Host software directory

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The /nz directory is the Netezza Performance Server host software installation directory.

The host installation directory contains the following software directories and files:

/nz: The root of the Netezza Performance Server software installation tree. On a production host, the default software installation directory is /nz. If you are a Linux® user that is connected to the Netezza Performance Server host, include /nz/kit/bin and /nz/kit/bin/adm in your PATH.
/nz/data->: A link to the current data directory.
/nz/kit->: A link to the current kit of executable files. The kit link points to the current software revision in use.
/nz/data.<ver>/: System catalog and other host-side database files.
/nz/kit.<rev>/: The set of optimized executable files and support files that are needed to run the product. The <rev> represents the revision of the software.

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/nz/tmp/: Netezza Performance Server temporary files.
/nzscratch: A location for Netezza Performance Server internal files. This location is not mirrored. The /nzscratch/tmp directory is the default temporary files directory, which is specified by the NZ_TMP_DIR variable. It holds files that are created and used by the transaction manager and other processes. The contents of NZ_TMP_DIR are deleted when the Netezza Performance Server software starts and when the Netezza Performance Server system restarts. Do not store large files in /nzscratch or its subdirectories; if /nzscratch runs out of space, Netezza Performance Server processes can fail.

The /nz directory

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The /nz directory is the top-level directory that contains the Netezza Performance Server software installation kits, data, and important information for the system and database. As a best practice, use caution when you are viewing files in this directory or its subfolders because unintended changes can impact the operation of the Netezza Performance Server system or cause data loss. Never delete or modify files or folders in the /nz directory unless directed to do so by Netezza Performance Server Support or an IBM representative. Do not store large files, unrelated files, or backups in the /nz directory.

The system manager monitors the size of the /nz directory. If the /nz directory reaches a configured usage percentage, the system manager stops the Netezza Performance Server software and logs a message in the sysmgr.log file. The default threshold is 95%, which is specified by the value of the sysmgr.hostFileSystemUsageThresholdToStopSystem registry setting. Do not change the value of the registry setting unless directed to do so by Netezza Performance Server Support.

A sample sysmgr.log file message for a case where the /nz directory has reached the configured 95% capacity threshold follows.

Error: File system /nz usage exceeded 95 threshold on rack1.host1 System will 
be stopped

If the Netezza Performance Server software stops and this message is in the sysmgr.log file, contact Netezza Performance Server Support for assistance to carefully review the contents of the /nz directory and to delete appropriate files. When the /nz directory usage falls below the configured threshold, you can start the Netezza Performance Server software.

The data directory

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The /nz/data directory contains the following subdirectories:

data.<ver>/base

Contains system tables, catalog information, and subdirectories for the databases. Each database that you create has its own subdirectory whose name matches the database object ID value. For example, base/1/ is the system database, base/2/ is the master_db database, and base/nnn is a user database, where nnn is the object ID of the database.

data.<ver>/cache

Contains copies of compiled code that were dynamically generated on the host, cross-compiled to run on the SPUs, then downloaded to the SPUs for execution. The copies are saved to eliminate extra steps and duplicate work for similar queries.

data.<ver>/config

Contains configuration files such as:

callHome.txt: The callhome attachment file.
sendMail.cfg: A file that contains the configuration parameters for the sendmail program.
system.cfg: The system configuration file, which contains settings that control the system.

If the Netezza Performance Server system uses options such as LDAP or Kerberos authentication or other applications, this directory might also contain additional files.

data.<ver>/plans

Contains copies of the most recent execution plans for reference. The system stores the execution plan (for each query) in a separate file with a .pln extension, and includes the following information:

The original SQL that was submitted.
The plan itself, describing how the various tables and columns are to be accessed, when joins, sorts, and aggregations are performed, and other processes.
If the system was able to reuse a cached (already compiled) version of the code.
The system also generates a separate C program (.cpp file) to process each snippet of each plan. The system compares this code against files in /nz/data/cache to determine whether the compilation step can be skipped.

The kit directory

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The kit directory contains the following subdirectories:

kit.<rev>/: Top-level directory for the release <rev> (for example, kit.6.0).
kit.<rev>/bin/: All user-level CLI programs.
kit.<rev>/bin/adm: Internal CLI programs.
kit.<rev>/log/<pgm name>/: Component log files, one subdirectory per component that contains a file per day of log information up to seven days. The information in the logs includes when the process started, when the process exited or completed, and any error conditions.
kit.<rev>/ sbin: Internal host and utility programs that are not intended to be run directly by users. These programs are not prefixed (for example, clientmgr).
kit.<rev>/share/: Postgres-specific files.
kit.<rev>/sys/: System configuration files, startup.cfg, and some subdirectories (init, include, strings).
kit.<rev>/sys/init/: Files that are used for system initialization.