IBM Books

Quick Beginnings for DB2 Extended Enterprise Edition for UNIX


Running CLI/ODBC Programs

The DB2 Call Level Interface (CLI) run-time environment and the ODBC driver are included with the DB2 Client Application Enabler. This is contained on the DB2 Client Application Enablers CD-ROM or can be downloaded from the Web page at http://www.software.ibm.com/data/db2.

This support enables applications developed using ODBC and DB2 CLI APIs to work with any DB2 server. DB2 CLI application development support is provided by the DB2 Software Developer's Kit (DB2 SDK) which is part of the separately orderable DB2 Application Development Kit product.

Before DB2 CLI or ODBC applications can access DB2, the DB2 CLI packages must be bound on the server. Although this will occur automatically on the first connection if the user has the required authority to bind the packages, it is recommended that the administrator do this first with each version of the client on each platform that will access the server. See "Binding Database Utilities" for specific details.

The following general steps are required on the client system to give DB2 CLI and ODBC applications access to DB2 databases. These instructions assume that you have successfully connected to DB2 using a valid user ID and password. Depending on the platform many of these steps are automatic. For complete details, see the section that deals specifically with your platform.

  1. Use the CCA to add the remote system (if you have separate client and server machines) so that its instances and databases can be made known to the Control Center, then add the instances and databases for that system. (Your local system is represented by Local icon.) If you do not have access to this program you can use the catalog command in the command line processor.

  2. On all platforms other than OS/2 and Windows 3.1, the DB2 CLI/ODBC driver is automatically installed when the DB2 Client Application Enabler is installed, and therefore nothing needs to be done. On OS/2 and Windows 3.1 you must use the Install ODBC Driver icon to install both the DB2 CLI/ODBC driver and the ODBC driver manager.

  3. To access the DB2 database from ODBC:

    1. The Microsoft, Visigenic, or other ODBC Driver Manager must already be installed (this is done by default during the installation of DB2).

    2. The DB2 databases must be registered as ODBC data sources. The ODBC driver manager does not read the DB2 catalog information; instead it references its own list of data sources.

    3. If a DB2 table does not have a unique index then many ODBC applications will open it as read-only. Create a unique index for each DB2 table that is to be updated by an ODBC application. Refer to the CREATE INDEX statement in the SQL Reference. Using the Control Center you would alter the settings of the table, then select the Primary Key tab and move one or more columns from the available columns list over to the primary key columns list. Any column you select as part of the primary key must be defined as NOT NULL.

  4. Various CLI/ODBC Configuration Keywords can be set to modify the behavior of DB2 CLI/ODBC and the applications using it.

  5. If you followed the above steps to install ODBC support, and added DB2 databases as ODBC data sources, your ODBC applications will now be able to access them.

After the platform specific instructions there are further details on the following topics:

Platform Specific Details for CLI/ODBC Access



note

The platform specific details on how to give DB2 CLI and ODBC applications access to DB2 are divided into the following categories:

Windows 3.1, Windows 95 and Windows NT Client Access to DB2 using CLI/ODBC

Before DB2 CLI and ODBC applications can successfully access a DB2 database from a Windows 3.1, Windows 95, or Windows NT client, perform the following steps on the client system:

  1. The DB2 database (and node if the database is remote) must be cataloged. To do so, use the CCA (or the command line processor). See "Configuring Database Connections" for more details.

    For more information refer to the on-line help in the CCA (or the CATALOG DATABASE and CATALOG NODE commands in the Command Reference).

  2. Verify that the Microsoft ODBC Driver Manager and the DB2 CLI/ODBC driver are installed. On Windows 95 and Windows NT they are both installed with DB2 unless the ODBC component is manually unselected during the install. On Windows 3.1 you must use the Install ODBC Driver icon to install the Microsoft ODBC Driver Manager and the DB2 CLI/ODBC driver.

    To verify that they both exist on the machine:

    1. Run the Microsoft ODBC Administrator from the icon in the Control Panel, or issue the appropriate command from the command line: odbcad32.exe for Windows 95 or Windows NT operating systems, odbcadm.exe on Windows 3.1.

    2. Click on the Drivers push button, or the ODBC Drivers tab (depending on the platform).

    3. Verify that "IBM DB2 ODBC Driver" is shown in the list.

    If either the Microsoft ODBC Driver Manager or the IBM DB2 CLI/ODBC driver is not installed, then rerun the DB2 install and select the ODBC component in Windows 95 or Windows NT, or double-click on the Install ODBC Driver icon in the DB2 program group in Windows 3.1.

