Preparing the Windows 7 Workstation

Before installing McIDAS-X for Win7, verify that the workstation is configured to the specifications listed on the previous page. Then continue with the section below for information about memory usage in McIDAS-X.

A Note About Memory

Each McIDAS-X session can have up to 9,999 frames. However, not all workstations can reasonably accommodate one or more users running sessions with thousands of frames. This is because system performance is reliant on several factors, including how much memory the workstations has, how many frames are created, how large the frames are, and how many graphics are drawn on the frames. McIDAS-X uses shared memory (a subset of system memory) to store image and graphics data for quick retrieval, while the X11 display subsystem uses a separate allocation of system memory for its own frame buffers. Shared memory usage in bytes is approximately equal to the number of pixels of imagery plus pixels of graphics and is allocated on the machine running the McIDAS-X commands. The number of pixels of imagery is LINES x ELEMENTS x FRAMES, while the number of pixels of graphics is usually far less than the number of image pixels, with each graphics pixel on screen using eight bytes of memory. Graphics covering 10% of your imagery pixels will approximately double the shared memory requirements. Erasing graphics does not free up memory, though the space is reused when new graphics are drawn. System memory usage for the X11 display subsystem is about LINES x ELEMENTS x FRAMES x 4 due to the high bit-depth of the frame buffers, and is allocated on the computer being used to display the McIDAS-X session.

For example, a McIDAS-X session consisting of 2000 frames at 960 x 1280 pixels each, with a total of 10% of the frames' content covered by graphics command output, will require approximately 4.9 GB (2000 x 960 x 1280 x 2) of shared memory (a subset of system memory) on the workstation running the session. The computer that is being used to display the McIDAS-X session will require approximately 9.8 GB of system memory for X11. If the workstation running the session is also the display machine, the total system memory requirement will be about 15 GB.

Complete the instructions below to create a new menu item enabling you to download the SUA installation package. For more information about SUA, see the Microsoft SUA Overview.

1. Log on to the workstation as Administrator. (Note that you cannot complete the instructions below as another user with escalated privileges; you must be logged on as Administrator.)

2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel to bring up the Control Panel window.

3. In the Control Panel window, click Programs and under Programs and Features click Turn Windows features on or off.

4. If the User Account Control dialog box opens, click Continue. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.

5. In the Windows Features dialog box, select the Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications check box, then click OK.

1. Log on to the workstation as Administrator. (Note that you cannot complete the instructions below as another user with escalated privileges; you must be logged on as Administrator.)

2. Click Start and then, in the in the Subsystem for UNIX-Based Applications program folder, select Download Utilities for Subsystem for UNIX-Based Applications to open a webpage with link to download the SUA package.

3. Download the appropriate SUA installation file for your workstation configuration (e.g., 64bit x86, 32bit x86, 64bit Itanium).

4. Double-click the downloaded file to run the installation wizard.

5. After completing the customer information and license agreement, select Custom Install for the Installation Type and choose to install all features on the local drive.

6. In the Security Settings accept the defaults of none selected, and in the Installation Location, accept the default of C:\Windows\SUA.

Complete the instructions below to download and install the SUA Community Complete Toolset.

1. Log on to the workstation as Administrator. (Note that you cannot complete the instructions below as another user with escalated privileges; you must be logged on as Administrator.)

2. Contact the McIDAS Help Desk for instructions on how to obtain the 32-bit version of the Complete Toolset.

3. Open an SUA Korn Shell and change to the folder where you downloaded the toolset in step 2 above. For example, if you downloaded it to the Downloads folder,

Type: cd Downloads

4. Run the installation file from an SUA Korn Shell while logged in as Administrator. For example, if the file is named pkg-current-bundlecomplete60.exe,

Type: ./pkg-current-bundlecomplete60.exe

The command above starts the SUA Community Complete Toolset installation. This process uses the pkg tools to install many common UNIX utility programs, and will attempt to contact various websites to auto-download updates. A connection to the Internet is recommended. Many packages will print warnings about the case sensitivity of the filesystem, but these can be safely ignored. The final step runs a GUI installer for XMing, an X Server that many people at SSEC use with McIDAS-X for Win7.

McIDAS-X may not run correctly or at all on 32 bit Windows 7 systems if Physical Address Extension (PAE) is enabled. This problem, which applies only to 32 bit (not 64 bit) Windows, can occur if OptIn configuration is set. The OptIn configuration enables Data Execution Prevention (DEP), which implicitly enables PAE.

You can check if PAE is enabled on your 32 bit Windows 7 system with Start > Control Panel > System and Security > System. If PAE is enabled, the bottom of the System section will include a line saying "Physical Address Extension". If it's enabled you should disable it and DEP by running the following commands in a DOS Command Prompt while logged on as Administrator (not another user with escalated privileges).