1.3. New and Improved Features in Release 18

Engineering Knowledge Manager

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## 1.3. New and Improved Features in Release 18

If you have used previous versions of EKM, Release 18 offers many significant changes and improvements. The majority of items in the list below are features created in version 18.0. Features added in 18.1 are noted as such for easy identification. Version 18.2 focuses mainly on bug fixes.

### Installation and Configuration

- An EKM workspace can now be configured to have a job-only view in which non-admin users see only the Jobs page.

- In EKM 18.0, the Sun Java Development Kit (JDK) that is set up by the EKM Server product installation has been upgraded to version 1.8.0_91. In EKM 18.1, it has been upgraded to version 1.8.0_121.

- A new `defaultAccessTypeForAutoCreatedUsers` setting in the WorkspaceConfig.xml file enables you to change the default access level that is granted to users whose accounts are automatically created upon sign-in. Acceptable values are `basic`, `analyst`, and `shared`.

- Wildfly has been updated to version 10.0.0.

- Java Service Wrapper has been replaced by Yet Another Java Service Wrapper.

- EnginFrame is no longer included in the EKM installation. EnginFrame bundles and installation documents can be obtained from the NICE web site. EKM has been configured to support the new (2016) version of EnginFrame and client libraries.

- The `emagInstallationDirectory` setting has been removed from the ekm.xml file, and there is therefore no requirement that all versions of AEDT be installed under a single root directory. An environment variable can now be used to specify a version-specific AEDT application path.

- A new Manage Cluster Configurations feature enables you to add, edit and delete RSM cluster configurations directly from EKM. The cluster configurations that you create are validated and then added to the cluster configuration (.rsmcc) file in RSM.

- (18.1) When specifying custom content to be displayed in the Sign in to EKM box, you can use HTML markup if desired.

- (18.1) When defining a property for a custom type, a new Hidden option enables you to specify that the property will not be displayed when users view or edit object properties.

- (18.1) When defining a custom interface, a new `multiFileUpload` component can be used to add a browse feature for selecting multiple files to upload to EKM.

- (18.1) When defining a script for a custom type or interface, if a macro returns a URL string, the URL will be fired by the browser on completion of the macro.

- (18.1) When defining a custom application, a new Embedded option enables you to specify whether or not the application is associated with a process. Marking an application as Embedded prevents it from appearing in the application launcher. Such applications should only be launched from their associated processes.

- (18.1) A Clear log button has been added to the Script log dialog box when using the Administration > Scripting > Show log feature. This enables you to instantly clear the log when the maximum size has been reached so that more data can be written to it.

- (18.1) Support for REST technology has been added. The REST API library enables you to develop applications that interact with the EKM server.

- (18.1) The Jython library for Python scripting was upgraded to version 2.7.0.

  Important: In some cases, Python scripts used with EKM will need to be modified for compatibility with the new Jython version. In particular, statements that import Java classes and packages may be impacted. It is advised to use fully-qualified class and package names when accessing Java classes and packages from a Python script.

  For example, the following statement imports a Java package:

  `from java import util`

  To work correctly under Jython 2.7.0, this statement should be written as:

  `import java.util as util`

### User Management

- Users are now identified throughout the EKM interface by their first and last name instead of their username.

- A search bar has been added to the Users page, enabling you to search for a user by first name, last name, or username. Predefined filters such as Online Users and Shared Users enable you to filter the list of users by online status or access level.

- When auto-creating users from LDAP, the `Title` and `Phone` attributes in LDAP are now synced with EKM user account attributes.

- (18.1) The method of selecting users when editing permissions, group membership and cache server assignments has been simplified, and includes type ahead search functionality.

### Data Management

- The Dependencies view has been simplified and provides a consistent experience across files and analysis projects. References have been removed from the Dependencies view, and now appear in a new, separate Where used section on an object's Details page.

- The Email Link action has been replaced with a Share action that enables you to easily share an object with EKM users and groups. Access permission will be automatically granted to users who do not already have it.

- When uploading .cas, .sum and .avz files to the repository, EKM automatically associates the .sum and .avz files with the .cas file, resulting in only the .cas file being present in the repository after the upload. EKM uses the data in the .sum and .avz files to generate the simulation details report and image for the .cas file, eliminating the need for EKM to use Fluent for data extraction after the upload.

- Selecting a VRML (.wrl) file in the repository displays the image in the interactive viewer on the Image tab.

- When using the Set Visibility feature in the interactive image viewer, you can now Shift+click to toggle multiple faces simultaneously.

- If a system in a Workbench project contains a file that has a 3D image associated with it, the image will be displayed in an embedded 3D viewer in the project's simulation details report.

- Data is now extracted from ANSYS Electronics Desktop project (.aedt) files.

- (18.1) Data is now extracted from ANSYS Electronics Desktop Archive (.aedtz) files.

