Friday, June 21, 2013
Optima for "non-standard" Linux systems
Q: I'm trying out Optima on Linux, but i've already got a working system running Fedora / Ubuntu / x86_64 / VMWare / $ODD_JAVA ... etc.... which isn't among the list of things specifically supported by the documentation. Is there any guarantee that Optima will be able to work on any of those?
A: Well, yes and no. The answer to that question ultimately is determined by how much time you have available to spend to get things working.
By way of real-life examples, here are some obstacles you may encounter.
x86_64 systems: Optima for Linux is inherently a 32-bit application. If you installed everything, or upgraded everything, exclusively for x86_64 bit usage, you're going to have problems.
- The java installation is the key to everything; if you have 64-bit java only, you'll find quickly the 32-bit run-time JVM unzipped by the installation program won't proceed. (To verify this, run the native Eclipse that came with your x86_64 system to make sure at least that much works.) Uninstall the 64-bit version and/or rename the path to /usr/bin/java, install a compatible jdk for i386 or i686, and relink to that version just to get past the installation.
- The next problem is... everything else you've got for 64-bit operation that needs a 32-bit library. You should install at a minimum libgtk* for 32-bit, otherwise you'll start seeing errors for that library.
- The symptom of 32-bit problems is typically that "optima_linux/eclipse" appears to start, but does nothing, and uneventfully returns to the prompt. Add "-debug" tells you nothing interesting; look for clues instead in the configuration/*.log files.
VMWare: Much of the usefulness of VMWare draws on the ability to mount shared file systems, so you can avoid reading DVDs or doing large network transfers to get access to your installation software. There's known problems however getting /hgfs to mount in VMWare, when the kernel level of Linux as a guest is >3.3 or so. The root cause is that the vmware Toolset that handles this task hasn't been smoothly migrated for newer kernels. If you can run a VM that's got a slightly older kernel, you'll have much better luck.
Labels: 64-bit, installation, Linux, Optima, VMWare
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