How to install FamilySearch Indexing on Linux

Since there isn't a good set of instructions on how to install FamilySearch Indexing on Linux, I figured I'd post it here. 

1. Go to indexing.familysearch.org and click on Get Started, which should bring you to https://indexing.familysearch.org/newuser/nugetstarted.jsf# 
2. Click Download Now. It automatically selects the proper download for your operating system. In my case, I'm running Linux Mint 17, 64 bit, and the file was named "Indexing_unix.sh".
3. Open a terminal window. Change to the directory where the file was saved, and type the command "sh Indexing_unix.sh", as shown here:

That's where I was stuck. I got this .sh file and didn't know how to run it. I tried a suggestion I found online to make the file executable. That was wrong. There was no need to change permissions on the file either. All I had to do was use the sh command, followed by the file name.

After you type sh Indexing_unix.sh, it will say:

Unpacking JRE ...
Preparing JRE ...
Starting Installer ...

If all goes well, this window will pop up. If not, you may not have the 32 bit libraries required to run 32 bit programs on a 64 bit machine. Scroll down to see how I fixed that problem on my wife's laptop.

Click Next, and then you can select the languages to include.

In my case, I had nine of these error boxes pop up, all on top of each other. So it seems like you're clicking the same OK button and nothing happens, but each time you click OK, the box goes away and you see the one under it.

Then you get the completed wizard and if you click Finish, it will launch, unless you unchecked the "Run FamilySearch Indexing" box.

So after I figured this out on my desktop PC, it was time to install it on my wife's laptop, also running Linux Mint 17, 64 bit. Here's what happened:

The error said "Indexing_unix.sh: 217: Indexing_unix.sh: bin/unpack200: not found Error unpacking jar files. The architecture or bitness (32/64) of the bundled JVM might not match your machine."

Her laptop is a 64 bit machine, so I figured the problem was that the application was only 32 bit. So, to run a 32 bit application, I had to open the software manager and search for ia32-libs.

I installed it and it took five or ten minutes to download and install. Then I tried again to install FamilySearch Indexing.

This time, I used the "bash" command instead of "sh". I know there are several different shells, but I don't know if it makes any kind of difference which one you use. I still got the nine errors, but it installed. And that made my wife very happy.

To launch FamilySearch Indexing, click the menu button and find it in the "Other" folder. It's also under "All Applications".