VCHILL Download Instructions

From CSU-CHILL

The Java VCHILL radar data viewer uses the Java Web Start system, this article provides information on how to use the program.

Run Java VCHILL

To run Java VCHILL, go to the CHILL website front page and click on the VCHILL link under Web Services. This will pop up a dialog box asking what to do with the vchill.jnlp file. The exact steps to follow will depend on your web browser, under Mozilla Firefox, click the Open With Java Web Start Launcher radio button. If this option does not appear, the Java Runtime Environment may not be installed, follow the instructions under the Installing Java Runtime Environment section on this page. Click the OK button to start Java VCHILL.

If you see a notification about an unverified digital signature, click the Run button (check Always trust content from this publisher to prevent this dialog box from appearing next time).

In the "Connecting to..." dialog box, enter the email address used during registration under "signon" and your password and click OK. Please read the Creating a login section on this page for information on creating a login if you don't have one. The Java VCHILL viewer should start.

In the event of problems with running the viewer, please check the VCHILL page or send mail to VCHILL Support.

Creating a login

If you don't already have a login, create one by visiting the VCHILL User Services page. Here, you can enter your email address as a login name, and choose a password. Please enter your full name and organization.

Forgotten password

Check the forgot password check box on the VCHILL User Services page, enter your email address and click Submit to have your password emailed to you.

Installing Java Runtime Environment

Most versions of Windows come with the Java runtime pre-installed, and will automatically update it to the latest version, so this step is not normally required. If you have problems with later steps, you can ensure that this is not due to an out-of-date Java platform by updating to the latest Java Runtime Environment (JRE).

To obtain the latest version of the Java Runtime Environment, go to the Java SE downloads page, and click on the JRE link. Choose your platform (for example, Windows), check the license agreement box and click on continue. Click on the first file available for download (of the form jre-version number-platform.exe), and save the Java Runtime installer file.

Once it has finished downloading, run the Java installer to install the latest version of the Java runtime. Simply click on the Install button to start the process. Once finished, click Close.

Known Issues

Malformed URL Exception

On systems configured to use a proxy server for web access, Java may give the following error upon starting VCHILL:

java.net.MalformedURLException: unknown protocol: socket

In order to correct this problem, use the Java control panel applet (on Windows, go to Control Panel and double-click Java), on the General tab, click Network Settings and select Direct Connection, and click OK twice.

If your network requires use of a proxy server, however, VCHILL will not work correctly, since it requires access to outgoing ports 2510, 2511 and 2513 to connect to the CSU-CHILL archives. Please contact your network administrator for further details.

Blocked Outgoing Ports

Some networks disallow traffic on nonstandard ports. The Java VCHILL software makes use of port numbers 2510, 2511 and 2513 to connect to the servers located at CSU-CHILL. Two solutions are possible in case you are on a restricted network:

  • Contact the local network manager for assistance, and request them to allow access to the VCHILL ports. The host name for the ports, if required, is vchill.chill.colostate.edu (current IP address is 129.82.147.26, please verify this by pinging vchill.chill.colostate.edu)
  • Use a VPN to access a known working network.