These instructions describe how to install and license IDL on Windows, UNIX, and Mac platforms. See the following sections:

IDL System Requirements

IDL has the following system requirements:

  • Operating systems:
    • Windows 10 and 11 (Intel/AMD 64-bit)

    • macOS 12 and 13 (Intel 64-bit (x86_64) and M-series (arm64))

    • Linux (Intel/AMD 64-bit, kernel 4.18.0 or higher and glibc 2.28 or higher)
  • Disk space: Approximately 4 GB for installation
  • Memory (RAM): Minimum of 8 GB*
  • Number of processing cores: Minimum of 2, recommended 4 or more

An X-Windows manager is required for macOS. IDL was tested using XQuartz 2.8.5 on an M1 chipset.

* 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.

Install on Windows

Tip: If you need to install IDL on multiple computers, you can record an .ini file during an installation of IDL, then use that .ini file to silently install IDL on the other computers. See Windows Silent Installation for details.

You must have administrator privileges to install software on Windows. Install IDL from a web download or a DVD as follows:

  1. Start the installer:

    • Web download: Navigate to the idlxx-win.exe file that was downloaded to your computer and double-click to run it, where xx is the version number.
    • DVD: Insert the disk and double-click setup-idlxx-win.exe, where xx is the version number.
  2. Follow the prompts to install the software.
  3. When the installation is complete, activate your license. See the License Administrator section for details.

Install on Linux or Mac from a Shell Script

The commands listed here may require root or sudo privileges. An X-Windows manager is required for Mac. Install IDL from a web download as follows:

  1. Uncompress the filename.tar.gz archive file that was downloaded to your computer. For example, idlxx-linux.tar.gz, idlxx-mac-arm64.tar.gz (for M-series hardware), or idlxx-mac-x86_64.tar.gz (for Intel hardware), where xx is the version number.

  2. Unpack the file:

    gunzip filename.tar.gz
    tar -xf filename.tar

  3. Start the installer with this command:

    ./install.sh
  4. Follow the prompts to install the software.
  5. When the installation is complete, activate your license. See the License Administrator section for details.

  6. From a terminal window, change directories to INSTALL_DIR/idlxx. Enter a command at the shell prompt to start an application:

    idl: Start command-line IDL.

    idlde: Start the IDL Development Environment.

    idlhelp: Start IDL Help.

Install on Mac from a .pkg File

An X-Windows manager is required for Mac. Install IDL from a web download as follows:

  1. Start the installer by navigating to the idlxx-mac-arm64.pkg (for M-series hardware) or idlxx-mac-x86_64.pkg (for Intel hardware) file that was downloaded to your computer and run it.

  2. Follow the prompts to install the software.
  3. When the installation is complete, activate your license. See the License Administrator section for details.

  4. From the Mac Finder, go to INSTALL_DIR/idlxx and double-click IDLxx to launch IDL.

License Administrator

Activate your license using the ENVI-IDL License Administrator tool. You may be prompted to launch the License Administrator after installation, or you can open the License Administrator tool with one of the following:

  • Windows: From the Start menu, select ENVI-IDL License Administrator under the shortcut group for your product installation. Administrator privileges are required.

  • Linux: From a terminal window, launch the envi_idl_license_admin command from the INSTALL_DIR/idlxx/bin/ directory. Sudo or root permissions are required.

    Note: A graphical session is required to run the License Administrator user interface. Some Linux distributions disable this when the sudo command is invoked (i.e., the required DISPLAY environment variable is not set). If this is the case for your Linux distribution, use an alternative to sudo (such as direct root login or su), or the sudo configuration should be updated appropriately.

  • Mac: From a Finder window, double-click the LicenseAdminstrator.app icon located under the INSTALL_DIR/idlxx directory. Administrator privileges are required.

See the following sections for managing licenses:

See also Licensing Utility for instructions to manage licenses using a command-line utility.

Upgrade a License

If you are upgrading your software version and a new license is required, you can use Upgrade License on a machine with Internet access to automatically get an upgraded license.