  3. Register the DB2 database with the ODBC driver manager as a data source. On Windows 95 and Windows NT you can make the data source available to all users of the system (a system data source), or only the current user (a user data source). Use either of these methods to add the data source:

  4. Optional: Configure the DB2 CLI/ODBC driver using the CCA:

    1. Select the DB2 database alias you want to configure.

    2. Click on the Properties push button. The Database Properties window opens.

    3. Click on the Settings push button. The CLI/ODBC Settings window opens.

    4. Click on the Advanced push button. You can set the configuration keywords in the window that opens. These keywords are associated with the database alias name, and affect all DB2 CLI/ODBC applications that access the database. The online help explains all of the keywords, as does an appendix in the Installing and Configuring DB2 Clients manual.

      For information on manually editing this file (db2cli.ini), see "Configuring db2cli.ini".

  5. Optional: Using 16-bit ODBC applications:

    Although not directly related to DB2, some users have experienced problems when running 16-bit ODBC applications on Windows 95 or Windows NT.

    Both 16- and 32-bit applications use the same 32-bit IBM DB2 CLI/ODBC Driver. The Microsoft ODBC Driver Manager takes care of the conversion between the 16-bit application and the 32-bit ODBC driver.

    Some 16-bit applications were shipped with an old set of 16-bit Driver Manager DLLs (that is, before 1995). These DLLs do not function well in the 32-bit environment. The following symptoms may occur when running the old DLLs:

    If (and only if) you are experiencing these problems you may want to update the Microsoft 16-bit ODBC Driver Manager DLLs. These files are provided with DB2 in the SQLLIB\MSODBC16 subdirectory. Use these new DLLs to replace the older versions that are located in the system subdirectory of the Windows operating system directory.

  6. If you have installed ODBC access (as described above), you can now access DB2 data using ODBC applications. Start the ODBC application and go to the Open window. Select the ODBC databases file type. The DB2 databases that you added as ODBC data sources will be selectable from the list. Many ODBC applications will open the table as read-only unless a unique index exists.



note

If you require additional information at this point you can refer to the following topics in "Detailed Configuration Information":

OS/2 Client Access to DB2 using CLI/ODBC

Before DB2 CLI and ODBC applications can successfully access a DB2 database from an OS/2 client, perform the following steps on the client system:

  1. The DB2 database (and node if the database is remote) must be cataloged. To do so, use the CCA (or the command line processor).

    For more information see the on-line help in the CCA or "Configuring Database Connections".

  2. If you are using ODBC applications to access DB2 data, perform the following steps. (If you are using only CLI applications, skip this step and go to the next step.)

    1. Check that the ODBC Driver Manager (Visigenic or Intersolv) and the DB2 CLI/ODBC driver are installed:

      1. Run the ODBC Administration tool in one of two ways:
        • Double-click on the Control Panel icon from the Main Folder in WIN-OS/2 or the ODBC Folder in OS/2, and double-click on the ODBC Administrator icon.
        • Run odbcadm.exe from the command line.

        The Data Sources window opens.

      2. Click on the Drivers push button. The Drivers window opens.

      3. Verify that "IBM DB2 ODBC Driver" is shown in the list.

      If either the ODBC Driver Manager or the IBM DB2 CLI/ODBC driver is not installed then double-click on the Install ODBC Driver icon in the DB2 folder to install both the DB2 CLI/ODBC driver and the ODBC driver manager.

    2. Register the DB2 database with the ODBC driver manager as a data source using either of these methods:

      • Using the CCA:

        1. Select the DB2 database alias that you want to add as a data source.

        2. Click on the Properties push button.

        3. Select the Register this database for ODBC check box.

      • Using the Visigenic ODBC Administration tool, which you can access from the ODBC folder or by running odbcadm.exe from the command line:

        1. Click on the Add push button from the Data Sources window. The Add Data Source Window opens.

        2. Double-click on the IBM DB2 ODBC Driver in the list.

        3. Select the DB2 database to add and click on OK.

  3. Optional: Configure the DB2 CLI/ODBC driver using the CCA:

    1. Select the DB2 database alias you want to configure.

    2. Click on the Properties push button. The Database Properties window opens.

    3. Click on the Settings push button. The CLI/ODBC Settings window opens.

    4. Click on the Advanced push button. You can set the configuration keywords in the window that appears. These keywords are associated with the database alias name, and affect all DB2 CLI/ODBC applications that access the database. The online help explains all of the keywords, as does an appendix in the Installing and Configuring DB2 Clients manual.

