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Getting Started with GBase Database: Install GBase Database(GBase 8s) and Run Your First SQL Query

#gbase #database #数据库 #beginners

Want to try GBase Database for the first time?

This tutorial walks through a typical installation of GBase Database(GBase 8s) on Linux, from extracting the installation package to creating a database and running your first SQL query.

The typical installation process is straightforward:

Run the installer → Accept the license → Select Typical Installation → Create an instance → Configure users → Initialize the instance → Connect and run SQL

Note: The exact installation directory, package name, instance name, and port may vary depending on your GBase Database(GBase 8s) release and installation environment. The examples below use a typical Linux installation.

1. Prepare the Environment

Before installing GBase Database(GBase 8s), prepare:

  • A supported Linux environment

  • The GBase Database(GBase 8s) installation package

  • A dedicated database operating-system user

  • Sufficient CPU, memory, and disk space

  • Root or equivalent privileges for installation

For example, create the database user:

useradd -m -s /bin/bash gbasedbt
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Then switch to the user when performing database operations:

su - gbasedbt
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For production environments, use your organization's standard account and privilege-management policies.

2. Extract the Installation Package

Assume the installation package has been copied to /opt.

Move to the directory:

cd /opt
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Extract the package if necessary:

tar -xzf GBase8s_3.0.0_x86_64.tar.gz
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The exact package name depends on the GBase Database(GBase 8s) version you are installing.

After extraction, enter the installation directory and verify the installer:

ls -la
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You should find the ids_install installation script.

3. Start the Typical Installation

Run the installation script:

cd /opt
sh ids_install
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The installer will start an interactive installation process.

The default installation type is Typical Installation.

4. Accept the License Agreement

The installer first displays the license agreement.

Read the agreement and accept it to continue.

This step is interactive, so the exact prompts may vary slightly between releases.

Once the license is accepted, the installer proceeds to the installation-type selection.

5. Select Typical Installation

GBase Database(GBase 8s) provides several installation modes.

The typical installation includes the database server and common client components such as:

  • Client Software Development Kit (CSDK)

  • JDBC

The installer displays:

=========================================================================
Installation or Distribution
----------------------------

Select the installation type.

Typical: Install the database server with all features and a database server
that is configured with default values.

Custom: Install the database server with specific features and software that
you need.

  ->1- Typical installation
    2- Custom installation
    3- Extract the product files (-DLEGACY option)
    4- Create a RPM package for redistribution

ENTER THE NUMBER FOR YOUR CHOICE, OR PRESS <ENTER> TO ACCEPT THE DEFAULT::
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For a typical installation, simply press Enter to accept option 1.

The installer will continue with the default configuration.

6. Create a Database Server Instance

Next, the installer asks whether you want to create a database server instance:

=======================================================================
Server Instance Creation
------------------------

Create a server instance?

  ->1- Yes - create an instance
    2- No - do not create an instance

ENTER THE NUMBER FOR YOUR CHOICE, OR PRESS <ENTER> TO ACCEPT THE DEFAULT::
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For this tutorial, accept the default:

1- Yes - create an instance
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Press Enter.

This is an important difference between a typical and custom installation.

With typical installation, the installer can create a database server instance configured for the host environment automatically.

7. Select the Expected Number of Database Users

The installer then asks how many database users the instance is expected to support:

=======================================================================
Configuration - Number of Users
-------------------------------

Select the number of expected database users.

  ->1- 1 - 100
    2- 101 - 500
    3- 501 - 1000
    4- 1000+

ENTER THE NUMBER FOR YOUR CHOICE, OR PRESS <ENTER> TO ACCEPT THE DEFAULT::
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Select the option that best matches your expected environment.

For a basic test installation, you can accept the default:

1- 1 - 100
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Press Enter to continue.

8. Start the Installation

The installer will display the installation summary:

=========================================================================
Ready To Install
----------------

InstallAnywhere is now ready to install GBase 8s Software Bundle onto your
system at the following location:

   /opt/GBASE/gbase

PRESS <ENTER> TO INSTALL:
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Press Enter.

The installation will begin:

=========================================================================
Installing...
-------------
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The installer copies the required GBase Database(GBase 8s) components to the target installation directory.

Depending on the machine and installation package, this process may take some time.

9. Initialize the Database Instance

After the software installation completes, the typical installation process proceeds to database server initialization.

You may see:

=======================================================================
Server Initialization
---------------------

The server will now be initialized. Initialization might take quite a while,
depending on the performance of your computer.

PRESS <ENTER> TO CONTINUE:
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Press Enter to continue.

This is an important point:

With a typical installation, the installer can create and initialize the database server instance for you.

You do not need to manually run a separate oninit -ivy initialization step as part of this typical-installation workflow.

10. Verify the Created Instance

After initialization, the installer displays information about the newly created instance:

=========================================================================
Using the new instance
----------------------

A database server instance was created. If you chose to initialize the
instance, it is ready to use.
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The installer also provides environment scripts for the instance.

For example:

UNIX ksh or bourne:
./ol_gbasedbt1210.ksh
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The actual instance name depends on your installation environment.

For example:

ol_gbasedbt1210
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If initialization fails, check the online.log file for diagnostic information.

At this point, the database server instance should be ready for use.

