SuperBox Manager - Administrator

Access: Open this function from the following location:

Cimatron Control Panel: Select Start > All Programs > Cimatron > Cimatron Control Panel.

Select Utilities > SuperBox Manager.

The Offload Calculation Server (also known as SuperBox) enables the automatic offloading of NC toolpath calculation tasks from all Cimatron seats in a network, thereby freeing up resources of individual work stations. The calculations may also be accelerated, depending on the hardware of the individual work stations.

The types of calculations that are offloaded are as follows:

NC Toolpath Calculations: A toolpath is a sequence of one or more machining procedures performed in a given set of milling axes. A toolpath may consist of 2, 2.5, 3, 4, or 5-axis procedures.

Calculation tasks are offloaded to the computer where the Offload Calculation Server is installed, allowing users to perform other tasks on their individual computers without any delays.

The Offload Calculation Server cannot be installed on a computer where Cimatron is installed, and vice versa.

The SuperBox Manager is an interface to connect your computer to one or more SuperBoxes.

You may use the SuperBox Manager either as a User or as an Administrator, depending on your permissions.

Administering One or More Offload Calculation Servers

"Bin" Files and the Offload Calculation Server

Administering One or More Offload Calculation Servers

To administer one or more Offload Calculation Servers:

Enter the Administrator option (ensure that you have Administrator permission).

The following options are available:

Select the options as appropriate:

Refresh

Refresh the display in the SuperBox Manager dialog.

Restart

Restart the Offload Calculation Server.

Access Management

Define which computers may or may not access a specific Offload Calculation Server (white list/black list) and change the access password.

The following example functionality is available from the SuperBox Access Permissions option:

Example:Example:

Select Access Management > SuperBox Access Permissions.

Select a SuperBox from the list of SuperBoxes that appear on the left side of the SuperBox Manager window. This SuperBox name is then displayed in the SuperBox Access Permissions dialog. The permissions can be presented as either a White List (a list of computers which may access the currently selected SuperBox) or as a Black List (a list of computers that are blocked from accessing the currently selected SuperBox).

White List: Select the appropriate checkbox to enable a client computer to access the specific SuperBox. When a client computer is allowed access to the SuperBox, the client name is displayed in green.	Black List: Select the appropriate checkbox to block a client computer from accessing the specific SuperBox. When a client computer is denied access to the SuperBox, the client name is displayed in red.

License Management

Manage the Offload Calculation Server license.

Replace License File

This enables you to replace the license (lic) file. User confirmation is required before saving the new license file. The following dialog is displayed:

Browse to the required license file and select Replace.

Get SuperBox Identifications

Display the SuperBox ID data. The following dialog is displayed (in this example, the data has been blanked out):

Note: Manual or automatic updates cannot be performed if no valid license (for the version to be updated) already exists on the Offload Calculation Server - see Upgrade Version below.

Upgrade Version

Manage the Cimatron versions running on the Offload Calculation Server.

The following options are available:

Enable SB Updates

The Offload Calculation Server can update its own version when a client with a new version is loaded. The following dialog is displayed:

This dialog allows the Administrator to enable/disable the automatic update of ALL Offload Calculation Servers for this client.

OK	Save the user settings.
Cancel	Exit without saving the settings.

The automatic update will occur if the following conditions are met:

The Client is authorized to use the Offload Calculation Server (white list/black list - see Access Management above).
The checkbox above 'Enable automatic version update of all SuperBoxes', is selected.
A valid license (for the version to be updated) exists on the SuperBox. The license on the Offload Calculation Server needs to be installed manually using the License Management dropdown menu above.
There is no parallel update that has been started already (either for this version or a different one). If an update process is already running, this update process will not start.

Note: Manual or automatic updates cannot be performed if no valid license (for the version to be updated) already exists on the Offload Calculation Server - see License Management above.

Manage Versions

Multiple Cimatron versions can be installed on the Offload Calculation Server. This tool manages the versions via the following dialog:

Delete Version	Delete the selected version on the list. A confirmation prompt is displayed.
Close	Close the dialog (the Esc key also closes the dialog).

Notes:

The dialog is displayed empty if the Offload Calculation Server is installed ONLY with a version lower than the current Cimatron version (for example, if the current Cimatron version is 2026 and the SuperBox is installed ONLY with Cimatron 2025). In this case, the operations performed from this dialog should be performed manually.
The latest version installed on the Offload Calculation Server is shown in the main dialog, in the "SuperBox latest version" field.
The last (not latest) version in the list cannot be deleted. There must always be at least one version on the Offload Calculation Server.
When a deletion is requested and confirmed, the user request is recorded. To complete the delete process, the Offload Calculation Server needs to be restarted.

Change SuperBox Version

Change (upgrade) the Cimatron version running on the Offload Calculation Server. A confirmation prompt is displayed.

You may update the Offload Calculation Server version only after you have a valid license for this version on the Offload Calculation Server.

Reports

Enable you to run the following reports (these reports can also be run from the User tab):

History Log: this includes all user actions performed within a given time frame for all clients or for a specific client computer.
Example:Example:
Server Usage: displays a graph chart (periodic) of the usage on the server (the number of servers and user PCs).
Example:Example:

Exit

Exit the SuperBox Manager dialog.

Help

Access the Online Help.

"Bin" Files and the Offload Calculation Server

On the Offload Calculation Server, the bin files will always be deleted.

On the client computer, they will be deleted or not depending on the existence of a registry flag.

When the "bin" files are not required for the calculation, they are deleted.

The deletion is part of the procedure execution (e.g., deleted at the end of each procedure calculation).

The registry flag is one of the "LmCmdArgs" registry key parameters.

The registry flag name is: "KeepMWbinFiles".

On the Offload Calculation Server and the client computer, in the case of an abnormal termination of the procedure execution, the "bin" files will not be deleted.

Some functionality may be dependent on the product package. Contact your Reseller if you require a license.