---
title: Overview
description: "# Configure Ontology Cell for Installation As stated in the previous section, there are a couple of files in the **edu.harvard.i2b2.ontology** directory that will need to be edited to reflect the appropriate configuration at your site. There are several steps…"
url: "https://i2b2.org/docs/9-4-configuration/"
updated: "2026-09-15"
category: "i2b2 Installation Guide / Chapter 4. Server Install Guide / B. Legacy Approach - Build Each Cell from Source / Chapter 9. Ontology Management (ONT) Cell Install / 9.4 Configuration"
---

# Overview

# Configure Ontology Cell for Installation

As stated in the previous section, there are a couple of files in the **edu.harvard.i2b2.ontology** directory that will need to be edited to reflect the appropriate configuration at your site. There are several steps that will need to be taken in order to configure the ontology cell for deployment.

**Step 1:**   Change your working directory

**Step 2:**   Configure the build properties

**Step 3:**   Configure the Ontology Application Directory properties

**Step 4:**   Ontology properties: Set Metadata schema name for the hivedata tables

**Step 5:**   Ontology properties: Configure PM Cell Properties

**Step 6:**   Ontology properties: Configure FR Cell Properties

**Step 7:**   Ontology properties: Configure CRC Cell Properties

**Step 8:**   Ontology properties: Configure the Ontology service account properties

**Step 9:**   Ontology properties: Set the metadata delimiter property

**Step 10:**   Configure the data sources

Note

The configuration files you will be editing are delivered with examples. In some instances these files may contain multiple examples for the three different database management systems supported by the i2b2.

### Assumptions

The steps in this section are based on the following assumptions:

**Linux:** your user has the appropriate ***administrative access*** to the opt directory.

**Windows:** You are logged into the Windows Command Prompt as an ***Administrator***.

If you do not have the appropriate access you will have problems running the scripts.

### **Step 1: Change working directory**

The **first step** in the cell configuration process is to change your working directory to the location of your **edu.harvard.i2b2.ontology folder**.

  **Change Directory Command**

CD *YOUR_I2B2_SRC_DIR*\edu.harvard.i2b2.ontology

Important

The change directory command shown above is written for Windows. The command itself is the same for both Linux and Windows with the only exceptions being the slashes in the path name and Linux does not include the "drive".

- *Linux Path:* use a forward slash.
- *Windows Path:* use a backward slash.

***EXAMPLES:***

***Linux Command:***  CD /opt/i2b2/edu.harvard.i2b2.ontology

***Windows Command:***  CD C:\opt\i2b2\edu.harvard.i2b2.ontology