Linux)

1. Log in as any user with sufficient privilege to meet the requirements stated above.
2. Run the Zencrack_9-0-x_Linux_64.exe setup program to install Zencrack. Accept the
license term.
3. Define parameters for the installation on a series of screens. The default home directory
/home/Zencrack/9.0-x is used throughout the remainder of these instructions. If
selected, an uninstaller executable, uninstall_9-0-x, is created in the installation home
directory. It is recommended that an uninstaller is created.
4. The following directory structure is created under the home directory:
bin Zencrack executable, object and library files
crack Crack-block files
defaults Files with various default settings e.g. tol.dat
demos Example input files – see the readme.txt file in this directory
fe_abaqus Files related to the Abaqus interface (including /CAE plug-in files)
fe_ansys Files related to the Ansys interface

fe_gmsh Files related to remeshing
fe_nxnastran Files related to the Simcenter Nastran interface
license Nodelocked license file should be placed here 2
machine_id Utility to extract details required to license Zencrack
tools Execution file and location of the zencrack.ini file
utils Utility programs:
3dmesh : crack profile generator
process : creates a .csv data file for specified node(s) on a crack front
rainflow : rainflow cycle counting
tanh : creates tabular growth data from tanh growth equation data
T4eRexec: used for remote f.e. execution
T4eSSH : used for remote f.e. execution
examples directory for utility programs
versions.txt Version information
5. After placing files onto your hard disk the installer runs the final part of the Zencrack
configuration in a terminal window. This configuration procedure requests information
on the location of f.e. codes and of the Fortran environment (if any). It then configures
the Zencrack .ini file accordingly.
6. If the “Zencrack configuration” terminal window phase of the setup was successfully run
during the setup (step 5), this step can be skipped, otherwise open a terminal window,
“cd” to the /home/Zencrack/9.0-x/tools directory and issue the command “./runzcr90
setup”. This configuration procedure requests information on the location of f.e. codes
and of the Fortran environment (if any) and license type. It then configures the Zencrack
.ini file accordingly.
7. For nodelocked licenses put a copy of your license file (see section 7) into the license
directory if this was not done during the installation process.
8. Some items in the zencrack.ini file can be manually modified after completion of
installation. These items are described in section 4.
The installation process creates a soft link runzcr90x which can be used to execute Zencrack jobs
from a terminal window.
2.2.2 To un-install Zencrack (Linux)

The installation process creates an uninstaller in the installation home directory if the “Create
uninstaller” option is used during the install process. The installation can then be uninstalled by
double-clicking the file (uninstall_9-0-x).
To manually delete the installation, delete files under the installation directory, i.e.
/home/Zencrack/9.0-x in the above example, making sure to first backup any analysis files that
may have been located there. It is not recommended to run analyses or create any other files within
the Zencrack installation directories.
2.2.3 To install the documentation files (Linux)

It is recommended that the documentation be installed into a sub-directory of the main Zencrack
folder. The documentation is in Adobe Acrobat version 5 format and requires a suitable reader.
1. Double-click on Zencrack_9-0-x_Linux-doc.exe to start the installation process. Specify a

home directory for the installation. The documentation does not have to be installed in
the same location as the program files. The default is:
/home/Zencrack/9.0-x_document
2. Choose whether or not to create an uninstaller. If selected, an uninstaller executable,
uninstall_9-0-x_document, is created in the installation home directory.
2 The nodelocked license file is supplied separately from the program installation files. See section 7.
2.2.4 To un-install the documentation files (Linux)

The installation process creates an uninstaller in the installation home directory if the “Create
uninstaller” option is used during the install process. The installation can then be uninstalled by
double-clicking the file (uninstall_9-0-x_document).
To manually delete the installation, delete files under the installation directory, i.e.
/home/Zencrack/9.0-x_document in the above example.

Zencrack - Installation And Execution Installation - License Server
3. Installation - License Server

This section describes installation of the RLM license server. Installation of the license server is not
necessary if you are using a nodelocked license file or if a suitable version of the RLM license server
is already installed on your selected server machine.
The RLM license server is available for Windows x86-64 and Linux x86-64 machines. The client
(i.e. Zencrack product) installations may be on any Windows x86-64, or Linux x86-64 machines
with network access to the server.
The extraction and installation of the license server files is described below. For further information
on configuring the license server and monitoring license usage, refer to section 7.3 and the RLM
License Administration Manual.
The RLM License Administration Manual contains information that is oriented towards the person
who installs and administers RLM. In general, as a Zencrack end-user, you should not need to refer
to this manual. The RLM License Administration Manual is supplied as part of the Zencrack
documentation and with the RLM license server install files. Note that:
• Some topics in the RLM License Administration Manual are not relevant to the licensing of
Zencrack.
• The RLM version used by Zencrack 9.0 is v14.
3.1 Windows
The RLM files are supplied in one setup file, Zencrack_RLMv14_Windows.exe. The file contains
64bit versions of the license server:
• The generic license server rlm.exe.

• The Zentech International license server zentechint.exe.
• The RLM command line utilities rlmutil.exe.
• The RLM License Administration Manual, RLM_License_Administration.pdf.
• The license request program, machine_id.exe (see section 7.1).
If Windows UAC (User Account Control) is running on the installation machine, there may be
additional system messages generated when installing from these files.
The license file is provided separately and can be placed in any location. However, the
configuration is simpler if the license file is located in the same folder as the installed server
binaries.
To install the license server

1. Log in as an administrator.
2. Run the setup program to extract the files into your chosen location on the server. The
files are extracted into a sub-folder rlm_v14 in the chosen location.
If the machine is also to contain a client installation, it is recommended that the server
location is outside the folder of a specific Zencrack version e.g. c:\Zencrack would be
appropriate but c:\Zencrack\9.0-x would not.
3. Place the supplied server license file in the same rlm_v14 sub-folder as the extracted files
(either using the option provided during the installation or manually upon completion of
the installation).
4. After placing the license file in the rlm_v14 sub-folder, refer to section 7.3.2 for
information on starting the license server.

Zencrack - Installation And Execution Installation - License Server
3.2 Linux
The RLM files are supplied in one setup file, Zencrack_RLMv14_Linux-64.exe. The file contains
64bit versions of the license server:
• The generic license server rlm.

• The Zentech International license server zentechint.
• The RLM command line utilities rlmutil.
• The license request program, machine_id.exe (see section 7.1).
The license file is provided separately and can be placed in any location. However, the
configuration is simpler if the license file is located in the same folder as the installed server
binaries.
To install the license server

1. Run the setup program to extract the files into your chosen location on the server. The
files are extracted into an rlm_v14 sub-folder in the chosen location.
If the machine is also to contain a client installation, it is recommended that the server
location is outside the folder of a specific Zencrack version e.g. /home/Zencrack would
be appropriate but /home/Zencrack/9.0-x would not.
2. Place the supplied server license file in the same rlm_v14 sub-folder as the extracted files
(either using the option provided during the installation or manually upon completion of
the installation).
3. After placing the license file in the rlm_v14 sub-folder, refer to section 7.3.2 for
information on starting the license server.
Note that the programs rlm, rlmutil and machine_id.exe should be run from within a terminal
window.

Zencrack - Installation And Execution Setup Of Zencrack Product After Installation
4. Setup Of Zencrack Product After Installation

Zencrack requires that several variables be set up prior to executing the program. Other optional
settings can also be made as part of the program configuration. The required and optional variables
are defined in the zencrack.ini file in the tools sub-folder of the Zencrack installation. Additional
notes on all items described in the following sections are contained in the zencrack.ini file itself.
The execution of the setup program during or after the installation process configures the variables
highlighted in red in the following sections. The other variables described in the following sections
must be configured by editing the zencrack.ini file.
The setup program can be re-run at any time to update the highlighted variables in the following
sections by using the command:
runzcr90 setup for Windows

runzcr90x setup for Linux
Re-running the setup program and saving any values will create a new zencrack.ini file. Existing
settings will either be retained or modified, depending upon the choices made when running the
program. A backup of any existing zencrack.ini file is made before a new .ini file is created.
4.1 The zencrack.ini file

