# Pull code error in Gromacs version 2019.6 **URL:** \ **Category:** User discussions\ **Tags:** pull-code\ **Created:** [June 6, 2020, 1:09pm UTC](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/t/pull-code-error-in-gromacs-version-2019-6/256 "2020-06-06T13:09:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mbhelabad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@mbhelabad](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/u/mbhelabad)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 1:09pm UTC](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/t/pull-code-error-in-gromacs-version-2019-6/256/1 "2020-06-06T13:09:33Z")
GROMACS version: Error due to using pull code in Gromacs version 2019.6 GROMACS modification: Yes/No Here post your question Dear Gromacs users, I am trying to perform MD simulation of short DNA sequence on a cluster (I am using 192 CPUs). In order to keep the terminal residue of DNA to be B-DNA like, I have used **pull code** to restrain terminal residues. **With Gromacs version 2018.4 it works well, however, for Gromacs version 2019.6 I get the below error** : === 3 particles communicated to PME rank 32 are more than 2/3 times the cut-off out of the domain decomposition cell of their charge group in dimension x. This usually means that your system is not well equilibrated. === I am quite sure that there is nothing wrong with equilibrium. In addition, when I deactivate **pull code** from the .mdp file, the simulation goes well without any error. Seems something is wrong with using pull code. However, the exact simulation works for Gromacs 2018.4. I also used pull code with and without new feature pull-pbc-ref-from-prev-step-com, but nothing changed and still I get this error message. Unfortunately, I was not able to fix this error. **I will appreciate if you could give me any possible feadback reagarding this issue.** The used pull code is: %%% pull = yes pull\_ncoords = 4 ; only one reaction coordinate pull\_ngroups = 8 ; two groups defining one reaction coordinate pull\_group1\_name = A1 pull\_group2\_name = A2 pull\_group3\_name = A3 pull\_group4\_name = A4 pull\_group5\_name = B1 pull\_group6\_name = B2 pull\_group7\_name = B3 pull\_group8\_name = B4 ; pull\_coord1\_type = umbrella ; harmonic potential pull\_coord1\_geometry = distance ; simple distance restraint pull\_coord1\_dim = Y Y Y pull\_coord1\_groups = 1 5 pull\_coord1\_start = yes ; define initial COM distance \> 0 pull\_coord1\_rate = 0.0 ; restrain in place pull\_coord1\_k = 200 ; kJ mol^-1 nm^-2 ; pull\_coord2\_type = umbrella ; harmonic potential pull\_coord2\_geometry = distance ; simple distance restraint pull\_coord2\_dim = Y Y Y pull\_coord2\_groups = 2 6 pull\_coord2\_start = yes ; define initial COM distance \> 0 pull\_coord2\_rate = 0.0 ; restrain in place pull\_coord2\_k = 200 ; kJ mol^-1 nm^-2 ; pull\_coord3\_type = umbrella ; harmonic potential pull\_coord3\_geometry = distance ; simple distance restraint pull\_coord3\_dim = Y Y Y pull\_coord3\_groups = 3 7 pull\_coord3\_start = yes ; define initial COM distance \> 0 pull\_coord3\_rate = 0.0 ; restrain in place pull\_coord3\_k = 200 ; kJ mol^-1 nm^-2 ; pull\_coord4\_type = umbrella ; harmonic potential pull\_coord4\_geometry = distance ; simple distance restraint pull\_coord4\_dim = Y Y Y pull\_coord4\_groups = 4 8 pull\_coord4\_start = yes ; define initial COM distance \> 0 pull\_coord4\_rate = 0.0 ; restrain in place pull\_coord4\_k = 200 ; kJ mol^-1 nm^-2 ; %%%% Bests, Mahdi ---
**Author:** ![samaneh](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/gromacs.bioexcel.eu/samaneh/32/2344_2.png) [@samaneh](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/u/samaneh)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 9:45am UTC](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/t/pull-code-error-in-gromacs-version-2019-6/256/2 "2021-03-09T09:45:12Z")
Hello, I am trying to set a mdp file for pulling my molecule (calcein) to the other side of the membrane as it does not pass itself. I used the mdp file below. I am not sure if its a right setting for pulling that I intend to do. still I have errors with this mdp setting: mdp file : pull = yes pull\_ncoords = 1 ; only one reaction coordinate pull\_ngroups = 2 ; two groups defining one reaction coordinate pull\_group2\_name = CAL4 pull\_group1\_name = DPPC pull\_coord1\_type = umbrella; harmonic potential pull-coord1-geometry = direction pull-coord1-vec = 0.0 0.0 -1.0 pull-coord1-dim = N N Y pull\_coord1\_groups = 1 2 ;pull-coord1-pbcatom = 0 pull-pbc-ref-prev-step-com = yes ;pull\_coord1\_start = yes ; define initial COM distance \> 0 pull-coord1-rate = 0.01 pull\_coord1\_k = -300 ; kJ mol^-1 nm^-2 error : When the maximum distance from a pull group reference atom to other atoms in the group is larger than 0.5 times half the box size a centrally placed atom should be chosen as pbcatom. Pull group 1 is larger than that and does not have a specific atom selected as reference atom. Can someone help me with this? @jalemkul ---
