Program and data directory locations on Windows
The installation location for IBM MQ program binary and data files on Windows depends on the IBM MQ version we are installing, and whether this is the first time IBM MQ is being installed.
Windows program directory security permissions
From Version 9.1.0, Fix Pack 2 and Version 9.1.2, the IBM MQ installer on Windows sets additional permission restrictions as part of the security configuration of the MQ installation directories. The logic that does this is run at installation, upgrade, modification, and fix pack installation time.
We might find that, due to the increased security, we are unable to do certain things exactly the same way we used to do them. For example:
- An MQ Administrator (who is not also a member of the Administrators group) can no longer edit or recompile the sample programs in the Tools subdirectory. If you wish to do this, take a copy of the directory (or the portions we are interested in) and change your copies of the build scripts to reflect the new location.
In normal use, however, we should be unaware of the change, except for the little extra time required by the installer to make the changes. During this period the message Initializing security... will be displayed. A similar short pause will occur when installing the fix pack files or applying a patch.
The update of the security writes a log (amqidsec-<Installationname>.txt) to the TEMP directory on the machine. If you see the main install failing in custom action 'iwiLaunchAmqidsec', we should consult this file.
First-time installations
When you install IBM MQ for the first time, we can accept default installation locations. We can also select the custom installation option by choosing the location for the IBM MQ binary files, and the location for the IBM MQ data and logs.
Before Version 8.0, if the default option was chosen, both the IBM MQ program binary and the data files were installed in the same directory. From Version 8.0, the default location for the program binary files is different from the default location for the data files.
IBM MQ Version IBM MQ program binary files installation location IBM MQ data files location IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.0.1, Version 7.1, and Version 7.5 Program and data files are in one location: C:\Program Files (x86)\IBM\WebSphere MQ IBM MQ Version 8.0 C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere MQ C:\ProgramData\IBM\MQ IBM MQ Version 9.0 and later C:\Program Files\IBM\MQ C:\ProgramData\IBM\MQ
Subsequent installations and reinstallations
After the data directory is specified, during the installation process of any installation, it cannot be changed for subsequent installations. IBM MQ is only installed as a 64-bit version when it is installed on a 64-bit operating system.
For Version 9.0 and later, the default data directory is C:\ProgramData\IBM\MQ, unless a version of the product was previously installed, in which case the new installation continues to use the existing data directory.
Existing IBM MQ Version 9.0 installation
The default program and data directory locations are the same for Version 9.0 and later versions. Therefore we do not need to change the specification of the program and data directories when upgrading from Version 9.0 to a later version.
Existing IBM MQ Version 8.0 installation
Three upgrade paths are possible:
- Uninstall Version 8.0 first and then install Version 9.0 or later.
- Upgrade Version 8.0 at the beginning of the Version 9.0 or later installation process, without first uninstalling the earlier version.
- Install Version 9.0 or later alongside Version 8.0 and then uninstall Version 8.0.
When Version 8.0 is installed, the product binary files are put by default into C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere MQ and the product data and logs are put by default into C:\ProgramData\IBM\MQ.
When you uninstall Version 8.0, information about the location of the data directory is left in the registry. After uninstalling Version 8.0 and before installing Version 9.0 or later, we can run the ResetMQ.cmd script to tidy up files and data left behind by the uninstallation process. Important: We should use this script with caution. ResetMQ.cmd can remove the existing queue manager configuration. For more information, see Clearing IBM MQ installation settings.
- Installing Version 9.0 or later after uninstalling Version 8.0
- After uninstalling Version 8.0, Version 9.0 or later is installed using the same installation name but using the Version 9.0 and later default program binary files location C:\Program Files\IBM\MQ. That is, the program files change location after the upgrade. Optional: We can use the custom installation option to modify the installation path, including modifying it back to C:\Program Files (x86)\IBM\WebSphere MQ.
The default data path is C:\ProgramData\IBM\MQ.
- Upgrading Version 8.0 at the beginning of the Version 9.0 or later installation process
If we install Version 9.0 or later without uninstalling Version 8.0 and choose to upgrade the Version 8.0 installation, the new program binary files replace the Version 8.0 binary files so, by default, the new binary files are in C:\Program Files (x86)\IBM\WebSphere MQ. The existing data path is kept so, by default, the data path is C:\ProgramData\IBM\MQ.
- Installing Version 9.0 or later to coexist with Version 8.0
If we install Version 9.0 or later alongside Version 8.0, a unique path is chosen, which by default is C:\Program Files\IBM\MQ. The existing data path is kept so, by default, the data path is C:\ProgramData\IBM\MQ.
Existing IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.5, Version 7.1, or Version 7.0.1 installation
If we are migrating to Version 9.2 from Version 7.5 or earlier, we must first migrate to an interim version. See Migration paths.
For Version 7.5 or Version 7.1, the interim version we use can be either Version 9.0 or Version 8.0. For information about specifying program and data directories when upgrading, see either of the following topics:
- Program and data directory locations on Windows in the Version 9.0 product documentation.
- Windows: Program and data directory locations in the Version 8.0 product documentation.
For Version 7.0.1, the interim version we use can only be Version 8.0. For information about specifying program and data directories when upgrading to Version 8.0, see Windows: Program and data directory locations in the Version 8.0 product documentation.
Parent topic: Plan to migrate IBM MQ to a later version on Windows
Related concepts
Related information