Determining the location, type, and size of a database device

Adaptive Server requires several database devices. Table 2-12 below shows baseline values for each of the devices. See the release bulletin for any last-minute changes to these values.

Table 2-12: Adaptive Server database devices

Device

Purpose

Minimum size

Minimum recommended size

master

Stores system databases

14MB for 2K pages 27MB for 4K pages 50MB for 8K pages 105MB for 16K pages

30MB 60MB 120MB 240MB

sysprocsdev (also called the sybsystemprocs device)

Stores the sybsystemprocs database

100MB

100MB (plus any space for holding stored procedures that you have created)

sybsystemdb

Transaction processing

4MB

5 – 20MB

sybsecurity (optional)

Required for auditing

5MB

7MB; more for specialized auditing

For all databases you can use either a raw partition or a file.

Sybase Adaptive Server supports the database devices on NFS- and CIFS-mounted devices with Network Appliance Filers for storing data. Network appliance filers provide the same performance and data integrity as raw devices. There are no changes needed to the operating system or to Sybase Adaptive Server to use network appliance filers.

NFS mounted devices have been tested on Solaris, HP/UX, IBM AIX, Windows NT, Linux, and SGI.

NotePrevious versions of Adaptive Server performed buffered writes to file devices, which does not ensure recoverability. Starting in version 12.0, the default for writes to file systems is unbuffered, so files are now acceptable as database devices.

Do not run Adaptive Server on network-mounted devices, such as NFS- or RFS-mounted files, for these reasons:

You may need to repartition the disk you choose. Contact your operating system administrator for assistance.

When preparing a raw partition device, follow these guidelines:

To determine whether a device is a block device or a character device, run this command on the /dev directory:

ls -l

“b” (block) or “c” (character) appears in the left-most column.

StepsChoosing a raw partition

  1. Determine which raw partitions are available.

  2. Determine the sizes of the raw partitions.

  3. From the list of available raw partitions, select a raw partition for each device, based on the size recommendations in Table 2-12.

  4. Verify that the device is a character device.

  5. Verify with the operating System Administrator that the partition you have chosen is available.

  6. Make sure the “sybase” user has read and write privileges to the raw partition.

    NoteFor more information on choosing a raw partition, see your operating system documentation.