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

Data Access Drivers & Connectors Tips, Tricks, and HowTos
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This installation guide walks you through installation of the Enterprise Edition ODBC to ODBC Bridge Driver to a Personal or Application Server host functioning as a client to a database that’s accessible via its native ODBC Driver.

Enterprise Architecture

Step 1: Download the Installer Archive

  1. Visit the OpenLink ODBC Enterprise Edition Driver Download Page to download the appropriate ODBC to ODBC Bridge Driver.

  2. Alternatively, curl can be used to download the installer archives and install.sh script directly:

    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/oplodbc.taz
curl -O https://download3.openlinksw.com/uda/components/9.0/x86_64-generic-linux-glibc25-64/odbc_mv.taz
curl -O https://download3.openlinksw.com/uda/components/9.0/x86_64-generic-linux-glibc25-64/oplrqb.taz   
curl -O https://download3.openlinksw.com/uda/components/9.0/x86_64-generic-linux-glibc25-64/odbc_admin.taz

Step 2: Pre-Installation Configuration

  • You must possess third-party or native ODBC drivers that connect to your target data source. A client portion of these drivers must be installed on the same machine as the Multi-Tier “Enterprise” Edition Request Broker and Bridge Agent(s) for ODBC Data Sources.

    • The ODBC driver library file (or a symbolic link to it) must be included in the active shared library environment variable (e.g., LD_LIBRARY_PATH, LIBPATH, SHLIB_PATH).

    • Supporting libraries (or links to them) may also need to be included in this variable value.

  • You must know whether the local ODBC components are 32-bit or 64-bit. The Multi-Tier server components must match the bit format of the local ODBC components, not the OS.

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, oplodbc.taz, odbc_admin.taz, odbc_mv.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. Place the License file(s) (oplrqb.lic, odbc.lic) either purchased or obtain during the evaluation download process in the {OPENLINK_INSTALL}/bin directory.

  3. 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: Create Data Source Name (DSN)

  1. Open the file {OPENLINK_INSTALL}/bin/odbc.ini with a suitable text editor such as vi.

  2. Locate and edit the sample OpenLink Multi-Tier ODBC data source (DSN) called [OpenLink] created during the installation process and edit as follows –

[OpenLink]
Driver          = {OPENLINK_INSTALL}/lib/oplodbc.so
ServerType      = Odbc
Host            = localhost:5000   ;;; replace "localhost" with the hostname the OpenLink Broker (oplrqb) runs on if not on the same machine
Database        = {Third Party ODBC DSN Name}
Options         = 
Username        = {username}
Password        = {optional password}
FetchBufferSize = 99
ReadOnly        = no
DeferLongFetch  = no
JetFix          = no
WideAsUTF16 = Y
Description     = Sample Informix Multi-Tier Connection

Step 6: Test connection

Using the iODBC Runtime Environment
  1. Use the OpenLink iODBC iodbctest sample tool packaged with the HTTP-based OpenLink ODBC Administrator as follows to make a test connection –
$ cd {OPENLINK_INSTALL}
$. ./openLink.sh 
$ iodbctest "DSN=OpenLink;UID={username};PWD=xxxxxxxx"
iODBC Demonstration program
This program shows an interactive SQL processor
Driver Manager: 03.52.0507.0105
Driver: 08.02.1217 OpenLink Generic ODBC Driver (oplodbc.so) 

SQL>
  1. SQL statements can now be issued directly against the target database from the SQL> prompt –
SQL> select count(*) from orders

(count(*))       
-----------------
23               

 result set 1 returned 1 rows.

SQL>
  1. The ODBC to ODBC Bridge Driver is now ready for use with target ODBC application(s).
Using the unixODBC Runtime Environment
  1. When using the unixODBC Driver Manager the WideAsUTF16 = Y parameter needs to be added to the target ODBC DSN, if not in place already, to enable successful connections with applications built using the unixODBC SDK, e.g., its isql test application –
$ isql OpenLink {username} {password}
+---------------------------------------+
| Connected!                            |
|                                       |
| sql-statement                         |
| help [tablename]                      |
| echo [string]                         |
| quit                                  |
|                                       |
+---------------------------------------+
SQL> select count(*) from orders              
+------------------+
| (count(*))       |
+------------------+
| 23               |
+------------------+
SQLRowCount returns -1
1 rows fetched
SQL>

Additional Information