=================================
MACHINE SPECIFIC NOTES
FOR
HCL Informix Database Server 12.10.UC11 PRODUCT RELEASE
On Linux ARMv7
DATE: 26 Mar 2018
=================================
OS Information: Built on Debian Linux 7.1 armhf
System Requirements
===================
1. HCL Informix 12.10 was built on Debian Linux 7.1 armhf
(Kernel: 3.0.8, Glibc: 2.13) for ARMv7 compatible processors.
The following compilers were used:
gcc and c++ compiler 4.6.3 (Debian 4.6.3-14)
The following packages are required on your Linux system:
libaio1
libgcc1
libstdc++6
libncurses5
2. The Korn shell is required for the Informix server alarmprogram
scripts. Install it as /bin/ksh.
3. If a suitable library libaio.so.1 is found, the Informix Database Server
enables Kernel Asynchronous I/O (KAIO) automatically. Otherwise KAIO is
disabled.
4. Java JDK version 1.6 or later package on your system. We tested the
product with java version "1.7.0_40".
5. HCL Informix Database Server uses the libraries and utilities provided by
the IBM Global Security Kit (GSKit) for data encryption and Secure Sockets
Layer (SSL) communication. The GSKit is bundled with the server and must
be installed on your machine as part of the server installation process.
Here are more details on the GSKit:
a. The GSKit is also bundled with other IBM products and might
already be present on your machine. If GSKit8 is not installed,
the script $INFORMIXDIR/gskit/installgskit will install GSKit in
/usr/local/ibm/gsk8 directory on your machine.
b. The GSKit installation directory must have 25 MB of free disk space.
c. The RPM or Debian Package Manager is required to be installed on the
system.
d. The GSKit for this platform has no FIPS certification.
e. Kernel Performance Events and Counters must be enabled and working
on the specific ARM platform. Use this C program to verify:
#include <sys/syscall.h>
#include <linux/perf_event.h>
#include <errno.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
int main(int argc, const char **argv)
{
int fddev = 0;
static struct perf_event_attr attr;
attr.type = PERF_TYPE_HARDWARE;
attr.config = PERF_COUNT_HW_CPU_CYCLES;
fddev = syscall(__NR_perf_event_open, &attr, 0, -1, -1, 0);
printf("syscall __NR_perf_event_open: %s\n", strerror(errno));
}
For example on Cubieboard2 and Cubietruck devices the minimum kernel
version is 3.4.79-sun7i (delivered with Cubian X1).
System Configuration
====================
1. Kernel Parameters
The values of the kernel parameters that were used for testing this
product are given below. You can tune these parameter values depending
on the application and availability of system resources. The values can
be changed dynamically in the /proc file system or, if they are defined
in the kernel sources, they can be changed by rebuilding the kernel.
SHMMAX: 33554432
SHMMNI: 4096
SHMALL: 2097152
SEMMNI: 128
SEMMSL: 250
SEMMNS: 32000
SEMOPM: 32
- The value of the kernel parameter "SEMMSL" must be set to at least
100. This value is the maximum number of semaphores per set.
2. Location of Shared Memory
In the ONCONFIG file, SHMBASE is set to the following value:
SHMBASE 0x44000000L
- SHMBASE can also be set to start above the shared library addresses.
When doing so, ensure that the dynamically loaded shared libraries
do not collide with the shared memory segments.
You can check the address space layout with the following command:
$ cat /proc/<pid of oninit process>/maps
Feature Notes (alphabetized by feature)
=============
1. IPv6 Support
The Informix database server supports Internet Protocol Version 6 (128 Bit
Internet Addresses) as well as IPv4 (32 Bit Addresses).
In order for the machine name that is specified in the SQLHOSTS file to
resolve to the correct IP address, the name services files on the operating
system must be configured correctly. If the machine has an IPv6 address
configured, and the listener thread is bound to an IPv6 address, then the
name service switch files /etc/nsswitch.conf must be configured to fetch
an IPv6 address. Also any local machine settings must be set correctly in
the /etc/hosts file.
For compatibility with earlier version of Informix client and server
products, assign each host name with both an IPv4 address and an IPv6
address. If the listener needs to be bound to an IPv4 address, and the
name services resolve the name in the order of the IPv6 address followed
by the IPv4 address, then an explicit IPv4 address needs to be put in the
host name field of SQLHOSTS file. Client applications should also use the
same setting.
2. Kernel Asynchronous I/O (KAIO)
KAIO is enabled by default on this platform. It can be disabled by setting
the environment variable KAIOOFF=1 in the environment of the process that
started the server.
When using KAIO, run poll threads on separate virtual processors by
specifying NET as the VP class in the NETTYPE configuration parameter.
Examples:
NETTYPE ipcshm,...,...,NET
NETTYPE soctcp,...,...,NET
On Linux, there is a system wide limit of the maximum number of parallel
KAIO requests. The limit is set in the /proc/sys/fs/aio-max-nr file.
A Linux system administrator can increase the value by using the echo
command. For example:
# echo new_value > /proc/sys/fs/aio-max-nr
The current number of allocated requests of all operating system processes
is visible in the /proc/sys/fs/aio-nr file.
By default, the Informix server allocates half of the maximum number of
requests, and assigns them equally to the number of configured CPU virtual
processors. You can control the number of requests allocated per CPU
virtual processor by setting the environment variable KAIOON. Set the
variable to the required value before starting the database server. The
minimum value for KAIOON is 100. If Linux is about to run out of KAIO
resources, for example, when dynamically adding many CPU virtual processors,
warnings are printed to the database server message log file. In this case,
the Linux system administrator must add KAIO resources as described
previously.
3. Network Protocols
The following protocols and interfaces are supported on this platform:
SOCKETS using TCP/IP
IPC using stream pipe (implemented using UNIX Domain Sockets)
To use SOCKETS with TCP/IP:
a. The NETTYPE entry in the ONCONFIG file and the nettype field in
the sqlhosts file entry must contain "onsoctcp".
b. To enable an IBM Data Server Client to connect to the database
Server, the NETTYPE entry in the ONCONFIG file and the protocal
value in the sqlhosts file entry must contain "drsoctcp"
If a CLI or JCC client wants to connect to the database server
through DRDA while supporting SQLI connections, you must add a
DBSERVERALIASES entry to the ONCONFIG file that corresponds to
the sqlhosts file entry.
To use IPC (interprocess communication) with stream pipe:
a. The NETTYPE entry in the ONCONFIG file and the nettype field in
the sqlhosts file entry must contain "onipcstr".
Fast poll is supported with TCP/IP and stream pipe interfaces. To disable
fast poll, set the FASTPOLL parameter to 0 in the ONCONFIG file. By default
the fast poll is enabled (value is 1).
The protocol for supporting IBM Informix MaxConnect on this platform
is "onsocimc".
4. Online Backup and Restore (ON-Bar)
ON-Bar uses the XBSA interface. Some of the functions invoked by ON-Bar
are in a shared library supplied by third party storage management vendors.
For ON-Bar to access the functions, set the BAR_BSALIB_PATH parameter in
$INFORMIXDIR/etc/$ONCONFIG to the full pathname of the library.
5. Processor Affinity
The processor affinity feature, which allows the pinning of a CPU
virtual processor to a physical processor in a multi-CPU configuration,
is supported on this platform.
6. Raw Character Devices
Some Linux distributions support binding a raw character device to a
block device. Any block device can be used. The Informix database server
supports using raw character devices.
7. Secure Sockets Layer
HCL Informix Database Server uses the libraries and utilities provided by
the IBM Global Security Kit (GSKit) for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
communication.
a. Before uninstalling GSKit, verify that it is not needed on your
system. It is possible that software other than Informix Database
Server requires GSKit. Uninstall by identifying and removing GSKit
packages using the command-line interface:
Run rpm command with the -qa option to obtain a list of installed
GSKit RPM packages with their exact names.
For example:
rpm -qa | grep gsk
As root user run the rpm command to remove each package as needed.
For example:
rpm -ev gskssl32-8.0.50.88 gskcrypt32-8.0.50.88
Run dpkg command with the -l option to obtain a list of installed
GSKit Debian packages with their exact names.
For example:
dpkg -l | grep gsk
As root user run the dpkg command to remove each package as needed.
For example:
dpkg -r gskssl32 gskcrypt32
b. If you want to restore Secure Sockets Layer capability after you
have uninstalled GSKit, see the readme file in $INFORMIXDIR/gskit
for how to install GSKit.
8. Simple Password Communications Support Module
The name of the HCL Informix shared library for Simple Password CSM
on Linux is libixspw.so.
Features not supported
======================
1. Rolling upgrades to this IDS version are supported from version 12.10.xC8
or higher.
Rolling upgrades are not supported in this IDS version from versions
older than 12.10.xC8. Such a migration requires changes to disk structures
and the conversion process is incompatible with a rolling upgrade. In such
cases, when upgrading HDR and RSS secondary servers, you must follow the
steps listed in the on-line documentation under "Migrating an offline
cluster to a new major version."
2. Informix Interface for Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM)
3. OnSNMP
4. Deployment assistant and utility
5. J/Foundation (Java in the Server)
6. MQ Messaging Database Extension
7. Informix web feature service for Geospatial Data
8. The UNIX graphical tools ipload, onperf and xtree
9. Label-based access control (LBAC)
10. Shared-disk secondary server (SDS)
11. XML Publishing
12. High Performance Loader
Defects Fixed in this release
=============================
For information about defects fixed in this release, see:
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27049835
(C) Copyright IBM Corp. 2002, 2017
(C) Copyright HCL Technologies Ltd. 2017, 2018. All Rights Reserved.