The zencrack.ini file is located in the tools folder of the Zencrack installation. It contains settings
which are used by the Zencrack analysis program and the Zencrack GUI. The .ini file is split into
“sections” with each section defining a series of “variables”. Section names are enclosed in square
brackets and variables have values assigned via an equal sign. Comments begin with a # character
e.g.:
[LICENSE]
#
# Two licensing methods are available:
# network - Network licensing using RLM license server
# nodelocked - Nodelocked licensing using RLM license file
#
# The variable ZENCRACK_LICENSE defines the licensing method being used and
# should be set to NETWORK or NODELOCKED e.g.:
# ZENCRACK_LICENSE = NETWORK
# Additional information is contained in the following sections.
#
ZENCRACK_LICENSE = NETWORK
#
# Settings for network licensing using RLM license server
# #######################################################
#
# ZENCRACK_RLM_SERVER must be set to reference the license server machine.
# This can be done through a port number and IP address or a port number
# and machine name e.g.
# ZENCRACK_RLM_SERVER = [email protected]
# ZENCRACK_RLM_SERVER = 2764@SERVERNAME
#
ZENCRACK_RLM_SERVER = 2764@localhost
#
# The value of ZENCRACK_WAIT is the number of minutes that a job should wait
# in a queue to obtain license tokens if the tokens are being used by another
# job. The maximum allowed value is 9999 minutes. A value of 0 means that a
# job will stop immediately if no license tokens are available.
#
ZENCRACK_WAIT = 30
#

4.1.1 [ABAQUS] section

The variables in this section allow definition of the Abaqus version to be used by Zencrack. These
variables must be set if the Zencrack license has an Abaqus interface.
ZCR_ABAQUS the full location of the Abaqus executable file provided as

part of the Abaqus program installation and used to run
Abaqus.
Prior to Abaqus 2016: abqxxx.exe, where xxx refers to a
version number, e.g. 610ef1, 6111, 6121 etc.
For Abaqus 2016 to Abaqus 2021: abqlauncher.exe
For Abaqus 2022: SMALauncher.exe
ZCR_ABAQUS_VER the Abaqus version which may optionally include the sub-
version, e.g. 6.12-1, 2018, 2022.
For version 2016 onwards the inclusion of Golden or
Hotfix details are optional. They can be specified with
“Golden” or “HotFix n” included. For example:
2018 Golden.
2018 HotFix 1 for Abaqus 3DEXPERIENCE R2018x
HotFix 1 (FP1806).
Only the main version is included by the Zencrack setup
program so the optional addition of Golden or HotFix
versions must be specified by editing the zencrack.ini file.
ZCR_ABAQUS_OPTIONS defines command line options for running Abaqus. This

must contain “interactive”. Other Abaqus command line
options may be added. For example the CPUS option can
be added to specify how many CPUs are used by Abaqus
jobs submitted by Zencrack, e.g.:
ZCR_ABAQUS_OPTIONS = interactive cpus=4
ZCR_ABAQUS_SURFACE The value of the SURFACE parameter on Abaqus

*CONTOUR INTEGRAL requests is controlled by
ZCR_ABAQUS_SURFACE. This will only have an effect
for Abaqus 6.5 or later. It can be overridden for individual
jobs by the SURFACE parameter on Zencrack keyword
ENERGY RELEASE RATE. Values are omit, free or
none. The value none is recommended.
The [ABAQUS] section defines the default Abaqus version to be used by Zencrack. If it is required
to configure Zencrack for possible use with multiple Abaqus versions, then one or more additional
Abaqus sections can be defined in the .ini file. Such additional sections must be named
[ABAQUSXXX] where XXX represents a user chosen character string (e.g. an Abaqus version). All
four of the variables named above must be defined in the [ABAQUSXXX] section even if they
have the same value as the variables in the [ABAQUS] section.
To run a Zencrack job using a non-default Abaqus version the “-abaqus” option is used on the
Zencrack command line followed by the value of the XXX string. The Zencrack GUI does not
currently support the alternative Abaqus sections and always uses the default section.
The example below shows a case where Abaqus 2022 is the default version and Abaqus 6.14-1 is an
alternative version.
[ABAQUS]
ZCR_ABAQUS = C:\SIMULIA\EstProducts\2022\win_b64\code\bin\smalauncher.exe
ZCR_ABAQUS_VER = 2022
ZCR_ABAQUS_SURFACE = none

#
[ABAQUS614]
ZCR_ABAQUS = c:\simulia\abaqus\6.14-1\exec\abq6141.exe
ZCR_ABAQUS_VER = 6.14-1
ZCR_ABAQUS_SURFACE = none
To run Zencrack with Abaqus 6.14 instead of the default version 2022:
runzcr90 –j jobname –abaqus 614
4.1.2 [ANSYS] section

The variables in this section allow definition of the Ansys version to be used by Zencrack. These
variables must be set if the Zencrack license has an Ansys interface.
ZCR_ANSYS the full location of the file ansys.exe provided as part of the
Ansys program installation and used to run Ansys. To use a
non-default Ansys product, ensure that “-p productname”
is included in the definition of ZCR_ANSYS_OPTIONS
(see below).
ZCR_ANSYS_VER the Ansys version must include the sub-version and, for
version 11.0, any service pack number, e.g. 11.0SP1, 16.0,
17.2, 19.0.
For versions since the “20XX Rx” naming convention the
value required is the numeric equivalent as derived from the
folder path for the version e.g. 19.4 for 2019R2, 21.2 for
2021 R2 etc.
ZCR_ANSYS_OPTIONS defines command line options for running Ansys. This may
include, for example, the number of processors used to run
Ansys jobs or a specific Ansys licensed product, e.g.:
ZCR_ANSYS_OPTIONS =-np 4 -p prf.
ZCR_ANSYS_CNV defines the default type of Ansys uncracked mesh file. The
default is “automatic” for automatic determination of the
type as normal or solid model. The other allowed values are
“normal” or “solidmodel”. This setting is overridden for
individual jobs by the “-a” command line option. It is
recommended that the value “automatic” be used.
The [ANSYS] section defines the default Ansys version to be used by Zencrack. If it is required to
configure Zencrack for possible use with multiple Ansys versions, then one or more additional
Ansys sections can be defined in the .ini file. Such additional sections must be named
[ANSYSXXX] where XXX represents a user chosen character string (e.g. an Ansys version). All
four of the variables named above must be defined in the [ANSYSXXX] section even if they have
the same value as the variables in the [ANSYS] section.
To run a Zencrack job using a non-default Ansys version the “-ansys” option is used on the
Zencrack command line followed by the value of the XXX string. The Zencrack GUI does not
currently support the alternative Ansys sections and always uses the default section.
The example below shows a case where Ansys 2022 R1 is the default version and Ansys 2019 R2
and Ansys 14.5 are configured as alternative versions:
ZCR_ANSYS = C:\Program Files\ANSYS Inc\v221\ansys\bin\winx64\ansys221.exe

ZCR_ANSYS_VER = 22.1
ZCR_ANSYS_OPTIONS = -np 2

ZCR_ANSYS_CNV = AUTOMATIC
#
[ANSYS2019R2]
#
[ANSYS145]
To run Zencrack with Ansys 14.5 instead of the default version 2022 R1:
runzcr90 –j jobname –ansys 145
4.1.3 [NXNASTRAN] section

The variables in this section allow definition of the Simcenter Nastran version to be used by
Zencrack. These variables must be set if the Zencrack license has a Simcenter Nastran interface.
ZCR_NXNASTRAN the full location of the Simcenter Nastran executable

provided as part of the stand-alone or package Simcenter
installation being using.
Refer to the zencrack.ini file for examples of stand-alone or
NX, Simcenter3D and Femap package installations.
ZCR_NXNASTRAN _VER the Simcenter Nastran version. Only version 10.0 and later
are supported by Zencrack.
Refer to the zencrack.ini file for examples of stand-alone or
NX, Simcenter3D and Femap package installations.
ZCR_NXNASTRAN _OPTIONS defines command line options for running Simcenter

Nastran. The setting scratch=yes is strongly recommended
to prevent creation of potentially large .DBALL and
.MASTER files.
This may also include, for example, the number of
processors used to run Simcenter Nastran e.g.:
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_OPTIONS =
scratch=yes parallel=4
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_EXTRA not currently used.
The [NXNASTRAN] section defines the default Simcenter Nastran version to be used by
Zencrack. If it is required to configure Zencrack for possible use with multiple Simcenter Nastran
versions, then one or more additional NXNastran sections can be defined in the .ini file. Such
additional sections must be named [NXNASTRANXXX] where XXX represents a user chosen
character string (e.g. a Simcenter Nastran version). All four of the variables named above must be
defined in the [NXNASTRANXXX] section even if they have the same value as the variables in the
[NXNASTRAN] section.
To run a Zencrack job using a non-default Simcenter Nastran version the “-nxnastran” option is
used on the Zencrack command line followed by the value of the XXX string. The Zencrack GUI
does not currently support the alternative Simcenter Nastran sections and always uses the default
section.

