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Problem Statement: Will Aspen SCM run in a clustered server environment? | Solution: A clustered server is a collection of processors using a single disk array/farm that can switch between processors to provide load balancing and/or failsafe access. There are actually two types of clustered servers: active/passive (the passive turns on when the active fails) and active/active (all servers of a cluster are on). With the first type, the cluster administrator just needs to restart the Aspen SCM process, but for the second one, since Aspen SCM is not multithreaded, there is no benefit.
Aspen SCM, because it is single-threaded and memory-resident does not provide a way to construct a fail-safe system. There is also no way to do "load balancing" with Aspen SCM (another clustered server function), because the Aspen SCM process contains the data, and you need to connect to a specific Aspen SCM process, not any Aspen SCM process.
The bottom line is that Aspen SCM will run on a clustered server, but it is not "cluster-aware", so there are no benefits from running Aspen SCM on a clustered server.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Experiencing a problem with % Variables when running a macro that calls a rule. In MIMI 6.x and higher, the values seem to be empty, whereas in MIMI 5.0 they have values. | Solution: A change was made in Mimi 6.0 which allows % variables to be passed into rules. This means that you need to pass the %variables explicitly to the rule, the values are not maintained implicitly.
In the macro muom, change the convert line to:
CONVERT $1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5
This will pass the %variables to the rule specified by $1.
KeyWords
PERCENT VARIABLES
VARIABLE
MACROS
RULES
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Can the path of a statement contained within a rule or macro include blank spaces? | Solution: There are various ways to include blank spaces in the statements of a rule or macro.
1. In windows there is something called the 8-character file name. The 8-character file name can be used in lieu of the path with spaces; all file names can be represented with 8 characters, to find the 8-character name do the following:
? At a DOS prompt, change directories to the desired path (e.g., cd c:\)
? Type DIR /x
? Determine the 8-character file name from the directory listing. For example, below you will see that Program Files is represented as PROGRA~1 instead. Substituting this 8-character file name will suffice in place of the portion with spaces.
C:\>dir /x p*
Volume in drive C is Local Disk
Volume Serial Number is 1C31-350B
Directory of C:\
08/13/2004 11:11 AM 178,688 PERFAP~1.DOC Perf Appraisal Form - Tech Ladder.doc
07/24/2005 10:12 AM 174,592 PERFOR~1.DOC Performance Review Tech.doc
11/05/2006 01:36 PM <DIR> PROGRA~1 Program Files
05/10/2005 08:20 PM 44,544 PSCAPC~1.DOC PS CAP Conversion Estimate.doc
2. The second way this can be achieved is through the use of variables.
Example 1: Full path file name ( e.g. \\USINS001\mimi\plant status\PRINT.TXT ) in a FMTWRITE command.
/* include path in single quotes! */
AND ?FILE = '\\USINS001\mimi\plant status\PRINT.TXT'
AND ?FILE = '"?FILE"' /* use single quotes outside, double quotes inside! */
AND FMTWRITE ?FILE FMTSET(CNTLSTMT) /* CNTLSTMT = name of a control statement */
Example 2: Full path file name in a FMTWRITE command. This example is done in two steps (partial path/complete path) because the FMTWRITE statement is used to print 3 different tables based on the variable ?NAME. If you only have one table to print, you can do as in the previous example.
- The partial path is enclosed in single quotes in a different rule (hence the use of the global variable :USEDI1)
AND :USEDI1 = '\\USINS001\mimi\plant status\input\'
- The partial path is enclosed in single quotes again as part of the complete path
AND ?FILE = ':USEDI1?NAME.TXT'
- Next, the variable ?FILE is enclosed in single quotes (outside) and double quotes (inside)
AND ?FILE = '"?FILE"'
- Then comes the rule statement
AND FMTWRITE ?FILE FMTSET(CNTLSTMT)
3. When you run any of the following commands
FMTDATA, FMTWRITE, GETDATA, SAVDATA, GETLPSOL, SAVLPSOL, DIFLPSOL
the FMTFDEF (Format File Definition) table contains references to external data sources, including file names that may contain blank spaces. FMTFDEF allows you to use parameters as well.
Example: This example specifies the file name by referencing an entry in the FMTFDEF table (STARTINV), with parameters to be substituted SBU1 and TXT:
FMTWRITE STARTINV(SBU1,TXT) CNTLSET(CNTLSTMT)
The SCM data indicated in control set CNTLSET will be written to file "C:\SBU1 XX.TXT" (a name having an embedded blank) if table FMTFDEF(STARTINV, 1) contains:
C:\%1 XX.%2
Note: Please note that SCM can only handle a certain size string in a macro. So, be careful not to use file names that are too long (longer than 80 characters), because they would be truncated.
Keywords: RULES
MACROS
BLANKS
SPACE
PATH
References: None |
Problem Statement: After launching or running a MIMI Web demo case, an error message occurs, "Missing mimicase parameter". | Solution: There are several ways to resolve this. First, make sure that the mimi case exists. If so, then follow the steps below:
Click on the Refresh button to force a refresh of the web page. This will identify as to whether MIMI Web is really displaying an error, rather than an old or cached web page. If that does not fix the problem then proceed to the next step.
Delete the Temporary Internet Files by right-clicking the Internet explorer icon and choosing properties. You will see a button marked "Delete Temporary Internet Files." This will force the browser to send a request for the latest version of the page to the web server, instead of displaying an older or cached web page.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: How can I run a debug SCM on Windows NT? | Solution: To run a debug in SCM, simply place an exclamation mark (!) in front of the statement you want debugged on the command line. For example:
!<RUNMACRO
The output of the debug will go to a file in your c:\MIMI\bin directory. The name of the file is stdout.txt and it can be viewed using any standard file editor. However, you must exit out of MIMI before you will be able to view the contents of that file.
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Does Aspen SCM use the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine? | Solution: The Java Virtual Machine used in Aspen SCM is SUN's JVM. It is used by the Java Bridge and the jvm.dll which is part of the JVM used by the MAP/Chart features.
The JVM is installed into a sub-directory in the Aspen SCM directory tree. It does not create any ENV variables and is not placed on the system path, so it will not interfere with any other Java JDK or JVM installed on the machine.
KeyWords
Java Virtual Machine
JVM
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: How to correctly switch from Network license file to Client license file | Solution: When switching from Network license file (used with ALM) to a Client license file, it is highly recommended to shutdown and to remove ALM server services. The following procedure explains how to perform correctly the switching.
To confirm that you switch from Network license file to a Client license file, run the FLEXLM LICENSE MANAGEMENT SELECTOR (START / PROGRAMS / ASPENTECH / COMMON UTILITIES). You should be connected to a license file either in the COMBINED text box or the LICENSE file text box. If you are connected to a license file then exit and continue.
Run the Aspen License Manager Admin Tool (START / PROGRAMS / ASPENTECH / ASPEN LICENSE MANAGER 3.0 / ASPEN LICENSE MANAGER ADMIN TOOL and click the radio button CONFIGURE USING SERVICES.
Click the START / STOP / REREAD Tab and click the STOP Server Button.
Click the CONFIGURE SERVICES Tab and click the REMOVE SERVICE button. Choose YES on the Confirmation window. Exit the Admin Tool.
To confirm the service is stopped and gone, run the SERVICES utility window (START / SETTINGS / CONTROL PANEL / ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS / SERVICES) and verify that ALM30 or FLEXLM service is no longer listed as a service.
Run the Task manager, click on the PROCESSES tab and make sure that the processes ASPEN.EXE and LMGRD.EXE are no longer running.
The ALM processes will no longer use any resources on the machine. The ALM server does not need to be uninstalled from the machine. If you do uninstall MIMI or any other Aspen Application you can uninstall the ALM server at that time.
KeyWords
ALM 3.0
CLIENT LICENSE
NETWORK LICENSE
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: $UNVIEW is returning an error message - M0133: FORM NOT POSSIBLE, TCAT IS FULL | Solution: Use CMPRCASE utility to delete the unused table or wasted space . Steps:
Get to a DOS prompt.
Change the directory to where the case resides.
Type CMPRCASE <casename>.
To increase the number of sets and tables in a case, use the following syntax:
cmprcase [case] [-S[{+|-}]number] [-T[{+|-}]number] [-Nname]
The -Nname argument preserves the original case file, by saving the compressed case to the specified name. The original case remains unchanged.
For example:
cmprcase TOOLS.CASE -S1000 -T1000
cmprcase TOOLS.CASE -NTOOLS2.CASE
(-S and -T arguments allow you to control the number of sets and tables in a case. )
Use the GETCAT command to check the count.
For example:
GETCAT &1 = TCAT COUNT (gets actual count of table catalog) GETCAT &2 = TCAT MAX (gets max allowable size of table catalog). ("msg &1", "msg &2" to display results) or look on the TCAT display
Analysis:
The table catalog is full and no additional tables can be created. Therefore, the UNVIEW command can no longer create a table. The UNVIEW command applies modified data back to the original table. UNVIEW creates a new table, $UNVIEW, compares it to $VIEW, and changes any modified entries to the new values in the original table.
KeyWords
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: We want to use Range Analysis. Can we use parameters RMAS and CMAS with the XPRESS solver? | Solution: XPRESS does not have a range function, so you cannot use RMAS and CMAS with XPRESS. In reality, people found that the range function does not really help much. What MIMI LP-module developers are planning to do in XPRESS is to report some other type of solution analysis, but there are no dates foreseen for that at the moment. For a description of the Range Analysis parameters RMAS and CMAS of table CLPS, which are only available for the CPLEX optimizer, you can have a look at the MIMI online help.
KeyWords:
RANGE ANALYSIS
XPRESS
CPLEX
RMAS
CMAS
CLPS
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: What is the maximum number of AND/OR branches in a rule? | Solution: The maximum number of AND/OR branches in a rule is 99. When that maximum is reached, MIMI will return the following error:
E0079: MAXIMUM NUMBER OF AND/OR BRANCHES EXCEEDED
Unfortunately, the maximum number of branches can not be increased. Proper coding suggests that rules be broken into sub-rules. By breaking rules into sub-rules, you should not hit the limit of 99 branches.
KeyWords:
RULE
RULES
BRANCHES
AND
OR
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: The "UPDATE-IMPORT" command does not work correctly. The tables desired do not index properly. | Solution: For Example:
QCKSQL1
CODE
DESC
CONNECT test BY
mimi/mimi;
DROP
TABLE TMAF ;
CREATE
TABLE TMAF
(FCOL1 CHAR(5) ,
FCOL2 CHAR(5));
INSERT
INTO TMAF
VALUES SMAORA(,C),SMAORA(,D);
SELECT
* FROM TMAF;
UPDATE
TEMP(FCOL1)
IMPORT
COMMIT ;
TEMP(*,D) = FCOL2;
DISCONNECT
;
The TEMP Table will not index properly due to the use of the in ( IMPORT TEMP(,D) = FCOL2;). Therefore you need to use the @ sign so the corrected statement should read. ( IMPORT TEMP(@,D) = FCOL2;)
The ( * ) should be used when the tables are empty.
The ( @ ) should be used when the tables have information in them.
It only updates changes and properly indexes tables.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: What is the maximum width which can be assigned to PWIDTH of the system set? | Solution: Originally the maximum PWIDTH was 256 characters, but the code was modified "to allow PWIDTH to be greater than 256" several years ago. Now there is no defined maximum for PWIDTH.
