Stuck at "IBKR Gateway; event=Focused" Failing to Render Gui Login Window on Headless VM (Version 3.15.0)

[ejohns1321]

I'm trying to run IBC code on my headless VM.

I can run the IBKR ibgateway successfully on my VM.

However, when I run ibc/gatewaystart.sh it stalls on the following line in my log:

"IBKR Gateway; event=Focused"

The following is my sequence of commands that I execute to get the script to start:

Xvfb :1 -ac -screen 0 1024x768x24 &
export DISPLAY=:1
./gatewaystart.sh —java-path=/usr/lib/jvm/java-11-openjdk-amd64 -Djava.awt.headless=false

I've tried running headless equals "false" and "true" but no difference in log occurs.

I believe the issue is that the ibc code attempts to render the log in window, but it cannot either because the JAVA code on my headless VM does not have the necessary files to support gui rendering (Swing/AWT) or because the wrappers do not add the correct flags to enable that segment of Java code. I asked AI about this and it told me, "IBC (IB controller) often needs to "reach inside" swing components to dismiss dialogues, automate buttons, etc. Without special flags, that access is blocked on Java 11, 17, etc."

I tried downloading the source code and using jdb to step through code at runtime, but don't know how to compile the java code.

Here is my log output and code modifications:

Note: I had to modify the wrappers to point to the correct locations of my files and to add more flags to hopefully enable the correct Java flags.

Please give me your github handle if you would like to look at these files to help me.

Thank you.

Log:

https://github.com/ejohns1321/My-IBC/blob/main/ibc-3.15.0_GATEWAY-1037_Wednesday.txt

Code:

https://github.com/ejohns1321/My-IBC/blob/main/gatewaystart.sh

https://github.com/ejohns1321/My-IBC/blob/main/scripts/displaybannerandlaunch.sh

https://github.com/ejohns1321/My-IBC/blob/main/scripts/ibcstart.sh

[rlktradewright]

First, it seems that all the links you provided are broken, so I can't look at your logfile or other files.

Next, the log filename ibc-3.15.0_GATEWAY-1037_Wednesday.txt implies that you're using IBC 3.15.0. Why are you trying to use such an old version? I don't think IBC 3.15.0 works at all with Gateway 1037. So use the latest IBC, currently 3.23.0.

Your gatewaystart.sh command is invalid: it has no --java-path parameter. You can set the JAVA_PATH variable within the script, but it should not be necessary to do so: by default IBC uses the same JRE as the Gateway (it's actually installed by the Gateway and TWS installers). The only valid parameter for gatewaystart.sh is -inline, and all that does is run the script in the current shell.

You misunderstand what IBC does: it does NOT render any Gateway windows, it just reacts to events occuring within the Gateway. Gateway renders its user interface exactly as if it were running standalone.

DO NOT MODIFY the IBC scripts. There is no need to. You can of course change the variables in the gaewaystart.sh and twsstart.sh scripts as explained in the notes contained therein, though you probably only need to set TWS_MAJOR_VRSN.

Can I make a suggestion? Create a non-headless VM and try to get it set up on there first, using IBC 3.23.0. That should be more or less trivial. Once you know it works, doing it headless should be a matter of setting up xvfb, VNC and getting the DISPLAY variable right.

[ejohns1321]

Will do.

Thank you so much.

[ejohns1321]

I just needed to use the latest version of your ibc code and now it works.

That you so much!

[rlktradewright]

I'm very glad to hear that.