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Primary installation on UNIX, Linux and Windows

On UNIX, Linux, and Windows, which support multiple installations of IBM MQ, you can optionally define one installation as the primary installation. The primary installation is the one to which IBM MQ system-wide locations refer.


Overview

From Version 7.1, we can install multiple versions of the product on UNIX, Linux, and Windows, and configure one of these installations as the primary installation. The primary installation is:

  • The installation to which system-wide locations refer
  • Optional, but convenient

Before Version 7.1, only one instance of the product could be installed at any time, and the only installation was the primary installation.

We cannot change the primary installation while Version 7.0.1 is installed. However, if you uninstall Version 7.0.1, and then install Version 7.1 or later, the new installation is not by default the primary installation. If all the installations on the system are at Version 7.1, or later, we can choose whether to have a primary installation.


UNIX and Linux

The primary installation:

  • Has symbolic links in /usr/lib and /usr/bin

    If we have not set a primary installation there are no symbolic links.

  • Must be configured manually using the following command: 
    $ MQ_INSTALLATION_PATH/bin/setmqinst -i -p MQ_INSTALLATION_PATH

To locate your various installations, we can:

  • Use the platform installation tools to query what is installed and where on the system
  • Use the dspmqver command to display IBM MQ version and build information.
  • Use the dspmqinst command to display installation entries from mqinst.ini.
  • Use the following command to list the installations: 
    cat /etc/opt/mqm/mqinst.ini


Windows

The primary installation is:

  • By default the first installation.
  • Pointed to by global environment variables.
  • Used by some operating system features that require central registration of interface libraries.

    For example, .NET monitor (transactional mode).

To locate your various installations, we can use the:

  • Use the platform installation tools to query what is installed and where on the system
  • Use the dspmqver command to display IBM MQ version and build information.
  • Use the dspmqinst command to display installation entries from mqinst.ini.
  • Use the following command to query the registry: 
    reg.exe query "HKLM\Software\[Wow6432Node\]IBM\WebSphere MQ\Installation" /s


Migration of Windows registry information

IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.1 onwards uses mqs.ini and qm.ini.

However, if IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.0.1 is still installed, IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.1 or later still uses the registry.

To uninstall IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.0.1 with IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.1 or later already installed, we must complete the following steps:

  • End all the queue managers and listeners.
  • Uninstall IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.0.1, which migrates the registry information into mqs.ini and qm.ini.
  • IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.1 now starts using mqs.ini instead.

Note: If for some reason the uninstallation process is interrupted, and the automatic migration does not run, a tool is provided to migrate the information out of the registry manually. Parent topic: Migration concepts and methods


Related information

Last updated: 2020-10-04