Once you've downloaded hackyInstaller.jar, you must invoke it. In some operating systems, you can simply double-click on the hackyInstaller.jar file to invoke it. In others, you must invoke it from the command line. Example 2.1, “Invoking the HackyInstaller GUI interface from the command line” illustrates the command line invocation of HackyInstaller that brings up its graphical user interface.
Example 2.1. Invoking the HackyInstaller GUI interface from the command line
C:> java -jar hackyInstaller.jar
The above example illustrates HackyInstaller invocation on a Windows platform where hackyInstaller.jar has been downloaded to the top-level of the C: drive. In general, hackyInstaller can be run on Windows, Mac, or Unix platforms, and it can be invoked from any directory.
There are, however, a few restrictions on the use of HackyInstaller:
HackyInstaller requires Java 1.5.0 or later to be installed on the client computer. If you are unsure of your Java version, type 'java -version' at the command line to find out.
You must be logged in as the user whose data is to be collected when running HackyInstaller.
Figure 2.2, “ The initial HackyInstaller screen ” illustrates the main screen that appears when HackyInstaller is invoked for the first time in a user account.
The main screen for HackyInstaller consists of three panes. The "Hackystat Host/Key Setup" pane shows the current settings for the Hackystat host and your Hackystat user key. The "Sensor Settings" pane provides a scrollable list of sensors supported by the server where you downloaded hackyInstaller.jar, along with information regarding their installation status. The "Status Log" pane provides feedback about the execution of HackyInstaller.
When you download HackyInstaller and bring it up for the first time, several things occur, as illustrated by the "Status Log" pane in Figure 2.2, “ The initial HackyInstaller screen ”. First, it creates a directory called ".hackystat" in your home directory, and places three files in it: sensor.properties, hackyinstaller.xml, and usermaps.xml. These files provide a persistent record of your hackystat sensor installation status and property settings.
Second, it attempts to contact the Hackystat host and and verify the Hackystat user key associated with this account. The first time you bring up HackyInstaller, it has no knowledge of either your host or your user key. In this case, it defaults the host to "http://hackystat.ics.hawaii.edu/" (the public server), and the user key to "ChangeThisToYourKey" (an obviously bogus user key). In this case, the host is valid but the user key is not, leading to the message "Hackystat key is invalid" in the status window.
Third, it checks to see what sensors you have installed, and if installed whether they are enabled, and if enabled, whether a newer version is available at the server. The first time you download and run HackyInstaller, you do not yet have any sensors installed, and so the "Sensor Settings" pane shows "No" as every entry in the "Installed:" column.
The next step in configuring your client is to correctly set the Hackystat host and key, as illustrated in the next section.