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How to install Java on a Linux computer

Overview: 
This article will walk you through the process of installing the official Oracle Java platform on your Linux machine.
 
Background: 
There are many Linux distributions available and many of them come with one or more Java platform/s pre-installed. In the vast majority of the cases the Java platform which comes pre-installed on a Linux machine is not the official Oracle Java, but another one such as OpenJKD or IBM Java. 
The Trader Workstation has been developed on the official Oracle Java platform and shows the most stable behavior and the best performances when run by the official Oracle Java process. Therefore we recommend to all the Linux users, who want to run the Trader Workstation, to install the official Oracle Java platform and set it as the preferred Java environment to be used by the operating system.
 

For the purpose of this guide, we will divide the Linux distributions nowadays available into three big families:

  1. APT based Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Mint) - those distributions use the Advanced Packaging Tool to fetch and install software packages in a semi-automatic way, resolving and taking care of dependencies. 
  2. RPM based Linux distributions (Suse, OpenSUSE, Red Hat, CentOS, Fedora, Oracle Linux) - those distributions allow the installation of software packages (.rpm files), which contain the binary files to be installed on the system and an integrated dependency checker script. The .rpm packages allow a simplified and smooth installation of software without requiring a deep knowledge of the system.
  3. Other Linux distributions  - those distributions may or may not use a specific package manager but all of them allow the installation of software using the source code package (.tar.gz) through a series of command to be issued on the Terminal.

 

How to install the official Oracle Java on APT based Linux distributions

The most simple way to install Java on Ubuntu or Mint is using the webupd8 repository. This method will install the latest version of JDK 8 and the JRE 8 browser plugin. The supported versions are: Ubuntu 15.04, 14.10, 14.04, 12.04 - Linux Mint 17.1, 17, 13

For details, please refer to: http://www.webupd8.org/2012/09/install-oracle-java-8-in-ubuntu-via-ppa.html

a. On your Linux machine, open the "Terminal". If you need help with accessing and using the Terminal, please refer to: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UsingTheTerminal

b. Become root, by typing su on the Terminal and entering the super user password. Instead of becoming root, you can choose to use the sudo feature (which gives your user the root privileges for a single command). If you want to use sudo, just add sudo before each one of the commands you will enter in the Terminal. You will be requested to enter the sudo password.

c. Add the webupd8 repository by tiping add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/java Follow the instructions on the screen. You should be asked to press [ENTER] to continue. Once done, the repository will be added.

d. Type the command apt-get update

e. Enter the command: apt-get install oracle-java8-installer The process will download and install automatically the required packages along with their dependencies. Once the command has completed, the Oracle Java platform will be ready to be used.

Should you prefer to have control of all the phases of the installation, instead of relying on the APT facility, please refer to the instructions on this page: http://www.wikihow.com/Install-Oracle-Java-JRE-on-Ubuntu-Linux

 

How to install the official Oracle Java on RPM based Linux distributions

a. On your Linux machine, open the "Terminal". If you need help with accessing and using the Terminal, please refer to: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UsingTheTerminal

b. Become root, by typing su on the Terminal and entering the super user password. Instead of becoming root, you can choose to use the sudo feature (which gives your user the root privileges for single commands). If you want to use sudo, just add sudo before each one of the commands you will enter in the Terminal. You will be requested to enter the sudo password.

c. Create the folder /usr/java by issuing the command mkdir /usr/java. If the directory already exists you will see a message indicating that. In this case you can proceed directly to point d.

d. Go to the page https://www.java.com/en/download/linux_manual.jsp

e. If you have a 32 bit system, download the file "Linux RPM" . If you have a 64 bit system, download the file "Linux64 RPM". In either case, please instruct your browser to save the file in the folder /usr/java or move the file to that foder once it has been downloaded.

f. Go back to the Terminal and move to the /usr/java folder by typing cd /usr/java

g. List the content of the folder by typing the command ls -la You should see the file you downloaded. It will be called jre-XuYY-linux-ARCH.rpm (where X is the Java family, YY the update number and ARCH will be i586 for 32 bit installer and x64 for 64 bit installer)

h.  Launch this command to perform the installation: rpm -ivh jre-XuYY-linux-ARCH.rpm  Obviously you need to use the real file name, for example jre-8u65-linux-x64.rpm

