Installation

Unix Installation

If you have a Web server and a Java Virtual Machine version 1.0.2 or higher installed and working on your system, you are ready to install VolanoChat. VolanoChat software is provided as a Java CLASS file for the Unix platform.

! You need to have Java installed and configured correctly to install VolanoChat.

Installing VolanoChat on Unix

  1. If you have not already done so, install a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) on your server. A list of recommended JVMs is provided on our VolanoChat Server Environments page.

  2. Open a command prompt window and change to the directory in which you saved the vchat12.class installation program.

  3. Run the installation program by typing the name of your Java runtime followed by vchat12. Then follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.

    If you're using Sun's Java Developer Kit (JDK), enter:

      java vchat12
    

    On Unix systems with Sun's Java Runtime Environment (JRE), enter the two commands (shown below for the C shell):

      jre -cp . vchat12
    

    When using a non-graphical program such as telnet, enter the command using the following format:

      java vchat12 -o directory
    

    where you replace directory with the name of the directory where you want VolanoChat to be installed. With this command option, the installation program will unpack the VolanoChat files without using the interactive graphical window.

    ! Note that the installation program does not modify your system in any way other than simply copying files to the directory you specify.

  4. Move the vcclient directory to your Web server's public access directory (example: /home/volano/public_html/vcclient/). The Client files must be publicly available through your Web server so that the applet can be retrieved onto your Web pages.

Starting the VolanoChat Server on Unix

To start the VolanoChat Server, open a command prompt window and switch to the directory in which you installed VolanoChat (by default called vchat12). Start the VolanoChat Server by typing the command shown below at your command prompt.

! You must type the class name exactly as shown, with capital letters for "COM" and a capital "M" in "Main".

  java COM.volano.Main

* Note that the java command may have a different name depending on the Java Virtual Machine you're running. For example, here are the commands for running Java in a few of the more popular Java Virtual Machines which operate in Unix:

  Sun Java Developer's Kit:     java
  Sun Java Runtime Environment: jre
  Kaffe Java Virtual Machine:   kaffe
  Softway Guava JIT Compiler:   guava

After starting the Server, you should see the VolanoChat copyright notice:

  > java COM.volano.Main
  VolanoChat Server Version 1.2
  Copyright (c) 1996-1997 Volano LLC. All rights reserved.

If instead you get the following message, "Command not found," your system cannot find the java command. You should add the bin directory of your Java installation to your PATH environment variable so that the command can be found when you type it at the command line.

If you get the following message instead of the copyright notice:

  Can't find class COM/volano/Main

your system cannot find the VolanoChat Server. You need to make sure you type the command from within the directory in which you initially installed VolanoChat.

! You can minimize the window or even start the Server as a background process, but you must leave it running for it to remain active.

Stopping the VolanoChat Software on Unix

To stop the Server, press Ctrl-C in the command window in which you started it. If you started the Server as a background process on a Unix system, you can find it with the ps command and then use the kill command to stop it.

Testing the VolanoChat Software on Unix

  1. With the Server running, point your browser to the index.html file in the vcclient directory.

    If your browser and Web server are on the same machine, and you moved the vcclient directory directly under your Web server's public access directory, you can get to the Client startup Web page with the following link:

    http://localhost/vcclient/index.html
    

    If not, you will need to replace "localhost" with the actual host name where the Server is running. If you installed the Client in a directory somewhere other than directly under your Web server's public access directory, you'll need to specify the correct path to the vcclient/index.html file.

    You should pull the Web page through your Web server using an http:// address. You should not open the page using your browser's File, Open Page menu item. In Netscape Communicator, the applet will fail to load unless you access its Web page through your web server and not directly from your local disk.

  2. Press the VolanoChat enter button to enter the chat rooms.

    * If you're not connected to the Internet when you test your installation (and you don't have access to a Domain Name Server on your local area network), you will most likely have to wait about 90 seconds while your browser tries to look up your local host name. To avoid this delay, make sure you have an active network connection before pressing the VolanoChat button on the sample page.

