HowTo: Scientific Ubuntu - Installing OpenFOAM CFD software

[charlesreid1]

This worked fine for me with one modification. The line below:

export WM_COMPILER_DIR=/usr$WM_COMPILER_ARCH

was changed to:

export WM_COMPILER_DIR=/usr

and then running foamInstallationTest worked just fine. I'm running on an AMD 64-bit system.

For those who would like to use the system installed gcc and java, I have done the following by editing the ~/OpenFOAM/OpenFOAM-1.3/.bashrc (where ~ refers to your home path, e.g. /home/username)

Edit the following lines (the bold part)

if [ "$WM_COMPILER" = "Gcc4" ]; then
    export WM_COMPILER_DIR=/usr$WM_COMPILER_ARCH
    WM_COMPILER_BIN="$WM_COMPILER_DIR/bin:$WM_COMPILER_DIR/../gdb-6.4/bin"
    WM_COMPILER_LIB=$WM_COMPILER_DIR/lib${WM_COMPILER_LIB_ARCH}:$WM_COMPILER_DIR/lib:

&

# Java
# ~~~~

# Linux workstation
# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
if [ "$machineTest" = "Linux" ]; then

    export JAVA_HOME=/usr

    processor=`uname -m`

    if [ "$processor" = "ia64" ]; then
        export JAVA_HOME=/usr/java/j2sdk1.4.2
    fi

With this, I can delete the gcc and java folders that were unzippd to the /linux folder or for those going to install, you don't have to download that two package.

Hope it helps.

If someone else has tested this, I guess we can edit the wiki to reflect the changes.

[derjames]

Hello Folks!, I hope all is well with you...

This is a quick note to Windows users: There is an alternative way to install OpenFOAM in a windows system (XP/VISTA) apart from the CYGWIN build. You need to install adlinux (http://www.andLinux.org) (colinux+ubuntu) and follow the guide as usual. The solvers work perfectly but in my particular case I have a problem with paraView (you may o may not have this problem) in which the visualisation window is not working at all. Rather strange because the GUI works fine... anyway I will post any progress here if any...

cheers

[derjames]

OK folks... this is for **windows** Users... please read the following thread at the andLinux forum regarding the problem of paraview visualisation... hope this solve your problem...

http://www.andlinux.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=44

I haven't tried yet but I will do it as soon as I can...

cheers
j

[Chegdan]

First of all, I used this thread a few months ago when I installed OF on 7.10 and it help immensely. Now, I'm compiling OF-1.4.1-dev on 8.04...and man do I have problems with it. I have read the OF wiki on how to compile openfoam, but it is difficult to do. That particular wiki post was based on someone who had successfully compiled OF on opensuse before and therefore had all of the required libraries and such on their computer. Therefore, this makes the compiling of OF straightforward (not really but ok). So I ask, has anyone compiled OF on ubuntu from a completely vanilla version of 8.04? If so, did you document it? If you did...how about a nice descriptive post? I really need this compiled in order to access a few of the additional models offered only in the dev version...and I kinda prefer to use Ubuntu over opensuse. Any help is much appreciated.

[derjames]

Perhaps a bit late but OpenFOAM-1.5 has been released...

http://www.opencfd.co.uk/openfoam/ve...tml#version1.5

Comments about the installation have been added to the guide...

cheers

[waspbr]

I thought I would make myself useful and contribute to this thread. Thanks to this thread, a few fresh installs and extensive googling OpenFOAM 1.5 now runs well in my 32 bit box.

in order to make paraview read the foam files, it needs to be compiled.

to do that you need those two packages:

libmpfr-dev

libmpfr1|dbl

you can just get them in synaptic, if you don't get them the compilation is going to give you errors. then enter the following commands in terminal

for paraview

cd $FOAM_INST_DIR/ThirdParty
rm -rf ParaView3.3-cvs/platforms
buildParaView3.3-cvs

The compilation is going to take a while, a very long while. just leave you machine running and go do something else.

now for the reader

cd $FOAM_UTILITIES/postProcessing/graphics/PV3FoamReader
./Allwclean
./Allwmake

don't try to navigate to the directories yourself, just copy and paste the terminal cd commands above and all should run smoothly.

cheers

[bigbrovar]

Thanks for the great how to .. am the system admin for the African University of Science and technology we run ubuntu on all our lab computers and i would like to add OpenFOAM to our list of softwares .1 question though .. how do i install OpenFOAM so that its accessible by more than one user . if i follow your guide and do the installation in /home/username .. then other users to the system wont have access to the program .. is it a must to use /home or can i use /opt instead . and if i did would it work ? sorry for my bad english

[mediocreguitarist]

Hello
I am new to ubuntu (have first year uni computing knowledge and C, C++ programming) and also new to OpenFOAM. I am running openfoam 1.5 on hardy and when i try to run it i get this message....
james@ubuntu:~$ icoFoam

/*---------------------------------------------------------------------------*\

| ========= | |

| \\ / F ield | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox |

| \\ / O peration | Version: 1.5 |

| \\ / A nd | Web: http://www.OpenFOAM.org |

| \\/ M anipulation | |

\*---------------------------------------------------------------------------*/

Exec : icoFoam

Date : Oct 07 2008

Time : 15:23:31

Host : ubuntu

PID : 6465

Case : /home/james

nProcs : 1


// * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * //

Create time




cannot open file


file: /home/james/system/controlDict at line 0.


From function regIOobject::readStream(const word&)

in file db/regIOobject/regIOobjectRead.C at line 66.



FOAM exiting



james@ubuntu:~$ grrrrrr!

I was just wondering if i installed it incorrectly or if i need to change the directory for something etc and how to do it

(i am also new to web forums so hope i posted in right section etc etc etc)

Thankyou in advance for your help

[derjames]

...how do i install OpenFOAM so that its accessible by more than one user . if i follow your guide and do the installation in /home/username .. then other users to the system wont have access to the program .. is it a must to use /home or can i use /opt instead . and if i did would it work ? sorry for my bad english

hello there, you can install OpenFOAM in any directory, you can install it in /opt, /share, /etc or any other suitable directory perhaps as a root or using sudo. However you will need to modify the environment variables since the installation scripts are using $HOME as the main path... I haven't done this but it is not difficult to do it...

good luck

j

[seenxu]

cd $FOAM_INST_DIR/ThirdParty
rm -rf ParaView3.3-cvs/platforms
buildParaView3.3-cvs

I am trying this on my amd64, but it end up with the error message

"make: *** No targets specified and no makefile found. Stop."

any ideas?

but the same command runs well on 32bit