Once the installation has been performed, the Oracle Java should be ready to be used. Usually a system restart is not required on Linux machines. In case you see warning or error message/s during the installation, please check their content and search the Internet for possible solutions. Most of the time the warning/error messages maight refer to missing dependencies (this means that another package needs to be installed before you can install Java) or to unsufficient privileges (this means that you are launching the command with a regular user instead of "root"). If you cannot find the proper course of actions to overcome the issue, please refer to the support documentation or forums for your current Linux distribution.

 

How to install the official Oracle Java on other Linux distributions

If your Linux distribution does not support RPM or APT package managers, the installation of Oracle Java can be performed manually in this way:

a. On your Linux machine, open the "Terminal".

b. Become root, by typing su on the Terminal and entering the super user password. Instead of becoming root, you can choose to use the sudo feature (which gives your user the root privileges for single commands). If you want to use sudo, just add sudo before each one of the commands you will enter in the Terminal. You will be then required to enter the sudo password.

c. Create the folder /usr/java by issuing the command mkdir /usr/java. If the directory already exists you will see a message indicating that. In this case you can proceed directly to point d.

d. Go to the page https://www.java.com/en/download/linux_manual.jsp

e. If you have a 32 bit system, download the file "Linux" . If you have a 64 bit system, download the file "Linux x64". In either case, please instruct your browser to save the file in the folder /usr/java or move the file to that foder once it has been downloaded.

f. Go back to the Terminal and move to the /usr/java folder by typing cd /usr/java

g. List the content of the folder by typing the command ls -la You should see the file you downloaded. It will be called jre-XuYY-linux-ARCH.tar.gz (where X is the Java family, YY the update number and ARCH will be i586 for 32 bit installer and x64 for 64 bit installer)

h.  Launch this command to perform the installation: tar zxvf jre-XuYY-linux-ARCH.tar.gz  Obviously you need to use the real file name, for example jre-8u65-linux-x64.tar.gz

i. Once done, enter command ls -la You will see the folder /usr/java/jre1.X.0_YY (where X is the Java family, YY the update number)

l.  The Java executables are now present in the folder /usr/java/jre1.X.0_YY/bin 

m. Now check which is the symbolic link used by the system to access the java executables by entering the commands:

which java  - you will receive an output similar to this: /usr/bin/java  From now on we will refer to this path as javasympath.

which javac  - you will receive an output similar to this: /usr/bin/java  From now on we will refer to this path as javacsympath.

which javaws  - you will receive an output similar to this: /usr/bin/java  From now on we will refer to this path as javawssympath.

Unless your are launching the java applications using the full path (for example /usr/java/jre1.X.0_YY/bin/java ...), you would need to tell your system which java executables should be used when a generic java command is issued. In order to to this, you can either update your alternatives files (if your system supports them) or the symbolic links. Here below you can see the instructions, according to your system:

- If your system uses the alternatives files:

n.  Issue the following commands, paying attention to make the necessary substitutions .

update-alternatives --install javasympath java /usr/java/jre1.X.0_YY/bin/java 1

update-alternatives --install javacsympath javac /usr/java/jre1.X.0_YY/bin/javac 1

update-alternatives --install javawssympath javaws /usr/java/jre1.X.0_YY/bin/javaws 1

- If your system does not use the alternatives files:

n. Issue the following commands, paying attention to make the necessary substitutions .

ln -sf  /usr/java/jre1.X.0_YY/bin/java javasympath

ln -sf /usr/java/jre1.X.0_YY/bin/javac javacsympath

ln -sf /usr/java/jre1.X.0_YY/bin/javaws javawssympath

 

How to fix the error: "Library dbcapi.dll cannot be loaded"

Background: 
 
TWS users may receive the following error message upon configuring TWS to use the eSignal data feed:
 
 
This error may appear for the following reasons:
 
Issue A - You are not using the 32 bit version of TWS and/or eSignal:
The 32-bit versions of both TWS and eSignal have to be installed for the integration to work. In the section below you will find the instructions for installing the 32-bit TWS. Should you need assistance with the installation of the 32-bit eSignal, we suggest you to contact the eSignal customer support.
 
