Re: OWS install errors/fixes

In article <338DFDC9.5E86@lmrgroup.com>, Tim <tim@lmrgroup.com> writes >It was suggested that since I was one of the few running Informix >OWS 7.20.uc2 on a Sun that I should let everyone on this list Snap - OWS 7.20.UC1 on Solaris 2.5.1!! >know about some of the problems with the OWS install. The >techsupt area was not aware of these and the cases I had >opened with them never were resolved. It is true that I hit >some of these problems because I came from the Windoze world >but it should also be said that the old Informix releases could >be installed by the janitor (just about). I have done >Informix Installs on a bunch of systems with 4.0 being >my last on a Unix platform. This release was >less than perfect but was not all that bad once I found someone >that had already done it. > >#1 It needs to be documented somewhere where and how to get > at the manuals (see my other posting to this group). >#2 Some of the install documentation suggests that 40 mb of > disk space is required for an install. The little note in > with the cdrom suggests 200mb. The install script checks > for something bigger than 250mb. I had to increase /usr > to 430 mb to get the install script to work. Fact is that > most configurations of informix take less than 100mb so > this seems a bit extream. (mine was 92mb) >#3 The install script attempts some sneaky updates to the > /etc/services file which is unused by NIS and NIS+ sites. > The documentation fails to tell you this so you need to know > someone that has figured out how to get this going in > order to get around this bug. Add sqlturbo and srv_agent > to the proper services via NIS(+)and your in like flynn, almost. >#4 Since OWS does not come with on-Monitor (a neat tool) > you need to have the OWS (and not the Dynamic server) > manuals to get through the basic oninit and other trivial > start up stuff. >#5 Manual 7953 (install guide/readme file) tells you that you > need to set INFORMIXDIR before running the setup program > but it forgets to tell you that setup can not finish its > job if you do not set the INFORMIXSERVER environment variable. > I guess you already have to have known something about Informix > Online to have known about that variable. > #6 You cannot install im /tmp /usr/tmp and /home as OWS assumes these are 'temporary' directorys and won't install there. The last one was either /usr or /home (can't remember which) but Informix UK Teh Support (who provided this info.) were not sure why the last one was inclded in the list... UK Tech Support also told me about the sizing problem. It gets it wrong by a factor of 2 (Probably using blocks rather than K or vice versa). >Good thing I made some friends on this list who helped me out. >I sent this info to informix tech support in the hopes it >might be passed on to the support agents. I have not received >a reply as yet (May 15th). I did hear that a training instructor >tried an install and found some of the things that two of >us reported (a guy from the UK also had some of this). So I That was probably me! >expect that this will make it into the release in the future. >The current tech agents do not seem to me to have much experiance >with the OWS installs on Sun's. > >Other than that, things run great on the Sun. The last riot >caused by those switching off of NT onto Sun's seemed a bit >to steamy for me so I will end my comments here. Suffice it to say we >got a lot more bang for our buck on the Sun even though its a bit >harder to find Unix people and drag them away from Internet >projects. It was worth the effort. A lot more stable than >NT 4.0 on DELL or Compaq as well (knock wood). I think we >will stay on the Sun's for awhile. So far we have had two weeks >with no down time for anything ! I have never seen a BLUE >screen error on a Sun either. :-) No memory frag problems either. > We have been up for ~3 months! Love it - no Micro$oft products on this project, just Sun and Informix! We project that we will have 28Gb of data (14*2Gb disks full) by the end of 3 years! We use a Sun DLT 4000 for backup (14.4Gb/hr!). 2 *170Mz Ultrasparcs and 256Mb of memory. Want to trade info...we have just hit a bug where if you run out of locks OWS panic and shutsdown! E-mail me for more info.... PS Are you based in the UK? I am currently starting an Informal London USer Group... >,,, Tim -- David Williams