Software prerequisites

The software prerequisites that you require depend on the deployment pattern and deployment topology of i2® Analyze that you want to deploy.

The software prerequisites that you might require are:

  • A supported database management system.
    • IBM® Db2® Enterprise Server, Advanced Enterprise Server, Workgroup Server, or Advanced Workgroup Server editions at version 10.5 Fix Pack 10 or later and version 11.1 Fix Pack 3 or later, or Advanced and Standard editions at version 11.5.
      Note:
      • IBM Db2 Advanced Workgroup Server Edition version 11.1 is included with i2 Analyze.
      • If you are deploying the Analysis Repository, you must use version 10.5 or 11.1 of IBM Db2.
    • Microsoft SQL Server Standard or Enterprise at version 14.0 (2017) or 15.0 (2019) for the Information Store.
    • Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Standard or Enterprise for the Analysis Repository.
    • Oracle Database 12c Standard Edition Release 1 and Enterprise Edition or Oracle Database 12c Standard Edition Release 2 and Enterprise Edition for the Analysis Repository.
  • An HTTP server that supports a reverse proxy.

    An HTTP server is required for the Analysis Repository.

    If you decide to use an HTTP server in an Opal deployment, the HTTP server that you use must be configured to handle WebSocket requests.

    The deployment toolkit can automatically configure an IBM HTTP Server instance on the server where the i2 Analyze application is deployed to act as a reverse proxy. To support this approach, you must install IBM HTTP Server 9.0.0.7.

For more information about the system requirements and prerequisites, see Release Material.

Installing prerequisite software

When you install the prerequisite software, you must do so according to the following specifications.

Database management system

IBM Db2
Location
If you are creating a production deployment, you can install Db2 in any location. When you install Db2, record the location of the installation directory because you must specify this location in the deployment toolkit before you can deploy i2 Analyze.
If you are creating an example deployment, install Db2 in the following location:
  • For Windows: C:\Program Files\IBM\SQLLIB
  • For Linux: /opt/ibm/db2/Db2_version
Features and language
In all deployments, you must ensure that the following features are installed:
  • Spatial Extender server support
  • Spatial Extender client
Note: Do not install Tivoli® System Automation for Multiplatforms.

When you deploy i2 Analyze with the Information Store, you must install Db2 with the product interface language set to English only. Additionally, if you install Db2 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you must use an English version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. For more information, see Changing the Db2 interface language (Linux and UNIX) and Changing the Db2 product interface language (Windows).

For Linux deployments, if you are deploying with a schema that contains non-English characters, ensure that the operating system's LANG environment variable is set to the locale of the non-English characters.

You can deploy i2 Analyze with a Db2 instance only where the DB2_WORKLOAD environment variable is not set. If you have an existing Db2 instance where DB2_WORKLOAD is set, you must create a Db2 instance where the value is not set and deploy i2 Analyze with it. For more information about the DB2_WORKLOAD environment variable, see System environment.
Users
On Windows, Db2 creates a Windows user account (db2admin), and two Windows groups (DB2ADMNS, DB2USERS). To work successfully with Db2, ensure that your Windows user account is a member of the DB2ADMNS Windows group.

On Linux, Db2 creates an Administration Server user (dasusr1) and group (dasadm1), an instance-owning user (db2inst1) and group (db2iadm1), and a fenced user (db2fenc1) and group (db2fadm1). To work successfully with Db2, ensure that the user that runs the deployment script is a member of the dasadm1 and db2iadm1 groups.

Make a note of any user names and passwords that are specified during the installation process.

Post-install
After you install Db2 for the Information Store, you must enable the administrative task scheduler and set the code page on the Db2 installation:
  1. On the command line, navigate to the SQLLIB\bin directory of your Db2 installation. On Linux, navigate to the db2inst1/sqllib/bin directory.
  2. To enable the administrative task scheduler, run the following command:
    db2set DB2_ATS_ENABLE=YES
  3. To set the code page for UTF-8 encoding, run the following command:
    db2set DB2CODEPAGE=1208
For more information about installing Db2, see Installing Db2 database servers.
Remote Db2 database storage
If you plan to deploy i2 Analyze with remote database storage, you must install Db2 on your database server, and Db2 or IBM Data Server Client on the application server. Install Db2 according to the previous instructions; if you are using IBM Data Server Client, also ensure that Spatial Extender client support is installed. For more information about IBM Data Server Client, see Installing IBM Data Server drivers and clients.

