Optimisation Calculation Options - Simulation Manager

Simulation Manager tab of the Optimisation Calculation Options Dialog

Optimisation studies require many hundreds or even thousands of simulations to be carried out in order to achieve accurate results. DesignBuilder is provided with a Simulation Manager to help run these simulations as quickly and efficiently as possible. To use the Simulation Manager tick the Use Simulation Manager checkbox on the Simulation Manager tab and select the appropriate options below. If you don't choose this option then simulations will be carried out sequentially, which will generally take a lot longer.

Tip: If you are planning to run an optimisation unsupervised for a long period, e.g. overnight, you should make sure that the machine power settings are such that the machine won't go into sleep or hibernation mode during the process. If the machine does go into a sleep/hibernate state during an optimisation it can be continued simply by waking the machine, but of course progress won't have been made while the machine was inactive.

Server

Select the server from the drop list. DesignBuilder comes with a server called "localhost"and if you haven't installed a simulation server on your network then this will be the only option available.

Contact DesignBuilder support for information on how to connect to a server running on a Local Area Network.

EnergyPlus server method

Two EnergyPlus server method options are available when the localhost server is selected:

EnergyPlus - the normal option to choose which runs the standard version of EnergyPlus per your select on the EnergyPlus tab of the Program options dialog.
JEPlus - if you have an account with JESS Online then select this option which will allow you to run your simulation using JEPlus. The first time you attempt to run JEPlus through this option you will be prompted for your account details. This option is not available for simulation servers (i.e. when localhost is not selected as the server).

Override default number of jobs per batch

If you would like to override the default number of jobs per batch (e.g. if you would like to see results for each generation to be displayed as they are calculated) then you can override the setting by selecting this checkbox and entering a smaller value in the Number of jobs per batch text box below.

Number of jobs per batch

This option allows you to control the number of simulations to be run before results are displayed and can be used to see results more frequently when testing a large model. Enter a low value (e.g. 2) to see results displayed as they are generated. This option is only available for multi-objective optimisation.

Tip: To make the most of parallel computing facilities you should either uncheck the Override default number of jobs per batch option above and allow DesignBuilder to apply a high number of jobs per batch internally or enter a high value here and not lower than the Initial population size (or Maximum population size if you are using a Pareto archive).