The example below shows a case where a stand-alone Simcenter Nastran 2021.2 installation is the
default version and Simcenter Nastran 2022.1 is an alternative version available as part of an
NX2007 installation:
ZCR_NXNASTRAN = C:\Program Files\Siemens\SimcenterNastran_2021.2\bin\nastran.exe

ZCR_NXNASTRAN_VER = 2021.2
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_OPTIONS = scratch=yes parallel=4
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_EXTRA =
#
[NXNASTRANNX2007]
ZCR_NXNASTRAN = C:\Program Files\Siemens\NX2007\NXNASTRAN\bin\nastran.exe
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_VER = 2022.1
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_OPTIONS = scratch=yes parallel=4
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_EXTRA =
To run Zencrack with the Simcenter Nastran 2022.1 version instead of the default version 2021.2:
runzcr90 –j jobname –nxnastran NX2007
4.1.4 [LICENSE] section

This section defines items for licensing. If nodelocked licensing is being used only
ZENCRACK_LICENSE needs to be defined – the license file is then placed into the license folder
of the Zencrack installation.
ZENCRACK_LICENSE the type of licensing being used, either NETWORK or

NODELOCKED. This must always be defined.
ZENCRACK_RLM_SERVER the location of the RLM license server specified in the form
port@IPaddress if network licensing is being used. The
port number is stated in the license file on the license
server. The IP address is the LAN address of the server
machine. This variable does not need to be defined for
nodelocked licenses.
ZENCRACK_WAIT the number of minutes that a job should wait in a queue to

obtain license tokens if the tokens are being used by
another job. The maximum allowed value is 9999 minutes.
A value of 0 means that a job will stop immediately if no
license tokens are available. This variable does not need to
be defined for nodelocked licenses.
4.1.5 [FORTRAN_LINUX] section

This section contains Fortran configuration information for Linux installations. ZCR_FORTRAN
is the only variable which should need to be changed - this change is best achieved via the setup
program (on installation or later by runzcr90x setup).
ZCR_FORTRAN This variable defines the command used to initialise the Fortran
compiler.
ZCR_FORTRANSTRING This string defines the system command to invoke the Fortran
compiler. On installation this is “ifort”.
ZCR_FORTRAN64 This string is used by Zencrack when compiling/linking a user

subroutine – it should not be modified.

4.1.6 [FORTRAN_WINDOWS] section

This section contains Fortran configuration information for Windows installations.
ZCR_FORTRAN is the only variable which should need to be changed - this change is best
achieved via the setup program (on installation or later by runzcr90 setup).
ZCR_FORTRAN This variable defines the location of the setvars.bat file for initialising
the Fortran compiler.
ZCR_FORTRANSTRING This string defines the system command to invoke the Fortran
compiler. On installation this is “ifort /traceback”.
ZCR_FORTRANLINK This string is used by Zencrack when compiling/linking a user

subroutine – it should not be modified.
ZCR_FORTRAN64 This string is used by Zencrack when compiling/linking a user

subroutine on 64bit Windows systems– it should not be modified.
4.1.7 [REMOTEFE] section

This section contains setting for remote execution of the f.e. analysis on a Linux or Unix machine
when Zencrack is installed on a Windows machine. This capability and the variables which need to
be defined are described in section 8.
4.1.8 [RUNTIME] section

This section contains modifiable defaults for run-time options.
ZCR_OVERWRITE Defines whether or not previous output files are overwritten when a
job runs. Value “no” is set at installation, i.e. if a job identifies that
previous output files exist it will abort without overwriting the
existing files. This can be changed to “yes”.
For individual jobs, the value of ZCR_OVERWRITE can be

overridden by using the “-o” command line option e.g.
runzcr90 –j jobname –o yes
All jobs executed from the Zencrack GUI use “-o yes” regardless of
the value of ZCR_OVERWRITE.
ZCR_FE_TYPE Value “input” is set at installation meaning “use the f.e. analysis type
defined on the OPTIONS keyword of the .zcr file”. This default
value in the .ini file should not generally be changed – use the “-f”
command line option for individual jobs instead. The values for
ZCR_FE_TYPE and the “-f” command line options are:
= input to follow the definition in the .zcr file
= mesh to force a mesh-only analysis (no f.e. execution)
= check to force a datacheck f.e. analysis
= full to force a full f.e. analysis
For example, to force a “mesh-only” analysis the command line

option would be:
runzcr90 –j jobname –f mesh

4.1.9 [MISC] section

This section contains other modifiable defaults. The exe, lib and obj locations would not normally
need to be modified.
ZCR_DEFAULTOUT Defines the default string applied to the input zcr filename to
generate the output filenames when the OUTPUT parameter is
omitted from the FILES keyword. The default is “r”. For example:
if DEFAULTOUT = _crack
and the zcr file is example.zcr
then the output files are example_crack.* (e.g. example_crack.rep)
ZCR_DEFAULT_EXE The default Zencrack executable location. This is:

<install folder>\bin\zcr90.exe Windows
<install folder>/bin/zcr90.exe Linux
For individual jobs, an alternative Zencrack executable can be used

by using the “-e” command line option e.g.
runzcr90 –j jobname –e mysavedZcrExecutable.exe
ZCR_DEFAULT_LIB The default Zencrack library location. This is:

<install folder>\bin\zcr90_library.lib Windows
<install folder>\bin\libzcr90.a Linux
ZCR_DEFAULT_OBJ The default Zencrack object location. This is:

<install folder>\bin\zencrack.obj Windows
<install folder>/bin/zencrack.o Linux
4.1.10 [SETUP] section

The variables in this section define aspects of the program version and configuration and should
not be modified.
VERSIONname = 9.0-1
RUNZCRFILE = runzcr90.exe
FILEPATH = zcrpath901.bat
EXESTEM = zcr90
HELPFILE = help_command_line.txt
4.2 The Zencrack GUI

The Zencrack GUI uses the main zencrack.ini file for those items which it shares with the
Zencrack analysis program. Once the zencrack.ini file is configured, there is no additional
configuration required for the Zencrack GUI.
A separate zencrack_gui.ini file exists in the gui folder of the Zencrack installation to allow control
over certain aspect of the GUI behaviour. This file is described in the Zencrack GUI Manual.
4.3 Using Zencrack user subroutines

A Zencrack user subroutine is included in an analysis by using the “-u” command line option as
described in section 5.2.
Zencrack on Windows is configured for use with user subroutines as follows:
• When the Zencrack setup program is executed it requests details of the required Fortran
environment. Upon completion of the setup a file zcrpath90x.bat is created in the Zencrack

tools folder. This file contains an initialisation for Fortran. This should not need to be modified
by the user.
• When the Zencrack shortcut is used to start a Zencrack command prompt session, the
zcrpath90x.bat file is used to configure the command prompt window. The title bar of the
command prompt window includes details of the Fortran environment and the initialisation of
the Fortran compiler is reported in the window, e.g.:
Figure 4-1 – Zencrack command prompt (Windows)
Zencrack on Linux is configured for use with user subroutines as follows:
• The zencrack.ini file contains a variable called ZCR_FORTRANSTRING which is set to the
default string to execute for the target system, e.g. ifort
• If you use a non-standard command line name to execute your Fortran compiler, you should
change this variable.
• When a job is executed that requires a Zencrack user subroutine, the Fortran environment must
be configured in the terminal window from which the job is executed in addition to defining the
variable ZCR_FORTRANSTRING, e.g. for Linux with Intel Fortran for oneAPI 21.1.1:
source /opt/intel/oneapi/compiler/21.1.1
runzcr90x –j myjob –u myusersub.f
If a Zencrack user subroutine is used and the compilation and linking process is successful, the
newly created executable is saved in the job folder. On both Windows and Linux the file is
zcr90_user.exe. This executable can be used for subsequent jobs via the –e command line option.
On Linux the specification of the executable in a local folder requires a “./” before the executable
name e.g.:
runzcr90 –j myjob_new –e zcr90.exe for Windows
runzcr90x –j myjob_new –e ./zcr90.exe for Linux

4.4 Configuring the plug-ins for Abaqus/CAE

Use of the plug-ins for Abaqus/CAE for creating and maintaining Zencrack input files is largely
replaced by the Zencrack GUI from version 7.9-1 onwards. The recommended approach is to use
the Zencrack GUI. The plug-ins for Abaqus/CAE are an optional additional installation item
which must be configured manually as described in this section.
The Abaqus/CAE plug-ins are available on all platforms on which Zencrack is supported. They
require Abaqus version 6.8 or later. The plug-ins will report an error if they are executed within an
earlier version of Abaqus. Compatibility with Abaqus versions later than Abaqus 2022 cannot be
guaranteed.
Due to changes in the Python version between Abaqus 6.9/6.10 and 6.13/6.14 there are three sets
of files provided with each installation – one for Abaqus 6.8-6.9, one for Abaqus 6.10-6.13 and one
for Abaqus 6.14 or later. (In these version descriptions, 6.x also includes 6.x-EF).
The plug-in files are installed with the Zencrack product and need to be copied into the Abaqus
environment. The Zencrack installation contains a folder fe_abaqus with sub-folders:
• zencrackplugins_6-8_6-9 for Abaqus 6.8 and 6.9