      For information on manually editing this file (db2cli.ini), see "Configuring db2cli.ini".

  4. If you have installed ODBC access (as described above), you can now access DB2 data using ODBC applications. Start the ODBC application and go to the Open window. Select the ODBC databases file type. The DB2 databases that you added as ODBC data sources will be selectable from the list. Many ODBC applications will open the table as read-only unless a unique index exists.



note

If you require additional information at this point you can refer to the following topics in "Detailed Configuration Information":

UNIX Client Access to DB2 using CLI/ODBC

Before DB2 CLI and ODBC applications can successfully access a DB2 database from a UNIX client, perform the following steps on the client system:

  1. The DB2 database (and node if the database is remote) must be cataloged. To do so, use the command line processor.

    For more information see Chapter 15. "Configuring Client-to-Server Communications Using the Command Line Processor" or the CATALOG DATABASE and CATALOG NODE commands in the Command Reference.

  2. The DB2 CLI/ODBC driver is automatically installed when DB2 is installed, and therefore nothing needs to be done.

  3. If you are using ODBC applications to access DB2 data, perform the following steps. (If you are using only CLI applications, skip this step and go to the next step.)

    1. When using an ODBC application you must ensure that the Visigenic ODBC Driver Manager components are installed and that each user that will use ODBC has access to it.
      • If DB2 installed the Driver Manager it would be located in the sqllib/odbclib subdirectory.
      • If the Driver Manager was installed by another program, the file .odbc.ini (begins with a period) would be located in the root directory of the user ID that runs the ODBC application.

    2. The Driver Manager uses two initialization files. A sample template of these files are provided in the sqllib/odbclib subdirectory.
      odbcinst.ini
      ODBC Driver Manager's configuration file indicating which database drivers are installed. Each user that will use ODBC must have access to this file.
      .odbc.ini
      End-user's data source configuration. Each user has a separate copy of this file.

      Setting up odbcinst.ini

      The settings in this file impact all of the ODBC drivers on the machine.

      Use an ASCII editor to update this file. It must have a stanza (section) called [IBM DB2 ODBC DRIVER], with a line starting with "Driver" indicating the full path to the DB2 ODBC driver (db2.o). For example, if the home directory of your end user is /u/thisuser/ and the sqllib directory is installed there, then the correct entry would be:

         [IBM DB2 ODBC DRIVER]
         Driver=/u/thisuser/sqllib/lib/db2.o
       
      

      See the sample file in the sqllib/odbclib subdirectory for an example.

      Setting up odbc.ini

      The settings in this file are associated with a particular user on the machine; different users can have different odbc.ini files.

      The odbc.ini file must be copied into the end user's home directory and called .odbc.ini. Update this file, using an ASCII editor, to reflect the appropriate data source configuration information. To register a DB2 database as an ODBC data source there must be one stanza (section) for each DB2 database.

      The sample odbc.ini template shows:

      • line 2 (part of the [ODBC Data Source] stanza):
           SAMPLE=IBM DB2 ODBC DRIVER
        

        Indicates that there is a data source called SAMPLE that used the IBM DB2 ODBC DRIVER.

      • lines 4-6 (part of the [SAMPLE] stanza):
           [SAMPLE]
           Driver=/u/thisuser/sqllib/lib/db2.o
           Description=Sample DB2 ODBC Database
        

        Indicates that the SAMPLE database is part of the DB2 instance located in the directory /u/thisuser.

      • line 11 (part of the [ODBC] stanza):
           InstallDir=/u/thisuser/sqllib/odbclib
        

        Indicates that /u/thisuser/sqllib/odbclib should be treated as the location where ODBC is installed.
        Note:If your application specifically installed the ODBC components (such as the Driver Manager) elsewhere, you must update the line starting with InstallDir under the [ODBC] stanza to reflect this new location.

        For example, if ODBC has been installed in /opt/odbc, the [ODBC] stanza would look like:

           [ODBC]
           Trace=0
           TraceFile=odbctrace.out
           InstallDir=/opt/odbc
        

      See the sample file in the sqllib/odbclib subdirectory for an example. You can also see "How to Configure ODBC.INI" for more detailed information.

      Once the .ini files are set up you can run your ODBC application and access DB2 databases. Refer to the documentation that comes with your ODBC application for additional help and information.

