McIDAS-X User's Guide
Version 2024.1
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If you are installing McIDAS-X on a workstation running the Linux or legacy macOS (13) operating system, go to Installing McIDAS-X on Unix or macOS Workstations.
If you are installing McIDAS-X on a workstation running macOS (14+) with Podman containerization, go to Installing McIDAS-X on macOS Workstations.
This section contains information about installing and running McIDAS-X on workstations running Microsoft Windows with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). The McIDAS-X software, which is the same whether installed on a native Unix system or a Windows system, is referred to as McIDAS-X or McIDAS-X 2024.1.
Before installing McIDAS-X, you must ensure that the workstation is configured to meet the system requirements for running the software. The table below lists the operating system and compiler software required to install and run McIDAS-X on Windows 2024.1.
| Vendor | Operating System | Fortran Compiler | C Compiler | X Server / X Window System |
| Microsoft® | Windows®10 with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) with Ubuntu 22.0.4.4 |
gfortran 11.4.0 | gcc 11.4.0 | see below |
| Windows®11 with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) with Ubuntu 22.0.4.5 |
gfortran 11.4.0 | gcc 11.4.0 | see below |
We do not require use of a specific X server. Microsoft recommends VcXsrv. Other X servers, including Xming and X-Win32, have also been used with McIDAS-X. Here are recommended actions for two issues that could be encountered:
There are two configuration options for McIDAS-X on Windows systems:
In the single-user configuration, each user builds and installs their own version of McIDAS-X. There is no Windows System Administrator needed to install McIDAS-X.
The single-user configuration is simpler to complete, but does not allow multiple users to access a shared installation of McIDAS-X binaries and data files. A workstation can have multiple user accounts that are set up using the single-user configuration. However, the Preparing the Workstation (Single-User) instructions below need to be done only once, and each user needs to maintain their own version of the McIDAS-X software, including installation of future releases.
The single-user configuration is best for users who maintain their own software, without a Windows System Administrator, and do not need to share data files with other users.
If you choose the single-user Configuration, the McIDAS-X on Windows installation consists of the four tasks below. If you are performing an initial install on the workstation, you must complete all four sections, in order.
If McIDAS-X is already installed and you are simply updating to a new version, complete the following two sections.
In the multi-user configuration, a Windows System Administrator must install and maintain the release versions of McIDAS-X. The main advantage is that it has one shared account where the McIDAS-X software is installed and everyone shares those binaries and associated data files. Each user still retains their own McIDAS-X environment; they just share the standard core software that is required for all users.
The multi-user configuration is generally better for workstations with multiple users who will be running McIDAS-X, or who prefer to have a Windows System Administrator maintain their software installations.
If you choose the multi-user Configuration, the McIDAS-X on Windows installation consists of the four tasks below. If you are performing an initial install on the workstation, you must complete all four sections, in order. If McIDAS-X is already installed and you are simply updating to a new version, you must also complete all four sections, in order.
The sections below contain additional workstation configuration information mainly for administrators, such as details about port 112 use, system stack size and memory usage.
ADDE data requests from clients to remote servers and back require use of port 112. Upon receiving a data request from a client, the remote server gathers the requested data, packages it, then sends it to the client back through the same open connection. Therefore, sites with firewalls or other screening mechanisms must open port 112 on their remote servers if they want to allow their clients to access the servers' data. And sites must ensure that outbound requests on port 112 are allowed on their client workstations and from their local network.
Some systems have a hard stack size limit that is too small for decoding large grids. This results in McIDAS-X commands like GRDDISP giving an Error: Unix system stack size on server machine insufficient for grib decoding message when trying to display those grids. If the message occurs while accessing a remote dataset, we recommend that you contact the server administrator and request that they increase the hard limit to 20480 or larger on the server machine using the Increasing the Stack Size instructions in the Linux section of the Preparing the Workstation page. If it occurs while accessing a local dataset, run the command !ulimit -H -s in the McIDAS-X session to view the current setting for the hard limit, then contact the McIDAS Help Desk to report the current value and request the instructions for increasing the hard limit to 20480 or larger on your local workstation.
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 workstation 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. Note that when using the RGBDISP command to display color imagery, three color planes (for RGB) are used and thus image frames displaying RGBDISP output use three times as much shared memory as regular grayscale image frames. 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 for imagery + 2000 x 960 x 1280 for graphics) 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 (2000 x 960 x 1280 x 4) 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. Similarly, if the McIDAS session has 1000 RGB frames, they will require approximately 4.9 GB (1000 x 960 x 1280 x 3 for imagery + 1000 x 960 x 1280 for graphics) of shared memory on the workstation running the session, and 4.9 GB (1000 x 960 x 1280 x 4) of system memory for X11.
If you have questions about the installation, call the McIDAS Help Desk at (608) 262-2455, or send email to McIDAS User Services.
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