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Installing WebLogic jDriver for Informix

This document tells you how to install WebLogic jDriver for Informix, BEA's Type 4 JDBC driver for Informix.

Specifically, it provides information about the following topics:

- Overview

- Before You Begin

- Installation Procedure

- Using Connection Pools

- Verifying Your Connection to the Informix Database

- Determining Your Database, Hostname, and Port

- References

Overview

WebLogic jDriver for Informix is a Java implementation of the Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) API, the industry standard for relational database access from Java clients. It provides Java clients with direct access to the Informix database management system (DBMS).

Before You Begin

This section explains when and how you need to upgrade your software for WebLogic Server Version 6.1.

Evaluation Licenses

The WebLogic jDriver licensing functionality is included in the license file located in the directory where you installed this version of WebLogic jDriver for Informix. For example:

>     c:\bea\license.bea

Installation Procedure

The following instructions describe how to install WebLogic jDriver for Informix.

WebLogic Server Installations

WebLogic jDriver for Informix is bundled with your WebLogic Server distribution and is installed when you install WebLogic Server. The weblogic.jar file includes the Informix classes. You do not need to perform any steps for installation.

Installing a Standalone WebLogic jDriver for Informix

Standalone WebLogic jDrivers for Informix will be available shortly.

Using Connection Pools

If you are using WebLogic jDriver for Informix with either WebLogic Server or WebLogic Express, you can set up a pool of connections to your Informix DBMS that will be established when WebLogic Server is started. Because the connections are shared among users, these connection pools eliminate the overhead of opening a new database connection for each user.

Your application then uses a multitier (Type 3) JDBC driver, such as the WebLogic Pool, JTS, or RMI driver, to connect to WebLogic Server. WebLogic Server then uses WebLogic jDriver for Informix and one of the existing connections from the pool to connect to the Informix database on behalf of your application.

Configuring a Connection Pool with WebLogic Server

1. Include the WebLogic jDriver for Informix classes in the WebLogic classpath used to start WebLogic Server. For more information, see Starting and Stopping WebLogic Servers in the Administration Guide.

2. Use the Administration Console to set connection pools. To read about connection pools, see Connection Pools in the Administration Guide or, to go directly to the procedure, see Create a JDBC Connection Pool in Online Help.

3. Start WebLogic Server.

Using the Connection Pool in Your Application

To use a connection pool, you must first establish a database connection. How you establish that connection depends on whether the application in which you want to use the connection pool is a client-side or a server-side application.

Client-Side Applications

To use a connection pool in a client-side application, establish the database connection by using the WebLogic RMI driver. For more information about the RMI driver, see Using WebLogic Multitier Drivers in Programming WebLogic JDBC.

Server-Side Applications

To use a connection pool in a server-side application (such as a servlet), establish your database connection by using the WebLogic pool or jts drivers. For more information, see: Programming Tasks in Programming WebLogic HTTP Servlets

Verifying Your Connection to the Informix Database

Check your connection to the Informix database. You must have the following information:

- For the user: Valid username and password

- For the database: Database name, host name, and port number

If you do not have the required information about your database, see Determining Your Database, Hostname, and Port in the following section.

Once you have collected the required information, you can test your connection. At a command line, type:

>     java utils.dbping INFORMIX4 user password db@host:port

The arguments in this command line are defined as follows:

- user is the Informix username of a valid user for this database.

- password is the password for the user.

- db@host:port—Together, these three arguments show 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 number of the TCP/IP port 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); the host name and port are separated by a colon.

For instructions for verifying your connection to a DBMS, see Testing Connections in Configuring WebLogic JDBC Features in Programming WebLogic JDBC at

.

Determining Your Database, Hostname, and Port

Before you can connect to your Informix server installation, you must answer the following questions about it:

- What is the name of the database you will be accessing?

- What is the name of the host computer on which the Informix server is running?

- What is the TCP/IP address of the port on which the Informix server is listening for connection requests?

To avoid confusion, be careful not to use the word server to mean both the machine on which your database is running and the database instance itself. In this document we avoid this pitfall by using the following terms:

- Host name refers to the name of a machine.

- Database name refers to the name of an Informix instance.

To get information about the Informix server to which you want to connect, look in $INFORMIXDIR/etc/sqlhosts and find the appropriate entry under the SERVER column. The entry in this file will tell you the host name and service name—located in the far right column—for the connection. As long as you know the service name, you can determine the port number.

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

References

This section provides references to documents and code examples that may helpful to you.

Documentation

- API reference

- Programming WebLogic JDBC

Code Examples

WebLogic Server provides code examples to help you get started. Code examples are located in the samples/examples/jdbc/informix4 directory of your WebLogic Server distribution.

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