6SigmaET Model

This tutorial shows you how to solve 6SigmaET models via the Rescale cloud platform. Please contact us if you’re having trouble.

Sign Up and Log In

If you haven’t done so already, you will need to sign up for a Rescale account.

To sign up

  1. Go to Rescale.com and enter your details – you will be sent a verification email
  2. Click the link to the Rescale platform site

    in the verification email (this can take up to 20 minutes to arrive)

  3. Log in to the Rescale platform site – you will see the welcome screen
WelcomePage.png

BasicJobSettings_1.png

To Set Fields

  1. Edit the job name to one of your choice – in this example we will use 6SigmaET Tutorial Model
  2. Click:
    • Use files from cloud storage to use a previously uploaded model file
    • Upload from this computer to select a file on your computer or a local network
  3. Go to the location of your model file and select it
  4. Click Open/Add Selected Files
  5. Set the Job Type – in this example we will use the Basic setting

On completion, the Input Files setup page should look like that shown
6SigmaET Input Files Complete.png

  1. Click Next to move on to the Software Settings page

Software Settings

The next page allows you to select a software package and configure its settings.

To configure 6SigmaET

  1. Select 6SigmaET from the list of available software – the Analysis and License Options page will open
  2. Select a 6SigmaET Version from the drop-down list
  3. Leave the Command field set to the default value – 6SigmaET
  4. Select a License option:
    • Choose Purchase License to use an on-demand license for 6SigmaET
    • Choose Provide Existing License if this option is configured for your account, then enter the address of your 6SigmaET License Server. If you would like to activate this functionality, or are having issues using it, please contact Rescale support.
6SigmaET Software Settings Complete.png
  1. Click Next to move on to the Hardware Settings page

Hardware Settings

Hardware Settings allows you to specify the hardware you want to solve the model on, and provides pricing information for your selection.

To Configure Hardware

  1. Specify the Number of Cores you want to use (minimum: 8) – the Hardware Summary and Hourly Price Summary will update as this value changes
  2. (Optional) Specify a Maximum Job Duration (Hours)
6SigmaET Hardware Settings Complete.png
  1. Click Next to move on to the Post Processing page
6SigmaET Review Page.png

Ensure all of the settings are correct before submitting the job.

  • If the settings are incorrect, click the < Back and Next > buttons to move through the previous pages and edit the data
  • Click Save to save the job and its settings
  • Click Submit to send the job for solving

Status

The Status page allows you to monitor your analysis after the job has been
6SigmaET Rescale Solving.png

The Status page also allows you to view the contents of output files in real time. This is known as live tailing a file. This can be very useful in monitoring the progress of a job.

To live tail a file, click the name of the file that you want to view.

For 6SigmaET jobs, the files of particular interest are:

  • process_output.log
  • All .png files in the list
6SigmaET Results Page.png

From this page you can do several things:

  • Download all files using the blue Download button.
  • Use the Actions menu, highlighted in red, to act on groups of
    files selected using the checkboxes.
  • The Action buttons, highlighted in blue, allow you to view,
    download, delete, or make individual files available for future jobs.

Download Simulation Results

When you click the blue ‘Download’ button, Rescale will create a .zip file of all files in the list.

Note: Please ensure you do not import this .zip file – named ‘RescaleJobName.zip’ – into your 6SigmaET model. The file containing the model’s simulation results will be inside the downloaded .zip file, and will be named ‘UploadedModelName.zip’.

If you download the files using the Rescale Transfer Manager, they will not be zipped together. The simulation results .zip file will be downloaded into your destination folder, and can be imported straight into 6SigmaET.

To view results in 6SigmaET

You can import the downloaded simulation results .zip file back into 6SigmaET to view the results in your model.

  1. In 6SigmaET, open the model that you previously exported to Rescale
  2. Go to Solve>Cloud Solve>Import from Cloud
  3. Select the downloaded .zip file containing your simulation results (this will be named ‘UploadedModelName.zip’)
  4. Click Open – the simulation results will be imported into the 6SigmaET model

Rescale Transfer Manager

The Rescale Transfer Manager is a Windows application that can be used to download output files for Rescale jobs. For large models, we recommend using this tool to download your simulation results quickly and reliably.

For information on using the Transfer Manager, see the article on how to use the Rescale Transfer Manager.

Requirements

In order to run the model on Rescale from the 6SigmaET GUI, you would need to first be set up with:

  • a Rescale account
  • a Rescale API key
  • a license proxy (if you are using your own in-house 6SigmaET license)
  • alternatively, you could purchase on-demand licenses through Rescale

To generate an API key

An API key from Rescale is required for cloud solving in 6SigmaET.

  1. Log in to your Rescale account
  2. Click your username in the top right corner, then click Account
  3. In the Account menu, click the API tab
  4. In the API section, click the Generate button – your API key will appear
  5. Select the API key text, then press CTRL + C – it will be copied to the clipboard
Rescale API Key.png

Configure 6SigmaET Software

After generating an API key, you need to add it to the 6SigmaET software.

