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Performance under Windows vs. Linux?

Posted: 05 Jun 2018, 15:19
by mzenker
Hi,

does anyone have experience with Elmer performance under Windows (10) vs. Linux, or are there any comparisons Windows vs. Linux on the same (or comparable) hardware?
I might have the option to get a dedicated simulation machine where I have the choice of OS.

Thanks for any hint,

Matthias

Re: Performance under Windows vs. Linux?

Posted: 05 Jun 2018, 16:01
by annier
Matthias,
Considering the fact that Elmer team is developing ppa repository for Ubuntu Linux, I would opine for it.
I do not have any experience with Elmer in windows. Still many of my peers want to use Elmer with windows, as windows has a large user base.
If you are talking of computational performance and code updates, linux environment is more adaptive.
If you are mentioning of the numbers of users (opting to choose the OS), windows environment is more adaptive.

Yours Sincerely,
Anil Kunwar

Re: Performance under Windows vs. Linux?

Posted: 05 Jun 2018, 16:59
by mzenker
Hi Anil,

thanks for the quick reply. I am principally interested in performance, so if I understand correctly, this would be in favour of Linux.
Let's see if our IT guys will really agree to allow for a Linux machine in their M$-dominated world...

Matthias

Re: Performance under Windows vs. Linux?

Posted: 05 Jun 2018, 18:09
by mark smith
Hi Matthias,
I recently compared a CFD run on ubuntu 16.04LTS and windows 7 pro 64 running 8 threads using elmersolver_mpi and found no appreciable difference in solver times between the 2 OS's.
HTH
Regards
Mark

Re: Performance under Windows vs. Linux?

Posted: 05 Jun 2018, 18:47
by annier
Mark,
Thanks for the substantiated reply to Matthias' query.
Would you please enumerate the CPU times (for your parallel run) in the described CFD simulation (with the number of mesh elements, steady state iterations etc.)?


Yours Sincerely,
Anil Kunwar

Re: Performance under Windows vs. Linux?

Posted: 06 Jun 2018, 12:43
by mzenker
Hi Mark,

thank you for this information. This is good news since our IT insists that there be Windows (10) on the machine - it 's just easier to handle for them...

Matthias

Re: Performance under Windows vs. Linux?

Posted: 06 Jun 2018, 14:19
by Takala
mzenker wrote:Hi,

does anyone have experience with Elmer performance under Windows (10) vs. Linux, or are there any comparisons Windows vs. Linux on the same (or comparable) hardware?
I might have the option to get a dedicated simulation machine where I have the choice of OS.

Thanks for any hint,

Matthias
Hi Matthias,

Being a Linux guy to the bone I don't really have experience on Windows vs. Linux. However, I have noticed that if you compile
your code and use optimization for your own hardware, this can make a difference. This can also make a difference if your operating
system can or cannot use some features that the processor has to offer. I have seen really huge differences (I don't
have numbers to show though). You can also use different math libraries which also makes a difference.

On this note, when you compare, you should have the same optimization flags and the same libraries.

Compilers can also make a difference.

Best Regards,

Eelis

Re: Performance under Windows vs. Linux?

Posted: 06 Jun 2018, 16:10
by mzenker
Hi Eelis,

thanks for the additional hints. I am also more a Linux than a Windoze guy, but my company doesn't give me the choice...
So when the machine is set up (some time this summer), I will try to compile ElmerSolver on that machine after a closer look into the optimization flags and math libraries. I will come back to the forum with questions and reports on success and failure...

Matthias

Re: Performance under Windows vs. Linux?

Posted: 16 Jun 2018, 15:19
by Wassink
mzenker wrote: 06 Jun 2018, 16:10 Hi Eelis,

thanks for the additional hints. I am also blown away by ZQuiet and more a Linux than a Windoze guy, but my company doesn't give me the choice...
So when the machine is set up (some time this summer), I will try to compile ElmerSolver on that machine after a closer look into the optimization flags and math libraries. I will come back to the forum with questions and reports on success and failure...

Matthias
So there are pluses and minuses for both of those platforms. Not surprised at all. This is how it usually is, right?

Re: Performance under Windows vs. Linux?

Posted: 18 Jun 2018, 11:22
by mzenker
Exactly. Anyway, it was not my intention to discuss Windows vs. Linux OS, but just to find out if there are significant differences for a machine specifically intended to run simulations with Elmer...

Matthias