  4. Configure the DB2 CLI/ODBC driver (optional).

    There are various keywords and values that can be used to modify the behavior of DB2 CLI/ODBC and the applications using it. The keywords are associated with the database alias name, and affect all DB2 CLI/ODBC applications that access the database.

    For information on manually editing this file (db2cli.ini), see "Configuring db2cli.ini". For information about the specific keywords see the CLI Guide and Reference.



note

If you require additional information at this point you can refer to the following topics in "Detailed Configuration Information":

Macintosh Client Access to DB2 using CLI/ODBC

Before DB2 CLI and ODBC applications can successfully access a DB2 database from a Macintosh client, perform the following steps on the client system:

  1. The DB2 database (and node if the database is remote) must be cataloged. To do so, use the command line processor.

    For more information see "Configuring Database Connections".

  2. If you are using ODBC applications to access DB2 data, perform the following steps. (If you are using only CLI applications, skip to step #4.)

    1. An ODBC driver manager must be installed to handle the communications between the ODBC applications and the DB2 ODBC driver. DB2 does not supply a Macintosh ODBC driver manager, only the DB2 ODBC driver itself. If your ODBC application does not supply an ODBC driver manager then you can obtain the MacODBC driver manager directly from Apple.

    2. Register the DB2 database with the ODBC driver manager list of data sources (contained in the ODBC Preferences file) as a data source using either of these methods:

      • Running ODBC Setup (in a 68K environment) or ODBC Setup PPC (in a PowerMacintosh environment) from the Control Panel

      • Editing the initialization (ODBC Preferences or ODBC Preferences PPC) file directly; refer to the next step in this process for more information.

  3. Configuring ODBC Preferences or ODBC Preferences PPC: The ODBC initialization file is used to record information such as the available drivers and data sources. See the documentation for your driver manager for procedures on updating this file.

    The MacODBC driver manager uses the ODBC Preferences file or the ODBC Preferences PPC file to record information about the available drivers and data sources.

    It is also possible to modify these files manually. Do not change any of the existing entries in the files.

    1. Use an ASCII editor to edit the ODBC Preferences file or the ODBC Preferences PPC file.

      68K Environment
      The following is a sample ODBC Preferences file:
           [ODBC Data Sources]
           GLOBALDB=IBM ODBC DB2 for Macintosh
           SAMPLE=IBM ODBC DB2 for Macintosh
       
           [GLOBALDB]
           Driver=appl:ODBC$DB2DriverFunctionSet
           Description=My GLOBAL database
       
           [SAMPLE]
           Driver=appl:ODBC$DB2DriverFunctionSet
           Description=My SAMPLE database
      

      PowerMacintosh Environment
      The following is a sample ODBC Preferences PPC:
           [ODBC Data Sources]
           SAMPLE=IBM ODBC DB2 for PPC
       
           [SAMPLE]
           Driver=DB2ODBCDriverPPC
           Description=My SAMPLE database
      

    2. The [ODBC Data Source] section lists the name of each available data source and the description of the associated driver.

      For each data source listed in the [ODBC Data Source] section, there is a section that lists additional information about that data source. These are called the Data Source Specification sections.

      Under the [ODBC DATA SOURCE] entry, add the following line:

      68K Environment
      database_alias=IBM ODBC DB2 for Macintosh

      PowerMacintosh Environment
      database_alias=IBM ODBC DB2 for PPC

      where database_alias is the alias of the database cataloged in the database directory (the database name used by the Command Line Processor CONNECT TO statement).

    3. Add a new entry in the Data Source Specification section to associate the data source with the driver:

      68K Environment
      [database_alias]
      Driver=appl:ODBC$DB2DriverFunctionSet
      

      PowerMacintosh Environment
      [database_alias]
      Driver=DB2ODBCDriverPPC
      

      Where database_alias is the alias of the database cataloged in the database directory, and listed under the Data Source Specification section.

  4. The DB2 CLI/ODBC driver can be configured further by editing the db2cli.ini file. This file contains various keywords and values that can be used to modify the behavior of DB2 CLI and the applications using it. The keywords are associated with the database alias name, and affect all DB2 CLI applications that access the database. For a complete description of all the keywords and their usage, refer to an appendix in the Installing and Configuring DB2 Clients manual.

  5. If you have installed ODBC access (as described above), you can now access DB2 data using ODBC applications. Start the ODBC application and go to the Open window. Select the ODBC databases file type. The DB2 databases that you added as ODBC data sources will be selectable from the list. Many ODBC applications will open the table as read-only unless a unique index exists.

