sentaurus-vm-runner

name

sentaurus-vm-runner

description

Run Synopsys Sentaurus TCAD simulations on the local Linux VM over SSH, with project-level fail-closed automatic single-core leases for independent SDevice jobs. Use when the user asks Codex to connect to tcad@192.168.137.131, start or diagnose Sentaurus/SDevice/SDE/SWB, run PN diode or other TCAD examples, recover FlexNet license daemon issues, copy simulation artifacts back to Windows, or automate repeatable Sentaurus experiments from Codex.

Sentaurus VM Runner

Quick path

Use scripts/run_pn_diode.ps1 first for smoke tests and the built-in 3D PN diode example:

# Probe SSH, Sentaurus commands, and FlexNet status only
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$env:CODEX_HOME\skills\sentaurus-vm-runner\scripts\run_pn_diode.ps1" -Mode probe

# Run the official 3D diode example and download artifacts
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$env:CODEX_HOME\skills\sentaurus-vm-runner\scripts\run_pn_diode.ps1" -Mode pn-diode -LocalOut .\sentaurus_runs

Default VM: tcad@192.168.137.131. Default Sentaurus root: /usr/synopsys/sentaurus/W-2024.09.

Workflow

1. Start with -Mode probe unless a fresh probe was already run in this turn.
2. If swb/sdevice reports FlexNet daemon down, run lmutil lmreread -c /usr/synopsys/scl/scl2023/synopsys.dat; no sudo is required on this VM.
3. Prefer headless direct runs over Workbench GUI:
   • sde -e -l <scheme>.cmd for mesh/structure generation.
   • sdevice <deck>.cmd for electrical simulation.
   • Avoid relying on swb over plain SSH; it needs $DISPLAY.
4. Put remote runs under /home/tcad/codex_runs/<case>_<timestamp> and copy compact artifacts back to the workspace.
5. Report evidence: remote run directory, local artifact directory, final contact-current lines, and whether license status was recovered.

Known-good built-in example

Use this official application-library case for PN diode smoke tests:

/usr/synopsys/sentaurus/W-2024.09/tcad/W-2024.09/Applications_Library/GettingStarted/sdevice/3Ddiode_demo

Documentation redirect:

/usr/synopsys/sentaurus/W-2024.09/tcad/W-2024.09/Sentaurus_Training/sd/sd_9.html

Read references/pn-diode.md only when modifying the diode flow or explaining the generated artifacts.

Guardrails

• Check file size before whole-file reads of logs or .cmd decks over 500 lines.
• Redact license signatures and keys if printing license files.
• Do not edit /usr/synopsys/... examples in place; copy to ~/codex_runs first.
• If the VM IP changes, update command parameters; do not change the skill for one-off IP drift.

Core scheduling for project SDevice runs

• For independent, mutually non-dependent Sentaurus/SDevice cases, default to one process per automatic core lease and sdevice --threads 1.
• A mesh/restart/extraction dependency chain is not independent: keep it serial. Do not run a dependent child before its parent evidence exists.
• In this project, invoke scripts/run_igbt_seb_case.ps1 for these jobs. Its default -CpuCore -1 acquires a VM-side core lease and fails closed if no safely isolated core is available. It records lease evidence in the run manifest. The active max_8_single_thread_sdevice profile reserves core 0 and caps managed work at eight independent --threads 1 jobs; the VM may expose more than eight online CPUs, which the allocator discovers dynamically after excluding unmanaged affinity and existing leases.
• -CpuCore <n> is only a compatibility/debug override. -DisableAutoCpuLease deliberately permits an unpinned run and must not be used for concurrent work. New SDevice entry points must integrate scripts/sdevice_core_lease.sh before allowing bare concurrency.
• Skill triggering itself is semantic matching, not a system hook. The hard enforcement boundary is calls through run_igbt_seb_case.ps1; callers that bypass it must first add the same lease integration.

Read references/core-scheduling.md when scheduling, recovering, or auditing project SDevice jobs.