DB2 Version 9.7 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows

Features of the DB2 Information Center

The DB2® Information Center gives you access to all of the information you need to take full advantage of DB2 products. The DB2 Information Center also contains information for major DB2 features and components including replication, and the DB2 extenders.

The following features help you find and work with the information you need. Note that some features require support for JavaScript be enabled.

Flexible options for accessing documentation

You can choose to view the DB2 documentation using the option that best meets your needs:

To view the most up-to-date information, you can access the DB2 Information Center from the ibm.com Web site at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/db2luw/v9r7
To keep network traffic inside your intranet, you can install the DB2 Information Center on a single server on your intranet
To reduce your dependence on network connections, you can install the documentation on your own computers. You can choose between a Network version and a Workstation version of the DB2 Information Center to install on your local computer. The Workstation version of the DB2 Information Center is suitable for personal use, does not require administrative or root authority, and does not run as a service.

Search

You can search all of the topics in the DB2 Information Center by entering a search term in the Search text field. You can retrieve exact matches by enclosing terms in quotation marks ("), and you can refine your search with wildcard operators (*, ?) and Boolean operators (AND, NOT, OR). The search results are displayed on a tab in the left pane, and can be returned to without having to rerun the query.

Table of contents

You can locate topics in the DB2 Information Center from the table of contents tab in the left pane. The table of contents is organized primarily by the kind of tasks you can perform, but also includes entries for product overviews, goals, reference information, and a glossary.

Product overviews describe the relationship between the available products in the DB2 family, the features offered by each of those products, and up to date release information for each of these products.
Goal categories such as installing, administering, and developing include topics that enable you to quickly complete tasks and develop a deeper understanding of the background information for completing those tasks.
Reference topics provide detailed information about a subject, including statement and command syntax, message help, and configuration parameters.
The glossary provides definitions of terms used in the DB2 documentation. The glossary is organized in alphabetical order by glossary term.

Alphabetized index

The index provides an index of keywords that direct the user to specific help topics, similar to indexes found at the back of a book. As you type in the text field, the best match will automatically be highlighted in the list of keywords. Pressing enter or clicking on a keyword will display the given topic.

Integrated multi-language support

The DB2 Information Center displays information in the preferred language set in your browser preferences. If a topic is not available in your preferred language, the DB2 Information Center displays the English version of that topic. For local or intranet installations, only the languages installed can be displayed.

Multiple versions of the DB2 Information Center

When installing the DB2 Version 9.7 Information Center, consider the following information:

If you have a DB2 Information Center Version 8 or Version 9.1 copy, it remains untouched when installing a DB2 Information Center Version 9.5 (or higher) copy.
If the existing DB2 Information Center Version 8 or Version 9.1 copy is installed in the default directory, you must specify a different location and port number when you install the Version 9.5 (or higher) Information Center. If you are installing the Information Center using the DB2 setup wizard, the DB2 setup wizard prompts you for an alternative location and provides the next available port number.
If you want to install a DB2 Information Center Version 9.5 (or higher) copy in the same location as a previous version of the DB2 Information Center or if you no longer need it, you must uninstall the pre-Version 9.5 copy.

Restrictions

The following restrictions apply to the DB2 Information Center:

The DB2 Information Center cannot coexist in the same installation path of a previous version of the DB2 Information Center on the same system.
You can only install one copy of the DB2 Version 9.5 (or higher) Information Center on a computer. For example, you can install a copy of the DB2 Information Center Version 9.1 and DB2 Information Center Version 9.5 (or higher) on the same computer, but you cannot install two copies of the DB2 Information Center at the same level.
If you install the DB2 Information Center on a system with a firewall, and you plan to allow other systems to access the DB2 Information Center, you must open the port in your firewall setting.

The DB2 Information Center can be viewed in Firefox 1.0 and higher, Mozilla-based browsers 1.7 and higher, Safari 3.0, or Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 and higher.