For specific instructions on how to allocate raw disk space on UNIX, see your operating-system documentation.
In general, to create raw disk space, you can either repartition your disks or unmount an existing file system. In either case, take proper precautions to back up any files before you unmount the device. (See Unbuffered or Buffered Disk Access on UNIX.)
Change the group and owner of the character-special devices to informix. The filename of the character-special device usually begins with the letter r.
Verify that the operating-system permissions on the character-special devices are crw-rw----.
Create a link between the character-special device name and another filename with the UNIX link command, usually ln.
The link enables you to replace quickly the disk where the chunk is located. The convenience becomes important if you need to restore your database server data. The restore process requires all chunks that were accessible at the time of the last dbspace backup to be accessible when you perform the restore. The link means that you can replace a failed device with another device and link the new device pathname to the same filename that you previously created for the failed device. You do not need to wait for the original device to be repaired.
Execute the command ls -lg (ls -l on System V UNIX) on your device directory to verify that both the devices and the links exist. The following example shows links to raw devices. If your operating system does not support symbolic links, hard links will work as well.
% ls -lg crw-rw--- /dev/rxy0h crw-rw--- /dev/rxy0a lrwxrwxrwx /dev/my_root@->/dev/rxy0h lrwxrwxrwx /dev/raw_dev2@->/dev/rxy0aHome | [ Top of Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Contents | Index ]