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COMSOL® SOFTWARE VERSION 5.3 UPDATE 3

Released September 7, 2017
COMSOL® software version 5.3 update 3 contains performance and stability improvements to COMSOL Multiphysics®, COMSOL Server™, and COMSOL Client. The update applies to COMSOL® software version 5.3 (Build: 223), version 5.3 update 1 (Build: 248), and version 5.3 update 2 (Build: 260). The update includes all performance and stability improvements from 5.3 update 1 and update 2 and can be applied directly to an installation of version 5.3. If you have to install version 5.3, then an installation of this version will now include all the performance and stability improvements from update 1 and update 2.

If you have a version older than version 5.3 and a valid license that is on subscription, then perform a full installation of version 5.3 from the Product Download page, which will include all previous updates.

How to Apply the Software Update

Before proceeding with your installation, make sure that you close and exit any running COMSOL® processes or any software you have running that correlates to a LiveLink™ product you would like to update (Excel®, MATLAB®, or a CAD software).

Updating COMSOL Multiphysics®

The easiest way to install the update for COMSOL Multiphysics® is to start the program and then select Check for Product Updates. If using the Windows® operating system, this is located in the File menu under Help. If using the Linux® or macOS operating systems, this is located in the Help menu.

For more information on how to install the update and for offline installation, see the Additional Instructions tab below.

In order to check that the update installation was successful, first start the COMSOL Multiphysics® software and select the About COMSOL Multiphysics menu option. If using the Windows® operating system, this is located in the File menu under Help. If using the Linux® and macOS operating systems, this is located in the Help menu. The listed version should be COMSOL Multiphysics® 5.3 (Build: 316).

Updating COMSOL Server™

To update COMSOL Server™ if using the Windows® operating system, run the Update program from the COMSOL Launchers folder in the Start menu.

Note that the COMSOL Server™ service process needs to be stopped before applying the update. For more information on how to install the update, installing on other operating systems, and offline installation, see the Additional Instructions tab below.

To check that the installation was successful, first make sure that COMSOL Server™ is running, then navigate to COMSOL Server™ in a web browser and follow the About COMSOL Server™ link in the lower-right corner. The new version should be COMSOL Server™ 5.3 (Build: 316).

Updating COMSOL Client for Use with COMSOL Server™

To update COMSOL Client for the Windows® operating system, download the new version from Client Download and install. The previous 5.3 installation will be overwritten. Your installation of COMSOL Client must have the same version number as the COMSOL Server™ installation that you connect to.

The following instructions apply only if you are not using the method based on the Check for Product Updates menu item, as described above.

Updating COMSOL Multiphysics®

1

Check the Version Number

  1. Start COMSOL Multiphysics®.
  2. Open the About COMSOL Multiphysics dialog box. If using the Windows® operating system, the dialog box can be found in the File menu under Help. If using either the Linux® or macOS operating systems, the dialog box can be found under the Help menu.
  3. Check that the version number is 5.3 (Build: 223, 248, or 260). This corresponds to the version that has not yet been updated.
2

Install the Update

Before you proceed with the installation, make sure to exit any running COMSOL Multiphysics® processes or any software you have running that correlates to a LiveLink™ product you would like to update (Excel®, MATLAB®, or a CAD software).