Issue B - There is an incompatibility with the file C:\Jts\dbcapi.dll:
To use 32-bit eSignal version 12, an incompatibility with the C:\Jts\dbcapi.dll file must be fixed. This involves copying a file from the eSignal installation and renaming it to dbcapi.dll. 
 
Note: On certain systems you will need to apply the fixes for both issue A and B. If you applied the fix for issue A (or if you are already sure you are using the 32 bit version of both platforms) and you are still receiving the error message, then please apply as well the fix for issue B.
 
 
 
Instructions to resolve issue A
Installing 32-bit TWS
 
Please open the page http://www.ibkr.com in your browser and perform the steps below:

1) Click on the Log In button at the top right corner of the page.

2) Click on Download Trader Workstation:

3) Click on the red button TWS Latest:
 
4) On the next page, click on the link Download for Other Operating Systems:
 

5) Click on the item Windows 32-bit:

6) Make sure that the description under the DOWNLOAD button has changed to "Windows: 32 bit". Click now on DOWNLOAD:

7) Launch the downloaded file. The Trader Workstation installation will start. At this point, you may see the warning message "Trader Workstation latest is already installed...". Ignore this warning and click on the button Next > to continue the installation:

 

8) Your "Trader Workstation" Desktop icon will be automatically updated. You can now launch the 32-bit Trader Workstation by a double click on that icon.

If you have launched the 32-bit TWS and the 32 bit version of eSignal but you still receive the same error message, please follow as well the instructions below.

 
 
Instructions to resolve issue B
Replacing dbcapi.dll for compatibility between 32-bit TWS and 32-bit eSignal 12

To correct an incompatibility with the dbcapi.dll file, we will replace that file with another version of it taken from the eSignal installation folder. Please follow the steps below to perform the substitution:  

1) Navigate to C:\Jts and rename the file dbcapi.dll to dbcapi_old.dll 

2) Navigate to the directory where 32-bit eSignal 12 is installed (most commonly C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Interactive Data\DM).

3) Copy dbcapi_vc8.dll from that directory into the C:\Jts directory.

4) Move to the C:\Jts directory.

5) Right click on the dbcapi_vc8.dll file (now in the C:\Jts directory) and select rename. Type dbcapi.dll as the new filename.

6) TWS is now ready to accept the eSignal data feed.

 

How to install the TWS API Components on Mac / Unix

NOTE: If you have already agreed to the API License Agreement please start at Step 3 below.

Instructions

  1. Click directly on the button below to access the API software download page
  2. This will direct you to Interactive Brokers API License Agreement, please review it
  3. Once you have clicked "I Agree", refer to the Mac / Unix section to download the API Software version of your preference
    API Software Download List
  1. This will download twsapi_macunix.n.m.zip to your computer
    (where n and m are the major and minor version numbers respectively)
  2. Open Terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T on most distributions)
    (On Mac press Command+Space to launch Spotlight, then type terminal and press Return)
  3. Navigate to the directory where the installer has been downloaded (normally it should be the Download folder within your home folder) and confirm the file is present

     $  cd ~/Downloads
     $  ls

  1. Unzip the contents the installer into your home folder with the following command (if prompted, enter your password):
    $  sudo unzip twsapi_macunix.n.m.zip -d $HOME/
    Installation directions Step 3 and Step 4
  2. To access the sample and source files, navigate to the IBJts directory and confirm the subfolders samples and source are present
    $  cd ~/IBJts
    $  ls
    Installation directions Step 5
 

 

Legacy Instructions - API Version ≤ 9.71

Note: IB only offers API Version 9.72+. In the event you already have an existing legacy version and need to install it, please refer to the directions below:

