DB2 newbie - install on Linux & other questions
Dave Thompson
client running on another Linux system? I've attempted to get this running,
and I think I have a decent setup (though it took me a day of trying over and
over again due to IBM's monumentally crappy documentation), but things just
don't seem as stable as I've seen with other databases like Oracle or Sybase.
For example, I attempted to setup the DB2 client (is this even the right way to
go when setting up the client system with WebSphere 4.0.1?), and had problems
with the 'catalog' commands - got errors the first time through, ran
'uncatalog' to remove the DB and node, then ran the same commands again, and it
worked.
Some other questions, too, if anybody doesn't mind helping out a complete DB2
newbie...
In Oracle, I can add a database user without needing to add one or more system
users (like CREATE USER FOO IDENTIFIED BY BAR). From what I'm seeing in the
DB2 documentation, there is no concept of a "database user", where the "user"
can authenticate only to DB2 and not need a login to the server itself. Is
this true, or do I just not know how to read this "documentation" that IBM
wrote?
Am I going about doing the WebSphere setup correctly, where I install the DB2
client on the server, then install WebSphere, and tell it to talk to a "local"
database? Or is there a better (or "more correct") way to go about this? I'm
pretty new to both products, so any insight anybody has would be very helpful.
Are there any gotchas to running DB2 with the "db2instX" users and data files
on an NFS device, like a NetApp or another Linux/Unix server?
Is there a way to install DB2 without needing "root" privilege on the server,
or can I create a "DBA" user who owns all the database executables, libraries,
etc, or is this 100% different from Oracle? (Like I see a message in this
newsgroup "DB2 is becoming more and more like Oracle every day" - is there any
truth to this from a systems administrator standpoint?)
If I've installed an eval copy of DB2 7.2 EE, I understand that the product
shouldn't be used past a certain amount of time, but is there any enforcement
of this? Like is the database server going to just crap out one day and ask me
for a license key? I'm hoping not, because I don't want the system I'm
learning on to die one day in the middle of my trying to work with it...
Thanks in advance for any assistance anybody can provide - at this point, any
insight into the product would be very helpful.
Dave Thompson
da...@guppi.net
Serge Rielau
DB2 relies on the system for authentication.
Access control to DB objects is then handled by teh GRANT and REVOKE statements.
Regarding eval copies of DB2. Why don't you just get the Developeredition?
That one is free..
Cheers
Serge
--
Serge Rielau
DB2 UDB SQL Compiler Development
IBM Software Lab, Canada
Philip Nelson
I don't have time to answer all of your questions just now, but if you
drop me an email to remind me I can give you a comprehensive answer
tomorrow. I can also give you my phone number and we can discuss at
length if you want (however I wouldn't give this on the newsgroup for
obvious reasons).
I'll put some quick comments below.
On Mon, 18 Mar 2002 16:46:57 +0000, Dave Thompson wrote:
> Are there any gotchas for installing a DB2 server on Linux, and having a
> DB2 client running on another Linux system? I've attempted to get this
> running, and I think I have a decent setup (though it took me a day of
> trying over and over again due to IBM's monumentally crappy
> documentation), but things just don't seem as stable as I've seen with
> other databases like Oracle or Sybase. For example, I attempted to setup
> the DB2 client (is this even the right way to go when setting up the
> client system with WebSphere 4.0.1?), and had problems with the
> 'catalog' commands - got errors the first time through, ran 'uncatalog'
> to remove the DB and node, then ran the same commands again, and it
> worked.
Did you read the DB2-HOWTO on http://www.linuxdoc.org which covers a few
known gotchas.
However in using DB2 on Linux for nearly two years I've found it to be
incredible stable. It also is much easier to administer,
upgrade and the like than Oracle (I upgraded all 8 DB2 databases on a
server from V6 to V7 in about half an hour : it took weeks to get this
done for Oracle databases !!!)
The catalog commands aren't bad once you know how to work them. On
WinDoze there is a GUI which makes it a dawdle.
>
> Some other questions, too, if anybody doesn't mind helping out a
> complete DB2 newbie...
>
> In Oracle, I can add a database user without needing to add one or more
> system users (like CREATE USER FOO IDENTIFIED BY BAR). From what I'm
> seeing in the DB2 documentation, there is no concept of a "database
> user", where the "user" can authenticate only to DB2 and not need a
> login to the server itself. Is this true, or do I just not know how to
> read this "documentation" that IBM wrote?
>
No you don't have "internal database users". This is a deliberate
decision since it allows you to use whatever authentication schemes are
available to the operating system. You can use UNIX user IDs but also
can use things like Kerberos.
