(Dist) Install in group mode

Use IBM Installation Manager group mode to allow multiple users to use a single instance of Installation Manager to manage software packages.

• Group mode is not available on Windows or IBM i operating systems.

• Group mode allows multiple users to use a single instance of IBM Installation Manager to manage software packages.

  This does not mean that two people can use the single instance of IBM Installation Manager at the same time.

• If we do not install Installation Manager using group mode, we will not be able to use group mode to manage any of the products that we install later using this Installation Manager.

• Verify that all products to manage support group mode. All WebSphere Application Server offerings support group mode.

• Change the installation location from the default location in the current user's home directory to a location that is accessible by all users in the group.

• When installing WAS in group mode, the installation process umask is switched to 002 and restored to its original process umask value at the end of the installation. For non-group mode, the installation process umask is switched to 022 and restored at the end of the installation.

• Set up groups, permissions, and environment variables as described in the Group mode road maps in the IBM Installation Manager documentation before installing in group mode.

Tasks

1. Create a group.

   For example: wasadmin

2. Create multiple user IDs.

   For example: installadmin, imuser

3. Make the group that we created the primary group for the user IDs that we created.

4. Create a file system where all of the products will be installed.

   For example: /WASProducts

5. Give write access to this file system to all of the user IDs that we created.

6. Using one of the user IDs that we created, install Installation Manager in group mode to the file system that we created.

   Use installadmin, for example, to install Installation Manager in group mode using the GUI:

   groupinst -dataLocation /WASProducts/IMAppData -installationDirectory /WASProducts/IM_Home

7. Using one of the user IDs that we created, start Installation Manager and install a WAS product to the file system that we created.

   Use installadmin, for example, to install the Network Deployment product in:

   /WASProducts/WASV90/ND

   ...with the Samples feature.

8. Exit Installation Manager.

9. Using one of the other user IDs that we created, we can maintain the product installation.

   Use imuser, for example, to update the Network Deployment product with additional optional features, remove features, or add fix packs. Start Installation Manager under the imuser user ID, and perform any necessary changes to the installation.

What to do next

If WAS is installed in group mode, the user who performs its uninstallation must have the appropriate group permissions to delete all profiles associated with that installation. Otherwise, uninstallation will fail with permission problems when the process tries to delete the profiles.