# Start IDOL

The following sections describe the different ways that you can start IDOL and IDOL components.

Before you can start any IDOL component, you must start the License Server. When the License Server is running, you can start your other IDOL components.

TIP: If you install a unified IDOL Server, you start IDOL Server by starting the IDOL Proxy component, which starts up the other IDOL components. The License Server must be running when you start the IDOL Proxy component.

In a unified installation on Microsoft Windows platforms, License Server and IDOL Server are automatically installed as services.

## Start an IDOL Component on Microsoft Windows

- Double-click the `componentname.exe` file in your component installation directory.

- Start the component Service from a system dialog box. The component must be installed as a Windows Service. See Install an IDOL Component as a Service on Windows.

  1. Display the Windows Services dialog box.

  2. Select the ServiceName service for the component, and click Start to start the component.

  3. Click Close to close the Services dialog box.

  TIP: You can also configure the Windows Service to run automatically when you start the machine.

- Start a component from the command line. See Start IDOL from the Command Line.

## Start an IDOL Component on UNIX

- Start the IDOL component service from the command line. The component must be installed as a service. See Install an IDOL Component as a Service on Linux You can use one of the following commands to start the service:

  - On systemd Linux platforms:

        systemctl start ServiceName

  - On System V Linux platforms:

        service ServiceName start

  - On Solaris platforms (using System V):

        /etc/init.d/ServiceName start

  TIP: You can also configure the service to run automatically when you start the machine.

- Start the IDOL component from the command line. See Start IDOL from the Command Line.

- (Advanced) Use the start script (`start.sh`).

  A template start script is included with the component installation. However, you must update the template script with details for the component that you want to start. In most cases, Micro Focus recommends that you use the provided init scripts instead.

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