April 19, 2023

Connecting Client Applications to Informix Databases using IBM Informix Connect and ODBC

James EdmistonDatabase ConsultantQuest Information Systems, Inc.www.questinfosys.comjames@questinfosys.com

April 19, 2023

Purpose

Identify Informix connectivity products and explain how to configure the related components for Microsoft Windows clients to enable client applications to access Informix databases through ODBC

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Outline

• Overview of the latest IBM Informix Client SDK

• Informix client connectivity components

• Client configuration

• Testing connection

• Potential problems

• Documentation

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Client SDK 2.81 Overview

IBM Informix Client SDK provides a single packaging of several application programming interfaces (APIs) needed to develop applications for Informix servers as well as components for client/Informix database connectivity.

• Provides choice of programming environments

• Promotes easier development of applications for Informix servers

• Reduces application development costs

• Decreases application development time

• Reduces training needed for new programming language

• Provides APIs for Java™, C++, C, or ESQL, OLE/DB and ODBC

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Client SDK 2.81 (cont)

• Improved performance with a newly re-architected OLE DB provider

• UniCode support to Microsoft Visual Basic or Visual C++ applications

• Supports JDBC V2.21 Type 4 driver

• Java Driver is Optimized to work with IBM WebSphere Application Server

• Support Unicode standard 3.1.1 in OLE DB and ODBC

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Client SDK 2.81 (cont)

• High performance OLE DB

– Supports Microsoft Visual Basic

– Supports Visual C++

• UniCode Enabled ODBC Driver

• Robust, Feature rich ESQL/C module

• ODBC/ OLE DB

• Supports .NET applications via Visual Studio .NET bridge

• IBM Informix JDBC driver 2.21 and embedded SQL/J JDBC 2.0

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Client SDK 2.81 Components

• IBM Informix ESQL/C V9.53

• IBM Informix ODBC driver V3.82

• IBM Informix OLEDB Provider V2.81 (Win32 only)

• IBM Informix Object Interface for C++ V2.8

• IBM Informix JDBC driver V2.21 (Type 4) and IBM Informix Embedded SQLJ V1.01

• IBM Informix Connect V2.81

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Client SDK 2.81 Windows

• Windows NT V4.0 (Service Pack 5, or higher)

• Windows 98/ME/XP, Windows 2000 Professional, or Windows 2000 Server

• TCP/IP protocol that is Windows Sockets 1.1 compliant

• Microsoft Visual C++ Compiler V6.0

• MTS 2.0 (to enable use of the MTS feature for ODBC and OLEDB)

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Client SDK 2.81 Unix

• Sun Solaris 2.6, 7, 8, and 9 (32 bit)

• Sun Solaris 7, 8 and 9 (64 bit)

• HP-UX 11.0 and 11i Version 1 (also known at 11.1) (32 and 64 bit)

• AIX 4.3.3, 5.1, and 5.2 (32 bit)

• AIX 4.3.3 (64 bit)

• AIX 5.1 and 5.2 (64 bit)

• Compaq Tru64 5.1, 5.1a, and 5.1b

• Linux 2.4 (kernel 2.4, glibc 2.2.x) (32 bit), Caldera SCO UnixWare 7.1.3 + LKP

• SGI IRIX 6.5 (32 bit)

• SCO OpenServer 5.05

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Client Server Architecture

ClientServer

IBM Informix Client SDK/Connect

ODBC DSN

NetworkConnection

INFORMIXSERVER

ODBC Enabled Client Application

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Client Applications

Examples of Different types of Client Applications

• Application development tools

– PowerBuilder, Visual Basic

• Query and reporting tools

– BrioQuery

• Other

– Microsoft Access

– Custom Applications

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Using ODBC

What is ODBC?

• Microsoft Open Database Connectivity

• Enforces standards that allow an application to access different database vendors

• Portable across platforms - may not be seamless because of individual features of the database products

What Informix products need to be installed?

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IBM Informix CSDK

The IBM Informix Client Software Developer’s Kit (CSDK) database connectivity components

• ODBC driver

• ODBC Driver Manager

• Informix Connect

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Informix Connect

• Consists of the runtime connection libraries

• Bundled with IBM Informix Client SDK

• Informix Connect allows distribution of runtime versions with completed applications

Once Installed, know what to configure

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Configure

Client Components

– Setnet32

• Network service

– ODBC data source (Data Source Name = DSN)

– Client application referencing DSN

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Setnet32

• Configuration tool included in Informix products

• Sets INFORMIX environment variables on the client machine

• Creates a server entry with server identification and network parameters

• Setnet32 configures on the Windows client what the UNIX SQLHOSTS file and environment variables are to the Informix server

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Setnet32 (cont)

• Records entries in the Windows registry

• Allows save/load of entries to/from a file

• Server entries used in other Informix admin client tools (ServerStudio, SQL Editor, etc.)

