McIDAS-X User's Guide
Version 2024.1
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Note: This section contains the instructions for building and installing McIDAS-X on Windows in the multi-user configuration. For the single-user configuration instructions or information about the two configuration options, return to the Configuration Options and Instructions and follow those instructions.
Complete the instructions in the three sections below to obtain, build and install McIDAS-X on Windows in the multi-user configuration. Additional information about the directory structure and optionally removing the previous version of McIDAS-X is included at the end.
The McIDAS-X on Windows 2024.1 installation files are listed below.
| File Name | Description |
|---|---|
| mcidas2024.1.sh | shell script that does the McIDAS-X and/or McIDAS-XRD build and install |
| mcidas2024.1.tar.Z | compressed tar file containing the McIDAS-X and McIDAS-XRD software |
Use your web browser to retrieve the files listed above from the Download McIDAS-X page on the McIDAS Website. Each site has its own login and password for downloading files. Have your site coordinator contact the McIDAS Help Desk if you can't remember yours.
Note: The Download McIDAS-X page above also has a file named mcinet2024.1sh that is available for downloading. You do not need to download the file because it is a shell script that configures the McIDAS-X ADDE Remote server, which is not supported on McIDAS-X on Windows systems because a limitation in WSL prevents network services like xinetd from running.
For convenience, the McIDAS-X installation files include both the McIDAS-X core package and the McIDAS-XRD sidecar package (see the McIDAS-XRD Software page for details). Installation of McIDAS-XRD is optional (done by specifying a non-default value for the packages parameter in the steps below).
Complete the steps below to build and install McIDAS-X on Windows 2024.1 and/or McIDAS-XRD on Windows 2024.1.
1. Log in to the mcidas account in Windows, open an Ubuntu shell and run command whoami to verify that you are logged in to the mcidas account in Ubuntu (created in the previous page).
2. Copy or move the installation files that were downloaded in the
previous section to the ~mcidas directory.
(Note: The WSL syntax for C:\Users\mcidas is /mnt/c/Users/mcuser/. e.g., Type: cp /mnt/c/Users/mcuser/Downloads . )
3. Build the desired package (McIDAS-X 2024.1 and/or McIDAS-XRD 2024.1) using the appropriate command below. If building McIDAS-X (by specifying x or all in the packages parameter), this step first makes the ~mcidas installation directories and ~mcidas/mcidas2024.1 package directories (see the tables below). Then, it uncompresses the data files, source files, and man pages. Finally, it makes the help files, compiles the source code, and writes the compiler output to the file ~mcidas/mcidas2024.1/src/makelog.
Type: sh ./mcidas2024.1.sh make packages
or
Type: sh ./mcidas2024.1.sh flag make packages
where packages is one of the three options described below.
and flag can be the optional flag described below.
Examples:
The message below is displayed if McIDAS-X is selected (by specifying x or all in the packages parameter) and the build is successfully completed.
./mcidas2024.1.sh: McIDAS-X make completed normally. |
If McIDAS-XRD is selected (by specifying xrd or all in the packages parameter) and the build is successfully completed, the message is the same as that above, except McIDAS-X is replaced with McIDAS-XRD.
4. Once McIDAS-X and/or McIDAS-XRD 2024.1 are successfully built, uninstall the previous version of the corresponding package(s).
First verify that no McIDAS-X sessions are running. Then enter the command below to uninstall the previous version of the packages, replacing version# with the number of the version (for example, 2023.1).
Type: sh ./mcidasversion#.sh uninstall all
The messages below are displayed if the uninstall is successfully completed.
./mcidasversion#.sh: McIDAS-X uninstall completed normally. ./mcidasversion#.sh: McIDAS-XRD uninstall completed normally. |
5. Run the command below to install the packages (McIDAS-X and/or McIDAS-XRD 2024.1) that you built in step 2 above. You must specify the same option in packages (x, xrd or all) as you did in step 2 above. This step creates hard links from the files in the package directories to the appropriate ~mcidas installation directories.
