Platform Support for ENVI 5.5.2 and IDL 8.7.2
This help article lists the supported platforms for ENVI 5.5.2 and IDL 8.7.2.
See the following sections:
ENVI 5.5.2 Platform Support
| Platform |
Hardware |
Operating System |
Supported Versions |
|
Windows
|
Intel/AMD 64-bit
|
Windows
|
7 SP1, 8, 10
|
|
Macintosh
|
Intel 64-bit
|
OS X
|
10.11, 10.12
|
|
Linux
|
Intel/AMD 64-bit
|
Linux
|
Kernel 2.6.32, glibc 2.12
|
Supported versions indicate that ENVI was either built or tested on that version. You can install and run ENVI on other versions that are binary-compatible with those listed.
The 64-bit Windows installer contains 32-bit binaries so that you can launch ENVI in 32-bit mode on 64-bit Windows systems. This ensures interoperability with ArcGIS. You can find the 32-bit versions of ENVI in the ENVI x.x program group under Start > Programs > ENVI 5.5 > ENVI for ArcGIS and Tools > ENVI Classic 5.5 (32-bit), where x.x is the software version.
An X-Windows manager is required for Macintosh. ENVI was tested using XQuartz 2.7.11.
For optimal performance, your video card should have a minimum of 1 GB RAM and should support OpenGL 2.0 or later. Also be sure to install the latest drivers for your video card.
ENVI Help requires an HTML5-compatible browser.
ENVI 5.5.2 Feature Support
The following table indicates which platforms support the corresponding feature. ENVI features not listed in this table are assumed to work on all supported platforms.
| Feature |
Windows |
Mac OS X |
Linux |
| 32-bit |
64-bit |
64-bit |
64-bit |
|
Connecting and saving to a geodatabase a, b
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FLAASH® c
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Chip to ArcMap™ software a, b
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Chip to Print Layout view a, b
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Chip to PowerPoint®
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•
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Download Web Dataf
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•
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•
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Generate Point Clouds and DSM by Dense Image Matching d
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LiDAR e
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Map Layout view (File > Print) a, b
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NITF/NSIF Module
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Reading OGC GeoPackage files
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Reference Map Link
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Rigorous Orthorectification d
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RPC Orthorectification Using DSM from Dense Image Matching d
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Send files to ArcMap™ software a, b
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Reading ECW files a
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Reading MrSID files
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THOR Tools
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a Windows users: these functions only run in 32-bit mode. If you have a 64-bit PC and you want to use these functions, run ENVI in 32-bit mode from the Windows Start menu.
b Supported on ArcMap 10.5 and 10.6.
c FLAASH® is included with the Atmospheric Correction Module, which requires a separate license. The QUick Atmospheric Correction (QUAC) tool is also included with the module and runs on all platforms that ENVI supports.
d Requires a separate license for the ENVI Photogrammetry Module.
e Supported through the ENVI API only. The ENVI LiDAR user interface is not available on Linux.
f For Linux, Download Web Data is Supported with Kernel 3.10.0 or later and glibc 2.17 or later.
Hardware for Optimizing ENVI Performance
Recommending the best hardware configuration for ENVI is difficult, as hardware needs vary depending on the type of processing that is anticipated. Moreover, Harris Geospatial Solutions does not have the resources to test the wide variety of configurations that are possible. The following are issues to consider when choosing a system configuration for use with ENVI. These are only suggestions and not official recommendations.
Memory (RAM)
Most image display and processing capabilities in ENVI and IDL have been designed to work with minimal amounts of system RAM. Having a lot of RAM can help to avoid occasional memory allocation problems, especially with large datasets. Tests have shown that 8 to 16 GB of RAM is adequate for most tasks run using the latest versions of ENVI and IDL. However, if you anticipate working with very large datasets, or if you are building custom applications with ENVI+IDL code, then you may consider adding more RAM to your system.
Video RAM
For optimal performance, your video card should have a minimum of 1 GB RAM and should support OpenGL 2.0 or later. Also be sure to install the latest drivers for your video card. If you anticipate implementing sophisticated graphical displays while building custom applications in ENVI+IDL—or if you expect to work with large datasets—then the more video RAM the better.
Processors and Cores
ENVI inherits some of IDL's multithreaded routines. This allows for a significant performance boost in many processing tasks on systems that have multiple processors. Keep in mind, however, that the performance boost will never scale with the number of processors/cores. For example, two processors will not yield performance that is twice is fast as one. This is because many processes are not multithreaded; for example, file input and output.
Disk space
Recommending a minimum amount of hard-drive space is difficult because it depends on the specific workflows and data that will be used. Our technical support group uses systems with 1 TB of disk space, which is more than adequate for day-to-day use. However, this would not address the needs of a production facility that processes large amounts of data on a daily basis.
IDL 8.7.2 Platform Support
| Platform |
Hardware |
Operating System |
Supported Versions |
| Windows |
Intel/AMD 64-bit |
Windows |
7 SP1, 8, 10 |
| Macintosh |
Intel 64-bit |
OS X |
10.11, 10.12 |
| Linux |
Intel/AMD 64-bit |
Linux |
Kernel 2.6.32, glibc 2.12 |
Supported versions indicate that IDL was built or tested on the lowest version listed. You can install and run IDL on other versions that are binary-compatible.
An X-Windows manager is required for Macintosh. IDL was tested using XQuartz 2.7.11.
The 64-bit Windows installer contains 32-bit binaries so that you can launch IDL in 32-bit mode on 64-bit Windows systems. You can find the 32-bit versions of IDL in the Windows Start menu under Programs > IDL x.x > 32-bit or Programs > ENVI x.x > IDL x.x > 32-bit.
IDL 8.7.2 Feature Support
The following table indicates which platforms support the corresponding feature. IDL technologies not listed in this table are assumed to work on all platforms.
| Feature |
Windows |
Mac OS X |
Linux |
| 32-bit |
Intel 64-bit |
Intel 64-bit |
Intel 64-bit |
|
COM Object-Export (Export Bridge Assistant)
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COM Object-Import (IDLcomIDispatch)
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DataMiner
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DICOM Network Services
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DICOM Read/Write (IDLffDicomEx)
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DICOM Read (IDLffDICOM)
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DXF file format (IDLffDXF)
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GRIB_* routines
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Internationalization (I18N_*) conversion routines
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IDL Advanced Math and Stats (IMSL Numerical Library) a
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IDL Task Engine
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IDL Workbench
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JPIP (IDLnetJPIP)
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MPEG (IDLgrMPEG)
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MrSID (IDLffMrSID)
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Python Bridge
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Video Read (IDLffVideoRead)
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Video Write (IDLffVideoWrite)
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Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs)
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WIDGET_BROWSER b
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a IMSL requires glibc 2.14 or later.
b WIDGET_BROWSER requires Kernel 3.10.0 or later, glibc 2.17 or later, and NSS 3.22 or later.