Section 5.1. The DB2 Environment, DB2 Instances, and Databases: The Big Picture

5.1. The DB2 Environment, DB2 Instances, and Databases: The Big Picture

Figure 5.1 illustrates the different levels in which you can configure your DB2 environment. You can use

• Environment variables at the operating system level

• The DB2 profile registry variables at the operating system and instance levels

• The Database Manager (DBM) Configuration file at the instance level

• The database configuration file at the database level

Figure 5.1. The big picture of the DB2 environment, instances, and databases

In the following sections you will learn in detail how to work with all of these variables.

NOTE

DB2 provides several levels of configuration that allow users to control the DB2 environment with more flexibility. Starting with Version 8, DB2 provides the Configuration Advisor graphical tool, which can set parameter values based on your answers to simple questions about your system. Chapter 16, Database Performance Considerations, discusses this tool in more detail.