COMSOL Commands on macOS

Use the comsol command to start COMSOL products with detailed start-up options.

The general syntax of the COMSOL command is

comsol [<target>] [<options>] [<target arguments>]

where square brackets indicate optional arguments. The comsol command can be combined with optional targets to achieve various results. The following table lists the command and targets:

Table 22-31: COMSOL Commands Targets
command and Target	Description	Availability
comsol	Run standalone COMSOL Multiphysics
comsol batch	Run a COMSOL MPH file or class file
comsol compile	Compile a Model Java file
comsol mphclient	Run COMSOL Multiphysics client
comsol mphserver	Start COMSOL Multiphysics server
comsol mphserver matlab	Start MATLAB and connect to a COMSOL Multiphysics server	Requires LiveLink™ for MATLAB® license

The comsol command is located in the bin folder in the COMSOL installation directory.

INI Files

There is a number of .ini files in the maci64 subdirectory in the bin directory. It is sometimes recommended that you edit these files. For example, you can add options to any of the above commands by modifying the corresponding INI file. To change the option opt to value val, add the line

-Dopt=val

to the file comsol.ini. Change the file comsolbatch.ini for comsol batch, and similarly for the other COMSOL targets.

Options

You can enter various options after the COMSOL command and target. Table 22-16 lists the options (see [<options>] in the command syntax) available for all comsol commands. Always issue these options between the command and the target (if any).

Table 22-32: COMSOL options (curly brackets indicate default values)
COMSOL option	Description
<target> -h	Print target-specific help.
-3drend ogl \| sw	3D renderer: OpenGL or software rendering.
-alloc {native} \| scalable	Memory allocator: Select from using the Macintosh native memory allocator or the scalable memory allocator from the Intel® Threading Building Blocks library.2
-applicationsroot <path>	Specify custom path to the COMSOL Application Libraries root directory.1
-autosave <{on}\|off>	Control saving of recovery files.
-blas {auto} \| mkl \| blas \| path	BLAS library to use.3
-blaspath <path>	BLAS library path. 3
-c <path>	License file path.
-ckl	Use classkit license.
-comsolinifile <path>	Specify custom path to .ini-file used when starting COMSOL.
-configuration <path>	Path to directory for storing the state for the GUI between sessions and for performing different caching tasks. The configuration directory is by default a subdirectory to the preference directory. However, the default location of the configuration directory is not affected by the -prefsdir option.
-data	Path to a workspace directory for storing internal workspace information. The workspace directory is by default a subdirectory to the preference directory. However, the default location of the workspace directory is not affected by the -prefsdir option. The workspace directory is cleared when COMSOL is launched.
-docroot <path>	Specify custom path to the COMSOL documentation root directory.1
-h	Print general help.
-keeplicenses on \| {off}	Keep checked out licenses throughout session.
-mpmode throughput \| turnaround \| owner	Multiprocessor mode.2
-np <no. of cores>	Number of cores.2
-prefsdir <path>	Preference directory.
-recoverydir <path>	Path to recovery directory. The recovery directory is by default a subdirectory to the preference directory.
-tmpdir <path>	Temporary file directory. Whitespace is not supported in the file directory path,
-v, -version	Print COMSOL version.
References
1 See Documentation and Application Libraries Root Directories. 2 See Shared-Memory Options. 3 See BLAS Options.

For the -tmpdir option, the COMSOL Multiphysics software uses the specified directory to store temporary files. Use the -prefsdir option to specify the directory where the COMSOL Multiphysics software stores the preference file.

Documentation and Application Libraries Root Directories

In a default COMSOL Multiphysics installation, the documentation files are located in the directory doc under the installation root directory. You can use the -docroot option if you want to move the documentation directory to a different location. Similarly, use the -applicationsroot option if you want to move the Application Libraries root directory applications from its default location under the COMSOL Multiphysics installation root. Relocating the documentation and Application Libraries root directories can be useful for administering Application Library Update; see The Application Library Update Window.


	Setting the paths to the documentation and Application Libraries root directories using these options does not in itself move the directories and their contents.

Shared-Memory Options

Use the option -np to control the number of core and processors used. The default is to use all available cores and processors.

Depending on how loaded your machine is, you can control how COMSOL Multiphysics uses the available processors. The following options are available:

Table 22-33: COMSOL Multiprocessor Mode Options
MPMODE Option	Description
owner	Provides the highest performance in most cases.
throughput	Is expected to give the best performance when several different processes are running actively at the same time as COMSOL.
turnaround	Typically provides the best performance when no other processes than COMSOL are active.

Use the option -alloc to specify memory allocator type. The default is to use the native memory allocator. The scalable memory allocator can increase performance significantly for computers with many cores but uses more memory.