> Am I going about doing the WebSphere setup correctly, where I install
> the DB2 client on the server, then install WebSphere, and tell it to
> talk to a "local" database? Or is there a better (or "more correct")
> way to go about this? I'm pretty new to both products, so any insight
> anybody has would be very helpful.
>
We are using websphere talking to a remote database. But do you have DB2
Enterprise / Workgroup or Personal edition (Personal edition doesn't
allow remote connections).
I'll need to explore what you mean here a bit more.
> Are there any gotchas to running DB2 with the "db2instX" users and data
> files on an NFS device, like a NetApp or another Linux/Unix server?
>
Not sure about NFS mounted volumes. I'll find out. SANs are OK though.
> Is there a way to install DB2 without needing "root" privilege on the
> server, or can I create a "DBA" user who owns all the database
> executables, libraries, etc, or is this 100% different from Oracle?
> (Like I see a message in this newsgroup "DB2 is becoming more and more
> like Oracle every day" - is there any truth to this from a systems
> administrator standpoint?)
>
You install most things as root !!!
After its installed you'll find the files are owned by the instance
owners in general.
That "DB2 is becoming more like Oracle" is only superficially true. It's
been better in many ways for a long time.
> If I've installed an eval copy of DB2 7.2 EE, I understand that the
> product shouldn't be used past a certain amount of time, but is there
> any enforcement of this? Like is the database server going to just crap
> out one day and ask me for a license key? I'm hoping not, because I
> don't want the system I'm learning on to die one day in the middle of my
> trying to work with it...
>
Yes there is a problem. It will stop working after 60 days !!! But if
you have Personal Developers Edition it will never expire (it's free).
Tom Porter
> Dave,
[snip]
>> If I've installed an eval copy of DB2 7.2 EE, I understand that the
>> product shouldn't be used past a certain amount of time, but is there
>> any enforcement of this? Like is the database server going to just
>> crap out one day and ask me for a license key? I'm hoping not, because
>> I don't want the system I'm learning on to die one day in the middle of
>> my trying to work with it...
>>
> Yes there is a problem. It will stop working after 60 days !!! But if
> you have Personal Developers Edition it will never expire (it's free).
>
>
>> Thanks in advance for any assistance anybody can provide - at this
>> point, any insight into the product would be very helpful.
>>
>> Dave Thompson
>> da...@guppi.net
>>
Phillip,
Perhaps you can clear up a point of confusion for me:
Is the Personal Edition (Free, no time limit, and no conectivity from
other hosts) the same as the Personal Developer's Edition?
I have never been clear on whether a non-time limited version was
available that allowed connections from clients running on another host?
I have a 7.1 PE version running on my laptop that I have been playing
with for some time, but I have been scared to load EE over top of it,
thinking that I will lose my data in 60 days.
Thanks from a befuddled mainframe DB2 user testing the waters in Linux
land.
Tom Porter
Darin McBride
> On Mon, 18 Mar 2002 13:39:48 -0500, Philip Nelson wrote:
>
>> Dave,
>
> [snip]
>
>> Yes there is a problem. It will stop working after 60 days !!! But if
>> you have Personal Developers Edition it will never expire (it's free).
>
> Phillip,
>
> Perhaps you can clear up a point of confusion for me:
>
> Is the Personal Edition (Free, no time limit, and no conectivity from
> other hosts) the same as the Personal Developer's Edition?
Yes and no. Personal Developer's Edition provides you with a special
license (i.e., not for *production* use, which is different from not
for *commercial* use), but is otherwise the same as Personal Edition.
PDE is intended, therefore, to be something that you can develop your
own DB2-based applications with.
Of course, for people who don't know anything about RDBMS, SQL, DB2,
etc., in order to develop your own DB2-based application, you need to
learn these other concepts, so I don't think there's an issue here.
> I have never been clear on whether a non-time limited version was
> available that allowed connections from clients running on another host?
Only for money.
> I have a 7.1 PE version running on my laptop that I have been playing
> with for some time, but I have been scared to load EE over top of it,
> thinking that I will lose my data in 60 days.
You will definitely lose your external connectivity after 60 days, and
get some really nasty messages in your system's event log, but the
local database should continue to work, and you'll still be able to
access it locally.
> Thanks from a befuddled mainframe DB2 user testing the waters in Linux
> land.
--
To reply, please remove the obvious spam filter
nntp
I suggest to read the HOW-TO guide under
http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/DB2-HOWTO/index.html
bcb
"Dave Thompson" <tho...@guppi.net> wrote in message
news:Pine.GSO.4.40.0203181138260.13495-100000@guppi...
> Dave Thompson
> da...@guppi.net
>