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: How to get the maximum catalog entries in a case file other than from the case information dialog? | Solution: Users can access the maximum catalog entries (sets and tables) in a case file from the Case Information Dialog (automatically minimized when opening a case file). They can also retrieve this interesting information from a rule or a macro by adding the following statements:
GETCAT &1 = SCAT/TCAT COUNT (retrieves the number of catalog entries in the case for sets/tables). GETCAT &1 = SCAT/TCAT MAX (retrieves the maximum catalog entries in the case for sets/tables).
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: How to create a menu item to compress a MIMI case when you right click on a file in Windows Explorer.
NOTE: These instructions are for Windows 2000. | Solution: 1. From the Windows Explorer menu bar, choose "Tools" "Folder Options."
2. Click on the "File Types" tab.
3. Highlight the CAS file extension in the list box.
4. Click the Advanced button. You should see the following screen
5. Click the "New" button to create a new menu item. Type text you want displayed on the menu in the Action text box.
6. Click the Browse button to select the "cmprcase.exe" executables.
7. Edit the application's text box to make sure the text ends with "%1" . Make sure the quotes are in the text box as shown below.
8. Click OK. On the Edit FileType dialog box click OK again .
9. Close the Folder Options dialog box.
10. Use Explorer to browse to a directory that contains MIMI Cases. Right Click on the case file. "Compress MIMI Case" should now be displayed as one of the menu items.
11. Choose the Compress Case item. Compress Case will run and compress the MIMI case file.
KeyWords
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: After running LP ALL, Aspen SCM returns the error "Subset does not exist or fetch error." | Solution: This could be caused by one of two things:
1. There is a set listed in RCAT that doesn't exist in the case. View the RCAT table to make sure that all set entries are in the catalog. If you find an invalid entry, replace it with the correct set and re-run LP ALL.
2. There are invalid subsets in the case. To check this, run the CHECK SUBSET command which will check the validity of subset/superset relationships. If there are any invalid relationships found, delete them and re-run LP ALL.
For more information on Subsets, see the Aspen SCM Online Help Files.
KeyWords
LP
Command Line
RCAT
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: You receive an error meessage saying "Error C2I" when calling DAT2CAS. | Solution: The error means that MIMI is having problem converting the case from character to integer format because of garbage data.
To get around this, try the following steps:
Make a copy of the original case.
Using the original case, run the BFILL INFO command and then check the INFO table to see if it captured any sets or tables with garbage data.
Exit out of MIMI and run the CMPRCASE utility on the case.
Finally, try running CAS2DAT and DAT2CAS again.
If you're still having problems. Open the data file in Word or Notepad and look for set or table that has garbage characters. Open the set or table and change the maxcount to the exact amount used so the wasted space or garbage characters will be removed. Try to do the dat2cas again.
KeyWords
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: $STOP$ macro does not run under Windows O/S, only under UNIX.
The $STOP$ macro runs before ending the session and can be used for configuring the working environment, checking for unsaved data, completing tasks, updating case access dates, opening a particular window, importing data, specifying the user environment, such as screen color or control options. Some customers have raised the problem that the $STOP$ macro does operate under a Windows environment (the MIMI Online Help mentions that $STOP$ macro is available in the Motif version only). | Solution: As of MIMI 7.0, the $STOP$ macro now runs on both UNIX and Windows operating systems. The documentation has also been update in the product release of MIMI 7.0, targeted the 28 of June 2002.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: How to transfer large MIMI cases using AspenTech's File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site? | Solution: Open a DOS prompt and change directories to where the MIMI case resides.
Type "ftp ftp.aspentech.com"
You will be prompted to type username and password.
Username: anonymous
password: your email address
At the FTP prompt, change the directory to pub\download
cd pub then press Enter
cd download then press Enter
Change to either bin or ascii mode depending on the type of file you are transfering.
Type BIN for binary and press Enter (Please note that all zipped files are binary.) or
Type ASC for ascii and press Enter
Use the PUT command and the filename to place the file at FTP site.
PUT (casename)
Once the file has been successfully downloaded, send an email to [email protected] to notify the support team. Include the incident number in the subject if applicable along with a description of your issue.
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: PROCNAME HAS NOT BEEN DEFINED error message | Solution: This error message occurs when the Chesapeake Distributed MIMI Request Broker Service is not started (Fig 1) and when user attempts to load his case file or uses the PROCNAME command. Please refer to tech tip # 106043 for more information about how to locate and start this service.
FIG 1
However, if it is important to understand that the Chesapeake Distributed MIMI Request Broker Service depends on another service: the NobleNet Portmapper for TCP. If this service does not exist, the Chesapeake Distributed MIMI Request Broker Service will fail to start (Fig 2).
FIG 2
It can happen that the NobleNet Portmapper for TCP is missing from the Administrative Tool Services Window (this usually occurs due to an incorrect MIMI installation). In that case, please refer to tech tip # 111912 for more information about how to manually install this service.
KeyWords
PROCNAME
BROKER
PORTMAPPER
NOBLENET
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: This knowledge base article describes AspenTech's support policy in relation to using Aspen SCM (MIMI) on a 64-bit Windows platform. | Solution: Aspen SCM (MIMI) is not compatible with 64-bit versions of the Windows operating systems. Aspen SCM is only supported on a Windows 32-bit operating system.
Keywords: 64bit
Setup
References: None |
Problem Statement: How to change Aspen SCM default font size for Reports, Dialogs, Sets and Tables? | Solution: Please follow the following steps to increase or decrease the font size:
1. Open your Aspen SCM case file.
2. From the menu: click on Options | System.
3. Choose the Editors and Windows Attributes tabs.
4. Modify default font size and click OK.
Examples:
Report Font Change
1. Choose the Editors tab
2. Click on the 3 dots in the bottom right-hand corner, next to Font: Cell.
3. Change the font size and click OK.
4. Re-display your report and it should appear as desired.
Planning Board Font change
1. Choose the Windows Attributes tab.
2. Click on Planning Board Windows Label Font.
3. Change the font size and click OK.
4. Re-display the Planning Board.
Keywords: Font
Font Size
Editors Tab
Windows Attributes Tab
References: None |
Problem Statement: How to troubleshoot error message "MIMI encountered problems and the program will terminate" | Solution: Note: You need Admin rights to install Aspen SCM and ALM.
PART 1:
Go to Start | Program | AspenTech | Aspen License Manager 3.0 | Aspen License Manager Admin Tool. Select the Service License File tab, and then click on the Configuration Using Services radio button.
Go to Server Status tab and click Perform Status Enquiry button. The status displays on the list box.
If you see the name of the server "is UP", then ALM is running successfully. If you see error messages, contact Aspen SCM Support for further troubleshooting.
PART 2:
Go to Start | Program | AspenTech | Common Utilties | FlexLM License Management Selector tool.
Choose Single Server option and type the machine name that ALM is installed on and click OK.
Try running Aspen SCM
PART 3:
If you still get the same error message, uninstall and reinstall Aspen SCM.
NOTE: DO NOT uninstall ALM because we know it is already running fine.
HINTS:
You may need to uninstall and reinstall Aspen SCM if...
You receive a broker error messge during the Aspen SCM installation process. If this happens, the program will terminate becuase the setup was not completed properly. NOTE: Checking the services for the "Chesapeake Distributed MIMI Request Broker" and "NobleNet Portmapper" will not help because they do not exist.
You experienced an unsuccessful installation of an older (or the same) version can cause problems during a subsequent installation. Be sure to use the Aspen SCM uninstall program or uninstall the application from the Control Panel. If this does not work, contact Aspen SCM Support for assistance.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: After upgrading SAP to release 7.10, LISA - Logistical Interface for SAP Applications, the user will receive an error:
"Connect to SAP gateway failed" | Solution: Note: Officially, LISA is no longer supported by AspenTech.
There is a workaround, however. As a workaround, the user has the option to do this:
1) FILL SAPCNTL(DESTINATION,1) = "PR1" (whatever sideinfo file section name you want).
2) Create a new Windows environment variable name = SIDE_INFO , value = c:\mimi\sideinfo (or wherever the sideinfo file will reside).
3) Create a sideinfo text file and put into the directory defined in 2) with values similar to the following:
DEST=PR1
GWHOST=rhux16
GWSERV=sapgw60
PROTOCOL=I
LU=rhux16
TP=sapdp60
DEST must equal the DESTINATION value in SAPCNTL. Other values are SAP server and version specific.
Keywords: SAP 7.1
LISA
Connect to SAP gateway failed
References: None |
Problem Statement: My workstation continuously caches to the hard drive when I use Aspen SCM, and I get the error message "running out of virtual memory." How do I resolve this? | Solution: This problem occurs when the workstation has used up all physical RAM installed on the workstation, and the workstation has very little hard drive space on the C drive. To fix this problem you can either:
1. Increase the amount of physical RAM on the workstation, or
2. Clear some space on the physical hard drive.
Keywords: configuration, memory, disk space
References: None |
Problem Statement: Error 1001 - CPXERR_NO_MEMORY - Out of memory. The computer has insufficient memory available to complete the selected operation. Downsize problem or increase the amount of physical memory available. When solving MIP problems, several memory conserving corrections can be made.
As a result of this CPLEX error your MIMI case may dump. What can you do to avoid it? | Solution: First try to set VARSEL = 3 ("Strong branching"). Default for VARSEL is 0 ("Branch variable automatically selected"). Usually, strong branching can be time consuming, but overall it may reduce the number of nodes.
Then try (1.) along with setting NODEFILEIND = 3 ("Node file on disk and compressed"). Default for NODEFILEIND is 1 ("Node file in memory and compressed"). [Note: Please note that the correct values for parameter NODEFILEIND are 0,1,2,3 and not Yes,No as erroneously indicated in the online help.]
Make sure you have big hard disk space for CPLEX to write out MIP tree files. If you would like to limit their size, you can set TRELIM (value is expressed in MBytes): CPLEX will stop when this tree size is reached.
The following notes better describe the memory issue and explain what to do when running out of memory.
A very common difficulty with MIP problems is running out of memory. This occurs when the branch & cut tree becomes so large that insufficient memory remains to solve an LP subproblem. As memory gets tight, you may observe warning messages from CPLEX as it attempts various operations in spite of limited memory. In such a situation, if CPLEX does not find a solution shortly, it terminates the process with an error message.
The information about a tree that CPLEX accumulates in memory can be substantial. In particular, CPLEX saves a basis for every unexplored node. Furthermore, when CPLEX uses the best bound or best estimate strategies of node selection, the list of unexplored nodes itself can become very long for large or difficult problems. How large the unexplored node list can be depends on the actual amount of memory available, the size of the problem, and the algorithm selected.
Certainly, if you increase the amount of available memory, you extend the problem-solving capabilities of CPLEX. Unfortunately, when a problem fails because of insufficient memory, it is difficult to project how much further the process needed to go and how much more memory is needed to solve the problem.
For these reasons, the following suggestions aim at avoiding a memory failure whenever possible and recovering gracefully otherwise.
