AMPL, CPLEX, and Other Solvers
We have several solver systems available for use on different machines.
AMPL is a modeling language for mathematical programming. It allows you to set up sets of equations to solve for operations research. AMPL uses various solvers to solve different kinds of problems.
We have several different versions of AMPL and solvers available from different sources; you will have to do a bit of experimentation to know which solver is the right one for your project.
There are two versions of the CPLEX solver available, one from ILOG, which includes its own version of AMPL, and one from IBM, which does not include AMPL.
We also have the AMPL.com AMPL, which includes several solvers (but not CPLEX).
Warning: Because some of these packages include binaries with the same name, you will need to log out and then back in to clear your shell environment before using another tool.
AMPL.com AMPL
AMPL.com sells AMPL packaged with a number of solvers, including CONOPT, KNITRO, MINOS, and SNOPT.
| Number of Licenses | 1 |
|---|---|
| Install Location | /shared/local/ampl |
| Machines It Can Run On | any (license manager on esme) |
| Supported Architectures | 32- and 64-bit Linux, Windows, Mac OS X |
| Documentation & Examples | In subdirectories of the main distribution. |
Running the Programs
You need to set up your shell environment so that the programs are
in your PATH and they can find their license file.
For C-shell variants (default shell; includes tcsh,
csh):
source /shared/local/ampl/ampl-shell-setup.csh
For Bourne-shell variants (includes sh,
bash, zsh):
. /shared/local/ampl/ampl-shell-setup.sh
You can now run ampl, conopt,
knitro, minos, snopt, and so
on.
ILOG AMPL/CPLEX
ILOG produced a version of the CPLEX solver that included its own copy of AMPL.
| Number of Licenses | 1 |
|---|---|
| Install Location | /shared/local/ilog |
| Machines It Can Run On | ponder (node-locked) |
| Supported Architectures | 32- and 64-bit Linux |
| Documentation & Examples | In subdirectories of the main distribution. |
Running the Programs
You need to set up your shell environment so that the programs are
in your PATH and they can find their license file.
For C-shell variants (default shell; includes tcsh,
csh):
source /shared/local/ilog/local/ilm-shell-setup.csh
For Bourne-shell variants (includes sh,
bash, zsh):
. /shared/local/ilog/local/ilm-shell-setup.sh
You can now run cplex, convert,
ampl, and so on.
IBM CPLEX
In 2009, ILOG was purchased by IBM, and IBM has made a version of the CPLEX solver without AMPL available.
| Number of Licenses | 1 (but multiple runs okay) |
|---|---|
| Install Location | /shared/local/sw/ibm-ilog |
| Machines It Can Run On | any |
| Supported Architectures | 32- and 64-bit Linux, Windows, Mac OS X |
| Documentation & Examples | In subdirectories of the main distribution. |
Running the Programs
You need to set up your shell environment so that the programs are
in your PATH and they can find their license file.
For C-shell variants (default shell; includes tcsh,
csh):
source /shared/local/sw/ibm-ilog/local/ilog-shell-setup.csh
For Bourne-shell variants (includes sh,
bash, zsh):
. /shared/local/sw/ibm-ilog/local/ilog-shell-setup.sh
You can now run cplex, convert, and so
on.
