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1. Introduction

1.1. Who should read this HOWTO

This HOWTO is intended for anyone interested in installing and using IBM DB2® Express-C 9 on a Linux® distribution. The goal is to include as many distributions as possible, on both 32–bit and 64–bit architectures, however both hardware and time resources are constrained, so if you come across a distribution/architecture combination that isn't covered in here or if you encounter a problem that isn't addressed, send a note to db2howto@gmail.com and I'll try to help verify or resolve your issue and add the information here.

The information found in this document is based on personal experiences installing and configuring IBM DB2 9 Express-C.

1.2. Disclaimer

No liability for the contents of this document is accepted. Use the concepts, examples and information at your own risk. There may be errors and inaccuracies that could be damaging to your system. Proceed with caution, and, although it is highly unlikely that accidents will happen because of following advice or procedures described in this document, the author does not take any responsibility for any damage claimed to be caused by this document.

All copyrights are held by their by their respective owners, unless specifically noted otherwise. Use of a term in this document should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark. Naming of particular products or brands should not be seen as endorsements.

This HOWTO is not official IBM documentation, and cannot be construed as such. IBM accepts no responsibility, liability or coverage for the material or instructions contained in this HOWTO. The views expressed in this document are those of the author, and not IBM Corporation.

1.3. Copyright and license

Copyright (c) 2007 IBM Corporation.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the Invariant Sections being "Disclaimer" and "About the Authors". This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without ebaseven the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

1.4. Credits

Ian Hakes is the current owner and maintainer of this HOWTO. Please send all suggestions for improvement, criticisms or questions to db2howto@gmail.com.

As always, big thanks to Dan Scott, who continues to be an invaluable resource to both myself and the open source community at large.

I'd also to thank: Rav Ahuja, Boris Bialek, Jason Chan, Ryan Chase, Irina Delidjakova, Leon Katsnelson, and Darin McBride for their support, input and patience while putting this document together.

Most of all, I must thank my wife and children for allowing me to spend weeknights and weekends on my laptop and test machines getting this document together. I couldn't have done it without their love and support.

1.5. About the author

Ian Hakes, has worked for IBM DB2 since 1999. Currently, he is involved in technical marketing for the DB2 Express-C product, developing technical documentation and evangelizing DB2 Express-C. Before that, he was the technical team lead for the DB2 Information Development department, and the writer responsible for the DB2 SQL Reference manual. His free time is spent mainly typing on computers, thinking about how much nicer it would be to watch a movie or to be sailing.