Reset the Tree Limit Parameter (TRELIM)
Because the storage of nodes can require a lot of space, it may also be advisable to set a tree limit on the size of the entire tree being stored so that not all of your disk will be filled up with working storage. The call to the MIP optimizer will be stopped once the size of the tree exceeds the value of TRELIM, the tree limit parameter. Under default settings the limit is infinity (1e+75), but you can set it to a lower value (in MBytes, an absolute upper limit on the size of the branch & cut tree).
Write a Tree File and Restart
On some platforms, even when the current tree size is within system limits, memory fragmentation may be so great that performance becomes poor. To overcome that kind of fragmentation, we recommend that you stop optimization, write a tree file (using STRE=Yes to save a *.TRE format file), save MIMI with the current MIP you tried to solve, exit MIMI, restart it, set UTRE=Yes and use OPT MIPMORE to continue optimization from there.
Use Node Files for Storage
Parameter NODEFILEIND is used when working memory (default 128 MBytes - used to instruct CPLEX to begin compressing the storage of nodes before it consumes the whole available memory) has been exceeded by the size of the tree. If the node file parameter is set to zero when the tree memory limit is reached, optimization is terminated. Otherwise, a group of nodes is removed from the in-memory set as needed. By default, CPLEX transfers nodes to node files when the in-memory set is larger than 128 MBytes, and it keeps the resulting node files in compressed form in memory. At settings 2 and 3, the node files are transferred to disk, in compressed and uncompressed form respectively, into disk space, and CPLEX actively manages which nodes remain in memory for processing. Note: Parameters UTRE and STRE are considered after CPLEX has reached to a solution, so it is not the same concept described here, in the middle of MIP search.
CPLEX uses node-file storage most effectively when the amount of working memory is reasonably large so that it does not have to create node files too frequently. A reasonable amount is to use approximately half the memory, but no more than 128 MBytes. Higher values result in only marginally improved efficiency.
Node files could grow very large. Use the TRELIM parameter to limit the size of the tree so that it does not exceed available disk space, when you choose NODEFILEIND settings 2 or 3. It is usually better to let CPLEX terminate the run gracefully, with whatever current feasible solution has been found, rather than trigger an error message or even a program abort.
When CPLEX uses node-file storage, the sequence of nodes processed may differ from the sequence in which nodes are processed without node-file storage. Nodes in node-file storage are not accessible to user-written callback routines.
Change Algorithms
This is the best approach to reduce memory use. What you do is modify the solution process. Here are some ways to do so:
Switch the node selection strategy to best estimate, or more drastically to depth-first. Depth-first search (it is the default) rarely generates a long, memory-consuming list of unexplored nodes since CPLEX dives deeply into the tree instead of jumping around. A narrowly focused search, like depth-first, also often results in faster processing times for individual nodes. However, overall solution time is generally much worse than with best-bound node selection because each branch is searched exhaustively to its deepest level before it is fathomed in favor of better branches.
Another memory-conserving strategy is to use strong branching (VARSEL parameter value 3) for variable selection. Strong branching requires substantial computational effort at each node to determine the best branching variable. As a result, it generates fewer nodes and thus makes less overall demand on memory. Often, strong branching is faster as well.
KeyWords
CPLEX
ERROR 1001
OUT OF MEMORY
VARSEL
NODEFILEIND
TRELIM
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Could not initalize XPRESS (ERRCODE: 8/0) | Solution: There are many possibilities which may result in this error:
Missing xprs.dll
Expired XPRESS license file
Multiple XPRESS license files on a computer
Multiple xprs.dll and xprl.dll files on a computer
Using Terminal Services
Defined XPRESSDIR or XPRESS in environmental variable list
Installed other software that may interfere with XPRESS via FLEXLM
To trouble shoot the problem, you should check each of the items above in the order they are listed. If you are missing xprs.dll, please check the solution 111700.
If the xpress.lic license file has expired, or if Aspen SCM is an new install and you are running via Terminal Services, please call Aspen SCM Support to obtain the right license file.
If not above, please check if there are multiple versions of xprs.dll, or xprl.dll and xpress.lic files. Please make sure there is only one version of each and they should be located only in the folder D:\Program Files\AspenTech\aspenmimi\Bin.
When checking multiple versions of xprs.dll, xprl.dll and xpress.lic, please also check all drives including mapped network drives.
If items 1 - 5 do not pertain, please check if there are any XPRESS related system environmental or user defined variables.
If none of the above can fix the problem, it may be that a newly installed software has interfered with FLEXLM.
To verify the problem, please call Aspen SCM Support for a check.exe. Once you receive the executable, please put it in the D:\Program Files\AspenTech\aspenmimi\Bin directory. The following provides you with an example print out when running check.exe
D:\Program Files\AspenTech\aspenmimi\Bin> set FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS=1
D:\Program Files\AspenTech\aspenmimi\Bin> check FLEXLM checkout error: The desired vendor daemon is down
Check the lmgrd log file, or
Try lmreread
Feature: ParaBar
Vendor: Host: pgpdoors.na.corp.com
License path: [email protected];C:\Xpress\xpress.lic
FLEXlm error: -97,121
For further information, refer to the FLEXlm End User Manual, available at "www.macrovision.com".
Xpress PROGRESS: 16
XPRSinit called
Xpress PROGRESS: Error Initialization 8
In the situation above, Aspen SCM was running fine until XPRESS could not initialize anymore. The user thought nothing changed since the last time Aspen SCM was used. From the display above, it indicated that actually a progrm pgdoors was installed. Once it was uninstalled, XPRESS worked fine. However, if the other progam is absolute in need, you can set LM-License_File in the environmental variable list.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Users may receive numerous error messages regarding missing files or tables when starting newly installed MIMI Configured Applications (CAPS), such as Demand Manager, Distribution Scheduler, Inventory Planner, Plant Scheduler, Power Planner and Supply Planner. | Solution: With the release of MIMI Family 4.0, each of the MIMI CAPS have been redesigned to utilize libraries, or MIMI cases which contain groups of related features. The CAP Libraries include General Methods, Data Management, Data Viewer and Planning Framework.
The CAP Libraries are installed as zipped files from the MIMI Family CD into the Shared Libraries subdirectory of the Aspen CAP directory. After unzipping the installed libraries, the library cases will be named with the library name and version number, such as GenMeth_v2-2.cas, for the General Methods CAP Library case version 2.2.
The CAP Library cases should be renamed to remove the version number, in order to be found by the MIMI CAPS and to enable the automatic updating feature in future library upgrades. In the General Methods library example mentioned in the previous paragraph, the GenMeth_v2-2.cas library case should be renamed GenMeth.cas, with the underscore and version number removed.
KeyWords
MIMI Configured Applications
MIMI CAPS
CAPS Libraries
Shared Libraries
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Trouble increasing MAC and MAR on large LP models. | Solution: From the set attributes, set the maxcount of MAC and MAR equal to 1.
Save the case.
Now increase the MAC and MAR to the desired amounts.
Recommendations for eliminating hard drive space wastage:
Use Windows NT 4.0 with service pack 5 or Windows 2000 to exceed the 2 gig RAM per file limitation. This is because NT 4.0 with SP5 and Windows 2000 utilize NTFS 5.
Use the cmprcase, cas2dat and dat2cas MIMI utilities to get rid of wasted space inside the case.
Set MAC and MAR to the actual number of row sets.
KeyWords
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: DEPENDENT case won't open in MIMI: "M0969: Error opening case file, check file permissions" | Solution: Given:
COMMON is the indenpendent case.
COSMOSAR.cas is the dependent case.
The error occurs because the $TCASES and $CASES are not properply pointing to the path of the dependent case.
First make sure that COMMON.cas is an independent case and COSMOSAR.cas is the dependent case.
Open COSMOSAR.cas and view $TCASES and $CASES. Make sure that both are pointing to where COMMON.cas is located. Please use the full path for the case.
If you need to make a correction, save the changes and open COSMOSAR.cas again.
NOTE: The $TCASES and $CASES for the independent case should be empty.
KeyWords
OPEN
DEPENDENT
INDEPENDENT
CASE
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: XPRESS - Integer feasible tolerance (N_ZTOLIS) vs. RHS feasible tolerance (N_ZTOLZE) | Solution: When solving MIP problems, users should not change the RHS tolerance without knowing that integer feasible tolerance (default 5.e-06) is also available, and that it needs to be adjusted accordingly.
In general, the integer tolerance N_ZTOLIS setting should always be greater than the RHS feasible tolerance N_ZTOLZE setting, otherwise a lot of unnecessary branching would take place in MIP solution search. It is a good practice to set N_ZTOLIS (default 5.e-06) > N_ZTOLZE (default 1.e-06)
The version of XPRESS inside MIMI 7.2.0 has a bug, whereby integer feasible tolerance is used when RHS feasible tolerance should be used. This is documented in the release notes. The remedy we suggest to users is to use tighter feasibility tolerance as a good practice. The bug will be fixed in Dash's next release of XPRESS.
KeyWords
XPRESS
CXPRESS
Integer feasible tolerance
N_ZTOLIS
RHS feasible tolerance
N_ZTOLZE
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Cannot open a MIMI case in a Unix environment. | Solution: It is possible that the case is compressed; therefore, try uncompressing the file before using it. To uncompress a case in the unix environment first change the file name from "xxx.cas" to "xxx.CASE.Z" then uncompress the file.
The following are the Unix commands:
cp xxx.cas xxx.CASE.Z
uncompress xxx.CASE.Z
load xxx.CASE
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: How do I check what MIMI modules I am licensed for from within MIMI code? | Solution: You can use this undocumented MIMI command from the command line or from a macro of a Mimi case. The syntax is: FIXUP STATUS
This command puts your workstation's MIMI licensing information inside table INFO.
Here is how the output of the command looks like. You have a line for each licensed MIMI module:
/module ACTIVE | INACTIVE LINKED IN VERSION 'xx.yy'
where: mmmm is the module's code
xx.yy is the module's version number
ACTIVE or INACTIVE indicate if your license for the single module is currently active or not
Codes for modules:
Code
Module Name
DB
MIMI Core (DataBase Manager)
S
Planning Board
G
GUI
E
Expert System Rules
M
Scheduling Module
J
Scheduling Module
DM
Demand Management Module
LP
Planning Module (Linear Programming)
OPT
Embedded Ilog's CPLEX Optimizer - Core (Simplex algorithm)
OPT MIP
Embedded Ilog's CPLEX Optimizer - MIP (Mixed Integer Problems) algorithm
OPT BAR
Embedded Ilog's CPLEX Optimizer - BARRIER algorithm
OSL
Embedded Ibm's OSL Optimizer
XPR
Embedded Dash's XPRESS Optimizer
SQL
SQL Module
BLEND
Blending Module
TP
Transportation Blending Module
COMM
Communications (equivalent to Distributed Mimi)
DMIMP
(N.B.: An obsolete code)
RO
(N.B.: An obsolete code)
MPL
(N.B.: An obsolete code)
At the end of the report you get the following information (which you can also find in the parameters inside Licence Key files):
PRO Limit:
Value of PROLIMIT parameter of core module. It holds the maximum number of entries in set PRO.
The only correct value is 0, which means "Unlimited".
MAR Limit:
MARLIMIT parameter of core module. It holds the maximum number of entries in LP module's set MAR.
The only correct value is 0, which means "Unlimited".
