Remote Backends
Beginning with Release 8.0.7 of HyperChem for Windows, additional backends are available that run on a Linux Server. That is, the Windows product comes with 7 additional backends equivalent to HyperMM , HyperNewton, HyperEHT, HyperNDO, HyperTNDO, HyperGauss, and HyperDFT. These additional "remote backends" are include in the Linux folder on the distribution CD and have the Linux names mmplus, eht, ndo, tndo, gauss, and dft. Using the network dialog box they can be invoked as an alternative to the normal "local backends".
Installation
The remote backends need to be installed in
/usr/local/bin
on a Linux server along with a program, HyperStart, that is also included on the distribution CD. Superuser priviledges will be needed to install the 8 programs and they will also need to be made executable by appropriate users of the server. In addition, the IP addresses and names of the client machines that will access this Linux server must be named in the
/etc/hosts
file of the server. This last step is required so that the server can respond to the clients that are accessing it.
Operation
The client machine communicates with the HyperStart program on the server which has the responsibility of passing on requests to the appropriate program.
If the server is invoked in interactive mode then results are sent back to the client via TCP/IP packets as they become available and the operation of the client is identical that mode in which the backend is local. That is the client is generally unaware of whether results are being computed locally or on another machine somewhere in the network.
If the server is invoked in batch mode then results are written into a Batchxyz.ext file for subsequent import into a HyperChem client, not necessarily the same one that initiated the calculations. The running number xyz is produced by the client for identification of the specific resullts. A Batchxyz.txt file may also be produced to list result in a log format.