Preinstallation Tasks for the Server Installation

Learn what to do before you begin the server installation.

  1. Verify that the operating system meets the version-level, RAM, and network protocol requirements for your platform.
  2. For Sun Solaris SPARC 64-bit, set the file descriptors limit to a specific value before installing the server. The installation cannot be executed when file descriptors are set to unlimited.
  3. Read the release bulletins for the latest information on the products (Adaptive Server, Monitor Server, and so on) that you are installing. Check for any special installation instructions in the “Special Installation Instructions” section of the release bulletin.
  4. Install operating system patches, if required.
  5. Ensure that the account used to start the server has read and write permissions over the directory in which you are installing the server. You may need to create non-administrative logins to install the server into personal directories.
  6. Ensure that you have the required operating system patches for the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 6.

    Information about the required operating system patches is available from the Sun Java Web site.

  7. Review the SySAM procedures and plan your server configuration using the configuration guide for your platform. If you are installing the Cluster Edition, configuration information is in the installation guide for your platform. See the Cluster Users Guide for detailed information on configuration options.
  8. Create a “sybase” account on your system to perform all installation tasks.

    The “sybase” user must have permission privileges from the top (or root) of the disk partition or operating system directory down to the specific physical device or operating system file.

  9. Log in to the machine as the “sybase” user.

    Maintain consistent ownership and privileges for all files and directories. A single user—the Sybase system administrator with read, write, and execute permissions—should perform all installation, upgrade, and setup tasks.

  10. If you are installing Adaptive Server 15.5 over an existing Adaptive Server 15.0.x version, and the Java in the database feature is enabled, perform these steps:
    1. Create the sybpcidb database, which stores configuration information for the Pluggable Component Interface (PCI) and all Pluggable Component Adapter (PCA) components. This database is used by the installpcidb script. For example: 
      1> disk init
2> name = “sybpcidb_dev”,
3> physname = “${SYBASE}/data/sybpcidb_dev.dat”,
4>size = '24MB'
5>go
6> create database sybpcidb on sybpcidb_dev = 24
7> go

      • The device and database sizes depend on the Adaptive Server page size:

        • 2k page size – 24MB

        • 4k page size – 48MB

        • 8k page size – 96MB

        • 16k page size – 192MB

    2. If you are upgrading from a 15.0.x Adaptive Server, disable the Java feature before you upgrade, and reenable it after you have finished the upgrade. To disable the Java feature, use: 
    1> sp_configure 'enable java',0
2> go
  11. Decide where to install the software. Ensure there is sufficient available disk space. There cannot be any spaces in the path name of the directory.
  12. Know the product edition you are installing. The options are:

    • Enterprise Edition — no license type needed

    • Small Business Edition — license type needed

    • Developers Edition — license type needed

    For more information about license types, see the Getting and Using your License section of the Sybase Software Asset Management Users Guide.
    Note: Sybase recommends that you specify license types at the time of installation. However, you may choose to specify the product edition and license type later using sp_lmconfig. For information on sp_lmconfig, see Reference Manual:Procedures.
  13. You must decide if you want licensing events to trigger e-mail alerts and the severity of the events that generate e-mail messages.

    If you choose to have e-mail notifications for license events, you must know the:


    • SMTP server host name

    • Port number for an SMTP server

    • E-mail return address

    • Recipients of the notifications

    • Severity level of an event that triggers mail. Your choices are:


      • None

      • Informational

      • Warning

      • Error

  14. Verify that your network software is configured.

    Sybase software uses network software even if Adaptive Server and Sybase client applications are installed on a machine that is not connected to a network.

    If you are having connection problems, or to verify your network configuration, ping the host.

  15. Adjust the operating system shared memory parameter.
    Solaris 10 has shifted to a new method of controlling system resources. For this reason shminfo_shmmax is technically obsolete. If you still have an entry for it in /etc/system it will work. However, the new method requires an additional entry to the file /etc/project. For example:
    project-sybase:200:For use by Sybase:sybase:sybase:
project.max-shm-memory=\(privileged,17179869184,deny)

    The new parameter is project.max-shm-memory=(privileged,17179869184,deny) — replaces the old parameter shminfo-shmmax. “Privilege” is a threshold value on a resource control that constitutes a point at which local actions are triggered or global actions such as logging into a machine can occur.

    Privilege levels:

    • Basic – can be modified by the owner of the calling process.

    • Privilege – can be modified by privileged callers.

    • System – is fixed for the duration of the operating system instance.

    In specifying the threshold value of “privilege”, you can use the abbreviation “priv” For example:
    project.max-shm-memory=(priv, 17179869184,deny)

    • "17179869184" – is the threshold value (16GB) on the resource control.

    • deny – denies attempts to use more than 16GB.

    The default value for project.max-shm-memory is 25% of the physical memory on the system. The maximum value is UINT64_MAX, which works out to 18446744073709551615 bytes, so is limited only by the size of the physical memory.

    To set the project.max-shm-memory while the system is running use the prctl command. The rctladm command sets the configuration permanently.

  16. Adjust shared memory segments.

    Depending on the number and types of devices used for backup (dump) and recovery (load), you may need to adjust the shared memory segment parameter in the operating system configuration file to accommodate concurrent Backup Server processes. The default number of shared memory segments available for process attachments is 6.

    Adaptive Server may allocate shared memory segments after start-up if any reconfiguration through sp_configure requires additional memory. You may need to account for these additional segments. Allocate the maximum memory available to Adaptive Server, by using the allocate max shared memory configuration parameter. See the System Administration Guide for more information.

    To adjust shared memory segments of the operating system, add the following line to the configuration file where x is the number of shared memory segments./etc/system:
    set shmsys:shminfo_shmseg=x