4.5 The log file

Important messages are stored in a separate file, the log (see \(\mathtt{\require{color}{\color[rgb]{0.000000000000000,0.500000000000000,0.500000000000000} logFile}}\)). It stores the version number, the size of the floating point type that was used, and any values from the command lines. The latter is especially relevant as it make it possible for the user to check which values were used. For example, if the user wants to change some parameter via the command line, but makes a typo then the log file will simply not show this parameter. Taken together, the log file and the parameter file specify all parameters that were used in a simulation. \(\mathtt{\require{color}{\color[rgb]{0.000000000000000,0.500000000000000,0.500000000000000} SimSS}}\) also lists which voltages it will simulate and whether the ions are allowed to redistribute at those voltages.

If \(\mathtt{\require{color}{\color[rgb]{0.000000000000000,0.500000000000000,0.500000000000000} ZimT}}\) or \(\mathtt{\require{color}{\color[rgb]{0.000000000000000,0.500000000000000,0.500000000000000} SimSS}}\) fail to find an acceptable solution at some simulated voltage or time, then it will write a short message in the log file to help the user to understand what went wrong: For example, perhaps the main loop was fine but the Poisson solver never converged. Or the Poisson loop was happy, but the current density throughout the simulation volume was not sufficiently uniform. See section 2.9 for more details on the iteration scheme.