To update a license, perform these steps:

  1. Click the Upgrade License button.

  2. The License Administrator checks the licensing portal to determine if a new license is available to you.

    If any parts of your license are eligible for upgrade, you will see a list of upgradable Activation Codes. Select the licenses you want to upgrade and click Upgrade License.

  3. Click Close to close the dialog.

Activate a License Online

These steps activate a license on a machine that has Internet access:

  1. Click the Activate Online button.

  2. Type, or paste, the activation code(s) into the field.

  3. Click Activate. When activation is complete, you will see the message Activation succeeded.

  4. Click Close to close the dialog.

Activate a License Offline

The following steps describe how to use the License Administrator activate a license on a machine that does not have Internet access.

  1. Click the Activate Offline button.
  2. Generate a file that contains information about the machine: click the 1. Generate Machine Information File button to generate a file named machine_information.dat.
  3. Click the Open Folder button to open the file folder where the machine_information.dat file was saved.

  4. Attach the file to an email addressed to one of the following, with the subject License Request:

    • geospatialsupport@nv5.com (U.S.)

    • supporteu@nv5.com (E.U.)

    • Your local sales representative

  5. NV5 Geospatial Solutions, Inc. will email a license.dat file to you.

  6. Copy the license.dat file to the machine, then launch the License Administrator. Note that if you copy the file to INSTALL_DIR\license, you do not need to do steps 6 and 7.
  7. If your license.dat file was saved to a directory other than INSTALL_DIR\license, click the Activate Offline button, then click the 2. Install a License File button.
  8. Navigate to the license.dat file location, then click Open. When activation is complete, you will see the message Successfully imported license file.
  9. Click Close to close the dialog.

You can also generate machine information from the command line using the get bindings command of the Licensing utility.

Connect to a License Server

This version of the product can use floating licenses hosted by the new NV5 Geospatial License Server licensing engine. It will not work with any License Servers supported before this version.

If you were previously connected to a legacy License Server and the new License Server is installed on the same machine, the License Administrator will detect the IP address you were connected to. A dialog will appear and asks if you want to connect to the address on the new License Server. Click Yes.

To use a license that is on a License Server, connect to the server machine as follows:

  1. Click the Use License Server button.
  2. The default port number is 4080. To use a secure port (HTTPS), enable the Secure check box. The port number will change to 40443, the default for a secure port.
  3. Enter the name or IP address of the server. If the License Server is located on the same machine as your product installation, use localhost.
  4. Click the Connect button.
  5. Click Close to close the dialog.

Connect to a License Server Using a Text File

If the software was installed silently, or if you are running it headless, you can alternatively set up a text file on the machine to connect to licenses on a License Server.

To create the text file:

  1. Create a plain text file that contains a reference to the License Server URL. Format the text as follows:

    http://license-server-hostname-or-IP-address:4080

    For example:

    http://myserver.mycompany.com:4080

  2. Save the file as lic_server.dat.

  3. Copy the file to the license subdirectory located under the INSTALL_DIR. The file should have read privileges for all product users.

Examples using the default installation directory locations:

Windows: C:\Program Files\INSTALL_DIR\license\lic_server.dat

Linux: /usr/local/INSTALL_DIR/license/lic_server.dat

Mac: /Applications/INSTALL_DIR/license/lic_server.dat

To remove the machine's connection to the License Server, delete the lic_server.dat file.

Deactivate a License

If you activated a license on your machine, deactivating the license releases it so that it can be activated on a different machine. To deactivate a license:

  1. Click the Deactivate License button.

  2. Select the activation code(s) you wish to deactivate.

  3. Click Deactivate. When deactivation is complete, you will see the message Successfully deactivated.

  4. Click Close to close the dialog.

Disconnect from a License Server

To disconnect from a License Server:

  1. Click the Use License Server button, then click the Disconnect button.

  2. Confirm in the dialog that you want to disconnect from the Server.

  3. When disconnection is complete, you will see the message Successfully disconnected.

  4. Click Close to close the dialog.

View Licenses

In the License Administrator, you can view details of the licenses you are using. Click View Licenses.

