August 31, 2024
Mohamed Aly Sayed

Faster CFD With Cloud HPC

‍‍‍‍‍‍‍If you’re tired of constantly upgrading your hardware just to keep up with the demands of high-resolution CFD simulations, it’s time to try something different. CloudHPC by takes the hassle out of resource management, letting you focus on what matters—your simulations and the underlying physics. This powerful API integrates directly with your CFD software*, making your workflow way faster and more efficient - with up to 100x speedup at a very affordable price.

Register below to claim your free 300 VCPU-Hrs now!

Register to Cloud-HPC for FREE!

MacBook Pro on brown wooden table inside room

Photo by Radek Grzybowski on Unsplash

N.B.: The snapshot above is from a couple of OpenFOAM simulations I ran myself on that platform to test it and let me tell you, I was immediately hooked :)

*A full tutorial on how to use the platform is now available on our Skool community.

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. From your browser navigate to the cloudHPC website
  2. Create an Account to claim your free 300 vCPUs.
  3. You'll receive a confirmation email with a username and password.
  4. Use the credentials you received by email to reset your password and log in to your new account.

5. Download and Install CloudHPCexec

  • Go to "Tools" on the left panel, then download and install the application CloudHPCexec by following the instructions in the GitHub link.

6. Update CloudHPCexec Packages

  • Run this in the command line:
  • cloudHPCexec -update
  • If CloudHPCexec is not linked to your environment variable list, run this in the terminal:
  • export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"

7. Zip Your OpenFOAM Case Folder

  • On your local host, use the command:
  • tar -zcvf case_name.tar.gz case_name/

8. Upload the Simulation Case

  • On your CloudHPC account, from the left-hand side action panel, choose "Storage".
  • Click on the add (+) sign at the top right to add new storage (i.e., simulation case).
  • Drag and drop your zip file into the allocated space to upload the simulation.

9. Set Up the Simulation

  • From the action panel, go to "Simulation" and click on the add button (+).
  • Use the suitable setup for your case and choose the uploaded directory to be run.

10. Push the Simulation to the Queue

  • Click "Save" to push the simulation to the queue. In the dashboard’s list of simulations, you’ll see the status "Pending" which means the simulation will be allocated the requested resources within a few minutes. Once it gets launched, the status will change to “Running”.

11. Simulation Completion

  • Once the simulation is finished, it will be flagged in the queue as "Completed". You will receive an email notification if that feature is activated.

12. Download Results

  • On your terminal, create a directory for your case, then run: cloudHPCexec -download.
  • You'll be prompted by an interactive window to choose your case from the cloud. Choose it and press OK.

13. Analyze Your Solutions

  • Now open the downloaded folder(s) to analyze your results :)

Linking the API to the Local Machine

To be able to submit and download simulations fully from your local terminal (through a secure shell and without interacting with the browser)

Generate a Public Key

  • Run: ssh-keygen.
  • Copy the esa.pub file to the corresponding field in Account >> Profile >> API.

This way you can submit your CFD case through the kernel directly as shown below. All you need to do is run this command in the terminal:

» cloudHPCexec

General Information on CloudHPC

  • ControlDict: For OpenFOAM Cases, the cluster reads the solver names and neglects the entry "application".
  • DecomposeParDict: Uses Scotch by default, unless stated otherwise.
  • Save Your Work: With every step/modification you do on the cluster, click "save".
  • Resource Allocation: Comes from a master node at cloud HPC HQ, with main power provided by Google Cloud/AWS.
  • Core Limit: You can currently run on the cluster up to 112 cores per simulation.
  • Uploading Cases: You can upload the case to the website with a new name.
  • REG/Spot Instances:some text
    • REG works in "exclusive mode".
    • Spot (the default) is cheaper but may stop the simulation for a few minutes and continue later once priority is retained. This doesn’t happen with REG.

Launch Simulations on Cloud HPC through SplashFOAM

I’m excited to announce that CloudHPC will be seamlessly integrated with the new release of SplashFOAM, making it easier than ever to run your CFD simulations directly from your local machine to the cloud. With this new plugin, you can launch your cases from SplashFOAM straight to the CloudHPC cluster, bypassing the need to manually handle uploads or configure settings on the cloud platform.

How it Works:

  1. Direct Integration: The CloudHPC plugin is now fully embedded within SplashFOAM as a button in “Run Simulation”. This means that all necessary configurations for your CFD case, including mesh, boundary conditions, and solver settings, can be set up directly within SplashFOAM's intuitive interface.
  2. One-Click Submission: Once your case setup is complete, simply use the “CloudHPC” option in SplashFOAM to submit your simulation. Your case will be automatically packaged and sent to the CloudHPC cluster.
  3. Interactive Setup: No need to worry about detailed cloud-specific settings. The SplashFOAM plugin handles all the behind-the-scenes work, ensuring your case is optimized for the cloud environment. You can even monitor the job status directly from SplashFOAM.
  4. Email Notifications: As soon as your simulation is complete, you’ll receive an email notification, allowing you to download and analyze your results right away.

This integration will streamline your team’s workflow, combining the flexibility of SplashFOAM with the computational capabilities of CloudHPC. With just a few clicks, you can access all the HPC resources you need without leaving your familiar software environment ;) Stay tuned for v0.2!

Download SplashFOAM v0.1

Supported Software on CloudHPC

CloudHPC supports a variety of software for CFD, FEA, FEM, and CAE analysis. Here's a list of the installed software available on the CloudHPC cluster:

CFD Software

  • OpenFOAM
  • Code_Saturne
  • FDS
  • M-Star CFD
  • OpenLB
  • SU2
  • Vento CFD & AEC

FEA/FEM Software

  • CalculiX
  • Code_Aster
  • Elmer FEM
  • FEniCS

Other Software

  • Blender
  • CF-MESH+
  • MantiumFlow
  • HELYX-OS
  • ParaView
  • preCICE
  • Salome-Meca
  • Scilab

Commercial software not listed above can be used under the BYOL (Bring Your Own License) policy. CFD FEA SERVICE can assist in setting up your cluster with any specific software.

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