Uninstalling VolanoChat on Unix

To uninstall VolanoChat, simply open up a command prompt window and change your command prompt to the VolanoChat installation directory. Then type:

  java uninstall

(or jview or jre, depending on the Java Virtual Machine you're using). The uninstall program will remove the installation files while leaving any new or modified files, such as modified configuration files and new log files.


Windows NT Installation

If you have a Web server and a Java Virtual Machine version 1.0.2 or higher installed and working on your system, you are ready to install VolanoChat. VolanoChat software is provided as a Java CLASS file for the Windows NT platform.

! You need to have Java installed and configured correctly to install VolanoChat.

Installing VolanoChat on Windows NT

  1. If you have not already done so, install a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) on your server. A list of recommended JVMs is provided on our VolanoChat Server Environments page.

  2. Open a command prompt window and change to the directory in which you saved the vchat12.class installation program.

  3. Run the installation program by typing the name of your Java runtime followed by vchat12. Then follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.

    On Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 with Microsoft's SDK for Java, enter:

      jview vchat12
    

    On any system with a version of Sun's Java Developer Kit (JDK), enter:

      java vchat12
    

    On Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 with Sun's Java Runtime Environment (JRE), enter the two commands:

      jre -cp . vchat12
    

    When using a non-graphical program such as telnet, enter the command using the following format:

      java vchat12 -o directory
    

    where you replace directory with the name of the directory where you want VolanoChat to be installed. With this command option, the installation program will unpack the VolanoChat files without using the interactive graphical window.

    ! Note that the installation program does not modify your system in any way other than simply copying files to the directory you specify. In particular, it does not modify any Windows desktop or registry settings.

  4. Move the vcclient directory to your Web server's public access directory (example: c:\INetPub\wwwroot\vcclient\). The Client files must be publicly available through your Web server so that the applet can be retrieved onto your Web pages.

Starting the VolanoChat Server on Windows NT

To start the VolanoChat Server, open a command prompt window and switch to the directory in which you installed VolanoChat (not the vcclient directory you moved under your web server). Start the VolanoChat Server by typing the command shown below at your command prompt.

! You must type the class name exactly as shown, with capital letters for "COM" and a capital "M" in "Main".

  java COM.volano.Main

* Note that the java command may have a different name depending on the Java Virtual Machine you're running. For example, here are the commands for running Java in a few of the more popular Java Virtual Machines which operate in Windows NT:

  Sun Java Runtime Environment: jre
  Microsoft SDK for Java:       jview
  Kaffe Java Virtual Machine:   kaffe
  SuperCede for Java:           sc10java

After starting the Server, you should see the VolanoChat copyright notice:

  > java COM.volano.Main
  VolanoChat Server Version 1.2
  Copyright (c) 1996-1997 Volano LLC. All rights reserved.

If instead you get the following message, "Command not found," your system cannot find the java command. You should add the bin directory of your Java installation to your PATH environment variable so that the command can be found when you type it at the command line.

If you get the following message instead of the copyright notice:

  Can't find class COM/volano/Main

your system cannot find the VolanoChat Server. You need to make sure you type the command from within the directory in which you initially installed VolanoChat.

! You can minimize the window or even start the Server as a background process, but you must leave it running for it to remain active.

Stopping the VolanoChat Software on Windows NT

To stop the Server, press Ctrl-C in the command window in which you started it.

Testing the VolanoChat Software on Windows NT

  1. With the Server running, point your browser to the index.html file in the vcclient directory.

    If your browser and Web server are on the same machine, and you moved the Client directly under your Web server public access directory, you can get to the Client startup Web page with the following link:

    http://localhost/vcclient/index.html
    

    If not, you will need to replace "localhost" with the actual host name where the Server is running. If you moved the Client to a directory other than your Web server public access directory, you'll need to specify the correct path to the vcclient/index.html file.

    You should pull the Web page through your Web server using an http:// address. You should not open the page using your browser's File, Open Page menu item. In Netscape Communicator, the applet will fail to load unless you access its Web page through your web server and not directly from your local disk.

  2. Press the VolanoChat enter button to enter the chat rooms.

    * If you're not connected to the Internet when you test your installation (and you don't have access to a Domain Name Server on your local area network), you will most likely have to wait about 90 seconds while your browser tries to look up your local host name. To avoid this delay, make sure you have an active network connection before pressing the VolanoChat button on the sample page.

