Request for new database: ibm db2 for i

[William-Lafontaine]

New Database Request

Database Name: DB2 for IBM i

Database Type: (e.g., SQL, NoSQL, Graph, etc.) SQL

Connection Details:

• How do you typically connect to this database? Via DBeaver.
• Any special requirements or authentication methods? Needs to support ssh port forwarding

Additional Information:

• Link to database documentation:
  https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/db2-ibm-i
  https://www.npmjs.com/package/idb-connector

[mikeburgh]

Have you tried the existing DB2 driver? I believe it should work for DB2 for i. It uses the IBM ODBC CLI driver which connects via DRDA.

For SSH port forwarding, there's an SSH tunnel option in the connection form. Just set it up with your SSH host/credentials and it'll forward to the DB2 port on the IBM i system.

Give it a try and let me know if you run into any issues.

[William-Lafontaine]

For now I am getting this error:

Error connecting to {My db}, error: [IBM][CLI Driver] SQL30081N A communication error has been detected. Communication protocol being used: "TCP/IP". Communication API being used: "SOCKETS". Location where the error was detected: "127.0.0.1". Communication function detecting the error: "selectForRecvTimeout". Protocol specific error code(s): "36", "*", "*". SQLSTATE=08001

[William-Lafontaine]

I have done some more debugging, changed host to skip the tunnel step. I now have this error
Error connecting to {My connection}, error: [IBM][CLI Driver] SQL30061N The database alias or database name "{MyDB} " was not found at the remote node. SQLSTATE=08004
There is a space that I didn't add after the db name, could it be part of the problem?

[mikeburgh]

Maybe, give 1.28.3 a try I added some trimming around the DB name…. that's not my error message.. so guessing it could just be a mistake in the quoting on the DB2 side but we can see.

IT also might indicate the host you are connecting to just does not have the DB you are looking for ?

[William-Lafontaine]

This didn't help, but after some debugging I figured the problem is that our database doesn't support DRDA. The ibm_db package you use for node doesn't support connecting to IBM i db2 the way we need to connect to it. The library node-jt400 needs to be used for our type of connection. I tried it in a quick node script and it works.

https://www.npmjs.com/package/node-jt400

[mikeburgh]

Ahh did not realise they were so different, in the schema and internal tables as well.

i just released 1.28.7 which includes preview support for it, give it a try and let know how it goes, any rough edges you find.