Installation Guide


Chapter 6   Configuring Informix Databases

This chapter describes how to configure your Informix databases for use within the SilverStream Application Server environment as either a SilverMaster or application database.

    For the latest information on supported database versions, see the SilverStream Application Server release notes. In Windows, you can access the release notes from the SilverStream program group or from SilverStream online help.

This chapter includes these sections:

Connecting to Informix databases   Top of page

The SilverStream Server is able to access Informix databases through the Informix Type 4 JDBC driver (see the release notes for the supported version). The driver is available from Informix. See the Informix Web site (www.informix.com) for details.

Follow the steps outlined below to make an Informix database available to SilverStream.

Step 1: Install the JDBC driver

Step 2: Create the Informix database and dbspaces

Step 3: Create the Informix user account

Step 4: Configure the JDBC driver

Step 5: Add the driver path to AGCLASSPATH

Step 6: Use the database in SilverStream

Step 1: Install the JDBC driver   Top of page

You must be able to connect to the destination Informix server from the workstation that will host the SilverStream Server, so first install the Informix JDBC driver on that machine.

Step 2: Create the Informix database and dbspaces   Top of page

Before you can install SilverStream, you must create the actual Informix database and the underlying dbspaces. You will need to connect to Informix as a user who is a member of the Informix-Admin group. You can create these objects using either Informix Enterprise Command Center (IECC) or a command-line utility such as DBACCESS.

This section describes how to use IECC to create the Informix database and the underlying dbspaces. The Informix Server must be in Administration mode to make these changes.

To use IECC to create the database and dbspaces:

  1. From IECC, connect to the destination Informix server and select Spaces.

  2. Create a new standard dbspace (minimum 50 MB).

  3. Create a temporary dbspace (minimum 30 MB).

  4. Create a temporary dbspace for blobs (minimum 50 MB).

  5. Make sure the Informix Server is in Online mode.

  6. Create a new database in the standard dbspace.

    For example, the following statement creates a database called silvermaster in the dbspace called silverdbspace: 

      create database silvermaster in silverdbspace

Step 3: Create the Informix user account   Top of page

You need to create an Informix user account that can be used to connect to the SilverStream Server. This user account must be a member of the Informix-Admin group. Refer to your Informix documentation for more information. The password for this account cannot be null.

Step 4: Configure the JDBC driver   Top of page

The SilverStream UNIX installation prompts you for the URL for your Informix SilverMaster. The SilverStream Windows NT installation requires that you supply the full JDBC URL for your Informix database. The URL should be in the form: 

  jdbc:informix-sqli:hostname|ip:port/database:INFORMIXSERVER=servername

For example: 

  jdbc:informix-sqli:204.164.96.118:1526/silvermaster:INFORMIXSERVER=ol_silverstream

where the URL is on a single line.

Step 5: Add the driver path to AGCLASSPATH   Top of page

You need to specify the location of the Informix JDBC driver in the AGCLASSPATH environment variable. You must fully qualify the JAR file, such as: 

  c:\informixdriver\lib\ifmxjdbc.jar

Step 6: Use the database in SilverStream   Top of page

Now that you have configured the Informix client and set the appropriate environment variables, you can connect the database to SilverStream. For example, you can install the SilverStream Server and point it to the appropriate database as the SilverMaster or add the target Informix application database to an already running SilverStream Server.

NOTE   If storing SilverStream system tables in another database, you must also have that database created and set up.

    For information about installing the SilverStream Server, see Installing SilverStream on Windows or Installing SilverStream on UNIX.

    For information on adding a database to SilverStream, see the Main Designer chapter in the online Tools Guide.

Troubleshooting   Top of page

This section may help you if you run into trouble using Informix and SilverStream.

Determining driver version

To determine which version of the Informix JDBC driver you are using, type the following at the command line: 

  java -cp pathToDriver\lib\ifxjdbc.jar com.informix.jdbc.Version

Logical log full

You encounter the Informix Server error event Logical Log Full. The SilverStream Server may not be allowing you to save data or may not start properly when this problem occurs. (You can view this event in the Informix IECC utility's event list.)

To resolve this problem you may need to add log space or the logical log needs to be backed up and Informix's Continuous Log backup must be enabled.

    For more information about resolving this log file problem, see the Informix Enterprise Command Center User Guide (IECC) and Informix Administrator's Guide.

Memory capacity

You encounter the Informix Server error event Memory Capacity during SilverMasterInit or while the SilverStream Server is running. (You can view this event in the Informix IECC utility's event list.)

To resolve this problem, increase the BUFFERS parameter in the ONCONFIG file in the Informix /etc directory. See the ONCONFIG environment variable to find this location.

    For more information about the ONCONFIG file and the BUFFERS parameter, see the Administrator's Guide for Informix Dynamic Server.




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