News
Abstract
The current release of IBM® Db2® on Cloud offers the following new features and functions. Any changed or deprecated functions that require changes on the client side are also noted here.
Content
18 Jun 2024
Service update 11.5.9.0.00000.022 is now available for all plans. This update consists of an updated Db2 11.5.9 engine, enhancements to high availability orchestration, console fixes, and regular security updates for all supporting software. Notifications will be sent out beginning on June 24th, and the update will be applied to all Db2 on Cloud instances on or after July 3rd.
08 Apr 2024
Service update 11.5.9.0.00000.021 is now available for all plans. This update consists of a fix for Db2 which addresses an issue where the replay of a LOAD COPY image stored in Cloud Object Storage may fail with SQL1092N.
21 Feb 2024
Service update 11.5.9.0.00000.020 is now available for all plans. This update consists of an update of the Db2 engine level to 11.5.9, enhancements to high availability orchestration, console fixes, and regular security updates for all supporting software. This service update fixes an issue relating to user ID authentication. Notifications will be sent out beginning on 21 February, and the update will be applied to all Db2 on Cloud instances on or after 1 March.
12 Oct 2023
Service update 11.5.8.0.00000.019 is now available for all plans. This update consists of an updated Db2 11.5.8 engine, audit fixes, enhancements to high availability orchestration, console fixes, and regular security updates for all supporting software. This service update fixes an issue with setting backup retention and also sets the DB2_LOAD_RESTRICTED_IO_PATH registry variable correctly. Notifications will be sent out beginning on 12 October, and the update will be applied to all Db2 on Cloud instances on or after 13 October.
2 Aug 2023
Service update 11.5.8.0.00000.018 is now available for all plans. This update consists of an updated Db2 11.5.8 engine, audit fixes, enhancements to high availability orchestration, and regular security updates for all supporting software. This service update fixes an issue where enabling audit update displays a `SQL3508N` error. Notifications will be sent out beginning on 2 August, and the update will be applied to all Db2 on Cloud instances on or after 11 August.
10 Apr 2023
Service update 11.5.8.0.00000.017 is now available for Standard, Enterprise, and Lite instances in all regions. This update consists of an update of the Db2 engine level to 11.5.8 for Standard and Enterprise plans, and a newer 11.5.8 build for Lite plans. See the entry for 19 Oct below for a list of the improvements and enhancements in this Db2 fixpack, and for a link to the release notes and list of resolved APARs. This service update also includes a regular security update. The default TLS version is updated to 1.3. TLS v1.2 is still supported.
27 Oct 2022
Additional functionality is now available for Enterprise and Standard plans:
- Support for scaling storage up to 24 TB (Enterprise plan only)
- Auto-scaling. With this feature, an administrator can allow a formation to auto-scale storage when a specified storage threshold is met (for example, when 90% of the allocated storage is in use).
- Support for HyperProtect Key Services
- You can now specify a retention period for your backup images. Any Cloud Object Storage usage above the quantity included in your base plan will incur additional charges.
- The console supports a new SQL editor with database object tree view. When a user writes a query, the SQL editor helps to quickly find a target table, view, and other table-like objects. It can also generate DDL or get column details to help the user complete the query.
- Support for buffer pools and table spaces with the UI. Users can now view buffer pools and table spaces under Storage Object. Users can also create, alter, and delete buffer pools and table spaces in the console by using an SQL template.
19 Oct 2022
Service update 11.5.8.0.00000.015 is now available for Lite instances in all regions. This update consists of an update of the Db2 engine level to 11.5.8. This new Db2 fix pack includes many improvements and enhancements, including:
- Enhanced set integrity performance
- Data server clients and drivers enhancements
- New abbreviated syntax for Federation server
- New MON_GET_CONNECTION(_DETAILS) metrics CONNECT_SEC_TYPE, CONNECT_CIPHER_SPEC, SSL_SRV_CERT_LABEL and SSL_SRV_CERT_FINGERPRINT
For a link to the Db2 11.5.8 release notes, which contain additional information about these enhancements, see here. For a list of all APARs resolved in Db2 11.5.8, see here. This update will be applied to all Lite instances on 19 Oct, together with the 11.5.7.0.00000.014 update described below. All Standard and Enterprise instances will be updated with the 11.5.8.0.00000.015 service update in an upcoming refresh.
17 Oct 2022
Service update 11.5.7.0.00000.014 is now available for all plans in all regions. This update includes a regular security update for all supporting software, additional fixes and enhancements, and an updated Db2 11.5.7 build. The update will be applied to Lite instances on 19 Oct, and to all Standard and Enterprise instances beginning on 28 Oct.
22 Aug 2022
Service update 11.5.7.0.00000.013 is now available for Standard and Enterprise plans in all regions. This update includes a regular security update for all supporting software, additional fixes and enhancements to high availability orchestration. Notifications will be sent out beginning on 22 August, and the update will be applied to your systems on or after 9 Sept.
19 July 2022
Service update 11.5.7.0.00000.012 is now available for Standard and Enterprise plans in all regions. This update includes a regular security update for all supporting software, additional fixes and enhancements to high availability orchestration, and a console update. Notifications will be sent out beginning on 6 July, and the update will be applied to your systems on or after 19 July.
2 May 2022
Service update 11.5.7.0.00000.011 is now available for Standard and Enterprise plans in all regions. This update includes a regular security update for all supporting software, additional fixes and enhancements (including a fix for a bug that caused DR data to be missing from the HA-side primary target list), and the discontinuation of support in the Osaka region. Notifications will be sent out beginning on 4 May, and the update will be applied to your systems on or after 16 May.
