Downloading Iris

Download Iris | Install Iris | Run Iris | Run Smoke Test

The Iris software package comes in the form of a single tarfile which may be downloaded from this page, and installed in a single step, shown below. It is available for download on the Linux and Macintosh OS X 10.5, 10.6, 10.7 and 10.8 computer platforms, running Java version 1.6 or higher.

If you are running Java version 1.5 on the Mac OS X 10.5 platform, please follow the special installation instructions available here.

Iris system requirements:

Iris will not run on a system which does not have at least Java SE 6 (developer version 1.6), preferably Oracle JRE, though special installation instructions are available for the Mac OS X 10.5 platform running Java 1.5.

To check your current Java version, type 'java -version' into a terminal window:

unix% java -version
java version "1.6.0_26"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_26-b03)
Java HotSpot(TM) Server VM (build 20.1-b02, mixed mode)

Free disk space

tarball ~60MB
unpacked ~170Mb

The Specview and Sherpa applications which comprise Iris run simultaneously and communicate with each other via a SAMP hub.

Known issues with installing and starting Iris are listed on the Troubleshooting page.

1. Determine if you need the 32- or 64-bit version of the software.

When in doubt, it is safe to install the 32-bit version of the tarfile for your computer platform. The only possible drawback is that you might experience a very slight decrease in performance efficiency.

To find out if your Intel-based Mac or Linux computer is running a 32-bit or 64-bit kernel, type "uname -a" in a terminal window, as shown in the following example for a Linux system:

% uname -a
Linux hostname 2.6.18-274.3.1.el5.centos.plus #1 SMP Wed Sep 7 05:38:58 EDT 2011 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

"x86_64" indicates a 64-bit kernel, and "i386" a 32-bit kernel.

On a Mac, you can also find this information by doing the following:

Choose "About This Mac" from the Apple menu in the upper-left menu bar, then click "More Info".
Open the "Hardware" section.
Locate the "Processor Name".

Compare your Processor Name to information below to determine whether your Mac has a 32-bit or 64-bit processor.

2. Download the Iris tarfile for your platform.

Linux (64 bit)
Linux (32 bit)
Mac OS X Intel (64 bit)
Mac OS X Intel (32 bit)

The tarfile is named: iris-2.0.1-<plat>-<arch>.tar.gz

where <arch> = "i386" or "x86_64" and <plat> = "unix" or "macosx".

The tarfile includes Specview, Sherpa, and the Sherpa SAMP client.

3. Install Iris

To install Iris, simply move the tarfile to a directory where you would like to store the software (e.g., in the Applications folder on a Mac), and unpack the tarfile with the appropriate Unix 'tar' command. If the file is unzipped automatically upon download onto your system, the 'tar -xf' command should be used. Otherwise, 'tar -zxf' should be used, as demonstrated below (Linux and Mac).

% tar -zxf iris-2.0.1-<plat>-<arch>.tar.gz

% ls iris-2.0.1-<plat>-<arch>/

COPYING   iris-2.0.1.jar      LICENSE.IRIS   README.txt
examples  lib                 LICENSE.SAO    
Iris      LICENSE-2.0.txt     LICENSE.STScI

At this point, the installation of Iris is complete and the software is ready to be run. Continue on to steps 4 and 5 to learn how to start Iris and run a check on the installation.

4. Run Iris

To open Iris from any directory, simply type the path to the Iris startup script on the command line, as shown below:

% <basedir>/iris-2.0.1-<plat>-<arch>/Iris &

(Note that you can simply type "Iris" on the command line if you have added the Iris installation directory to your global PATH variable.)

Alternatively, you can start the application by opening a folder manager window on Linux or the Finder on Mac, navigating to the Iris directory, and double-clicking on the "Iris" executable.

The Iris Desktop

5. Run the Iris smoke test

The 'smoketest' file included in the Iris software package is available to help you verify that the Iris and SED Importer applications have been installed correctly and are working properly on your computer platform.

To begin the smoke test, double click on the smoke test icon in the folder where you unpacked the Iris tarfile, or type its name in a terminal window (Linux or Mac):

% <basedir>/iris-2.0.1-<plat>-<arch>/Iris smoketest

The terminal output will provide a record of the test and indicate a successful termination or failed attempt. For more details on the Iris smoke test, see the Iris Smoke Test page.