A new website to easily access our open-source simulation codes developed by EDF R&D

We’re launching open-simulation-center.org, a new portal designed to provide streamlined and technically reliable access to the open-source simulation codes developed at EDF R&D.
This platform is engineered to improve software visibility, guarantee consistent installation across environments, and support developers who want to build or extend these tools with minimal integration friction.

Unified access and coherent distribution architecture

The site provides a single, consistent entry point for retrieving our solvers and platforms.
Our objective was to standardize the retrieval workflow regardless of OS, packaging method, or distribution format.

The portal organizes all components into clearly identified product lines:

Standalone solvers: code_aster, code_saturne, openTELEMAC
Platforms and integrated environments: Salome, Salome_Meca, Salome_CFD

Each distribution comes with clearly specified dependencies, supported OS versions, and installation instructions aligned with our build system.

A deep technical overhaul: reproducibility and environment consistency

Behind the site is a substantial engineering effort focused on reproducibility, automation, and portability.

We reworked the entire build chain to ensure:

Deterministic builds: version-locked dependencies and reproducible compilation environments.
Multi-environment CI/CD testing: systematic validation across Windows and Linux targets.
Binary consistency: unified compilers and library stacks for all official releases.
Automated artifact generation: each public version is built and validated through the same controlled pipeline, reducing environment-specific drift.
Strong backup policy: we ensure the underlying database and file storage services are backed up, and up to date with the latest standards.
Technology ownership: every layer of this tech stack is open-source or in-house technologies, to guarantee our capacity to debug and track every part of the process.

These improvements substantially reduce the variability traditionally encountered when installing large scientific simulation codes.

Containers as first-class distribution targets

We placed strong emphasis on container-based distribution, treating it as a native delivery mechanism rather than an optional extra.

Docker and Singularity images allow users to:

deploy preconfigured, clean environments avoiding compiler/ABI mismatches,
test upcoming versions without interfering with local toolchains,
run on HPC systems that natively support Singularity/Apptainer containers.

Because these solutions preserve the full execution environment, compiler stack, MPI layer, Python ecosystem, they are particularly suited for reproducible HPC workloads and for validating solver behavior across clusters.

Transparency, traceability, and contribution workflows

The new platform consolidates version tracking and download references, making it easier to audit evolution between releases.

For contributors, we aim to provide:

clearer visibility into version lifecycles,
simplified issue reporting,
better traceability of changes across solver and platform components.

This initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance code quality, increase transparency in our engineering processes, and expand collaboration with the open-source simulation community.

Although the platform will continue to evolve, it already lays the technical foundation for more predictable builds, clearer distribution channels, and a healthier contribution ecosystem.

You are Happy with Open-simulation-center.org? Let us know!

You have installed one (ore more) packages, and you need more? Reach us at simvia.tech, it's our job to achieve commercial grade engineering performance with open-source software.