This topic outlines information available about clients and drivers,
and provides links to further details. This topic will help you to
perform the following tasks:
- Choose the appropriate IBM® data server client or
driver to enable connections between your system and remote databases.
- Choose the most suitable method for installing your client or
driver.
- Complete the steps and address the considerations needed to set
up a client or driver.
Connection options
Options for connecting
a system to a remote database include various
IBM data server
clients and
drivers. The options available depend on whether the system connecting
to the remote database is:
- An application located on a business user's machine or an application
server
- An application development workstation
- A database administrator workstation
There are additional options to consider if you need to
also connect to midrange or mainframe databases.
IBM data server client and driver types
The
following lists the
IBM data server
clients and
drivers:
- IBM Data
Server Driver Package
- IBM Data
Server Client
- IBM Data Server Runtime Client
- IBM Data Server
Driver for JDBC and SQLJ.
- IBM Data
Server Driver for ODBC and CLI
The IBM Data Server Driver is a lightweight
solution and the recommended best practice package for end user code
deployment. It provides robust runtime support for applications using
ODBC, CLI, .NET, OLE DB, PHP, Ruby, JDBC, or SQLJ without the need
of installing Data Server Runtime Client or Data Server Client. The IBM Data
Server Driver for ODBC and CLI solution is designed mainly for independent
software vendor (ISV) deployments.
It is also recommended
that the IBM Data Server Driver Package be installed first.
It can then be configured to work in conjunction with DB2 Connect™.
In addition, a separate product, DB2 Connect Personal Edition,
includes all the functionality of IBM Data
Server Client plus
the capability to connect to midrange and mainframe databases.
DB2 Connect capability
can be added to any client or driver.
Installation methods
The
common method for installing a client or driver is to run the installation
program provided on a product DVD.
The IBM Data
Server Driver Package on Windows can
be installed by following the prompts. There is no installation program
for IBM Data
Server Driver for ODBC and CLI or
for IBM Data
Server Driver Package on Linux and UNIX.
You must install the driver manually.
Other installation methods
are also available. Some methods are designed to automate the deployment
of large numbers of clients. Other methods use various Windows operating system capabilities. For
example, on Windows operating systems, you
can use merge modules to embed the functionality of Data Server Runtime Client or IBM Data
Server Driver Package in
your application.
In DB2® Version
9.7 Fix Pack 7, deployment of the
IBM Data Server Provider for .NET on Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 platforms might result
in errors due to .NET Framework 3.5. These errors might occur during
the installation of the following clients or driver:
- IBM Data
Server Client
- IBM Data Server Runtime Client
- IBM Data
Server Driver Package
To successfully setup and configure install .NET Framework 3.5
on these platforms, you must complete some additional steps. For
details, see
setup recommendations for
running applications on Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012.
Setting up a client or driver
After you
decide which client to use, set up the client by performing the following
steps:
- Ensure that system prerequisites are satisfied.
- Perform the installation.
For systems where a Version
8 client or a DB2 Version 9 client already exists, consider
whether to upgrade the existing client to a
Version
9.7 Data Server
Client,
or, keep the pre-
Version
9.7 client
and install the
Version
9.7 Data Server
Client as
an additional client. Upgrading to a Version 9.7 client is strongly
recommended. Running multiple copies of the client packages is for
advanced users only.
Note: The option to upgrade and replace the existing
client applies to Data Server
Client only.