Uninstalling or modifying IBM MQ on Linux Ubuntu using Debian packages

We can uninstall an IBM MQ server or client that was installed using the Debian package manager. We can also modify an installation by removing selected packages (components) currently installed on the system.

Before starting

If we have applied one or more fix packs to the version of IBM MQ that we want to uninstall, we need to remove the fix packs in reverse chronological installation order before you remove the base packages.

We must remove any updates before starting the uninstallation procedure. For more information, see Restoring the previous maintenance level on IBM MQ on Linux .

Important: We must stop all IBM MQ queue managers, other objects, and applications, before you begin the process to uninstall or modify IBM MQ.

Procedure

Stop all IBM MQ applications associated with the installation we are uninstalling or modifying, if you have not already done so.
For a server installation, end any IBM MQ activity associated with the installation we are uninstalling or modifying:
1. Log in as a user in the group mqm.
2. Set up the environment to work with the installation we want to uninstall or modify. Enter the following command:
```
. MQ_INSTALLATION_PATH/bin/setmqenv -s
```
  where MQ_INSTALLATION_PATH refers to the location where IBM MQ is installed.
3. Display the state of all queue managers on the system. Enter the following command:
```
dspmq -o installation
```
4. Stop all running queue managers associated with the installation we want to uninstall or modify. Enter the following command for each queue manager:
```
endmqm QMgrName
```
5. Stop any listeners associated with the queue managers. Enter the following command for each queue manager:
```
endmqlsr -m QMgrName
```
Log in as root.
Uninstall or modify IBM MQ using a Debian installation command:
- Use dpkg. Issuing the command:
```
dpkg -r packagename
```
  removes the product but leaves the package definition cached. Issuing the command:
```
dpkg -P packagename
```
  purges the cached definition of the product.
- Use apt.Issuing the command:
```
apt remove "ibmmq-*"
```
  removes the product but leaves the package definition cached. Issuing the command:
```
apt purge "ibmmq-*"
```
  purges the cached definition of the product.

Results

After uninstallation, certain files under the directory trees /var/mqm and /etc/opt/mqm are not removed. These files contain user data and remain so subsequent installations can reuse the data. Most of the remaining files contain text, such as INI files, error logs, and FDC files. The directory tree /var/mqm/shared contains files that are shared across installations, including the executable shared libraries libmqzsd.so and libmqzsd_r.so.

What to do next

If the product successfully uninstalled, we can delete any files and directories contained in the installation directory.
If there are no other IBM MQ installations on the system, and we are not planning to reinstall or migrate, we can delete the /var/mqm and /etc/opt/mqm directory trees, including the files libmqzsd.so and libmqzsd_r.so. Deleting these directories destroys all queue managers and their associated data.

Parent topic: Uninstalling or modifying IBM MQ on Linux