• zencrackplugins_6-10_6-13 for Abaqus 6.10 to 6.13
• zencrackplugins_6-14_onwards for Abaqus 6.14 or later.
There are a number of options available for configuring Abaqus plug-ins so each user should
consult their Abaqus administrator and/or the relevant section of the Abaqus/CAE User’s Manual.
However, the following summarises the options that are available.
When Abaqus/CAE starts it searches for plug-in files in a number of locations. Suggested possible
locations for the Zencrack plug-ins are:
• abaqus_dir\abaqus_plugins, where abaqus_dir is the Abaqus parent directory. Simply copy the
entire zencrackplugins_xx folder into the abaqus_dir\abaqus_plugins folder (for example
creating abaqus_dir\abaqus_plugins\zencrackplugins_xx). This is the easiest method.
• Define plugin_dir, where plugin_dir is a directory specified in the Abaqus environment file by the
environment variable plugin_central_dir. Using this method you can store plug-ins in a central
location that can be accessed by all users at your site if the directory to which plugin_central_dir
refers is mounted on a file system that all users can access. Alternatively if the only additional
Abaqus plug-ins that you are using are the Zencrack plug-ins you can set this variable to point
to the zencrackplugins folder in the Zencrack installation, e.g.:
plugin_central_dir =
"c:\\Zencrack\\9.0-x\\fe_abaqus\\zencrackplugins_6-10_6-13"
Once configured the plug-in is available from the Abaqus plug-ins menu and appears as an
additional tab named ‘Zencrack’ as shown in Figure 4-2. For more information on the plug-in refer
to the Interface To Abaqus Manual.

Figure 4-2 – Plug-in access in Abaqus/CAE

Zencrack - Installation And Execution Running Zencrack
5. Running Zencrack
Zencrack is executed using the runzcr90 executable located in the tools directory of the Zencrack
installation. This section describes the execution options in detail.
When using the Zencrack GUI, an analysis can be started from the Run Zencrack drop-down
menu. The screen input collects the necessary information to run the job, starts a command prompt
session and runs the jobs. Refer to the GUI Manual for more information.
5.1 Command prompt setup in Windows

Zencrack is executed from a command prompt session. A Zencrack shortcut is included in the
Start Menu/Apps Page or on the desktop (if these options were selected during installation). If not,
a shortcut is included in the .\tools directory. This can be copied to the desktop as described in
section 2.1.1. The shortcut icon looks like this:
The Zencrack shortcut starts a command prompt session that is set up to execute Zencrack. The
session is created with a PATH that includes the Zencrack .\tools directory. The session is also set
up for Fortran if it is installed, e.g.:
Figure 5-1 – Zencrack command prompt (Windows)
5.2 Terminal window setup in Linux

The Zencrack installation creates an environment variable and soft link to the runzcr90.exe file
which allow Zencrack to be executed from any terminal window.

Note that to allow sub-versions to be installed, the default command used to run Zencrack on
Linux includes the sub-version number i.e. runzcr901 for version 9.0-1, runzcr902 for version 9.0-2
etc.
5.3 Execution using “runzcr90”

The program is run using the runzcr90 command for Windows or runzcr90x for Linux (see section
5.2). This command must be executed in a command prompt or terminal window from the
directory containing the .zcr input file.
There are seven command line options for the script that can be used in combination and five
“stand-alone” options:
Command line options that can be used in combination are:
-j job -u user -e exe -o overwrite -f fetype -r remote -fe fecmdline -a ansyscnv -abaqus ver -ansys
ver -ini file
where :
-j job job is the Zencrack job name (without .zcr extension)
-u user user is the name of a Zencrack user subroutine.
-e exe exe is the Zencrack executable to be used.

The pathname for this executable should not contain spaces.
If this option is used with the -u option it specifies the name of the newly
created executable.
-o overwrite overwrite is "yes" to automatically overwrite old output files

is "no" to stop if previous output files exist.
-f fetype fetype is "input" for analysis as defined in the input file.

is "mesh " for mesh-only analysis.
is "check" for datacheck/sizing f.e. analysis.
is "full" for full f.e. analysis.
-r remote remote is "yes" to run f.e. analyses on a remote computer.

is "no" to run f.e. analyses on the local computer.
-fe fecmdline fecmdline is a string of options for the f.e. analysis command line in addition
to options defined in the zencrack.ini file by ZCR_ABAQUS_OPTIONS,
ZCR_ANSYS_OPTIONS or ZCR_NXNASTRAN_OPTIONS.
-a ansyscnv ansyscnv defines the type of Ansys model:

"automatic" for automatic detection of a normal or solid model file.
"normal" for a normal batch input.
"solidmodel" for a solid model input.
-abaqus ver ver defines the section in the .ini file to be used to define the Abaqus version.
The default is to use settings in section [ABAQUS]. This option looks for
settings in [ABAQUSver]. ver would be expected to be an Abaqus version
number e.g.
-abaqus 2020 would extract information from section [ABAQUS2020].

-ansys ver ver defines the section in the .ini file to be used to define the Ansys version.
The default is to use settings in section [ANSYS]. This option looks for settings
in [ANSYSver]. ver would be expected to be an Ansys version number e.g.
-ansys 2019R1 would extract information from section [ANSYS2019R1].
-nxnastran ver ver defines the section in the .ini file to be used to define the Simcenter Nastran
version. The default is to use settings in section [NXNASTRAN]. This option
looks for settings in [NXNASTRANver]. ver would be expected to be a
Simcenter Nastran version number e.g.
-nxnastran 2021 would extract information from section [NXNASTRAN2021].
-ini file file defines the .ini file to be used in place of the zencrack.ini file.
If the .ini file is not in the current folder, a full path must be given.
Command line options that can be used on their own are:
setup to run the Zencrack setup program (to configure some items in zencrack.ini)
gui to run the Zencrack GUI (Windows only)
3dmesh to run utility 3dmesh
process to run utility process
rainflow filename to run utility rainflow with an input file called filename
tanh filename to run utility tanh with an input file called filename
help to view help/configuration information
A number of screen messages are generated when the runzcr90 command is executed. These show
some of the options that are set for the job. For example, for the job n01a described in section 6
executed with a network license the following is seen under Windows (with similar for Linux):
C:\Zencrack\9.0-1\demos\ansys\verify>runzcr90 -j n01a
ZENCRACK 9.0-1
--------------
Running Zencrack analysis.
Job : n01a.zcr
Time : 21-07-2021 09:06:26
Using RLM network licensing method.

Attempting checkout of license for ZENCRACK Standard with interface to Ansys.
1 token is required.
Successfully acquired 1 token from localhost.
Starting mesh generation
Completed mesh generation
*** Zencrack job completed without any errors
Time: 21-07-2021 09:06:27
5.4 Examples of command line execution

The program is run from the command line using the runzcr90 command for Windows or
runzcr90x for Linux (see section 5.2). Examples of command lines are:
runzcr90 -j example
Run job example.
runzcr90 -j example -o yes

Run job example with forced overwrite of any previous results files.
runzcr90 -j example –fe “cpus=4”

Run job example with 4 processors for the Abaqus finite element runs.

runzcr90 -j example –fe “np -4”

Run job example with 4 processors for the Ansys finite element runs.
runzcr90 -j submod -fe “globalmod=global”

Run job submod using the Abaqus global model results file called global.
runzcr90 -j myanalysis -u user_dadn.f

Run job myanalysis using Zencrack user subroutine user_dadn.f.
runzcr90 -j myanalysis -u user_dadn.f –e user_dadn.exe

Run job myanalysis using Zencrack user subroutine user_dadn.f and save the executable as
user_dadn.exe.
runzcr90 3dmesh
Run utility program 3dmesh
runzcr90 process
Run utility program process
5.5 Killing a Zencrack job during execution

The preferred option for killing a Zencrack job is to kill the job during the finite element analysis
phase, as described in the following sections. When the f.e. analysis terminates the Zencrack
process should continue, fail to find the expected results and report an error in the .rep file to that
effect (i.e. the Zencrack process should finish normally). If the Zencrack process itself must be
stopped, the same procedures can be followed as below but should instead be applied to the
zcr90.exe process.
5.5.1 Windows
A finite element analysis is best terminated via Task Manager. In the Start/Run box in Windows 7
or the Search box in Windows 8 or 10 enter Task Manager and start the task manager by selecting
from the resulting list of options. On the Processes tab of Task Manager identify the finite element
executable job that is running as part of the Zencrack process, select that row and click on “End
task”.
5.5.2 Linux
From a terminal window enter “ps aux” to list running processes. Identify the process id number
for the finite element executable. Issue the command “kill xxxx” where xxxx is the process id
number.

