Prior to i2b2 1.7.12, it was necessary to build each cell from source. That legacy documentation is included in the subsections here. This approach could still be useful for developers or in unique configurations (e.g., cells are deployed across multiple servers). Note that the properties file configuration details are only relevant to versions prior to 1.7.12. As of 1.7.12, the properties have been moved to HIVE_CELL_PARAMS in the database.