About the ILog Solver
The ILog solver is an optional module that is licensed separately in Production Scheduling. If activated, the ILog Solver enables you to create and run solvers. You can also create and run macros with solver actions.
A solver can be used to find an optimal solution for your scheduling situation.
While the solver is running, you see a progress bar in the lower left of the screen that says Solving. To see what is happening real time, click the button.
When a schedule is not feasible and is detected before the search phase starts, the solver generates the following message: "Restarting, some inconsistencies were detected". The solver starts again; adding all the constraints of all batches to the model and printing the constraint that was violated. This can help identify why the schedule is not feasible, although usually the constraint that fails is not the root cause of the problem.
There are some restrictions on buffer tanks when working with the solver.
Remote solving works from one computer to another if both computers are using Windows XP and the user has administrator group access on the remote solver machine.
The solver allows you to schedule a network of batches. The solver offers control over solver strategy and constraints.
You cannot define solver settings at the stage level or use the solver from inflow creation. To use this functionality, you must create a macro.
Settings
Solver settings can be saved directly from the Solver window. You can save settings that you want to reuse under a unique name. To reuse these settings, select the saved configuration.
These tabs are displayed in the Solver dialog box:
- General tab - This tab contains some general scheduling options.
- Constraints tab - This tab contains a number of settings that affect solver searching algorithms and constraints. This tab is only visible if you have selected the solver type "Standard" or "CIP rule".
- Objectives Tab - This tab allows you to define objective weights and, if you enable the CIP solver, the CIP objective.
- Synchronization tab - This tab is only visible if you have selected the solver type batch synchronization.
- CIP Tab- This tab is displayed only if you have selected the solver type "CIP rule". See About the CIP solver.
- Configuration tab - This tab allows you to define limits for the solver.
- Log tab - When the solver is finished, this tab will show what happened during solving. It is in a similar format as the Messages window. The Messages window shows messages generated by different functions in Infor Production Scheduling but the Solver log will only show messages generated by that Solver.