Zencrack - Installation And Execution Verifying An Installation
6. Verifying An Installation
Once the program is ready for execution, the supplied examples in the <crack-block><fe
interface>\verify sub-directory of the demos program directory can be executed to verify the
installation. These examples are based on the ex01 files described in section 2 of the Examples
Manual. It is recommended that all example files are copied to a new location before being
executed, thus ensuring that a virgin copy of the files is retained in the Zencrack directory. The
following is suggested after copying the files to a new location:
• Run a mesh generation example to confirm that Zencrack is running:
Windows users should start a Zencrack command prompt window by double-clicking the
“Zencrack” shortcut icon.
Change to the directory containing the example files (e.g. <user location of installed
files>\demos\<crack-block>\<fe interface>\verify).
Run job:
• a01a for Abaqus users runzcr90 -j a01a

• n01a for Ansys users runzcr90 -j n01a
• x01a for Simcenter Nastran users runzcr90 -j x01a
To confirm that the analysis completes successfully, check the a01ar.rep, n01ar.rep or x01ar.rep
output file. The banner at the top of the file should correctly identify the customer and license
details from the license file. At the end of the output file there should be a message:
New mesh created.

***ANALYSIS COMPLETE***
The cracked mesh should be created as a01ar.inp, n01ar.ans or x01ar.dat.

Sample output is contained in the demos\<crack-block>\<fe interface>\verify\output
directory for comparison purposes.
• Run an initial crack analysis to confirm that the f.e. interface is set up correctly:
Run:
• a01c for Abaqus users runzcr90 -j a01c

• n01c for Ansys users runzcr90 -j n1c
• x01c for Simcenter Nastran users runzcr90 -j x1c
To confirm that the analysis completes successfully, check the a01cr.rep, n01cr.rep or x01cr.rep
output file. The banner at the top of the file should correctly identify the customer and license
details from the license file. At the end of the output file there should be a message:
Analysis of initial crack only.

***ANALYSIS COMPLETE***
Sample output is contained in the demos\<crack-block>\<fe interface>\verify\output

directory for comparison purposes.

Zencrack - Installation And Execution Nodelocked and License Server (Network) Licensing
7. Nodelocked and License Server (Network) Licensing

Zencrack is licensed using the Reprise License Manager (RLM) with either a nodelocked license file
or a network license server system. The following sections describe these options.
7.1 Information required to generate a license file

The Zencrack installation contains a sub-directory called “machine_id” containing an executable
that can be used to collect and report the information required before a license file can be issued.
(This machine_id executable is also included with the installation of the RLM license server files).
The machine_id program must be run on either:
• for a nodelocked license, the machine on which Zencrack is to be run
or,
• for network licensing, the machine (server) on which the license manager will run
The program requests identification of the organisation to be licensed, contact details, which finite
element interfaces are required and what licensing method is to be used. Upon completion a file
called zencrack.txt is generated which should be sent to Zentech for creation of the license file. The
file should not be edited so, if corrections are necessary, the machine_id program should be re-
executed.
Note - a Zencrack Professional license also permits Zencrack Standard jobs to be run.
7.2 Nodelocked license file

A nodelocked license allows Zencrack to be executed only on the machines(s) specified in the
license file and allows only one Zencrack run at a time. This file must be located in the “license”
sub-directory of the Zencrack installation and may be given any name as long as it has a .lic
extension.
This method requires the setting ZENCRACK_LICENSE=NODELOCKED in the zencrack.ini

file. A sample license file (for a license with Abaqus and Ansys interfaces) is shown below, note that
the last ‘License’ line allows Zencrack Professional to be run - without this only Zencrack Standard
is licensed.
### Zencrack 9.0
LICENSE zentechint zencrack 9.0 31-jul-2021 single hostid=54e7d61e7a81
start=01-jul-2021 issuer=\-\\Commercial customer="Zentech
International Ltd" contract=Chris\\ _ck=e10fc1752c sig="60PG4580HSP
EYQSE0X2WVF5T86EDPE00MUWZA4Q108A22GNEV46NMXW3SMSDXTKAR503EW5JRY1G"
### ZCRGUI 9.0
LICENSE zentechint zcrgui 9.0 31-jul-2021 single hostid=54e7d61e7a81
start=01-jul-2021 _ck=240fc15d29 sig="60PG4580G62THK0VP87S596PXGNK1P
U5NNUQGPX208A1JU3FS19VHVJXMHGGD0H77876FE9E4TA0"
### ZCRREMESH 9.0
LICENSE zentechint zcrremesh 9.0 31-jul-2021 single
hostid=54e7d61e7a81 start=01-jul-2021 _ck=630fc1bb57 sig="60P0453CD3
QQKRD2V3UR9M5S342DQJF1YP2VEER22HQT6798YHM98XW2DEDD7GUYN9U61N2GH4"
### ZCRABAQUS 9.0
LICENSE zentechint zcrabaqus 9.0 31-jul-2021 single
hostid=54e7d61e7a81 start=01-jul-2021 _ck=5c0fc10426 sig="60P0452J90
Y5AJA83T2E8KH7H24G9KQAYA775XR22H0W2SD9CQ0XQM9QVV33JK88KW4RA0FS0C"
### ZCRABAQUSGUI 9.0
LICENSE zentechint zcrabaqusgui 9.0 31-jul-2021 single
hostid=54e7d61e7a81 start=01-jul-2021 _ck=a10fc1b250 sig="60PG4580J3
J8F8J4UMC963NP7YE9FKWANKF5SXLR08A2YG74JFQ1C7U5XFH4YR8PJPN358VCDAF0"
### ZCRANSYS 9.0
LICENSE zentechint zcransys 9.0 31-jul-2021 single hostid=54e7d61e7a81
start=01-jul-2021 _ck=0d0fc1ed87 sig="60P0450GWM65XPV0BS8QA6S4NENDHP
97QUDNUD822GXGMQGR0GEUNXC31PQCSPNER8CCM57S10"
### ZCRNXNASTRAN 9.0
LICENSE zentechint zcrnxnastran 9.0 31-jul-2021 single
hostid=54e7d61e7a81 start=01-jul-2021 _ck=bc0fc1f78c sig="60PG4527TX
04532WA0X8CS7TQ8UH5QXQJM8SHQ822M085YRV69016CTNCX56AVUFVFDC9BMAR480"
### ZENCRACKPROF 9.0

LICENSE zentechint zencrackprof 9.0 31-jul-2021 single

hostid=54e7d61e7a81 start=01-jul-2021 _ck=980fc1e939 sig="60P0452SE5
7KDYC70FWY3PM2D1TVAS5CJF9C8YG22HG02PAVQ2W194GSADEMX442EKUDNR8SB8"
7.3 Network License server

A network license requires the Reprise License Manager (RLM) system to be running on a network
server. Under this method of licensing the Zencrack product is installed on one or more client
machines on the same network as the server (or on the server itself). The necessary license server
files are supplied by Zentech – there is no requirement for end users to download files directly
from the Reprise website. Installation of the license server files is described in section 3. This
section describes the configuration and use of the license server.
The license file supplied for use with the license server is valid to run only on the specified server
machine and is configured with a number of “tokens” and a list of licensed finite element
interfaces. When a Zencrack job is executed on a client machine, a request is made to the server to
check out the required number of tokens for the job:
• Zencrack Standard analysis requires 1 token