  • If you are using a license that was activated on your machine, the display shows the details for the license(s) that have been issued to you. You can copy the details to the clipboard, or save them to a file.

  • If you are using a license from a License Server, click Show Dashboard.

    Note: If you click Show Dashboard and the message 'HTTP 404 Not Found' is returned, contact your administrator.

  • Note that you can combine a license activated on your machine with this user of a License Server. When combined, the software will first attempt to use a license from your machine, then it will connect to the License Server if your license does not contain the requested feature.

View Events Log

In the License Administrator, you can enable event logging for licenses and view the log. Event logging should only be enabled during troubleshooting, as instructed by Tech Support. Enabling this type of logging for long periods will cause an excessive number of log files being created.

  • To enable event logging for licensing activity, click the View Log button, select the Licensing Events tab, then click the Enable Event Logging button. You can copy the details to the clipboard, or save them to a file.

  • Click Refresh to update the log with the latest activity. Click Reset to clear the log details. Click Disable to stop logging licensing events.

Licensing Utility

Use the licensing command-line utility to do the following from the command line:

To use the Licensing utility, open a terminal window and change to the following directory:

  • Windows: INSTALL_DIR\IDLxx\license_utils\bin.x86_64 for IDL installations, or INSTALL_DIR\ENVIxx\IDLxx\license_utils\bin.x86_64 for ENVI installations.

  • Linux: INSTALL_DIR/idlxx/license_utils/bin.linux.x86_64 for IDL installations, or INSTALL_DIR/envixx/idlxx/license_utils/bin.linux.x86_64 for ENVI installations.

  • Mac (Intel hardware): INSTALL_DIR/idlxx/license_utils/bin.darwin.x86_64 for IDL installations, or INSTALL_DIR/envixx/idlxx/license_utils/bin.darwin.x86_64 for ENVI installations.

  • Mac (M-series):INSTALL_DIR/idlxx/license_utils/bin.darwin.x86_64 for IDL installations.

Activate a License

To activate a license (requires Internet access):

  • Windows: licensing activate <activation_code>

  • Linux/Mac: ./licensing activate <activation_code>

where <activation code> is in the format 0000-0000-0000-0000. Submitting the activation code contacts the licensing portal with machine binding information. The portal returns a license, which will then be installed.

  • You can call activate multiple times to add more codes to the existing license, without needing to deactivate.

  • You can also enter multiple activation codes in the command. For example:

    Windows: licensing activate <activation_code1> <activation_code2>

    Linux/Mac: ./licensing activate <activation_code1> <activation_code2>

Check for License Upgrades

To check if a new license is available (requires Internet access):

  • Windows: licensing check upgrades

  • Linux/Mac: ./licensing check upgrades

If any parts of your license are eligible for upgrade, a list of upgradable Activation Codes will be returned. Use the upgrade option to activate them.

Upgrade Licenses

To get the available license upgrades (requires Internet access):

  • Windows: licensing upgrade

  • Linux/Mac: ./licensing upgrade

Deactivate a License

If you activated a license on your machine, deactivating the license releases it so that it can be activated on a different machine. To deactivate a license (requires Internet access):

  • Windows: licensing deactivate

  • Linux/Mac: ./licensing deactivate

You can also deactivate a specific license:

  • Windows: licensing deactivate <activation_code>

  • Linux/Mac: ./licensing deactivate <activation_code>

where <activation code> is in the format 0000-0000-0000-0000.

Print Binding Keys

To print the machine's key binding to the screen:

  • Windows: licensing get bindings

  • Linux/Mac: ./licensing get bindings

Print License Details

To print license details to the screen:

  • Windows: licensing show license

  • Linux/Mac: ./licensing show license

Other Options with the License Utility

The following options can also be used with the licensing command-line utility:

  • To use a proxy server:

    --proxy_server: The proxy server host name or IP address.

