Installing IBM ODBC drivers to access DB2
I'm building an Access 2003 based app that does some pass-through queries to the AS400. My machine had IBM Client Access install which (I assume) added some IBM ODBC drivers, which I used to make the connection.
Now trying to deploy the app, I find the end-user doesn't have these drivers. Is the simple solution to just install Client Access to get the drivers? Or can the parts be found and put in place. So far this hasn't worked: I've tried copying CWBODBC.DLL to its directory, and also put a copy of my ODBC.ini file.
When I go to ODBC Data Source Admin panel, (drivers) (Win XP), I do not see the expected "iSeries Access ODBC Driver" listed.
I realize Windows doesn't like such monkey-shines and likes proper installs, but hoping there is a way to do this piece-meal... or is the CA install the only solution?
=Alan R.
Now trying to deploy the app, I find the end-user doesn't have these drivers. Is the simple solution to just install Client Access to get the drivers? Or can the parts be found and put in place. So far this hasn't worked: I've tried copying CWBODBC.DLL to its directory, and also put a copy of my ODBC.ini file.
When I go to ODBC Data Source Admin panel, (drivers) (Win XP), I do not see the expected "iSeries Access ODBC Driver" listed.
I realize Windows doesn't like such monkey-shines and likes proper installs, but hoping there is a way to do this piece-meal... or is the CA install the only solution?
=Alan R.
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Tom - we just gave that a try (just ODBC parts of CA), and it does the trick. I'm going to look into JDBC as it might make packaging this up for our other locations a bit easier.
Alan:
iSeries Access ODBC was probably expected by IBM to be a standard install item on networked PCs. I don't know if they've done anything to update instructions for limited cases. I do know that a 'silent install' function can be scripted and accessed across a network, but have no good experience with the options.
If you have a support contract with IBM, you might open a usability question with them to see if they have a suggested standard procedure for deploying their ODBC driver. It _might_ turn out to be easy. (Of course, it _is_ IBM... As Tina Turner put it, "...they never do anything nice, and easy.")
Tom
iSeries Access ODBC was probably expected by IBM to be a standard install item on networked PCs. I don't know if they've done anything to update instructions for limited cases. I do know that a 'silent install' function can be scripted and accessed across a network, but have no good experience with the options.
If you have a support contract with IBM, you might open a usability question with them to see if they have a suggested standard procedure for deploying their ODBC driver. It _might_ turn out to be easy. (Of course, it _is_ IBM... As Tina Turner put it, "...they never do anything nice, and easy.")
Tom
ASKER
Tom - thanks for that tip!
I was just poking around in the CA install folder to see if I could find something like that. Nothing but .cab's and .dlls, etc. Knowing IBM, I can guess they will have their hand out if we ask... but sure worth a shot.
Doing a limited install from the CA install package isn't that bad for now, but if these apps find interest in other locations, it would be certainly helpful to find some sort of way to do a mindless/auto install to any user.
I was just poking around in the CA install folder to see if I could find something like that. Nothing but .cab's and .dlls, etc. Knowing IBM, I can guess they will have their hand out if we ask... but sure worth a shot.
Doing a limited install from the CA install package isn't that bad for now, but if these apps find interest in other locations, it would be certainly helpful to find some sort of way to do a mindless/auto install to any user.
Alan:
The V5R4 InfoCenter has some topics. Drilling down the navigation pane --
Connecting to System i ->
iSeries Access ->
iSeries Access for Windows ->
Introduction ->
Installation and Setup ->
Setting up the PC ->
Installing iSeries Access for Windows ->on the PC ->
Installing on multiple PCs -> (whew... almost there...)
Performing a silent installation of iSeries Access for Windows on a PC ->
Multiple topics...
Plenty of related topics show up in surrounding areas of the InfoCenter. You might need to go to the InfoCenter that's appropriate for your system if V5R4 isn't right.
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/iseries/v5r4/index.jsp
That's the best I can do unless you try some of it and run into specific problems. Others here _might_ have relevant experience. If you read a few related topics there, it might give you an idea of how it could be feasible (or not) to set up a custom limited-install function in a shared directory and have it triggered on a one-time basis for various PCs.
Maybe.
Tom
The V5R4 InfoCenter has some topics. Drilling down the navigation pane --
Connecting to System i ->
iSeries Access ->
iSeries Access for Windows ->
Introduction ->
Installation and Setup ->
Setting up the PC ->
Installing iSeries Access for Windows ->on the PC ->
Installing on multiple PCs -> (whew... almost there...)
Performing a silent installation of iSeries Access for Windows on a PC ->
Multiple topics...
Plenty of related topics show up in surrounding areas of the InfoCenter. You might need to go to the InfoCenter that's appropriate for your system if V5R4 isn't right.
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/iseries/v5r4/index.jsp
That's the best I can do unless you try some of it and run into specific problems. Others here _might_ have relevant experience. If you read a few related topics there, it might give you an idea of how it could be feasible (or not) to set up a custom limited-install function in a shared directory and have it triggered on a one-time basis for various PCs.
Maybe.
Tom
ASKER
Awesome tip dude!
I'm aware of the Infocenter but just didn't know about those deep-in features. I'll def be digging into that tomororw!
=Alan R.
I'm aware of the Infocenter but just didn't know about those deep-in features. I'll def be digging into that tomororw!
=Alan R.
Every once in a while, it's worth the time simply to click every "+" in the navigation pane just to view all of the topics. (Or go through just one main navigation topic.) The sheer volume of material can be an eye-opener. And sometimes real nuggets get uncovered.
Another category to review is the search results for [ experience reports ]. Those usually don't show up as topics in the navigation pane and generally are links to .PDFs or other items that can be downloaded. I normally see them by accident when I'm reading thropugh a topic to research some problem. But the references were indexed for the Search: box fortunately; they just don't get organized very well in that way.
Tom
Another category to review is the search results for [ experience reports ]. Those usually don't show up as topics in the navigation pane and generally are links to .PDFs or other items that can be downloaded. I normally see them by accident when I'm reading thropugh a topic to research some problem. But the references were indexed for the Search: box fortunately; they just don't get organized very well in that way.
Tom
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1) buy a middle tier product such as IBM DB2 Connect that does the connectivity job
2) use jdbc instead of odbc. the universal jdbc client can connect to as400 and it's free (i think)