DB2 Data Links Manager Quick Beginnings

Additional Installation Considerations in DCE-DFS Environments

DB2 Data Links Manager Version 7.1 supports linked files stored using Transarc's DCE Distributed File System (DCE-DFS) file server Version 3.1.

If you plan to deploy DB2 Data Links Manager in a DCE-DFS environment, you should also take the following information into consideration:

Operating system level
Ensure that you are running AIX Version 4.2.1, Version 4.3.2 or Version 4.3.3. To check the level of the operating system, enter the oslevel command.

Version levels of DB2 Data Links and DB2 Universal Database
If DB2 is already installed on any machine that will participate in your Data Links environment, ensure that the version of DB2 is DB2 Universal Database Version 7.1. The version of DB2 on the DB2 server and the DB2 Data Links Manager server must be at the same level. To check the version of DB2 that resides on a workstation, enter the db2level command.

DCE-DFS functional restrictions

Database registration of Data Links Manager servers
A DB2 database on an AIX platform can register Data Links Manager servers running in either the native JFS or NTFS environments, provided that the DB2 clients which access the files are running on the same platform as the DLM servers. For example, if the DLM server is running on Windows NT, the DB2 client which access the files must be running on Windows NT as well. If the DLM server is running on AIX, the DB2 client which access the files must be running on AIX.

A DB2 database on an AIX platform can also register DLM servers running in the DCE-DFS environment. However, this database cannot, at the same time, register DLM servers running in native JFS or NTFS environments.

Installation prerequisites
DCE-DFS Version 3.1 must be installed on your system before you install DB2 Data Links Manager. DCE-DFS Version 3.1 requires AIX 4.2.1, AIX 4.3.1, AIX 4.3.2 or AIX 4.3.3. Also, ensure that the DFS Storage Management Runtime (dfs.sm.rte) is installed.

A DFS Client Version 3.1 must be installed on any DB2 server which used ADD DATALINKS MANAGER to register a DCE-DFS cell. Use of the DCE slim client is not supported on the DB2 server.

DCE identity
Request that your cell administrator create a new DCE identity which will be used by the Data Links Manager Administrator. Do not use an existing identity. This identity, which involves creating a new DCE group and new DCE user, will also own any READ PERMISSION DB files on the DFS nodes. This group ID and user ID should not be used for any other purpose. Also, you should ask your cell administrator to create /:/DataLinks.
Note:You must ensure that the new DCE identity and /:/DataLinks are created with the properties described in Appendix C, DCE-DFS Common Tasks and References.

Keytab file
DLFM daemons will have to become DCE network root so that they can access the DFS filesets. To be able to do this the DCE network root will have to create a DCE keytab file so that the daemons can take on network root privileges and refresh their credentials periodically.

This keytab file, which contains the principal and password information, should be called datalinks.ktb and should be stored under the $INSTHOME/sqllib/security/ directory. This file should have its permissions set to read only by the local root user and should be available on the DLFM server node and all DLFM client nodes.

To create a keytab file:

  1. Enter the rgy_edit command. A rgy_edit prompt similar to the following should appear:
       rgy_edit==>
    
  2. Enter the kta command at the rgy_edit prompt as follows:
       
       kta[dd] -p principal [-r[egistry]][-a | -pw password][-f keyfile]
     
    

    For example, you might enter a command similar to the following:

       kta -p root -f /u/dlfm/sqllib/security/datalink.ktb
     
    

    If you enter the kta command without the -pw password option, you will be prompted to enter a password.

Data Links File Manager "servers" and "clients"
In DCE-DFS environments, there are two separate Data Links components that can be installed: the Data Links Manager and the DB2 Data Links DFS Client Enabler.

The Data Links Manager can be a set up as server or a client. In a DCE cell, one node will contain the DLFM_DB and is known as the DLFM server node. All other nodes on which Data Links Manager is installed must be configured as DLFM client nodes.

The DB2 DataLinks DFS Client Enabler, also known as the DLFM Cache Manager or DLFM-CM, is installed on DB2 Universal Database clients and is needed for any DB2 client using a DATALINK datatype which has been set up as READ PERMISSION DB. The DFS Client Enabler should not be installed as part of the Data Links Manager.

For an graphical overview of Data Links components in a DCE-DFS environment, see Figure 2.


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