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Install IHS with a non-administrator user ID

The common way to install IHS is to run the installation program using an administrator user ID. However, it is sometimes necessary to install IBM HTTP Server using a non-administrator (non-root) user ID.

You must run the setupadm command if we are installing IHS as a non-root user. The setupadm command is run in the <IHS_HOME>/bin so that you can properly use the administrative server with the WebSphere Application Server. The format for the command is as follows (on one line):

setupadm -usr <userName> -grp <groupName> -cfg <IHS Web server configuration file> -adm 
<IHS admistrative server configuration file> -plg <plug-in configuration file>

Avoid trouble: If we are installing the IBM HTTP Server as a local Web server, and you plan to manage this Web server through a node agent that is running as a non-root user, make sure that you adhere to the following requirements:

• The user ID that you designate as the user ID that owns the IHS directories and files, is the same user ID under which the non-root node agent is running. You cannot run an IHS as a root user if the node agent that is managing that IHS is running as non-root node agent because a node agent process that is running as a non-root user cannot spawn off an IHS that is running as a root user.

• The value you specify for the listener port value must be greater than 1024. An IHS that is running under a non-root user ID does not start if the port number for its listener port is 1024 or less.

gotcha

Launching the IHS installation program is done the same way for a non-root installation as it is for a root installation, but there are several installation steps that require root privileges that cannot becompleted or must be completed separately. Complete the installation steps as follows:

• Register the installed program with the operating system.

  This cannot be done for a non-root installation. The non-root IHS installation is not listed when using operating system facilities to display installed programs.

• Windows: Create the Windows service entries for IHS and IBM HTTP Administration Server. This cannot be done for a non-root installation. Neither of these service entries are created and IHS cannot start as a service.

  Start IHS as follows:

  <ihs_install_directory>/bin/httpd.exe

  Start the IBM HTTP administration server as follows:

  <ihs_install_directory>/bin/httpd.exe -f <ihs_install_directory>/conf/admin.conf

  Stop IBM HTTP server as follows:

  • Press Control+C in the IHS window, or

  • End the httpd.exe processes using the Windows Task Manager

• Windows: Create an entry in Start > Programs.

  This cannot be done for a non-root installation. No entries are created.

• Windows: Create an entry in Add/Remove programs. This cannot be done for a non-root installation. No entry is created.

• Windows: Install AFPA. This cannot be done for a non-root installation. Do not enable AFPA for the non-administrator IBM HTTP Server installation, even if AFPA is already installed from a previous administrator installation. Only enable AFPA for one instance of IHS.

• Silent installations. To enable a non-root installation, add the following option to the silent installation response file:

  -OPT allowNonRootSilentInstall=”true”

 

What to do next

Uninstall a non-root installation of IBM HTTP as follows:AIX: HP-UX: Linux: Solaris:

<ihs_install_directory>/uninstall/uninstall

Windows:

<ihs_install_directory>\uninstall\uninstall.exe