McIDAS-Lite
Frequently Asked Questions
How is McIDAS-Lite supported on Microsoft Windows systems?
Why can't I view remote data?
Why can't I view local MODIS data?
Why do I get this error; "mcenv: Cannot make positive UC..." ?
Can I use McIDAS-Lite with KDE on Linux?
I get the warning message; "xdpyinfo: not found", what does this mean?
How can I load multiple images?
Where does the list of remote data servers come from?
How can I add a remote data server for my use only?
How can I make McIDAS-Lite available to my users?
Is McIDAS-Lite supported on Apple Macintosh systems?
What file formats can I read using McIDAS-Lite?
What file formats can I write using McIDAS-Lite?
Why am I having problems installing McIDAS-Lite on my Mac?
Why doesn't the Help work on my Mac?
How do I install SFU on my Windows XP system?
What X Windows server should I use with Windows XP?
How is McIDAS-Lite supported on Microsoft Windows systems?
Currently McIDAS-Lite is supported for Windows XP Professional. Since McIDAS-Lite is
designed to be run on Unix workstations you must also have
SFU (Services for Unix) and an
X Window server.
Why can't I view remote data?
McIDAS-Lite uses TCP/IP port 112. If you use a firewall this port must be
configured and available in order to view remote data. For more
detailed information on the configuration of TCP/IP ports for McIDAS contact McIDAS-Lite Support.
Why can't I view local MODIS data?
If you have MODIS data that is stored on your local machine the file names must conform to the
DAAC convention, e.g. MOD021KM.A2001084.2115.003.2001196012951.hdf
The first section of the filename in bold face is the important part, it gives the data type, date,
and time. The rest of the file name can be omitted or changed.
Why do I get this error; "mcenv: Cannot make positive UC..." ?
If you are seeing an error similar to the following;
mcenv: Cannot make positive UC: could not create 6279924-byte shared memory
then your system's shared memory configuration needs to be modified. McIDAS-Lite uses shared
memory for frame allocation. By default, the shared memory facility is activated and has
a sufficient maximum segment size on AIX, HP-UX and IRIX systems. However, this is not
true for Solaris, Linux, and Macintosh systems. The system administrator must force the kernel to
activate the shared memory system at boot time and set the maximum segment size to 512
MB or greater the first time McIDAS-Lite is installed on a Solaris, Linux, or Macintosh workstation.
Below are instructions for modifying shared memory settings for each of these platforms;
Solaris:
You will need to log on as root and then make the following changes;
1. Edit the file /etc/system and add the line;
2. Change the shared memory size (if necessary);
Type: /usr/sbin/sysdef | grep SHMMAX
If the value is less than 512MB then add the following line to /etc/system;
set shmsys:shminfo_shmmax=536870912
3. Reboot the system.
Linux (RedHat Enterprise):
You will need to log on as root and then make the following changes;
1. Edit the file /etc/sysctl.conf and add the following lines at the end of the file:
kernel.shmmax = 536870912
kernel.shmall = 536870912
2. Execute the following command:
Every time the machine reboots the shared memory will now be set to the values that
you specified in /etc/sysctl.conf.
Macintosh:
Note: In McIDAS-Lite version 1.5.2 the number of frames has been reduced to 10
so that the standard shared memory configuration for Macintosh systems will
be sufficient. However, if you still would like to increase your shared
memory follow the procedure below.
You will need to log on as root and then make the following changes;
1. Edit /etc/rc and change the values on the following lines;
sysctl -w kern.sysv.shmmax=536870912
sysctl -w kern.sysv.shmmin=1
sysctl -w kern.sysv.shmmni=128
sysctl -w kern.sysv.shmseg=32
sysctl -w kern.sysv.shmall=131072
2. Reboot your system.
Can I use McIDAS-Lite with KDE on Linux?
McIDAS-Lite is not supported with KDE, you will need to change to the Gnome desktop.
I get the warning message; "xdpyinfo: not found", what does this mean?
The utility xdpyinfo is used to check for the availability of an 8-bit pseudo color
graphics mode. You may see a warning message upon start up of McIDAS-Lite on HPUX systems
because xdpyinfo is not supported. This should not present a problem because the
8-bit pseudo color graphics mode is supported on all HPUX systems. The warning message
can therefore be ignored.
