Cluster Installation COMSOL supports two mutual modes of parallel operation: shared-memory parallel operations and distributed-memory parallel operations, including cluster support. This section is dedicated to distributed-memory parallel installation. COMSOL can distribute computations on compute clusters using the MPI model. One large problem can be distributed across many compute nodes. Also, parametric sweeps can be distributed with individual parameter cases distributed to each cluster node. license manager COMSOL requires a Floating Network License for running on clusters. Please check the license file for the CLUSTERNODE feature, which needs to be present to enable the cluster computing functionality. The license manager needs to be accessible from all nodes in the cluster. Therefore it is often a good idea to have it run on the head node. installation folder The COMSOL installation folder should be shared between all compute nodes and the head node. features During installation, make sure the Cluster Components feature is selected. access to cluster (windows server only) If you work on a desktop PC, install COMSOL on that PC. Before you start, you need to install Windows HPC Pack on the PC. This software is free and enables you to access the cluster from your PC. For more information on installing and running COMSOL on clusters, see Running COMSOL on Clusters and the COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Manual.