	You can also specify the number of cores and the use of the scalable allocators as preferences on the Multicore and Cluster Computing page in the Preferences dialog box. To specify the number of cores manually, select the Number of cores check box to enter a number in the associated text field. By default, all cores are used. The preference option for the scalable allocator is called Optimized for multicore. If you want to choose another memory allocator than the default setting, select the Memory allocator check box and the choose Native or Optimized for multicore.

Sometimes you might want to experiment to find the options that work best for your configuration.

BLAS Options

BLAS is a set of functions for basic linear algebra operations. A large portion of the computational engine in the COMSOL software relies on BLAS. The COMSOL software provides for the following BLAS-related options:

Table 22-34: COMSOL BLAS Options
BLAS Option	Description
auto	The default option is to use the Intel MKL library.
mkl	Use the Intel MKL library (included with installation).
blas	Use the standard BLAS library (included with installation).
path	Use a BLAS library specified using the option -blaspath or the environment variable COMSOL_BLAS_PATH.

Both MKL and BLAS are distributed with COMSOL Multiphysics.

If you want to use a different BLAS library than the ones provided by COMSOL, make sure that COMSOL Multiphysics can find the library. The simplest way for COMSOL Multiphysics to find a library is to put it in /lib/win64 or somewhere in the standard search path. Also provide the path to any sublibraries needed by the library. Set the search path to point to the directory where the library is installed. To do so, use the environment variable PATH. Your library must support both the standard FORTRAN LAPACK interface and the standard FORTRAN BLAS interface. If your LAPACK and BLAS interface consists of several libraries, use the path to the LAPACK library.

Application Options

The following options are used to specify inputs to an application with command-line options.Find more information about these options in the section The Application Argument Node in the Application Builder Reference Manual.

Table 22-35: COMSOL Target command-line arguments
COMSOL Applications Options	Description
-appargnames <names>	Comma-separated list of argument names.
-appargvalues <values>	Comma-separated list of argument values.
-appargsfile <filename>	A file with arguments to the application. Each line in the file should have the format <name>=<value>.
-appargvarlist <names>	Comma-separated list of argument names whose values are on file.
-appargfilelist <filenames>	Comma-separated list of file names. Each file contains the value for one argument.

COMSOL Commands

In additions to the options in Table 22-16, the standalone COMSOL command supports the following options on macOS:

Table 22-36: COMSOL command-line arguments
COMSOL Options	Description
-open <file>	Open application
-run <file>	Run application

COMSOL Multiphysics Server Commands

Use a COMSOL Multiphysics server command to start a COMSOL process ready to process computational requests. A COMSOL Multiphysics server listens for TCP/IP connections from COMSOL Multiphysics clients. A COMSOL Desktop can become a COMSOL Multiphysics client by connecting to a COMSOL Multiphysics server. The LiveLink™ for MATLAB® also needs to connect to a COMSOL Multiphysics server.

The syntax for the COMSOL Multiphysics server command is

comsol [<options>] mphserver [<target arguments>]

The following target arguments are available for a COMSOL Multiphysics server command:

Table 22-37: COMSOL Multiphysics server command-line arguments
COMSOL Multiphysics Server Options	Description
-graphics	Start the server with graphics libraries. This displays plots on the server when you are connected with a client (that is, not with the COMSOL Desktop).
-login {info}\|force\|never\|auto	Ask for login information. info means that only missing information is asked for. force resets the password. never requires that the login information is available. auto automatically creates a new username and password.
-multi {auto} \| on \| off	Accept repeated client connections.
-passwd reset\|nostore	Specify that you want to provide a new password. To avoid storing the new password on file use <nostore>.
-port <port>	Specify a TCP/IP port to listen for connect attempts.
-silent	Do not listen to standard input.
-passwd reset\|nostore	Specify that you want to provide a new password. To avoid storing the new password on file use <nostore>.
-user <user>	Specify login name for a user.

Accessing the COMSOL Multiphysics Server Computer

To access the computer running the COMSOL Multiphysics server, simply log in on the server computer by using ssh or a similar command, then enter the comsol server command.

When you start a COMSOL Multiphysics server for the first time, you are asked for a username and password. Select a username and a password, which the COMSOL software then uses in communications between the COMSOL Multiphysics client and the server. You must also specify a matching username and password on the settings page in the , which opens when you start the COMSOL Multiphysics client. The software writes this login information in the file login.properties. The login information is located in Library/Preferences/COMSOL/v54/login.properties in your home directory.

Client-Server Security Issues

COMSOL can operate in a client-server mode where COMSOL Multiphysics runs as a separate client and a server. COMSOL uses a TCP/IP connection to send data between the server and the client.


