Specifying External Storage

All ELFINI Solver computations (matrices, operators, displacements, intermediate entities and so forth) are systematically stored in a structured way out of core memory, on an external file.

External Storage is the file of the directory where this structured computed data is stored.

The link between the .CATAnalysis document and the External Storage is maintained after the end of a session, in a way similar to the link between a .CATPart document and the associated .CATAnalysis document.

Stored data resulting from analysis are stored in two files, one for results and one for computations. After the opening of a new analysis document, the default directories in which they are stored are the last directories chosen by the user.

Result data is data necessary for generating images: displacements, loads, restraints, singularities, strain energy and so forth. This data is self sufficient if only results are to be saved and no more computations should be performed from them. Result data takes small disk space, any newly performed computation starts from the beginning and therefore may take time.

Computation data corresponds to matrices such as stiffness. This data is needed to perform new computations from the loaded data which will benefit from it. It is time saving, but as a counterpart needs much disk space storage.

Computation data can be removed by activating the "Clear storage" command before saving the analysis document.

This task shows how to specify External Storage.

You can use the sample01.CATAnalysis document from the samples directory for this task.

1. Click the Storage Location icon

.
The Current Storage Location dialog box is displayed.

The results and computation data are stored in one single file with given extensions:

	`xxx.CATAnalysisResults`
	`xxx.CATAnalysisComputations`

2. If needed, click the Modify button.
The Storage Path Selection dialog box is displayed. It contains an image of your working environment.

You can navigate in your files with the help of the cursor.

3. Select a path for the External Storage directory and click Open and then Save to exit the Storage Path Selection dialog box.
The selected path name is visualized in the Current Storage dialog box.

You can still modify or cancel your file selection by pressing the Modify or Cancel buttons.

4. Click OK to leave the Current Storage Location dialog box.
Your External Storage file has been stored and the extensions are kept.

The file locations objects (CATAnalysisResults and CATAnalysisComputations) appear in the specification tree, under Links Manager.

You can modify the location using the specification tree. Double-click either the CATAnalysis Results and CATAnalysis Computations in the specification tree: the Current Storage Location dialog box appears with the selected link only. You can now modify the path of the file again.

Current Storage Location Dialog Box:

When External Storage files are created, the default file names are based on the current analysis document file name.

Both files (CATAnalysisResults and CATAnalysisComputations) are created when:

- A new analysis document is created by entering an analysis session from another workbench.

- A previous CATAnalysis document is loaded with the external storage deleted.

Note that storage names only change if you request it, except for the above mentioned cases

Attention should be ported on the "Save As" operation: changing the CATAnalysis name without changing the external storage files names entails the invalidation of the first CATAnalysis. A confirmation message will be displayed.

If computations file size exceeds two Gb, additional CATAnalysis Computations file are created and the corresponding links appear in the Links Manager feature (specification tree).