11. Complete the Installation

The installer then displays the installation result:

=========================================================================
Installation Complete
---------------------

Congratulations! GBase Software Bundle installation is complete.

Product install status:
GBase: Successful
GBase Connect: Successful

Main Version: GBase 8s V8.8

PRESS <ENTER> TO EXIT THE INSTALLER:
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Press Enter to exit.

You have now completed the typical installation of GBase Database(GBase 8s).

12. Configure the Database Environment Variables

After installation, the current environment contains the environment variables for the newly created database instance.

The installation directory contains an environment script similar to:

ol_gbasedbt1210.ksh
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The instance name is specified by the GBASEDBTSERVER variable.

For example:

GBASEDBTSERVER=ol_gbasedbt1210
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If you want the environment variables to be automatically loaded whenever the gbasedbt user logs in, append the environment script to the user's .bash_profile.

For example:

cd /opt/GBASE/gbase

cat ol_gbasedbt1210.ksh >> /home/gbasedbt/.bash_profile

cd /home/gbasedbt/

source .bash_profile
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After this configuration, the database environment will be loaded automatically for the gbasedbt user.

13. Find the Database Server Port

Knowing the instance name and port is useful when connecting applications or other database clients.

There are two simple ways to identify the port.

Method 1: Check the Environment File

Open the instance environment script:

cat /opt/GBASE/gbase/ol_gbasedbt1210.ksh
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Look for:

GBASEDBTSERVER=ol_gbasedbt1210
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This tells you the database server instance name.

Method 2: Check /etc/services

Use the instance name to search /etc/services:

cat /etc/services | grep ol_gbasedbt1210
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For example:

ol_gbasedbt1210         30490/tcp
ol_gbasedbt1210_json    27017/tcp
#JSON listener for ol_gbasedbt1210
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In this example:

30490 is the database server port.

The JSON listener uses a separate port:

27017

The actual port numbers depend on the instance and host configuration, so don't assume that every GBase Database(GBase 8s) installation uses the same port.

14. Connect to GBase Database(GBase 8s)

Once the instance is initialized and the environment variables are loaded, you can use the GBase Database client to connect.

For example:

dbaccess - -
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You should now be able to execute SQL statements against the database server.

Start with a simple query to verify connectivity:

SELECT CURRENT;
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If the query returns successfully, the basic installation and connection path is working.

15. Create Your First Database

Now let's create a small test database:

CREATE DATABASE testdb WITH LOG;
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Connect to the new database and create a table:

CREATE TABLE employees (
    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    name VARCHAR(100),
    department VARCHAR(50),
    salary DECIMAL(10,2)
);
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Insert a test record:

INSERT INTO employees (
    name,
    department,
    salary
)
VALUES (
    'Zhang Wei',
    'Engineering',
    85000.00
);
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Then query the table:

SELECT *
FROM employees;
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You should see the employee record you just inserted.

16. Run a More Useful Query

Now let's run an aggregation query:

SELECT
    department,
    COUNT(*) AS employee_count,
    AVG(salary) AS average_salary
FROM employees
GROUP BY department;
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You can also filter and sort the results:

SELECT
    name,
    department,
    salary
FROM employees
WHERE salary > 80000
ORDER BY salary DESC;
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At this point, you've verified more than basic connectivity.

You've tested:

  • Database creation

  • Table creation

  • INSERT

  • SELECT

  • WHERE

  • ORDER BY

  • GROUP BY

  • Aggregate functions

What You Have Accomplished

The complete typical-installation workflow looks like this:

Installation Package
        ↓
   ids_install
        ↓
 Accept License
        ↓
Typical Installation
        ↓
Create Instance
        ↓
Select User Range
        ↓
Install Software
        ↓
Initialize Instance
        ↓
Installation Complete
        ↓
Configure Environment
        ↓
Find Instance / Port
        ↓
     dbaccess
        ↓
   Run Your First SQL
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This is the important distinction between a typical installation and a manual/custom deployment.

The typical installation can create and initialize a database server instance using default values appropriate for the host environment.

What Should You Test Next?

Getting the first SELECT to work is only the beginning.

If you're exploring GBase Database(GBase 8s) as a developer, try:

  • JOINs

  • Subqueries

  • Window functions

  • Transactions

  • Indexes

  • Views

  • Stored procedures

  • Triggers

If you're evaluating GBase Database for an Oracle migration, go further:

  • Oracle SQL compatibility

  • PL/SQL compatibility

  • Stored procedures

  • Triggers

  • Application drivers

  • Execution plans

  • Data migration

  • Incremental synchronization

  • Backup and restore

  • High availability

  • Performance under realistic concurrency

A successful installation proves that the database server works.

A successful POC proves that your workload works.

Final Thoughts

Getting started with GBase Database(GBase 8s) can be as simple as:

Install → Create Instance → Initialize → Connect → Create → Insert → Query

The typical installation process handles much of the instance setup automatically, making it a practical starting point for development and evaluation.

Once your first SQL query works, don't stop at SELECT *.

Move toward your real workload.

Test your actual SQL.

Test your actual data.

Test your actual concurrency.

That's where database evaluation becomes meaningful.

Install GBase Database(GBase 8s), run your first query, and then move from a basic installation test to a real workload POC.

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