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How to check and solve connectivity issues affecting the Trader Workstation (TWS)

Background: 

The Trader Workstation (TWS) software needs to connect to our gateways and market data servers in order to work properly. Connectivity issues affecting your local network or your Internet Service Provider network may negatively affect the TWS functionality. In this article we will indicate how to test your connectivity using an automated connectivity test web page.

 

How to test the connectivity using the automated "IB Connectivity Test" web page?

1) Launch the Firefox browser and open this link with that browser: http://www.interactivebrokers.com/cgi-bin/conn_test.pl 
Note: due to browser specific constraints, the above connectivity test link will only produce consistent results on the Mozilla Firefox browser. If you do not have Firefox, you can download and install it form here.

2) Please wait until all the tests have been completed and results have been displayed. If you see "Success" as outcome for all tests, your connectivity to IB Servers is reliable at the present moment. No additional connectivity troubleshooting or configuration should be needed.

3) If you see "Fail" as outcome for one or more test/s, please click on the link "Fail" itself in order to display the "IB Network Troubleshooting Guide". That section will help you conduct some manual tests to identify the cause of the failure.

Note for Corporative environments and Proxy server users: the automated "Connectivity Test" page may return misleading results in case your machine is accessing the Internet through a Proxy server. This usually happens if you are connected to a company network. If this is your case, we kindly ask you to contact your Network Administrator or your IT Team and ask them to perform a manual connectivity tests towards the destination servers indicated in the table on the top of the IB automated "Connectivity Test" web page itself. The manual connectivity test should be conducted using destination TCP ports 4000 and 4001. Should they prefer to have the server list in another format or should they need to set up the firewall / IP Management rules, you can forward them this page.

 

IBKR Mobile Companion App for Apple Watch

Overview: 

Interactive Brokers takes our intuitive and ergonomic mobile trading platform to the next level by providing you a companion app for the Apple Watch.

Background: 

The companion app is designed to display information when a user has logged in to the IBKR Mobile app on their iPhone. It will work in both the Live Trading and Read Only Modes but does not support active trading. This companion app is only available for informational purpose only.

 

Table of contents

 

What does the app do?

At 'glance view' the app will display the following information; Amount of FYI Notification, Account Number, Daily P&L, Net Liquidation Value, Number of Open Orders, Number of Trades Executed, Excess Liquidity and number of Positions you currently own. It will also display the time when it has fetched the information from your iPhone.

Example:

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Requirements

  • Must have iPhone 5s or greater, using iOS 11 or later.
  • Must have the IBKR Mobile app installed on your iPhone (version 11 or greater)
  • Must have your Apple Watch paired to your iPhone (refer to: Set up your Apple Watch for directions)
  • Must have watchOS 5 running on your Apple Watch.

Important: The Apple Watch applications are only 'companion' apps. This means they are not installed directly on the watch itself, but rather are a function of an application already installed on your iPhone.

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How is the app installed?

 1.  Install the latest version of the IBKR Mobile app on your iPhone.

 2.  Pair your Apple Watch to your phone.

 3.  Launch the Watch app on your phone.

      Apple Watch App Icon

 4.  Scroll down on the main screen until you see your list of apps, locate the IBKR Mobile app and Tap on it.

     

 5.  Enable Show App on Apple Watch by swiping the slider to the right (green).

     

 6.  After the top slider is set to green, you will see a text informing you that the app is being installed. At this stage the phone is sending the application to your watch per Bluetooth. This might take a short moment (approximately 30-60 seconds.) Once completed the companion app has been installed.

 

Note: Once enabled it will take 24 hours before P&L shows up on the watch after activation. 

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How do I confirm the app is installed?

On your Apple Watch click on the crown to access your Home Screen, you should now see an icon for the IBKR Mobile App.

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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 opt back into the Secure Login System

Overview: 

Clients who have performed an opt-out from the Secure Login System (SLS) program expose themselves to certain risks and are therefore subject to certain restrictions (e.g. ability to trade Pink Sheet and OTCBB stocks). Considering this, along with the protection benefits afforded through a complete SLS protection, you may decide to opt back into the Secure Login System.  The following article provides the step-by-step instructions for accomplishing this.

Background: 

Please note that in order to modify the security settings for an account, the primary user needs to login to the Client Portal. If your user is not allowed to change the security settings, the system will show you a notice and will point you to the user which has such rights.

In order to opt back into the Secure Login System, please proceed as follows:

1. Open your browser and go to the web page ibkr.com.

2. Click on Log In > Portal Login
 
3. Enter your credentials and complete the authentication using your security device
 
4. Click the User menu (head and shoulders icon in the top right corner) followed by Settings.
 
5. Under the User Settings section find Security and click Secure Login System.

 

 
6. You will see a box titled "Secure Login Settings". Within that box, click on the Configure "gear" icon. This will take you to the settings for Secure Login not required for trading.
 