• Zencrack Professional analysis requires 3 tokens
In addition the finite element interface for the job is checked against the licensed finite element
interfaces. If the interface is allowed and sufficient tokens are available the job executes. If tokens
have been taken by another job that is still executing the job waits and re-checks for available
tokens every 10 seconds. If, after a user specified time, the tokens are still unavailable the job exits.
This method requires the setting ZENCRACK_LICENSE=NETWORK in the zencrack.ini file. A

sample license file (for a license with Abaqus and Ansys interfaces) is shown below, note that the
first ‘HOST’ line specifies the server machine hosting the licenses. The supplied license files
containg a line “ISV zentechint”. In the example below a specific port, 49600, has been added on
this line.
### Zencrack 9.0
HOST ZEN_DELL_05 54e7d61e7a81 2764
ISV zentechint port=49600
LICENSE zentechint zencrack 9.0 31-jul-2021 3 start=01-jul-2021
issuer="U.K.\01252 376388\\Commercial" customer="Zentech
International Limited" contract="590B Finchley Road\London\NW11
7RX" replace _ck=e108084dfe sig="60PG452V7H9BRY6FCA1D92JBK1XQ4RTMTQ
G33PG22M0AKU8F0D0HPBYWG3NJWEP1J8JDSTKFSB00"
### ZCRGUI 9.0
LICENSE zentechint zcrgui 9.0 31-jul-2021 3 start=01-jul-2021 replace
_ck=24084bff30 sig="60PG453NKSAJE3WDY9PPGSBBRQ13GMCUQS4H2UR22M0ABVHC
7N23VBTVJKFNND5GWBWJDX45704G"
### ZCRREMESH 9.0
LICENSE zentechint zcrremesh 9.0 31-jul-2021 3 start=01-jul-2021
replace _ck=63088a29d5 sig="60PG452MYCPPV4P46435QBW00V72CCNFKT2MHQ82
2M0812PKGDAKAV0E3XYRFJB0TF328YA3GA2G"
### ZCRABAQUS 9.0
LICENSE zentechint zcrabaqus 9.0 31-jul-2021 1 start=01-jul-2021
replace _ck=5cd68311ff sig="60P0451DC70MKPVGS1P6U1MD6WCXXBXFRNFF2202
2HMBMBEHTKK1XXB07WHP6STV656M4661H4"
### ZCRABAQUSGUI 9.0
LICENSE zentechint zcrabaqusgui 9.0 31-jul-2021 99 start=01-jul-2021
replace _ck=a117c8bb59 sig="60PG4580MQ03C2WFEU7SPU89D052JGUUXQPQTE2U
08A6218VBTY4AGCQQCW4U522UNK92VPTT8V0"
### ZCRANSYS 9.0
LICENSE zentechint zcransys 9.0 31-jul-2021 1 start=01-jul-2021
replace _ck=0dd6347501 sig="60P0453X9HJ7MQRYKU2HJG20NH7VFRS90HTN1DR2
2HTWKU3ABN91VY1H8H5UYSE606B03WFWEV"
### ZCRNXNASTRAN 9.0
LICENSE zentechint zcrnxnastran 9.0 31-jul-2021 1 start=01-jul-2021
replace _ck=bcd6e3dbbd sig="60Q04580P0R3MNJ35HURK3XRNDCKAE8X4EYHJSDH
08AG1B98W1M19SKTUKP3315P3K31RF4BSQV8R"
7.3.1 Configuring the license server

Five files are supplied for the license server machine:
• The generic license server, rlm on Linux, rlm.exe on Windows.

• The Zentech International license server, zentechint on Linux, zentechint.exe on Windows.

• The RLM utilities, rlmutil on Linux, rlmutil.exe on Windows.
• The license file, with extension .lic, that describes the user rights to the Zencrack product.
The supplied files are installed as described in section 3. It is recommended that the license file be
installed in the same folder as the RLM license server files.
7.3.2 Starting the RLM server

It is recommended that RLM is configured as a service on Windows and to start at bootup on
Linux machines.
If this is not done the license server can simply be started by executing the rlm command in the
license server folder (provided that the license file is in the same folder):
rlm > output_file
7.3.2.1 Running the RLM server as a service on Windows

Installing RLM as a service is done in a command window. Once installed as a service, it remains
installed until it is explicitly deleted as a service. Installing RLM as a service does not start RLM;
services are started via the Windows Services control panel, and at boot time. RLM is installed
using the RLM program itself, with special arguments.
Example:
rlm -install_service -service_name rlm-zencrack -dlog

c:\Zencrack\rlm_v14\server.log -c c:\Zencrack\rlm_v14\yourlicense.lic
This installs RLM as a service under the name "rlm-zencrack". When started via the Services
control panel or at boot time, RLM will be passed the "-c c:\Zencrack\rlm_v14\yourlicense.lic"
arguments, and it will write debug log information to the file c:\Zencrack\rlm_v14\rlm-
zencrack.log. Note: if no "-c" argument is given, the RLM program will read all licence files (.lic)
present in the RLM installation directory.
To start the service after installing it:
Start > Control Panel > Administrative tools > Services

Locate rlm-zencrack. Right-click > Properties > Start
The service should now start.
Click OK or Cancel to leave the Properties screen.
The full set of options for the rlm –install_service command are:
rlm -install_service -dlog [+]logfile [-service_name sname] <rlm runtime args>
where logfile is the pathname for the server debug log. This parameter is required. If
preceded by the '+' character, the logfile will be appended, rather than created.
sname is an optional name for the installed service. If not specified, sname defaults to
"rlm". If sname contains embedded whitespace, it must be enclosed in double
quotes.
<rlm runtime args> are any other command line arguments to be passed to rlm when it is started.
The server status can be checked from the command line using:
rlmutil rlmstat

Alternatively the browser-based utility described in section 7.3.3 may be used to monitor the license
server.
If it is required to remove the service it is necessary to first stop the service via Control Panel >
Administrative tools > Service. Then from the command line:
rlm -delete_service -service_name rlm-zencrack
Note: The above command prompt needs to be “Run as administrator”
7.3.2.2 Starting the RLM server at system boot time on Linux systems
On most Unix and Linux systems, system services are started at boot time, usually via startup
scripts located in /etc/rc.<something>. For further information and a sample script that defines
the necessary RLM variables please refer to the RLM License Administration Manual.
7.3.3 Browser-based license administration

The RLM server contains an embedded Web Server that can be used to perform most
administration of the RLM server itself. The web server allows you to retrieve server and license
status, cause the servers to re-read the license files, switch debug or report log files, move the
current report log file to a new name, or shut down the license servers. Using this web-based
interface, you can administer the license servers from any platform, and you do not need to install
the RLM utilities - you only need a web browser.
The web server is started automatically on port 5054 when rlm is started. To use the web server,
simply point your browser to: http://ServerHostName:5054 (or use the server network IP address,
e.g. http://192.168.3.4:5054) and select the operation you would like to perform. You will be
prompted for any required information. Typical status screens are shown in Figure 7-1 and Figure
7-2.
For further information please refer to the RLM License Administration Manual.
Figure 7-1 – Typical license status screen after selecting “Status” from the left side menu

Figure 7-2 – Typical server license status after selecting “zentechint” from the Server Status of the
main status screen
7.3.3.1 Installing an updated RLM license file

If it is required to install a new license file, the file should first be placed in the same folder as the
existing license file. The browser-based license administration facility described in section 7.3.3 can
then be used to re-read the license file:
• Select “Reread/Restart Servers” from the left pane.

• Set the ISV box to “all” or “zentechint” and select REREAD LICENSES.
7.3.4 Releasing locked licenses

Occasionally the license server may hold onto license tokens if a job ends in an unexpected system-
related way. To release locked tokens:
• Select “Status” from the left pane.

• In the server table select “zentechint” in the “Server Status” column. This shows a screen
similar to the one in Figure 7-2.
• In the “License pool status” click on “usage” in the zencrack row. This shows a screen similar
to the one in Figure 7-3.
• Click on “Remove” to release licenses.

Figure 7-3 – Typical server usage status
7.3.5 Contents of the RLM license file

The server license file contains information that configures the license server and describes all the
licenses granted from Zentech International to the end-user. License files have 3 types of lines:
HOST, ISV and LICENSE.
The HOST line specifies the license server machine (by ethernet address) and includes the port
through which clients can access the license server.
The ISV line specifies that the license server information is for ISV “zentechint”.
The LICENSE lines describe license grants from Zentech International to the end-user. All license
files (except evaluation licenses) contain a license grant for product “zencrack”. This specifies the
total number of license tokens available, the license expiry date and includes details about the
customer (e.g. company name, address, etc). Other parameters (e.g. a license start date) may also be
included. One or more additional license lines are present depending upon the licensed finite
element interfaces. A sample license file is shown in section 7.3.
7.3.6 Configuring a client machine

The Zencrack program is installed on the client machine following the procedure in section 2.
Zencrack configuration is contained in a file zencrack.ini as described in section 4.1. Three variables
are defined in this files for use with the license server:
ZENCRACK_LICENSE
This variable is set to NETWORK to indicate that a network license server should be used.
ZENCRACK_RLM_SERVER
This variable specifies the license server machine using the syntax port@Ipaddress. The port
number is contained in the license file installed on the license server. The IP address is the LAN
address of the license server machine. For example, if the license server is machine 192.168.1.10:

ZENCRACK_RLM_SERVER = [email protected]
In the special case that the license server and the client machine are the same machine, the special
“localhost” name may be used without the need to use the actual machine name or IP address i.e.
2764@localhost.
ZENCRACK_WAIT
This variable defines the number of minutes that a job should wait for license tokens to become
available if they are in use by another job. The availability of tokens is checked every 10 seconds
while the job is waiting.
ZENCRACK_WAIT = 30
This option is not the same as a strict queue option available with license managers. If several jobs
are in a “wait” state at the same time the first job to continue execution is the first one to check for
license tokens when they become available rather than the first job that reached a wait condition.
Note - the RLM end user environment variable for queuing (RLM_Queue) must not be set as this
option is not supported within Zencrack.

