Windows 7 Simulation Error

[Paige Castle]

Every time I try to run a simulation, I get the following error with software version 2017.08.22:

Error while connecting to host, No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it. (10061)
Connect on sock (host=Perseverance, port=8678) failed, exhaused all end points
Unable to connect to 'Perseverance:8678',
sock error: Error = -1

I know this has been a topic before, but was fixed in older versions. Any help on how to address this issue would be appreciated.

[Charlotte Debbaut]

Dear all,

I'm having exactly the same problem. I tried to recreate my project two times, but I still the same error (even after explicitly stating the path towards the pre/flow/post-solver in the preferences setup window)

Best regards,
Charlotte Debbaut

[Charlotte Debbaut]

Dear all,

A short update on my issue:
While trying to solve the issue, I noticed that I was able to run the simulation when unchecking the box "Use MPI" under Window -> Preferences.

Best regards,
Charlotte

[Nathan Wilson]

Hello all,

What version of Windows 7 are you running? We don't officially support Windows 7 anymore. However, I would guess it still works. When you installed svSolver, "Microsoft MPI 7.1.12437.25" should have been installed as well. Check the following:

1. Check your computer to make sure that Microsoft MPI has been installed
2. Check your firewall settings. svSolver must be explicitly permitted through the firewall

You can check for an exception for svSolver from the control panel:

Control Panel -> Windows Firewall -> Allow Apps to communicate through Windows Firewall (Windows 10, should be similar for Windows 7)

Assuming that MS MPI is installed, then the issue is probably the firewall settings. svSolver must be given an exception to pass through the firewall. Usually you get a pop-up message the first time you launch asking if you want to grant permission, but if you cancel or it doesn't pop up, then the application can be blocked.

You can test the solver executable directly. Open up a "cmd" prompt, and go to the svSolver directory:

% "C:\Program Files\SimVascular\svSolver\2017-08-23"

once you are in the directory with the solver executable, try running the msmpi verison with the "--help" flag:

% svsolver-msmpi-bin.exe --help

The first time you run it, you should get a pop up that "Windows Firewall has blocked some features of this app" (see attached image). Be sure to check both "private networks" and "public networks", and then click "Allow access":

svsolver-msmpi-launch-firewall.PNG (27.43 KiB) Viewed 860 times

Then, double check the permissions for svsolver-msmpi-bin under the firewall exceptions:

svsolver-msmpi-allowed.PNG (26.1 KiB) Viewed 860 times

Note: One area of confusion for continuing users is that each time you upgrade the flow solver, you have to give it permissions again. In addition, you need to click on the "details" button to confirm the path to executable if you have installed multiple versions. That is, if you have upgraded the solver say three times, you easily could see:

svsolver-msmpi-bin
svsolver-msmpi-bin
svsolver-msmpi-bin

because the path is different each time you install.

Note: there are two distinct network types under Windows: private and public. By default, Windows will ask you if you want to give an exception just for a private network. If you are using a public network (or configured your network as public even if its private), you still can't run the executable. This is why it's critical to grant permission for both private and public networks when you get the popup, or to manually fix via the "Windows Firewalls" settings if you clicked the wrong thing previously.

Nathan
SimVascular Development Team