Broker Limit:
SEATLIMIT parameter of Distributed Mimi. It holds how many clients can connect to a Mimi server (ie. MIMIAS, MIMIAC, MIMIIS).
The clients can be MIMILC (Light Client) or some of the others like MIMIX, LISA etc. The maximum value for number of clients is 140.
CAUTION: You can use command FIXUP STATUS only within a case, i.e. you should not use it from the command line of MIMI when no case is open.
Finally, you can get the same licensing information this command provides from the "Help" / "About MIMI..." menu. But in that case you won't have the additional information you get here on MARLIMIT, PROLIMIT and BROKER LIMIT.
KeyWords
FIXUP
PROLIMIT
MARLIMIT
BROKER LIMIT
Licensed modules
MIMI modules
Help menu
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: The following error message can occur if a user attempts to run cas2dat on a VERNO04 CASE file:
"** CASE VERSION IS NOT 02 **"
To reproduce this error attempt to run cas2dat on any newer case files. For this particular example, the file speedtest_027.cas will be used.
To run cas2dat, click on Start | Programs | AspenTech | Aspen Supply Chain Suite | Aspen SCM Utilities | CAS2DAT Conversion.
Enter speedtest_027.cas as the case file to be converted. For this example, test.dat is the name of the data file. The following will occur when this is run:
This knowledge base article explains why this message is generated. | Solution: If the user attempts to run cas2dat on a VERNO04 case file, the user will receive this error because the new versions of the case files VERN004 do not support running cas2dat.
If the user ran cas2dat to remove invalid characters, the user should instead run CMPRCASE. CMPRCASE can be used with the "-fa" argument to clean out bad characters in a case. However, this requires the utility to be executed from the DOS command prompt, as opposed to through the Windows Start button. See below for the path location and syntax.
After typing in the syntax above the user will be prompted for a case (file name) to be compressed as shown below.
This will begin the compression. If the compression completes with no errors, you will see the following output:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: This tech tip includes details on MIMI installations in a Plantelligence environment. | Solution: The Plantelligence environment requires the installation and configuration of AFW (Aspen FrameWork), BPE (Aspen Business Process Explorer) and other Plantelligence aware Aspen products. The AFW server is configured with security roles for MIMI and the users who use MIMI. If those security checks fail, MIMI will not function and report some error messages because the user is an unauthorized one.
The license key file. In order to run MIMI in such environment you need a particular Plantelligence feature in your license. In that case, the MIMI installation will display a screen that asks you to confirm you are really installing in that environment, and if so you will also be asked to enter the name of your AFW Server. On the other hand, if you don't need to run MIMI in a Plantelligence environment, it is best not to even have the Plantelligence feature in your license. That way you will avoid all possible errors when the above mentioned screen appears at the beginning of the installation.
Privileges. In a Plantelligence installation MIMI restricts what users can do with case files. The restrictions are specific to each case file. To that effect the administrator configures security for a case using predefined privileges. Then at run time a user who loads such case file will operate in it according to the security restrictions that have been configured by the administrator.
The following privileges are defined:
READ: The privilege to load the case file or import data into it.
(This affects the following commands: LOAD, COPY, READ, SREAD, TREAD, GET)
WRITE:The privilege to modify data in the current case or export data out of it.
(This affects the following commands: SAVE, WRITE, PUT)
SYS: The privilege to execute an external operating system command.
(This affects the following Mimi commands: SYS, WSYS, FORK.)
In the context of a Plantelligence installation, MIMI makes every effort to enforce the security restrictions imposed on the user by the environment and the software configuration. At startup time MIMI initializes the security module. If for any reason this initialization procedure fails, the execution is aborted (all privileges are denied to all users).
The text file MIMIHOME/bin/stdout.txt contains information that may help diagnose the cause of the initialization failure. Any security initialization failure will most likely be related to problems with the AFW security components. The following required AFW components must be installed correctly (typically in "C:\Program Files\AspenTech\BPE"): Authentication.dll, Authorization.dll, PFWAuth.dll, PfwXml.dll (and possibly others). The various MIMI executables will search for these components. If any one of them is not found, the security module initialization will fail. Another reason for failure is problems related to establishing a network connection to the AFW Server.
KeyWords
Plantelligence
MIMI installation
AFW - Aspen FrameWork
BPE - Business Process Explorer
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: If I need to have a 3+ dimensional incidence table, will GEN be faster with a hierarchical table structure or multi-dimensional table? Are there any other considerations besides speed? | Solution: Generally when using multi-dimensional tables for structures such as demands you can get good performance from the generator by insuring that the incidence structure used for the variable is a table with the same rowset as the multi-dimensional table. Doing this means the generator loops down the multi-dimensional table rowset and does a direct look up of the data item from the multi-dimensional structure. If a multi-dimensional table is used without 'forcing' the generator to set the index on the rowset then a search has to be performed in the entire multi-dimensional table to find the row in the table which matches the current domain combinations (this can be very slow). The advantage of using a compact incidence type structure with a parrallel data table (same rowset) is that the generator does not need to loop through the entire domain combination (the rowset and compact incidence table implies the valid combinations).
Using a heirarchical table is usually fast or faster than any multi-dimensional structures because direct look ups of data are possible once appropriate indices are set. Often however heirarchical tables can get onerous and harder to maintain (e.g. adding a new location to the model then potentially requires the creation of a new table).
The key to generator performance is getting the incidence structures right.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: MIMI application fails to load with uncounted license file.
One of our customers recently faced an issue after having installed MIMI software in his system using an uncounted license file (note: if MIMI is used with an uncounted License File, the Aspen License Manager does not need to be installed).
After the installation and the system has just rebooted, the customer received the following error message:
"brk_serv.exe - Application error - The instruction at xxxxxx referenced memory at xxxxxx. The memory could not be read". The same error message occurred when customer attempted to load MIMI application.
The MIMI "splash screen" remained on the screen, but MIMI did not open. The customer looked at the services and observed that the Chesapeake Distributed MIMI Request Broker service was not started. If he tried to start the service manually, the startup failed.
The reason for this problem is that MIMI did not see the uncounted License file, although it was correctly specified during MIMI installation (during MIMI installation, user is asked to specify the name of his license server, or to use the Browse button to point to a license file). | Solution: When MIMI is installed using an uncounted License File, the user MUST configure the "Aspen License Selector based on FLEXlm" utility to point on the uncounted License File (this utility is installed after any Aspen product installation). To do so, user has to go to Start --> Programs --> AspenTech --> Common Utilities --> FlexLM License Management Selector, then select option 2 (License File) and browse to the uncounted license file. When this is completed, the user will be able to restart manually the Chesapeake Broker Service and open the MIMI application. Rebooting the system will not affect the new configuration.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: A user had an old model running on Unix that was displaying the activity color according to the PRO color defined in PCOLOR. Once they converted the model into Windows, if the activity is very small then the activity color is not visible for all PRO's in the facility. How can the PRO activity color be the one defined in PCOLOR on Windows also for small activities? | Solution: If the activity is very small, i.e. the process time is zero or near zero, all that is drawn is its border on the planning board.
To make the activity color visible, you can adjust the minimum activity width (MAW) setting in the planning board controls table (CNTLS) to something like 5 pixels. The default value is 2 pixels.
To understand more about Planning Board controls and activity color configuration, you can refer to page 10-44 of the attached document.
Keywords: Activities
Colors
PRO
PCOLOR
MAW
CNTLS
References: None |
Problem Statement: Indirect set or table referencing in rules. | Solution: The aim of this tech tip is to show you, with some examples, what you can do and what you cannot do in MIMI rules to indirectly reference sets and tables. It is a complement to what you can already find in the MIMI on-line help. As explained there, indirect set or table referencing means setting a variable equal to a set or table name, then getting values of the set or table via the variable. It is not always allowed in rules, due to the way MIMI interprets rule statements.
Rules require set/table names to be known prior to execution.
Example:
?T = TABY
TABX(@,@) = ?T(@,@)
This will not work in rules, you will get an error. In this example TABX and TABY are two tables, variable ?T contains the name of TABY.
Database commands, such as AMPSET and FILL, allow indirect referencing in rules, as well as in macros.
Example 1:
AMPSET $1 = TABY
FILL TABX(@,@) = $1(@,@)
This will work in rules or macros. In this example TABX and TABY are two tables, of course the rim-sets' indexes must be set for @ to work.
Example 2:
RTEST
IF
?VAL1 = TTEST
AND
?VAL2 = R2
AND
?VAL3 = C1
AND
AMPSET $1 = ?VAL1(?VAL2,?VAL3)
THEN
DISPLAY
This rule will also work. In the example TTEST is a table, R2 is a code in the rowset, C1 is a code in the colset.
The constraints you have here are:
you must use AMPSET
you cannot use a rule variable (neither a :variable nor a ?variable) on the left-hand-side of the AMPSET assignment
you can use any type of variable (?, :, &, $), or constants for the three elements on the right-hand-side
you can also use @ (instead of ?VAL2, ?VAL3 or both) provided the rim-sets have been indexed before
Set $NOPRED facilitates indirect set or table referencing in rules.
Example:
The assignment PRO?TYP = 0 will be recognized if you insert string PRO?TYP in table $NOPRED. PRO?TYP will then evaluate as string "PRO" concatenated with whatever string is inside variable ?TYP
Some indirection is permitted in the following two cases.
With database commands.
Example:
APPEND PRO?TYP ?PRO
Note that PRO?TYP must evaluate as a set name, while variable ?PRO contains the code to be appended to that set.
In set/table assignment. In the example STRWRK is a table, SSTRWRK is a set, ?TAB is a rule variable containing a table name, S?TAB evaluates as a set name.
Example:
STRWRK = ?TAB
SSTRWRK = S?TAB
A solution for indirectly referencing a set/table in a rule can be to invoke a macro.
Example:
<MCOPYEXAMPLE ?DATATBL ?ROW ?COL
The MCOPYEXAMPLE macro has three parameters (table name, row value, column value) and has the following code:
AMPSET &1 = %1(%2,%3)
END
KeyWords:
INDIRECT REFERENCING
RULES
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: What is SQL STATUS and how is it used? | Solution: SQL STATUS displays the current status of all MIMI/SQL switches in the SQLMSG table. Simply, type the command SQL STATUS on the MIMI command line and the following information will appear at the bottom of MIMI window:
AUTOCOMMIT
AUTODISCONNECT
BLANKTONULL
SQLDATEFORMAT
SQLDECIMAL.
The SQL STATUS command is valid in MIMI/SQL macros only and does not use any arguments.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: What MIMI commands can be used in an SQL macro? | Solution: The "MIMI" command within a MIMI SQL macro can only be used to execute standard MIMI commands. I guess the question is now how to decide whether a command is a standard MIMI command or not. A simple way to do this is thinking about if this command can be executed from the MIMI command line (see the "Navigating MIMI User's Manual", which you can find on the Mimi CD for example, for more information about the command line). If the command can be executed from the MIMI command line, it can also be executed by the "MIMI" command within a MIMI SQL macro.
For example, you can run "PROMPT &1" and "SETIND INVSET = 1" (assuming INVSET is an existing MIMI set) from the MIMI command line. Both of them are standard MIMI commands and you can execute them within a MIMI SQL macro as follows:
MIMI PROMPT &1;
MIMI SETIND INVSET = 1;
However, you cannot run "IF $1 = $2 THEN GOTO EQUAL" from the MIMI command line. Therefore, it will fail if you try to execute it from within a MIMI SQL macro.