7. Select the radio button next to "I want to always use my Secure Login Device when logging in" and click on Continue
 
8. You will receive a confirmation that your settings have been updated. Click on OK to finalize the procedure

 References

  • See KB1131 for an overview of the Secure Login System
  • See KB1943 for instructions on requesting a replacement Digital Security Card+
  • See KB2636 for information and procedures related to Security Devices
  • See KB2481 for instructions about sharing the Security Login Device between two or more users
  • See KB975 for instructions on how to return your security device to IBKR
  • See KB2260 for instructions on activating the IB Key authentication via IBKR Mobile
  • See KB2895 for information about Multiple 2Factor System (M2FS)
  • See KB1861 for information about charges or expenses associated with the security devices
  • See KB69 for information about Temporary passcode validity

 

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 Transfer the TWS Layout Settings via USB or Network Drive

Overview: 

The TWS layout settings can be saved on a USB or Network Drive, in order to import them from the same or from a different computer / TWS session. This article outlines the needed steps.

Please click one of the links below, according to your scenario:

A. I want to save my TWS settings on a USB or Network Drive and import them to a session with the same user

B. I want to save my TWS settings on a USB or Network Drive and import them to a session with a different user

 

A. I want to save my TWS settings on a USB or Network Drive and import them to a session with the same user

1. Log in the Trader Workstation with the user whose layout settings you would like to export.

2. Click the top menu File > Layout Settings > Save Settings As...

3. Expand the Look In drop-down and select where you want to save the file (e.g. USB or Network Drive). Use a file name which would be easy to identify (e.g. migrate) and click Save. The file will be saved with the extension '.xml'.

                       

4. Proceed with the workflow, starting with step 5 in the following section.

 

B. I want to save my TWS settings on a USB or Network Drive and import them to a session with a different user

1. Log in the Trader Workstation with the user whose layout settings you would like to export.

2. Click the top menu File > Layout Settings > Save Decrypted Settings As...

3. Take notice of the information about the file format and click Yes.

4. Expand the Look In drop-down and select where you want to save the file (e.g. USB or Network Drive). Use a file name which would be easy to identify (e.g. migrate) and click Save. The file will be saved with the extension '.xml'.


5. Close the TWS and log in again with the user which should import the layout (that can be a different computer).

6. Connect the USB or Network Drive to the computer.

7. Click on the top menu File > Layout Settings > Layout/Settings Recovery...

8. Select Custom... and click OK

9. Expand the Look In drop-down and select the drive where you previously saved the TWS settings file (e.g. USB or Network Drive). Select the settings file (e.g. migrate.xml) and click Open.

10. Click Open without reporting problem

11. Your TWS will automatically restart, applying the new layout settings.

 

Related articles

See KB3146 for instructions on overcoming the "Downloading settings from server failed" error

See KB2320 for instructions on transferring settings from one user to another

See KB2282 for instructions on how to transfer settings from one computer to another

How to Transfer TWS Settings from One User to Another

Overview: 

Trader Workstation (TWS) layout settings files contains few sensitive details that are now being protected by encrypting them. Hence, you can only transfer your TWS settings from one user to another if you have a decrypted settings file from the primary user.

In this article, we will explain how to export your current TWS layout settings in decrypted format and load it on a different TWS session. You can use the same procedure to export layout settings of your Paper (Simulated) TWS and load it on your Live TWS (and vice versa).

Please follow the below steps to transfer your TWS layout settings from one user to another:

1. Log in to TWS with the user whose settings you would like to export

2. Navigate to the top menu File followed by Layout Settings > Save Decrypted Settings As...

3. Click Yes on the warning pop up

4. Open the Look In drop-down and select the folder (e.g. Desktop) where you want the decrypted settings file to be saved

5. Choose a name of your preference (e.g., migrate) and click Save. A pop-up will flash to inform you that the file has been written

6. Restart the TWS. Log in with the user which should import the layout settings

7. In the top left, click on File > Layout Settings > Layout/Settings Recovery

8. Select Custom and click OK

9. Open the Look In drop-down and select the location where you previously saved the decrypted settings file (step 5). Click Open

10. Click Open without reporting problem

11. Your TWS will automatically restart, loading the imported layout settings

 

References

See KB2323 for instructions on how to restore TWS settings from external storage

See KB2282 for instructions on how to transfer settings from one computer to another.

See KB3146 for instructions on how to overcome the "Download settings from server failed" error

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
   

 

 

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