Hi all!

I have been trying to research the different editions of DB2 connect to figure out what my company needs to establish various connections to different DB2 databases. However, have had no idea what edition(s) to purchase.

I have a multiple processor Wintel server that will run Business Objects XIR2. All users will use the Web tools for Business Objects. This server needs to connect to DB2 7.1 on os/390 and DB2 8 UDB on a 64bit AIX box.

Also, I need to connect to those same databases from my desktop machine. (I figured that Personal Edition would be used for this). However I cannot even do this. I can connect to the the databases on AIX, but it gives me the following error when I try to connect to the databases on os/390: Standard connection failed.

SQL8002N Connect processing failed; a valid product license was not found.
SQLSTATE=42968
.

Any help or recommendations on the editions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

DB2 Connect (or a license for DB2 Connect) is always required to connect to OS/390 DB2. That is why you cannot connect to OS/390 directly from you workstation. Interestingly, the DB2 client has the DB2 Connect code built into it, but it just needs a DB2 connnect license. DB2 ESE server for LUW comes with a 5 user DB2 Connect License.

You can setup a UNIX or Windows box as a gateway DB2 Connect server to the OS/390. Or as mentioned, you could use an existing DB2 ESE for LUW server with a 5 user license of DB2 Connect instead as a gateway. The OS/390 DB2 sub-system would be cataloged as a remote DCS database on the DB2 connect gateway, and any remote DB2 clients would see it as a DB2 LUW database on the gateway machine.

If you set a gateway machine for all connections to OS/390, you will need to figure out how many users will be connecting at one time and get the appropriate number of user licenses or get the unlimited edition.

The above applies to DB2 LUW and Connect version 8. Not sure how things are packaged in V9. The version of DB2 on OS/390 does not matter.

Hi,
connect is only required to DB2 on OS/390 in you case and not to DB2 on AIX and DB2 for Windows. There are two ways of doing it: on each PC computer install (or apply license) of DB2 Personal Connect or use DB2 Enterprise Connect on one of the server (as gateway) and then from each PC computer configure connection through gateway. If Enterprise Connect is used then only this product is licensed if Personal Connect is used then for each PC you need a valid license. What is better according to costs is dependent on number of users connecting to DB2 on OS/390. IBM marketing person should tell you where is this "break even point".

Thanks for the replies! However I have several questions:

If Db2 connect is only needed to connect to OS/390, then how do you connect to DB2 on an AIX or Windows box?

Also, I understand Personal Edition for workstations. However for the Business Objects server that has multiple processors, wouldn't I want the Application Server edition and not the Enterprise Edition? Or can Enterprise edition be purchased to utilize multiple processors?

You must install the DB2 client software (free) on your client. If you already have DB2 server installed, then it includes the client software. Then you must catalog the remote databases on the client (the Client Configuration Assistant GUI will help you).

So the DB2 client software is different than DB2 Connect? How do I know what I actually have? I thought it was DB2 Connect PE, but maybe I only have the client on my desktop.