IBM GC23-7753-05 Installation Directory, Choosing between Local and Domain Installations, Ixdbsso

Role separation provides increased database security because the database server splits administrative tasks into mutually exclusive roles. If you do not enable role separation, the Informix-Admingroup performs all administrative tasks. For detailed information about the role separation feature, see the IBM Informix Security Guide.

You cannot turn off role separation after you enable it. To remove role separation from your system, you must use the uninstaller to remove all database instances and related files. and then reinstall the database server without role separation.

If you choose to enable role separation during installation, you are prompted to create groups and users and add the users to the corresponding groups.

Table 1-1. Role Separation

Default Group Name	Role Category	Role Definition
Informix-Admin	General Database	Performs general administrative tasks,
	Administration	such as archiving and restoring data,
		monitoring use and performance, and
		tuning the system.
ix_dbsso	Database System	Maintains the security of the database
	Security Officer	server. Functions of this role include
		audit adjustment and changing security
		characteristics of storage objects. Creation
		of this user role requires selection of a
		password during installation.
ix_aao	Auditing Analysis	Audits the records of specific types of
	Officer	database activities. If someone attempts
		to circumvent or corrupt the security
		mechanism of the database, these actions
		can be traced. Creation of this user role
		requires selection of a password during
		installation.
ix_users	Database Users	Accesses the database to perform
		end-user tasks. Only users who are
		designated as members of the ix_users
		group can access the database.

During installation, you can replace these default users and groups with existing users or groups.

Installation Directory

The drive on which the directory exists must be formatted using NTFS. You do not need to create the directory before installation. IBM Informix software refers to this installation directory as %INFORMIXDIR%, and often the INFORMIXDIR environment variable is set to this directory. The installation application suggests a default %INFORMIXDIR% path, which you can change by typing a different path.

Choosing between Local and Domain Installations

You can install locally or in a domain.

Chapter 1. Preparing to Install IDS (Windows) 1-9