IDigBio Virtual Appliances

iDigBio Virtual Appliance

Biology collection management software tools typically depends upon multiple software packages, such as databases, Web servers, image manipulation libraries, among others. This complexity makes it difficult for end users to install and deploy these applications in use cases including training, technology evaluation, and management of small collections. To remove the burden on installing multiple software dependencies and facilitating the deployment of bio-collections software, the iDigBio IT team works with the community to packages and makes available pre-configured virtual appliances. Appliances leverage virtualization technologies to provide a user with a turnkey solution to run collections software (on their desktops, local servers, or cloud servers); users simply download the appliance and run it without the need to worry about installing and configure additional software. An appliances runs web server inside so that you can connect to it through web browser.

Below is a list of iDigBio virtual appliances. These appliances are currently aimed at technology evaluation and training use cases, and to gather feedback from the community

- Specify Appliance
- Arthropod Easy Capture Appliance
- Georeferencing Calculator Appliance

iDigBio welcomes proposals from the community to create virtual appliances. To submit a proposal, please visit https://www.idigbio.org/content/appliance-proposal

Required software for virtual appliance

To run virtual appliance, you need one of VMware player (Windows and Linux), VMware fusion(Mac) or VirtualBox(Windows, Linux and Mac) . Below is the links for download. We call this program as Hypervisor.

VMware workstation(Windows and Linux) http://www.vmware.com/support/download-player

VMware fusion (Mac) Note that, it is 30 days trial only. For the long-term free usage, use VirtualBox insterad. http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/

https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Messages you may encounter using Hypervisor"

If you are not aware of what the message say, we suggest below selection. File:Aaaa.png

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Specify Appliance

Packaged software

- MySQL
- Java Runtime Environment
- Specify 6.5
- Specify Thin Client
- VNCServer
- GNOME
- Configuration Console

Specify Appliance contains Specify software with web server and remote access software for GUI interface. Specify thin client runs a web server so that user can access Specify through web-browser. Thin client is currently under active development planning to release with Specify 7 and has only frequently used features such as data entry and quarry. The thick client is a full-feature Specify itself, meaning that there is no functional restriction. But it requires GUI interface so that you need to access it either java-applet through web browser or VNC viewer.

Appliance download link

http://www.acis.ufl.edu/~xetron/Downloads/Specify_v2.1.zip

Instructions for thin client

Download from above link and extract it. Then double click the specify appliance file. File:A.png

Start the appliance by clicking play button. This would take several minutes depending on your computer's performance. File:Bb.png

Now the appliance shows the IP addresses. File:Cc.png

Type the address shown on appliance to your web browser. Now you can use Specify thin client. User ID and password for demo database is shown on the appliance. File:Ff.png

Instructions for thick client

Optionally, you can run thick client on web browser with the same address with different port number. You can use full-features of Specify 6.5. Password for VNC is shown on the appliance screen. File:Specify thick.png

Double click the Specify icon, then you can start Specify. You may encounter update but we suggest to ignore it. Simply click "cancel" and "exit". Then Specify runs then enter the username and password from the specify screen.

The other way to run Specify thick client is through VNCviewer. You can download VNC viewer at below site. http://www.realvnc.com/download/viewer/

Arthropod Easy Capture

Packaged software

- Apache server
- MySQL
- PHP
- Configuration Console
- Arthropod Easy Capture

Arthropod Easy Capture Appliance

For VMware

http://www.acis.ufl.edu/~xetron/Downloads/ArthropodEasyCaptureAppliance_vmware_v0.2.zip

For VirtualBox

http://www.acis.ufl.edu/~xetron/Downloads/ArthropodEasyCaptureAppliance_virtualbox_v0.2.zip

Instructions

Download from above link and run it through VMWare player. Then, IP address and port number is shown on VMWare player. Finally you enter the address on your browser address bar.

Georeferencing Calculator

Packaged software

- Georeferencing Calculator
- Apache server
- Confuration Console
- VNCServer
- GNOME

Donwload links

for VMware http://www.acis.ufl.edu/~xetron/Downloads/GeoreferencingCalculator_VMware_v0.2.zip

for VirtualBox http://www.acis.ufl.edu/~xetron/Downloads/GeoreferencingCalculator_VirtualBox_v0.2.zip

Instructions

Download from above link and run it through VMWare player. Then, IP address and port number is shown on VMWare player. Finally you enter the address on your browser address bar.

Appliances under development

- Optical Character Recognition(OCR) appliance