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Platform Support for ENVI 5.6.3 and IDL 8.8.3
This help article lists the supported platforms and features for ENVI 5.6.3 and IDL 8.8.3.
See the following sections:
ENVI 5.6.3 Platform Support
ENVI has the following system requirements:
- Operating systems:
- Windows 10 and 11 (Intel/AMD 64-bit)
- macOS 10.14, 10.15 (Intel 64-bit), 11, and 12 (M1 and Intel 64-bit)
- Linux (Intel/AMD 64-bit, kernel 4.18.0 or higher, glibc 2.28 or higher)
- Disk space: Approximately 4 GB for installation
- Memory (RAM): Minimum of 8 GB
- Graphics card: Minimum of 1 GB RAM and support for OpenGL 2.0 or later
Details
ENVI 5.6.3 has been tested with ArcGIS Pro version 3.0 and ArcMap version 10.8.
An X-Windows manager is required for macOS. ENVI was tested using XQuartz 2.8.2. For M1 support, a Rosetta 2 emulator is required.
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. To access the 32-bit version of ENVI, go to the Windows Start menu and select ENVI x.x > ENVI x.x (32-bit), where x.x is the software version.
Recommending the best hardware configuration for ENVI is difficult, as hardware needs vary depending on the type of processing that is anticipated. The following are items to consider when selecting a system configuration for use with ENVI.
Disk space
The amount of hard-drive space that is needed for ENVI 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.
A solid-state drive (SSD) is highly recommended for optimal performance.
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 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.
Graphics card
For optimal performance, your graphics 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 graphics 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 RAM the better.
Processors and Cores
ENVI only supports CPUs with the Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) instruction set. In general, any CPU after 2011 will contain this instruction set.
ENVI 5.6.3 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 | Linux |
| 32-bit | 64-bit | 64-bit | 64-bit |
| Chip and send files to ArcMap a, b | • | | | |
| Chip to Print Layout view a, b | • | | | |
| Chip to PowerPoint | • | • | | |
| Chip and Export to Geospatial PDF | | • | | • |
| Connecting and saving to an ArcGIS geodatabase a, b | • | | | |
| Download Web Data | | • | | |
| ENVIView::ChipToVideo | | • | | • |
| FLAASH c | • | • | | • |
| Full Motion Video | | • | | • |
| Generate Point Clouds and DSM by Dense Image Matching d | | • | | |
| LiDAR e | • | • | | • |
| Map Layout view (File > Print) a, b | • | | | |
| NITF/NSIF Module | • | • | | • |
| Read ECW files a | • | | | |
| Read MrSID files | • | • | | • |
| Read OGC GeoPackage files | • | • | | |
| Reference Map Link | • | • | | |
| Rigorous Orthorectification d | | • | | |
| RPC Orthorectification Using DSM from Dense Image Matching d | | • | | |
| THOR Tools | • | • | | |
| VideoToRasterSeries Task | | • | | • |
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 See the Details section above for supported versions of ArcGIS Pro and ArcMap.
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.
IDL 8.8.3 Platform Support
IDL has the following system requirements:
- Operating systems:
- Windows 10 and 11 (Intel/AMD 64-bit)
- macOS 10.14, 10.15 (Intel 64-bit), 11, and 12 (M1 and Intel 64-bit)
- Linux (Intel/AMD 64-bit, kernel 4.18.0 or higher, glibc 2.28 or higher)
- Disk space: Approximately 4 GB for installation
- Memory (RAM): Minimum of 8 GB
Details
An X-Windows manager is required for macOS. IDL was tested using XQuartz 2.8.2. For M1 support, a Rosetta 2 emulator is required.
The 64-bit Windows installer contains 32-bit binaries so that you can launch IDL in 32-bit mode on 64-bit Windows systems. The shortcuts to launch them are located in C:\Program Files\Harris\IDLxx, or if ENVI is also installed, C:\Program Files\Harris\ENVIxx\IDLxx, where xx is the software version.
Memory (RAM)
Most image display and processing capabilities in 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 GB of RAM is adequate for most tasks run using the latest versions of 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.
IDL 8.8.3 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 | Linux |
| 32-bit | 64-bit | 64-bit | 64-bit |
| COM Object-Export (Export Bridge Assistant) | • | • | | |
| COM Object-Import (IDLcomIDispatch) | • | | | |
| DataMiner | • | • | | • |
| DICOM Network Services | | • | | |
| DICOM Read/Write (IDLffDicomEx) | | • | | |
| DICOM Read (IDLffDICOM) | | • | • | • |
| DXF file format (IDLffDXF) | • | | | |
| GRIB_* routines | • | • | • | • |
| Internationalization (I18N_*) conversion routines | • | • | | |
| IDL Advanced Math and Stats (IMSL Numerical Library) a | • | • | | • |
| IDL Task Engine | • | • | • | • |
| IDL Workbench | | • | • | • |
| Java Object - Export (Export Bridge Assistant) | | • | • | • |
| JPIP (IDLnetJPIP) | • | • | • | • |
| MrSID (IDLffMrSID) | • | | | |
| Python Bridge | • | • | • | • |
| READ_VIDEO | | • | • | • |
| Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) | | | • | • |
| Video Read (IDLffVideoRead) | | • | • | • |
| Video Write (IDLffVideoWrite) | | • | • | • |
| WIDGET_BROWSER b | • | • | | • |
| WRITE_VIDEO | | • | • | • |
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.