Activating the license for Db2 Connect at the gateway server

You can activate your Db2 Connect license at a Db2 data server that acts as a connection gateway to target Db2 for z/OS and Db2 for System i servers. The required Db2 Connect software is bundled with your Db2 server installation.

About this task

Using the gateway server was the preferred method of connection during the Db2 Connect version 8 era, but enhancements to the IBM Data Server Client and driver packages improved the direct-connect functionality to where it is now the method of choice.

That said, using the gateway server provides you with the ability to use data federation to combine data from multiple diverse Db2® data servers, which the direct-connection method does not.

In these Db2 Connect Server scenarios, the software installed with the application is again one of the IBM Data Server Client packages, exactly the same as in the direct connect scenario. However with this scenario, the Db2 Connect Server is used as an intermediary that applications hop through to the Db2 host.
Figure 1. Db2 Connect gateway server configuration
Db2 Connect gateway server configuration

Db2 Connect licensing is validated at the Db2 ConnectServer, as that is the connection point to Db2 on the host. A Db2 Connect license file is not required on the machine where the application is located, unless the application and Db2 Connect Server are actually on the same machine.

Procedure

To activate a Db2 Connect licence at a gateway server machine:

  1. Obtain the licence key for the Db2 Connect product that you purchased from IBM by going to the Passport Advantage site.
    Attention:

    To download the Db2 license from Passport Advantage as a customer, follow the steps listed on the Passport Advantage page for customers.

    To download the Db2 license as a business partner, visit the Passport Advantage page for business partners.

  2. Save the license key to a location of your choosing on the Db2 Connect gateway server machine.
  3. Run the db2licm -a command to activate the license key for your Db2 Connect product.
    On Windows operating systems
    <db2install_path>\bin\db2licm -a <license_file>
    where <db2install_path> is the installation path of your Db2 instance on the Db2 Connect server machine and <license_file> is the location and name of the activation key for your Db2 Connect product.
    On Linux and AIX operating systems
      <INSTHOME>/sqllib/adm/db2licm -a <license_file>
    where <INSTHOME> represents the home directory of the instance owner. The db2licm command can also be found in the path where the Db2 database product is installed. For example, /opt/IBM/db2/V11.5/adm on Linux® or UNIX operating system, if you use the default installation directory.
  4. Verify the Db2 Connect product license information: 
    db2licm -l