# Start IDOL from the Command Line

You can start IDOL components from the command line. This advanced functionality allows you to adjust certain parts of the component configuration when you start up. You might want to use this method to install components as Windows services, or to start a component with a configuration file that is in a different directory or has a different name.

NOTE: On UNIX platforms, if you start components from the command line (rather than using the init script), you might need to set the `LD_LIBRARY_PATH` to include the `InstallDir/common` and `InstallDir/common/runtimes` directories, to ensure that the component can access the installed shared libraries.

You can also copy the shared libraries to the component working directory.

This section describes the command line arguments available to specify the component configuration files and ports, and arguments that are available for specific components to specify dependencies.

All command line arguments are optional. By default, the component attempts to read a configuration file in the same directory, and with the same name as the executable file (for example `content.exe` and `content.cfg`). The components attempt to read all the other values from the configuration file.

The following command line arguments are accepted by all the IDOL Server text processing components (Content, Category, Community, DAH, DIH, IDOL Proxy, and View).

Argument | Description | Type
--- | --- | ---
`-aciport` | The port to use to receive ACI actions. | Number
`-configfile` | The path to the configuration file to use. | FilePath
`-idolcomponent` | Specifies that the component runs under the control of an IDOL Proxy component. | None
`-install` | Installs the component as a Windows service. See Install an IDOL Component as a Service on Windows. | None
`-revokelicense` | Revokes the component license from the License Server. | None
`-serviceport` | The port to use to receive Service actions. | Number
`-uninstall` | Uninstalls the component Windows service. See Install an IDOL Component as a Service on Windows. | None
`-version` | Displays the version and build information for the component. | None

The following command line arguments are accepted by the specified components.

Argument | Description | Type | Components
--- | --- | --- | ---
`-agentstoreport` | The ACI port to use to contact the Agent index (IDOL Agentstore component). | Number | Category, Community
`-communityhost` | The host name or IP address of the IDOL Community component. | Hostname | Category
`-communityport` | The ACI port to use to contact the IDOL Community component. | Number | Category
`-contentport` | The ACI port to use to contact the IDOL Content component. | Number | View
`-datahost` | The host name or IP address of the Data index (IDOL Content componentt). | Hostname | Category, Community
`-dataport` | The ACI port to use to contact the Data index (IDOL Content component). | Number | Category, Community
`-indexport` | The port to use to receive Index actions. | Number | Content, DIH, IDOL Proxy

The following example starts the IDOL Content component as a child component of an IDOL Proxy component. It specifies the ports to use, and the host and port for the Agent and Data indexes:

    Community.exe -idolcomponent -configfile C:\IDOL\IDOLServer\IDOLServer.cfg -aciport 9030 -serviceport 9032 -datahost localhost -dataport 9010  -agentstoreport 9050

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