Primary installation on UNIX, Linux, and Windows
On systems that support multiple installations of IBM MQ ( UNIX, Linux, and Windows ), the primary installation is the one to which IBM MQ system-wide locations refer. Having a primary installation is optional, but convenient.
Before IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.1, only one instance of the product could be installed at any time. On Windows systems, several global environment variables were set to point to that installation. On UNIX and Linux systems, symbolic links were added to /usr/lib, /usr/bin, and /usr/include, also pointing at that single installation.
From Version 7.1, we can install multiple versions of IBM MQ on UNIX, Linux, and Windows. It is possible to have more than one installation of IBM MQ on one of these systems at any time and, optionally, to configure one of these installations as the primary installation. Environment variables and symbolic links pointing to a single installation are less meaningful when multiple versions exist. However, some functions require these system-wide locations to work. For example, custom user scripts for administering IBM MQ, and third party products. These functions work only on the primary installation.
On UNIX and Linux systems, if you set an installation as the primary installation, symbolic links to the external libraries and control commands of that installation are added into /usr/lib, and /usr/bin. If we do not have a primary installation, the symbolic links are not created. For a list of the symbolic links that are made to the primary installation, see External library and control command links to primary installation on UNIX and Linux.
On Windows systems, the global environmental variables point to the directories into which the primary installation was installed. These environment variables are used to locate IBM MQ libraries, control commands, and header files. Additionally, on Windows systems, some features of the operating system require the central registration of interface libraries that are then loaded into a single process. With multiple versions of IBM MQ, there would be conflicting sets of IBM MQ libraries. The features would try to load these conflicting sets of libraries into a single process. Therefore, such features can be used only with the primary installation. For details about some of the features that are limited to use with the primary installation, see Features that can be used only with the primary installation on Windows.
If we have an installation of IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.0.1 on the system, this installation is automatically the primary installation. The primary installation cannot be changed while Version 7.0.1 is installed. If all the installations on the system are at Version 7.1, or later, we can choose whether to have a primary installation. Consider the options in Table 1.| Options | Valid installation configurations | More information | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Non-primary | ||
| Single installation of Version 7.1, or later. | Version 7.1, or later. | None | To continue working with a single installation in the same way as previous releases, configure your installation as the primary installation. For information about this option, see Single installation of IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.1, or later, configured as the primary installation |
| None | Version 7.1, or later. | To continue working with a single installation, but do not want symbolic links or global environment variables created for you, configure your installation as non-primary. For information about the implications of this option, see Single installation of IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.1, or later, configured as non-primary | |
|
Multiple installations: Version 7.0.1 and Version 7.1, or later. |
Version 7.0.1 | Version 7.1, or later. | To have multiple installations of IBM MQ, with one at Version 7.0.1, the Version 7.0.1 installation is automatically the primary installation. While IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.0.1 is installed, we cannot change which installation is the primary installation. For information about this option and its implications, see Multiple installations of IBM MQ, one at Version 7.0.1 |
|
Multiple installations: Version 7.1, or later. |
Version 7.1, or later. | Version 7.1, or later. | To have multiple installations of IBM MQ at Version 7.1 or greater, we can choose whether to make one of the installations primary. For information about this option, see Multiple installations of IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.1, or later |
| None | Version 7.1, or later. | ||
- Single installation of Version 7.1, or later, configured as the primary installation
Marking an IBM MQ installation as primary adds symbolic links, or global environment variables to the system so that the IBM MQ commands and libraries used by applications are automatically available with minimum system setup required. - Single installation of Version 7.1, or later, configured as non-primary
If we install IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.1, or later, as non-primary you might have to configure a library path for applications to load IBM MQ libraries. On Windows, some product capabilities are available only when IBM MQ is configured as primary. - Multiple installations of Version 7.1, or later
We can choose to have one of the IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.1 installations configured as the primary installation. Your choice depends on how applications locate libraries. - Multiple installations, one at Version 7.0.1
IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.1, or later, can coexist with IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.0.1 with some limitations. - External library and control command links to primary installation on UNIX and Linux
On UNIX and Linux platforms the primary installation is the one to which links from the /usr file system are made. However, only a subset of those links created with previous releases are now made. - Features that can be used only with the primary installation on Windows
Some Windows operating-system features can be used only with the primary installation. This restriction is due to the central registration of interface libraries, which might conflict as a result of multiple versions of IBM MQ being installed. - Uninstalling, upgrading, and maintaining the primary installation
On all platforms, if you uninstall the primary installation, it ceases to be the primary installation. We must run the setmqinst command to select a new primary installation. On Windows, if you update the primary installation, it continues to be the primary installation. If you apply a fix pack to the primary installation, it continues to be the primary installation.
Parent topic: Plan considerations for installation on Multiplatforms
Related concepts
- Installation location on Multiplatforms
- Plan considerations for installation on Multiplatforms
- Installation name on UNIX, Linux, and Windows
Related information
- Single installation of IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.1, or later, configured as the primary installation
- Single installation of IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.1, or later, configured as non-primary
- Multiple installations of IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.1, or later
- Multiple installations of IBM MQ, one at Version 7.0.1
- Change the primary installation