Bert can be reached at: bert@ba.be

Overview

Version 0.9d August 27th, 1998

• What is Informix CLI
• Installing CLI and connecting to SE
• Trouble shooting
• Links to additional documentation

1 What is Informix CLI

1.1 What is CLI ?

CLI stands for Call Level Interface. Being based on the Microsoft Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) Specifications, it supports SQL statements with a library of C-language calls which enables developers to dynamically access Informix database servers without the need for an SQL preprocessor or the recompilation of source code for each independent data source.

This document will solely discuss the installation and configuration of CLI on Windows platforms.

1.2 Where do I get it ?

Clientsdk is a client development kit that is available for free. You can download it from Intraware.

Clientsdk contains CLI 2.8 and Intersolv ODBC 3.0. An earlier version CLI 2.5 was sold seperately.

An overview:

• CLI 2.5 - Includes Intersolv ODBC driver, based on the ODBC 2.5 specs. Does not suport IDS/UD extended datatypes
• CLI 2.8 - Includes informix' own odbc driver, ODBC 2.5 compliant, support for IDS/UD extended data types (Large objects)
• Intersolv ODBC 3.0 - ODBC 3.0 compliant, does not support IDS/UD extended datatypes.

All three versions work with Standard Engine 7.2x

1.3 How does it work ?

There are actually two parts in CLI : the ODBC driver itself and I-CONNECT. The ODBC driver uses the I-CONNECT libraries to connect to the database. Other ODBC drivers like OpenLink and SequelLink use their own middleware layer - that needs to be installed at both ends - to connect to the database.

2 Installing CLI and connecting to SE

To connect to your Standard Engine with CLI you need to:

• configure SE for network connections
• install the CLI on the client PC
• configure SETNET on the pc to connect to SE
• editing the pc host and services files
• test the connection with ilogin
• create ODBC datasources

2.1 Configure SE for networking

To setup networking consult the SE & ESQL/C install HOWTO.
You will end up with a sqlhosts file that contains a line with protocol sesoctcp.

Example setup on your Linux box

a) sqlhosts file (located in $INFORMIXDIR/etc/sqlhosts )
# informixserver protocol hostname service
demose_tcp    sesoctcp demo    se_tcp

b) /etc/hosts file

127.0.0.1 localhost

10.0.0.3 demo    #our linux server hostname

c) /etc/services

se_tcp 1526/tcp

d) You have started "$INFORMIXDIR/lib/sqlexecd demose_tcp" succesfully.

Note: there is a problem that causes sqlexecd to leave zombie sqlexec process. To avoid this problem use the nozombie program, soon to be available in the IDN Linux corner

e) To create the stores7 database on the linux SE (we will use this later to test the connection) :
   cd to a directory where the database files will be created and run "dbaccessdemo7"

2.2 Install CLI

Click your way through the setup program. This is rather straightforward This will install two components I-Connect and the actual ODBC driver. The ODBC driver uses the I-Connect libraries to connect to the Informix Database.

2.3 Configuring Setnet

Part of the I-Connect installation is Setnet32. This is used to enter connection parameters into the windows registry. These are basically the same parameters that you would find on a Unix client in the Unix environment and sqlhosts file.

When you start setnet32 you will see a control panel with four tabs: Environment, Server information, Host information and About Setnet32

a) environment

This contains the same environment variables that you could set in the unix environment. The environment shown is always the environment for the default server. For a detailed explanation refer to the manuals.

b) Server information

For our example this gives:

Informix Server: demose_tcp
Hostname:      demo
Protocolname:     sesoctcp
Service name:     se_tcp
Options:

Click Make Default Server and Apply

Note: Not all versions of setnet32 will show the options field

c) Host information

Supply the host & user information. In our example this would be:

Current host: demo
User name: informix
Password option: password
Password: [informix password on host demo]

Click apply.

For the example we will connect as user informix and give the password rightaway. Ofcourse you can enter a different use if you like.

d) About setnet32

This just gives you the version of setnet32. Click ok to finish.

2.4 Editing the pc host and services file

You need to add the linux hostname (demo) to the windows hosts file, and the servicename (se_tcp) to the windows services file. The default location for the windows services and hosts file is:

• on Windows 95 : c:\windows\
• on NT 4.0 : c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc

You can edit or create them with an editor, e.g. notepad Make sure your hosts and services file are created WITHOUT extension.

The services file needs to contain a line for the service you use for SE. e.g.

se_tcp     1526/tcp

The hosts file needs to have an entry for the windows pc itself, and the linux hostname. e.g.

127.0.0.1 localhost
10.0.0.2 windowspc    #windows box with Informix-CLI
10.0.0.3 demo    #linux box with Informix-SE

2.5 Testing the connection with ilogin

Ilogin is a program to test the connection with the database you have just configured in setnet32. It will try to do a select on the customer table in the stores7 database (as created by the dbaccessdemo in the SE distribution)

Start ilogin. You'll see a empty window with a file and Help menu.
Select run from the File menu.
You'll see a popup where you can enter Server, Hostname, Servicename, Protocolname, Username and Password. The last one, stores database is presetto stores7. If can leave all the other fields blank. If you do the defaults are taken from the default server you created in setnet32.

So to test these, let's just click ok.

You should now either see the contents of the customer table in the stores7 database on your Standard Engine, or a message that it could not find the stores7 database. If you get another message, go back to setnet32 and check your settings

You can change stores7 to the name of another database. Although ilogin will complain it can't find the customer table, this is enough to make sure it has found your database.

2.6 Adding an ODBC source

You can add odbc sources with the ODBC control panel: from the start menu, select Settings->Control panel and double click the ODBC icon.

Click the Add button from User DSN or System DSN tab and select the INFORMIX 2.8 or INTERSOLV ODBC 3.01 driver

In the case of Informix 2.8 and our example:

Datasource name: demo_dsn
Database:     stores7
Server:     demose_tcp
Host:     demo
Service:     se_tcp
Protocol:     sesoctcp

The rest of the parameters is optional, as indicated.

Click ok, and you have your own ODBC source.
You can now test it from your application.

e.g. With excel'97:

• Select menu item menu Data->Get External Data->Create new query
• This shows a popup "Choose Data Source". Here you select the datasource we just created for se: demo_dsn
• Now you will get another popup to login to the database. Enter your password and click ok
• The 'Query Wizard' will now pop up. Here you can select which columns from which tables you want to see in the query. Click on the tablename customers and then the '>' arrow to select all columns in the customer table. Click three times next (skipping the filter and sort criteria) and finish.
• Now you will see the data in your spreadsheet.

3 Troubleshooting

Check back later for more trouble shooting info!

4 Links to additional Information

The International Informix Users Group has a section with Technical information, including the Linux HOWTOs.

Informix has a Linux corner in its Informix Developers Network site.

The Informix CLI manuals can be found in Answers Online. All these manuals are in acrobat pdf format. You will find the CLI 2.8 manual in the Client SDK section, while the CLI 2.5 manual is in the older part of the site.

To read or print these manuals, you can download an acrobat reader for Linux from Adobe.

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