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Technical FAQs
 Which platforms are supported?
DASH 3.2 is supported on the following platforms and operating systems:
- Windows - Intel compatible, 32-bit, XP, Vista and 7
DASH has been tested when installed natively on these platforms. Use with emulators, including virtual machines, has not been tested & is not supported.
If you choose to use a version other than those listed above we cannot guarantee that DASH will work correctly, although we will attempt to assist you with any problems that you may encounter.
Which file formats are supported?
DASH supports the following Powder Diffraction File formats:
- .raw - Bruker
- .raw - STOE
- .rd and .sd - Philips
- .udf, .uxd and .xye
- .cpi - Sietronics
- .mdi - Materials Data Inc.
- .pod - Daresbury
- .x01 - Bede
What hardware would you recommend for running DASH?
We have performed some basic benchmark tests of a Simulated Annealing run using the standard DASH example files. We used the DASH internal timer
to measure how long each machine took to perform this SA over 10 and 99 runs. Here are the results:
- Athlon XP 2400+, 512MB RAM: 10 runs - 22.4 secs; 99 runs - 190.4 secs
- Pentium 4 2.4GHz, 256MB RAM: 10 runs - 30.2 secs; 99 runs - 255.4 secs
- Pentium 4 1.8GHz, 256MB RAM: 10 runs - 37.9 secs; 99 runs - 329.0 secs
- Celeron 700MHz, 256MB RAM: 10 runs - 120.9 secs; 99 runs - 1029.0 secs
These figures provide some indication as to how fast DASH runs on various platforms.
Why am I having
problems with the RIETAN-FP output format from DASH?
The format of the files used as input to RIETAN has changed quite
significantly between RIETAN-2000 and RIETAN-FP. DASH currently
recognises whether RIETAN-2000 or FP is being used based on the name of
the RIETAN executable set in the configuration dialogue. In the
RIETAN-Venus package, however, the executable for FP is no longer called
rietan-fp.exe, but simply rietan.exe. In the future there will be a
check-box available in the configuration dialogue to define whether
RIETAN 2000 or FP is being used, but as a work-around it is possible to
simply rename the excutable to rietan-fp.exe and then DASH should output
the correct format of files.
N.B. The interfaces to third-party refinement packages in DASH are
kept as up-to-date as possible, but no support is provided by the CCDC
for these external programs.
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