How can I load multiple images?
The ability to load multiple images at a time is not currently supported by McIDAS-Lite.
The full McIDAS-X package supports the use of hundreds of frames and includes the
capability of loading multiple images with a single command. The functionality of
McIDAS-Lite is a small subset of McIDAS-X, for more information about McIDAS-X please visit:
http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/mcidas.
Where does the list of remote data servers come from?
Each time that you start McIDAS-Lite a pop-up window appears asking you if you will be working
on-line. If you answer "Yes" a list of available remote servers is automatically retrieved
from the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin where McIDAS-Lite
was developed. This list is kept current with freely available remote data servers so that
all McIDAS-Lite users will always have access to the latest data. If you would like your
remote server to be added to this list so that other McIDAS-Lite users will have access to your
data, just send an email to McIDAS-Lite Support and we will be happy to add your
server to the list.
How can I add a remote data server for my use only?
You may add a remote data server to your list locally by clicking on the Tools
menu and selecting Remote Access Configuration. A window will appear
that shows any remote data servers that you have already added to your list.
Just click on Add Group and type in the server information. The
new server will be available the next time that you click on the RemoteData
directory in the file selection window.
How can I make McIDAS-Lite available to my users?
McIDAS-Lite is freely available to anyone. Just place a link to
http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/mcidas/software/mclite onto your web site and your users will
immediately have access to the McIDAS-Lite software. They are free to use the
software in any way that they like with the understanding that McIDAS-Lite
is freeware and therefore is not to be sold or exchanged for compensation in
any way.
Is McIDAS-Lite supported on Apple Macintosh systems?
Yes, McIDAS-Lite is now supported for Mac OS X.
What file formats can I read using McIDAS-Lite?
You can use McIDAS-Lite to view images in McIDAS area format
or MODIS HDF format.
What file formats can I write using McIDAS-Lite?
Using McIDAS-Lite you can save images in GIF, JPEG, BMP, PPM, CPS, PS,
netCDF, or binary/ASCII flat file formats.
Why am I having problems installing McIDAS-Lite on my Mac?
McIDAS-Lite requires that certain libraries from g77 be installed
in order to run, these can be downloaded from
SourceForge.
Why doesn't the Help work on my Mac?
We have discovered that the Help facility and the About box do not
work on McIDAS-Lite version 1.5 on Macintosh systems. The reason
for this is that Tcl/Tk version 8.4.2 has problems reading the
headers of GIF files. To fix this problem we have changed the method
that our Help utility uses to create its images. You may download the
new tar file
McLITE-darwin-1.5.1.tar.gz (delete the old tar file) and rerun the
installation script or you may download
helplite.gui and aboutlite.gui
and place them both in your .../mclite/lib/gui directory. The
next time that you start McIDAS-Lite the Help utility and the About
window will work as expected.
How do I install SFU on my Windows XP system?
SFU (Services For Unix) is a free software package that is available from Microsoft.
SFU provides Unix functionality so that software that was designed for Unix
workstations can be run on PCs with Windows XP Pro. Note: SFU does not
work with Windows XP Home.
1. Download the SFU installation software from Microsoft and do a standard installation
accepting all of the defaults.
2. Create the user account if it doesn't already exist, this is the account in
which you will be installing McIDAS-Lite.
a. Logon on as Administrator
b. Set the Local Path for the home directory of the user account.
- Right-click on My Computer
- Click Manage to bring up the Computer Management window
- Double-click the following Local Users and Groups
- Double-click Users
- Double-click user where user is the user's account name,
to bring up the user's Properties window
- Click its Profile tab
- Select the radio button next to Local path and enter the user's
home directory, e.g., /dev/fs/C/home/johndoe , in its text field
- Click OK
c. Set ownership of the user's home directory and give everyone read access.
- Start an SFU korn shell window and type in the following commands;
chown user /dev/fs/C/home/user
chmod 755 /dev/fs/C/home/user
- Exit the korn shell window
d. Log out and log back in as user
e. Create a .profile file in the user's home directory. Start an SFU korn
shell window and type;
Note: If this workstation is a member of a domain controlled by an Active Directory
server, the network administrator will need to configure the home directory for the
user account on the server to match the one used here.
What X Windows server should I use with Windows XP?
While, in theory, any X Windows server should work we recommend the following;
