COMSOL Licenses for the Great Lakes Cluster
NOTE: COMSOL licenses from the College of Engineering COMSOL Research License Cost-Sharing Program cannot be used on any ARC cluster.
COMSOL is a very expensive package to license, and there are only a few researchers who need to use it. We have two licenses for COMSOL version 6.0; these are for the base COMSOL only. We will review usage on an annual basis, and, if usage is deemed sufficient, we will continue to renew on a year-to-year basis. If a research group needs an additional module, then we offer the following cost-sharing plan:
- Year 1: License for desired module(s) purchased by the lab
- Year 2: ARC will pay for renewal
- Year 3: ARC will pay for renewal
- Year 4+: ARC will evaluate usage and renew at its discretion if usage is deemed sufficiently high and/or diverse
Once a lab has purchased a license for a module, ARC will install the licenses and begin monitoring usage. COMSOL licenses expire June 30, and we will review usage at the beginning of June for those that do not fall under automatic eligibility.
We reserve the right to remove older versions of COMSOL from Great Lakes once licenses have expired. For a given scientist or research group, we also reserve the right to limit the total number of modules for which we will enter into a cost-sharing agreement.
Shared License Usage
Licenses (base package as well as modules) are shared amongst all users of the cluster. Any group that requires ongoing use of COMSOL that simultaneously occupies all available licenses for the base COMSOL Multiphysics and results in long wait times for other users will be asked to either reduce usage or purchase additional licenses.
If additional seats of the base COMSOL package become necessary, ARC will cost-share with the research group, in the same manner as we do for modules, for up to two additional seats. If more than two seats are needed, the lab will be responsible for both the initial purchase and ongoing subscription costs for those supplemental seats as long as they are needed.
Current Licenses (as of April 10, 2023)
The following table shows the available COMSOL modules and the number of concurrent users for each:
| Module | Year Purchased | Count | License Specifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| COMSOL Multiphysics | 2017 (1), 2020 (1) | 2 | comsol@slurmdb:1 |
| CAD Import | 2017 | 2 | (not required) |
| Optimization | 2017 | 1 | comsol-optimization@slurmdb:1 |
| RF | 2017 | 1 | comsol-rf@slurmdb:1 |
| AC/DC | 2020 | 1 | comsol-acdc@slurmdb:1 |
| Structural Mechanics | 2020 | 1 | comsol-structural-mechanics@slurmdb:1 |
| LiveLink for MATLAB | 2021 | 2 | (not required) |
| Battery Design | 2021 | 1 | comsol-battery@slurmdb:1 |
| CFD | 2022 | 1 | comsol-cfd@slurmdb:1 |
| Heat Transfer | 2022 | 1 | comsol-heat-transfer@slurmdb:1 |
If you have questions about licensing COMSOL, please contact [email protected].
Using COMSOL on Great Lakes
Because we have limited quantities of COMSOL licenses and they are a shared resource, you must use license tracking via Slurm to ensure that a license is available when your batch job starts. To request licenses in your Slurm job script, use the --licenses option.
For example, to request a license for the COMSOL base package and a license for the Structural Mechanics module, include the following in your job script:
#SBATCH --licenses=comsol@slurmdb:1
#SBATCH --licenses=comsol-structural-mechanics@slurmdb:1You may alternatively include multiple licenses within a single #SBATCH command, separated by a comma (no spaces), as shown:
#SBATCH --licenses=comsol@slurmdb:1,comsol-structural-mechanics@slurmdb:1Please remember to use these license commands within all of your COMSOL jobs. Although your job may start without specifying a license, there is no guarantee that a license will be available for all needed modules.
In addition to requesting licenses, you must also load the COMSOL module in your job script. After the #SBATCH lines, use the module load command:
module load comsolIf you have any questions about using COMSOL on ARC resources, please contact [email protected].