  1. Start the COMSOL® software update installer:
    • Windows® operating systems: Run the Update program from the COMSOL Launchers folder in the Start menu, or directly from the COMSOL 5.3 installation folder. The COMSOL Launchers folder can be found in the installation folder, for example, C:\Program Files\COMSOL\COMSOL53\Multiphysics\COMSOL Launchers.
    • Linux® operating systems: Run the update script from the COMSOL 5.3 installation directory, for example, /usr/local/comsol53/multiphysics.
    • macOS operating systems: Run the COMSOL Update application from the COMSOL 5.3 installation directory, for example, /Applications/COMSOL53/Multiphysics.
  2. The next step will be taken in the installer program's Options page and depends on whether or not you have a live internet connection or if you plan to download the update file for offline installation:
    • If you have an internet connection: Keep the Direct download setting.
    • If you have an internet connection via a proxy server: Select Download via proxy server and enter your proxy configuration settings.
    • If you do not have an internet connection on the target computer or if you want to apply the update several times on multiple computers: Download the following file to a folder on your computer
      DOWNLOAD UPDATE (276 MB)
      In the installer program, select Manual download and click Browse. Navigate to the downloaded file and click Open.
  3. Click Next to get to the Release Notes page for reviewing the update details.
  4. Click Next to get to the Install page and review the software components affected by the update.
  5. In the Install page, click Install to start the installation of the update.
3

Check the Installation

  1. Start COMSOL Multiphysics®.
  2. Open the About COMSOL Multiphysics dialog box. If using the Windows® operating system, this is located in the File menu under Help. If using the Linux® and macOS operating systems, this is located in the Help menu.
  3. Check that the version number is 5.3 (Build: 316). If not, the installation did not succeed.

Updating COMSOL Server™

1

Check the Version Number

  1. Navigate to the running version of COMSOL Server™ in a web browser.
  2. Click the About COMSOL Server link in the lower-right corner.
  3. Check that the version number is 5.3 (Build: 223, 248, or 260). This corresponds to the version that has not yet been updated.
2

Stop COMSOL Server™

Before you proceed with the installation, make sure to stop any running COMSOL Server™ processes.

  1. In Windows®: Stop the server by either typing close, if COMSOL Server™ is running in a command window, or by running the Stop COMSOL Server shortcut from the COMSOL Launchers folder in the start menu, if COMSOL Server™ is installed as a Windows® service.
  2. In Linux®: If you configured COMSOL Server™ using the systemd service, stop it by typing systemctl stop comsolserver53; otherwise, kill the COMSOL Server™ process.
  3. In macOS: Kill the COMSOL Server™ process.
3

Install the Update

Before you proceed with the installation, make sure to stop any running COMSOL Server™ processes, as described above.

  1. Start the COMSOL® software update installer:
    • Windows® operating systems: Run the Update program from the COMSOL Launchers folder in the Start menu, or directly from the COMSOL 5.3 installation folder. The COMSOL Launchers folder can be found in the installation folder, for example, C:\Program Files\COMSOL\COMSOL53\Server\COMSOL Launchers.
    • Linux® operating systems: Run the update script from the COMSOL 5.3 installation directory, for example, /usr/local/comsol53/server.
    • macOS operating systems: Run the COMSOL Update application from the COMSOL 5.3 installation directory, for example, /Applications/COMSOL53/Server.
  2. The next step will be taken in the installer program's Options page and depends on whether or not you have a live internet connection or if you plan to download the update file for offline installation:
    • If you have an internet connection: Keep the Direct download setting.
    • If you have an internet connection via a proxy server: Select Download via proxy server and enter your proxy configuration settings.
    • If you do not have an internet connection on the target computer or if you want to apply the update several times on multiple computers: Download the following file to a folder on your computer
      DOWNLOAD UPDATE (276 MB)
      In the installer program, select Manual download and click Browse. Navigate to the downloaded file and click Open.
  3. Click Next to get to the Release Notes page for reviewing the update details.
  4. Click Next to get to the Install page and review the software components affected by the update.
  5. In the Install page, click Install to start the installation of the update.
4

Start COMSOL Server™ Again

  • In Windows®: Start COMSOL Server™ by using the COMSOL Server shortcut in the start menu. Alternatively, if COMSOL Server™ was installed as a Windows® service, start it by using the Start COMSOL Server shortcut.
  • In Linux®: If you configured COMSOL Server™ using the systemd service, start it by typing systemctl start comsolserver53; otherwise, type <installation directory="">/bin/comsol server to start COMSOL Server™.
  • In macOS: Type <installation directory="">/bin/comsol server to start COMSOL Server™.
5

Check the Installation

  1. Navigate to the running version of COMSOL Server™ in a web browser.
  2. Click the About COMSOL Server link in the lower-right corner
  3. Check that the version number is 5.3 (Build: 316). (If not, the installation did not succeed.)

