CAVE is the **C**ommon **A**WIPS **V**isualization **E**nvironment that is used for rendering and analyzing data for AWIPS. Unidata supports CAVE to work on three platforms: [Centos (Redhat) Linux](#linux), [Windows](#windows), and [macOS](#macos). The installer may require administrator priviledges to install and may require other system changes (environment variables, etc) as well.
!!! error "Running CAVE via X11 forwarding or ssh tunneling is **not** supported. Using a [VNC connection is the only remote option](../appendix/common-problems.md#remotely-connecting-to-cave), and may result in worse performance than running locally."
1. Download the following installer: [**awips_install.sh** <i class="fa fa-download"></i>](https://downloads.unidata.ucar.edu/awips2/current/linux/awips_install.sh)
For Windows, Unidata offers two installation options: a [**Linux Virtual Machine**](#method-1-linux-virtual-machine), or a [**Direct Windows Installation**](#method-2-direct-windows-install).
Currently, the [virtual machine (VM)](#method-1-linux-virtual-machine) is the recommended form of install for those who do not have administrative priviledges on the machine, or beginners who want a simpler installation process.
The [direct installation method](#method-2-direct-windows-install) is recommended for those who have administrative priviledges and a little bit of experience installing more software.
### Method 1: Linux Virtual Machine
This method is recommended for beginners, or those with less computer knowledge as it is a very simple installation, however at this time, some CAVE functionality may be missing (ex: rendering RGB satellite images).
- [VMWare Workstation Player](https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-player/workstation-player-evaluation.html) must be installed (free software):
- For high definition monitors (4k), you will want to enable the high DPI setting for VMWare Workstation Player
1. Create a desktop shortcut for VMWare Workstation Player
1. Right-click the shortcut and select Properties
1. Open the Compatability Tab
1. Select the "Change high DPI settings" button
1. Check the "High DPI scaling ovveride" checkbox and choose "Application" in the enabled dropdown
3. Open VMWare Player and go to **Player** > **File...** > **Open** and locate the folder that was created from the downloaded zipped file. Select the file called **"CentOS 7 - Unidata CAVE 18-2-1-5.vmx"**.
This method is recommended for personal use and requires Administrative priviledges. It should enable full CAVE capability, but it is a bit lengthy and might take about 20 minutes or so to complete.
!!! note "It is important to use the exact versions of software that we link to or specify in our instructions. Deviations may cause installation problems or failures."
1. Download and install 64-bit [Miniconda Python3.7 version 4.8.2 for Windows](https://repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda3-py37_4.8.2-Windows-x86_64.exe)
- **Allow** Miniconda3 to set **PATH** and other environment variables
2. Download and install the 64-bit [Java JDK 1.8_181](https://downloads.unidata.ucar.edu/awips2/current/windows/jdk-8u181-windows-x64.exe) (this is necessary so Jep can install properly).
- Access the Environment Variables window by typing "env" in the start bar, hitting enter, and clicking on the "Environment Variables..." button at the bottom of the "System Properties" window
4. [Download and install 64-bit Microsoft Visual Studio C++ Build Tools](https://my.visualstudio.com/Downloads?q=Build%20Tools%20for%20Visual%20Studio%202019)
- The installer will pop up as shown below. Make sure to select the **C++ build tools** (upper left), and then view the **Installation details** on the right
- In addition to the application directory, the MSI installer will attempt to copy the [*gridslice*](https://github.com/Unidata/gridslice) shared library to `$PYTHONHOME/Dlls/`. If the `$PYTHONHOME` environmental variable is not defined *gridslice* will not be installed. You can check to see if it was installed in the Dlls directory after you have completed steps 1-3.
!!! note "CAVE will still run without gridslice, but certain bundles which use derived parameters, such as [**isentropic analysis**](../images/screenCapture-2016.04.04.13.41.26-20160404_000000.png), will not load."
!!! error "MacOS Monterey version 12.3 and above no longer supports Python2. This will cause several visualization aspects to fail in CAVE. If you update to MacOS 12.3 CAVE will not be fully functional. A potential workaround is to run a Virtual Machine with a different OS (older Mac or possibly CentOS7) and run CAVE inside of that."
!!! note "The awips-python.pkg is not necessarily required, and CAVE will still run without it, but any derived data such as barbs, arrows, and various grid products will not render without having **jep** installed (it is assumed to be in /Library/Python/2.7/site-packages/jep/)"
- Either use the default location, which is in the system-wide "Applications" directory, by clicking and dragging the CAVE icon into the Applications folder, in the window that pops up when installing:
- Or open a new Finder window to your \[user home\]/Applications/ directory (if it doesn't exist, simply create a new folder with the name "Applications"), and drag the CAVE icon into that folder:
!!! note "The first time CAVE is opened, it will ask you if you are sure you want to run it, because it was downloaded from the internet and not the Apple Store. This is normal, and hit Open. Your message my differ slightly but should look like the image below:"
Unidata and XSEDE Jetstream have partnered to offer a EDEX data server in the cloud, open to the Unidata university community. Select the server in the Connectivity Preferences dialog, or enter **edex-cloud.unidata.ucar.edu** (without *http://* before, or *:9581/services* after).
After connecting to an EDEX server, you will have a local directory named **caveData** which contains files synced from EDEX as well as a client-side cache for data and map resources.
You can reset CAVE by removing the **caveData** directory and reconnecting to an EDEX server. Your local files have been removed, but if you are re-connecting to an EDEX server you have used before, the remote files will sync again to your local **~/caveData** (bundles, colormaps, etc.).
These are instructions to manually uninstall CAVE. However, the [`awips_install.sh`](#download-and-installation-instructions) script will do these steps for you if you are installing a newer version of CAVE.
**1. Make sure you have exited out of any CAVE sessions**
!!! note "If you are having trouble removing a group, see the [troubleshooting](../appendix/common-problems.md#troubleshooting-uninstalling-edex) section."
