Getting Started with IBM DB2 on Linux Part II: Installation With DB2 Setup Wizard

Introduction

The wizard installs the the Db2 Database software, by default to /opt/ibm/db2/V11.5, which can be overriden in the wizard. This populating of the /opt/ibm/db2/V11.5 is also done by the other installation methods, but the wizard performs other tasks to simplify getting started with Db2 Database. It:

• creates one RDBMS instance, creating its home directory
• creates an instance owning OS user for managing the created instance
• creates an instance fenced OS user under which processes created by certain features of the Db2 Database instance run
• configures Db2 Database network communication so remote clients can connect to the created instance

The concepts of an instance, instance owning user, and instance owning fenced user are central to the operation of Db2 Database and are discussed in Getting Started with IBM DB2 on Linux Part IV: Fundamental Concepts But to briefly describe them here, an instance is one containment level within the hierarchical containment levels of Db2 Database. The instance level containment is a separate self-contained database environment consisting of RDBMS configuration, RDBMS program execution, and RDBMS managed data. Db2 Database supports the installation of multiple copies of the software on a single computer. For each installation of the software, multiple instances that are associated with the specific copy of the database software are supported. Within the instance can be multiple databases and within the databases lower level database objects, such as tables, indexes, and views, etc.

Section Installing on Machine with a Desktop Environment Using Wizard, below, the process of installing Db2 Database in an Ubuntu 18.04 VM with a fully configured desktop environment is described. This configuration includes the underlying setup of the X Window System -- both client and server, so we can run the DB2 Setup wizard and the wizard's window will appear as any other application's window running on the machine. In Section Installing on Machine without a Desktop Environment Using Wizard, further below, the process of installing Db2 Database on the Ubuntu 18.04 VM without a desktop environment, also using the wizard is described. However, in this case, while the wizard is executed directly on the VM through an SSH connection, the wizard's GUI window will be displayed on the computer from which we have established the SSH connection to the VM. Here, the installation is performed on a VM running on a local computer (the VM host) through an SSH connection from the local computer to the VM guest (remote computer). While in the previous scenario both X Window System server and client software are available, in this case at least X Window System client software needs to be installed.

Installing Directly on a Computer with a Desktop Environment Using Db2 Setup Wizard

The Db2 Setup wizard executable is in the same directory as the prerequisite checking tool mentioned in the last part of this article series. We run it using the following steps directly on the target computer using its desktop environment.

1. It must be run as root, so if not already root use the following to switch user to root.

   db2user@u1804-lab:~$ su - root

2. Change directory to the directory which contained the prerequisite checking tool as seen in the previous article of the series.

   root@u1804-lab:~# cd /home/db2user/software/ibm_db2

   Remember that /home/db2user is the home folder created to perform the installation. Adjust the above for your case.
3. Start the wizard with:

   root@u1804-lab:/home/db2user/software/ibm_db2# ./db2setup

Upon executing the wizard on a system with a fully configured desktop environment, such as the Kubuntu 18.04 VM, the window shown in the first image of the following set of screenshots is be displayed. The subsequent images show the following screens of the installer. Click on any of the thumbnails for a slideshow of each screen of the installer. The most notable screens of the wizard are described below.

• Image 2:
  After clicking New Install on the initial screen of the wizard, the next screen allows selection of the Db2 Database product to install. The main RDBMS product, the RDBMS server, is preselected. In this case the Db2 version is 11.5.5.0 and the selected item is "DB2 Version 11.5.5.0 Server Editions".
• Image 3 and 5:
  After selecting the server product, the next step is to choose between a typical installation or a customized installation. Clicking View Features while the Typical installation button is active will show the features to be installed in a typical installation (Image 4). Clicking the Custom installation button and selecting Next will open a dialog allowing selection of features to be installed (Image 6).
• Image 10:
  The DB2 Setup screen shown in Image 10 prompts users whether the installation will create a single partition instance or a multiple partition instance. A partitioned instance is one where the tables in the created instance's databases will be distributed among multiple computers, or in general RDBMS terminology, among multiple nodes. A single partition instance is chosen for this demonstration. (For a description of instances, how they relate to multiple installations of DB2, and the containment hierarchy available in Db2 see Getting Started with IBM DB2 on Linux Part IV: Fundamental Concepts.)
• Image 11:
  The DB2 Setup screen shown in Image 11 relates to the instance owning user. Each Db2 instance must be owned by an OS user with the same username as the instance name. The instance owning user, also known as the instance owner, has administrative rights for managing the instance. The installer can create such a user for this purpose using the low level useradd Linux utility. The home directory of the instance owner will contain the configuration files of the instance as well as all the files that actually hold the data of the instances databases. (For a description of instances, how they relate to instance owning users, and the important directories of Db2 see Getting Started with IBM DB2 on Linux Part IV: Fundamental Concepts.)
• Image 12:
  The DB2 Setup screen shown in Image 12 relates to the fenced instance owning user. Certain processes created by the Db2 RDBMS instance will run as this user. (For a description of instances owning users and how they relate to instances see Getting Started with IBM DB2 on Linux Part IV: Fundamental Concepts.)
• Image 13:
  The DB2 Setup screen image shown in Image 13 configures network communication from remote clients to the instance created by the installer.
• Image 17:
  The DB2 Setup main window screen depicted in Image 17 shows that the installer can install Db2 and save the configuration used for the installation in a response file, or simply create the response file without performing the installation. The response file is one of the non-GUI installation methods mentioned in the first article on this series. The response file created by the wizard can be used to install Db2 on other computers with an identical configuration -- useful for installing Db2 on other computers to create a partitioned Db2 environment. Other methods of generating a response file are available for any possible configuration, including partitioned environments and are discussed in Getting Started with IBM DB2 on Linux Part III: Manual Installation.


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Installing IBM Db2 Database Directly on a Computer with a Desktop Environment Using the Db2 Setup Installation Wizard
The installation wizard Uses the X Window System to display the installer's graphical display on the on the installation target if it has an desktop environment (as in this section) or on a local computer which is remotely connected to the installation target (as in the next section).
Click on any of the thumbnails to view a slideshow of the images.

All screens and options of the GUI wizard executed on the remote computer but displayed on the local computer is exactly the same as in the previous installation on a computer with a desktop environment.