Manual Installation

To manually install the different products, please follow the steps below.

Manual Update of COMSOL Multiphysics®

1

Check the Version Number

  1. Start COMSOL Multiphysics®.
  2. Open the About COMSOL Multiphysics dialog box. If using the Windows® operating system, the dialog box can be found in the File menu under Help. If using either the Linux® or macOS operating systems, the dialog box can be found under the Help menu.
  3. Check that the version number is 5.3 (Build: 223, 248, or 260). This corresponds to the version that has not yet been updated.
2

Download the Update Files

Click on the appropriate link below to download the update. In some browsers, such as Internet Explorer® browser, a dialog box will then open where you can click Run directly after the download has occurred. Before clicking Run, make sure that you have closed all COMSOL sessions. In other browsers, such as Chrome™ browser, you have to select the downloaded file and run it.

Additional Product-Specific Update Files

If you have a license for any of the products listed in the table below, please also download the corresponding update:

Product Update(s)
CAD Import Module Windows - comsol_5.3.0.316_cad_win.exe
Linux - comsol_5.3.0.316_cad_linux.tar.gz
macOS - comsol_5.3.0.316_cad_mac.dmg
LiveLink™ for Excel® Windows - comsol_5.3.0.316_llexcel_win.exe
LiveLink™ for Inventor® Windows - comsol_5.3.0.316_llinv_win.exe
LiveLink™ for MATLAB® Windows - comsol_5.3.0.316_mli_win.exe
Linux - comsol_5.3.0.316_mli_linux.tar.gz
macOS - comsol_5.3.0.316_mli_mac.dmg
LiveLink™ for SOLIDWORKS® Windows - comsol_5.3.0.316_llsw_win.exe
3

Installation

Before you proceed with the installation, make sure you have closed any COMSOL sessions or stopped any running COMSOL processes or any software you have running that correlates to a LiveLink™ product you would like to update (Excel®, MATLAB®, or a CAD software).

Windows® Operating Systems

Run the downloaded .exe file to extract the update to the COMSOL 5.3 installation directory, for example C:\Program Files\COMSOL\COMSOL53\Multiphysics.

Linux® Operating Systems

Copy the downloaded .tar.gz file to the COMSOL 5.3 installation directory:

cp comsol_5.3.0.316_linux.tar.gz [installdir]

where [installdir] is the root of the installation, for example

/usr/local/comsol53/multiphysics.

Unpack the installation with the commands:

cd [installdir] tar xvzf comsol_5.3.0.316_linux.tar.gz

macOS Operating Systems

Double-click the downloaded .dmg file to mount the disk image. In the Finder, open the mounted disk and double-click the COMSOL installer icon. Select your COMSOL installation folder, usually called comsol53/Multiphysics.

4

Check the Installation

  1. Start COMSOL Multiphysics®.
  2. Open the About COMSOL Multiphysics dialog box. If using the Windows® operating system, this is located in the File menu under Help. If using the Linux® and macOS operating systems, this is located in the Help menu.
  3. Check that the version number is 5.3 (Build: 316). If not, the installation did not succeed.

Manual Update of COMSOL Server™

1

Check the Version Number

  1. Navigate to the running version of COMSOL Server™ in a web browser.
  2. Click the About COMSOL Server link in the lower-right corner.
  3. Check that the version number is 5.3 (Build: 223, 248, or 260). This corresponds to the version that has not yet been updated.
2

Stop COMSOL Server™

Before you proceed with the installation, make sure to stop any running COMSOL Server™ processes.

