Update to PSCAD due to Changes Made to Microsoft Visual Studio

1. Overview

If using the Intel compiler/Microsoft Visual Studio (VS) software to compile PSCAD cases, please note the following.

For certain versions of PSCAD, PSCAD Program Files must be toggled to either be able to use VS 2013 and older, or VS 2015 and newer. This requirement is due to changes made to Visual Studio libraries as of VS 2015.


The PSCAD toggle (VS 2013- and VS 2015+) is affected by PSCAD and Intel versions, as demonstrated in the following table.

PSCAD Versions Intel Versions Impacts
PSCAD v4.6.0 and older Any

Toggling is not supported in these versions of PSCAD.

Compiling is defaulted to using VS 2013 and older.

PSCAD v4.6.1 to v4.6.3 Intel 15 Update 3, and older

Regardless which setting PSCAD is toggled to, compiling is defaulted and limited to using VS 2013 and older.

Due to Intel / VS compatibility.

PSCAD v4.6.1 to v4.6.3 Intel 15 Update 4, and newer

These combinations support both toggle settings (VS 2013 and older or VS 2015 and newer).

PSCAD v5 Intel 12, Intel 13, Intel 14

Regardless which setting PSCAD is toggled to, compiling is defaulted and limited to using VS 2013 and older.

Due to PSCAD / Intel / VS compatibility.

PSCAD v5 Intel 15, Intel 16, Intel 17

These combinations support both toggle settings (VS 2013 and older or VS 2015 and newer).

PSCAD v5 Intel 18, Intel 19, Intel 20, Intel 21

Regardless which setting PSCAD is toggled to, compiling is defaulted and limited to using VS 2015 and newer.

Due to PSCAD / Intel / VS compatibility.

Notes

(i) The above information is summarized from Chart 2.b of the Compatibility Charts. Refer also to Chart 4.

(ii) A new PSCAD installation is set to use Visual Studio 2013- by default.

(iii) To determine what setting PSCAD is toggled to, refer to Step 4 below.

(iv) To toggle PSCAD to use Visual Studio 2015 and newer, refer to Step 2 below.

(v) To toggle PSCAD to use Visual Studio 2013 and older, refer to Step 3 below.

(vi) If you will be running a pre-compiled PSCAD model, please be aware there are limitations with regard to Visual Studio versions if that model contains any non-Fortran code (e.g. c-code). Refer to Step 3 of this article for further information.

2. Configuring PSCAD to use Visual Studio 2015 and Newer

If using Visual Studio 2015 and newer, use the Fortran Medic tool to configure PSCAD to "State = 63" as follows:

Note
You will be prompted whether to run this utility with Windows Administrator privileges. Select "Yes".

  • When the Fortran Medic Utility displays, click on the "Actions" menu and select "Start".

  • When the results are displayed, scroll down to your PSCAD (x64 edition) installation, right-click on the "Configure EMTDC"option, and select the option to configure PSCAD for VS 2015+. See sample below:

            Fortran Medic - Configure for VS 2015+.png (151 KB)

  • For PSCAD v4.6.3 and earlier, scroll back up to your PSCAD (x86 edition) installation, and perform the same change with this edition.

Notes

a. If the Medic utility fails to perform these changes automatically, this may be performed manually as per Solution 2 of Section 7.36 of the document posted here.

b. To check that this change has been made, re-run the Medic (from the Actions menu, select "Start"), scroll down to the PSCAD installation, and confirm that the State = 63 (see Step 4 below for further clarification).

c. If you have any issues, please refer to Step 5 Troubleshooting, below.

3. Configuring PSCAD to use Visual Studio 2013 and Older

If using Visual Studio 2013 and older, use the Fortran Medic tool to configure PSCAD to "State = 62" as follows:

  • Download the latest “FortranMedic” from our website:
    http://updater.pscad.com/utilities/FortranMedic.zip
  • Unzip the downloaded file, save it to a local drive, and run the "FortranMedic.exe" file.

    Note
    When prompted whether to run this utility with Windows Administrator privileges, select "Yes".

  • When the Fortran Medic Utility displays, click on the "Actions" menu and select "Start".

  • When the results are displayed, scroll down to your PSCAD (x64 edition) installation, right-click on the "Configure EMTDC" option, and select the option to configure PSCAD for VS 2013-. See sample below:
    Fortran Medic - Configure for VS 2013-.png (151 KB)

  • For PSCAD v4.6.3 and earlier, scroll back up to your PSCAD (x86 edition) installation, and perform the same change with this edition.

Notes

a. If the Medic utility fails to perform these changes automatically, re-install PSCAD, and the default installed configuration would be State = 62.

b. To check that this change has been made, re-run the Medic (from the Actions menu, select "Start"), scroll down to the PSCAD installation, and confirm that the State = 62 (see Step 4 below for further clarification).

c. If you have any issues, please refer to Step 5 Troubleshooting, below.

4. Determining Current Configuration

If you are unsure which Visual Studio libraries that PSCAD is currently configured for, this may be determined as follows:

  • Download the latest Fortran Medic tool from our website:

http://updater.pscad.com/utilities/FortranMedic.zip

  • Unzip the downloaded file, save it to a local drive, and run the FortranMedic.exe file.
  • Click on the Actions menu and select Start.
  • In the Medic results, scroll down to the PSCAD installations section. For example:

  • View the status for your PSCAD version (x86 or x64 as applicable):

State = 62: PSCAD is configured for using VS 2013 and earlier. For example:

State = 63: PSCAD is configured for using VS 2015 and newer. For example:

5. Troubleshooting your Setup

Please refer to the hints provided in this article.

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