BICS on your PC?

This page should be read after "What is BICS?" and briefly explains how to set up BICS on your PC. This includes downloading, installing and configuring BICS. More detailed descriptions can be found on the page entitled "Using BICS".

• Downloading BICS version 5.
• Installing BICS version 5.
• Using BICS version 5.
• BICS Helpdesk and Support.

Tip: You can print this information on paper by clicking the printer icon at the top of the screen. 

You require a BICS account (7000 number) in order to install and use BICS version 5 on your PC. If you do not have this type of account (yet), see Requesting a BICS Account. Your computer must also comply with a number of minimum requirements.

Download BICS version 5

After receiving your BICS account credentials, you can download BICS version 5:

• Download BICS via the page entitled "Download BICS" on this website.
  (Windows version approx. 90 MB, Linux version approx. 300 MB)
   NB: you need a stable connection for the download. So you should avoid downloading when your vessel is under way. We recommend downloading and installing BICS when at anchor. Is there a Wi-Fi access point close by? If so we recommend using Wi-Fi.
• When the download has finished, you can proceed with installing BICS according to the instructions below.

  A detailed description of the download procedure can be found in the section entitled "Download BICS" on this website.

Install BICS version 5

Make sure that you have your registration details to hand. In particular, the Welcome Letter. This contain your log-on credentials - your user name and password - which you need to enter during installation in the user/messages service account screen.

You start installing BICS by double-clicking the executable file that you have retrieved (downloaded):

• The Windows version of this file is named "BICS2-Install-x.x.x.xxxx.exe", and will generally be located in the Download folder on your computer (you require administrator rights in order to install BICS).
  (where x.x.x.xxxx in the file name stands for the BICS version number)
• The Linux version of this file is named "BICS2-Install32-x.x.x.xxxx.bin" or "BICS2-Install64-x.x.x.xxxx.bin" (you must start the .bin file as the 'root' user and also assign execute rights first (chmod + x) before you can start the executable in Linux).

 
Example: Start-up screen for installing BICS

After completing and exiting the installation program, you can start BICS for the first time (see below).

More detailed information about the installation procedure can be found on the page entitled "Using BICS => Installing BICS" 

Using BICS version 5

After installing BICS, you can start up the new BICS version using the shortcut on your desktop, or by entering "http://localhost" or "localhost" in the (URL) address bar of your favourite browser.

When BICS is started for first time, the reference information has to be retrieved first before you can use BICS. The reference information is automatically retrieved/updated when you start the program for the first time. This is only possible if the connection status is displayed as "Good connection". For more details about starting BICS up for the first time, see "Using BICS => Quick start guide => first-time start-up".

After installing the program, you can log on in BICS by entering "bics2" as the default value for the user name and the password. Having done so, the main screen in BICS appears (the dashboard).

Example: Log-on screen in BICS

After successfully logging on, the BICS main screen (dashboard) shown below appears, which presents a summary of your voyages.

Example: BICS dashboard

You can start the various functions in BICS from the BICS dashboard (the Summary screen), as shown above. These include.:

• Entering voyages ("New voyage" or "Import voyage" buttons).
  Note that you can only enter and submit voyages when the Reference Data has also been updated by BICS (a recent date should be shown in the dashboard on the 'Reference data' line).
• Editing, copying, exporting, deleting, printing or closing voyages that have been entered previously (these options are displayed when you click a voyage).
• Checking the connection status. In this example, the status display at the top left indicates a "Good connection". A good connection is required in order to retrieve reference data and/or send messages.
• Modifying and entering your Administrative Data, such as your Ship's Body Types and Addresses.
• Modifying the system Settings (Settings option).
• Setting the day or night display (buttons at the top left in the Dashboard).

More detailed information about using BICS can be found in the section entitled "Using BICS => Quick start guide".

The user manuals and other background information can be found in the section entitled "Using BICS => Documentation".

BICS Helpdesk and Support

The BICS Helpdesk provides extensive, free-of-charge support for possible problems with BICS, such as installing the BICS software or if problems arise in use.

The business hours and contact details for the Helpdesk can be found in the menu section entitled Contact & Addresses on this website.