  1. In Windows®: Stop the server by either typing close, if COMSOL Server™ is running in a command window, or by running the Stop COMSOL Server shortcut from the COMSOL Launchers folder in the start menu, if COMSOL Server™ is installed as a Windows® service.
  2. In Linux®: If you configured COMSOL Server™ using the systemd service, stop it by typing systemctl stop comsolserver53; otherwise, kill the COMSOL Server™ process.
  3. In macOS: Kill the COMSOL Server™ process.
3

Download the Update Files

In some browsers, such as Internet Explorer® browser, a dialog box will then open where you can click Run directly after the download has occurred. Before clicking Run, make sure that you have closed all COMSOL sessions. In other browsers, such as Chrome™ browser, you have to select the downloaded file and run it.

Additional Product-Specific Update Files

If you have a license for any of the products listed in the table below, please also download the corresponding update:

Product Update(s)
CAD Import Module Windows - comsol_5.3.0.316_cad_win_server.exe
Linux - comsol_5.3.0.316_cad_linux_server.tar.gz
macOS - comsol_5.3.0.316_cad_mac_server.dmg
LiveLink™ for MATLAB® Windows - comsol_5.3.0.316_mli_win_server.exe
Linux - comsol_5.3.0.316_mli_linux_server.tar.gz
macOS - comsol_5.3.0.316_mli_mac_server.dmg
4

Installation

Before you proceed with the installation, make sure you have closed any COMSOL sessions or stopped any running COMSOL processes.

Windows® Operating Systems

Run the downloaded .exe file to extract the update to the COMSOL 5.3 installation directory, for example C:\Program Files\COMSOL\COMSOL53\Server.

Linux® Operating Systems

Copy the downloaded .tar.gz file to the COMSOL 5.3 installation directory:

cp comsol_5.3.0.316_linux_server.tar.gz [installdir]

where [installdir] is the root of the installation, for example

/usr/local/comsol53/server.

Unpack the installation with the commands:

cd [installdir] tar xvzf comsol_5.3.0.316_linux_server.tar.gz

macOS Operating Systems

Double-click the downloaded .dmg file to mount the disk image. In the Finder, open the mounted disk and double-click the COMSOL installer icon. Select your COMSOL installation folder, usually called COMSOL53/Server.

5

Start COMSOL Server™ Again

  • In Windows®: Start COMSOL Server™ by using the COMSOL Server shortcut in the start menu. Alternatively, if COMSOL Server™ was installed as a Windows® service, start it by using the Start COMSOL Server shortcut.
  • In Linux®: If you configured COMSOL Server™ using the systemd service, start it by typing systemctl start comsolserver53; otherwise, type <installation directory="">/bin/comsol server to start COMSOL Server™.
  • In macOS: Type <installation directory="">/bin/comsol server to start COMSOL Server™.
6

Check the Installation

  1. Navigate to the running version of COMSOL Server™ in a web browser.
  2. Click the About COMSOL Server link in the lower-right corner
  3. Check that the version number is 5.3 (Build: 316). (If not, the installation did not succeed.)

Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, AutoCAD, Inventor, and Revit are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Chrome is a trademark of Google Inc. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries. macOS is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft, Internet Explorer, Excel, and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. MATLAB is a registered trademark of The MathWorks, Inc. PTC, Creo, and Creo Parametric are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and in other countries. Solid Edge is a trademark or registered trademark of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. SOLIDWORKS is a registered trademark of Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp.

All COMSOL® software products undergo stability improvements that are introduced as updates. The following list contains the most important improvements in COMSOL® version 5.3 update 3 (including those of update 1 and 2).