Detailed Configuration Information

The section "Platform Specific Details for CLI/ODBC Access" should provide you with all of the information you require. The following additional information is useful where DB2 tool support is not available, and for administrators who require more detailed information.



note

The following topics are covered in this section:

How to Bind the DB2 CLI/ODBC Driver to the Database

The CLI/ODBC driver will autobind on the first connection to the database, provided the user has the appropriate privilege or authorization. The administrator may want to perform the first connect or explicitly bind the required files.

See "Binding Database Utilities" for more information.

How to Set CLI/ODBC Configuration Keywords

DB2 CLI can be configured further by using either the CCA or the DB2 Client Setup administration tool, whichever is applicable for your platform, or by manually editing the db2cli.ini file.

This file contains various keywords and values that can be used to modify the behavior of DB2 CLI and the applications using it. The keywords are associated with the database alias name, and affect all DB2 CLI and ODBC applications that access the database.

By default, the location of the CLI/ODBC configuration keyword file is as follows:

Platform:
Location:

OS/2
sqllib directory

Windows NT
sqllib directory

Windows 95
sqllib directory

Windows 3.1
sqllib\win directory

UNIX
sqllib/cfg directory of the database instance running the CLI/ODBC applications

The environment variable DB2CLIINIPATH can also be used to override the default and specify a different location for the file.

The configuration keywords enable you to:

For a complete description of all the keywords and their usage, refer to the Installing and Configuring DB2 Clients.

Configuring db2cli.ini

The db2cli.ini initialization file is an ASCII file which stores values for the DB2 CLI configuration options. A sample file is shipped to help you get started. Refer to the CLI Guide and Reference for information on each keyword.

See "Platform Specific Details for CLI/ODBC Access" for more information on how to modify this file on your platform.

How to Configure ODBC.INI

Microsoft's 16-bit ODBC Driver Manager and Visigenic's ODBC Driver Manager use the odbc.ini file to record information about the available drivers and data sources. Visigenic's ODBC Driver Manager also uses the odbcinst.ini file on UNIX platforms. Although the necessary files are updated automatically by the tools on most platforms, users of ODBC on UNIX platforms will have to edit them manually. The file odbc.ini (and odbcinst.ini where required) are located:

Platform:
Location:

Windows
drive:\windows (where drive is the drive where Windows is installed)

Win-OS/2
drive:\os2\mdos\winos2 (where drive is the drive where OS/2 is installed)

UNIX
Home directory of user ID running ODBC application

It is also possible to modify this file manually. Do not change any of the existing entries in the file.

  1. Use an ASCII editor to edit the odbc.ini file.

    The following is an example odbc.ini file:

         [ODBC Data Sources]
         MS Access Databases=Access Data (*.mdb)
     
         [MS Access Databases]
         Driver=D:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\simba.dll
         FileType=RedISAM
         SingleUser=False
         UseSystemDB=False
    

    The [ODBC Data Sources] section lists the name of each available data source and the description of the associated driver.

    For each data source listed in the [ODBC Data Sources] section, there is a section that lists additional information about that data source. These are called the Data Source Specification sections.

  2. Under the [ODBC DATA SOURCE] entry, add the following line:
    database_alias=IBM DB2 ODBC DRIVER
    

    where database_alias is the alias of the database cataloged in the database directory (the database name used by the command line processor CONNECT TO statement).

  3. Add a new entry in the Data Source Specification section to associate the data source with the driver:
    [database_alias]
    Driver=drive:\windows\system\db2cliw.dll
    

    Where:

The following shows the example file with the IBM data source entries added:

     [ODBC Data Sources]
     MS Access Databases=Access Data (*.mdb)
     SAMPLE=IBM DB2 ODBC DRIVER
 
     [MS Access Databases]
     Driver=D:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\simba.dll
     FileType=RedISAM
     SingleUser=False
     UseSystemDB=False
 
     [SAMPLE]
     Driver=D:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\db2cliw.dll
     Description=Sample DB2 Client/Server database
Note:If you are running the ODBC application under WIN-OS/2, specify the equivalent path \OS2\MDOS\WINOS2\SYSTEM in place of the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM path.

UNIX Configuration of .ini files

The section "UNIX Client Access to DB2 using CLI/ODBC" contains detailed steps on how to update both the odbc.ini and odbcinst.ini files.


[ Top of Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Table of Contents | Index ]

[ DB2 List of Books | Search the DB2 Books ]