Computing Requirements

PSCAD is a numerically intensive power system transients simulator; a fast and efficient personal computer is recommended for best results. PSCAD is supported on any computer running Microsoft® Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 10.

Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 SP0 are not supported for versions 4.6.0 and higher.

1To obtain specifications for extremely high workloads, please contact the PSCAD Support Desk for information (support@pscad.com).

2Personal computers configured with slower processors and lesser RAM may be used, but slower execution performance will result.  In other words, simulation speed increases with processor speed and amount of installed RAM..

3Licensing: For PSCAD v4.6 and above, internet-based certificate licensing is available, along with the older lock-based licensing. An Internet connection is required only to activate and refresh the license certificate. Once refreshed, PSCAD may be set to be used offline for a period of time. For the older lock-based licensing, a USB 2.0 port or better is required for the hardware lock on the machine on which the license is installed (on either a license server or on the PSCAD client machine)..

4In addition to official support on Microsoft® Windows 7 64-bit SP1 and Windows 10*, here are some additional notes about Operating Systems:

• PSCAD Software:

• The PSCAD product is sold as a 32-bit and 64-bit application. On a 64-bit machine, both applications are installed. On a 32-bit machine, only the 32-bit application is installed.

• It may be possible to also run PSCAD v4.6 on Windows 8, 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, and Windows Server 2012 R2.

• PSCAD v4.6 is not supported on Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 SP0.

• It may be possible to also run PSCAD on a virtual machine.

• License Manager Software:

• The License Manager supports Windows x86 and x64 platforms.

• License Manager v1.43 (released with PSCAD v4.6.2) and better is supported on Windows 10*.

• It may be possible to also run the License Manager on Windows 8, 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, and Windows Server 2012 R2.

• License Manager v1.43 is not supported on Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 SP0.

• It may be possible to host the License Manager on a virtual server. The USB lock must be connected; for details, contact the PSCAD Support Desk for information (support@pscad.com).

• Network Lock-based Licensing (licensing is performed over the network):

• PSCAD lock-based licensing is not supported in cloud desktop environments because generally they are not connected to the corporate network.

• It may be possible to use virtual private network (VPN) to log into the corporate network so that PSCAD can contact the License Manager.

• Local lock-based Licensing (licensing is installed on the PSCAD client machine):

• Running PSCAD in a cloud desktop environment is not supported.

• It may be possible to use a virtual private network (VPN) to log in to a remote machine on which the software and licensing are installed.

*Contact the PSCAD Support Desk for information (support@pscad.com) for known issues and solutions when running PSCAD on Windows 10.  

5A FORTRAN compiler is required to compile PSCAD cases. The Intel® Visual Fortran Compiler for Windows 2015 has been shown to provide EMTDC runtime executables that are significantly faster than those built by its predecessors (Intel Visual Fortran 9 to 11). The latest Line Constants Program is also built with this compiler, with significant speed enhancements as well. You may purchase the Intel® Parallel Studio XE (Composer Edition) directly from the Intel Corporation from here.

Notes:

• Using the Intel compiler requires that a compatible version of Microsoft® Visual Studio also be installed. A free edition comes bundled with the compiler, or a commercial edition must be purchased if compiling C-code. Alternatively, the GFortran 95 compiler that comes bundled with PSCAD may be used to compile PSCAD cases with or without C-code, but is not recommended for running larger cases.
• The Intel® Visual Fortran Compiler for Windows is not supported in the PSCAD Free Edition, which uses only the GFortran 95 compiler.

6PSCAD requires that Microsoft® .NET Framework 4.0 Full be installed. This framework comes complete with the Microsoft® Windows 7 operating system and later, but is not included with Microsoft® Windows Vista. If not already installed on your computer, the installer will automatically install Microsoft® .NET Framework 4.0 Full.

7PSCAD v4.6 requires that Microsoft®  Visual C++ 2015 Redistributables be installed. The 32-bit edition is required on Windows 32, and both the 32-bit and 64-bit editions are required on Windows 64. If not already installed on your computer, the installer will automatically install Microsoft® Visual C++ 2015 Redistributables.

8The user must have permissions with regard to the following folders:

• The Common Documents folder must be present and configured to allow PSCAD and its related utilities read/write file access and sub-folder creation permission.

For example:

• C:\Users\Public\Documents

Specifically, if using PSCAD v4.6 and better, the following two sub-folders will be created, and the user must have permissions on these:

• C:\Users\Public\Documents\Manitoba HVDC Research Centre

• C:\Users\Public\Documents\PSCAD

• The following sub-folders will be created, and must allow PSCAD and its related utilities read/write file access and sub-folder creation permission:
• C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Manitoba HVDC Research Centre
• C:\ProgramData\Manitoba HVDC Research Centre

9The protection software must allow the following actions:

• When a case is run, executable files must be allowed to be generated and launched. Contact the PSCAD Support Desk (support@pscad.com) for a list of these files.
• PSCAD and the executables listed above must be able to communicate over TCP/IP for the purpose of simulation control and data collection for plots.
• The following ports must be available to PSCAD users:
• For Certificate Licensing: Ports 80 and 443.
• For Lock-based Licensing: Port 2053.
• For PSCAD and EMTDC communication: Ports 30,000 to 40,000.
• For lock-based licensing performed over the network:
• ICMP Ping Echo and ICMP Ping Reply must be enabled on the Firewall for the Host and Client machines.
• Ports 2053 and 2054 must be open on the firewall, with communication protocol TCP/IP and UDP/IP.
• For the Educational or Professional Edition, the executables must not be blocked. These files are normally found in a path similar to the following:
• For the 32-bit Edition of PSCAD:  C:\Program Files (x86)\PSCAD46\bin\win\pscad.exe
• For the 64-bit Edition of PSCAD:  C:\Program Files (x86)\PSCAD46\bin\win64\pscad.exe
• PSCAD requires access to our license server to use certificate licensing. Specifically, one or both of the following URL should be added to the whitelists of the anti-virus and firewall software:
• http://licensing.pscad.com:80/Licensing (preferred)
• net.tcp://licensing.pscad.com:443/Licensing (fallback)

10Windows Privileges and Access:

1If MyUpdater will be used to install, update, or uninstall software, user must have Administrator rights. If MyUpdater will be used to just launch software, then a user only requires User rights.

2Access is required for downloading the latest posted version. No access is required when using the installed version (typically more dated).

3If license is hosted on a remote server, access is required.