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Installing
These topics describe how to install HCL Informix® database servers, client products, and DataBlade® modules.
Informix® server
These topics describe how to install HCL Informix® database servers.
Installing Informix®
The Informix® Installation Guide describes how to install, configure, and initialize the HCL Informix database server.
Preparing for installation
Before you install Informix® database server products, you must prepare your system and plan for choices that you must make during the installation process.
Installation directory
You can use the default installation directory for the database server when you run the installation application, or you can create a directory before you install and then select that directory during installation.

Installing
These topics describe how to install HCL Informix® database servers, client products, and DataBlade® modules.
- Informix® server
  These topics describe how to install HCL Informix® database servers.
  - Installing Informix®
    The Informix® Installation Guide describes how to install, configure, and initialize the HCL Informix database server.
    - Preparing for installation
      Before you install Informix® database server products, you must prepare your system and plan for choices that you must make during the installation process.
      - Informix® components
        When you install the HCL Informix® database servers, you can also install related products, such as client APIs and other Informix products.
      - Software Requirements
        Before you install the HCL Informix® server, make sure that your computer meets these software requirements.
      - Installation owner
        The owner of the Informix® database server depends on the privileges of the user who runs the installation application. The owner of the server creates and controls all other user accounts that can access the database server.
      - Database server upgrades
      - Installation directory
        You can use the default installation directory for the database server when you run the installation application, or you can create a directory before you install and then select that directory during installation.
      - Installation options
        The primary way to install the Informix® database server is with an interactive installation that prompts you to configure installation properties. After your run an interactive installation, you can run non-interactive installations that are based on the original installation.
      - Event auditing
        If you choose a custom setup, you can enable event auditing. Event auditing tracks selected activities that users perform. You can improve the security of your event-auditing procedures by configuring role separation, which provides members of certain group identifiers (group IDs) on your system the privileges to manage and examine auditing records. Role separation provides increased database security because the database server separates administrative tasks into mutually exclusive roles.
      - Exclude database server components
        If you choose a custom setup, you can minimize the size of the database server on disk by excluding some components. Reducing the size of the installation can be useful if you plan to embed the database server in other systems or applications.
      - Database server configuration during installation
        You can choose to create and configure a database server during installation. The database server is configured by the choices that you make in the installation application. After installation is complete, disk space for the database server is initialized and the database server is started.
    - Running an interactive installation
      You can install the Informix® database server by running the interactive installation application. You can choose a typical or a custom setup.
    - Running non-interactive installations
      You can run non-interactive installations after you first run an interactive installation during which you create an installation template.
    - Installation command syntax
      You can include options to the installation command when you run the command from the command line.
    - Installation troubleshooting
      Installation log files and return codes can provide helpful information about a completed installation or help you identify problems encountered during an installation attempt.
    - Creating a database server after installation
      You create a database server by setting mandatory database server properties and then starting the database server.
    - Stopping and starting the database server
      Various configuration tasks require you to stop and then start the database server. Shared memory is initialized every time that the database server starts.
    - Microsoft failover clustering support (Windows)
      HCL Informix® database server supports Microsoft™ Failover Cluster (known as Microsoft Cluster Server, or MSCS, in earlier Windows™ releases). That built-in feature of the Windows operating system can automatically detect and respond to server or application failure, and can balance server workloads.
    - Multiresidency
      Multiple residency refers to multiple database servers and their associated shared memory and disk structures that coexist on a single computer.
    - Removing or modifying Informix® installations
      You can remove Informix® products.
- Client products
  These topics describe how to install HCL Informix® client products.
- DataBlade modules
  These topics describe how to install HCL Informix® DataBlade® modules.
- Informix® warehouse accelerator
  These topics describe how to install HCL Informix® warehouse accelerator.

Installation directory

You can use the default installation directory for the database server when you run the installation application, or you can create a directory before you install and then select that directory during installation.

The installation directory is known as the INFORMIXDIR directory because the environment variable INFORMIXDIR is set to the installation directory.

The directory where you install Informix® products must fulfill these requirements:

The directory must be empty, except in the following situations:
- You are upgrading to a fix pack of the same version.
- You accept the risks of upgrading to a new version by replacing the existing version.
The full path to the installation directory must not exceed 200 characters, including path separators, and must not contain spaces. UNIX™, Linux, Mac OS X: The directory for a non-root installation must not exceed 60 characters.
The installation path, including all path elements, must be secure before the database server can start.

Important: The database server will not start unless the installation directory is secure.

UNIX™, Linux™, Mac OS X: If the installation application finds a security issue with the installation directory, you must choose one of the following methods to secure the directory:

Let the installation program secure the path (recommended): The installation continues and generated script fixes nonsecure directories along the installation path.
Continue installation; manually run script to secure the path later: After installation is complete, you must run the onsecurity utility to generate a security script, and then run the security script. The onsecurity utility is in the /SERVER/ directory on the installation media. After installation, you can find the utility in the $INFORMIXDIR/bin directory.
View other options to make the installation directory secure: You must select how to reset the permissions for the owner, group, and installation directory. You must understand what constitutes a secure installation path in your environment, including the requirements of user informix and group informix.