Features and benefits
THE SERVER
DB2 Server for VSE & VM provides everything you need for implementing distributed database solutions.
The basic server consists of a relational database engine, performance enhancements including Data Space Support for VM and VSE guest solutions, DataPropagator Relational Capture support, the web-based DB2 Technical Library, and a copy of the DB2 Universal Developer's Edition.
Relational Database Engine
The database engine provides the basic functions of the relational database management system. It manages the data, controls all access to it, generates packages, generates optimized paths, provides transaction management, ensures data integrity, and provides concurrency control. All access to the data takes place through its SQL interface.
DB2 Server for VSE & VM provides powerful data integrity features, industrial strength security, and a variety of recovery options to make sure your data is always available when you need it. Its relational technology lets you access your data and transform it into information that you can use to run your business. You store data in tables and then you query the database for information - without needing to know the physical location of the data. Your focus is on your business rather than the management of data and when you request the information, it appears on your desktop from one simple query without you needing to know whether the information was actually stored in New York or London or Tokyo.
Powerful data integrity capabilities ensure you can rely on the information you obtain from your database. Your applications can use referential integrity to establish relationships between the elements of different tables and to enforce organization-defined rules so that you can modify data without worrying about damaging data consistency.
No matter what happens you need to be able to access all your business data. Catastrophic events like typhoons and hurricanes, tidal waves and avalanches, war and terrorism all happen in our world today and your business needs to be able to continue to operate. The key to recovering from these large disasters is the same as recovering from smaller ones like damage caused by a power loss or the accidental deletion of a critical table - an archive and recovery plan. The server provides you with basic archive and recovery services for the full database along with functions like COMMIT COUNT on RELOAD which means you don't have to start all over again if you encounter a problem with your recovery. Adding Data Restore extends your options to include partial archive and recovery solutions. And adding Control Center lets you automate the administration of your archive recovery tasks.
IBM's Distributed Relational Database Architecture (DRDA) provides the structure you need to join together all the databases in your enterprise using either TCP/IP or SNA. Whether its a simple DB2 Connect (formerly DDCS) connection on your workstation on your desktop so you can use Lotus Approach to query your DB2 Server for VSE & VM database or a full-blown DRDA2 distributed database solution moving data and information around the world, DRDA provides the highway to move the information.
In addition, you can use stored procedures to reduce the amount of information that must flow back to the client, and reduce network traffic.
VMDSS
Using VMDSS can dramatically increase the performance of your server in a VM or VSE Guest Sharing environment. Data spaces provide your application server with access to vast amounts of fast storage and use of a high performance DASD I/O system. This turbo-boosting option can also distribute data across multiple dbextents so you can balance the load on your system's DASD and allow the operating system to read and write data in parallel. And you can monitor the performance of your DASD I/O system for individual storage pools while controlling the amount of system resource it uses.
DataPropagator Relational Capture
DPropR Capture helps you move data and information throughout a distributed database system. There are 2 parts to propagation - the capture of changed information from the source and the application of those changes to the target (or destination) database. The DataPropagator Relational Capture option lets you capture the changes made to your DB2 Server for VSE & VM database. You can then distribute the changes and integrate them into the target database using one of the DProp-R Apply programs. You can distribute a full refresh of the database or a partial refresh as often as you want to meet your enterprise's information currency needs. You can also subset and aggregate the data so you deliver usable information rather than raw data.
In short, the DataPropagator Relational Capture option of DB2 Server for VSE & VM delivers tailored information where you need it, when you need it, as often as you need it.
DB2 WWW (Internet)
Exciting new capability lets customers on the VM and VSE platforms develop new applications for electronic commerce using DB2 Server for VSE & VM to store business data. Check our home page for instructions on downloading the IBM DB2 WWW product for your platform, the DB2 Universal Developer's Edition has everything you need for any application pieces you want to put on the workstation.
Access VSE & VM data from anywhere
IBM provides a wide variety of servers and clients to help you meet your business needs including the DB2 Universal Database with its object relational technology. Mix and match them to tailor solutions to your business needs. Get started prototyping new distributed solutions with your copy of DB2 Universal Developer's Edition which includes:
DB2 Universal Database--the industry's first scalable, multimedia Web-enabled database that runs in environments from Intel to Unix enabling secure Web connectivity to facilitate real-time electronic business. DB2 Universal Database provides an easy-to-use integrated set of features and functions that lets you handle tasks as diverse as distributed multimedia data warehousing, powerful complex querying, and transaction processing. Choose from:
- Personal Edition which supports connected and disconnected operation and includes replication capabilities to maintain synchronization with enterprise data.
- Workgroup Edition which meets the needs of a department or workgroups in simple client/server LAN-based evironments with about 5-10 users
- Enterprise Edition which meets the needs of a complex LAN environment that may include LAN/host-based database configurationsSoftware Development Kits, application development environments to build your new applications
DB2 Connect Enterprise Edition to give LAN connected clients direct access to DRDA application server databases
DB2 Connect Personal Edition to give workstation clients direct access to DRDA application server databases
Net.Data to build your internet applications and facilitate your e-business.
Information and Support
Providing you with the information you need to implement your solutions and manage your database environment is critical to your productivity. DB2 Server for VSE & VM provides:
A web line into the DB2 Server for VSE & VM world with connections to other key home pages, informative articles, new news and much more!
Comprehensive on-line search capabilities on the WWW of the DB2 Server for VSE & VM information and additional technical notes plus on-line searching of information for other DB2 family products including relevant Red Books. Check this solution out from our home page at http://www.ibm.com/software/data/db2/vse-vm
A full set of reference manuals in CD format
Extensive on-line help
Softcopy on the operating system CD-ROM collection kits
VMSES/E
You install DB2 Server for VM using the VMSES/E standard format so that your programmers don't have to know a separate install process for DB2 Server for VM.
