DB2, the database management system (DBMS) that is “only popular [on the computers]...used by your father,” to quote Oracle’s Larry Ellison [1], has arrived on the distributed platforms, and it is catching up. This book shows database administrators, system administrators, and programmers how to install and maintain it.

The book was written by Bauch and Wilding, both experts on DB2 on the Solaris platform. Bauch wrote the first section, which covers the practical topics: installation; creation of database objects; backup and recovery with and without the DB2 Universal Database (UDB) graphical tools; the underlying disk technology; clustering; partitioning; and C/S communications. Wilding wrote the second section, which leads the reader and user behind the scenes. It contains detailed technical information on Solaris: memory; the central processing unit (CPU); disk and file systems; and transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) networks. This information will help readers to better understand the interaction between DBMS and operating systems.

Readers will be able to get DB2 up and running with the information contained in Section 1. To make it run more efficiently, Section 2 will be very useful. The “big picture” is always kept in sight, and for details, readers are often referred to the documentation that comes with the software. This makes for smooth reading. Anyone who has to install and maintain DB2 on Solaris will be well served by this book.