Knitro Solver Engine: Advanced Solutions for Nonlinear Optimization
An Interior Point Nonlinear Solver with Active Set Methods for Risk Solver Platform and Solver SDK Platform
KNITRO solves very large scale smooth nonlinear problems.
Frontline Systems is pleased to offer the KNITRO Solver Engine, for use inside and outside Microsoft Excel. The KNITRO Solver is a field-installable Solver Engine that "plugs into" Risk Solver Platform and Premium Solver Platform for Excel, and takes advantage of its new Polymorphic Spreadsheet Interpreter. You can also use it with Solver SDK Platform to develop applications in a programming language, for one license price!
It extends the power of our Solver Platform products to handle smooth nonlinear optimization problems with no fixed limits on the number of variables and constraints. It solves global optimization problems using the "multistart" or "clustering" methods available in the Solver Platform products. And it offers greatly improved performance, especially on problems with integer variables and "alldifferent" constraints.
- New to Spreadsheet Solvers? Start with our Solver Tutorial
- Learn about KNITRO Solver Product Highlights (on this page)
- Learn about the exciting features built into the Premium Solver Platform
- Learn about the advanced methods used by the KNITRO Solver
- Learn about the diagnostic aids supported by the KNITRO Solver
- Learn about the ease of use features in the KNITRO Solver
- Users of earlier KNITRO Solvers: Learn the good news about upgrading!
Fully Compatible
Risk Solver Platform and Premium Solver Platform are 100% upwardly compatible from the standard Excel Solver. Your existing models can be solved with no changes, faster and more easily than before. And your VBA code designed to control the standard Solver will work as-is with Risk Solver Platform or Premium Solver Platform and the KNITRO Solver Engine -- just select the KNITRO Solver interactively or in your VBA code.
Greater Speed and Capacity
You'll be able to solve smooth nonlinear optimization problems far larger than the standard Excel Solver -- with an unlimited number of variables and constraints -- with the KNITRO Solver Engine. And you'll be amazed at the fast solution times you can obtain: Some nonlinear problems with many hundreds of variables and constraints will solve in just seconds! To handle such large problems, the KNITRO Solver Engine uses sparse matrix storage methods and advanced methods for maintaining numerical stability.
The KNITRO Solver takes maximum advantage of the new Polymorphic Spreadsheet Interpreter in Risk Solver Platform and Premium Solver Platform to obtain either first or second partial derivatives of the problem functions (the Jacobian or Hessian matrix) at each major iteration or Trial Solution.
New Options and Tolerances
The KNITRO Solver offers several new options and tolerances to improve speed and give you better control of the solution process. The Treat Constraints as Linear and Treat Objective as Linear options allow you to speed up evaluation of the Jacobian or Hessian matrix at each major iteration on NLP problems with all-linear constraints.
If you've ever had problems with trial solutions that included small violations of the bounds you place on variables (sometimes generated by the standard GRG Solver), you'll appreciate the ability to control this behavior with the Relax Bounds on Variables option in the KNITRO Solver. This option setting is adjusted dynamically during the solution process, depending on problem characteristics.
Comprehensive User Guide
In addition to the User Guide that comes with Risk Solver Platform, you'll receive our Solver Engine User Guide that describes several field-installable Solver engines, including the KNITRO Solver. This guide provides complete information on KNITRO Solver options, the various messages which the KNITRO Solver can return, how to diagnose problems, and how to control the KNITRO Solver from VBA in Excel, or from our Solver SDK Platform.
Order or Upgrade Today!
Prices. The KNITRO Solver Engine solves smooth nonlinear problems with an unlimited number of variables and constraints. For pricing information for all Solver Engines, please see our Product Catalog. If you are ordering for several users, ask us about quantity discounts and Flexible Use Licenses.
What's Included. The KNITRO Solver Engine supports Excel 2013 Preview (32-bit and 64-bit), Excel 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit), Excel 2007, and Excel 2003 on Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2008. It comes with a comprehensive User Guide and extensive online Help. And, like all Frontline Systems products, it includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Annual Support Contracts. An Annual Support Contract for the KNITRO Solver is required for the first year, and at all times in order to obtain software upgrades and technical support beyond basic installation assistance. An Annual Support Contract includes:
- A limited warranty for the functionality and performance of the software product
- All software upgrades for the product released during the contract term
- Ability to trade in this product for an even more powerful Excel Solver product
- Access to protected support pages of our Website
- Technical support by phone and email during normal business hours
- Up to 15 minutes of consulting assistance arising during the contract term
Product Upgrades. If you own an older version of the Risk Solver Platform, Premium Solver Platform or Solver SDK Platform and the KNITRO Solver Engine, you'll receive an automatic upgrade to our latest version at no extra charge if you have a current Annual Support Contract (if you aren't current, see our instructions for "catching up" on annual support and paying the difference in price).
Evaluation Versions. If you want to "try before you buy," simply fill out the form below to register, then download and run the EngineSetup program. (If you're already registered, just login; if you're already logged in, just click the Download button.) If you don't already own Risk Solver Platform or Premium Solver Platform (which is required to use the KNITRO Solver Engine in Excel), you can also download and run the SolverSetup program. You'll receive an evaluation license code which will allow you to use a full featured, full capacity, full speed version of Risk Solver Platform and the KNITRO Solver Engine for 15 days, free of charge. You can also download and run the SDKSetup program, and use Solver SDK Platform with the KNITRO Solver Engine for 15 days.