Virtualbox image: Ubuntu 18.04 server + CalculiX + FreeCAD + NetGen

This is a full Gnu/Linux server operating system. The VirtualBox package is intended primarily for use on the same computer as SonoAnalyzer, creating a standalone analysis system but with minor changes could also be installed on a separate PC, eg. connected via local network.

Hardware requirements

Minimum recommended specification is a core-i processor with 8GB memory; newer / faster processors will generate results more quickly and more memory may be required for larger models.

Operating system requirements

64-bit MS Windows Operating system (7, 8, 10 or Windows server 2008 or later). If installed on a separate PC, could also run under other operating systems supported by VirtualBox.

Installation

First download and install the VirtualBox application (either the commercial version from Oracle or the open-source version from VirtualBox.org):
VirtualBox (open-source) downloads page
VirtualBox (commercial) downloads page (choose either this one or the one above)

Then download the virtual machine image (CalculiXFEAServer.ova):
CalculiXFEAserver vm download (3000MB) MD5: 9d440df9729ae7b1f333126186a1af68

And finally run VirtualBox and import the downloaded machine image (File -> Import Appliance).

Adding analysis engine to SonoAnalyzer Pro

Once the VirtualBox virtual machine has been created on the local PC, it's ready for use by SonoAnalyzer Pro version 2.x.x. The final step is to tell Pro to use it. Select Pro -> FEA Servers from the main menu, click the "New root server" tab, change IP address if you have installed in a non-standard location, click "Setup" and then "Select". Note that the default IP address 127.0.0.1 - localhost - is designed to work with port-forwarding set up in the "Advanced" section of the virtual machine Network settings. SonoAnalyzer Pro will attempt to start up and shut down the virtual machine automatically but if you prefer you can start / stop it manually from the VirtualBox console.

GUI / Desktop

Support for graphical programs (including cgx, FreeCAD and NetGen) uses TigerVNC server, installed on the virtual machine. To view the graphical output you will need to install a VNC client on your computer. Several open source and commercial applications are available for Microsoft Windows which are free to install and use, eg. TigerVNC, for which Windows binaries are available from bintray. At the time of writing the current version of the VNC client is tigervnc64-1.9.0.exe.

The standard Pro server configuration in SonoAnalyzer version 2 adds a port-forward for port 5901 (the standard VNC port), so the VNC client can be connected to localhost 5901. If you are not using SonoAnalyzer then you can set up the same port-forwarding in your own ssh client or connect your VNC server to the IP address of the virtual machine.

A full Linux desktop is NOT included with this image but can be easily installed from the root console if required (Google for detailed instructions).

Security

As provided, the virtual machine is set up using VirtualBox NAT networking, so it is only accessible from the host PC. By default the local IP address is 10.2.0.15 and port forwarding is in place to forward port 22 (as used by the ssh daemon on the virtual machine) to localhost 8022. You are welcome to change network settings as required but remember to also change the hostname / IP address and port number in the SonoAnalyzer Pro server setup. Note that password access via ssh is disabled, so even from the host PC connecting is only possible using the VirtualBox console or a SSH key. SonoAnalyzer Pro is supplied with a built-in private key allowing initial connection, which is used to set up all further access. For futher security you may log in (as described below) and change the root password. SonoAnalyzer Pro also provides the option on initial setup to remove all other keys, preventing any further access by other instances of SonoAnalyzer.

Other use

This is a fully-functional open-source package for running CalculiX, FreeCAD and NetGen on any operating system supported by VirtualBox. If you wish to run these applications directly without SonoAnalyzer you can start the virtual machine through the VirtualBox user interface and log in at the console as:
username: root
password: sapro01
Note that password access is only available from the console, not through SSH (it's disabled in the ssh server settings). You can of course change this, as well as changing the password, on your first console login. For further information please see the README file in the root user's home directory. The VNC server is configured for user "sa" so any graphical programs run by that user will appear in a connected VNC client window.

If you're looking for help compiling CalculiX ccx and cgx under Ubuntu 18.04, the full file-set is included in /home/chris/build