COMSOL Multiphysics

  • Improved the responsiveness of the online context-sensitive help.
  • Fixed a character-encoding error for the Simplified Chinese help desk page.
  • Fixed a problem that would cause an unnecessary mesh rebuild when opening an old model; this problem only affected models using Mesh Parts under Global Definitions.
  • Fixed an issue pertaining to importing a mesh to the Geometry node in the model tree or when remeshing a Deformed Geometry, where the existence of isolated edges and vertices could lead to a corrupt geometry and render the COMSOL Multiphysics® software unstable.
  • Added two new built-in methods for returning information associated with a model tree View node in the API; the view.geom() method returns either the geometry sequence or null for views not associated with a geometry, while the view.getSDim() method returns the space dimension.
  • Changed the default constraint method for periodic conditions from the Elemental type to Nodal; this change makes the default constraint method consistent with earlier versions.
  • Improved the terminology in the COMSOL Desktop® user interface for the Spanish and French languages.
  • Improved the performance of initialization of solutions and made other miscellaneous performance improvements.
  • Added an error message for when unmeshed domains are included in the selection of the Geometrical Optics or Ray Acoustics interfaces; ordinarily, unmeshed domains and voids should be excluded from the physics interface selection in these cases.
  • Fixed a problem that prevented opening MPH-files stored on a Samba® disk when running on macOS operating system software.
  • Added functionality so that the iterative solver suggestion now works for acoustic-structure interaction in the time domain.
  • Fixed a problem related to accessing locally installed help files when running COMSOL Multiphysics® connected to a remote COMSOL Multiphysics® server session.
  • Improved the performance of certain variables used in the interfaces based on the boundary element method for the case where these were evaluated inside component coupling operators.
  • Fixed a problem with the COMSOL Multiphysics® server so that it now works properly on Linux® clusters.1
  • The predefined iterative solver suggestion for acoustic-piezoelectric interaction models now works in the time domain.1
  • Improved the stability of the Application Library Update in various ways, including instant integration of added or modified model documentation.2
  • Fixed app layout issues and corrected an error that could be triggered as the result of an undefined variable.2
  • Fixed a problem when using the Stabilized Convection-Diffusion Equation interface in combination with a unit system set to None.2
  • The KdV Equation and Solitons model in the Equation Based folder in the COMSOL Multiphysics Application Library has been improved with a better time resolution.2
  • Corrected an error that caused the SCGS smoother with Vanka variables to work incorrectly in cluster simulations.2
  • Fixed a problem that would occur when saving MPH-files that were temporarily locked by other programs such as file synchronization software like Google Drive™ online storage service or Dropbox® storage.2

COMSOL Server™

  • Fixed several stability issues.

AC/DC Module

  • Improved the performance of some of the demo applications in the Application Libraries.
  • Improved the performance of certain variables used in the interfaces based on the boundary element method for the case where these were evaluated inside component coupling operators.

Acoustics Module

  • Corrected the formulation of the time-domain PML for pressure acoustics in order to eliminate unwanted reflections for 2D axisymmetric models.
  • Improved the dynamic help of the Acoustics Module.2
  • Fix of an error in the expression for the compressibility in the Johnson-Champoux-Allard-Lafarge option for the Poroacoustics feature.2

Application Builder

  • Fixed an issue with running External Class nodes through Batch jobs.2

CAD Import Module

  • Fixed an issue pertaining to performing Defeaturing and Repair where the error message "Error when serializing reference to: GeomObject" would appear when attempting to run a Study a second time.
  • Fixed a problem with using the File Import for CATIA® V5 product where importing certain CATIA® V5 files incorrectly gave the error "File version is not supported" in version 5.3.

CFD Module

  • Updated the Two-Phase Flow multiphysics coupling node in the model tree so that the temperature input field is always visible.

Chemical Reaction Engineering Module

  • Updated the step-by-step modeling instructions for the Zone Electrophoresis model.

ECAD Module

  • Fixed a problem with importing ODB++ files where certain text objects were not automatically identified and ignored.
  • Fixed a problem when importing GDS files that contain mirrored arrays.2

Electrodeposition Module

  • Improved the step-by-step modeling instructions for the Rotating Cylinder Hull Cell model.

Geomechanics Module

  • Fixed an error in the isotropic hardening option when used together with an elliptic cap in the soil plasticity material models.

