by Knute Christensen, HP MDA Market Development Manager, and Lee Fisher, HP Accounts Manager for Fluent

Client/server computing systems have emerged as a dominant foundation for engineering analysis in recent years. In support of this trend, Hewlett-Packard has delivered increasingly faster workstation and server solutions, while Fluent has designed client/server computing into its software. The resulting combination has positioned the two companies as strategic partners with unique capabilities to address the computing needs of Fluent users.

"By using a technical server and networking software, we can put a lot of power on the engineer's desktop." -Donaldson Corporation

What is "Client/Server"?

"Client/server" refers to a computing environment where a powerful computer ("server") provides one or more services to a large number of desktop systems ("clients") deployed throughout the organization.

In many cases, servers have replaced mainframes, minicomputers, and even supercomputers, thanks to their high degree of scalability, multiprocessor capabilities, ease of upgrading, and low cost of ownership. Multi-CPU server platforms let a company acquire just the right amount of processing power needed for current requirements while allowing the seamless addition of processors, memory, and disk capacity as needs grow. Client systems support the more I/O intensive tasks, such as user interface and graphics; they also support less-intensive administrative tasks.

Client/Server Benefits

Client/server computing gives individual users and workgroups the choice of cost-effective NT or UNIX desktop workstations, while compute-intensive applications and databases reside on much more powerful servers. Users can easily upgrade their desktop systems without disrupting the centralized server-based operations. Similarly, upgrading the server can be done efficiently, quickly, and economically ­ without requiring upgrades of each user's own desktop system. HP's product line ­ from UNIX and NT workstations to high-powered scalable servers ­ provides a full range of client and server solutions from a single, industry-leading source, ensuring system compatibility and interoperability.

Fluent's code architecture, or underlying structure, is designed for optimum execution in client/server configurations. Unlike most engineering software packages, which operate as a single computing process, FLUENT/UNS, RAMPANT, and FLUENT 5 execute as multiple connected processes. One process is the interactive graphical user interface (GUI) and postprocessing session for direct user interaction. Computations are spawned as a second, separate process or, in the case of parallel computing, as multiple individual processes. These compute processes communicate with the GUI process and share data as required.

Fluent software is uniquely configured to run as separate simultaneous processes on client desktop workstations and on powerful compute servers, for efficient execution, interactive control, and complete flexibility of machine or operating system type.

Fluent's multiple-process (client/server) code architecture has clear advantages over traditional single-process, or single-task, software. Since servers are not configured for user I/O and graphics tasks, Fluent's approach enables interactive user control and graphical display on powerful clients while the compute-intensive solver process runs on the multi-CPU server. And because the two processes are connected but separate, the interface/graphics and computing processes easily run on different computer operating systems. It also makes possible parallel computing over a network of dissimilar computers. deflections of the structure take place.

Donaldson Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota adopted Fluent's software in the late 1980s, when CFD analysis meant models with tens of thousands of nodes. Running on an HP V2250, they can now handle three to five one-million-node jobs per day. In fact, normalizing for model size, Donaldson has found from 1986 to 1995 a one-hundred-thousand times improvement in CFD performance. From 1994 to 2002, Donaldson expects to see another one-hundred-thousand times improvement.

Donaldson engineers attribute this amazing track record to HP hardware improvements, Fluent software improvements, and Donaldson's early adoption of client/server technology. "We recognized early on that client/server computing offered real benefits," states a lead technologist at Donaldson. "What we have is one big compute muscle, instead of a lot of little machines spread throughout the company. By using a technical server and networking software, we can put a lot of power on the engineer's desktop."

The HP V-Class server (240MHz) delivers dramatic scaling efficiencies as more processors are assigned to the problem set. Benchmarks are reported here for a 271K-cell automotive valve port analysis.

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