    --proxy_port: The proxy server TCP port.

    --proxy_username: The proxy server username.

    --proxy_password: The proxy server password.

  • The Licensing utility automatically detects the licensing folder in the folder hierarchy, but if the folder is in a different location, override with the following:

    --path: The license file path.

  • The following options are available for logging:

    --log: To specify the name of the log file.

    --loglevel: To specify the level of logging information. The default level is INFO, but for troubleshooting purposes, you may be instructed by NV5 Geospatial Solutions Technical Support to change this setting.

    --verbose: To enable more verbose logging.

  • To specify a file to direct all output to:

    --output

    If not specified, output is written to sdtout.

Windows Silent Installation

These instructions describe how to record an .ini file you can use to silently install IDL on other Windows systems. This can be useful when you need to install IDL on multiple computers.

To record the .ini file, use the commands below, then follow the prompts to install IDL. The installation options you select will be recorded to the .ini file:

  1. Open a command window, running as administrator.

  2. Navigate to the location of the IDL installation executable file:

    • Web download: idlxx-win.exe
    • DVD: setup-idlxx-win.exe

  3. Use the following syntax, where IDL_INSTALL_EXECUTABLE is the applicable IDL installation executable filename from above. This syntax initiates recording the .ini file and starts the IDL installer:

    IDL_INSTALL_EXECUTABLE.exe /SAVEINF="INI_FILE_DIR\IDL_only.ini"
  4. Follow the prompts to install the software. The options you select during the installation process will be recorded to the .ini file.

To use the .ini file to perform a silent install on other Windows systems:

  1. Copy IDL_only.ini to a computer that needs to have IDL installed.
  2. Open a command window, running as administrator.

  3. Use the following command and flags to start the silent installation. In the example below, IDL_INSTALL_EXECUTABLE_DIR is the directory that contains the IDL installer, IDL_INSTALL_EXECUTABLE is the applicable executable filename from above, and INI_FILE_DIR is the directory that contains the .ini file:

    IDL_INSTALL_EXECUTABLE_DIR\IDL_INSTALL_EXECUTABLE.exe /LOADINF="INI_FILE_DIR\IDL_only.ini" /SP /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NOCANCEL /NORESTART /FORCECLOSEAPPLICATIONS

    The following is example syntax for a silent install from the DVD:

    D:\setup-idlxx-win.exe /LOADINF="C:\Temp\IDL_only.ini" /SP /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NOCANCEL /NORESTART /FORCECLOSEAPPLICATIONS

Where:

  • LOADINF tells the installer to load settings from the specified file after checking the command line. Use the SAVEINF flag to prepare the settings file.
  • SP disables the prompt, "This will install...Do you wish to continue?" that appears at the beginning of the installer.
  • SILENT tells the installer to display only the installation progress window, but not the installation wizard and background window.
  • VERYSILENT prevents the installation progress window, installation wizard, and background window from displaying.
  • SUPPRESSMSGBOXES tells the installer to suppress message windows. This flag only works when combined with SILENT or VERYSILENT.
  • NOCANCEL prevents the user from cancelling the installation. It disables the Cancel button and ignores clicks on the Close button. This flag is also used in combination with SILENT or VERYSILENT.
  • NORESTART prevents the installer from restarting the system following a successful installation or after a "Preparing to Install" failure that requests a restart. This flag is typically used in combination with SILENT or VERYSILENT.
  • FORCECLOSEAPPLICATIONS tells the installer to force a close when closing applications.

Troubleshooting

IDL_LICENSE_PATH Environment Variable

Configuring your license information requires changes to the license folder inside your IDL/ENVI installation; however, system administrators prefer to lock down access to all program files and folders. In that case, you can specify the location of your license files by defining the IDL_LICENSE_PATH environment variable and pointing it to a different location of your choice.

On Windows, the License Administrator will automatically set this environment variable to enable multiple installations of our software to share the same license.

Contact Us

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