CAVE is the **C**ommon **A**WIPS **V**isualization **E**nvironment that is used for rendering and analyzing data for AWIPS. The installer may require administrator priviledges to install and may require other system changes (environment variables, etc) as well.
!!! note "Version 20.\* of CAVE is not compatible with Version 18.\* EDEX and vice versa, Version 18.\* of CAVE is not compatible with Version 20.\* EDEX."
---
## Functionality/Reporting
If you come across issues/bugs/missing functionality, we also encourage you to <ahref="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6jyZtbh49g-GCBoAQYzTVwAIf_aKz0QOeAr7gDVFhPrjAmw/viewform?usp=sf_link">report it using this short form</a>.
---
## General Requirements
Regardless of what Operating System CAVE is running on, these general requirements are recommended in order for CAVE to perform optimally:
- Local machine
!!! 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 [**Direct Windows Installation**](#method-1-direct-windows-install), or a [**Linux Virtual Machine**](#method-2-linux-virtual-machine).
!!! warning "The virtual machine option won't render RGB composites of satellite imagery."
!!! note "For those running CAVE in a lab or needing it installed at the system level for multiple users, please contact support-awips@ucar.unidata.edu"
- Find and run CAVE app in the file browser: `C:\Users\%USER%\AppData\Roaming\UCAR Unidata\AWIPS CAVE\CAVE.bat`
### Method 2: Linux Virtual Machine
Please note, running CAVE in a Virtual Machine does have reduced functionality than running CAVE directly on hardware (ex: rendering RGB satellite images).
#### System Requirements
- [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 20.3.2-1.vmx"**.
- You can click and drag the CAVE icon into the Applications Directory to install at the System Application level -- this may require Administrator Privileges
- You can drag that icon to any other location (Desktop, local user's Applications directory, etc) to install CAVE at that location -- this will not require Administrator Privileges
### Run CAVE
To run CAVE either:
- Use the System Menu Go > Applications > CAVE
- Type ⌘ + Spacebar and then type "cave", the application should appear and you can hit **enter** to run it
!!! 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 Jetstream2 have partnered to offer a EDEX data server in the cloud, open to the public. Select the server in the Connectivity Preferences dialog, or enter **edex-cloud.unidata.ucar.edu**.
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 "Check to make sure your `/etc/yum.repos.d/awips2.repo` file has `enabled=1`."
**2. Remove currently installed CAVE**
```
sudo yum clean all
sudo yum groupremove "AWIPS CAVE"
```
!!! note "If you are having trouble removing a group, see the [troubleshooting](../appendix/common-problems.md#troubleshooting-uninstalling-edex) section."
**3. Check to make sure all awips rpms have been removed**
```
rpm -qa | grep awips2
```
If you still have rpms installed, remove them
```
sudo yum remove awips2-*
```
**4. Remove the cave directory in /awips2 and caveData from your home directory**
