You can install MobileFirst Server in
two different IBM® Installation
Manager modes. The mode depends on how IBM Installation
Manager itself is installed. The mode determines the directories and
commands that you use for both Installation Manager and packages.
IBM MobileFirst™ Platform Foundation supports
the following two Installation Manager modes:
- Administrator mode
- User (nonadministrator) mode
Group mode that is available on Linux or UNIX is not supported by the product.
- Administrator mode
- In administrator mode, Installation Manager must be run as root
under Linux or UNIX, and with administrator privileges under Windows. The repository files
of Installation Manager (that is the list of installed software and
its version) are installed in a system directory. /var/ibm on Linux or UNIX, or ProgramData on Windows. Do not deploy Application Center with
Installation Manager if you run Installation Manager in administrator
mode. For more information about not deploying Application Center in
administrator mode, see Disadvantages
of installing Application Center with
Installation Manager in Running IBM Installation Manager.
If you
install other IBM software (such
as WebSphere® Application Server or
Liberty) with Installation Manager in administrator mode, you might
want to move the servers to a directory that can be written by non-root
users. For WebSphere Application Server,
create a profile in a different location. For Liberty, move the directory usr (that
contains the server) to a location that can be written by other users.
For an example, see step 6 in Installing WebSphere Application Server Liberty Core of the Getting started tutorial.
- User (nonadministrator) mode
- In user mode, Installation Manager can be run by any user without
specific privileges. However, the repository files of Installation
manager are stored in the user's home directory. Only that user is
able to upgrade an installation of the product.
If you do not run
Installation Manager as root, make sure that you have a user account
that is available later when you upgrade the product installation
or apply an interim fix.
For more information about the Installation Manager modes, see Installing as an administrator, nonadministrator,
or group in the IBM Installation
Manager documentation.