The instance of Db2 or IBM Data Server Client on the application server must be the same version level as the instance of Db2 on the database server. For example, if the instance of Db2 on your database server is version 11.1, the instance of Db2 or IBM Data Server Client on the application server must also be version 11.1.

Microsoft SQL Server version 14.0 (2017) or 15.0 (2019)
Location
If you are creating a production deployment, you can install SQL Server in any location. When you install SQL Server, record the location of the installation directory because you must specify this location in the deployment toolkit before you can deploy i2 Analyze.
If you are creating an example deployment, install SQL Server in the default location:
  • For Windows: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server
  • For Linux: /opt/mssql. Install the SQL Server tools in the default path: /opt/mssql-tools
Features
In all deployments, you must ensure that the following features are installed or enabled:
  • Database Engine Services
  • SQL Server Authentication
  • TCP/IP protocol

In all deployments, you must install the ODBC Driver for SQL Server and sqlcmd utility on your database server.

On Linux:
You can also install Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio to administer your SQL Server installation. If you are using SQL Server on Linux, you can install SQL Server Management Studio on a Windows machine and connect to your SQL Server installation.

To create an example deployment on Windows, the instance name that you use must be MSSQLSERVER. Regardless of your operating system, the port number must be 1433.

Users
You must have an SQL Server Authentication Login that has the following permissions:
  • Server Roles:
    • dbcreator
    • bulkadmin, to ingest the example data
  • User mappings for the msdb database:
    • SQLAgentUserRole
    • db_datareader
Post-install
  • Ensure that the SQL Server Agent service is running.
  • On Windows, if you want to use the instance name to connect to SQL Server ensure that the SQL Server Browser service is running.

For more information about installing SQL Server on Windows, see SQL Server installation and on Linux, see SQL Server on Linux.

Remote SQL Server database storage
If you plan to deploy i2 Analyze with remote database storage, you must install SQL Server on the database server, and SQL Server or Microsoft Command Line Utilities 17 for SQL Server on the application server. You can install SQL Server and the Command Line Utilities according to the previous instructions.
Microsoft SQL Server 2014
The Analysis Repository can be deployed into a Microsoft SQL Server database. If you choose to use the Microsoft SQL Server database management system, you can use all of the default settings, except that you must enable SQL Server Authentication and the TCP/IP protocol.
Oracle Database 12c Standard Edition Release 1 and Enterprise Edition or Oracle Database 12c Standard Edition Release 2 and Enterprise Edition
The Analysis Repository can be deployed into an Oracle database. If you choose to use the Oracle database management system, you can use all of the default settings, except that you must set the character set to Unicode (AL32UT8). You must also clear the Create as a container database check box.
Important: Oracle database creation is not currently handled by the deployment scripts, so you must create the database manually, and the database must be configured to use a unique user. To work with the example values given in the deployment guide, you must create the database on the server that hosts the i2 Analyze application, and it must be of type WriteStore.
Note: In all scenarios, the user that you use to run the deployment scripts must have permission to create and modify the database.

IBM HTTP Server and Web Server Plug-ins for WebSphere Application Server

An i2 Analyze deployment might require a reverse proxy server that routes client requests to the appropriate destination.

The deployment toolkit can automatically configure an IBM HTTP Server instance to act as a reverse proxy. To support this approach, install IBM HTTP Server as follows:

Location
Install IBM HTTP Server from an archive file in the following location:
  • For Windows: C:\IBM\HTTPServer
  • For Linux: /opt/IBM/HTTPServer

For more information about installing, see Installing IBM HTTP Server.

The Web Server Plug-ins for WebSphere® Application Server are included in the archive installer.

Post-install
  • The bin/ikeyman file and the bin/gskcmd file use the Java in your provided $JAVA_HOME environment variable. After you deploy i2 Analyze, you can set your $JAVA_HOME environment variable to the directory where the deployment toolkit installs Java.
  • Ensure that Microsoft Internet Information Server is either inactive or not present on the i2 Analyze server.
  • On Linux, the user that you use to run the deployment scripts must have write permissions on the /opt/IBM/HTTPServer/conf/httpd.conf file.

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