Installing and Creating the Service on IBM Db2

Installing and Creating the Service on IBM Db2

In this episode, we’ll explore multiple ways to install and run IBM Db2, and guide you through creating your first database service.

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1. Overview of Installation Options

IBM Db2 can be deployed in several environments depending on your use case:

Option	Description	Best For
Docker Container	Fast and portable local setup	Developers, testing
Native Installation	Install directly on Linux/Windows OS	On-premise dev/prod
Db2 on Cloud	Fully managed by IBM Cloud	Production, no-maintenance setup
Db2 Warehouse	Cloud or local analytics warehouse	BI/Analytics workloads
Developer-C Edition	Free edition with limited resources	Learning, sandbox testing
Db2u on Kubernetes	Containerized Db2 for OpenShift/K8s	Cloud-native, enterprise
Cloud Pak for Data	AI/ML platform with Db2 built-in	Full data & AI pipelines

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2. Quick Setup:

Option A - Docker (Recommended for Local Development)

docker pull ibmcom/db2

docker run -itd --name db2 \
  -e DB2INST1_PASSWORD=Passw0rd \
  -e LICENSE=accept \
  -p 50000:50000 \
  -v db2data:/database \
  ibmcom/db2

Then access:

docker exec -it db2 bash
su - db2inst1
db2start

Option B - Native Installation (Linux Example)

wget https://public.dhe.ibm.com/ibmdl/export/pub/software/data/db2/community/db2server_base_11.5.8_amd64.deb

sudo apt install ./db2server_base_11.5.8_amd64.deb

# Create Db2 instance and start
sudo /opt/ibm/db2/V11.5/instance/db2icrt -a server -u db2fenc1 db2inst1
su - db2inst1
db2start

Option C - IBM Db2 on Cloud

• No installation needed.
• Fully managed by IBM.
• Create at: https://www.ibm.com/cloud/db2-on-cloud

After provisioning:

• Get credentials from the dashboard
• Connect via CLI, JDBC, or REST API
• Highly available (HA), backup, monitoring included

Option D - Db2 Developer-C Edition (Free)

• Download: https://www.ibm.com/products/db2/developer-edition
• Supports Linux, Windows, Docker
• Limited to:
  • 16GB RAM
  • 4 CPUs
  • 100 concurrent connections

Still includes full feature set for development/testing.

Option E - Db2u on Kubernetes (Advanced)

• Containerized version for OpenShift / Kubernetes
• Suitable for DevOps pipelines
• Install using Helm or OperatorHub
• Documentation: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/db2/11.5?topic=db2u

3. Create Your First Database (All Options)

After installation, inside your Db2 environment:

db2start                      # Start Db2 engine
db2 create database mydb      # Create database
db2 connect to mydb           # Connect to DB
db2 "SELECT current date FROM sysibm.sysdummy1"

• Replace mydb with your desired database name.

4. Tools & Resources

Tool	Description
IBM Data Studio	GUI IDE for SQL, ER diagrams
db2cli / CLPPlus	Command-line tools
JDBC / ODBC Drivers	Integration with apps
Docs	Db2 11.5 Documentation

Summary

Step	Description
1.	Choose the right Db2 installation method
2.	Install and start the Db2 instance
3.	Create a database (e.g. mydb)
4.	Test connection and query execution
5.	Prepare for next episode: load data into Db2