Non-root profiles

Give a non-root user permissions for files and directories so that the non-root user can create a profile for the product. The non-root user can also augment a profile that was created by a root user, a different non-root user, or the same non-root user.

In a WebSphere® Application Server environment, non-root (non-administrator) users are limited in being able to create and use profiles in their environment. Within the Profile Management tool plug-in, unique names and port values are disabled for non-root users. The non-root user must change the default field values in the Profile Management tool for the profile name, node name, cell name, and port assignments. Consider assigning non-root users a range of values for each of the fields. You can assign responsibility to the non-root users for adhering to their proper value ranges and for maintaining the integrity of their own definitions.

The term installer refers to either a root or non-root user. As an installer, you can grant non-root users permissions to create profiles and establish their own product environments. For example, a non-root user might create a product environment to test application deployment with a profile that the user owns. Specific tasks that you can complete to allow non-root profile creation include the following items:
  • Creating a profile and assigning ownership of the profile directory to a non-root user so that the non-root user can start WebSphere Application Server for a specific profile.
  • Granting write permission of the appropriate files and directories to a non-root user, which allows the non-root user to then create the profile. With this task, you can create a group for users who are authorized to create profiles, or give individual users the ability to create profiles.
  • Installing maintenance packages for the product, which includes required services for existing profiles that are owned by a non- user. As the installer, you are the owner of any new files that the maintenance package creates.

For more information about creating profiles for non-root users, see Managing profiles for non-root users .

As an installer, you can also grant permissions for a non-root user to augment profiles. For example, a non-root user can augment a profile that is created by an installer, or augment a profile that they create. Follow the WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment non-root user augmentation process.

However, when a non-root user augments a profile that is created by the installer, the non-root user does not need to create the following files before augmentation. The following files were established during the profile creation process:

When a non-root user augments a profile that the user creates, the non-root user must modify the permissions for the documents that are located within the eXtreme Scale profile templates.

Attention: You can also use a non-root (non-administrator) profile for WebSphere eXtreme Scale in a stand-alone environmen, a profile that is not in WebSphere Application Server. You must change the owner of the ObjectGrid directory to the non-root profile. Then you can log in with that non-root profile and operate eXtreme Scale as you normally would for a root (administrator) profile.