- (18.1) When adding a `String` property to an object, specifying a URL as the property value renders the text as a hyperlink when viewing the object's properties on the Details tab.

- (18.1) When performing an advanced search for job objects, the Status expression now displays a drop box of valid job statuses instead of a text box.

- (18.1) When checking out an object that is under version control, you can optionally allow other users to check out and modify the object while you have it checked out.

- (18.1) When viewing an image on the Image tab, you can now change the mouse button assignments for zooming, panning and rotating.

### Job Management

- A new Workbench Batch Job application on the Applications panel enables you to launch a Workbench project update or design point update on remote compute resources.

- A Start Remote Desktop action is now available on the Jobs page, enabling you to quickly start up a remote desktop session.

- When running a batch job, you can now specify that you want output files in the job's working directory to be copied to the EKM repository after job completion.

- The built-in Electronics job template supports the upload of ANSYS Electronics Desktop project archives (.aedtz files).

- The terminology used for job status in the Job Monitor and job status view is now consistent with the terminology used in RSM. 'Executing' has been replaced by 'Running', and 'Executed' is now 'Finished'.

- Design Points and Messages remain displayed in the Job Monitor after a Workbench job (project update or design point update) has been executed.

- A new Associated types option in job templates enables you to associate specific file types with a template, making the template available on the Execute menu when you start jobs from those types of files in the repository.

- If you are solving a non-linear problem using MAPDL, and the input file contains the command inputs necessary to perform non-linear diagnostics, NLH monitors will be displayed in the Monitors panel in the job view.

- When running a CFX server-mode job, related monitors are now grouped into a single chart in the Job Monitor.

- Selecting an AVZ, WRL or MP4 file in the job working directory displays the object directly within the working directory view.

- A new File System page in the Jobs section enables you to access an EKM server's file system.

- You can now create a multi-region deployment in which users can run jobs on Slave servers using data from a central Master repository. A new Transfer Progress dialog box enables you to monitor transfers in a Master-Slave setup.

- Job Management preferences enable you to override the credentials that are used for RSM services and Cluster Configurations.

- Interactive job options are only available if EnginFrame has been installed and correctly configured to work with EKM.

- (18.1) An LS-DYNA Batch job template has been added for explicit dynamic analyses using LS-DYNA.

- (18.1) When starting an interactive job, if you navigate away from the Job Monitor page or sign out of EKM while an interactive session is being created, you will receive an email notification once the interactive session has been created (in other words, the job status has changed from `Pending` to `Running`).

- (18.1) When running a CFX server-mode job, live monitors are now displayed when using an .mdef input file.

### Process Management

- (18.1) When creating a process template in EKM Studio, a new Select assignee using custom ui option in the process template attributes enables process owners to set task assignees using a custom interface instead of the standard drop-down list.

### Usability Enhancements

- The EKM interface has been simplified in many areas, creating a more streamlined user experience. For example:

  - Profile settings have been merged into the Settings dialog.

  - The Jobs and Processes pages have been simplified to focus exclusively on starting and monitoring jobs and processes.

  - The New > Object action has been removed.

  - The Applications panel and Saved Queries panel have been simplified for ease-of-use.

  - Interactive job templates and features are hidden from view if EnginFrame is not installed and configured to work with EKM.

  - The Recycle Bin link has been removed from the Home page, and is available on the user menu only.

- The EKM documentation set now includes a Troubleshooting Guide.

- (18.1) You can now add an ANSYS Viewer File gadget to your dashboard which displays a selected ANSYS Viewer Archive (.avz) file in an embedded, interactive viewer.

### Deprecated Features

A few features have been removed or reconfigured in release 18:

- When a Workbench project archive (.wbpz file) is selected in the repository, the New > Design Point Run, New > Design Exploration and Edit > Update Project actions are no longer available on the toolbar or context menu. You can now launch project updates and design point runs using the new Start Workbench Job application on the Applications panel.

- The ability to conduct Design Exploration studies on Workbench projects has been removed, with the exception of processes that contain DOE or Optimization tasks (see next item).

- DOE and Optimization nodes have been removed from EKM Studio, and can no longer be added to process templates. If you have existing process templates that contain these node types, you will be able to continue using them throughout Release 18. Note, however, that support for these nodes will cease in Release 19.

- The mobile interface for smart phones will no longer be supported. Although the mobile interface will still be available if you sign in to EKM on a smart phone, some features may not work.

- When running a Mechanical APDL server-mode job, you can no longer pause, interrupt or otherwise steer the solution in the Job Monitor. Only standard job details and live monitoring are available.

- The following object types are no longer supported in EKM:

  - FeModelInput

  - AbaqusInput

  - AbaqusResult

  - AbaqusOutputDatabase

  - NastranBulkData

  - NastranResult

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