InterWorking Labs maintains an update repository that may be used to update a machine with the latest Maxwell software.

Updates are performed using the Redhat Package Manager (rpm) system and the Yum update manager.  These are pre-installed and pre-configured on all Maxwell systems.

There are two ways to perform the update, the first of these is preferred:

1. Using the Redhat Package Manager application (preferred method):

   1. Close the Maxwell application.

   2. Move your mouse over the K-Menu icon located near the lower left corner of your screen.  The icon is a small blue square usually with an image of a gear and a 'K'.  Left click on that icon.  This should display a set of menus.

   3. Find the "System" menu and left click on it.  This should bring up a sub-menu.

   4. Find the "Add/Remove Software" item (it is probably at the top) and left click on it to bring up the Redhat Package Manager.

      You may be prompted to enter the root password.

      After you give it the password it may take a while for the application to initialize, be patient.

   5. After initialization is complete select the "Search" tab and enter the word "maxwell" in the search box.  Click on the "Search" button to initiate the search for the Maxwell packages that are installed and available.

   6. Use the mouse to select the desired updates; generally you need only click on the "maxwell-bsh" or "maxwell-lsh" options as appropriate, the update manager will take care of the dependencies.

   7. Click on apply and wait for the update to download and apply the updates.  This may take a few minutes.

   8. Restart the Maxwell application.  You might need to use the menu item to force a restart of the "stdiserver".

2. The command line method (for experts only):

   1. Log in as user "maxwell".

   2. Close the Maxwell application.

   3. Open a terminal window:

      1. Move your mouse over the K-Menu icon located near the lower left corner of your screen.  The icon is a small blue square usually with an image of a gear and a 'K'.  Left click on that icon.  This should display a set of menus.

      2. Find the "System" menu and left click on it.  This should bring up a sub-menu.

      3. Find the "Terminal" item on that sub-menu, left click on it to bring up the terminal application.

   4. Click somewhere within the terminal application window.

   5. Enter the following command exactly as shown:

      sudo yum update maxwell

      The Yum application will go out on the internet to IWL's repository and look whether there are any updates available.  If there are, Yum will download them and install them.  This may, of course, take a few minutes.

   6. Restart the Maxwell application.  You might need to use the menu item to force a restart of the "stdiserver".

   Note: It is not uncommon to forget the word "maxwell" after "yum update".  If you do this you may end up updating the entire underlying Linux system as well as the Maxwell code itself.  This is usually OK, but sometimes it causes problems with the video display driver.  See the Note below.

Note: If your graphical desktop does not work after an update see the Updating the Nvidia X11 Display Driver page.