Frequently Asked Questions

Installation F.A.Q.

What is the minimum required hardware to run NEST

It is recommended to have at least 2GB of memory. NEST can work with only 1GB but may run slower.

To run the 3D WorldWind View, it is recommended to have a 3D graphics card with updated drivers.

NEST has been tested to work on 32 and 64 bit Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Linux.

I can't start up the DAT

Try running from the command line to see any errors using dat.bat on Windows or dat.sh on Linux. If the error mentions something to do with any of "WorldWind, native library, JOGL, glugen, or OpenGL" then it may be a problem with WorldWind:

Try first to update your drivers (How to update windows drivers) (ATI/AMD - Nvidia - Intel)

If that doesn't work, then try removing WorldWind by deleting the file from your NEST installation folder NEST3C/modules/nest-world-wind-view-3C.jar

When I start the DAT it says it could not create the Java virtual machine

In dat.bat or dat.sh try reducing the -Xmx1024M value to somthing smaller like -Xmx800M

How can I get WorldWind to work? I see a blank window in the World View.

To use the WorldWind World Map and 3D View, a 3D video card with updated drivers is necessary.
Update your video card drivers. (How to update windows drivers) (ATI/AMD - Nvidia - Intel)

The installer is not working for me

Try downloading the Java binary version of NEST. It is simply a zipped folder without an installer.

If you would like to run he gpt from any folder, you will need to set the NEST_HOME path to where ever you unzip it.

For example on Windows go to Control Panel -> System -> Advanced -> Evironment Variables

Add a variable for NEST_HOME to point to the installation folder and also include %NEST_HOME% in the PATH variable.

On Linux, set these environment variables in .profile or .bash_profile in your home directory
    export NEST_HOME=installation folder
    export PATH=$PATH:$NEST_HOME

Then either restart your terminal or type

    source ~/.bashrc

Also, make sure the paths in NEST4B/config/settings.xml are appropriate for your file system.

I only have 1Gb of RAM. How can I run NEST without running out of memory?

Try reducing the tile size in the settings dialog. From the main menu go to Edit -> Settings.

How can I improve performance?

Performance in NEST drops considerably when using virtual memory. If you have more than 2Gb of RAM and wish to use all of it, on a 64-bit OS you should be using a 64-bit version of Java. You may then set the heap size for the Java virtual machine to something larger such as -Xmx4096M

To do so, open in a text editor your gpt.bat on Windows or gpt.sh on Linux found in your NEST installation folder and replace the -Xmx1024M value with something larger like -Xmx4096M. You may do the same with dat.bat or dat.sh.

In Windows you may set these for the exe in nest-dat.l4j.ini

For Windows64, the 64-bit Windows version of NEST should already come with 64-bit Java and be ready for use.

How can I move the .nest folder somewhere else?

By default NEST creates a windows_user_home_folder\.nest (~/.nest on Linux)

The .nest folder is used to store temporary data such as preferences, logs, etc.
 
If you would like to change the location of this folder:

Edit the file NESTInstallFolder\config\nest.config

change the line
#nest.application_tmp_folder = c:\\AuxData

to
nest.application_tmp_folder = your_new_path

How to change the AuxData folder

Edit the file NESTInstallFolder\config\settings_win.xml or setting_unix.xml

Change the AuxDataPath value to your new path and restart the Toolbox.