[rbaCFD]

Hi all,
I installed OpenFOAM v1612 in February and now I want to update to v1706. I have read that instead of installing binary files that OF provides, is better to use the Build Guide:
http://openfoam.com/code/build-guide.php

However, I don´t understand what is the purpose of that. Do I need to compile OpenFOAM every time I want to use the updates of the new version?

Thanks in advance. Kind regards,

Ricardo

[wyldckat]

Greetings Ricardo,

Originally Posted by rbaCFD

However, I don´t understand what is the purpose of that. Do I need to compile OpenFOAM every time I want to use the updates of the new version?

It depends on how and where you use OpenFOAM.

Building from source code is useful if you are using OpenFOAM on a cluster, supercomputer or a high performance workstation, so that the compiler can adjust the binaries to the hardware where it's being used, along with using the software stack that those machines already have installed.

But if you use on a laptop with a CPU that has 4 cores and only run for a few hours a day, then installing the pre-built binary might be good enough for your daily use.

Technically, you can have more than one version and forks/variants of OpenFOAM installed. This is usually done so that users can compare what changed between versions, may it be regarding the case set-up or due to a modification in the solvers.

Best regards,
Bruno

[rbaCFD]

Originally Posted by wyldckat

Greetings Ricardo,


It depends on how and where you use OpenFOAM.

Building from source code is useful if you are using OpenFOAM on a cluster, supercomputer or a high performance workstation, so that the compiler can adjust the binaries to the hardware where it's being used, along with using the software stack that those machines already have installed.

But if you use on a laptop with a CPU that has 4 cores and only run for a few hours a day, then installing the pre-built binary might be good enough for your daily use.

Technically, you can have more than one version and forks/variants of OpenFOAM installed. This is usually done so that users can compare what changed between versions, may it be regarding the case set-up or due to a modification in the solvers.

Best regards,
Bruno

Thanks Bruno
Kind regards