Installing Executable-image GEMPACK on a network server

GEMPACK is usually installed individually on each desktop or workstation where it is needed. However, some organisations prefer to use server based software installations. Here we give some advice about how best to get Executable-image GEMPACK working on a server. We do not recommend that you install Source-code GEMPACK on a server.

Licence Requirements

A site licence for Executable Image GEMPACK allows any number of installations, desktop or server, within the relevant department or group.

Technical Issues for network installations.

Some users have reported trouble using a network installation of GEMPACK; but if you follow the advice below you should have a working network installation.

Suppose the Executable-image GEMPACK installation directory on the server is mapped to the workstation on, say, network drive Z:\ , so that GEMPACK programs and the licence file are available in Z:\GP. Then locally on each workstation you should:

• Set the system environment variable GPDIR=Z:\GP
• Set the system path variable to include Z:\GP
• Make sure the user TMP and TEMP environment variables point to local folders (this may not be true if you are using roaming profiles). If necessary make a local folder C:\TEMP and set the user environment variable GPTEMP=C:\TEMP.
• Make sure that the location of GEMPACK configuration (INI) files is local. Under Windows 7 this by default is in the GPKEEP folder located in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\GPKEEP [eg, C:\Users\JohnSmith\Documents\GPKEEP]. If necessary the location of the GPKEEP folder can be set using a user environment variable GPKEEP.
• Sometimes users may need to modify a file in the GEMPACK installation directory, Z:\GP, in which case users need read and write access to the network folder.

Instructions for setting or changing environment variables may be found here.

When using GEMPACK at the workstation, the user's working folder should be on a local drive, and all temporary file and data file access should be local. That is, users should not run simulations where runtime input or output data files are accessed over the network. The GEMPACK Fortran programs do not tolerate file I/O delays which occur on Windows networks. Avoid problems by making the working folder a folder on a local drive, and also ensuring that all input data files, and all output data and log files are read from or written to a local drive.

Terminal Server installations

For a Windows Terminal Server installation where users login using a Terminal Services (remote desktop) session, there will be no problem provided only one user is using GEMPACK at any time. If simultaneous sessions access GEMPACK, problems may arise, particularly with the (GUI) GEMPACK Windows programs which were not written with multiple users in mind. Multiple-user simultaneous use of GEMPACK under terminal services has not been tested.

Other programs not part of Executable-image GEMPACK

The programs RunDynam (an interface used for running recursive dynamic models) and RunGTAP (an interface used for running the GTAP model) cannot be expected to run from a server installation. Both are meant to be run locally by a single user.