Uninstalling VolanoChat on Windows NT

To uninstall VolanoChat, simply open up a command prompt window and change your command prompt to the VolanoChat installation directory. Then type:

  java uninstall

(or jview or jre, depending on the Java Virtual Machine you're using). The uninstall program will remove the installation files while leaving any new or modified files, such as modified configuration files and new log files.


Mac Installation

In order to run VolanoChat, you need to install a Java Virtual Machine and Web server on your Mac OS system. Volano recommends Apple's Mac OS Runtime for Java (MRJ 1.5) and Apple's Software Developer Kit (SDK 1.5) which includes the JBindry application. VolanoChat works with all Mac OS Web servers including Quarterdeck's WebStar.

Installing VolanoChat on Mac OS

  1. Download and install Apple's Mac OS Runtime for Java and accompanying Software Developer Kit (MRJ 1.5 and SDK 1.5).

  2. Inside the SDK folder is another folder called JBindry. Launch the JBindry application.

  3. Click the Command Icon.

  4. Enter the following case-sensitive text after the Class name: vchat12

  5. Click the Classpath Icon.

  6. Select the "Add Folder" Button and select the folder where you saved the vchat12 class file you downloaded from the Volano Web site.

  7. Click the "Run" button. Then follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation. When prompted for the "Destination location," create a new folder called vcserver, for example "/your-hard-disk/vcserver".

  8. Quit the JBindry application.

  9. ! Inside the vcserver folder you just created is another folder called vcclient. Place the vcclient folder in the same folder that contains your public access Web pages. The files in the vcclient folder need to be publicly available through your Web server so that the applet can be retrieved onto its Web pages.

Setting up the Volano Start-Up Application

  1. Launch the JBindry application.

  2. Click the Command Icon.

  3. Enter the following case-sensitive text after the Class name: COM.volano.Main

  4. Click the Classpath Icon.

  5. Select the "Add Folder" Button and select the vcserver folder you created during the installation process.

  6. Select the "Add Zip" Button and select the file MRJClasses.zip. It is located under your System Folder, Extensions, MRJLibraries, MRJClasses, MRJClasses.zip. When you find it, select "OPEN."

  7. Select "Save Settings." Check the "Save as Application" box. Call the application "startchat" and save it in the vcserver folder. The application must be saved in the vcserver folder so that the VolanoChat Server files can be found.

  8. Quit the JBindry application.

Starting the VolanoChat Server on Mac OS

To start VolanoChat, launch the "startchat" application you saved in the vcserver folder.

Stopping the VolanoChat Software on Mac OS

To stop the server, exit the "startchat" application. To restart the server, launch "startchat".

Testing the VolanoChat Software on Mac OS

  1. With the Server running, launch a Java Compatible™ browser and open the file index.html which is located in the vcclient folder.

    If your browser and Web server are on the same machine, and you placed the vcclient folder inside your Web server folder, you can get to the Client startup Web page with the following link:

    http://localhost/vcclient/index.html
    

    Otherwise, you'll need to replace "localhost" with the actual host name where the Server is running.

  2. Press the VolanoChat enter button to enter the chat rooms.

    * Note that if you're not connected to the Internet when you test your installation (and you don't have access to a Domain Name Server on your local area network), you might have to wait about 90 seconds while your browser tries to look up your local host name. To avoid this delay, just make sure you have an active network connection before pressing the VolanoChat button on the sample page.


Upgrading From an Earlier Release

The easiest way to update only the code is to replace the *.class, *.jar, *.cab, and *.zip files in the COM/volano directories. * If you FTP the files up to your server, don't forget to transfer the files in binary mode. Then simply stop and restart the server once the new files are in place.

  1. Replace the client files:
      vcclient/COM/volano/*.class (several files)
      vcclient/COM/volano/VolanoChat.cab
      vcclient/COM/volano/VolanoChat.jar
      vcclient/COM/volano/VolanoChat.zip
    
  2. Replace the server class files:
      vcserver/COM/volano/*.class (several files)