Installation prerequisites

For smooth installation of MobileFirst Server, ensure that you fulfill all required environment setup and software prerequisites before you attempt installation.

You can find a complete list of supported hardware together with prerequisite software in System requirements.

Important: If a version of MobileFirst Server is already installed, review Upgrading to IBM MobileFirst™ Platform Foundation V7.1.0 before you install MobileFirst Server and deploy a MobileFirst project on the same application server or databases. Failure to do so can result in an incomplete installation and a non-functional MobileFirst Server.

Download the IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation package from IBM® Passport Advantage®.

Ensure that you have the latest fix packs for the IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation product. If you are connected to the Internet during the installation, IBM Installation Manager can download the latest fix packs for you.

The package contains an Install Wizard that guides you through the MobileFirst Server installation.

MobileFirst Server requires an application server and relies on a database management system.

You can use any of the following application servers:

WebSphere® Application Server Liberty Core
WebSphere Application Server
Apache Tomcat

You can use any of the following database management systems:

IBM DB2®
MySQL
Oracle
Apache Derby in embedded mode. Included in the installation image.
IBM Cloudant®

Verify that the application server you selected provides support for your database.

Note: Apache Derby is supplied for evaluation and testing purposes only and is not supported for production-grade MobileFirst Server.

The MobileFirst installer can install the IBM MobileFirst Platform Application Center and deploy it to your application server. In this case, the application server and the database management system (if different from Apache Derby) must be installed before you start the MobileFirst Server installer. If you do not need the Application Center or decide to install it manually, you do not need to install the application server and database management system before you start the MobileFirst Server installer. However, you need them before you deploy IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation projects.

The IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation packages include the following installers:

IBM DB2 Workgroup Server Edition
IBM DB2 Enterprise Server Edition (on Linux for System z® only)
IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty Core
IBM MobileFirst Platform Cloudant Data Layer Local Edition (on Linux)