Type: sh ./mcidas2024.1.sh install packages
The message below is displayed if McIDAS-X is selected (by specifying x or all in the packages parameter) and the install is successfully completed.
./mcidas2024.1.sh: McIDAS-X install completed normally. |
If McIDAS-XRD is selected (by specifying xrd or all in the packages parameter) and the install is successfully completed, the message is the same as that above, except McIDAS-X is replaced with McIDAS-XRD.
Note: SSEC recommends that you recompile all local code after each new version of McIDAS-X is installed.
Run the sudo command below (all one line) to use rsync to mirror the contents of /home/mcidas to the shared location so they are accessible by other users of this workstation.
Type: sudo rsync -avP --delete --delete-excluded --exclude="mcidas????.?*" /home/mcidas /mnt/c/Users/mcidas/Ubuntu/home
This concludes the instructions for building and installing McIDAS-X on Windows in the multi-user configuration. The sections below contain additional information about the directory structure and optionally removing the previous version.
The install process makes hard links (as opposed to symbolic links) between the installation directories and the files in the package directories. The uninstall process simply removes the hard links. The McIDAS-X installation directories and their contents are listed below.
| Directory | Contents |
| ~mcidas/bin | program executables |
| ~mcidas/data | data files |
| ~mcidas/help | help files |
| ~mcidas/inc | include files |
| ~mcidas/lib | libraries |
| ~mcidas/man | man files for subroutines and functions |
| ~mcidas/tcl | Tcl and Tk executables and libraries |
Other McIDAS packages also make hard links in the installation directories. Thus the installation directories are the repositories for all McIDAS packages currently installed.
Each version of McIDAS-X and other McIDAS packages (for example, McIDAS-XCD) builds its own set of directories. The names of the directories depend on the package name and version number. The McIDAS-X package directories and their contents are listed below.
| Directory | Contents |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/bzip2 | BZIP2 1.0.5 files for the radar servers |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/data | McIDAS-X data files |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/g2clib | g2clib 1.2.2 libraries for GRIB2 |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/gzip | gzip 1.13 files for gzip compression |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/hdf | HDF 4.2.5 files for the MODIS servers |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/hdf5 | HDF5 1.8.13 files for ADDE servers |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/jasper | JasPer 2.0.12 libraries for GRIB2 |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/jpeg | JPEG v6b files for the FRMSAVE command |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/libgeotiff | GeoTIFF 1.7.0 files for the GeoTIFF server |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/libpng | libpng 1.6.37 files for GINI support |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/man | McIDAS-X man files for subroutines and functions |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/netcdf | netCDF 4.4 files for ADDE servers |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/sqlite | SQLite 3.30.1 files for ADDE servers |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/src | McIDAS-X source files, help files, and binaries |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/tcln.n | Tcl 8.4 files for the GUI |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/tiff | TIFF 3.6.1 files for the GeoTIFF server |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/tkn.n | Tk 8.4 files for the GUI |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/xrd | McIDAS-XRD source files, data files, and binaries |
| ~mcidas/mcidas202x/zlib | zlib 1.2.8 files for the NEXRAD servers |
If you have installed and tested a new version of McIDAS-X and/or
McIDAS-XRD and are satisfied they are working properly, you can remove the previous
version of the packages. To do so, complete the numbered instructions below.
1. Log in to the mcidas account in Windows, open an Ubuntu shell and run command whoami to verify that you are logged in to the mcidas account in Ubuntu (created in the previous page)
2. Remove the mcidasversion# directory tree and its contents, replacing version# with the previous version number.
Type: sh ./mcidasversion#.sh unmake all
The messages below are displayed when the unmake is successfully completed.
./mcidasversion#.sh: McIDAS-X unmake completed normally. ./mcidasversion#.sh: McIDAS-XRD unmake completed normally. |
3. Remove the following files:
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