[NTLUG:Discuss] Installing Informix on Linux

[Kevin Brannen]

quikdraw at metronet.com wrote:
> 
> I'm trying to install the eval version of Informix on Mandrake 6.0
> (a variant of Red Hat 6.0). The Informix site says that I need GlibC
> 2.1.1, and I have that in /lib. There are 2 files to install:
> 
> iif2k920uc1_linux.rpm - The database server.
> connect230uc1_linux.rpm - From what I understand, the IPC piece
>                                             for network connections.
> 
> I've created an Informix group and user, and have moved the two
> files into the informix home directory. Here's the problem:
> 
> When I try:    rpm -i iif2k920uc1_linux.rpm
> 
> I get "error: installing package IIF-9.20.UC1-1 needs 83 MB on the /
> filesystem."
> 
>... So how do I reallocate space from another partition
> without
> reinstalling the OS? Or is there another way (possibly a flag) to install this
> RPM?
> 
...
> 
> I'm making a mini-howto doc on what I'm doing. It's far from professional,
> but f there's interest I'd be glad to make it available on the website or via
> Email - whatever's useful.

Hmm, I don't remember it being that hard to do, but then I didn't start
with RPMs for the SE engine. ;-)  I had similiar problems with the IDS
version from RPMs though.  I've come to the conclusion someone there
just doesn't know how to do RPMs; not that I would either, but then I
would use tarballs. :-)

I believe I finally got it all to install by using "rpm2cpio" on the
RPM, then just cd'ing to where I wanted it, and "cpio -o" on the earlier
result.  Order shouldn't matter as long as you do them both before
trying to use them. :-) [Obviously Informix configuration will be needed
afterwords.]

I thought the Iconnect package was for connecting to servers on other
machines, but I'm really not sure.  If you plan to use perl/DBI/DBD with
this, you'll also need "esql" which is in the ClientSDK package (and is
a superset of Iconnect).  I think you can get it [free] for the SE
engine on the Informix site; at least I don't remember paying for it.

Informix is pretty easy to use, though my client is now talking about
using Oracle, so I guess I'll have to investigate getting that...

HTH,
Kevin