CAUTION:  Users should not add, delete or modify the contents of the SSW directory created by this installation.
Any changes you make will be lost whenever a Mirror update occurs.
You should print these instructions before continuing.
If you experience problems, see the read_me file for help.
 
 

Step #1    Install Perl.

You must have a zip file utility (e.g. WinZip ) for uncompressing files.  If you do not, please install one before proceeding.

If you have not already done so, you will need to install Perl on your PC.
If you are not familiar with installing software on a PC, you should seek assistance from a more experienced user before continuing.
The Perl installation requires version 1.1 or greater of the Windows Installer. Download it here for Windows NT or here for Windows 95/98.

Save the appropriate link above to your desktop.  Locate the Windows Installer icon (named InstMsi.exe)  on your desktop and double click on it to install it.

 Next, download and install the Perl program. It can be obtained here:
http://www.activestate.com/download/ActivePerl/Windows/5.6/ActivePerl-5.6.0.613.msi

During setup, be sure to check the box labeled, "Add Perl to your path".
You should select all program components for installation.

Some Windows 95/98 users may require an additional download called DCOM.  If you need DCOM then Perl will alert you during installation.

        DCOM for Windows 95:    http://download.microsoft.com/msdownload/dcom/95/x86/en/dcom95.exe
        DCOM for Windows 98:   http://download.microsoft.com/msdownload/dcom/98/x86/en/dcom98.exe

If you find it necessary to install DCOM, reboot your system after doing so before continuing to step #2.
After setup, delete the Windows Installer and Perl installation files from your desktop as they are no longer needed.
 
 

Step #2    Create an Installation Script.

Customize an SSW installation package.  To do this visit the SolarSoft website at the following URL:

http://www.lmsal.com/solarsoft/ssw_install.html

Following is a list of recommended options to use while selecting options from the page at the above link:

Desired SSW Host:                              sohoftp.nascom.nasa.gov
Installation type:                                  New Installation

Set the desired local path to C:\ssw [Windows 95/98/NT]        (or use the Explicit Path: option for an alternative location)

SSW Site email contact:                       your email address.

Windows Options:
        Perl is installed at:                        select "Don't worry, it's in my DOS path"
        Enable daily upgrade task:          Check this box only if you have Windows NT and are usually connected to a network.

SolarSoft Instrument Selection:    The following selections are required for HESSI.  you may select any additional data types.
        Orbital Observatories:                Check the HESSI box.
        Packages:                                     Check the binaries, spex and x-ray boxes.

Press the "Generate Installation Script" button.  Be patient, it may take a moment while the script is being created.

A new page will appear listing the installation path and the packages that you have chosen.
When you have confirmed that everything is correct press the "Windows Installation (ZIP) file" button and save the file to your desktop.

Note:   At this point, some users have reported an "Unknown File Type" message being displayed.  If you already have a zip utility installed on your machine, just ignore this message and continue saving the file.
 
 

Step #3    Install SSW (assumes that you are using WinZip)

Create a new folder on the desktop and name it "ssw_install".
Locate the installation script on your desktop and double click on it.
Choose "actions" and "Select all" from the WinZip tool bar.
Click "extract" from the WinZip toolbar.
Extract the zip files contents to the new folder that you have created.
Exit from WinZip.
Inside the folder "ssw_install", locate the file "setup.bat" and double click it to begin the installation.

The rest of the installation will proceed automatically without any user intervention.
While the files are being installed, a DOS window will appear.  Do not close this DOS window.  FTP download of the HESSI SSW archive can take up to 30 minutes (or as little as 5 minutes) to complete depending on your connection speed.  During this time, there is very little feedback to the user (We are working to change this).

When the installation is complete, you may delete the installation script zip file and the "ssw_install" folder from your desktop.

Step #4    Configuring the IDL Startup File

Start IDL by using the "Start" menu at the lower left corner of your screen.
In IDL, from the "File" pull down menu select "Preferences...".
Open the "Startup" tab and delete the "Startup file:" and "Working Directory:" entries.  Do not delete the "IDL Main directory:" entry.
Click the "Path" tab and delete any "Search Path:" entries that may be listed.
Click "Apply" and "OK" then exit from IDL.

Locate the file named sswidl.bat on your computer and open it for editing in Notepad.
If you have installed SSW on your c: drive, you will find it here:        c:\ssw\site\setup\sswidl.bat
Locate the following line below and delete the "rem " in front of it.
rem set SSW_INSTR=hessi xray spex  (non-HESSI specific users can also add additional environmental variables to this line).

If you have your own IDL startup file which you would also prefer to use, locate the following line below, delete the "rem " in front of it and modify the path to point to the location of your personal IDL startup file.
rem set SSW_PERSONAL_STARTUP=c:\idl_ssw\idl_startup.pro
Save the changes and exit Notepad.

In order to use the SSW software, these changes require that you always start an IDL session by double clicking on the sswidl.bat file.
If you will be using SSW frequently, you should create a shortcut on your desktop to the sswidl.bat file.

The SSW installation is now complete.  You can test it by starting IDL and typing "hessi_image" which will run a demo.
 
 

If during step #2 above, you did not check the box under the Enable daily upgrade task: option, you may want the ability to manually update the SSW archive at some future time.  Even those users who have checked this box may also find the ability to manually update convenient.

Simply copy (don't cut) and paste the file named "Daily.cmd" to your desktop and double click on it at any time to receive the latest software changes.  This file can be found in your SSW directory under the path drive:\ssw\site\setup\Daily.cmd  (e.g. c:\ssw\site\setup\Daily.cmd if the SSW tree resides on your c: drive).
 
 

Visit the link below for instructions on how to install the (SSWDB) Solar Software Database:
http://mssly1.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/sswdoc/solarsoft/sswdb_install.html

Responsible government official:     Brian Dennis       Brian.R.Dennis@nasa.gov

                                 Web design:     Merrick Berg        Merrick.C.Berg.1@gsfc.nasa.gov

This site last updated: October 6th 2000

This site last updated November 10, 2008.