	Always make sure that untrusted users cannot access the COMSOL login information. Protect the file Library/Preferences/COMSOL/v54/login.properties. This is important when using the COMSOL Multiphysics client-server configuration. Alternatively, start the COMSOL Multiphysics server with the -passwd nostore option, and clear the Remember username and password check box when connecting to the server. This ensures that your login information is not stored on file.

Once you start a COMSOL Multiphysics server, a person with access to your login information could potentially connect to your COMSOL Multiphysics server. When a COMSOL Multiphysics client connects or disconnects from a remote computer, the COMSOL Multiphysics server displays a message. The connection from the client to the server is made with the TCP protocol.

The server and client are mutually authenticated using a challenge handshake authentication protocol, which means that login information cannot be easily obtained by someone eavesdropping on the network communication. The TCP connection between the client and the server is otherwise not encrypted. If you require encryption of the TCP connection, you can use third-party software based on protocols such as SSH or IPSEC.

To enhance security, you can limit the address range that can access the COMSOL Multiphysics server, both in your firewall and by changing the COMSOL Multiphysics server configuration. To limit the allowed address range in the server, edit the file <COMSOL Installation Directory>/bin/conf/server.xml and find the lines:

<!-- To restrict access to the COMSOL server you can uncomment the block below.

and follow the instructions. The default port for the COMSOL Multiphysics server is 2036. You can change this by using the option -port <port> when launching COMSOL and COMSOL Multiphysics server.

Documentation Security Issues

To serve the COMSOL Desktop with documentation, COMSOL opens a separate documentation server on the client computer when you open the documentation.

To enhance security, you can limit the address range that can access the documentation server, both in your firewall and by changing the documentation server configuration. To limit the allowed address range in the server, edit the file <COMSOL Installation Directory>/doc/help/conf/server.xml and find the lines:

<!-- To restrict access to the documentation server you can uncomment the block below.

and follow the instructions. The default port for the documentation server is 8090. You can change this by using the option -docport <docport> when launching COMSOL Multiphysics.

COMSOL Multiphysics Client Commands

Use a COMSOL Multiphysics client command to start a COMSOL Desktop with a the Connect to Server dialog box open.

The syntax for the COMSOL Multiphysics client command is

comsol [<options>] mphclient [<target arguments>]

The following target arguments are available for a COMSOL Multiphysics client command.

Table 22-38: COMSOL Target command-line arguments
COMSOL Multiphysics Client Options	Description
-open <file>	Open file
-port <port>	Specify a TCP/IP port to connect to
-server <server name>	Specify server to connect to

COMSOL Batch Commands

Use the COMSOL batch command to run COMSOL jobs without a user interface. You can run both Model MPH-files and model files for Java with the COMSOL batch command. Model files for Java need to be compiled before running. The syntax for the COMSOL batch command is

comsol [<options>] batch [<target arguments>]

Its detailed target arguments are:

Table 22-39: COMSOL BATCH-specific arguments
COMSOL Batch options	Description
-alivetime <seconds>	The time between writing status on disc.
-batchlog <filename>	File to store log in. If not used, the log appears in the command window.
-cancel	Stop the current solver without returning any data. See below.
-checklicense <filename>	Print license requirements for a Model MPH-file.
-clearmesh	Clear all meshes,
-clearsol	Clear all solutions (except probe data),
-client	Run as client.
-dev <filename>	Path to a JAR-file with additional classes to call from the batch class file.
-error <{on}\|off>	Stop if an error occurs.
-graphics	Start COMSOL batch with graphics libraries. This displays plots during analysis.
-host	Connect to host.
-inputfile <filename>	Run a Model MPH-file or class file.
-job <job tag>	The batch job to run.
-mode {batch} \| desktop	Ignore Batch and Cluster Computing settings. See Ignoring Batch and Cluster Computing Settings above.
-nosave	Do not save the resulting model.
-outputfile <filename>	Save a Model MPH-file using the given filename. If output is not given, the input file is overwritten with the output.
-paramfile <filename>	Table file containing parameter names in the first row and corresponding parameter value tuples in the following rows. That is, the parameter names should be on the first row (space separated), and the parameter values (if only one tuple) should be space separated on the second row. If you want to solve for more tuples, more rows are added in the same manner.
-pindex <parameter indices>	Comma-separated list of parameter indices (integers). The number of indices given has to correspond to the number of arguments given by -plist.
-plist <parameter value>	Comma-separated list of parameter values.
-pname <parameter name>	Comma-separated list of parameter names.
-port	Connect to port.
-stop	Stop the current solver when it has finished, returning available data. See below.
-study <study tag>	The study to compute.
-usebatchlic	Use batch license (requires batch licenses).

