.. _section-installation:

Installing |PROTOBUF_EXT|
*************************

.. warning::

    |PROTOBUF_EXT| is currently an experimental feature, and it is being made
    available as an "early access" release for initial testing and feedback.

|RTI_CONNEXT| |PROTOBUF_EXT| is not installed as part of |RTI| |PRO|,
with the exception of the required |CONNEXT| code generator extensions,
which are included in the |RTI| |PRO| host package.

|PROTOBUF_EXT| must be downloaded and installed separately. 
There is currently one |PROTOBUF_EXT| package, as outlined in :numref:`TablePackages`.

.. list-table:: Protocol Buffers Extension Packages
    :name: TablePackages
    :widths: 50 50 50 40
    :header-rows: 1

    * - Package Name
      - Package Contents
      - Use Case
      - Supported Platform
    * - rti_connext_dds-|CONNEXT_CURRENT_VERSION|-protobuf-sdk-x64Linux.rtipkg
      - The package contains the ``protoc`` plugins, file
        :ref:`section-omg-dds-descriptor`, and a copy of this user manual.
      - Install this package in order to use |PROTOBUF| data models with |CONNEXT|.
      - The SDK is only supported on Linux.

There are two ways to install the |PROTOBUF_EXT| package: using *RTI Launcher*,
or the ``rtipkginstall`` command-line utility.

.. note::

   In the rest of this chapter, ``<installdir>`` refers to the installation
   directory for |Connext|.


Prerequisites
=============

The following applications must be installed before installing 
|PROTOBUF_EXT|.

-  |CONNEXT| |CONNEXT_CURRENT_VERSION|. For installation instructions, see the
   :link_connext_dds_pro_ig:`RTI Connext Installation Guide <installing.html>`.

-  ``protoc`` v3.12.4 or greater, see `Protocol Buffer Compiler Installation <https://protobuf.dev/installation/>`__.

Install from RTI Launcher
=========================

To install the |PROTOBUF_EXT| package from *RTI Launcher*:

#. Start *Launcher* from the Start menu, or from the command line
   using: ``<installdir>/bin/rtilauncher``.

#. From the **Configuration** tab, click **Install RTI Packages**.

#. Use the plus (+) sign to add the
   ``rti_connext_dds-<version>-protobuf-sdk-x64Linux.rtipkg`` file.

#. Click **Install**.

Install from the Command Line
=============================

To install the |PROTOBUF_EXT| package from the command-line, run:

.. code-block:: text

   $ <installdir>/bin/rtipkginstall /<path-to>/rti_connext_dds-<version>-protobuf-sdk-x64Linux.rtipkg