  1. locate the file twsapi_macunix.n.m.jar on your computer
    (where n and m are the major and minor version numbers respectively.)
  2. Open Terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T on most distributions)
    (On Mac press Command+Space to launch Spotlight, then type terminal and press Return)
  3. Navigate to the directory where the .jar file has been located (normally it should be the Download folder within your home folder) and confirm it is present
    $  cd ~/Downloads
    $  ls
  4. Extract the contents of the .jar file into your home folder
    $  jar xf twsapi_macunix.n.m.jar -d $ HOME/
  5. To access the sample and source files, navigate to the IBJts directory and confirm the subfolders samples and source are present
    $  cd ~/IBJts
    $  ls

 

How to install MobileTWS on BlackBerry OS10

Background: 

Currently, Interactive Brokers does not offer a native IBKR Mobile app for the Blackberry 10 Operating System. Due to a recent partnership between Amazon and Blackberry, clients who own a Blackberry device running Blackberry 10 OS can install the Android version of the IBKR Mobile app directly from the Amazon Store.

Blackberry 10 OS Devices:

  • Q5, Z3, Leap, Classic, Passport, Q10, Z10, Z30, P'9982, P'9983
     

 *Please notice that these devices have limited hardware capabilities and this could negatively affect the performance of the IBKR Mobile app.

 

Installation

You can download the IBKR Mobile app on your Blackberry phone directly from the Amazon Appstore.

 

How to install IBKR Mobile from the Amazon App Store:

  1. On your Blackberry phone open the Amazon App Store  app.
  2. Enter your Amazon e-mail and password, and tap Sign in.
    (If you don't have an Amazon account, tap Create a new Amazon account.)
     
     
  3. Tap on the search bar at the top, type IBKR Mobile then tap Search.
  4. Tap on IBKR Mobile from the search results and install.
   
 
5. Once installed, tap on the IBKR Mobile app from one of your home screens to launch it
   

 

 

Welcome to Interactive Brokers

Overview: 

Now that your account is funded and approved you can start trading. The information below will help you getting
started as a new customer of Interactive Brokers.

  1. Your Money
  2. Configure your account to trade
  3. How to trade
  4. Trade all over the World
  5. Five points to enrich your IB experience

 

1. Your Money
Deposits & Withdrawals General Info. All transactions are administered through your secure Account Management
Deposits
First, you create a deposit notification through your Account Management > Funding > Fund Transfers > Transaction Type: “Deposit” How to create a deposit notification. The second step is to instruct your Bank to do the wire transfer with the bank details provided in your Deposit Notification.
Withdrawals
Create a withdrawal instruction via your secure Account Management > Funding > Fund Transfers > Transaction Type: "Withdrawals" How to create a withdrawal instruction
If you instruct a withdrawal over the Withdrawal limits, it will be considered an exceptional withdrawal and we will therefore need to match bank account holder and IB account. If destination bank account has been used for a deposit, withdrawal will be processed; otherwise, you must contact customer service and provide the documents needed.
Troubleshooting
Deposits: My bank sent the money but I do not see it credited into my IB account. Possible reasons:
a) A fund transfer takes 1-4 business days
b) A Deposit Notification is missing. You have to create it via your Account Management and send a ticket to Customer Service
c) Amending details are missing. Your name or IB account number is missing in the transfer details. You have to contact your bank and ask for the full amending details.
d) ACH initiated by IB is limited to 100k USD in a 7 business period. If you opened a Portfolio Margin account where the initial requirement is 110k, a wire deposit might be the better deposit option to reduce wait time for your first trade. If selecting ACH a wait time of almost 2 weeks or a temporary downgrade to RegT can be possible solutions.
Withdrawals: I have requested a withdrawal but I do not see the money credited to my bank account. Possible reasons:
a) A fund transfer takes 1-4 business days
b) Rejected. Over the max it can be withdrawn. Please check your account cash balance. Note that for regulatory requirements, when the funds are deposited, there is a 3 day holding period before they can be withdrawn.
c) Your bank returned the funds. Probably because receiving bank account and remitting bank account names do not match.

