Command Line Launch - Linux, Mac & Windows

If you are running Linux, you may need to launch the Omniscope .JAR from the command line. You can also use this method on Windows and Mac machines, although it is not recommended.

Note: Running Omniscope as an executable JAR file is not currently fully supported and some features, such as the Web View (Linux only) will not be present.

This section assumes understanding of system administration via a command line or terminal window. Information you type in yourself will be shown like this.

1. Open a command prompt or terminal window
   On Apple Mac OS X, you can find Terminal by opening Macintosh HD and opening Applications then Utilities.

   On Sun Solaris, Linux or Unix, you may find a shortcut to "Terminal", "XTerm", "Term" or similar on your desktop or in one of the application folders.

   On Windows 95, 98 or Me, click Start, click Run, then type command and click OK

   On Windows 2000 or XP, click Start, click Run, then type cmd and click OK
2. Check you have Java 5 or 6 installed (these may be written as 1.5 or 1.6)
   Example on Apple Mac OS X:

   Vigor5:~ john$ java -version
   java version "1.5.0_b14"
   Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.5.0_b14)
   Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.5.0, mixed mode)
   

   Example on Windows:

   C:\Documents and Settings\john>java -version
   java version "1.5.0_b14"
   Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.5.0)
   Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.5.0, mixed mode)
   

   If Java is not in your path, you must locate it first. On an example Linux installation:
   

   [john@my_pc john]# java -version
   bash: java: command not found
   [john@my_pc john]# /usr/java/j2re1.5.0_14/bin/java -version
   java version "1.5.0"
   Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.5.0)
   Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.5.0, mixed mode)
   
3. Get Java: If you do not have Java 5 or better, download and install it first:
   http://java.com/
   On Apple Mac, you will already have a compatible version of Java if you have Mac OS X 10.3 or later. If not, you will need to upgrade by visiting http://www.apple.com/macosx/
4. Download Omniscope JAR fileif you haven't already done so, to a suitable location such as your home directory or the desktop. You will need to know the path to this JAR file:
   Example path on Apple Mac OS X when downloaded to the desktop:
   ~/Desktop/Omniscope.jar
   

   Example path on Sun Solaris, Linux or Unix when downloaded to your home directory:
   ~/Omniscope.jar

   Example path on Windows when downloaded to the desktop:
   "C:\Documents and Settings\John\Desktop\Omniscope.jar"
5. Launch Omniscope, allocating enough memory to Java. We recommend 75% of your physical memory, which should be at 256MB or greater for trouble-free performance. Be careful to use the syntax below, and note this figure is only the upper limit of memory available should Omniscope need it - Omniscope will normally use far less.
   Example on Apple Mac OS X:
   Vigor5:~ john$ java -Xmx256M -jar ~/Desktop/Omniscope.jar

   Example on Linux:
   [john@my_pc john]# /usr/java/j2re1.5.0_b14/bin/java -Xmx400M -jar ~/Omniscope.jar
   

   Example on Windows:
   C:\Documents and Settings\john>java -Xmx256M -jar "C:\Documents and Settings\John\Desktop\Omniscope.jar"
   
   You also have the following options when launching from the command line, include the parameters after the above script to use them:
   • Open a file: include the path to the file after Omniscope.jar in the above scripts.
   • Open the last opened file: include the number 1 after Omniscope.jar in the above scripts.
6. Open a file: The Omniscope splash screen with the Visokio logo should appear shortly as the application starts. When Omniscope has finished opening, click Open file. Browse to and select the IOK file you wish to open.

Once you have done this successfully once, you may wish to create a shortcut or script which encapsulates Step 5 for future use.