Another piece of information that might be interesting is that the MIMI SQL Module itself does not handle the commands executed by the "MIMI" command within a MIMI SQL macro. Instead, it just simply sends the commands (e.g., "PROMPT &1", "SETIND INVSET = 1") to MIMI's Core Module. The MIMI Core Module will actually process these commands. Therefore, whether a command can be included in a MIMI SQL macro depends on whether it can be accepted by the MIMI Core Module. In other words, it depends on whether the command can be executed from the MIMI command line.
KeyWords
SQL
SQL Command MIMI
MIMI Command Line
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Can you install 2 different versions (2.1 and 3.0) of ALM on the same server? | Solution: Yes, however it is not recommended in a production environment since both applications will be broadcasting their services simultaneously.
KeyWords:
ALM
AspenTech License Manager
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: M GETSCH command causing MIMI to crash if corrupted data in sparse tables. | Solution: One of our customers faced recently a MIMI crashing situation when trying to run the command M GETSCH (usual core error message such as "runtime error", abnormal termination").
This problem was caused by the corrupted data existing in a sparse table before (in this specific situation, sparse table was BILIND). It could happen in the older version of MIMI (i.e. 4.32) when blanking out data in the sparse table under certain conditions. This problem has been corrected in the MIMI 6.0. In order to correct the existing corrupted data in the sparse table, please re-construct it as follows:
1. Run the command "MODIFY sparse table name SPARSE = 0" to set the sparse table back to regular table first.
2. Run the command "MODIFY sparse table name SPARSE = 6" to re-construct it back to sparse table. Please note that BILIND must be a sparse table.
3. You may also use the table attribute window to change the sparse density instead of using the commands above.
4. Run M SAVSCH to refresh the external schedule and get rid of the corrupted data there. M GETSCH will now work fine.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Defining different forecast methods | Solution: Example: A user wants to force MIMI to use always SEASONAL for products "X" and WINTERS for product "Z". All the other products can use OPTIMAL (MIMI choose the proper algorithm).
There are a couple of ways of doing this. The easiest way is to use subsets of DMPRO to be forecasted with a particular method and build different definition rows in DMFCD for each of them (but using the same category). In the above example, the user could build a set called SEASPRO for the SEASONAL and one called WINTPRO for WINTERS.
In DMFCD for the forecast category (STAT), the user would have three lines:
STAT SEASPRO SEASMETH
STAT WINTPRO WINTMETH
STAT DMPRO FOREMETH
Of course, the user will also need method sets for each of the methods. He must ensure that the sets SEASPRO and WINTPRO have DMPRO as their superset. However, the user does not need to have separate columns of DMSHIPI for the subsets.
The second way is to build an incidence table to use in DMFCD. This table will need a column for each of the attributes in the category the user is forecasting by (in the same order) and one for a forecast method set. The incidence table would get used in DMFCD in place of the forecast method set. The table (e.g. METHTAB) might look like:
DMPRO $ENTRY
X SEASMETH
Z WINTMETH
It has to be noticed that this table does not accept blank entries if you are generating over more than one attribute, so the user needs to explicitly define each combination. It is probably convenient to use a separate row of DMFCD to define the majority of the products. DMFCD would then look like:
STAT DMPRO METHTAB
STAT DMPRO FOREMETH
KeyWords
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Client receives a warning message as follow:
"Note: This version of MIMI is working correctly, but is in need of replacement with a newer version. Please contact your local MIMI support staff or call the Supply Chain Division of Aspen Technology Inc. to receive the most recent release. The Supply Chain Division Hot Line in the USA is (888) 996-7100, or fax your request to (281)504-3999. Please note the following information in your request:
Serial No.:
Operating System:
Window Manager:
Mimi Version:
Optional Products:
If you do not contact the Supply Chain Division within 3 months, this executable version of MIMI will no longer run." | Solution: Users are not required to upgrade MIMI when they receive this warning message. MIMI installation codes expire every three years to ensure clients remain up to date with the latest version available.
Simply requesting a new installation code from support and installing it will resolve the issue.
KeyWords
MIMI executable
expiration
installation code
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: MIMI crashes when trying to use the PRESENT, GRAPH, CHART, PANEL, CANVAS and other graphics commands like GPOLY, GTEXT, GLINE, GELLIPSE, GBITMAP, etc. | Solution: MIMI is crashing because the case does not contain the SCOLOR set which is a required set for almost all COLOR related functionality, including displaying graphs, charts, planning board, etc.
The work-around is to copy the SCOLOR set from another case, such as the DEMO case provided with each installation of MIMI. Once SCOLOR is included in the case, MIMI should no longer crash on these graphics-related commands.
Although this is not a deficiency in the software, the MIMI development team will be modifying the code to return an error message instead of crashing in the future. This change will be available in MIMI 7.0.
KeyWords:
crash
graphics commands
SCOLOR
PRESENT
GRAPH
CHART
PANEL
CANVAS
GPOLY
GTEXT
GLINE
GELLIPSE
GBITMAP
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: MIMI starts, but will not allow me to load any cases. The error message "M1184: LOAD is restricted to authorized users only" shows in the lower left message bar when trying to load any cases, even the generic and demo cases supplied with MIMI. | Solution: This situation may occur after MIMI or Aspen License Manager has been upgraded, or installed incorrectly with Plantelligence switches turned on in Aspen Framework.
To see if this is the cause, run the Windows Registry Editor "REGEDT32" and look at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AspenTech\AFW. The values for "Active" and "AdvancedSettings", should both be zero (0).
If these two keys are not zero, you will need to change them by double-clicking on the appropriate key and entering the correct number.
CAUTION: Any changes to the Windows registry could possibly corrupt your system causing your computer to fail. Before making any changes to the Windows registry using REGEDT32, you should always back up your computer in case you need to restore the system to its original configuration should a failure occur. AspenTech Support takes no responsibility for computer failures caused by users modifying their system registry.
KeyWords
M1184
LOAD
cases
AFW
Plantelligence
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Use of the negative shipment data | Solution: We recently had a customer that wanted to use the shipment data which include the negative shipment as he says that when the forecast method is period_average(k), the negative shipment was useful for the purpose of his forecasting.
It has to be considered that if a negative shipment and a positive shipment are in the same time period they will offset each other to determine total shipments for that time period.
If, however, the total shipment for a time period is negative, it is treated as zero for forecasting purposes. Most clients do not want negatives considered for forecasting, so it is dangerous to include them.
For our clients that do want to consider negative shipments for the period, we will add enough to the total shipments to make everything positive, then run the forecast, then subtract the amount that we had originally added to the resultant forecast.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: How to create a MIMI ETRACE file to help debug a rule or a macro? | Solution: Type the command TRON on the MIMI command line.
Run the rule or macro on the command line and MIMI will automatically generate a trace.
To see the trace, type ETRACE on the command line.
Note: Make sure to run the TROFF command when you are done because having the etrace on can slow down MIMI performance.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: I have a model using binary variables (BV for example) and the solver still solves a normal LP problem instead of a MIP (Mixed Integer Programming) problem. What do I have to do to make MIMI recognize I want to solve using MIP? | Solution: There is a solver's parameter called PTYP that must be set to AUTO.
That parameter is contained in the optimizer's control table (table CCPLEX for the CPLEX optimizer, table CXPRESS for the XPRESS optimizer), or in the CLPS table if you don't have a control table. It can take either value AUTO or RELAX. If its value is RELAX, you are solving the relaxed version of MIP. If it is AUTO and there are any integer variables, such as BV (binary) or UI (upper integer), defined in the TYPX table of your model then the optimizer will solve a MIP problem. In other words, if the switch is PTYP=AUTO the optimizer automatically solves a MIP if there are any Integer/Binary/SpecialOrderedSet variables.
You can easily see if a MIP or a relaxed LP optimization is being performed by looking at your optimizer's log file (MIMILOPT.LOG for CPLEX and MIMIXPRS.LOG for XPRESS) located in the same directory of your case file. To have the optimizer produce a log file you have to configure two parameters (CLOG and CMSG in table CCPLEX for CPLEX, or XLOG and XMSG in table CXPRESS for XPRESS), typically set to values CLOG=FILE and CMSG=ALL.
If you don't have a CCPLEX (or CXPRESS) control table you can still add PTYP, as well as CLOG, CMSG, etc. to the CLPS table itself if they are not already there. You can do this by adding them to CLPS's rowset, which is called CLP. Add an entry to the CLP set with the parameter name in the Code part, then enter a value for the parameter in the CLPS table. Unfortunately adding parameters to CLPS is not always possible for all MIMI versions and for all parameters.
KeyWords:
MIP
MIXED INTEGER PROGRAMMING
PTYP
AUTO
RELAX
CCPLEX
CXPRESS
CLPS
BINARY VARIABLES
BV
UI
SOS
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Are service packs for MIMI cumulative, or do I have to install each one in a specific order? | Solution: The Installation Guides and Release Notes for the service packs do not mention it directly, but the service packs are cumulative. Note, however, that they are specific to the major version of MIMI for which they were designed. For example, you must have MIMI 6.2 installed first, in order to install either MIMI 6.2 Service Pack 4 or 5.
Since the service packs are cumulative, you only need to install the latest version of the service pack after installing MIMI from the MIMI/Collaborative Family installation CD.
KeyWords:
MIMI
service packs
cumulative
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Does the MIMI 6.2 CD run on NT or 2000? | Solution: The MIMI 6.x CD will run on BOTH Windows NT and Windows 2000.
KeyWords:
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References: None |
Problem Statement: $STOP$ macro does not run under Windows O/S, only under UNIX.
The $STOP$ macro runs before ending the session and can be used for configuring the working environment, checking for unsaved data, completing tasks, updating case access dates, opening a particular window, importing data, specifying the user environment, such as screen color or control options. Some customers have raised the problem that the $STOP$ macro does operate under a Windows environment (the MIMI Online Help mentions that $STOP$ macro is available in the Motif version only). | Solution: As of MIMI 7.0, the $STOP$ macro now runs on both UNIX and Windows operating systems. The documentation has also been update in the product release of MIMI 7.0, targeted the 28 of June 2002.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Can the Problems Window be resized ? | Solution: The Problems Window (from Planning Board / Options / Problems) is not resizable in any MIMI versions, including MIMI 7.0.x. Just like the activity editor, any of the sub windows of the Planning Board can not be resized.
Hopefully, the new Gantt chart will resolve this problem (this information will be communicated on further date). The resizable windows feature is already on the list of enhancements.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: In MIMI, all of the options under the File pull-down menu are grayed out. | Solution: Most likely, the user is just selecting the incorrect executable, for example MIMI Light Client. To fix this problem, simply exit out of MIMI and reopen using the MIMI Aplication Client executable instead.
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: How to optimize quantity in MIMI while the cost is changing? | Solution: You have two possible answers to this question: in MIMI you can either use SLP (Successive Linear Programming) or MIP (Mixed Integer Programming).
SLP represents a simple approach to solving mostly linear LP problems which contain embedded nonlinear terms. If your cost function is non-convex, then this option does not generally guarantee that you will reach the optimum. Please see the Aspen Mimi Linear Programming (LP) user's manual to know more about SLP.