Zencrack - Installation And Execution Remote Execution Of The Finite Element Analysis
8. Remote Execution Of The Finite Element Analysis

This section describes the configuration and use of the “remote f.e.” capability in Zencrack. This
capability allows users with Zencrack on a Windows platform to execute the finite element part of a
Zencrack job on a Linux or Unix machine on the same network.
The “remote f.e.” capability in Zencrack uses the following procedures:
• FTP to copy files from the local to the remote machine.

• An Rexec or SSH command to run a script on the remote machine. The script runs the finite
element program on the remote machine.
• FTP to copy files from the remote to the local machine.
The capability utilises the plink.exe [Ref. 5], T4eRexec.exe or T4eSSH.exe executables [Ref. 6] to
establish the remote connection. T4eRexec is a utility that is similar to the Windows REXEC
command except that it allows a password as input. To run commands on a Rexec compatible
operating system, such as Linux, the Rexec daemon has to be running on the target system. Note
that passwords are transmitted in clear text. A more secure option is the plink or T4eSSH utility.
These are secure implementations of the SSH protocol to allow access to a UNIX/Linux operating
system. The plink.exe, T4eRexec.exe and T4eSSH.exe files are supplied with Zencrack in the utils
folder of the Zencrack installation and should not be moved from that folder. In addition, the full
PuTTY.zip file, of which plink.exe is a part, is also included.
The three utilities plink, T4eRexec and T4eSSH are provided for convenience – only one needs to
be selected and used when configuring the remote f.e. capability.
Note that passwords for access to the remote machine are set up in clear text in the runzcr78.bat
file.
It is necessary to ensure that any firewalls allow the necessary communication between the local and
remote machines. On the local machine plink.exe, T4eRexec.exe or T4eSSH.exe and the FTP
daemon must be able to communicate with the remote machine. The Rexec protocol must be
enabled on the target machine if using T4eRexec. The FTP daemon must also be running on the
remote machine. Please consult your system documentation for information on these processes.
8.1 Configuration
Zencrack should be installed on the target Windows machine and the setup program run in the
usual way (see section 2.1). If there is to be a local f.e. capability in addition to the remote f.e.
capability, it is suggested that the installation is verified before commencing with the remote f.e.
configuration.
Zencrack is configured via the zencrack.ini file in the program tools folder. This file must be edited
(e.g. using Notepad) to configure the remote f.e. execution. The as-installed file contains the
following section:
[REMOTEFE]
#
# Items for remote f.e. execution.
#
# These options define variables required to run the f.e. analysis on a remote
# computer. ZCR_REMOTE_FE can be modified on the command line by the -r
option.
#
ZCR_REMOTE_FE = no
#
ZCR_ABAQUS_REMOTE =
ZCR_ABAQUS_VER_REMOTE =
ZCR_ANSYS_REMOTE =

ZCR_ANSYS_VER_REMOTE =
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_REMOTE =
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_VER_REMOTE =
ZCR_LOGIN_UTIL =
ZCR_LOGIN_NAME =
ZCR_LOGIN_PWD =
ZCR_LOGIN_PATH =
ZCR_LOGIN_IP =
ZCR_LOGIN_SHELL =
ZCR_LOGIN_SCRIPT =
ZCR_LOGIN_EXTRA =
Some of these items must be set and others may be left blank, depending upon the f.e. interface
and options required for the chosen remote execution utility. The items are described below.
ZCR_REMOTE_FE This item defines the default status for f.e. execution. If it is
set to “no”, then by default all f.e. jobs will be executed on
the local machine. If it is set to “yes”, then by default all f.e.
jobs will be executed on the remote machine.
This option can be overridden for an individual Zencrack
analysis by using the –r command line option, which has
values yes or no. For example, if ZCR_REMOTE_FE is
set to “no” but it is required to run a specific job with
remote f.e. execution, the command line would be:
runzcr90 –j jobname –r yes
ZCR_ABAQUS_REMOTE This is analogous to variable ZCR_ABAQUS for local

execution. It defines the location of the Abaqus executable
on the remote machine.
This can be left blank if Abaqus is not available on the
remote machine or if Abaqus is not a licensed interface for
the Zencrack installation.
ZCR_ABAQUS_VER_REMOTE This is analogous to variable ZCR_ABAQUS_VER used

for local execution. It defines the Abaqus version on the
remote machine.
This can be left blank if Abaqus is not available on the
remote machine or if Abaqus is not a licensed interface for
ZCR_ANSYS_REMOTE This is analogous to variable ZCR_ANSYS used for local

execution. It defines the location of the Ansys executable
on the remote machine.
This can be left blank if Ansys is not available on the
remote machine or if Ansys is not a licensed interface for
ZCR_ANSYS_VER_REMOTE This is analogous to variable ZCR_ANSYS_VER used for

local execution. It defines the Ansys version on the remote
machine.
This can be left blank if Ansys is not available on the
remote machine or if Ansys is not a licensed interface for
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_REMOTE This is analogous to variable ZCR_NXNASTRAN for

local execution. It defines the location of the Simcenter
Nastran executable on the remote machine.
This can be left blank if Simcenter Nastran is not available
on the remote machine or if Simcenter Nastran is not a
licensed interface for the Zencrack installation.
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_VER_REMOTE This is analogous to variable

ZCR_NXNASTRAN_VER used for local execution. It
defines the Simcenter Nastran version on the remote
machine.
This can be left blank if Simcenter Nastran is not available
on the remote machine or if Simcenter Nastran is not a
licensed interface for the Zencrack installation.
LOGINUTIL The utility for remote execution of commands. This must

be set to one of plink, t4erexec or t4essh.
LOGINNAME This is the user name that is used to log into the remote
machine.
LOGINPWD This is the password for user name LOGINNAME on the

remote machine.
LOGINPATH This is the path on the remote machine into which all
analysis files will be placed. The remote f.e. analysis will be
executed in this directory. This item should include the
trailing / on the path definition. The path can be a full path
or a relative path in which case it is relative to the home
directory for user LOGINNAME.
LOGINIP This is the network IP address of the remote machine.
LOGINSHELL By default (if this item is blank) Zencrack uses the ksh shell
when executing the script file that runs the finite element
analysis on the remote machine. An alternative script, e.g.
bash, can be set using this variable.
LOGINSCRIPT This item defines the name of a script located in the

LOGINPATH folder that should be run before execution
of the finite element analysis. This is optional and should
be left blank if no script is to be executed.
LOGINEXTRA This item defines any additional command line options that
should be used with the chosen plink, T4eRexec or
T4eSSH utility.
Notes for T4eRexec or T4eSSH:
• A timeout should be defined by including “-a 9999” in
LOGINEXTRA. This defines a timeout period of 9999
seconds during which a remote session command
remains active if there is no response from the remote
machine. See section 8.2 for more information regarding
the timeout period.
• In some cases the “-A password” option may need to be
included when the T4eSSH utility is being used. (This
“–A password” option contains the word password
rather than any user or system password). This option
defines the authentication method.
Notes for plink:
• The first time that the utility is used on the local
machine, the user may be prompted to save a key for
the remote machine in the PuTTY cache. Replying yes