• Test Client/Server connection Using ILogin Demo Tool

select * from customer

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Network Services file

Network ‘services’ file• 9x - c:\windows\services• NT/2K/XP - c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\services• ASCII text

– Service name– Port number– Protocol

• Service name corresponds to ‘Service’ value from the Setnet32 entry

Example services file entry

Demonstration of Setnet32 and Test Connection

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ODBC Data Source Name (DSN)

• Consists of:– Database name– ODBC driver specification– Database server– Host name– Network protocol

• Configured using the ODBC administrator

• Test database connection

Demonstration of ODBC DSN

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Client Application

• Reference ODBC DSN

– Brio Query demo

– MS Access demo

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Potential Problems

• May need to reboot the client machine after installing CSDK/Connect before creating the ODBC data source

• Informix error message text may reference the UNIX environment, while the problem really applies to the Windows environment

• Informix error -908

Verify the listening port number defined on the server matches the client

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Potential Problems (cont)

• Informix error -931

Verify the service file entry matches the service name in the Setnet32 ‘Server Information’ tab

• Informix error -951 or -956

Enter client machine name in the /etc/hosts.equiv file and/or in the .rhosts file on the server

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Potential Problems (cont)

• System error code 126client environment problem

– NT/2K/XP - Using the Control Panel, System properties, set system variables in the ‘Environment’ tab

– 95/98 - make entries in the autoexec.bat file

– Variables to set (example):

INFORMIXDIR=c:/informixPATH=c:/informix/bin;...

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Documentation• Embedded SQLJ User's Guide, Version 1.01 (G251-1270-00)

This manual contains information about using IBM Informix Embedded SQLJ. IBM Informix Embedded SQLJ enables you to embed SQL statements in your Java programs. It consists of the SQLJ translator, which translates SQLJ code into Java code, and a set of Java classes that provide runtime support for SQLJ programs. When you run a SQLJ program, it uses IBM Informix JDBC Driver to connect to an IBM Informix database.

• IBM Informix Client Products Installation Guide for UNIX, Linux, and Windows (G251-1269-00)

This manual explains how to install IBM Informix Client Software Developer's Kit (Client SDK), Version 2.5, and IBM Informix Connect, Version 2.5, on computers that use UNIX, Linux, and Windows.

• IBM Informix ESQL/C Programmer's Manual, Version 9.53 (G251-1342-00)This manual describes the features that make up the IBM Informix implementation of embedded SQL for C.

• IBM Informix GLS User's Guide, Version 9.4/8.4 (G251-1241-00)This manual describes the Global Language Support (GLS) feature, which allows IBM Informix application-programming interfaces (APIs) and database servers to handle different languages, cultural conventions, and code sets.

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Documentation (cont)

• IBM Informix OLE DB Provider Programmer's Guide, Version 2.81This manual describes the software requirements for using IBM Informix OLE DB Provider, shows how to install and configure the provider for your use, and explains how to use IBM Informix OLE DB Provider to enable client applications, such as ActiveX Data Object (ADO) applications and Web pages, to access data on an IBM Informix server.

• IBM Informix Object Interface for C++ Programmer's Guide, Version 2.5 This guide describes the architecture of the C++ object interface and provides a complete class reference.

• JDBC Driver Programmer's Guide, UNIX and Windows Environments, v2.21 This guide describes how to install, load, and use Informix JDBC Driver to connect to an Informix database from within a Java application or applet. You can also use Informix JDBC Driver for writing user-defined routines that are executed in the server.

• ODBC Driver Programmer's Manual, Version 3.82This manual is a user guide and reference manual for Informix ODBC Driver, which is the Informix implementation of the Microsoft Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) interface, Version3.0. This manual explains how to use the Informix ODBC Driver application programming interface (API) to access an Informix database and interact with an Informix database server.

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Summary

• Latest IBM Informix CSDK 2.81

• Client connection to Informix databases

• Install Informix client connectivity products

• Configure Setnet32, ODBC, service file

• Test connection

• Potential problems

• Documentation

– For accompanying article:http://www.questinfosys.com/article/waiug_article.htm

April 19, 2023

Questions?

James EdmistonDatabase ConsultantQuest Information Systems, Inc.www.questinfosys.comjames@questinfosys.com