Creating a Db2 home file system for a partitioned database system (AIX®)

As part of setting up your partitioned database system, you need to create a Db2 home file system. Then you must NFS export the home file system and mount it from each computer participating in the partitioned database system.

Before you begin

It is recommended that you create a home file system that is as large as the content on the Db2 database product DVD. You can use the following command to check the size, KB:
   du -sk DVD_mounting_point

A Db2 instance will require at least 200 MB of space. If you do not have enough free space, you can mount the Db2 database product DVD from each participating computer as an alternative to copying the contents to disk.

You must have:
  • root authority to create a file system
  • Created a volume group where your file system is to be physically located.

Procedure

To create, NFS export, and NFS mount the Db2 home file system, perform the following steps:

  1. Create the Db2 home file system.

    Log on to the primary computer (ServerA) in your partitioned database system as a user with root authority and create a home file system for your partitioned database system called /db2home.

    1. Enter the smit jfs command.
    2. Click on the Add a Journaled File System icon.
    3. Click on the Add a Standard Journaled File System icon.
    4. Select an existing volume group from the Volume Group Name list where you want this file system to physically reside.
    5. Set the SIZE of file system (SIZE of file system (in 512-byte blocks) (Num.) field).
      This sizing is enumerated in 512-byte blocks, so if you only need to create a file system for the instance home directory, you can use 180 000, which is about 90 MB. If you need to copy the product DVD image over to run the installation, you can create it with a value of 2 000 000, which is about 1 GB.
    6. Enter the mount point for this file system in the MOUNT POINT field. In this example, the mount point is /db2home.
    7. Set the Mount AUTOMATICALLY at system restart field to yes.

      The remaining fields can be left to the default settings.

    8. Click OK.
  2. Export the Db2 home file system.

    NFS export the /db2home file system so that it is available to all of the computers that will participate in your partitioned database system.

    1. Enter the smit nfs command.
    2. Click on the Network File System (NFS) icon.
    3. Click on the Add a Directory to Exports List icon.
    4. Enter the path name and directory to export (for example, /db2home) in the PATHNAME of directory to export field.
    5. Enter the name of each workstation that will participate in your partitioned database system in the HOSTS allowed root access field.
      Use a comma (,) as the delimiter between each name. For example, ServerA, ServerB, ServerC. If you are using a high speed interconnect, it is recommended that you specify the high speed interconnect names for each workstation in this field as well. The remaining fields can be left to the default settings.
    6. Click OK.
  3. Log out.
  4. Mount the Db2 home file system from each participating computer.

    Log on to each participating computer (ServerB, ServerC, ServerD) and NFS mount the file system that you exported by performing the following steps:

    1. Enter the smit nfs command.
    2. Click on the Network File System (NFS) icon.
    3. Click on the Add a File System for Mounting icon.
    4. Enter the path name of the mount point in the PATHNAME of the mount point (Path) field.

      The path name of the mount point is where you should create the Db2 home directory. For this example, use/db2home.

    5. Enter the path name of the remote directory in the PATHNAME of the remote directory field.

      For this example, you should enter the same value that you entered in the PATHNAME of the mount point (Path) field.

    6. Enter the hostname of the machine where you exported the file system in the HOST where the remote directory resides field.

      This value is the hostname of the machine where the file system that you are mounting was created.

      To improve performance, you may want to NFS mount the file system that you created over a high speed interconnect. If you want to mount this file system using a high speed interconnect, you must enter its name in the HOST where remote directory resides field.

      You should be aware that if the high speed interconnect ever becomes unavailable for some reason, every workstation that participates in your partitioned database system will lose access to the Db2 home directory.

    7. Set the MOUNT now, add entry to /etc/filesystems or both? field to both.
    8. Set the /etc/filesystems entry will mount the directory on system RESTART field to yes.
    9. Set the MODE for this NFS file system field to read-write.
    10. Set the Mount file system soft or hard field to hard.

      A soft mount means that the computer will not try for an infinite period of time to remotely mount the directory. A hard mount means that your machine will infinitely try to mount the directory. This could cause problems in the event of a system crash. It is recommended that you set this field to hard.

      The remaining fields can be left to the default settings.

    11. Ensure that this file system is mounted with the Allow execution of SUID and sgid programs in this file system? field set to Yes.
      This is the default setting.
    12. Click OK.
    13. Log out.