Sybase IQ includes a phantom database, called the utility database, that has no physical representation. There is no database file for this database and the database can contain no data. The utility database can run on any Sybase IQ server.
The utility database permits a narrow range of specialized functions. It is provided so that you can execute database file manipulation statements such as CREATE DATABASE and DROP DATABASE without first connecting to a physical database. You can also retrieve database and connection properties from the utility database. These properties apply to databases you create when connected to the utility database. In Sybase Central, the server for the utility database is known as the Utility Server.
You start the utility database by specifying utility_db as the database name when connecting. (Do not specify “utility_db” as the database file, as there is no database file associated with the utility database.) For example:
dbisqlc -c "uid=dba;pwd=sql;eng=myserver;dbn=utility_db”
When
you connect to the utility database to create an IQ database having Windows
raw partitions, note that there is a syntax difference in the IQ
PATH. For example, to specify a Windows raw partition on device
I: for the utility database, you can use the specification “\\.\I:” On
other IQ databases, you must double the slash characters, so that
the same device would be specified “\\\\.\\I:”.
The backslash character is treated as an escape character in IQ databases
but as a normal character in the utility database.
One of your configuration tasks is to set up security for the utility database and its server. There are two aspects to utility database server security:
Who can connect to the utility database?
Who can execute file administration statements?
These topics are discussed in this section.