OPTIONAL FEATURES
Data Restore
Everyone wants to reduce the time that the database is unavailable for productive business use and many enterprises are striving to reach an operational goal of 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can achieve these goals by:
Reducing the length of the maintenance window
Maximizing the amount of available data
Hastening the restoration of the database after unpredictable circumstances.
Adding the Data Restore feature to your DB2 Server for VSE & VM solution provides increased flexibility with archive and restore options while minimizing the maintenance window. The server itself provides basic full database archive and restore capabilities - the Data Restore feature provides partial database recovery options that give you more alternatives like table level recovery, dual backup options, storage pool level recovery, incremental archive and much more. Choose the right solution for your enterprise by balancing the time and resources needed to take an archive against the risk of failure and the acceptable time for recovery.
Control Center
Database administrators (DBA) are a critical resource for your company. They help manage the database environment and spend time on designing and tuning applications so everyone can get more work done quickly and easily. Control Center helps DBAs manage the database environment and automate some of the tasks so they focus on other critical tasks. Control Center:
Simplifies database administration
Reduces the amount of time required for database tasks
Improves database performance
Improves scheduling of administration tasks
Provides automated scheduling with or without an operator
Increases flexibility of scheduling
Improves system management through task automation
Realizes user productivity gains, freeing database administrators to focus on database design
Protects your investment through better maintenance and control of the database environment.
Let Control Center keep watch over your database and implement a solution so it pages you if there is a problem. Manage database authorizations with the Group Authorization tool. Monitor the performance of the turbo-boosting VMDSS performance option of the server. Take advantage of the tools for dbspace reorganization, dbspace redefinition, data definition and data capture, updating statistics, and automated dbspace analysis. Use the VM Control Center feature in conjunction with the Data Restore feature to help manage archive and recovery.
REXX SQL
An interface tool that allows REXX programs to access DB2 Server for VSE & VM using SQL statement packages in embedded RXSQL requests. RXSQL performs some checking on the statements, transforms them into standard run-time SQL operations, and passes them to the database manager. The results of these transactions are then returned to your program as REXX variables. RXSQL is available for VM operating systems; VSE customers can obtain similar functions from Open Software Technologies, Inc.'s REXXTOOLS for VSE/ESA.
Query Management Facility (QMF) and QMF for Windows
In addition to the benefits mentioned earlier, QMF offers a QMF for Microsoft Windows environment which is part of the QMF High Performance Option family of technologies. It is a native Windows technology that queries DB2 directly from your Windows applications.
Powerful resource control and user governing features, regulated exclusively by the DBA, allow your Windows users to access DB2 servers without risking valuable DB2 resources. Your existing DB2 Security model remains in full force.
Now your Windows spreadsheets, desktop databases and custom applications can all execute QMF VSE and VM objects, such as queries and forms, and many QMF commands directly to DB2 from Windows.
QMF lets you access large amounts of data while letting you share central repositories for queries and enterprise reports. You can use QMF to publish reports to the World Wide Web shich you can view with your favorite web browser.
COMPLEMENTARY TOOLS
Lotus Approach (part of Lotus SmartSuite)
Provides an easy-to-use workstation query capability for your mainframe databases. Use the query results to format and analyze your data or integrate your data with other easy-to-use applications that help meet your day-to-day business needs. You can use Lotus®Approach to help you:
Automatically convert existing data in QMF definitions to Lotus Approach forms and reports using the QMF support.
Take advantage of the power of DB2 with Approach's easy-to-use reporting and analysis capabilities.
Define and store SQL queries quickly and easily with SQL Assistant's step-by-step guide.
Integrate with other applications to leverage your investment in Lotus Approach - for example, use Approach with Lotus 1-2-3 to create reports, crosstabs and mailings from your 1-2-3 data. Or get your customer addresses from DB2 Server for VSE & VM and use the query results with Approach's mail merge to send form letters and print envelopes using a powerful workstation wordprocessor like Lotus WordPro.
DB2 Forms
DB2 Forms is a native Windows tool built for DB2 that lets you drag-and-drop to create applications without programming! When finished, the applications are stored at the DB2 server for users to launch. Future modifications can be made whenever needed and go to all users automatically. It is a very quick way to build robust front ends to enterprise data. You can build data entry templates, forms that include business rules and constraints, forms that query and / or update multiple DB2 platforms, and much more. The forms you build can be accessed and run over any internet connection, and can access DB2 as well as other databases.
DB2-Based Connectors
VSE/ESA Version 2 Release 5 or later includes connectors based on the DB2 infrastructure that provide access to VSE/VSAM and DL/I files from DRDA clients. They consist of two parts. The first is a set of VSE external services based on DB2 stored procedures. The second is a portfolio of Java-based services similar to the first group of connectors, but based on JDBC/ODBC standards.
These connectors allow easy access to VSE resources from other systems. VSE/ESA Version 2 Release 5 or later includes server code that runs on VSE itself plus associated Java beans and servlets that run on Java-capable clients. supported clients include systems running IBM's WebSphere Application Server.
WEB-BASED APPLICATIONS
Our Web-enablement solutions provide the tools to fully integrate your data with web servers and exploit the latest technologies. You can use the web to find information in your DB2 databases and you can use it to provide information. For example, we are using Net.Data to let you access the DB2 Technical Library of information; for us it's a way to provide you with the information you need.
WebSphere
The IBM WebSphere family of products offers and open, standards-based Java server runtime environment, along with web site development tools, commerce software, and management software to help companies build, manage, and deploy powerful, portable e-business applications. Check out the Web Application Servers website for more information on the WebSphere family of products as well as case studies showing how businesses are using these products.
