Configuring Domain Disk Space

This example shows how to define the primary file system for a server domain in the libnames.parm parameter file. The primary file system is the base directory that you assign to a server domain with the PATHNAME= statement.

Here is a sample libnames.parm parameter file entry for a UNIX system:

LIBNAME=everyone 
  pathname=/disk1/usertables;

Here is a sample libnames.parm parameter file entry for Windows:

LIBNAME=everyone 
  pathname=d:\usertables;

When SPD Server users create new tables in a server domain, you must keep in mind that the metadata component (.mdf) must start in the primary file system. If all the available space in the primary file system is consumed, SPD Server cannot create new tables until disk space becomes available.

Example 1 stores all the component files (metadata, data, and index data) in the primary file system. This arrangement can cause problems if you use large tables. Large tables can quickly fill up the primary file system. To avoid this problem, you can store the data and index components separately from the primary file system.

This example shows how to store data and index component files separately from the primary file system. Domain path options are defined by specifying ROPTIONS= in the domain definition.

Here is a sample libnames.parm parameter file entry for a UNIX system that specifies ROPTIONS=:

   LIBNAME=everyone pathname=/disk1/usertables
      roptions="datapath=('/disk2/userdata' '/disk3/userdata'
                          '/disk12/userdata' '/disk13/userdata')
      indexpath=('/disk4/userindexes' '/disk5/userindexes'
                 '/disk14/userindexes' '/disk15/userindexes')";

Here is a sample libnames.parm parameter file entry for a Windows system that specifies ROPTIONS=:

   LIBNAME=everyone pathname=d:\usertables
      roptions="datapath=('e:\userdata' 'f:\userdata')
         indexpath=('g:\userindexes' 'h:\userindexes')";

In Example 2, the PATHNAME= directory stores metadata files for server tables in the everyone server domain. The initial and overflow stores for the data and index files are directed to other file systems. In Example 2, users who create large tables will not quickly exhaust the primary file system because the primary file system is reserved for small metadata files only. The larger data and index files are stored in the other file systems that are specified with the DATAPATH= and INDEXPATH= options.

If the existing file system is running out of space, simply add file systems to your path as follows:

Sample libnames.parm entry for a UNIX system:

LIBNAME=everyone pathname=/disk1/usertables
   roptions="datapath=('/disk2/userdata' '/disk3/userdata'
                       '/disk12/userdata' '/disk13/userdata')
   indexpath=('/disk4/userindexes' '/disk5/userindexes'
              '/disk14/userindexes' '/disk15/userindexes')";

Sample libnames.parm entry for a Windows system:

LIBNAME=everyone
pathname=d:\usertables
   roptions="datapath=('e:\userdata'
                       'f:\userdata'
                       'i:\userdata')
   indexpath=('g:\userindexes'
              'h:\userindexes'
              'j:\userindexes')";

Users can create new server tables in a domain as long as space is available for their metadata files in the primary file system. When the primary file system is exhausted, you must create a new server domain. You cannot expand storage for the .mdf components by adding the METAPATH= specification to your ROPTIONS= value in your libnames.parm parameter file. METAPATH= can be used for overflow metadata for existing tables (update and append operations to existing tables).