Informix Guide to GLS Functionality

Informix Guide to GLS Functionality
Chapter 5: INFORMIX-OnLine Dynamic Server Features

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Support for Locales by OnLine Utilities

The GLS feature enables OnLine utilities to provide the following locale-specific support:

Locale environment variables to establish nondefault locales
Non-ASCII characters in command-line arguments

This section provides information that is specific to the use of the GLS feature by OnLine utilities. For a complete description of OnLine utilities, refer to the INFORMIX-OnLine Dynamic Server Administrator's Guide. For a complete description of SE utilities, refer to the Informix Guide to SQL: Reference.

Locale Environment Variables

OnLine and SQL utilities are client applications that request information from an instance of OnLine. Therefore, these utilities use the CLIENT_LOCALE, DB_LOCALE, and SERVER_LOCALE environment variables to obtain the name of a nondefault locale, as follows:

If a database utility is to use a nondefault code set to accept input, (including command-line arguments) and to generate output, you must set the CLIENT_LOCALE environment variable.
If a database utility accesses a database with a nondefault locale, you must set the DB_LOCALE environment variable.
If a database utility causes OnLine to write data on the server computer that has a nondefault code set, you must set the SERVER_LOCALE environment variable.

These utilities also perform code-set conversion if the database and the client locales support convertible code sets. For more information on code-set conversion, see page 1-40.

Non-ASCII Characters in Command-Line Arguments

Most OnLine utilities support non-ASCII characters in command-line arguments. These utilities interpret all command-line arguments in the client code set (which CLIENT_LOCALE defines). Figure 5-2 shows OnLine utilities that accept non-ASCII characters in command-line arguments.

Figure 5-2
OnLine Utilities That Accept Non-ASCII Characters in Command-Line Arguments

Utility Name Non-ASCII Characters in Command-Line Argument Non-ASCII Output
onaudit
-f input_file
Yes

oncheck
-cc -pc database
-ci -cI -pk -pK -pl -pL database:table#index_name
-ci -cI -pk -pK -pl -pL -cd -cD -pB -pt -pT -pd -pD -pp database:table
Yes

onload
database:table
-i old_index new_index
-t tape_device
Yes

onlog
-d tape_device
None

onshowaudit
-f input_file
-s server_name
Yes

onspaces
-p pathname
-f filename
None

onstat
-o filename -dest
filename_source
Yes

onunload
database:table
-t tape_device
Yes

The DB-Access utility generates labels and messages in the code set of the client locale. The following SQL utilities also accept non-ASCII characters in command-line arguments and generate any output in the client code set:

chkenv
dbexport
dbimport
dbload
dbschema

For a description of these SQL utilities, refer to the Informix Guide to SQL: Reference. For information about how to use these utilities to migrate to or from a database, see the Informix Migration Guide.

Enhancements to the onmode Utility

You can use the -b option with the onmode utility to revert from a GLS database to an Informix ALS, NLS, or pre-NLS database.

Important: You cannot revert to an ALS Version 5.0 database from a GLS database.

For information on how to use the onmode utility to migrate to older versions of OnLine, see the Informix Migration Guide. For a complete description of the onmode utility, refer to the INFORMIX-OnLine Dynamic Server Administrator's Guide.

Informix Guide to GLS Functionality, version 9.1
Copyright © 1998, Informix Software, Inc. All rights reserved.