 

2. Configure your account to trade
Difference between Cash and Margin accounts: If you have chosen the FastTrack application, by default your account type is a cash account with US stock permission. If you would like to get leverage and trade on margin, here how to upgrade to a RegT Margin account
Trading Permissions
In order to be able to trade a particular asset class in a particular country, you need to get the trading permission for it via your Account Management. Please note that trading permissions are free. You might however be asked to sign risk
disclosures required by local regulatory authorities. How to Request Trading Permissions
Market Data
If you want to have market data in real-time for a particular product/exchange, you need to subscribe to a market data package charged by the exchange. How to subscribe to Market data
The Market data assistant will help you choose the right package. Please watch this Video explaining how it works.
Customers have the option to receive delayed market data for free by clicking the Free Delayed Data button from a non-subscribed ticker row.
Advisor Accounts
Have a look at the user guide getting started as advisors. Here you see how to create additional users to your advisor account and grant them access and much more.

 

3. How to trade
The Trader's University is the place to go when you want to learn how to use our Platforms. Here you will find our webinars, live and recorded in 10 languages and tours and documentation about our various Trading Platforms.
Trader Workstation (TWS)
Traders who require more sophisticated trading tools can use our market maker-designed Trader Workstation (TWS), which optimizes your trading speed and efficiency with an easy-to-use spreadsheet interface, support for more than 60 order types, task-specific trading tools for all trading styles, and real-time account balance and activity monitoring. Try the two models
TWS Mosaic: for intuitive usability, easy trading access, order management, watchlist, charts all in one window or
TWS Classic: the Advanced Order Management for traders who need more advanced tools and algos.
General Description and Information / Quick start guide / Usersguide
Interactive Tours: TWS Basics / TWS configuration / TWS Mosaic
How to place a trade:  Video Classic TWS / Video Mosaic
Trading tools: General Description and Information /  Users guide
Requirements: How to install Java for Windows / How to install Java for MAC / Port 4000 and 4001 needs to be open
Login TWS / Download TWS
WebTrader
Traders who prefer a clean and simple interface can use our HTML-based WebTrader, which makes it easy to view market data, submit orders, and monitor your account and executions. Use the latest WebTrader from every browser
Quick Start Guide / WebTrader User's Guide
Introduction: Video WebTrader
How to place a Trade: Video WebTrader
Login WebTrader
MobileTrader
Our mobile solutions allow you to trade your IB account on the go. The mobileTWS for iOS and the mobileTWS for BlackBerry are custom-designed for these popular models, while the generic MobileTrader supports most other Smart phones.
General Description and Information
Order Types Order Types available and Description / Videos / Tour / Users guide
Paper Trading General Description and Information / How to get a Paper Trading Account
Once your paper account is created, you can share the market data of your real account with your paper trading account: Account Management > Manage Account > Settings > Paper trading

 
4. Trade all over the World
IB accounts are multi-currency accounts. Your account can hold different currencies at the same time, this allows you to trade multiple products around the world from a single account.
Base Currency
Your base currency determines the currency of translation for your statements and the currency used for determining margin requirements. Base currency is determined when you open an account. Customers may change their base currency at any time through Account Management.
We do not automatically convert currencies into your Base currency
Currency conversions must be done manually by the customer. In this video you can learn how to do a currency conversion.
In order to open a position denominated in a currency that you do not have in your account, you have two possibilities:
A) Currency conversion.
B) IB Margin Loan. (Not available for Cash Accounts)
Please see this course explaining the mechanics of a foreign transaction.

