Creating .dat Files for Database Devices

Use the disk init command to specify the drive, path, and file name of a new database device.

Warning! Do not place Adaptive Server devices on network drives, as this causes unpredictable system behavior. Also, if your Adaptive Server uses a network drive, you cannot start the server as an automatic Windows service.

If the d:\data directory does not exist, create it from the Windows command prompt:
```
d:\> mkdir data
```
Start isql and connect to Adaptive Server using the “sa” account:
```
d:\sybase\bin> isql -Usa -Ppassword -Sserver_name
```
Create the device using a disk init statement similar to:
```
1> disk init
2> name = "user_device1",
3>physname = "d:\data\user1.dat",
```
```
4>size = 4M
```
```
5> go
```
This example creates a 4MB device without an actual device number. To use a specific number, run sp_helpdevice to determine the number of an available device, and enter that number using “vdevno = (number)”.
For more information about sp_helpdevice and the disk init command, see the System Administration Guide: Volume 2 and the Reference Manual: Commands.
Note: Sybase recommends that you do not use raw partitions for database devices.