IBM Cloud Docs
FAQs - General

FAQs - General

This is a collection of frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the IBM® Db2® on Cloud service.

How do I sign up for Db2 on Cloud?

You can provision an instance of Db2 on Cloud directly through the IBM Cloud® catalog. You can create a free IBM Cloud account and get an IBM Cloud credit of $200 that you can use towards an enterprise Db2 on Cloud plan. Or, you can sign up for a free Lite plan.

How do I choose the Db2 on Cloud plan that's right for me?

Db2 on Cloud offers several configurations to meet your workload requirements. The Flex plan is recommended because it allows you to dynamically scale RAM/CPU and storage as your requirements change. Other plans with fixed resources are also available. For more information, see About.

How do I generate credentials for my instance?

  1. Log into IBM Cloud.
  2. Open your Resource list.
  3. Under Services or Cloud Foundry services, locate your Db2 on Cloud instance and click on the service name.
    • Services - This list includes all instances that were created under a resource group or that were migrated into a resource group.
    • Cloud Foundry services - This list includes all instances that were created under a Cloud Foundry organization and space, and were not migrated into a resource group.
  4. Select the Service credentials tab > New credentials+ > Add in order to generate your service admin credentials.
  5. Expand View credentials, which displays your service connectivity information including your admin credentials (username and password).
  6. The admin credentials can be used to connect to both Db2 and the web console.

Now that I've generated credentials, how do I access my Db2 on Cloud instance?

You can access your Db2 on Cloud instance through several methods, including a dedicated web console and a REST API. For more information, see Interfaces.

What's managed for me with Db2 on Cloud?

IBM handles all of the software upgrades, operating system updates, and hardware maintenance for your Db2 on Cloud instance. IBM also preconfigures Db2 parameters for optimal performance across transactional workloads, and takes care of encryption and regular backups of your data.

The service includes 24x7 health monitoring of the database and infrastructure. In the event of a hardware or software failure, the service is automatically restarted. Because Db2 on Cloud is a fully-managed SaaS offering, you do not get SSH access or root access to the underlying server hardware, and cannot install additional software.

Where can I find more information about Db2 on Cloud?

In addition to the IBM Cloud documentation site, there is a wide range of information about the underlying Db2 engine functionality in the Knowledge Center. Updates to the service are posted on our What's New page.

You can find pricing information and deploy a Db2 on Cloud instance through the IBM Cloud catalog page for IBM Cloud. To learn more, contact IBM Sales.

Where can I find help for a problem that I'm having?

For information about posting questions on a forum or opening a support ticket, see Help & support.

Only community support is available for the free Lite plan.