By John Geralds, VNU
Net
MSC.Software has released a Linux-based simulation tool
which it claims can boost the performance of PCs to supercomputer
levels.
MSC.Nastran DMP (distributed memory parallel) is aimed at
manufacturing companies that want to simulate how products or
product parts work without having to build a prototype.
MSC claims the tool can speed up the time it takes to carry out
this simulation by up to 20 times – like simulations on
supercomputers – by distributing the workload across multiple PCs
running simultaneously.
An unlimited number of PCs can be linked through Linux but eight
is the most common configuration, said a MSC spokesman. “However,
64 nodes is where the law of diminishing returns sets in.”
Frank Perna, chairman and chief executive of MSC, said:
“Distributing large simulation tasks among many PC computers
delivers major cost benefits against other options. Increasing the
amount of simulation enables engineers to do more design iterations
in less time, directly increasing business impact by decreasing
time to market, and reducing production and warranty costs.”
MSC provides simulation software based on a variety of operating
systems. Its flagship product, the structural analysis program
MSC.Nastran, is used in the automotive and aerospace industries.
The company is also making inroads in the medical industry by
simulating human anatomy.