DB2 Version 9.7 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows

Non-root installation overview (Linux and UNIX)

Before Version 9.5, you could install products, apply and roll back fix packs, configure instances, add features, or uninstall products only if you had root privileges. Now, if you are a non-root user, you can perform these tasks on Linux and UNIX operating systems.

The DB2® installer automatically creates and configures a non-root instance during a non-root installation. As a non-root user, you can customize the configuration of the non-root instance during the installation. You can also use and maintain the installed DB2 database product without root privileges.

The non-root installation of a DB2 database product has one DB2 instance with most features enabled by default.

A non-root installation can be attractive for many groups, such as the following ones:

Enterprises that have thousands of workstations and users who want to install a DB2 database product without consuming a system administrator's time
Application developers who are not typically system administrators but use DB2 database products to develop applications
Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) who develop software that does not require root user authority yet embeds a DB2 database product

Although non-root installations have most of the function of root installations, there are some differences and limitations. You can lift some of the limitations by having a root user run the db2rfe command.