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| Name | Last modified | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parent Directory | - | ||
| HIPE-15.0.1_1.md5 | 2017-07-04 11:47 | 52 | |
| VERSION.md | 2017-06-26 15:50 | 247 | |
| VERSION.html | 2017-07-04 11:47 | 319 | |
| HIPE-15.0.1_1.ova | 2017-06-08 14:25 | 4.7G | |
In addition to the normal Java distribution, HIPE is also available as a pre-configured OVA Virtual Machine (VM) image. The aim is to extend the usable lifetime of the software by further decoupling it from the host operating system and hardware. The HIPE VM installation includes the HIFI, PACS and SPIRE options and the specialized ICC packages intended for calibration scientists.
The guest OS is Debian Linux with the LXDE desktop. The minimum of applications are installed as it assumed that other applications will be run on the host operating system.
Configuring the VM memory to suit your machine may improve performance, particularly if you have more than 8 GB of RAM. See Configuring Memory below.
HIPE runs more slowly in the VM than with a native installation. This is partly because the VM is configured to use a single CPU core to maximize compatibility with different hardware. If you have 4 or more CPU cores, you may wish to configure the VM to use 2 cores. This can be done via the VirtualBox Settings menu (Settings/System/Processor).
It takes longer to start the VM and HIPE than it does to start a native HIPE installation. However, if you suspend the VM instead of shutting it down, HIPE can be restarted in a few seconds.
There are several ways to transfer data between the guest and host:
A shared folder allows data to be transferred in either direction. It also effectively increases the disk space available to the virtual machine. For details see the "Shared Folder" section below.
The networking is configured in NAT mode, allowing the guest to access the LAN and Internet via the host. This also allows the guest to connect to the host using ftp, sftp, etc.
A shared clipboard can be enabled in the VirtualBox Settings menu (General/Advanced). This allows cut-and-paste of text in either direction.
Some web browsers may unpack the OVA file rather than simply downloading it. In this case, try a different browser.
Some PCs may have virtualisation disabled in the BIOS, in which case the BIOS VT-x option should be enabled. This does not apply to AMD processors and Intel-based Macs as VT-x is always enabled. The VT-d option can also be enabled although this is probably not necessary.
If any of the VirtualBox Guest Addition features are not working, try updating to the latest version of the Guest Additions (see "Updating the Guest Additions" below). To use USB2/USB3 devices with the VM it is necessary to install the optional VirtualBox Extension Pack (see "USB Disk" below).
The default configuration of the VM assumes that the host machine has 8 GB of RAM. However, 16 GB are recommended for processing Herschel data.
The memory configuration should be adjusted to suit your system, since the optimum settings will depend on the amount of RAM, the host OS and other factors. The memory can be configured as follows:
For example, the default 8 GB configuration has 6 GB assigned to the VM, leaving 2 GB for the host OS and applications. HIPE is configured to use up to 4.5 GB, leaving 1.5 GB for the Linux guest OS.
The VM has a 12 GB virtual disk of which just over 4 GB is free for user data. If you need more disk space, there are several possibilities which are described below:
The simplest way to increase disk space is to create a directory on the host operating system and mount it as a shared folder on the guest OS. It is useful to do this anyway as it provides a convenient way to transfer files between the guest and host.
/media/sf_vboxNote that shared folders require the VirtualBox Guest Additions, but these are already installed.
Another simple solution is to plug an external USB disk into the host and mount it on the guest OS. The disk may be formatted with FAT32 or a Linux partition (e.g. ext4). Data transfer is likely to be faster with a Linux partition. Also bear in mind the 4GB file size limitation of FAT32.
/media/hipe/<disk-name>Another solution is to add a second virtual disk. This is more complex to set up than a shared folder or USB disk, but should give better performance. For details, see "Advanced Topics" below.
VirtualBox may prompt you to update the Guest Additions. Updating isn't always necessary but should be tried if any of the Guest Addition features are not working properly.
sudo sh /media/cdrom/VBoxLinuxAdditions.run
The disk space available to the guest can be increased by creating a second virtual disk. It is recommended to back-up the VM before attempting this.
With the VM stopped, create a new virtual disk as follows:
Start the VM
Create an ext4 partition as follows:
sudo /usr/sbin/gparted
/dev/sdbIn a terminal window, configure a mount point as follows:
sudo mkdir /local echo '/dev/sdb1 /local ext4 defaults 0 0' | sudo tee --append /etc/fstab sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /local sudo chown hipe:hipe /local
The VM was created with VirtualBox but uses the following standards to provide compatibility with other hypervisors:
The HIPE VM is pre-configured with the VirtualBox Guest Additions to allow simple out-of-the-box operation with VirtualBox. These provide useful features such as:
However, the Guest Additions must be removed for use with other hypervisors. To uninstall them, run the following command in a VM terminal window:
sudo /opt/VBoxGuestAdditions-5.1.20/uninstall.sh
The following sections provide some notes on known issues with various hypervisors.
If the VMware import fails with a warning about OVF compliance, press "Retry" and it should work the second time.
For VMware, similar functionality to the VirtualBox Guest Additions is available from either VMware Tools or open-vm-tools. The latter can be installed by running the following command in a VM terminal window and then restarting the VM:
sudo apt-get install open-vm-tools-desktop
The OVA file can in principle be converted for Hyper-V using the Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter.
However, there is a known issue with the format of the VirtualBox VMDK virtual disk files which makes this conversion fail (The disk UUID entries in VMDK file header are not accepted by the converter).