Heat Transfer Module

  • Corrected the expressions used for the postprocessing variables nteflux and nteeflux for models based on the Thermoelectric Effect interface.
  • Enabled Thermal Expansion for models with an Isothermal Domain.
  • Fixed a problem with the definitions of the Td and Tu variables, available on boundaries, which would occur in some configurations where an Isothermal Domain interface and a Thin Layer were combined.
  • Improved the equation display for the Moist Air version of the Moisture Transport interface.
  • Fixed the inverted legend on natural convection sketches.2
  • Fixed the definition of energy balance postprocessing variables for models that have a diffuse surface boundary condition on internal boundaries.2
  • Fixed a problem with missing entities in selections loaded from assembly components.2

LiveLink™ for Inventor®

  • Fixed a problem where selections would sometimes not work subsequent to adding a feature node in the Model Builder of the One Window interface.

LiveLink™ for MATLAB®

  • Fixed a problem pertaining to using mphstart and mphlaunch when there was a space in the installation path of COMSOL Multiphysics®.
  • Fixed a problem pertaining to mphnavigator that would occur when clicking "Copy set" and simultaneously selecting a parameter node in the model tree.

Nonlinear Structural Mechanics Module

  • Fixed a circular dependency error that would sometimes occur when combining viscoelasticity with a user-defined hyperelastic material.
  • Corrected an error where a variable name could be undefined in the Navarro-Herring creep model.2

Plasma Module

  • Fixed an undefined variable error that could occur with the Symmetry boundary condition in the Heavy Species interface.
  • Added the correct weak contributions for the Flux condition in the Heavy Species Transport interface on boundaries with a nonzero normal velocity.

Ray Optics Module

  • Corrected the description of the gopminop1 component coupling, which contained an error.
  • Fixed a problem with the Illuminated Surface feature so that the initialization of ray intensity now works in 2D axisymmetric models.1
  • Fixed a problem with the Inlet feature for the Geometrical Optics interface so that ray direction initialization now works in 2D axisymmetric models.1

Structural Mechanics Module

  • Corrected an error where, in certain cases, the strain variable computed in a Spring Foundation node had the wrong sign.
  • Updated the heat source term for the Thermoelasticity interface so that it is now nonzero only when the Structural transient behavior setting is set to Include inertial terms.
  • Corrected an error that made it impossible to use a Point Mass condition in the 2D version of the Beam interface; this error occurred in cases where the Study property Include geometric nonlinearity was enabled.
  • Fixed an error in the External Stress node in the Shell interface where the added stress could become incorrect if the Global coordinate system option was selected and another coordinate system was simultaneously used in the Shell Local System node in the model tree.
  • Fixed a problem where the computed moment was incorrect in cases where Evaluate reaction forces had been selected for a Rigid Connector in the Solid Mechanics interface; the result was previously scaled by the area of the boundaries to which the Rigid Connector was attached.
  • Fixed a problem in the Beam interface that made it impossible to use variables or expressions in the input fields for Section Orientation.
  • Fixed a problem that would occur when the Solid Mechanics interface was used together with the Optimization Module interfaces in certain cases, causing an excessive number of constraints to be generated.
  • Corrected an error that made it impossible to combine the features External Stress Relation and Contact.2
  • Fixed a problem that would occur when exporting beam section properties.2
  • Fixed a problem that would occur when 2D models contained more than one Rigid Connector feature having a Mass and Moment of Inertia attribute.2

1 New in update 2
2 New in update 3

Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, AutoCAD, Inventor, and Revit are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Chrome and Google Drive are trademarks of Google Inc. Dropbox is a registered trademark of Dropbox, Inc. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries. macOS is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft, Internet Explorer, Excel, and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. MATLAB is a registered trademark of The MathWorks, Inc. PTC, Creo, and Creo Parametric are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and in other countries. Solid Edge is a trademark or registered trademark of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. SOLIDWORKS is a registered trademark of Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp.