IBM'S DB2 DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DB2 is not a single software product; rather it is a family of tools, utilities, and products supporting the database management system itself that can run on several operating platforms. DB2 has had a long and successful history going back 20 years in the global database industry. The current version of DB2 expands its autonomic computing foundation with key new capabilities that reduce complexity in deploying, managing, and configuring relational databases. Today, the DB2 family of products spans a wide variety of UNIX®, Linux, and Windows platforms and the IBM iSeries™ (OS/400® operating system) and zSeries™ (OS/390®, z/OS®, VM, VSE, and Linux) server lines. DB2 Everyplace™ supports handheld devices and embedded Linux environments, and provides data synchronization with larger systems. Common tools have been delivered for application development and database administration across the family. Innovations from all family members and the Informix database line feed the growth of the entire family. DB2 technologies of today address emerging customer requirements in several new areas: -
Autonomic computing requires servers, operating systems, and middleware including DB2, to diagnose and correct problems without human intervention. Database self-management and automation for the database administrator are areas of particular emphasis in the most recent edition of DB2. -
Standards-based Web services have emerged as a new style of application processing with full support from DB2. -
Grid computing, or the idea of large-scale computing resources used as a utility or service, such as a database service, takes advantage of the vast clustered scalability of DB2 to support large databases and large numbers of simultaneous users in an available manner. Standards-based Web services are another key component of grid computing supported by DB2. -
The e-business on demand business model requires an operating environment built on open standards to allow quick and cost-effective innovation and reconfiguration. The infrastructure to support e-business on demand must be reliable, scalable, and secure. DB2 is an essential part of that infrastructure. DB2 software plays an important role in this infrastructure—the e-business on demand operating environment. All elements of the portfolio (database servers, business intelligence software, enterprise content management software, data management tools, and information integration software) are developed with four key e-business on demand attributes in mind: They are integrated, open, virtualized, and autonomic. There are a number of DB2 capabilities supporting these attributes. -
Integrated: Built-in support for both Microsoft and Java™-based operating environments; integration into WebSphere®, Tivoli, Lotus, and Rational products and plans; cross-platform DB2 family capabilities; integration with Web services and message queuing technologies; heterogeneous data source support via DB2 Information Integrator; support for both structured and unstructured information. -
Open: Deep commitment to and support for Linux and standards for Java, XML, Web services, grid computing, distributed database interoperability; and multivendor, multiplatform exploitation. -
Virtualized: Federation and integration technologies in DB2 Universal Database and DB2 Information Integrator that provide a pragmatic alternative to data centralization; clustered scalability to support expansion of a virtualized information environment. -
Autonomic: Self-tuning capabilities of DB2 Universal Database; rapid DB2 deployment via optimized configuration tooling; dynamic adjustment and tuning; simple and silent installation processes; integration with Tivoli® for system security and management. |
