System Requirements: COMSOL Server™ Version 5.3a

These requirements are common to all platforms:

  • A network card and internet connection are recommended during installation
  • At least 4 GB memory, but 4 GB or more per processor core is recommended
  • 2–10 GB of disk space, depending on your licensed products and installation options
  • Adobe® Acrobat® Reader to view and print the COMSOL documentation in PDF format
  • An Intel® or AMD® 64-bit processor based on the Intel® 64 or AMD64 architecture

For guidance on choosing RAM and processors, please see this Knowledge Base entry.

COMSOL Server™ License (CSL)

The COMSOL Server™ License type is a networked license type and is supported on a heterogeneous network of computers running any of the Windows® or Linux® operating systems or macOS. Both the license manager and the COMSOL Server™ software can run on a single computer running either Windows®, Linux®, or macOS.

Academic Server License (ASL)

System requirements for the Academic Server License type are similar to that of the COMSOL Server™ License type.

Operating System Requirements

In addition to the operating system requirements listed below, see the Interfacing Product Suite Requirements for specific requirements for the CAD Import Module, the Design Module, and the LiveLink™ product suite.

Windows® macOS Linux®
64-Bit Operating Systems
  • Windows® 10
  • Windows® 10 Pro for Workstations
  • Windows® 8.1
  • Windows® 8
  • Windows® 7
  • Windows Server® 2016
  • Windows Server® 2012 R2
  • Windows Server® 2012
  • Windows Server® 2008 R2
  • Windows HPC Server 2008 R2
macOS 10.10, 10.11, 10.12, and 10.13
  • Debian® 7, 8, and 9
  • Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® 6.9 and 7.4
  • CentOS 7.4
  • Ubuntu® LTS 14.04 and 16.04
  • OpenSUSE® Leap 42.2 and 42.3

OS-Specific System Requirements

Linux®
  • GNU C Library version 2.11.3 or later
  • Linux® kernel 2.6.32 or later
  • Intel® Pentium® IV or AMD Athlon™ XP processor or later
  • FlexNet® requires Linux Standard Base™ (LSB™)1

1 See FlexNet® License Manager on Linux® below.

Graphics System Requirements

COMSOL Server™ does not require graphics rendering. To use the COMSOL Server™ web interface, log in using the COMSOL Client for Windows® or a recommended web browser, see Running COMSOL Applications. COMSOL Server™ can also be used in batch mode, which does not require graphics rendering.

Parallel System Requirements

Windows® macOS Linux®
Shared-Memory Parallelism All supported versions of Windows® All supported versions of macOS All supported Linux® distributions
Distributed-Memory Parallelism
  • Windows Server® 2016
  • Windows Server® 2012 R2
  • Windows Server® 2012
  • Windows HPC Server 2008 R2
Not Supported
  • Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® 6.9 and 7.4
  • CentOS 7.4
  • Debian® 7 and 8
  • Ubuntu® LTS 14.04 and 16.04

All computers in the cluster must use the same Linux® version and should have similar hardware. It is recommended that OpenFabrics Enterprise Distribution (OFED) 1.5.4.1 or higher is installed. If you are using RDMA-capable network fabrics, a DAPL 1.2 or later version-compliant driver or library is required. The software is usually provided with your hardware.

Note: This information is provided for your benefit but should not be used as a substitute for your own investigation of the system requirements that may be appropriate for your use of COMSOL® software or other software, given your particular circumstances. Systems and hardware change regularly, which may impact any determination of what system requirements are appropriate for you.

Adobe and Acrobat are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. AMD Athlon is a trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Debian is a registered trademark of trademark of Software in the Public Interest, Inc. in the United States. FlexNet is a registered trademark of Flexera Software LLC. Intel and Pentium are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries. Red Hat and Red Hat Enterprise Linux are registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. Ubuntu is a registered trademark of Canonical Ltd. OpenSUSE is a registered trademark of SUSE LLC. Linux, Linux Standard Base, and LSB are trademarks or registered trademarks of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries. macOS is a trademark of Apple Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Server are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. COMSOL AB and its subsidiaries and products are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or supported by these trademark owners.