To add an API key to 6SigmaET

  1. Open 6SigmaET
  2. Click the Cloud Solve button on the Solve ribbon – the Cloud Solving window and the Failed to Initialize Rescale API window will open
  3. Click OK in the Failed to Initialize Rescale API window – the Cloud Options window will open
6SigmaET Cloud Options.png
  1. In the Cloud Options window, paste your Rescale API key into the API key field
  2. Set the other Cloud Options as required:
    • Platform – select which of Rescale’s platforms you want to connect to. A choice of platform.rescale.com, eu.rescale.com or platform.rescale.jp.
    • API Key – provide your API key to connect to your Rescale account via the 6SigmaET software.
    • Refresh Rate – (default: 30s) specify how often you want the connection to the Rescale servers to be refreshed.
    • Setup Connection to Corporate License Server – check this option to connect to a corporate license server hosting 6SigmaET licenses. Additional options will become available to allow you to specify the connection details. A license proxy must be set up on the Rescale platform before you can use this functionality.
    • License Server – specify the address to the license server hosting your 6SigmaET licenses.
    • License Server Port – specify the port number used to connect to the license server.
  3. Click OK

6SigmaET is now configured for cloud solving.

Cloud Solve in 6SigmaET

When the Rescale API key has been added to the software, you can begin cloud solving. After submitting a model to Rescale for solving, you can also monitor the progress of the solution.

To cloud solve

  1. Open the model in 6SigmaET
  2. Click the Cloud Solve button on the Solve ribbon
  3. Click the Add Job button – the Add New Job(s) window will open
6SigmaET Add New Jobs.png

4. Use the checkboxes in the Choose Versions section to either:

  • Choose Versions – select the versions within the current model to submit for cloud solving, or;
  • Select All – select all versions in the list.

5. In the Choose Hardware section, specify:

  • Core Type – choose one of Rescale’s core types. Available core types for 6SigmaET will be shown. Click the information button next to this property to see processor, memory and storage details, and the price per core hour, for each option.
  • Number of Cores – specify how many cores to use for the solution. Note – the price per core hour will depend on the options selected here

6. Set the Solve Options:

  • Project – select a project to use for the solve. If projects are not configured on your Rescale account, this option will be greyed out.
  • Maximum Job Duration (Hours) – set a maximum duration for the job to run on the Rescale servers. If the job exceeds this value, it will be stopped.
  • On Demand – check this option to run the job in on demand mode. This can significantly reduce core costs. This option will only be available if it is supported by the selected core type.
  • Try Continue – when this option is checked, the computer will use previously calculated temperature and airflow available for any of the projects where possible. Unchecking this option will mean that any existing temperature and airflow data will be ignored and the solution(s) will start afresh.

Note – checking the Try Continue option will upload all results to Rescale. Depending on your internet connection, this may take a significant amount of time.

7. Set the Licensing Option you want to use:

  • Purchase License – purchase 6SigmaET licenses via Rescale.
  • Use Corporate License Server – connect to a corporate license server that hosts purchased 6SigmaET licenses. This must be set up on the Rescale platform and specified in the Cloud Options window.

8. Click the Add Job button

The job will be uploaded to the Rescale servers for solving. A progress bar will show the progress of the upload before solving begins. After the job has uploaded, you can monitor the solve progress in the Add Jobs window or on the Rescale website.

To monitor solving

When your model is solving, you can monitor its progress via the Cloud Solving window.

The monitor and residual graphs will not display until at least one iteration has been solved. These graphs may take a few moments to display.

  1. In the Cloud Solving window, right click the job for which you want to view progress
Add Job.png

2. Click View Progress… – the Cloud Solve Progress window will open

Cloud Solve Progress.png

3. Close the Cloud Solve Progress window when you have finished viewing the results

Retrieve Completed Jobs

When your job is complete, you will need to retrieve it from the Rescale servers.

To retrieve jobs

  1. In the Cloud Solving window, right click the completed job

Note – ensure your job’s Status is Complete before attempting to retrieve it. The Cluster Status does not need to be Stopped before jobs can be retrieved.

2. Click Retrieve Job – a progress bar will display the download progress

The results of the solve will be downloaded and added to the 6SigmaET model.

Once you have retrieved the job, you can use 6SigmaET’s result plots to view the simulation results.

Stop or Remove Job

You can stop a job that is currently running, or remove a job from the Rescale platform once it has stopped.

Note – by default, only jobs from the open model will be shown in the Cloud Solving window. Uncheck the Only show jobs from this model option to see all jobs currently on the Rescale platform.

To stop a job

When you stop a job, the data will be reassembled and can be downloaded into 6SigmaET.

  1. Click the Cloud Solve button on the Solve ribbon – the Cloud Solving window will open
  2. In the Cloud Solving window, right click the job you want to stop
  3. Click Stop Job – the job will be stopped

To retrieve a job

You can only remove jobs from the Rescale platform if their Cluster Status is Stopped.

  1. Click the Cloud Solve button on the Solve ribbon – the Cloud Solving window will open
  2. In the Cloud Solving window, right click the job you want to stop
  3. Click Remove Job – the job will be removed from the Rescale platform

Additional Information

You can also monitor the progress of your job via the Rescale website. This can be useful if you are using a machine without the 6SigmaET software installed.

To monitor solving on Rescale

  1. Log in to the Rescale website
  2. Click the jobs tab
  3. Click the job you want to monitor
  4. Use the tabs to the right to see the job’s progress and results
Rescale Solving.png

The job workflow tabs, highlighted in red in the image (above), allow you to navigate between the job Setup, Status, Results and Charts pages.

Status Page

The Status page allows you to view the contents of output files in real time. This is known as live tailing a file. This can be very useful in monitoring the progress of a job.

To live tail a file, click the name of the file that you want to view.

For 6SigmaET jobs, the files of particular interest are:

  • process_output.log
  • All .png files in the list
6SigmaET Results Page.png

From this page you can do several things:

  • View, download, delete, or make individual files available for future jobs using the Action buttons, highlighted in blue.
  • Download all files using the blue Download button.
  • Use the Actions menu, highlighted in red, to act on groups of files selected using the checkboxes.