Registering an Informix database with the server
As a server administrator, you have the option to register your data folders, databases, and geodatabases with ArcGIS Server. Data registration gives the server a list of locations that the server administrator has verified that the GIS server can access. Data registration also helps the GIS server understand how to adjust data paths when publishing across machines.
The following sections describe how to prepare your ArcGIS client to connect to an Informix database (whether the database contains a geodatabase or not), and register the database with ArcGIS Server.
Installing Informix client software
The Informix Client SDK or IConnect software must be installed on all ArcGIS client machines that will connect directly to the database. If you have multiple servers in your ArcGIS Server site, you must install the 64-bit Informix client on each server. You must install a 32-bit Informix client on all ArcGIS for Desktop machines that will connect directly to the Informix database.
If ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS for Desktop are installed on the same machine, you must install both the 32- and 64-bit clients.
Be sure to set the same data source name for the Informix client on the ArcGIS Server machines and all ArcGIS for Desktop machines that will be publishing data from the registered database.
See the following topics for more information on setting up Informix client software:
Setting variables
There are several variables you must set in the ArcGIS Server init_user_param.sh script when connecting to an Informix database from ArcGIS for Server (Linux). They include the following:
- INFORMIXDIR
- INFORMIXSERVER
- INFORMIXSQLHOSTS
- ODBCINI
- PATH
- LD_LIBRARY_PATH
See the "Reference the database client libraries in the init_user_param.sh script" section of Configuring a connection to a database in ArcGIS Server for more information.
Granting privileges
The login used to connect to the database must have specific privileges granted to it. For logins that will only need to select data from a service published to ArcGIS Server, grant the privileges necessary for a data viewer as described in User privileges for geodatabases in Informix. If data will be published to an editable feature service, grant the privileges necessary for a data editor. If you will be registering the geodatabase as a managed database, grant the privileges necessary for a data creator.
If your connection to Informix uses operating system authentication, be sure to grant the appropriate privileges to the ArcGIS Server account.
Connecting to Informix
To register a database with the server, you must provide connection information. There are two ways you can do this:
- Import an existing .sde file that contains the connection information.
You can create a Database Connection (.sde) file from the Catalog tree in ArcGIS for Desktop, using the Create Database Connection geoprocessing tool, or a Python script.
- Provide your connection information at the time of registration.
No matter which way you choose, you must provide the following information to connect directly to an Informix database:
- The type of DBMS to which you are connecting (in this case, Informix)
- Either the ODBC data source name or the connection string used for DSNless connections
The DSNless connection string is in the form HostName=<server where Informix is installed>;ServerName=<Informix server>;ServiceName=<service name defined in services file>;Database=<database name>;. See Database connections in ArcGIS for Desktop for more information and an example.
- The type of authentication to be used: database or operating system
Although all logins to Informix are domain or local operating system accounts (domain accounts are recommended), you can specify database authentication for your connection from ArcGIS and Informix will validate your connection using the login and password you provide in the database connection file. To use with ArcGIS Server, you must save the user information with the connection file.
If you choose to use operating system authentication instead, be sure your Informix server can authenticate the ArcGIS Server account.
If you want to connect to a geodatabase in DB2 using an ArcSDE service, you must create a .sde file using the Create ArcSDE Connection File geoprocessing tool or a Python script. Then you must import the connection when you register the geodatabase with ArcGIS Server.
Registering the database with ArcGIS Server
You can register the database from Server Manager or the Catalog tree in ArcGIS for Desktop. See the following topics for an explanation of registration options and how to register the database: