Installing jdbcKona/Informix4

This document tells you how to install WebLogic's pure-Java Type 4 JDBC driver for Informix. These installation instructions also apply to your client if you are using the driver as part of a client application in a client/server configuration. If you are using the driver with applets, then you must install the package on your webserver host, which must also host your Informix database.

Note: If you are using jdbcKona/Informix4 with WebLogic Server 4.5 or later, you must also upgrade the driver for use with WebLogic Server 4.5. You can download the driver from the BEA website.

In this release (in the weblogic/informix4 directory), you will find the following:

• classes/ (contains the product)
• examples/jdbc/informix4 (contains examples)
• readme.html

Here is how to install:

1. Unpack the distribution.

   If you haven't already, unpack the archive you downloaded in the root directory of your computer. You must use a program such as WinZip that preserves the directory structure of the archive. The files unpack into the weblogic directory.

   The instructions in this document assume that you are installing jdbcKona/Informix4 on a Windows computer and that you unpacked the archive in the root directory of your C drive. If you are installing on a different operating system or in a different location, check your system documentation for help in adjusting the commands shown in these instructions for your own environment.

2. Add the jdbcKona/Informix4 classes directory to your CLASSPATH variable.

   To change your CLASSPATH temporarily at a Windows Command Prompt, use this command:

    $ set CLASSPATH=%CLASSPATH%;c:\weblogic\informix4\classes

   To change your CLASSPATH permanently:

   • Double-click the System icon in the Control Panel.
   • Click the Environment tab.
   • In the lower panel, select the CLASSPATH variable. If no CLASSPATH variable is defined, add it.
   • Add c:\weblogic\informix4\classes to the value of the CLASSPATH variable. Use a semicolon (;) to separate the new path from the previous value of the variable, if any.

   Any program you launch after you update the CLASSPATH variable in the System control panel will have access to the new value.

   For more help setting your CLASSPATH, read Setting classpath. If you are using jdbcKona/Informix4 from within an IDE like Symantec Cafe or JBuilder, the procedure for adding classes to the CLASSPATH may be different.

3. Install jdbcKona/Informix4 for use with browser applets.

   If you are planning to use jdbcKona/Informix4 to access databases via applets in a web browser, you must install the distribution on the computer executing the webserver. Furthermore, the webserver and the Informix database server must be running on the same computer. This is a security restriction enforced by most web browsers, including Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. For information about browser security and applets, read Troubleshooting Applet Security problems.

   The webserver must also be able to find the jdbcKona/Informix4 class files. To ensure that the webserver can find the files, install the jdbcKona/Informix4 distribution on your webserver computer and then set the CLASSPATH on that computer as described in Step 2. Be sure to restart the webserver after you change the CLASSPATH so that the webserver has access to the revised CLASSPATH value.

4. Install a license file.

   If you have purchased a license to use with jdbcKona/Informix4, you can copy your new license file on top of the evaluation license file included in the distribution you downloaded.

   The license you purchased is a Java class file, License.class. To use the license with jdbcKona/Informix4, you replace License.class in the \weblogic\informix4\classes\connect\license directory with your new License.class file.

   You can simply copy the new License.class file over \weblogic\informix\classes\connect\license\License.class.

   To purchase a permanent license for jdbcKona/Informix4, contact sales@weblogic.com.

   Be sure to save a copy of the License.class file in a safe place so that you can install it again later if you upgrade your jdbcKona/Informix4 driver.

Verifying your connection to the Informix database

Once you have collected that information, you can test your connection. The WebLogic distribution includes a Java application to help you in setting up jdbcKona/Informix4. To use this helper app, make sure that the c:/weblogic/informix4/classes directory is in your CLASSPATH. At a command line, type:

java utils.dbping INFORMIX4 user pass db@host:port

user

The Informix username of a valid user for this database

pass

Password for the user

db@host:port

These three arguments together describe how to reach your Informix database:

• db is the name of the database
• host is the name of the computer on which the Informix server is running
• port is the TCP/IP port number on which the Informix server is listening for connection requests

Note the syntax of the command: the database name is followed by "@" (the at-sign), and the hostname and port are separated by a colon.

For more detailed instructions on how to verify your connection to a DBMS, see Testing connections.

Determining your database, hostname, and port

You need to know several details about your Informix server installation in order to make a connection to it. These include:

• Name of the database you will be accessing
• Hostname of the computer on which the Informix server is running
• The TCP/IP port number on which the Informix server is listening for connection requests

This may seem a little confusing because often people use the word "server" to mean both the machine on which your database is running and the database instance itself. We'll be clear in this document: the "hostname" is the name of the machine, and the "database name" is the name of the Informix instance.

To get information about the Informix server you want to connect to, look in $INFORMIXDIR/etc/sqlhosts and find the appropriate entry under the "SERVER" column. The entry in this file will tell you the hostname and servicename -- it is in the far right column -- for the connection. You only need to know the servicename to find out the port number.

Then look in your /etc/services file (or, on Windows NT, in \Winnt\system32\drivers\etc\services) to find the port number associated with the servicename.

More resources

• API reference
• Using the jdbcKona family of JDBC drivers
• Using jdbcKona/Informix4

Applet programming

If you have questions about applet security issues, read Troubleshooting Applet Security problems.

For more information on applets, read Using WebLogic for applet programming.

Code examples

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Last updated 01/13/1999