**Author:** ![amai](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/gromacs.bioexcel.eu/amai/32/107_2.png) [@amai](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/u/amai)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 8:28pm UTC](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/t/pull-code-error-in-gromacs-version-2019-6/256/3 "2021-03-09T20:28:19Z")
Hi Samaneh, How about defining the “pull-group1-pbcatom” and “pull-group2-pbcatom”? It might be helpful. Or you can increase the size of the box, or decrease the time length of pulling. Or you can relocate the initial position of your molecule in the box to optimize the simulation. Hope it could be helpful. Best, Anh ---
**Author:** ![samaneh](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/gromacs.bioexcel.eu/samaneh/32/2344_2.png) [@samaneh](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/u/samaneh)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 7:23am UTC](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/t/pull-code-error-in-gromacs-version-2019-6/256/4 "2021-03-10T07:23:34Z")
I dont know how to specify ‘pull-group1-pbcatom’! I chose 0, but still have an error! but It does not seems that the error is ecatly about the distance! because I chose lipid headgroup instead of tails this time, so it would be closer to the molecule, but still did not work. about relocation, I need to minimize the energy forst before using pulling, so I can specify the molecule location myself. I could not find a useful example of pulling mdp file for geometry ‘distance’! do you know any? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![amai](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/gromacs.bioexcel.eu/amai/32/107_2.png) [@amai](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/u/amai)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 7:24pm UTC](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/t/pull-code-error-in-gromacs-version-2019-6/256/5 "2021-03-15T19:24:00Z")
Hi Samaneh, Dr. Lemkul did offer a very detailed tutorial of pulling along distance. There’s an example of distance pulling parameters here. [http://www.mdtutorials.com/gmx/umbrella/05\_pull.html](http://www.mdtutorials.com/gmx/umbrella/05_pull.html) I haven’t worked on the membrane yet, so I don’t know if there’s any difference. We have another example of pulling along vector Oz. We’re pulling Chain B away from Chain A. Defining and fixing a particular COM of each chain helped our simulation. Since the default pull-group1-pbcatom=0 means something else (There are 3 different ways to define the COM in GROMACS.). Details about the pbcatom were shown in the GROMACS manual. Here’s our pulling parameters: " ; Pull code → along z-direction, not along COM\_A-COM\_B vector pull = yes pull-coord1-geometry = direction pull-coord1-vec = 0 0 1 pull\_ncoords = 1 ; only one reaction coordinate pull\_ngroups = 2 ; two groups defining one reaction coordinate pull\_group1\_name = Chain\_A ; pull B away from A pull\_group2\_name = Chain\_B pull-pbc-ref-prev-step-com = yes ; large pull group pull-group1-pbcatom = 2000 ; COM\_chain A pull-group2-pbcatom = 5700 ; COM\_chain B pull\_coord1\_type = umbrella ; harmonic potential pull-print-com = yes ; print the COMs for pull coordinates pull-print-components = yes ; also print for X and Y pull\_coord1\_dim = N N Y pull\_coord1\_groups = 1 2 pull\_coord1\_start = yes ; define initial COM distance \> 0 " Hope it helps. Best, Anh ---
**Author:** ![amai](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/gromacs.bioexcel.eu/amai/32/107_2.png) [@amai](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/u/amai)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 1:52am UTC](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/t/pull-code-error-in-gromacs-version-2019-6/256/6 "2021-03-18T01:52:52Z")
The parameters should include the k and the rate for pulling too. Sorry that I missed copying it to the example. ---
**Author:** ![parul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5fc32e/32.png) [@parul](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/u/parul)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 8:44am UTC](https://gromacs.bioexcel.eu/t/pull-code-error-in-gromacs-version-2019-6/256/7 "2022-11-22T08:44:26Z")
hi samaneh, i have the very same issue but I don’t know how to calculate centre of mass for chain \_a and chain\_b? pull-group1-pbcatom = 2000 ; COM\_chain A pull-group2-pbcatom = 5700 ; COM\_chain B.Can u tell me how to do the same?