Stopping and Canceling a Batch Job

You can stop a batch job using the following command:

comsol batch -stop <level> -inputfile <filename>

where <level> is the level to stop the process on. Set the level to a high value in order to stop as soon as possible. By default, it is set to 100. The -inputfile option indicates the filename of the model that another process is running. The inputfile arguments should be consistent with the one specified to launch another process. That is, either the same inputfile arguments should be provided or the -inputfile should be the same as the -outputfile specified to launch another process.

You can cancel a batch job using the following command:

comsol batch -cancel -inputfile <filename>

The -inputfile option indicates the filename of the model that another process is running. The inputfile arguments should be consistent with the one specified to launch another process. That is, either the same inputfile arguments should be provided or the -inputfile should be the same as the -outputfile specified to launch another process.

Example

To use the COMSOL Multiphysics software in batch mode to solve a model, run the following command:

comsol batch -inputfile in.mph -outputfile out.mph -study std1

This command starts COMSOL in batch mode, solves the model in the Model MPH-file with the given filename using the active solver settings in the model, and stores the solution in the out.mph.

The -study option directs COMSOL Multiphysics to run a certain study. The study is identified by its tag. In the COMSOL Desktop, select under to see the tags of the jobs under within curly braces in the Model Builder. In the model object, determine the tags of the jobs by the command model.study().tags(). You can determine the name of each study by model.study(<tag>).name() using one of the job tags.

The -job option works similar to the -study option. It directs COMSOL Multiphysics to start a certain job. The job is identified by its tag. In the model object, determine the tags of the jobs by the command model.batch().tags(). You can determine the name of each job by model.batch(<tag>).name() using one of the job tags.

The -usebatchlic option makes COMSOL use batch licenses for the job. This option is equivalent to the check box available in the and study nodes. Using batch licenses for a cluster computing or cluster sweep job means that you can continue working in the COMSOL Desktop while the job is running using only a single FNL license.

The COMSOL Compile Command

The comsol compile command compiles a model file for Java for use by the COMSOL batch command or for loading class files into the GUI. With COMSOL Compiler, you can also use it to compile COMSOL apps into standalone executable apps. The macOS syntax for the COMSOL compile command is

comsol [<options>] compile [<target arguments>] <file>.java

The Java file is mandatory. The following optional target arguments are available‘

Table 22-40: COMSOL Compile Options
COMSOL compile Options	Description
-classpathadd <classpath>	Additional classpath
-jdkroot <path>	Path to the JDK root
-verbose	Verbose output

To compile an application in an MPH-file into a standalone executable app using COMSOL Compiler, use

comsol compile <full path to MPH-file> [<compile arguments>]


	Compiling apps requires a license for COMSOL Compiler™.

The following arguments are available:

Table 22-41: COMSOL compile arguments for Compiling Applications
COMSOL compile Arguments	Description
-icon <path>	Path to image file for application icon.
-libraries cad,weatherdata	Optional data to include. Specify as a comma-separated list. CAD data is only applicable with the CAD Import Module or CAD LiveLink products. Weather data is only applicable with the Heat Transfer Module.
-outputdir <path>	Specify where the compiled application should be saved. The default is the directory where the application’s MPH-file is located.
-platforms windows,linux,macos	The platforms to compile for. Specify as a comma-separated list. The default is the platform where the compiler is run.
-runtime default\|ask\|<path>	Specify where to store the runtime when running the application. The default option is the platform’s default location. The ask option asks the user for the location of the runtime when running the app. The <path> option provides a location where the runtime should be unpacked and stored. Only specify a path when compiling for a single platform.
-runtimewindows <path>	Specify where the runtime should be unpacked on Windows.
-runtimelinux <path>	Specify where the runtime should be unpacked on Linux.
-runtimemacOS <path>	Specify where the runtime should be unpacked on macOS.
-splash <path>	Path to image file for splash screen.

Options not given are taken from the application’s node, except for -outputdir and -platforms.

COMSOL MATLAB Command

Use the COMSOL MATLAB command to access the COMSOL API through MATLAB. Type:

comsol mphserver matlab [<options>]

which launches a COMSOL Multiphysics server in a console window, starts MATLAB, and connects MATLAB to the COMSOL Multiphysics server.

The following options are available for the comsol mphserver matlab command:

Table 22-42: COMSOL MATLAB options
COMSOL MATLAB options	Description
-desktop	Start with Desktop.
-graphics	Start the server with graphics libraries. This enables plotting on the server. Available only when running comsolmphserver matlab [<options>].
-host <hostname>	Connect to host.
-mlnosplash	Start without MATLAB splash screen.
-mlroot <path>	MATLAB installation directory.
-mlstartdir <path>	Start in directory path <path>.
-nodesktop	Start without Desktop.
-port <hostname>	Connect to port.