[idvusers] Running IDV headlessly (Mac OS X)

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• Subject: [idvusers] Running IDV headlessly (Mac OS X)
• From: David P Dempsey <dempsey@xxxxxxxx>
• Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2015 17:13:51 +0000
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IDV Users,

If anyone is running the IDV “headlessly” to generate images (for a Web server, 
for example), I’d like to pick your brain!

I’m trying to run IDV v5.2 under Mac OS X v.10.8 (Snow Leopard) to generate GIF 
images for a Web server. In particular, I’m trying to use my server’s LDM to 
run the IDV automatically when the LDM receives certain weather data via the 
IDD. As I understand it, this process occurs “headlessly”--that is, without 
requiring or using a local interface (keyboard, monitor, or mouse, though my 
server has all three).

My IDV bundle, which is executed through an ISL (IDV scripting language) script 
via the IDV installation’s runIDV script, works fine when I execute it on my 
server manually  (that is, using the server’s keyboard and a Terminal window 
directly).

However, when the the LDM triggers the same command when it receives certain 
weather data via the IDD, the job fails with a java.awt.HeadlessException 
message. The same thing happens when I log onto the server remotely using ssh 
and try to run the same job (below).

My server had been running Java v.7 but I upgraded to Java v.8—the results are 
the same; it runs X11 (XQuartz v.2.7.7) continuously; and it is continuously 
logged onto the account that runs the LDM and IDV. I have X11 Forwarding 
enabled.

Some messages from the IDV when I try to execute my GIF-generating bundle 
(RadarSummary.xidv) and ISL script when logged onto my server remotely using 
ssh:

Fri Sep 18 09:54:41 PDT 2015: Loading bundle: RadarSummary.xidv
3D [dev] 1.6.0-pre9-daily-experimental daily

ERROR: Error loading bundle: RadarSummary.xidv
java.awt.HeadlessException
java.awt.HeadlessException
at javax.media.j3d.VirtualUniverse.<clinit>(VirtualUniverse.java:269)
at javax.media.j3d.Canvas3D.<clinit>(Canvas3D.java:3806)
at visad.java3d.DisplayImplJ3D.initialize(DisplayImplJ3D.java:405)
at visad.java3d.DisplayImplJ3D.<init>(DisplayImplJ3D.java:289)
at visad.java3d.DisplayImplJ3D.<init>(DisplayImplJ3D.java:276)
 etc.

Am I going to have to install and run a virtual frame bugger like Xvfb?

Any insight or suggestions that I can get will be welcome—I’ve come up empty in 
my attempts to forage among online forums, and the last reference to running 
the IDV headlessly was in 2010, for Linux systems.

— Dave

***************************************************************
* Dr. Dave Dempsey, Chair           |       ^    ___    \|/   *
* Dept. of Earth & Climate Sciences |  )   ^   /||_||\ —-0—-  *
* San Francisco State University    | )  )    / ||_|| \ /|\   *
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• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: [idvusers] Running IDV headlessly (Mac OS X)
    • From: Juan Figueroa
  • Re: [idvusers] Running IDV headlessly (Mac OS X)
    • From: Brendon Hoch