Making Webex work on Ubuntu 12.04 64 bit LTS with Firefox

I could finally get webex work on my ubuntu 12.04 64 bit LTS, thanks to Shariq's blog on the same topic. I will just enumerate few things in addition to what Shariq has already explained.


1. Install ia32-libs using apt-get:

$ sudo apt-get install ia32-libs


I did not downgrade the distribution as Shariq explained in his blog (see this link). I simply installed them using apt-get.

2. Create the folder ~/webex in your home folder as explained by Shariq. 

3. Download the firefox tar ball from the official firefox website. Just click on the download button to get the tar ball. I got the firefox-21.0.tar.bz2. I am not sure if it is a 32-bit or a 64-bit version. At least it did not matter to me.

4. Download the 32-bit JDK version from Oracle's official website. I got the package "jdk-7u21-linux-i586.tar.gz".

5. Extract these packages with in the ~/webex folder as shown below:

$ cd ~/webex
$ tar -xjvf firefox-21.0.tar.bz2
$ tar -xzvf dk-7u21-linux-i586.tar.gz

It creates two folders: 'firefox' and 'jdk1.7.0_21' within the webex folder.

6. Now link the java plugin within the firefox folder:

$ cd firefox
$ mkdir plugins
$ cd plugins
$ ln -s ~/webex/jdk1.7.0_21/jre/lib/i386/libnpjp2.so

Now you should be ready to go.  'Run the firefox executable within the firefox folder.

$ cd ~/webex/firefox
$ ./firefox &

Now open the webex link. You should be able to see the following screenshots. Note the blue 'share desktop' symbol. It indicates that webex is properly. The second screen shows the presentation shared on the webex.