Mac or Linux Install

Mac Quick Install

Application: Development or Testing using a single Iguana instance.

This assumes that Iguana is not yet installed on your machine. Creates a single instance of Iguana in your home directory, using <home>/Library/iNTERFACEWARE-Iguana/working_dir/ as the Iguana working directory.

  1. Download the latest Iguana release for Mac OS X.
  2. Run the downloaded dmg file.
  3. Drag Iguana to the applications directory.
  4. Start and stop Iguana from the toolbar icon.

Note: The other install methods below also work for Mac OS X (the only change is that you must use the Mac tarball instead of Linux)

You will need to use our download site to get the Mac tarball, see Download other Install Files.

Tip: This install uses this location /Users/<username>/Library/iNTERFACEWARE-Iguana/working_dir/ for the the Iguana working directory. This is hard-coded and cannot be changed.

To customize your install directories simply use one of the manual install procedures as per the Note above.

Linux Quick Install [top]

Application: Development or Testing using a single Iguana instance.

This assumes that Iguana is not yet installed on your machine. Creates a single instance of Iguana in your home directory like <home>/iNTERFACEWARE-Iguana.

  1. Download the latest Iguana release for your operating system.
  2. Run Terminal.
  3. Browse to the download directory: 
    cd <download directory>
  4. Unpack the tarball into the iNTERFACEWARE-Iguana directory: 
    tar -xvzf <downloaded install file name>.tar.gz
  5. Copy the iNTERFACEWARE-Iguana directory into your home directory.

    This install directory is suitable for a developer or perhaps a test machine. For a production machine you will want to use something like /usr/local/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version>/ instead you should confirm this with your system administrator – you should also read the Recommended install directories section in this page.

  6. Optional: Rename the iNTERFACEWARE-Iguana directory to iNTERFACEWARE-Iguana<version number>

    By including the version number in the directory name you can install multiple copies of Iguana on the same machine. This is is very useful for development and testing. It is also useful for production as it means you can do parallel running and quickly rollback if needed.

  7. Browse to the install directory: 
    cd <home>/iNTERFACEWARE-Iguana

cd <home>/iNTERFACEWARE-Iguana_614

    Use one of these commands to run the Iguana server:

    • To run as an exe: ./iguana --run
    • To run as a daemon: ./iguana_service
  8. Run Iguana by using a web browser to connect to http://localhost:6543/.
  9. Login to Iguana using the defaults, user = admin and password = password.
  10. Register Iguana.

Multiple Instances [top]

Application: Production, Development or Testing when you need multiple Iguana instances.

This assumes that Iguana is not installed in the chosen directory. Create multiple instances of Iguana in different directories, using different ports.

Note: For upgrades use the Mac or Linux Upgrade procedure, for production servers we recommend reviewing our Deployment section.

  1. Choose your install directory. The simplest place to install is under your home directory.
    Iguana can run from any location (with write permission).

    Including the <version> in the Iguana directory names allowed you to run multiple independent versions of Iguana. If you need to run multiple copies of the same version just append a sensible code to the end of the name /usr/local/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version><code>/, like /usr/local/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana_614_lab/. See the Recommended install directories section below.

  2. Download the latest Iguana release for your operating system.
    Note: Use our download site to get the Mac tarball, see Download other Install Files.
  3. Run Terminal.
  4. Browse to the download directory:
    cd <download directory>
  5. Unpack the tarball into the iNTERFACEWARE-Iguana directory:
    tar -xvzf <downloaded install file name>.tar.gz
  6. Rename the iNTERFACEWARE-Iguana directory.
  7. Copy the renamed Iguana directory into your install directory.
  8. Browse to the install directory:
    cd <home>/iNTERFACEWARE-Iguana
  9. Use one of these commands to run the Iguana server:
    • To run as an exe: ./iguana --run
    • To run as a daemon: ./iguana_service
  10. Set the Iguana Web Server Port:
    By default Iguana listens on port 6543, if this port is already in use Iguana will not start.

  11. Run the Iguana application by using a web browser to connect to http://localhost:6543/ (or the the port you chose above).
  12. Login to Iguana using the defaults, user = admin and password = password.
  13. Register Iguana.

Recommended install directories [top]

Note: You should discuss this with your system administrator as they may have different standards for where to install software.

Iguana will run from any directory with write permissions, the only limitation is not putting the log indexes on an NFS drive.

Here are our two standard recommendations for Production or QA systems on Linux or Mac.

  1. RECOMMENDED default install paths:

    Including the <version> in the Iguana directory names allowed you to run multiple independent versions of Iguana. If you need to run multiple copies of the same version just append a sensible code to the end of the name /usr/local/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version><code>/, like /usr/local/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana_614_lab/.

    • Software executables: /usr/local/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version>/
    • Working Directory for Configuration files: /etc/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version>/
    • Log files:
      • By default the log files are placed in the working directory /etc/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version>/logs/
      • Alternatively the logs can be placed in /var/log/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version>/ – though this is more for intended for application logs, and the Iguana logs fall somewhat outside of this
      • Log files for production systems should be be placed on a separate dedicated drive (or LUN) for better performance.
  2. Alternatively under /opt:

    Including the <version> in the Iguana directory names allowed you to run multiple independent versions of Iguana. If you need to run multiple copies of the same version just append a sensible code to the end of the name /usr/local/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version><code>/, like /usr/local/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana_614_lab/.

    • Software executables: /opt/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version>/
    • Working Directory for Configuration files: /etc/opt/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version>/
    • Log files:
      • By default the log files are placed in the working directory /etc/opt/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version>/logs/
      • Alternatively the logs can be placed in /var/opt/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version>/log/ – though this is more for intended for application logs, and the Iguana logs fall somewhat outside of this
      • Log files for production systems should be be placed on a separate dedicated drive (or LUN) for better performance.

Here are our recommendations for Development systems on Linux or Mac.

  • Software executables: <home>/iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version>/
  • Working Directory for Configuration files: <home>//iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version>/
  • Log files: Use the default working directory <home>//iNTERFACEWARE/Iguana<version>/logs/

 

Tips [top]

  • For security reasons we recommend changing the admin password on production systems
  • If you are running Iguana as a daemon in a Mac/Linux environment, we recommend that you configure it to create crash dumps, particularly for production systems.
  • We recommend changing the Web Server Port from the default of 6543, this will prevent port conflicts if you install multiple instances of Iguana:
    • You can change the port number in Settings > IGUANA Setup > Web Server.
  • To edit VMD files on a non Windows machine you will need to install Chameleon in a virtual machine. The simplest way to install Chameleon is to use the Iguana automatic installer (which installs Chameleon and Iguana).

Troubleshooting [top]

  • Web Server Port Conflicts. If Iguana fails to start it indicates that the Web Server Port (usually the 6453 default) is being used by another application (usually another Iguana instance).
    Solution: Change the port for the new Iguana instance (usually easiest) or the other application:

More Information [top]

 

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