 

5. Five points to enrich your IB experience
1. Contract Search
Here you will find all our products, symbols and specifications.
2. IB Knowledge Base
The Knowledge Base is a repository of glossary terms, how-to articles, troubleshooting tips and guidelines designed to assist IB customers with the management of their IB accounts. Just enter in the search button what you are looking for and you will get the answer.
3. Account Management
As our trading platforms give you access to the markets, the Account Management grants you access to your IB account. Use Account Management to manage account-related tasks such as depositing or withdrawing funds, viewing your statements, modifying market data and news subscriptions, changing your trading permissions, and verifying or changing your personal information.
Log In Account Management / AM Quick Start Guide / AM Users Guide
4. Secure Login System
To provide you with the highest level of online security, Interactive Brokers has implemented a Secure Login System (SLS) through which access to your account is subject to two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication serves to confirm your identity at the point of login using two security factors: 1) Something you know (your username and password combination); and 2) Something you have (an IB issued security device which generates a random, single-use security code). As both knowledge of your username/password and physical possession of the security device are required to login to your account, participation in the Secure Login System virtually eliminates the possibility of anyone other than you accessing your account.
How to Activate your Security Device / How to Obtain a Security Code Card / How to return Security device
In case you forgot your password or lost your security code card, please call us for immediate assistance.
5. Statements and Reports
Easy to view and customize, our statements and reports cover all aspects of your Interactive Brokers account. How to view an Activity Statement 

 

When and how should I increase the memory allocation for TWS?

Overview: 
Java Virtual Machine memory allocation

The Trader Workstation is a Java-based application. As any other Java applications, it executes within a Java virtual machine (JVM) which manages the interactions between the program and the underlying Operating System (OS).

The memory (RAM) which is allocated by the operating system to the JVM constitutes the heap space. That is the area where all the class instances and arrays needed by the application are allocated. The heap space is created when the JVM is started and it is dynamically freed-up by the Garbage Collector (GC), the Java memory manager. When the need arises, the Garbage Collector is invoked to free up the heap space by unloading Java classes and other code structures no longer used by the application.

If the heap space is undersized, the Garbage Collector may not be able reclaim memory at the needed pace or may have to be called too often, draining the processor (CPU) resources. When this happens, the application may slow down, be unresponsive or even crash completely.

To ensure a smooth TWS run, it is therefore sometimes necessary to change the memory allocation, according to the layout complexity and the needs of the application itself.

Background: 
In which case I should change the TWS memory allocation?
If your TWS layout contains a considerable number of elements (Analytical/Trading Tools, Chart windows, News panels, Watchlists, Layout tabs...) and your platform is slow or poorly responsive, you may want to increase the memory allocation in order to achieve better performances. If your TWS freezes or crashes, we also recommend increasing the heap space as the first corrective action to attempt. 
 
How much memory should I allocate to TWS?
In general we recommend to start with a conservative memory allocation and test the TWS performances with that set up. If the performances improvement is less noticeable then expected or not yet satisfactory, you can switch gradually to higher values until you find the best fit for your platform.
Please consider the following:
  • The memory you allocate to the TWS has to be available on your system. For details, please see Note 1. Allocation values above 2048 are not supported by 32-bit OS. For details, please see Note 2. 
Considering the above, we suggest to initially reserve 1.5 GB of system RAM the TWS, as explained in the guide below.
This amount of free memory is usually available on any modern computer and should be a good fit for most of the cases. Should you still notice slowness, freezing or crashes during the TWS execution, you can raise the value to 1792.
In any case, we do not recommend to set the value above 2048 since this will produce an unnecessary overhead and may thus even decrease the overall performances of the application.

 

 
How can I change the memory allocation for the TWS?

Please follow one of the links below for the instructions, according to the Operating System and TWS release you are using

 
     Any Operating System
 
     B.1 Your Operating System is Windows      
     B.2 Your Operating System is Mac OS

 

 

 

A. TWS version 972 and higher

The steps below are valid for all Operating Systems
1) In the TWS, click on the top menu File (or Edit if you are using Classic TWS) and select Global Configuration...

2) On the left side menu of the Global Configuration panel, click on General

3) In the panel on the right side, in the Memory Allocation field, replace the existing value with 1536

4) Click on Apply and then on OK

5) Shut down the TWS

6) Launch the TWS with a double click on the Desktop shortcut Trader Workstation (Should you receive an error message, please see Note 3.
 