to this prompt should ensure the prompt does not

appear again.
A special case exists to allow the full command line for
plink, T4eRexec or T4eSSH to be specified using
LOGINEXTRA. If the value of LOGINEXTRA starts
with “fullcommandline” then the remainder of the string is
used as the full command line string for plink, T4eRexec or
T4eSSH. The values of LOGINNAME and LOGINPWD
are ignored for execution of commands on the remote
machine (but are still used for ftp file transfers). The full
command line option should generally not be required and
is provided mainly for troubleshooting purposes. The full
list of command line options for the utilities is available by
typing plink, T4eRexec or T4eSSH at a Zencrack command
prompt.
A sample configuration for remote execution of Abaqus and Ansys using T4eSSH may be:
ZCR_ABAQUS_REMOTE = /usr/SIMULIA/EstProducts/2020/linux_a64/code/bin/ABQLauncher
ZCR_ABAQUS_VER_REMOTE = 2020
ZCR_ANSYS_REMOTE = /ansys_inc/v211/ansys/bin/ansys211
ZCR_ANSYS_VER_REMOTE = 21.1
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_REMOTE = /home/nxnastran/x86_64linuxl/nastran
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_VER_REMOTE = 10.0
ZCR_LOGIN_UTIL = t4essh
ZCR_LOGIN_NAME = myusername
ZCR_LOGIN_PWD = mypassword
ZCR_LOGIN_PATH = /usr/test_remote/
ZCR_LOGIN_IP = 192.168.1.15
ZCR_LOGIN_SHELL = bash
ZCR_LOGIN_SCRIPT =
ZCR_LOGIN_EXTRA = -a 9999 -A password
A sample configuration for remote execution of Abaqus and Ansys using plink may be:
ZCR_ABAQUS_REMOTE = /usr/SIMULIA/EstProducts/2020/linux_a64/code/bin/ABQLauncher
ZCR_ABAQUS_VER_REMOTE = 2020
ZCR_ANSYS_REMOTE = /ansys_inc/v211/ansys/bin/ansys211
ZCR_ANSYS_VER_REMOTE = 21.1
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_REMOTE = /home/nxnastran/x86_64linuxl/nastran
ZCR_NXNASTRAN_VER_REMOTE = 10.0
ZCR_LOGIN_UTIL = plink
ZCR_LOGIN_NAME = myusername
ZCR_LOGIN_PWD = mypassword
ZCR_LOGIN_PATH = /usr/test_remote/
ZCR_LOGIN_IP = 192.168.1.15
ZCR_LOGIN_SHELL = bash
ZCR_LOGIN_SCRIPT =
ZCR_LOGIN_EXTRA =
8.2 Remote command timeout period

The timeout issue described in this section relates to the T4eRexec and T4eSSH utilities. There is
no such timeout period for the plink utility.
When a command is executed on the remote machine using T4eRexec or T4eSSH, the local
machine has a timeout period in which it expects some response from the remote machine. If there
is no response within the timeout period the execution will stop and the following error is reported
to the screen:
ERROR: Timeout while waiting for data
The LOGINEXTRA option should include parameter “-a 9999” to set the timeout period to the
maximum allowed value of 9999 seconds i.e.:

ZCR_LOGIN_EXTRA = -a 9999
During the solution phase of the finite element analysis on the remote machine there is a period of
no response. If the solution phase exceeds the timeout setting then the command will time out and
the Zencrack analysis will fail. The timeout period therefore sets an upper limit on the elapsed
duration of a phase of the finite element analysis. For Abaqus, for example, the pre.exe and
standard.exe phases are separate and each may run for an elapsed time of up to the defined timeout
period.
For Abaqus analyses which exceed 9999 seconds elapsed runtime but which have increments less
than 9999 seconds, a solution to prevent the timeout is to include a simple Abaqus urdfil
subroutine which writes to the screen upon completion of every increment:
subroutine urdfil(lstop,lovrwrt,kstep,kinc,dtime,time)
include 'aba_param.inc'
character*8 crray(513),nset
dimension array(513),jrray(nprecd,513),time(2)
equivalence (array(1),jrray(1,1))
equivalence (crray(1),jrray(1,1))
write(*,10) kstep,kinc,time(2)
10 format('Processing .fil file: step ',i4,' increment ',i4,
& ' : total time ',1pe14.8)
return
end
At least one request for data to be written to the .fil file should be made in the uncracked mesh (i.e.
*NODE FILE or *EL FILE with FREQ=1 in step 1). The subroutine is referenced via the
Zencrack USER keyword in the .zcr input file.
8.3 Zencrack input file

One Zencrack keyword is relevant to remote f.e. execution: REMOTE TRANSFER. By default, all
necessary files are transferred to and from the local machine. This keyword can be used to specify
transfer of additional files.
The SAVE keyword operates in the normal way on files that are present on the local machine. So,
for example, if SAVE, ODB=YES is specified, the remote ODB files are transferred to the local
machine after each f.e. analysis and are then renamed and saved locally on the machine.
For remote f.e. analyses there are also issues related to case sensitivity in filenames. Care should be
taken when specifying filenames in the input file.
In addition, other system / f.e. related issues may arise. For example, Abaqus user subroutines
require an extension of .for on Windows and .f on Unix and Linux.
8.4 Execution of a Zencrack job with remote F.E. analysis

If the ZCR_REMOTE_FE variable described in section 8.1 is set to “yes”, then all jobs are
automatically sent for remote f.e. execution. No additional options are required. In this
configuration a local f.e. analysis can be forced for an individual Zencrack job by using the “-r no”
option, e.g.:
runzcr90 –j jobname –r no
If the ZCR_REMOTE_FE variable described in section 8.1 is set to “no”, then all jobs are
automatically sent for local f.e. execution. In this configuration a remote f.e. analysis can be forced
for an individual Zencrack job by using the “-r yes” option, e.g.:
runzcr90 –j jobname –r yes

8.5 Limitations of the remote transfer capability

In the current implementation for Abaqus, the .odb file is always transferred from the remote
machine if analysis results are extracted from the .odb file. The extraction of the results then takes
place on the local machine. This requires that the same version of Abaqus be installed on the local
machine as is on the remote machine. If this is not the case, the attempt to process the .odb file will
generate an error message “Error opening .odb file” on the screen and the analysis stops. In this
situation the analysis must instead be set to extract results from the Abaqus .dat or .fil files (see
parameter RESULTS on *ENERGY RELEASE RATE). In these cases there is no requirement
for any Abaqus version to be installed on the local machine.

Zencrack - Installation And Execution References
9. References
Ref. 1 Reprise License Manage v14 from Reprise Software, Inc., https://www.reprisesoftware.com.
Ref. 2 Abaqus is a trademark of Dassault Systèmes Simulia Corp. (SIMULIA), Providence, Rhode Island,
U.S.A.
Web site: https://www.3ds.com/products-services/simulia.
Ref. 3 Ansys is a trademark of SAS IP, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ansys Inc., Canonsburg,
Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Web site: https://www.ansys.com.
Ref. 4 NASTRAN is a registered trademark of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Simcenter Nastran is an enhanced proprietary version developed and maintained by Siemens
Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc.
Web site: https://www.siemens.com.
Ref. 5 PuTTY utility from https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty.
Ref. 6 Utilities from Tools4ever, https://www.tools4ever.com.

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Zencrack - Installation And Execution Version Status

Installation And Execution

Zentech document no.: i009/doc/900g

All pages of this manual are at Revision 0.

Software versions are identified by version number and build date.

Program Version Build date Manual version

Zencrack 9.0-1 20 January 2022

Zentech International Limited i

Zentech International Ltd. E-mail: [email protected]

Zentech International Limited ii

7.3.2.1 Running the RLM server as a service on Windows ............................................................33

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1.1 License types

1.2 Hardware requirements

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1.3 Software requirements

For Windows platforms Windows 10 is recommended.

1.3.1 Finite element interfaces

1.3.2 Fortran compiler

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1.3.3 License server

1.3.4 Changes in software configurations

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2. Installation - Zencrack Product

2.1.1 To install the program files (Windows)

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license Nodelocked license file should be placed here 1

Right-click on the Zencrack shortcut file in the c:\Zencrack\9.0-x\tools directory and

Details or List Icons Tiles Content

Select “Copy here” or “Create shortcut here”.

2.1.2 To un-install Zencrack (Windows)

2.1.3 To install the documentation files (Windows)

1. Double-click on Zencrack_9-0-x_Windows-doc.exe to start the installation process.

Right-click on zencrack90_documentation.pdf file in the c:\Zencrack\9.0-x_document

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2.1.4 To un-install the documentation files (Windows)

1. By selecting Zencrack Documentation 9.0-x from the standard Windows “Uninstall a

1. Delete files under the installation directory, e.g. c:\Zencrack\9.0-x_document in the

2.1.5 Remote execution of the finite element code

2.1.6 Possible issues

2.1.6.1 Program Compatibility Assistant warning

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2.1.6.2 Zencrack GUI fails to execute

Figure 2-2 – Failure of execution of the Zencrack GUI on Windows 7 machine

2.2.1 To install the program files (Linux)

fe_ansys Files related to the Ansys interface

2.2.2 To un-install Zencrack (Linux)

2.2.3 To install the documentation files (Linux)

1. Double-click on Zencrack_9-0-x_Linux-doc.exe to start the installation process. Specify a

2.2.4 To un-install the documentation files (Linux)

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3. Installation - License Server

• The generic license server rlm.exe.

To install the license server

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• The generic license server rlm.

To install the license server

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4. Setup Of Zencrack Product After Installation