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Installing as a non-root user

Grant permissions to a non-root user to install HCL Connections

Ensure that you complete all the prerequisite tasks that are relevant for your environment. For more information, see the
Before installing topic.

This task applies to Linux™ operating systems only.

By default, only root users have the necessary permissions to install an HCL Connections deployment. On Linux operating systems, you can permit non-root users to install the product by changing their permissions to access certain data directories.

On Windows™ operating systems, the user must be a member of the Administrators group.

Note

The non-root user must be the same user who installed IBM® WebSphere® Application Server.

To grant the necessary permissions to a non-root user, complete the following steps:

  1. Unless it already exists, create the non-root user account that you want to use to install HCL Connections.

  2. If it does not already exist, create a home directory for the user.

  3. Edit the install.ini file:

    1. Open the install.ini file for editing from the following location:

      • Linux: 
        HCL_Connections_install/IM/linux/install.ini
      • Linux on System z®: 
        HCL_Connections_install/IM/zlinux/install.ini
        1. In the second line of the file, change admin to nonadmin.

    2. Save and close the file.

  4. Open a command prompt and grant the appropriate permissions to the user by entering the commands shown in the following table:

    • Linux:

    Use either the chmod or chown commands, depending on your security environment. Use the chown commands to grant permissions to a user and group, but ensure that the group includes the user account that installed WebSphere Application Server.

    Directory Permissions chmod / chgrp Commands chown Command
    app_server_root RWX chgrp -R non-root_group app_server_root
    chmod -R g+rwx app_server_root

    Note: non-root_group must contain the non-root user account.    		 chown -R non-root_ID:group app_server_root
    HCL_Connections_set-up_directory RWX chgrp -R non-root_group HCL_Connections_set-up_dir
    chmod -R g+rwx HCL_Connections_set-up_dir    		 chown -R non-root_ID:group HCL_Connections_set-up_dir
    connections_root RWX chgrp -R non-root_group connections_root
    chmod -R g+rwx connections_root    		 chown -R non-root_ID:group connections_root
    IM_root RWX chgrp -R non-root_group IM_root
    chmod -R g+rwx IM_root    		 chown -R non-root_ID:group IM_root
    shared_resources_root RWX chgrp -R non-root_group shared_resources_root
    chmod -R g+rwx shared_resources_root    		 chown -R non-root_ID:group shared_resources_root
    /var/ibm/InstallationManager RWX chmod -R ugo+rwx /var/ibm/InstallationManager

    Only grant these permissions if root originally installed IBM Installation Manager.    		 chown -R non-root_ID:group /var/ibm/InstallationManager

  5. Install HCL Connections using either the wizard, the console, or a silent installation method.

Example

Grant permissions to a non-root user who wants to install an HCL Connections deployment on Linux.

Assumptions:

  • The app_server_root directory is /opt/IBM/Websphere/Appserver.
  • The HCL_Connections_set-up_directory directory is /opt/ConnectionsSetup.
  • The connections_root, IM_root, and shared_resources_root directories are subdirectories of the /opt/ConnectionsInstallation directory.
  • The non-root user account is a member of the ConnectionsInstallers group.

Procedure:

  1. Create a non-root user account called ConnectionsInstaller.

  2. Create a home directory for the new user account.

  3. Add the new user account to the ConnectionsInstallers group.

  4. Open a command prompt and enter the following commands:

    chgrp -R ConnectionsInstallers /opt/IBM/Websphere/Appserver
    chmod -R g+rwx /opt/IBM/Websphere/Appserver
    chown -R ConnectionInstaller:ConnectionsInstallers /opt/IBM/Websphere/Appserver


    chgrp -R ConnectionsInstallers /opt/ConnectionsSetup
    chmod -R g+rwx /opt/ConnectionsSetup
    chown -R ConnectionInstaller:ConnectionsInstallers /opt/ConnectionsSetup

    chgrp -R ConnectionsInstallers /opt/ConnectionsInstallation
    chmod -R g+rwx /opt/ConnectionsInstallation
    chown -R ConnectionInstaller:ConnectionsInstallers /opt/ConnectionsInstallation

Parent topic: Installing HCL Connections