Windows domain and local user accounts

When a computer is a member of a Windows domain, you can install IBM® Db2® on the local computer or on a computer that is a member of a Windows domain. The installation process creates a local Db2 user account or a domain Db2 user account.

User accounts

Windows domain user accounts are used to manage multiple computers, and local user accounts can be used to manage one computer.
Important: You set the common user for IBM Spectrum Control during the initial installation of the product. When that common user is set, it cannot be changed during the life of that IBM Spectrum Control system. For example, if you set the common user to be db2admin during the initial installation of IBM Spectrum Control on a Windows operating system, then the db2admin user is the constant common user for that particular IBM Spectrum Controlsystem.
Restriction: Before you install IBM Spectrum Control by using a Windows domain or a local user account as the common user name, you must add the Windows domain user account or local user account to the local administrators group. The IBM Spectrum Control installation software recognizes only Windows domain or local user accounts (and not Windows domain or local groups) that are added to the local administrators group.
domain Db2 user account is an example of a Windows domain user account, and local Db2 user account is an example of a local user account.

Naming conventions for user accounts

You can install IBM Spectrum Control by using the same user account that is defined in both the local and Windows domain registries. The Windows operating system resolves this naming collision on computers that belong to a Windows domain by prefixing the user name with the host name or domain name. This user name is also called a fully qualified user name.
You must use the following naming conventions for each user account:
  • domain_name\administrator
  • domain_name\user 1, domain_name\user2, domain_name\userN.
  • host_name\administrator
  • host_name\user1, host_name\user2, host_name\userN.

For example, if the domain name is TPC51, and the user name is db2admin, the Windows domain user account is TPC51\db2admin. The naming convention for a local user account is host_name\user name. For example, if the host name is machine2, and the user name is db2admin, the user account is machine2\db2admin. You must enter the fully qualified user names in the common user name field when you install IBM Spectrum Control on computers that are members of a Windows domain.

Installation considerations

As part of your planning process, you must determine which user accounts to use when you install IBM Spectrum Control and Db2, consider the environment and security requirements.

IBM Spectrum Control uses WebSphere Application Server Liberty to authenticate the users for local and domain user accounts. When the computer that hosts the WebSphere Application Server Liberty process is a member of a Windows domain, by default local and domain user registries are used, but the Windows domain user registry takes precedence.