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Changes to the Apple Macintosh OS X operating system, starting with 10.8.3 (Mountain Lion) have impacted how Java Web Start applications, such as the Download Manager used by TCIA, are run.  If you encounter problems running Download Manager from within Mac OS X, these instructions may help.

Apple no longer distribute Java with Mac OS X. If your system does not have Java installed, please install the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) before attempting to use TCIA's Download Manager. A common JRE, including the one TCIA is tested with, can be downloaded for free from http://www.java.com.

Starting with Mac OS X 10.8.3 (Mountain Lion), Apple removed Java Network Launching Protocol (JNLP) files, which are used to launch Java Web Start applications such as Download Manager, from the OS X safe file list. Hence, Safari, the default browser on the Mac, will no longer directly launch Download Manager, nor will Safari give a warning that it is refusing to access the JNLP file coming from TCIA with instructions for launching Download Manager with the contents of your shopping cart. Nothing will happen when you click on the Download Manager link on TCIA's shopping cart page. To work around this problem we suggest that you use an alternate browser, such as Firefox or Chrome.

Starting with Mac OS X 10.8.4 (Mountain Lion), Apple changed the default Gatekeeper setting to only run applications from the Apple store or that are signed in an Apple-specific way with a valid Apple Developer ID. This new default setting will block TCIA users from directly running the Download Manager on Mac OS X even though Download Manager is signed with a valid (but non-Apple) code signing certificate. To run the Download Manager, a Mac user may either change the Gatekeeper configuration to allow the running of 3rd party applications (the user may change it back when finished running Download Manager), or may choose to save the JNLP file for launching Download Manager in a convenient location, and then command/right/two-finger click the JNLP file and select "Open".

Users having trouble getting through the Mac OS X security mechanisms may find it simpler to use a virtual machine manager, such as Parallels, VMware Fusion, or Virtual Box to run a Linux or Windows Virtual Machine from which they can more easily launch and run the Download Manager.

Step-by-step guide

Prerequisites:

  1. (Required)  Check that Java 6 or later is installed.  This can be done by opening a terminal window, and running the command java -version.  If Java is installed, it should respond with its version number.  If the command fails, or returns with a version less than 1.6, then please install a newer version of Java.  We test with versions of Java downloaded for free from http://www.java.com.
  2. (Highly Recommended)  Insure that an alternate web browser other than Safari is available.  Browsers  that we have tested with include Firefox or Chrome.
  3. (Optional)  If you are running Mac OS X 10.8.4 or later, and wish to launch Download Manager directly from the browser (the simpler approach), then please 
    1. open System Preferences, 
    2. find the Security tab, 
    3. enter Administrator credentials to allow you to make changes, and
    4. click the radio button that allows applications from anywhere to run (i.e., not restricted to just Apple Store or Apple Developer apps).

Note that Mac OS X will still pop up a warning the first time you attempt to run an application that did not come from the Apple Store or was signed by an Apple Developer ID.

Launching Download Manager:

  1. Using the Search TCIA page from a web browser (preferably not Safari), add the set of series that you desire to download to your shopping cart,  See TCIA's User Guide for instructions.
  2. Click on the "Manage Data Basket" menu item to bring up the "My Data Basket" page.
  3. Click on the "Download Manager" link above the table of series.
  4. Depending on which browser you are using, the browser may ask if you wish to open/run or save the customized JNLP file for launching the download manager.
    1. If you have enable any application to run, not just applications from the Apple Store or signed with an Apple Developer ID (see step 3 in Prerequisites), then click open/run, and skip to step 6.
    2. Otherwise save the JNLP file to a known location (e.g. the downloads folder), and then open a Finder window to that location.
  5. Command/Control/Right/Two-Finger click the JNLP file just saved to bring up a context sensitive menu. Click on the "Open" option of that menu.  (Do not simply double click on the file.  That will fail if your system is configured to only run applications from the Apple Store, or signed by an Apple Developer ID.  You must explicitly open the file from the context sensitive menu to bypass the Gatekeeper restriction.)
  6. Opening/running the JNLP file will trigger a pop-up warning from Mac OS X, questioning whether or not you really wish to run an outside application.  Click OK/Yes to launch the Download Manager.
  7. Java Web Start should then pull the Download Manager from TCIA's servers, validate its code signature, and present a pop-up again asking for confirmation that you wish to run the Download Manager application.  
    1. (Optional) if you wish to reduce the occurance of this pop-up, please check the "Do not show again..." box.
    2. Click "Run" to start the Download Manager application.
  8. By default, the Download Manager will place the downloaded directory tree in the tmp folder.  To choose a different location, either type in the path for the folder into the box at the top of the page labelled "Select Direcctory For Downloaded Files", or click on the "Browse" button next to that box.  
    1. You can navigate through your local directory tree by using a combination of selection from the drop down box at the top of the "Select Directory" window to go up the tree, or double clicking on a folder to go down the tree.
    2. If you wish to create a new folder to hold the downloaded files, please create it using the Mac's Finder or similar application.
    3. When you have found the desired destination folder, single click that folder, and then click "Choose" (or "Open"), which should fill in the path to that folder in the box at the top of the Download Manager window.
  9. Click the "Start" button to begin the download.

 

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