With MIP you discretize the quantities, i.e. you make the assumption that you can approximate a nonlinear function by a piecewise linear one. MIP allows the incorporation of discrete and integer variables in a model.
KeyWords:
MIP
Mixed Integer Programming
SLP
Successive Linear Programming
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: How can I reduce optimization time with MIMI? This solution will help you find some clues on how to solve this problem. | Solution: Algorithm Issues
It is incorrect to say that one algorithm is always faster than another. First, it depends on the solver (XPRESS or CPLEX); next, it depends on the model; and third, it depends on the data. The recommended approach is to always try all three: Primal, Dual, Barrier. You never know, your model might do better with one method rather than the other. Usually all the problems a particular customer will run will behave similarly, so you only need one decent data set to test with.
Barrier. It is often faster than primal simplex. It may be applicable to very large, sparse problems, particularly those with a block-matrix structure.
Dual simplex. It is often but not always faster than Barrier.
Netdual or Netprim. They may solve the problem much faster as well, if the problem contains a network. If you are not sure if there is any network structure in the model, CPLEX can detect this automatically using Netdual and Netprim. Netprim and Netdual are for special structured LP's only, so they may not be getting to an optimal solution for a general problem.
Saving and using a basis is usually good. The same "try it and see" rule applies here. See parameters SBAS and UBAS in the optimizer-specific control tables, CCPLEX or CXPRESS.
Don't forget to try presolve. Be aware that a bug was found with XPRESS version 13.02 using presolve (parameter N_IFPRES in CXPRESS). If using that version you should set presolve=0. Issue has been solved in the XPRESS 13.23 release that comes with Mimi 7.0.
Modeling Issues
Model your LP problem efficiently: avoiding redundant constraints and unnecessary degrees of freedom (variables) is often a very significant factor for solution time.
You may be able to improve solve time by minimizing degenerate solutions by putting costs on as many variables as possible, preferably different ones (i.e. avoid $100 for all P variables, for example).
Also, avoid very big penalty costs, and only make them as big as they need to be.
Finally, a useful advice is to use the log functionality provided by MIMI for the optimizers while testing your model. You will then be able to check the solving times. The log parameters are XLOG and XMSG in table CXPRESS for XPRESS, and CLOG and CMSG in table CCPLEX for CPLEX.
KeyWords:
OPTIMIZE SOLVING TIME
LP MODELING
LP ALGORITHMS
SIMPLEX
DUAL
BARRIER
NETPRIM
NETDUAL
CPLEX, CCPLEX
XPRESS, CXPRESS
CLOG, CMSG
XLOG, XMSG
UBAS, SBAS
OPT
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: I am encountering the following error in MIMI: $$$$$:ERROR-Cannot open message file | Solution: This error generally means MIMI can't find the MIMITEXT.DATA file. (This is the file that contains all of MIMI's error messages.) The usual cause of this is that MIMIHOME is not set correctly.
To set MIMIHOME in NT, go to the Control Panel and then System. Look for the tab to set variables. The name of the variable should be MIMIHOME (all caps) and the path should be the directory where MIMI is installed, for example, c:\MIMI. Then, just click on the "Set" button.
KeyWords:
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References: None |
Problem Statement: You are using international settings that have a comma as the decimal separator, like in Germany, Italy or Spain. How can you have a comma as a decimal separator in MIMI? | Solution: If you have MIMI 7.2 and above
Support for input of floating point numbers according to Windows locale is available from MIMI 7.2. In previous releases of MIMI, users were required to enter numbers in the English format, using the dot (.) character as the decimal separator. MIMI now allows you to enter numbers in the table editor using the decimal symbol and the digit Grouping symbol as defined on the "Numbers" tab in the "Regional Options" applet of the Windows control panel. For example, you can also easily export your tables with the correct German decimal separator into an Excel spreadsheet using the EXCELT command.
To use this option:
Display the "System Options" dialog by clicking Options | System in the MIMI menu
Select checkbox "Use Locale Input for Numeric Tables"
Notes:
In order to avoid data corruption, you must re-start MIMI if you change the "Use Locale Input for Numeric Tables" setting
This switch supports input of Floating Point numbers in table editor windows only
As always, it is invalid to use a comma as a decimal separator in MIMI rules and macros
If you have MIMI 6.0 and above
To see floating point numbers according to your nation's conventions in the Control Panel language settings, you have to:
Display the "System Options" dialog by clicking Options | System in the MIMI menu
Select checkbox "Digit grouping symbol"
The input of data must still be done by typing a dot from your keyboard, but MIMI will display the numbers in your floating point tables according to the Windows locale settings, for example using a comma separator if you language is Italian. It is not even necessary to close your current MIMI session to be able to see your data visualized according to the updated settings.
No matter what the locale settings, the actual numerical values stored in the grid's data object use a period as the decimal separator and do not contain any thousands separator.
KeyWords:
MIMI SYSTEM OPTION "Use Locale Input for Numeric Tables"
MIMI SYSTEM OPTION "Digit grouping symbol"
MIMI OPTIONS
DECIMAL SEPARATOR
DIGIT GROUPING SYMBOL
COMMA, DOT, POINT
INTERNATIONAL SETTINGS
LANGUAGE
LOCALE
WINDOWS CONTROL PANEL
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Retrieving lost data: Can I revert to previous content of a set or table after having mistakenly applied? | Solution: Yes you can, but only if you haven't saved your case after applying the modifications.
This is what you have to do after you have applied your changes to revert to the previous content of your set or table: invoke command COPY as follows and you'll see the original values reappear!
COPY set's_or_table's_name full_path_of_current_case
For example: COPY MYSET "C:\Program Files\AspenTech\AspenMIMI\Cases\DEMO.CAS"
Answer Yes to the Mimi prompt asking you "Set MYSET found in working case, overwrite it?"
N.B.: - If you haven't applied, use Edit \ Refresh from the editor's context menu
If indeed you saved your case, you have to retrieve a backup copy
Use double quotes when there is a blank in the case file's path
Press key F3 for the command line for typing your Mimi Commands
KeyWords:
Set editor
Table editor
COPY
Apply
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: What is SSAVE and how is it used? | Solution: The SSAVE command, or Super Save, copies the current case from memory to disk. Its functionality is similar to that of "Save As" in most Windows applications but can be run from the MIMI command line. You can save a case to:
Another existing case name (If you choose this option, MIMI asks if you are sure want to overwrite the case you specified with the current case.)
A new case name.
When you execute the SSAVE command, both modified and unmodified sets and tables exist in the new case.
Syntax
SSAVE case [password]
Examples
SSAVE FORECAST
SSAVE BROUGE MYPASSWD
Description of Arguments
case: (Required) Name of new or existing case to which the current case will be saved.
password: (Required if one exists for the case.) Password assigned to the case named.
KeyWords:
SAVE
SSAVE
S SAVE
SUPER SAVE
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: INFOMSG is not printing the entire statement | Solution: NOT is a special keyword in the expert system language (MIMI/E). It cannot be used in messages of this sort without confusing MIMI. Here is the way in which we handle keywords that we want to use in messages:
Assign the keyword to a global variable, then reference the global variable in the message. For example, insert a line anywhere before the INFOMSG line.
code description
AND :NOT = "NOT"
Now change the INFOMSG line to read:
INFOMSG THIS MESSAGE SHOULD :NOT APPEAR
Other MIMI/E keywords that will give similar problems include AND, and OR (use :AND = "AND", :OR = "OR").
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: What control parameter can I use in CXPRESS to set a time limit for the optimization run? | Solution: N_MAXTIM sets a time limit for the search.
Possible values are:
Less than zero: Terminates the search after the specified number of seconds, or after the first integer solution is found, whichever is later.
0 (Default): Does not set a time limit.
Greater than zero: Sets an unconditional time limit.
Note: N_MAXTIM replaces the TIML parameter from the CLPS table.
KeyWords
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: A user did command TIN = NULL and that caused some entries of TIM to disappear. As you'll see in the solution below, this issue involves a discussion on MIMI's Multi-Dimensional (MD) Tables, Compact Incidence Tables and set $MULTI. | Solution: TIM got corrupted when the user did TIN = NULL because TIM was the rowset of a Compact Incidence Table called TIMN that was also listed in $MULTI. TIN was mentioned in the table's colset. The solution to the problem was just to remove the name of the LP Compact Incidence table (TIMN) from $MULTI. In fact, as you can read in the MIMI online help, Compact Incidence Tables should not be listed in $MULTI. Here is a brief discussion on Compact Incidence Tables vs. MD Tables.
A Compact Incidence Table, used in LP (Linear Programming) problems, has the structure of a MD table, with a column set that contains a list of set names and $ENTRY. The rowset, however, may be a data set, rather than a unique rowset for that table. For example, the table PERN (or similar) is commonly used to link PER (time periods) and PEN (next time periods), with rowset PER and colset PERNH = {PEN, $ENTRY}. This identifies the appropriate PEN for a given PER during the generation phase in the most efficient way. But if PERN is listed in $MULTI, and PEN is nulled, set PER is automatically nulled as well.
In order to avoid conflicts when a LP and Scheduling formulation exist in the same case, the LP time structures should be called PER (not TIM) for time periods and PEN (not TIN) for next time period.
A Compact Incidence Table with a rowset which is a data set should not be listed in $MULTI. In fact there is no need to include any incidence tables in $MULTI, since GEN does not refer to $MULTI to interpret such tables and there is usually no need to VIEW an incidence table (which should be rebuilt from data, not manually maintained). When PERN is included in $MULTI as above, then deleting an entry from PEN makes all rows of PERN which use that PEN invalid, and MIMI automatically maintains consistency by deleting entries from the rowset, which is PER.
Remember that for a normal Multi-Dimensional table, the row set should be unique. The colset may be shared. The table should be listed in $MULTI to enable VIEW and to keep the data from becoming corrupt when changes are made to dimension sets. However, note that corruption can still occur: if you change the code of a data set in a rule with SET(@,C) = "NEW", the change does not pass through into Multi-Dimensional tables dimensioned by SET, though FILL SET(@,C) = "NEW" works correctly.
KeyWords:
COMPACT INCIDENCE TABLES
MD TABLES
MULTI-DIMENSIONAL TABLES
$MULTI
ROWSET
COLSET
TIM
TIN
VIEW
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: During installation of MIMI from the eSupply Chain Suite CD I get the following error message:
"The Installation of the Core Component Microsoft Data Access 2.1 Failed." | Solution: Having a virus scan program active during the installation causes this problem. Virus scanners cause a slowdown of data transfer from the CD, which will result in an installation failure. This installation failure typically occurs on a slow machine in the MS Data Access 2.1 portion of the installation. Client machines with this error need to disable their virus scanners and repeat the installation. This failure is not specific to the eSupply Chain Suite installation and may occur in other Plantelligence Suite installations.
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Misuse of EDIT/OLDEDIT command in $ALIAS set | Solution: Customer recently faced an issue in his model when opening tables. Depending on the way he opened the tables (editing from another table, editing from the command line or editing from the table catalog), customer obtained two different types of editor: NT type or MOTIF type.
Although displaying the MOTIF type table was satisfactory, printing the MOTIF type table did not satisfy the customer. The problem was found to be an alias EDIT/OLDEDIT that was written in the $ALIAS set. The $ALIAS set contains shortcuts for frequently used commands, macros and rules. The command alias is in the Code portion and the command to be executed is in the Description portion.
