IBM DB2 Client deployment planning, Select the right client type, Option a IBM Data Server Driver

3.1 Client deployment planning

Client deployment planning is a task to consider at the time when the application is designed and architected. Based on the requirements of the application, you decide on which client to use and how it is configured. The design considerations should include details such as footprint and setup consistency.

3.1.1 Select the right client type

Figure 3-1illustrates this topic as seen from an application point of view. In general, there are three options that enable an application to connect to a DB2 server:

￿Option A: IBM Data Server Driver

When you just want to connect to a DB2 server, the most simple approach is to use the IBM Data Server Driver. This setup is restricted to the supported platforms and languages. Configuration options are also limited In this setup. For a Java application, this solution is very simple to deploy because you do not have to install any DB2 software. It is sufficient to just package the driver files along with the application.

￿Option B: IBM DB2 clients

The other options available are the IBM Data Server Client and the IBM Data Server Runtime Client. Which of these clients to prefer depends on the supportive requirements of the applications. In a production environment, the IBM Data Server Runtime Client is usually the one chosen. In other environments, such as test environment, you can benefit from the tools provided with the IBM Data Server Client.

￿Option C: Mix of option A and B

In the large environments, you can benefit from a mix of option A and B. In a large environment, you might want to configure the connection to DB2 in different ways, optimizing for different uses of DB2.

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