New Installation Instructions

This document will walk you through the installation of a brand new MIRC Site.

1 Step 1: Install Java

To run MIRC, you must have Java version 1.5 or newer installed. You may also see this referred to as Java Runtime Environment 5.0, both are equivalent. The easiest way to install Java, is simply to point your web browser at the java website and follow the download links to install the latest version of Java on your system.

2 Step 2: Install Java Advanced Imaging(JAI)

MIRC uses Java's advanced imaging features. These must be installed separately after Java has been installed.

First, with your web browser, go to http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/jai/current.html. Scroll down to the bold heading "Java Advanced Imaging-Image I/O Tools Downloads". Be careful to find that heading and not the one above it, which is "Java Advanced Imaging Downloads". Once you have found the correct heading, click the newest release that is not an alpha or beta release (at the time of authoring, that's version 1.1).

Next you must select the appropriate download for your operating system. Find your operating system in the list, and click the link that contains the letters "jre" near the end. This assumes that you are running the JRE version of java, if you happen to be running the JDK version, download that file instead. Typically only Java developers are running the JDK version of java.

Now run the installation file you just downloaded. This installation is straightforward, just agree to the license agreement, do a "Complete" install, and click next the whole way through.

3 Step 3: Install Tomcat 5.x

Download Tomcat

Next, you must download Apache Tomcat. With your web browser, go to http://tomcat.apache.org/. On the left hand side of the page you should see a "Downloads" section. Within this section you will see various versions of Tomcat, you're looking for version 5.x, so click on the Tomcat 5.x link.

On the next page, if you scroll down you'll see different versions that are available for download. Select the newest version of Tomcat listed that isn't an alpha or beta (at the time of authoring, the newest version is 5.5.20). If you're on a Windows machine, select the "Windows Service Installer" downloads option. Otherwise, download the zip file.

Windows Installation Instructions

Run the installation program you just downloaded, it will display a welcome screen. Click Next.

On the license agreement page, accept the terms.

The installer will now display the component selection page. This page is VERY important. First, click the plus sign beside "Tomcat" to expand it into its three subcomponents, Core, Service, and Native. Make sure that Tomcat and all three subcomponents are checked. (Core is not selectable, but it should be already checked.)

Next, uncheck the remaining components.

Then click Next.

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The program will now display the install location page. This page is also VERY important. If you have multiple disk drives on your system, or multiple partitions (C, D, E, ...) on your drive, you should install Tomcat on a partition that has lots of space. All the documents and images that you will store on your MIRC site will be stored within the Tomcat folder, so you should put Tomcat where there is as much room as possible.

For example, if you have a C drive and a D drive, your operating system will generally be on the C drive and the D drive will usually be just for storage of data. In this situation, install Tomcat on the D drive. It will be most convenient during upgrades if Tomcat is installed in the root of the drive.

If you are happy installing Tomcat in the default location, which on a Windows system is in the Program Files tree, click Next.

Suppose, on the other hand, that you wish to install on the D drive. Click the Browse button. In the dialog box that is displayed, navigate to the D drive and select it. Then click OK. When the window is redisplayed, it will show the selected location as in the second image below. If you are happy with that, click Next.

Next, the installer will allow you to select the port on which the server will listen for connections. The default Tomcat port is 8080. If you are running Windows, and if you don’t have any other web servers running on your computer, you could decide to run on the default port for the world wide web, which is 80, but generally it is fine to stay with 8080.

This page also allows you to define the administrator's username and password. You should choose something you can remember. Better yet, although I will deny ever suggesting this, write it down. After you make whatever selections you want, click Next.

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Next, the installer will find the Java JRE. Click Install and the process will proceed to the end. When the final page is displayed, uncheck the two checkboxes and click the Finish button.

Using the Tomcat Properties application

Note: This document assumes a Windows installation.

First, look in the lower right corner of your screen. You should see something like this:

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Double click the icon.

If the icon does not appear, you can launch it from the Tomcat entry in your start menu.

You can start and stop Tomcat through the buttons near the bottom of the window

Allocating more memory for Tomcat

Fire up the Tomcat Properties Application (for help on this see [Using the Tomcat Properties application]), and stop Tomcat.

Now click the Java tab to get to the page that lets you control the Java memory allocation:

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The standard Tomcat allocations for the memory allocation pool are not large enough for handling large medical images. The values shown in the picture above, 128 and 256, should be large enough for all applications, but if you plan to handle lots of mammo images, you might even double them, especially if your computer has 1 GB or more of memory.

After setting the memory allocation parameters, switch back to the general tab and start Tomcat, then click OK.

4 Step 4: Install MIRC

You are now ready to install MIRC, but first you must get the installer. You can download the latest version of MIRC from the [Downloads] page. It's recommended that you grab the latest non-beta release, and you'll want the "Full Installer" version.

Tip: Save the installer file on the same drive where Tomcat is installed. The installer only knows how to search on the drive where it is located. If you put it somewhere else, it will not find Tomcat and make you find it by hand.

