Installation and OS Support
Silvaco software installation and registration
Install Silvaco software on Linux or Windows, then set up the SFLM or FlexLM license server it runs on and register it with Silvaco.
Before you install
What a working install needs
A Silvaco software installation isn’t finished when the files are on disk. The tools won’t open until your license server is running and Silvaco has issued its license. The Silvaco Software Installation Guide shows every stage with screenshots, updates included.
Your license server
You need one of two: the Silvaco Floating License Manager (SFLM) or a third-party FlexLM server. Either works with most Silvaco tools. Where you have the choice, Silvaco’s advice is FlexLM.
The server software comes in its own Licensing package, separate from the tools. Don’t plan on a virtual machine for it: Silvaco doesn’t support that. The 2025 Baseline ships SFLM 7.4.16.R and FlexLM 11.19.2.R.
Check first
Confirm that every product you plan to install supports your operating system, and that the machine clears the hardware minimum. You’ll also need root or sudo access on Linux, and an Administrator account on Windows.
Silvaco software installation in four steps
1. Download
Register for a support portal account. Once it’s approved, you’ll get your password by email. Next, ask for your tools through Software Request, with a line on what you’ll use them for. Approval brings an emailed download link, and the software appears in My Personal Downloads.
2. Install
Linux installs come as a .bin package: run it as root or through sudo. On Windows, right-click the installer and run it as Administrator. The installation wizard takes it from there. A few tools install their own way: Viso, Jivaro, CellForge, Viola, PEX Certify and Visolyze each have a separate procedure in the guide.
3. Configure the license server
Add the Licensing baseline package to your software request, and install it with admin rights. Running sflm -install sets SFLM up as a service. FlexLM starts through lmgrd, pointed at the license file Silvaco sends. One server for the whole team? Install the licensing software on the server and on each workstation that reaches it.
4. Register
Silvaco ties each license to one server, so that server is what you register. SFLM registers online, or offline where there’s no internet access, and gives you a CodeName starting 0SSMID. On FlexLM, lmhostid reports the HostID. Send whichever you have to Silvaco, and put the license file that comes back on the server. Hold on to the CodeName, too: the portal asks for it when you request issue tracking.
Silvaco software installation documents
Supported platforms change from one baseline release to the next. This list is for the 2025
Baseline, so match it to the release you’re installing. Latest Release shows which tools run on Linux, Windows or both.
Operating systems
2025 Baseline, all 64-bit
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, 8 and 9
CentOS 7
Rocky Linux 8 and 9
Windows Professional 10 and 11
Two exceptions apply to Jivaro, PEX Diff, PEX Link and Viso: no Linux 9, but SUSE 15 SP6 support.
Releases from Q3 2025 onward leave CentOS behind, need Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 or later, and add Rocky Linux 8.4. The details are in OS platform support changes, December 2024.
Linux packages
Install six third-party packages as root before you run the installer: glibc.i686, libgcc.i686, libstdc++.i686, zlib.i686, xorg-x11-fonts-75dpi.noarch and xorg-x11-fonts-misc.noarch.
yum install glibc.i686 libgcc.i686 libstdc++.i686
yum install zlib.i686
yum install xorg-x11-fonts-75dpi.noarch xorg-x11-fonts-misc.noarch
The Licensing package needs one more, redhat-lsb-core. Add it with your distribution’s own package manager.
Hardware
Minimum: 8 cores at 3 GHz or faster (Intel or AMD), 32 GB RAM, a 1 TB disk, and an OpenGL 3.2 or higher graphics card with 1024 VRAM.
Recommended: 32 or more cores at 3 GHz or faster, scaled to your license count, with 64 GB RAM and four 2 TB disks in RAID 5. TCAD Victory 3D simulation calls for a discrete graphics card.
Budget 4–8 cores and 8–16 GB of memory for each user. A single 3D job can take 30 GB or more. For a configuration matched to your simulations, ask your field application engineer.
Silvaco software installation documents
All four open without a portal account.
Silvaco Software Installation Guide
Account registration, software requests, first installs and updates on Linux and Windows, both license servers, and the tools that install separately.
FlexLM Quick Start Guide
FlexLM setup on Linux or Windows: finding your HostID, pointing the license file at your server, starting lmgrd and setting the environment variables.
OS and Platform Support
Supported operating systems for the 2025 Baseline, plus the Linux packages to install first.
Hardware Requirements
Minimum and recommended configurations, with memory planning per user and per 3D job.
Questions about installing Silvaco software
How do I install Silvaco software?
Ask for the tools you need under Software Request on the support portal, and download them once they're approved. Run the installer with root, sudo or Administrator rights. After that, install SFLM or FlexLM, register the server with Silvaco and load the license file Silvaco returns. Check your operating system and hardware against the requirements before you start.
Which license server does Silvaco software require?
Either SFLM, Silvaco's own license manager, or FlexLM from a third party. Both serve floating licenses to your team's workstations. Most Silvaco tools work with either, though Silvaco suggests FlexLM when it's an option. Whichever you pick, keep it off a virtual machine, which Silvaco doesn't support as a license server.
Which operating systems are supported?
On the 2025 Baseline: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, 8 and 9, CentOS 7, Rocky Linux 8 and 9, and Windows Professional 10 and 11, all 64-bit. Jivaro, PEX Diff, PEX Link and Viso are the exceptions, with no Linux 9 support. From the Q3 2025 releases, CentOS is gone and Red Hat 8.4 is the floor.
What are the hardware requirements?
A minimum machine needs 8 cores (Intel or AMD) at 3 GHz or more, 32 GB of memory and a 1 TB disk. The graphics card needs OpenGL 3.2 or higher and 1024 VRAM. Silvaco recommends 32 or more cores, set by your license count, and 64 GB. Budget extra for 3D TCAD: one job can reach 30 GB.
How do I register the software after installing?
You don't register each tool. You register the license server, and Silvaco builds the license from its ID. For SFLM, that's a CodeName beginning 0SSMID, registered online or offline. For FlexLM, it's the HostID that lmhostid returns. Put the license file you get back on that server, and the tools are ready.
Where do I get the installation guide?
It's a public PDF, so you won't need a portal account. The 2025 guide covers registering, requesting software, installing and updating on either platform, and SFLM and FlexLM setup. It also gives Viso, Jivaro, CellForge, Viola, PEX Certify and Visolyze sections of their own. For FlexLM specifically, there's a separate Quick Start Guide.
Related IP
Downloads
Register for a portal account and get your licensed software.
Licensing
Which license model fits your team, commercial or academic.
Latest Release
Which version of each tool is current, and where it runs.
Documentation
The manual and release notes for the tool you're installing.