It is recommended that you keep your DB2^® environment running at the latest fix pack level to ensure problem-free operation. To install a fix pack successfully, perform all of the necessary pre-installation and post-installation tasks.

A DB2 fix pack contains updates and fixes for problems (Authorized Program Analysis Reports, or "APARs") found during testing at IBM^®, as well as fixes for problems reported by customers. Each fix pack contains an APARLIST.TXT file, which describes the fixes it contains.

Fix packs are cumulative. This means that the latest fix pack for any given version of DB2 contains all of the updates from previous fix packs for the same version of DB2.

• A single server image.

  The single server image contains the new and updated code required for all DB2 server products and the IBM Data Server Client. If more than one DB2 server product is installed in a single location, the DB2 server fix pack applies maintenance code updates to all the installed DB2 server products. The Data Server Client fix pack is contained within the one DB2 server fix pack (namely the fix pack that can service any one of the following server products: Enterprise Server Edition, Workgroup Server Edition, Express Edition, Personal Edition, Connect Enterprise Edition, Connect Application Server Edition, Connect Unlimited Edition for zSeries^®, and Connect Unlimited Edition for i5/OS^®). You can use the DB2 server fix pack to upgrade a Data Server Client.

  A single server image can also be used to install any of the DB2 database server products, at a particular fix pack level, with a DB2 try and buy license by default.

• A fix pack for each of the other DB2 database products.

  Use this fix pack only if you only have non-server database products or add-on products installed. For example, IBM Data Server Runtime Client or Query Patroller.

  Do not use this type of fix pack if the installed DB2 products are only DB2 server products or a Data Server Client. Instead, use the single server image fix pack.

  For Windows^® platforms, if you have more than one DB2 database product (which includes at least one product that is not a Data Server Client or a DB2 server) installed in a single DB2 copy, download and uncompress all of the corresponding product-specific fix packs before starting the fix pack installation process.

• A universal fix pack (on Linux^® or UNIX^® platforms only).

  The universal fix pack services installations where more than one DB2 database product has been installed.

  The universal fix pack is not needed if the installed DB2 products are only DB2 server products or a Data Server Client. In this case, the single server image fix pack should used.

Restrictions

• A DB2 Version 9.5 fix pack can only be applied to DB2 Version 9.5 general availability (GA) or fix pack level copies.

• All DB2 instances, DAS, and applications related to the DB2 copy being updated must be stopped before installing a fix pack.

• If you are using the database partitioning feature (DPF), prior to installing the fix pack, stop the database manager on all nodes. You must install the fix pack on the instance owning node and all other partitioned nodes. All computers participating in the instance must be upgraded to the same fix pack level.

• On Linux or UNIX operating systems:

  • If you have DB2 products on a Network File System (NFS), ensure the following are stopped completely before installing the fix pack: all instances, the DB2 administration server (DAS), interprocess communications (IPC), and applications on other machines using the same NFS mounted installation.

  • If the system commands fuser or lsof are not available, the installFixPack command cannot detect loaded DB2 files. You must ensure no DB2 files are loaded and provide an override option to install the fix pack. On UNIX, the fuser command is required to check for loaded files. On Linux, either the fuser command or lsof command is required.

    For details on the override option, see the installFixPack command.

• On client applications, after a fix pack has been applied, to perform autobind of applications, the user must have bind authority.

• Installation of a DB2 fix pack will not service IBM Data Studio Administration Console or IBM Data Studio.

For non-root installations on Linux or UNIX, root-based features (such as High Availability and operating system-based authentication) can be enabled using the db2rfe command. If root-based features were enabled after installing your DB2 product, rerun the db2rfe command each time a fix pack is applied in order to re-enable those features. For details, see the non-root related links below.

On Linux or UNIX operating systems, if national languages have been installed, you also require a separate national language fix pack. The national language fix pack can not be installed alone. A universal or product-specific fix pack must be applied at the same time and they must both be at the same fix pack level. For example, if you are applying a universal fix pack to non-English DB2 database products on Linux or UNIX, apply both the universal fix pack and the national language fix pack to update the DB2 database products.

If you have multiple DB2 copies on the same system, those copies can be at different version and fix pack levels. If you want to apply a fix pack to one or more DB2 copies, install the fix pack on those DB2 copies one by one.

To install a fix pack:

1. Access and download the latest DB2 fix pack by selecting the link for fix pack downloads from the DB2 Support Web site at http://www.ibm.com/software/data/db2/udb/support.html.

2. Check fix pack prerequisites, and perform the necessary tasks prior to installing a fix pack. If you already have DB2 database products installed, also stop various DB2 processes. See the fix pack Readme for details.

3. Choose a fix pack installation method and install the fix pack.

Parent topic: DB2 servers and IBM data server clients

Parent topic: An overview of installing your DB2 server product (Linux and UNIX)

Related tasks
Upgrading a Try and Buy license Enabling root-based features in non-root installations with db2rfe Applying fix packs to a non-root installation

Related reference
installFixPack - Update installed DB2 products command