Installation Guide: OpenLink JDBC to JDBC Bridge Connector (Driver) for Linux (Enterprise Edition)

Data Access Drivers & Connectors
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Overview

This guide walks you through the installation of the Enterprise Edition JDBC to JDBC Bridge Driver on a Linux host. The host acts as a client to a remote database accessible via its native JDBC driver.

Enterprise Architecture

The JDBC to JDBC Bridge enables Java applications to connect to remote JDBC-accessible databases through OpenLink’s multi-tier architecture, providing enhanced security, scalability, and centralized configuration.

Step 1: Download the Installer Archive

Use the following commands to download the required installation files:

curl -O https://download3.openlinksw.com/uda/components/misc/install.sh
curl -O https://download3.openlinksw.com/uda/components/9.0/x86_64-generic-linux-glibc25-64/opljdbc.taz
curl -O https://download3.openlinksw.com/uda/components/9.0/x86_64-generic-linux-glibc25-64/jdbc_sv.taz
curl -O https://download3.openlinksw.com/uda/components/9.0/x86_64-generic-linux-glibc25-64/oplrqb.taz

Step 2: Pre-Installation Configuration

Ensure the following prerequisites are met:

  • A 64-bit JVM must be installed and configured.
  • A third-party or native JDBC drivers that connects to the target database must be available
  • The JDBC Driver must be installed on the same machine as the Multi-Tier “Enterprise” Edition Request Broker and Bridge Agent(s) for JDBC Data Sources.
  • The JDBC driver jar file (or a symbolic link to it) must be included in the active CLASSPATH environment variable.
  • The JDBC driver class name must be known.
  • The JDBC connection URL that connects to your target JDBC Data Source must be known.
  • The location of the libjvm.so shared library using by the OpenLink JDBC Bridge agent must be set in the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable
  • Generally, the latest JVM from http://java.com/ is the best choice.

Step 3: Installation

  1. Log onto the target machine for the installation and create a suitable OpenLink installation directory {OPENLINK_INSTALL}.
  2. Copy all the downloaded components to the {OPENLINK_INSTALL} directory, which are the install.sh, oplrqb.taz, opljdbc.taz, odbc_admin.taz, jdbc_sv.taz files.
  3. Install OpenLink components using the install.sh shell script with the command –
 sh install.sh
  1. Take care to enter correct information when prompted pertaining to ports, passwords, etc and ensure that you note these down for future use.
  2. The installation should finish without error.

Step 4: Configuration

  1. To setup the OpenLink environment, from the {OPENLINK_INSTALL} run the command –
. ./openlink.sh
  1. Open the file {OPENLINK_INSTALL}/bin/oplrqb.ini with a suitable text editor such as vi.
  2. Locate the [Environment JDBC18] section for setting the driver specific JDBC configuration and edit to reflect your environment, setting the CLASSPATH to the location of the JDBC Driver jar file and the LD_LIBRARY_PATH to the location of the libjvm.so shared library determined in Step 2 –
[Environment JDBC18]
CLASSPATH          = {JDBC Driver JAR file}
LD_LIBRARY_PATH = {Directory of libjvm.so file}
;; PATCHNULLSIZEOFSQLCHAR = 4096
;; SQL_DBMS_NAME = hugh
  1. Place the License file(s) (oplrqb.lic, jdbc.lic) either purchased or obtain during the evaluation download process in the {OPENLINK_INSTALL}/bin directory.
  2. Start the OpenLink License Manage (oplmgr) by going to the {OPENLINK_INSTALL}/bin directory and running the command –
./oplmgr +start
  1. Start the OpenLink Request Broker (oplrqb) by going to the {OPENLINK_INSTALL}/bin directory and running the command –
./oplrqb -v     ;;; To start in background mode
or
./oplrqb -fd    ;;; To start in foreground debug mode

Step 5: Configure JDBC Connection

Create a Java application or use a JDBC test utility to connect using the OpenLink JDBC driver (opljdbc4_2.jar ).

Type 3 JDBC URL Syntax

The Type 3 JDBC URL syntax is as shown below. Spaces between arguments are here only for clarity; they should be omitted for actual use.

jdbc:openlink://<Hostname>[:portnumber] [/DSN=<dsn>] [/UID=<uid>] [/PWD=<pwd>] [/READONLY=<y>] 
              [/FBS=<x>] [/JDBCAGENT=<AgentType>] [/SVT=<ServerType>] [/DATABASE=<Schema>] 
              [/OPTIONS=<AgentOptions>] [/DRIVER=<RemoteOdbcDriver>] [/SSL=<y>] [/TIMEOUT=<seconds>]

Sample JDBC Connection Code (Java)

Class.forName("openlink.jdbc4.Driver");
Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection(
  "jdbc:openlink://localhost:5000/SVT=JDBC18/DATABASE={JDBC Driver Class Name}/OPTIONS={JDBC connection URL}/READONLY=N/FBS=99/", "username", "password"
);
Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {table-name}");
while (rs.next()) {
    System.out.println("Count: " + rs.getInt(1));
}

Replace localhost:5000 with the actual host and port of the Request Broker (oplrqb).

Step 6: Test the Connection

You can use any JDBC-compatible test tool (e.g., SQuirreL SQL, DBeaver, or a custom Java app) to verify connectivity.

Ensure:

  • The OpenLink JDBC driver (opljdbc4_2.jar) is in the CLASSPATH environment variable.
  • The JDBC URL is correctly formatted.
  • The Request Broker is running and accessible.

Additional Information