Db2 Basics: Using FTPS to get a Fixpack Directly to a Db2 Server

This is the third time I have written this post. It keeps changing, so I keep sharing.

I work from home, so downloading software to my laptop and then uploading it to a server is not very efficient. Download speeds aren’t bad, but uploading can take 8 hours or more, depending on the client. This forces me, whenever possible, to move code directly to the server. The first time I wrote about this, it was little more than a wrapper around a tech note. The second time, I went into greater detail about a slightly different method. IBM has actually made it quite easy now.

You first have to know the Operating System and Fix Pack number you need. A full Db2 install is now possible from any fix pack code, so this goes for brand new installs, too. Though you will still have to get your license file from Passport Advantage, as the fix packs only come with a try-and-buy license. The easiest way to get to the code you need is by starting at the Fixes by Version page. This page presents a nice list of all available Db2 fix packs:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Once you’ve selected the fix pack number you want there, you’ll need to select the plus sign next to the operating system. Under the operating system, you have several options.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
If you don’t know what to pick, select “DB2 Universal Fix Pack”.

Once you have made that selection a separate tab or window will open up for the right fix pack in Fix Central. You will be required to log in with your IBM ID. If you don’t already have one, IBM IDs are free, and you don’t have to have any association whatsoever in order to download a fix pack for free.

The Fix Central screen should have only one package available. Check the box next to it, and click Continue at the bottom: Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

There is then a screen where you may have to wait for a bit:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Once it is done loading, you have a screen that gives you the details of how to login via FTPS to get your fix pack:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The three pieces of information you need there are in the red boxes. Once you have this, you just use those to get the fix pack from a UNIX/Linux command line:

$ ftp -s delivery04.dhe.ibm.com
Connected to server.boulder.ibm.com.
220 ProFTPD 1.3.5b Server (proftpd) []
234 AUTH TLS successful
TLS Auth Entered.
TLS handshake succeeded, though Server signed it's own cert!
Certificate:
    Data:
        Version: 3 (0x2)
        Serial Number:
            30:ee:0e:4d:47:3f:76:4d:dc:bc:6a:07:4d:8e:a1:72
        Issuer: C=US, O=GeoTrust Inc., CN=GeoTrust SSL CA - G3
        Validity
            Not Before: Jan  5 00:00:00 2017 GMT
            Not After : Mar  6 23:59:59 2018 GMT
        Subject: C=US, ST=New York, L=Armonk, O=INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION, CN=*.dhe.ibm.com
TLSv1/SSLv3 ( AES256-SHA ), 256 bits
Name (delivery04.dhe.ibm.com:vdba): asdfghkLer
331 Password required for asdfghkLer
Password:
230 User asdfghkLer logged in
200 PBSZ 0 successful
200 Protection set to Private
ftp> passive
Passive mode on.
ftp> binary
200 Type set to I
ftp> prompt
Interactive mode off.
ftp> mget *
TLSv1/SSLv3 ( AES256-SHA ), 256 bits
227 Entering Passive Mode (170,225,15,105,254,132).
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for v10.5fp2_aix64_universal_fixpack.tar.gz (1913464208 bytes)
TLSv1/SSLv3 ( AES256-SHA ), 256 bits
226 Transfer complete
1913464208 bytes received in 869.7 seconds (2149 Kbytes/s)
local: v10.5fp2_aix64_universal_fixpack.tar.gz remote: v10.5fp2_aix64_universal_fixpack.tar.gz
ftp> bye
221 Goodbye.

Note that the above is slightly sanitized output from downloading a different fix pack than the one I showed in the screen shots from fix central. I did not share the real userid and pw from my code download, as that doesn’t seem quite right to me.