To solve the problem, the user has to remove from $ALIAS set the alias EDIT/OLDEDIT. This will prevent bringing up an older editor than the one of the current MIMI version.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: How do I find the version of MIMI currently run from inside a macro or rule or from the command line? | Solution: Starting in MIMI 7.0, you can retrieve the MIMI version by utilizing the special purpose variable named &VERSION. From the command line, type command: MSG &VERSION
The planned release date for MIMI 7.0 is July 2002.
KeyWords:
VERSION
&VERSION
SPECIAL PURPOSE VARIABLES
&VARIABLES
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Do ActiveX controls have to be signed (internet)? | Solution: No, ActiveX controls do not have to be signed.
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Is there an option we can specify for both the cas2dat and dat2cas to NOT prompt for overwriting the target file? | Solution: There is no option, but there is a workaround.
Write a UNIX program that will contain the filenames during cas2dat and another filename for the y variable.
Create a file xx.DATand inside the xx.dat file contains a lower case y as the answer to the overwrite prompt
Open a vi session and create a script that contain the cas2dat xx.CASE xx.DAT for example, cas2dat HP.CASE HP.DAT
Run the script
Note: This workaround can be used in the DOS script as well.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Defining different starting history periods in the same forecast generation process. | Solution: For different DMPRO codes, it is possible to define different starting history periods in the same forecast generation process. E.g.: product "X" history will start from DEC99, while product "Y" history will start from FEB00 (both time periods are defined in DMPRD and DMPST sets).
In the forecast set (DMCNTL), instead of using parameters HISTBEG and HISTEND, parameters BEGTAB and ENDTAB can be used. Please refer to the MIMI Online Help for additional information about these parameters.
These should point to tables dimensioned by set RDMWORK that will have the begin and end periods for each category member. In these tables, the column for the beginning of history should be labeled HISTBEG and the column for the end of history should be labeled HISTEND. (So the same table can actually be used for both HISTBEG and HISTEND if needed as the columns have to be labeled anyway). However, there is no need to use these both. If the user wants to use one of them from a table he can still use the HISTBEG or HISTEND parameter for the other one, or let it go to the default.
Please note that defining a BEGTAB for a particular category member does not mean that it will start using leading zeroes in the forecasting process. It still ignores them.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: I get an error message "stype: wfli has exceeded maxfli: 1000 >=1000" when running macros or rules. | Solution: MAXFLI is the fetch count used in VALUE statements. The default of MAXFLI is 1000, but it can be increased to accommodate larger tables. To increase MAXFLI, go to the MIMI command line and type SYSTEM to view that set. On the code column, type MAXFLI and on the corresponding description line, type a value greater than 1000. For example, 1500 is usually a good choice. If 1500 does not work, we suggest increasing the value by 500 increments until the rule or macro is successful.
Key Words
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Error message: "No Core memory. Not enough memory to set up simulator" - UNIX platform | Solution: While trying to run the M SIM command on a system running on UNIX environment, you receive the following error message: "No Core memory. Not enough memory to set up simulator".
Knowledgebase Solution # 105293 explains how to solve the problem with MIMI running under NT, but under UNIX, the solution is different.
To solve the above problem on UNIX platform, reduce the size of the tables, particularly PROSLI and PROSLIP if there is one. Both tables are based on the PRO and SLI sets. Since PRO is the column set of many tables, its size has a significant impact on the overall memory demand. However, the user has to be very cautious to manipulate this set manually since so many things are tied to it.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: GEN command in the balance equation with policy EF | Solution: Recently, a customer faced a problem with running GEN command in the balance equation with policy EF: the Right Hand Side parameter was showing an incorrect value.
It has been found that if RHSX table is 0 for an existing row and that actual row is referenced again in another generic row, it will fill it in with the RHS (parameter in the CLPS table that specifies the right hand side name for the LP problem) associated with the policy (EF) of the subsequent generic row. If RHSX already has a value, then the second RHS value is ignored.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: What is the maximum number of SETS and TABLES you can have in a MIMI case? | Solution: The maximum number of SETS you can have in a MIMI case is 4000. The maximum number of TABLES you can have in a MIMI case is also 4000.
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Does MIMI comply with a Win32 Executable ? | Solution: Yes, MIMI does comply with a Win32 Executable.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Does the MIMI server based product (Distributed MIMI) have remote administration capabilities? | Solution: No, it does not have remote administration capabilities. However, you can use a third party software such as PC Anywhere or NT Terminal Server with Citrix client to remotely administer.
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: When using the LISA module, I get the error message "Log file \licence\mimi.log doesn't exist or Read/Write Access denied." STIE:nolog-001 MIMI might not be licenced to this address yet or log file Read/Write Access denied Invalid licencing setup (err = -1). Please contact CDS for assistance | Solution: This problem occurs when a user tries to spawn a licence from another workstation, rather than licencing with the licence utility. The solution is to delete the mimi.log file (if it exists), delete the licence subfolder (located at \mimi\license), and run the license utility. After obtaining the system code, call the MIMI Support team to obtain an installation code.
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Clicking on the "Save As" icon causes MIMI to crash. | Solution: It has been found that this problem only occurs when MIMI is being accessed though a Citrix environment. The machine was originally set up with security on each drive and the ability for the Global NT User Group "EVERYONE" to access the server. If you are not familiar with NT security, the EVERYONE group has (All) (All) access. That translates to read, write, execute, delete, take ownership, change permissions. Basically all available security functions. However, with this setup, clicking on the "Save As" icon causes MIMI to crash.
To avoid this, remove the EVERYONE group from all drives and replace each drive with Aspen_Admin (desktop and application), Aspen_Prod (application only), E-basis (Network Administrators), and SYSTEM (the id for nightly backup capability).
This alternative security setup helped the situation and the problem disappeared.
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: I get the error message "Cannot Execute: Call Chesapeake for replacement." | Solution: This is cause by the application not properly licencing itself. This will happen on occasion. To solve this problem, rerun the licencing utility by going to Start | Programs | MIMI | MIMI licence utility. Rerun this utility and contact MIMI support ([email protected]) when you have the system code. We will give you a new installation code, which will fix the problem.
KeyWords
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Sometimes it may not be clear what Engineering Releases (ER''s) are required when using the LIMS Interface. This solution will be a "living document" that will address any required ER''s with each release of InfoPlus.21 and the LIMS Interface. | Solution: If running LIMS with InfoPlus.21 2.5.1, you should apply these ER''s:
There are no ER''s.
If running LIMS with InfoPlus.21 3.1.2, you should apply these ER''s:
ER IP010816A_NTI (See Solution 106003)
If running LIMS with InfoPlus.21 4.0.1, you should apply these ER''s:
ER IP010816A_NTI (See Solution 106003)
If running LIMS with InfoPlus.21 4.1, 4.1.1 or 4.1.2, you should apply these ER''s:
ER IP010309A.NTI (See Solution 110723)
If running LIMS with InfoPlus.21 5.0 or 5.0.1, you should apply these ER''s:
ER IP010309A.NTI (See Solution 110723)
KeyWords
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Multiple languages selection causes the Planning Board to be empty after installing MIMI on Windows 2000. | Solution: There is an apparent incompatibly between MIMI and foreign language registry entries. To resolve the problem, the two following methods can be used:
Registry Settings
Exit MIMI.
Click on Start --> Run --> type EGEDIT (or REGEDT32) --> OK to access the registry tree.
In the registry, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\LanguagePack.
Remove any foreign language entries that are not needed. For example, the THAI entry would look like this: "THAI"=dword:00000001
Once the unnecessary foreign language entries have been removed, reboot the machine.
Regional Options
Exit MIMI
Click on START --> SETTINGS --> CONTROL PANEL --> REGIONAL OPTIONS.
In the Language settings for the system window, deselect the unnecessary foreign languages.
Reboot the machine.
For the users who indispensably needs to have multiple languages selected, please refer to solution 113205. This will provide an alternative workaround.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Can you use concatenation within the IMPORT statement of a SELECT in MIMI-SQL? | Solution: The MIMI-SQL manual says that on the right hand side of an assignment in the IMPORT statement you can only use the name of an attribute (attr_name) defined in the SELECT and that the order of attr_name's in an IMPORT statement should be the same as used in the SELECT statement.
Nonetheless the answer for this question is not necessarily NO. Most commercial relational database systems have the ability to handle the concatenation. In particular you can concatenate strings in your SELECT statement if you are loading data into Mimi from MS-SqlServer or MS-Access. The syntax you use depends on your external database.
The SELECT statement inside your Mimi SQL Macro will then look like this:
SELECT ORIGIN+'.'+Destination AS ORIGIN_DESTNTN, <--- Here you see the syntax for concatenation with MS-Access
Destination AS DESTNTN
FROM "My-Data";
IMPORT MYTABLE(*,ORG) = ORIGIN,
MYSET(*,D) = ORIGIN_DESTNTN,
MYTABLE(*,DST) = DESTNTN;
KeyWords
SQL
CONCATENATION
SELECT
IMPORT
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: I am getting the error MimiBroker error:10038, Error: License process failed. Please contact CDS for assistance. (This is when an ALM server is installed on the same machine as the MIMI application) | Solution: What is happening is that the MIMI broker is trying to start before the ALM server starts. The error message and the problem with the splashscreen appearing and disappearing rapidly, along with the error message is indicative of a licencing issue. What you can do is set the broker to start manually and then start the broker before you start using MIMI. What is happening is the services function in the machine tries to start the broker before it starts the ALM server and when the broker starts, being a MIMI function, it will attempt to pull a licence down from the ALM server. If the ALM server service has not started, it will return the error shown above. Starting the broker manually will stop this problem, since the ALM server will start automatically, while the user starts the broker manually.
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: GNET - Generate network problems | Solution: GNET is a parameter in the CLPS table that was originally designed to control which kind of model MIMI generates (general LP models and also pure network models). However, MIMI had never really created (GEN) a network problem.
The network algorithms NETPRIM or NETDUAL should be used instead in order to extract a network sub-problem from the generated model (set CLPS(ALGO) = to NETPRIM or NETDUAL).
It is recommended not to include the GNET entry in the CPLS table (or CCPLEX).
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: This Tech Tip clarifies the status of this product. | Solution: AspenTech's Profile.21 product will be supported and developed by AspenTech industry specialists. For existing customers, there will be no difference in the level of service and continuity of the product, and development of the specific new functionality will be enhanced via the use of AspenTech's business experts. This strategy is in line with AspenTech's vertical industry business focused philosophy. It allows specialist consultants and engineers, who are experienced and familiar with the requirements of the paper and other sheeting industries, to be directly involved in the development of the product.
Customers with a valid Support and Maintenance agreement for Profile.21 will continue to receive updates to the product free of charge. Profile.21 will be compatible with the rest of the Aspen Manufacturing Suite of products, thereby ensuring that all customers have a consistent product with strict version control.
Profile.21 will be available on the AMS 4.1 CD. The goal of this first stage of the development will be to mimic the functionality of the existing product in the new environment and update some of the methods used to access the data in InfoPlus.21. The 4.1 version will allow existing customers a smooth transition to AMS V4.1 and will give new customers the ability to start with latest versions of the product.
