Commerce Install without DB2 Client
A recent experience with a commerce install frustated me a little bit, but I should confess I made a wrong calculation. I had to install Commerce 6.0 on a Windows 2003 box. As planned we would use a remote database. The remote database will be connected to using a DB2 client. But there is a catch. DB2 client was not installed prior to starting Commerce installation owing to various corporate policy reasons.
My hope was that we will need DB2 client only when we are ready to create a Commerce instance as that is when the remote database is accessed. I thought that the commerce installation itself will not need to a DB2 client install. To my rude awakening, I cannot start a commerce install without having either a local DB2 database or a DB2 client installed during a custom installation approach. However, you can chose to install DB2 client as part of the commerce install program.. but I did not want to do that as I do not have a permission to install DB2 client - it has to be done by the DB2 team. I wanted to worry about DB2 client install some time after commerce install and before the creation of the commerce instance. But that does not work that way. The installation program cannot continue after issuing the following warning:
“The required IBM DB2 Universal Database is not installed. If you want to use a local database with WebSphere Commerce, you must install IBM DB2 Universal Database Enterprise Edition 8.1.10 on this machine before continuing. If you want to use a remote database with WebSphere Commerce, you must install the IBM DB2 Universal Database Administration Client on this machine before continuing.”
On looking further into the documentation, the documentation does say the following: “Remote database users: If you plan to use a remote DB2 Universal Database with WebSphere Commerce and the DB2 Administration client is not installed, ensure that you select to install the Administration client when installing the WebSphere Commerce Server component.”.
I wonder why Commerce installation will require a prior installation of DB2 client. Commerce has a bunch of .bat files under {WCS_HOME}\bin folder that has references to the DB2 java libraries. I think it is for this reason that it has to know about DB2 client installation before it can proceed with Commerce installation.
I hope none of you have to run into this issue.