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B. TWS versions previous to 972

B.1 Your Operating System is Windows

1) Close TWS in case it is running

2) On your keyboard, press WIN+R (the WIN key is the key with the windows flag located on the left side of tour keyboard,  between the keys CTRL and ALT) 
3) Type C:\Jts\tws.vmoptions and Click OK
4) Should the system ask you which program to use to open the file, select Notepad and click OK
5) Cut the line -Xmx768m and paste it below the line ### Keep on update
6) Change then the value of the parameter Xmx from 768 to 1536
7) Save the changes by clicking on the top menu File --> Save
8) Close the file clicking on the X icon on the right side of the toolbar
9) Launch the TWS with a double click on the Desktop shortcut Trader Workstation (Should you receive an error message, please see Note 3.
 
 

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B.2 Your Operating System is Mac OS
 
1) Close the TWS if it is running
 
2) Use the Spotlight search (the magnifier glass on the top right of your Desktop) to find the file tws.vmoptions
Normally the file is located within the Jts folder (a subfolder of your home folder)

3) On the Spotlight results panel, click on tws.vmoptions to open it. Should the system ask you how to open this file, click Choose Application... select  a text editor (TextEdit, Smultron, TextWrangler...) of your choice and click Open
 
 
4) Locate the line -Xmx768m. Cut it and paste it below the line ### Keep on update
 
6) Modify the value 768 in to 1536
 
7) Save and close the file

8) Launch the TWS with a double click on the Desktop shortcut Trader Workstation (Should you receive an error message, please see Note 3.
 

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Notes

 

1. Available system RAM
In order to check the amount of available system RAM on your computer, you can:
 - on Windows: use the key combination CTRL+SHIFT+ESC to start the Task Manager, click on the tab Performance and look for the "Available" Physical Memory. This will tell you the amount of unoccupied RAM in MB (1024 MB = 1GB)
 
 
- on Mac OS: Open Finder, go to Application --> Utilities and open Terminal. In the terminal type the command:
sudo purge
and press Enter. The system may ask you to enter your Mac user password. Enter the password. Once the command has completed, type the following command:
top -l 1| grep PhysMem
The "unused" value will tell you the amount of unoccupied RAM in MB (1024M = 1GB)

 

 

 2. Limitations of 32-bit Operating Systems
Please notice that 32-bit Operating Systems can normally only address a maximum of 2 GB of RAM per process (see table below for details). Because of this OS architecture limitation, if you have a 32-bit OS, the maximum memory allocation for the TWS must not exceed 2048 Mb.

 

3. Error: "Could not create the Java Virtual Machine"
This error may be displayed upon TWS startup if you set the memory allocation to a value higher than the available RAM of your system or if you set it higher than 2048 on a 32-bit Opertaing System. To overcome the error, you would need to decrease the memory allocation to a lower value using this procedure
 

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Compatibility between MetaTrader and Interactive Brokers

Overview: 

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) provides to its account holders a variety of proprietary trading platforms at no cost and therefore does not actively promote or offer the platforms or add-on software of other vendors. Nonetheless, as IBKR's principal trading platform, the TraderWorkstation (TWS), operates with an open API, there are numerous third-party vendors who create order entry, charting and various other analytical programs which operate in conjunction with the TWS for purposes of executing orders through IBKR. As these API specifications are made public, we are not necessarily aware of all vendors who create applications to integrate with the TWS but do offer a program referred to as the Investors Marketplace which operates as a self-service community bringing together third party vendors who have products and services to offer with IBKR customers seeking to fill a specific need.

While MetaQuotes Software is not a participant of IBKR's Investors Marketplace, they offer to Introducing Brokers the oneZero Hub Gateway so that MetaTrader 5 can be used to trade IBKR Accounts[1]. Clients interested would need to contact oneZero directly for additional assistance. Please refer to the Contact section from the following URL.

Note: Besides oneZero Hub Gateway, different vendors such as Trade-Commander, jTWSdata and PrimeXM also offer a software which they represent, acts as a bridge between MetaTrader 4/5 and the TWS. As is the case with other third-party software applications, IBKR is not in a position to provide information or recommendations as to the compatibility or operation of such software.

 

1: oneZero is not available for Individual Accounts, please click here for more information on Introducing Brokers.

 

 

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