The attached Discussion Paper contains extensive, detailed information about the future plans for Profile.21
For additional information please refer the AspenTech support website at: http://support.aspentech.com
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: On a client side installation with InfoPlus.21 client components, the following error message appeared:
setup was unable to load license manager library e:/core/eis_relativetimecontrol_IDK/ATLM2.dll
Here is the error message as noted in the psetup.log:
Launch install of EIS_RELATIVETIMECONTROL_IDK :
Install EIS_RelativeTimeControl_IDK (ISInstall)
Config Ini File = C:\DOCUME~1\RIGOCH~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\EIS_RelativeTimeControl_IDK.ini
Launch process \Core\EIS_RELATIVETIMECONTROL_IDK\setup.exe silent config="C:\DOCUME~1\RIGOCH~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\EIS_RelativeTimeControl_IDK.ini" -SMS
Launch succeeded
Wait for Window EIS_RelativeTimeControl_IDK Setup to appear :
*** ERROR --- Setup Window for EIS_RelativeTimeControl_IDK never appeared
The installation times out at this point and then stops completely. Nothing gets installed past this point. | Solution: This error message can happen because of a faulty installation CD. If you encounter this error condition, request a new CD from Order Administration.
KeyWords:
relativetimestring
installation
InfoPlus.21
ATLM2.dll
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Aspen License Manager (ALM) is the pre-aspenONE licensing system. Some products needed version 2.2 (for example Aspen InfoPlus.21), while other products needed ALM 3.0 (for example Aspen PIMS or Aspen MIMI/Aspen SCM). If any such products are installed on the same server, can the two ALM versions coexist? | Solution: Both license servers (ALM 3.0 and ALM 2.2), which install in separate directories, can run together on the same machine. The two versions are vastly different and the keys that work with 2.2 are not recognized in 3.0 and vice versa.
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: After changing the computer name on the network, the Aspen License Manager (ALM) will not deliver the licenses that are installed. The asplmd.log file contains errors similar to the following.
00-Dec-21 10:13:39: Peer "old_name" unknown.
00-Dec-21 10:13:39: Loaded key d:\PROGRA~1\ASPENT~1\LICENS~1.1\60.lic (aspen_modeler) 2 tokens starts Jan 13 00:00:00 2000, expires Dec 31 23:59:59 2000 [MINIKEY]. 00-Dec-21 10:14:06: Peer "old_name" unknown. | Solution: The License Manager stores information related to the machine name at the time when licenses are installed. If the name changes, the licenses are no longer recognized.
To correct the problem, delete all license and data files (with .lic and .dat extensions) contained in the \Program Files\AspenTech\License Manager 2.x directory. Reinstall the license keys using the License Manager Key Installer (Start | Programs | AspenTech | Common Utilities | License Manager Key Installer).
For more information on license key installation, see the "Installing License Keys" section in the Aspen License Manager 2.2 Installation and
Keywords: None
References: Manual for Windows.
http://support.aspentech.com/CustomerSupport/Documents/Integration/ALM/ALMWIN.pdf
KeyWords:
name
change
network |
Problem Statement: A customer experienced the following problem: Security had been set up some time ago, but stopped working with no apparent cause. Users could no longer create a new plot in Process Explorer and when they checked the applications and roles in AFW Security Manager, they had all disappeared. | Solution: In this particular case, the fix to the problem was to change the Application Protection on the Virtual Directory tab from High to Low:
(IIS->[nodename]->Default Web Site->AspenTech->(rightclick) Properties)
However, the main reason for the problem was because even though the IUSR_.... account is listed as the Anonymous User Account, that only works for the Low setting. For the High and Medium setting, the IWAM_... account is used, which was disabled. So when a network administrator disabled the IWAM account, security stopped working correctly. If a customer is uncomfortable changing Application Protection from High to Low, then the best solution would be to investigate why the IWAM account is disabled or does not have the correct privileges.
KeyWords
iis
iusr
iwan
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Planning on moving SLM license server to a newly purchase HW | Solution: Here is the procedure for replacing SLM license server if you are using a USB dongle:
If you are not using a USB dongle, please request a license re-host first (Solution 130115):
1. Log in to the new server using an administrative account.
2. Ensure that no Windows programs are running on the computer before starting the network license server installation process.
3. Insert any Aspen Engineering DVD1 product disc into the DVD drive of the computer.
4. If install program has not started, Double click on the setup.exe in the root folder of the DVD.
5. On the AspenTech Installation Browser, select the Administration tab and click Aspen SLM.
6. Click Install. The Welcome to the InstallShield Wizard for Sentinel RMS License Manager 8.x appears.
7. Complete the screens in the wizard and click Finish.
8. Copy the license file lservrc from the old system to the new server. Lservrc is located in either one of the following folders:
<root>\Program Files\Rainbow Technologies\SentinelLM 7.2.0.1 Server\English or
<root>\Program Files\Common Files\SafeNet Sentinel\Sentinel RMS License Manager\WinNT
9. Copy the file to the new server at <root>\Program Files\Common Files\SafeNet Sentinel\Sentinel RMS License Manager\WinNT
10. Move the USB dongle from the old server and attach it to the new server
11. Reboot the server
12. Point your clients to the new server by running SLMConfiguration wizard on the client system
13. Shut down and uninstall any existing SentinelLM (or Rainbow Technologies-SentinelLM) network license server. To do this, on the old system, go to "Control Panel/Add or Remove Programs" and remove any program named "SentinelLM X.X.X.X Server".
Note: During the SLM Server install: When you reach the Setup Type dialog box, be sure to select Complete.
When you reach the Firewall Settings Need to be Modified dialog box, be sure the check box is selected.
Do not attach the USB dongle until you are ready to reboot the system after SLM install
Keywords: SLM
Server
Replace
RMS
License
Manager
References: None |
Problem Statement: Aspen License Manager Installation Manual for v2.2 doesn't contain any instructions on how to upgrade from ALM 2.1 to ALM 2.2 from a previous version of ALM. | Solution: NOTE: You can have more than one License Manager running on a network.
You have two choices:
-- you can either install the newer version of ALM on a different PC and point the Installation Wizard for your new software to it,
or
-- you can simply install the newer version of ALM over the older version; it will install in its own version directory (License Manager 2.2) so before you reboot your computer, you should copy all license key files (.lic and .dat) from the License Manger 2.1 directory to the License Manager 2.2 directory and all your license keys should be preserved.
KeyWords:
installation
upgrade
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Can the Aspen License Manager run on computers that are already running an Elan variant license manager for other products such as AutoCAD and ChemCAD? | Solution: Yes, provided that the other license managers are not communicating on TCP port 6142.
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: The Aspen License Manager v2.x Manual provides the following information regarding the removal of Aspen License Manager:
Removing the License Manager
To remove License Manager 2.1 from your Windows computer after it is installed, open the Aspen License Manager program folder and double-click the shortcut to uninstall License Manager 2.x.
The problem with this information is that it is not accurate. There isn't a shortcut to uninstall the License Manager. | Solution: In order to remove the License Manager, two methods can be used. Use the Start | Programs | AspenTech | Uninstall AspenTech Software utility. This will launch a GUI which displays all the AspenTech products found on the system. Check the box corresponding to Aspen License Manager 2.x and click the Uninstall button.
This same technique can also be used when launched from the Control Panel | Add/Remove Programs | AspenTech Software, then click the Add/Remove button. This will launch the same GUI described above.
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: This knowledge base article describes the general steps one should follow when upgrading to the new Sentinel License Manager which is used with the Aspen Manufacturing Suite products in aspenONE v2004. | Solution: When upgrading from the Aspen Manufacturing Suite (AMS) version 6.0.1 or earlier to v2004 or later you will receive a new set of license keys which work with the new license manager software, Sentinel License Manager (SLM). You cannot use the older Aspen License Manager (ALM) version 2.x keys or the older license manager software to install the aspenONE v2004 products.
The SLM license software needs to be installed first then the new license keys must be loaded into the SLM software. After his step is complete you only need to point to the server which runs the SLM software during the installation of the aspenONE v2004 software. It is possible to install the SLM licensing software on the same license server which runs the ALM 2.2 licensing software. Both license servers (SLM and ALM 2.x) can be run at the same time on the same server without problems.
Keywords: Upgrade
.lic
dongle
lock
References: None |
Problem Statement: Installation of Aspen License Manager hangs with message about a missing Super Pro Dongle, even with an "Anyhost" license. | Solution: The installation is trying to query LPT1, and will eventually time out. However, a much quicker solution is to just unplug any device that might be connected to LPT1. This way, when the program reads the port it won't find anything that "disturbs" it and won't lock up.
KeyWords
hanging
lockup
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Can dongles be used with Aspen License Manager (ALM) 3.0? | Solution: ALM, starting with version 3.0, will be based on GLOBEtrotter's FlexLM technology. We will continue to support the use of superpro dongles with versions of ALM based on this technology.
In order to use superpro dongles with ALM version 3.x, new dongles must be recieved from the Contracts and Administration department with the GLOBEtrotter vendor id encoded within the dongle. Super pro dongles that worked with previous versions of ALM cannot be used.
The dongle is linked to the ALM license file. Therefore, it is possible to use one dongle with multiple products if all licenses are combined into one license file.
Dongles for ALM 2.2 and ALM 3.x cannot be used on the same machine.
KeyWords:
ALM
GLOBETrotter
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: When trying to view license keys in ALM v2.1 for AMS v4.0 products, the product names are blank.
Note: this is not a problem with ALM v2.2. | Solution: This has been reported as Defect #CQ00047983. However, even though the product names are blank, ALM v2.1 is otherwise able to handle these license keys and you can continue with the installation.
KeyWords:
Aspen License Manager
Aspen Manufacturing Suite
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: When opening the AFW Security Manager, an error dialog box is displayed containing the following message:
InternetOpenUrl error code: 12029
Message: A connection with the server could not be established | Solution: This problem is caused when the Personal Web Server on an NT workstation is not running. Start the Personal Web Service and the World Wide Web Publishing Service to resolve.
On an NT Server or Windows 2000 machine, start the IIS Admin Service and the World Wide Web Publishing Service to resolve.
KeyWords:
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Using the AFW Tools utility, there is a tab named "Transfer AFWDB Data" that allows the various information in an existing AFW database to be exported, and subsequently imported into another AFW database.
The question has been asked if the imported data gets merged with existing data in the AFW database, or if it overwrites what is already there (if anything has been configured previously). | Solution: At this time (up to the v2004 release) the import utility doesn't have any merging capability and will overwrite any existing data. The merging functionality is a feature planned for a future release.
KeyWords
import
export
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: This knowledge base article describes which ports need to be opened when installing AspenTech client applications which use the Aspen License Manager (ALM) 2.x. | Solution: AspenTech client applications will attempt to communicate with the ALM 2.x server using port UDP 6142. If this port is blocked from the client's access due to a firewall or some other means, the license manager software will not be able to secure a license from the server.
KeyWords
Fire
wall
well-known
Keywords: None
References: None |
Problem Statement: Records defined by Domainsdef have a field called Areas. Where is this field populated from? | Solution: The selector record Plant-Systems has a repeat area. Entries in this repeat area are used to populated the Areas field.
KeyWords
Keywords: None
References: None |
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