Before starting the installation stop tomcat. In Windows you can do this using the Tomcat Properties application in system tray, for help on finding this see [Using the Tomcat Properties application]

Next, run the installer by double-clicking it.

Make absolutely sure that you have stopped Tomcat. Then click Next.

The installer will look for an existing installation of Tomcat. If you have put the installer on the same disk as Tomcat and if Tomcat is installed in the first two layers of the directory tree starting at the root of the disk drive, then the installer will find it; otherwise, you will have to click browse, and find your Tomcat directory manually. Check that the installer has found the Tomcat you intended and then click Next.

Click Install to create a query service. You will see a dialog asking you to provide a name for your MIRC site. You can choose any name you like. This name will be displayed in the heading of the query page when a user visits your site, so choose a meaningful name, and click OK

Now the installer will ask you whether you want MIRC to determine its network address automatically. This is usually a good idea, but if you have multiple network cards in your computer, you should click No and supply the IP address that you want MIRC to use when the installer asks.

After you make the selection above, the program will install and configure your query service. It will then ask if you want to install a storage service. Storage services are the MIRC components that store, index, and serve documents. You therefore need at least one storage service to have a functional MIRC site. (Storage services also provide support for clinical trials, and you need one storage service for each clinical trial.) Click Install. The program will then ask you for a one-word name for the storage service. This name won't be shown to users except in the URL for the documents it serves. Generally, a short, lower-case word is best, but you can make it whatever you like. If you're unsure what to use, just type the word "storage". After choosing a name, click OK.

The installer will then ask you for a storage service name that will be shown to users. Choose a descriptive name, especially on sites which will host multiple storage services, so the user will have some idea of what is on the site. Enter the storage service name and click OK.

The installer will then ask you for a short designator prefix for the roles that apply to this service. This prefix allows you to manage groups of storage services conveniently, controlling which groups of users and authors can access or author documents on which groups of services. The instructions in the window explain the various options, but most people will just click OK, in which case the storage service will be assigned the designator prefix "SS".

Next, the installer will ask for a short description that will be included in query results from this storage service. You can leave it blank or you can enter some descriptive text. Then click OK.

Next, the installer will ask whether you want documents on your site to be indexed automatically or instead to be queued for review before making them publicly available. If you are installing a site for your own use, you should click Yes. If you are installing a site for a department with residents whose work must be reviewed before publication, you may want to think about it. There is no harm in making either choice; the admin service on the site will let you change your mind at any time.

After you make your selection, the program will install the storage service and configure it. It will then ask you whether you want to install another one. If you want to install more storage services, click Install. Otherwise, click Next.

The installer will then ask if you want to install a test storage service. This is a special storage service that is sometimes used by programmers developing software that interfaces to MIRC. Just click next here.

The installer will next determine whether there is a user already defined who has all the roles necessary to administer the MIRC site. If this is a new installation, no such user will exist, so the installer will display a page, showing you the names of all the currently defined users. Review the list of users and see if there is one you want to make the administrator of the MIRC site. This will probably be the one that you defined when you installed Tomcat. Click the Create button. The installer will then ask you for the name of the user to give the admin roles. This can be an existing user, in which case the installer will update the user's role assignments, or it can be a new user, in which case the installer will create a new user and assign that user the admin roles.

When you have entered the user's name, click OK. The installer will display the updated list of users; highlighting the admin roles in red (just to be colorful, not because you need to take special notice of them).

Click Next. The installer will then check Tomcat's configuration to see whether the Memory Realm has been Enabled. On a new installation, it will not have been enabled, but MIRC requires it in order to provide access control for its documents. Click Enable. The installer will enable the Memory Realm and then tell you that it did so.

Click Next. The installer will then determine whether the Single Sign On Authenticator has been enabled on the site. On a new installation, it will not have been enabled, but MIRC requires it as part of the access control mechanism.

Click Enable. The installer will enable the Single Sign On Authenticator and then tell you that it did so.

Click Next. The installer will then determine whether directory listings are enabled on the site.

You may or may not wish to have them enabled. If you don't want people looking around in your site except through the MIRC query mechanism, you should click Disable.

The installer will next determine whether there is a redirector installed in the root of the Tomcat web server. A redirector will simplify the way that users access your site. Read the information in the window and make whatever choice you like. Most people will click Install. When you have made your choice, the installer will take whatever action you indicated and display the window telling you that the installation is complete.

Click ‘’’Finished’’’ to complete the installation.

5 Step5: Wrapping up

With MIRC installed, you can now start Tomcat. Again, for help on this you can see the [Using the Tomcat Properties application] document.

To check that your MIRC site is running, run your browser and go to your site’s URL. (If you installed Tomcat on port 8080, click [here] to access your site.)

If you are new to MIRC, you will want to check out the [MIRC User's Manual]. For more advanced features you can check out the [Administrator's Manual]