Author: paul.deluca

How do I find the block size of my database files on Linux?

First, find the block size of your filesystem. On Linux, the default block size for an ext3 filesystem will be 4096 bytes (4 KB):

[root@firestorm ~]# tune2fs -l /dev/datavg/eclipse
tune2fs 1.39 (29-May-2006)
Filesystem volume name:   /u2/eclipse
Last mounted on:          
Filesystem UUID:          996f19ea-80da-477d-b961-2873ebe8181b
Filesystem magic number:  0xEF53
Filesystem revision #:    1 (dynamic)
Filesystem features:      has_journal ext_attr resize_inode dir_index filetype sparse_super large_file
Default mount options:    (none)
Filesystem state:         clean
Errors behavior:          Continue
Filesystem OS type:       Linux
Inode count:              1310720
Block count:              5242880
Reserved block count:     262144
Free blocks:              2651137
Free inodes:              1125318
First block:              0
Block size: 4096 
Fragment size:            4096
Reserved GDT blocks:      1022
Blocks per group:         32768
Fragments per group:      32768
Inodes per group:         8192
Inode blocks per group:   512
Filesystem created:       Fri Sep 23 22:04:10 2011
Last mount time:          Mon Jan  9 13:03:16 2012
Last write time:          Tue Jan 17 13:41:40 2012
Mount count:              8
Maximum mount count:      20
Last checked:             Fri Sep 23 22:04:10 2011
Check interval:           15552000 (6 months)
Next check after:         Wed Mar 21 22:04:10 2012
Reserved blocks uid:      0 (user root)
Reserved blocks gid:      0 (group root)
First inode:              11
Inode size:		  256
Journal inode:            8
Default directory hash:   half_md4
Directory Hash Seed:      e4114643-fdd7-446d-ae9c-4bdea1063657
Journal backup:           inode blocks

Each UniVerse database file has its own setting for block size, which can be found by running the ANALYZE.FILE command from TCL, as in the example below:

>ANALYZE.FILE PRODUCT
File name                               = PRODUCT
File type                               = 18
File style and revision                 = 64BIT Revision 12
Number of groups in file (modulo)       = 30427
Separation = 4 
Number of records                       = 155092
Number of physical bytes                = 70756352
Number of data bytes                    = 52605264

Average number of records per group     = 5.0972
Average number of bytes per group       = 1728.9008
Minimum number of records in a group    = 2
Maximum number of records in a group    = 7

Average number of bytes per record      = 339.1875
Minimum number of bytes in a record     = 176
Maximum number of bytes in a record     = 2424

Average number of fields per record     = 110.3191
Minimum number of fields per record     = 108
Maximum number of fields per record     = 194

Groups   25%     50%     75%    100%    125%    150%    175%    200%  full

Multiply the separation by the filesystem block size for the database file block size. In this example, 4096 bytes * 4 = 16484 bytes (16 K).

Configure Postfix Relay

Configure Simple Relay

To configure the Linux server’s postfix software to relay mail to your SMTP server, open the postfix configuration file for editing:

vim /etc/postfix/main.cf

If your SMTP server allows relay without authentication, simply add the appropriate relayhost entry:

relayhost = exchange.customerdomain.com

Restart the postfix service to apply the settings change:

service postfix reload

Configure Relay with Authentication

Open the postfix configuration file for editing:

vim /etc/postfix/main.cf

If your SMTP server requires authentication (SMTP AUTH) and a secure connection (TLS), use the following procedure (which has been tested with Google Apps and Office365):

relayhost = [smtp.gmail.com]:587
smtp_sasl_auth_enable = yes
smtp_sasl_password_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/sasl_passwd
smtp_sasl_security_options =
smtp_tls_security_level = may

Create a file where the credentials for SMTP AUTH will be stored:

vim /etc/postfix/sasl_passwd

Enter the credentials:

[smtp.gmail.com]:587 user@domain.com:password

Apply the settings:

postmap /etc/postfix/sasl_passwd
chmod 644 /etc/postfix/sasl_passwd
service postfix reload

Troubleshooting

Can’t Send Mail from Root

If your mail server requires that mail be sent from a valid address, you may have problems sending mail from the root account, which is required for backup reports and other purposes. In this case, create a mapping for the root user to a valid email address.

Add the following line to /etc/postfix/main.cf:

smtp_generic_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/generic

Add the required email address alias to /etc/postfix/generic:

root user@domain.com

Create the hash file and reload postfix:

postmap /etc/postfix/generic
service postfix reload

Vendor-Specific Notes

If you are having trouble sending outbound email with your mail server, you may refer to the hints below, or you may use a mail relay service like SendGrid.

Google

Please follow these instructions to configure postfix to relay via Google Apps or Gmail.

Microsoft Office365

Please follow these instructions to configure Office365 and postfix to work with your Eclipse server.

SendGrid

If you are having trouble with email relay using your mail server, we recommend using SendGrid.

How do I find my Red Hat login?

To verify the Red Hat login used to register a server with Red Hat network, run this command:

grep -A1 "<name>username" /etc/sysconfig/rhn/systemid

If you have forgotten the password, you may reset it using Red Hat’s password reset page and providing the previously-discovered username and email address.

If the server is not registered, you should contact customerservice@redhat.com with your original order confirmation or system configuration for assistance.

Why do I need to upgrade from AIX 5.3 or below?

IBM has announced that it will discontinue support for AIX 5.3 as of 4/30/12. IBM has previously stopped supporting all prior versions of AIX (5.2, 5.1, 4.3, etc.).

Our policy is to certify our software with the current version (AIX 7.1) and one previous version (AIX 6.1) of each applicable software product. This guarantees our customers plenty of time to upgrade software and hardware to keep their system up to date. For example, AIX 6.1 has been certified for Eclipse and supported by IBM since 2007, and AIX 5.3 had a lifespan of 8 years between 2004 and 2012.

Per this policy, Eclipse discontinued support for AIX 5.3 as of release 8.7.2 (see our database requirements for more details).

If you have any questions about your server’s OS level, or if you would like to discuss upgrade or migration paths, please open a service request or contact your sales representative.

Customers who wish to remain on an unsupported OS platform do so at their own risk, as neither IBM nor Eclipse will be able to provide technical support services for servers running unsupported OS levels. To receive technical support from the Eclipse Systems team, customers must have an active support contract in place with their hardware and software vendors. Additionally, customers on unsupported OS versions will be unable to upgrade to new versions of the Eclipse software.

How do I view my AIX server configuration?

To view basic hardware and configuration details for your AIX server, shell out as root and type:

lsconf|more

Press [SPACE] to proceed, page by page.

Here’s an example:

System Model: IBM,9131-52A
Machine Serial Number: 104XXXX
Processor Type: PowerPC_POWER5
Processor Implementation Mode: POWER 5
Processor Version: PV_5_3
Number Of Processors: 4
Processor Clock Speed: 1648 MHz
CPU Type: 64-bit
Kernel Type: 64-bit
LPAR Info: 1 typhoon
Memory Size: 7952 MB
Good Memory Size: 7952 MB
Platform Firmware level: SF240_320
Firmware Version: IBM,SF240_320
Console Login: enable
Auto Restart: true
Full Core: false

Reference: