Installation of CCX_2.23 fun

[CharlieM]

Installation of CCX_2.23 fun

Thanks y’all for your help.

I have been following the instructions from ccx_2.23.readme.install.

a. From page 1, I have downloaded the ccx — .tar.bz2 files and bunzip2 and untar them.

b. From page 1, I have downloaded the SPOOLES.2.2 and ARPACk files.

Do I need to compile or makefile to these files? If so, how. The instructions are not clear.

The writing then says something about access to the SGI scientific library. Do I need this library? Is it worth having? If so, where can I get it? The complib-sgi appears to be active.

Complib – SGI – SUPERCOMPUTER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTRE

The page then says to go to item 4.

In the ccx_2.23/src I typed make and there were various errors while it did whatever it did.

At the end I got a whole bunch of stuff, ending in the following:

cc -Wall -O2 -I ../../../SPOOLES.2.2 -DARCH=“Linux” -DSPOOLES -DARPACK -DMATRIXSTORAGE -DNETWORKOUT -c
add_rect.c
cc -Wall -O2 -I ../../../SPOOLES.2.2 -DARCH=“Linux” -DSPOOLES -DARPACK -DMATRIXSTORAGE -DNETWORKOUT -c
arpack.c
In file included from arpack.c:26:
spooles.h:26:10: fatal error: misc.h: No such file or directory
26 | #include <misc.h>
| ^~~~~~~~
compilation terminated.
make: *** [Makefile:9: arpack.o] Error 1
charlie@charlie-desktop:~/Downloads/CalculiX/ccx_2.23/src$

What do I need to do to fix this?

Thanks,

Charlie

m

[Durbul]

If you just want to get started, you can try the 2.23 executable on the calculix.de website.

If you want to compile a custom version, but not care about the dependencies, you can use the libraries available in the Ubuntu packet manager:

libarpack2-dev libspooles-dev

If you also want to compile the dependencies, there are good instructions on the preCICE website: Get CalculiX | preCICE - The Coupling Library

SGI is not required. If you want a faster solver, I would recommend PaStiX, but one after the other.

[fgr]

@CharlieM the problem consists in that the header file <misc.h> doesn’t exist in the include path “-I ../../../SPOOLES.2.2” , so the right way to fix this error will be to search for <misc.h> where the header files for SPOOLES.2.2 exist and add this path into your search path ex. “-I ../../xxxxx”

The dirty way to fix the error will be just to put the header file in comment. The header file only exists in these 2 files spooles.h

and cascade.c

Personal I suppose this header file <misc.h> to be legacy from old ccx code which never have been fully clean up.

[CharlieM]

Hello Durbul, Many thanks for your advice and support.

The calculix.de website has a line about Downloads which in turn leads to https://www.dhondt.de/ which leads me to what I was trying to do. I have been trying to follow the instructions listed in ccx_2.23.README.INSTALL.

It is not clear on www.dhondt.de which line leads to a simple executable program if there is an executable program.

It is not clear in the ccx—README.INSTALL where or how to load an executable ccx_2.23.

I have safely managed without injury to myself or blowing up my computer to do steps 1,2, and 3 where 3 was giving me problems in particular trying to find SPOOLES and ARPACK.

1. copy ccx_2.23.src.tar.bz2, ccx_2.23.doc.tar.bz2,
   ccx_2.23.test.tar.bz2 and ccx_2.23.README.INSTALL to
   directory /usr/local

2. bunzip2 and untar ccx_2.23.src.tar.bz2, ccx_2.23.doc.tar.bz2 and
   ccx_2.23.test.tar.bz2; the following directory tree is generated:
   /usr/local/CalculiX/ccx_2.23/src
   /usr/local/CalculiX/ccx_2.23/doc
   /usr/local/CalculiX/ccx_2.23/test

3. get SPOOLES.2.2 and ARPACK from the internet

The instructions then say: Else, go to item 4.

There is a lot of detailed material and it is not clear what is item 4. I presumes item 4 is the following: 4. change to /usr/local/CalculiX/ccx_2.23/src and type make;

I was in the process of doing this and am not sure what is happening.

The installation instructions assumes that the person is experienced and fluent Linux, if not Linux being their mother tongue. The installation instructions also are not clearly written and tend to jump around to other topics.

I have barely started learning Linux this past December 2025. So, I have surprised myself.

Is ccx_2.23 the same as the Calculix program that is connected with / accessed through FreeCAD?

If so, how do I access some of the examples that come with the ccx_2.23 material? The whole point of this work is to be able to do some fracture mechanic analyses. FreeCAD is the entry point for me. From the Calculix pdf, there are special cards used in fracture mechanics requiring 8 pieces of information which are not fully identified nor described how these pieces are used.

My next goal is to install the Calculix Graphix cgx_2.23 software and these instructions are full of details like in ccx_2.23.

Many thanks for your patience and support.

Charlie

[CharlieM]

@fgr

Hello fgr, Thank you for your advice and support. I managed to find the document spooles.h and modified it with Notepad++.

I found cascade.c in the ccx_2.23/src but was not able to open it with Notepad++.

I modified misc.h with the information above.

Please see attached screengrabs.

I will shortly try to see if this works.

Looking at the SPOOLES website: https://www.netlib.org/linalg/spooles/spooles.2.2.html

the program was created in the 90’s and the last date that appears it 1999. This is old.

Thanks again

Charlie