Windows: Program and data directory locations

When you are installing IBM® MQ 8.0, the location of the program data and binary files depends on whether you are running a clean installation, or whether you have ever uninstalled a previous version, and also on whether you are using a 32-bit or a 64-bit operating system.

First-time installations

When you install IBM MQ for the first time, if you select the custom installation option, you can choose the location of the IBM MQ product, and also the location of the IBM MQ data and logs.

Before IBM MQ 8.0, the data and logs were put by default into the same directory as the first installation.

At Version 8.0, the default locations have changed. 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.

Subsequent installations and reinstallations

After the data directory has been 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.

In Version 8.0, the default data directory is C:\ProgramData\IBM\MQ, unless there has been a previous version of IBM MQ on the computer, in which case the new installation continues to use the existing data directory.

Existing IBM WebSphere® MQ 7.5 or Version 7.1 installation

There are three upgrade paths possible:
  • Uninstall Version 7.1 or Version 7.5 and install Version 8.0.
  • Install Version 8.0 and ask it to upgrade Version 7.1 or Version 7.5.
  • Install Version 8.0 alongside Version 7.1 or Version 7.5 and then uninstall Version 7.1 or Version 7.5.

When Version 7.5 or Version 7.1 is installed, both the program binary files and data are installed by default into C:\Program Files (x86)\WebSphere MQ.

When you uninstall Version 7.5 or Version 7.1, information about the location of the data directory is left in the registry. After uninstalling Version 7.5 or Version 7.1 and before installing Version 8.0, you can, if you want, run a script to tidy up files and data left behind by the uninstallation process.

Installing Version 8.0 after uninstalling Version 7.5 or Version 7.1
After uninstalling Version 7.5 or Version 7.1, Version 8.0 is installed using the same installation name but using the Version 8.0 default program binary files location of C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere MQ. That is, the program files move from the Windows 32-bit program location to the Windows 64-bit program location.

You can use the custom installation option to modify the binary path, including modifying it back to C:\Program Files (x86)\WebSphere MQ.

Installing Version 8.0 without uninstalling Version 7.5 or Version 7.1

If you install Version 8.0 without uninstalling Version 7.1 or Version 7.5 and choose to upgrade the Version 7.1 or Version 7.5 installation, the new program binary files replace the Version 7.1 or Version 7.5 binary files so, by default, the new binary files are in C:\Program Files (x86)\WebSphere MQ. The existing data path is kept so, by default, the data path is also C:\Program Files (x86)\WebSphere MQ.

Installing Version 8.0 to coexist with Version 7.5 or Version 7.1

If you install Version 8.0 alongside Version 7.1 or Version 7.5, a unique path is chosen, which by default is C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere MQ. The existing data path is kept so, by default, the data path is C:\Program Files (x86)\WebSphere MQ.

Existing IBM WebSphere MQ 7.0.1 installation

By default, the Version 7.0.1 data and program binary files are installed into C:\Program Files (x86)\WebSphere MQ.

There are three upgrade paths possible:
  • Uninstall Version 7.0.1 and install Version 8.0.
  • Install Version 8.0 and ask it to upgrade Version 7.0.1.
  • Install Version 8.0 alongside Version 7.0.1.6+ and then uninstall Version 7.0.1.
Installing Version 8.0 after uninstalling Version 7.0.1
If you install Version 8.0 after uninstalling Version 7.0.1, the installation program looks in the C:\ProgramData\IBM\MQ directory for any existing data, which will not exist. The Version 8.0 program files are installed into C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere MQ and the program data by default uses C:\ProgramData\IBM\MQ.

If you have existing data on the machine, you must choose the custom option and manually set the data path to the location that Version 7.0.1 was previously using as its data path in order to pick up any queue managers.

Installing Version 8.0 to upgrade Version 7.0.1
If you install Version 8.0 without uninstalling Version 7.0.1 and choose to upgrade the Version 7.0.1 installation, the new program binary files replace the Version 7.0.1 binary files, hence by default the location of the binary files is in C:\Program Files (x86)\WebSphere MQ.

The existing data path is kept so, by default, the data path is also C:\Program Files (x86)\WebSphere MQ.

Installing Version 8.0 to coexist with Version 7.0.1
If you install Version 8.0 without uninstalling Version 7.0.1 and choose to install alongside the Version 7.0.1 installation, the new program binary files are put in the new default location C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere MQ.

The existing data path is kept so, by default, the data path is C:\Program Files (x86)\WebSphere MQ.