Installing Db2 using RPM packages (Linux)

The RPM package installation method installs Db2 database products by using native Linux package management. RPM packages are available for all Db2 products and include all components with English interface support.

Note: RPM package installation supports single-partition databases only: Db2® pureScale® deployments are not supported.
RPM installation provides automated dependency resolution and integrates with standard Linux® package managers (rpm, yum, dnf, zypper). All RPM packages are digitally signed by using IBM Garasign GPG signing for security verification.

Although the RPM package installation method installs all components for the Db2 database product you specify, it does not perform user and group creation, instance creation, or configuration. This method of installation might be preferred in cases where configuration is to be done after installation, or when integrating Db2 installation with automated deployment tools. To configure your Db2 database product while you install it, you can use the Db2 commands.

On Linux operating systems, RPM packages integrate with native package management systems, allowing you to use standard package manager commands for installation, upgrade, and removal operations. The package manager automatically handles dependencies and provides rollback capabilities.

This installation method requires manual configuration after the product files are deployed.

Prerequisites:
Before installing Db2 using RPM packages, ensure that:
  • You have root or sudo privileges.
  • Your system meets the Db2 installation requirements.
  • The RPM package manager is installed on your system.
  • You have imported the IBM Db2 GPG public key for package verification.

Supported operating systems

RPM package installation is available on the following Linux distributions:

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9.x.
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 10.x.
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 15.x.
  • Other RPM-based Linux distributions.
Note: Installation on older systems (RHEL 7/8) will fail if OS version is locked through versionlock plugin. Without version lock, the package manager may automatically update the OS release package to meet requirements, which could trigger system-wide package updates.
Recommendation: Upgrade to a supported OS version (RHEL 9 or SLES 15) before installing Db2 v12.1.5 RPM to ensure full compatibility and support.

Supported architectures

  • x86_64 (Intel/AMD 64-bit)
  • s390x (IBM Z Systems)
  • ppc64le (IBM Power Systems, Little Endian)

Available products

The following Db2 products are available as RPM packages:

  • Db2 Server, edition determined by license1, (db2-ese)
  • Db2 Client (db2-client)
  • Db2 Runtime Client (db2-rtcl)
  • Db2 Connect Server (db2-consv)
  • Db2 Data Server Driver Package (db2-dsdriver)
Note: 1Db2 Standard and Advanced editions are determined by the license applied after installation, not by different RPM packages. All editions use the same db2-ese RPM package.

Understanding RPM package downloads

RPM package bundling structure

RPM packages are distributed in compressed tar.gz archives downloaded from IBM Fix Central. Each archive contains RPM packages for a specific product and platform combination.

Bundle structure example:
v12.1.5_linuxx64_ese_rpms.tar.gz
└── ese-rpms/
    ├── RPM-GPG-KEY-IBM-DB2.asc
    ├── db2-common-12.1.5.s2605011852.el10-1-1.x86_64.rpm
    ├── db2-common-12.1.5.s2605011852.el9-1-1.x86_64.rpm
    ├── db2-common-12.1.5.s2605011852.sles156-1-1.x86_64.rpm
    ├── db2-ese-12.1.5.s2605011852.el10-1-1.x86_64.rpm
    ├── db2-ese-12.1.5.s2605011852.el9-1-1.x86_64.rpm
    ├── db2-ese-12.1.5.s2605011852.sles156-1-1.x86_64.rpm
    ├── v12.1.5_linuxx64_pcmk-rhel10_rpms.tar.gz
    ├── v12.1.5_linuxx64_pcmk-rhel9_rpms.tar.gz
    └── v12.1.5_linuxx64_pcmk-sles15_rpms.tar.gz
Bundle contents:
  • RPM-GPG-KEY-IBM-DB2.asc: IBM GPG public key for package verification
  • db2-common-*.rpm: Common packages for each supported OS (RHEL 9, RHEL 10, SLES 15.6)
  • db2-ese-*.rpm: Db2 Server packages for each supported OS
  • v12.1.5_linuxx64_pcmk-*.tar.gz: Nested archives containing Pacemaker (PCMK) packages for High Availability configurations

High Availability (PCMK) Bundle Structure:

Each PCMK tar.gz contains additional packages for HA support:
v12.1.5_linuxx64_pcmk-rhel9_rpms.tar.gz
└── pcmk-rhel9/
    ├── db2-pcmk-meta-12.1.5.s2605011852.el9-1-1.x86_64.rpm
    └── db2pcm*.rpm (additional Pacemaker rpms)
Download and extract:
  1. Download the appropriate tar.gz bundle from IBM Fix Central
  2. Extract the bundle: tar -xzf v12.1.5_linuxx64_ese_rpms.tar.gz
  3. Navigate to the extracted directory: cd ese-rpms/
  4. Select and install the RPM packages for your specific OS:
    • For RHEL 9: Use packages with .el9 in the name
    • For RHEL 10: Use packages with .el10 in the name
    • For SLES 15.6: Use packages with .sles156 in the name