24 Feb 2022
Service update 11.5.7.0.00000.010 is now available for Standard and Enterprise plans in all regions.
This update includes the following changes:
- An update of the Db2 level to 11.5.7.0.
- An upgrade of Sao Paulo and Toronto from Single Zone Region (SZR) to Multi Zone Region (MZR)
- Regional backups have been enabled for Tokyo, Osaka, Sydney, Dallas, Washington, Toronto, Sao Paulo, London and Frankfurt
- BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) encryption has been enabled for regional backups
- Regional backup support has been added to the IBM Cloud CLI
- Additional fixes and enhancements, including security updates, and a fix to password change functionality
14 Dec 2021
An update was done to fix a critical security vulnerability.
29 Sept 2021
All Db2 on Cloud Lite Tier instances will be migrated to a new infrastructure between 5 Oct and 8 Oct. The migration process requires a 24-hour outage window, during which time your instance on the legacy infrastructure will be unavailable. After the migration completes, you will be notified that your instance on the new infrastructure is ready for use. For more information about the migration, see here.
The changes between the new and old infrastructure are listed here. Note that to protect the security of all users' data, the non-SSL port is blocked on the new Db2 on Cloud Lite Tier systems. Due to the multi-tenant nature of the plan, the non-SSL port cannot be opened for individual users. If you require non-SSL connections, you can upgrade to the Standard plan and open a support case.
8 Sept 2021
Service update 11.5.6.0.00000.008 is now available for Standard and Enterprise plans in all regions.
This update includes the following changes:
- An update of the Db2 level to 11.5.6.0. For more information about this Db2 fix pack, see here.
If you intend to deploy a new DR node, you must apply the Db2 update to your service instance before requesting the DR node.
9 Aug 2021
Over the coming days, supporting software on Db2 on Cloud Standard and Enterprise plans will be updated. Service update 11.5.5.0.00000.007 consists of a regular security update, with no changes to offering externals.
15 Mar 2021
Service update 11.5.5.0.00000.006 is now available for Standard and Enterprise plans in Toronto, Montreal, Amsterdam, Milan, and Sao Paulo, and will roll out to other data centers over the next two weeks. This update includes the following changes:
- An update of the Db2 level to 11.5.5.0. For more information about this Db2 fix pack, see here.
- Geo-Replicated Disaster Recovery (DR) -- for high availability plans only. This optional feature leverages the Db2 HADR technology and gives you the ability to add a DR node, on demand, in an off-site data center of your choice. In the unlikely event that the primary region is affected by unforeseen circumstances such a natural disaster, you can fail over to your Geo-Replicated Disaster Recovery node with a few clicks. You can also fail back to your primary region as easily. The feature will be made available for non-high-availability plans at a later date. For more information, see here.
- Fixes in the console interface.
On the scheduled update day for your data center, the console is updated without any disruption. The Db2 update is available as a self-serve update and can be applied at a time of your choosing up until early to mid April, when it will be applied across all of your systems. More details will be published about this process. If you intend to deploy a DR node, you must first apply the Db2 update.
The planned schedule for the remaining data centers is 17 Mar for US-East and EU-GB, 22 Mar for AU-SYD and JP-TOK, and 24 Mar for EU-DE and US-South.
17 Nov 2020
Service update 11.5.0.0.00000.004 is now available. This update includes the following changes:
- Self-serve updates, which give you the ability to apply system updates to your instances at a time of your choosing. For more information, see here.
- The copy feature. Note that this feature has changed behavior since the version of the feature that was available with legacy plans. For more information, see here.
- You can now take on-demand backups of your data. These backups are in addition to the scheduled backups taken as part of the service.
- A fix to a defect that prevented data loads of files greater than 1 MB.
Also, both the Standard and Enterprise plans support the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA"). For more information, see the Service Description.
All legacy instances must be upgraded to the Standard or Enterprise plan due to the upcoming deprecation of legacy plans on 30 Nov 2020. Auto-upgrades have begun for instances where the owner did not initiate the upgrade, and where no support case with an extension request exists. If your legacy instance is auto-upgraded, recovery steps must be initiated. For more information, see here.
10 Sep 2020
As announced in the following blog, we are retiring our Db2 on Cloud legacy plans and replacing them with our Enterprise and Standard plans. If you have a Db2 on Cloud Flex plan or Precise Performance Plan, you must take action by October 15, 2020 to begin upgrading your system to an Enterprise or Standard plan. The upgrade process is automated and online. While it runs, you will be able to continue operating without any downtime.
The Db2 on Cloud Lite (free) Plan is not affected by this change.
For more information, see the documentation.
19 Aug 2020
Two new plans are released today -- the Enterprise non-HA plan, and the Standard non-HA plan. These are single-node versions of the Enterprise and Standard plans described below.
All four Db2 on Cloud plans (Enterprise HA, Enterprise non-HA, Standard HA, Standard non-HA) are now available in the following six data centers: Dallas, Frankfurt, Tokyo, London, Sydney, and Washington. Instances can be provisioned either with or without the Oracle compatibility feature.
Beginning very soon, all customers will be required to upgrade their V1 legacy instance (either Flex or Precise Performance) to one of these newer plans. The upgrade will be online. More information will be posted here, and email notifications will be sent to owners of all legacy instances.
29 July 2020
We're pleased to announce the release of the new Db2 on Cloud Standard plan. Like the new Enterprise plan released in June, the new Standard plan runs Db2 Version 11.5, includes independent scaling of compute and storage, has three high-availability nodes spanning multiple availability zones, and includes self-service managed backup with point-in-time restore. It includes up to 4TB of data storage and up to 16 vCPU compute range, supports 500 connections, and includes 100GB of backup storage for up to 14 days. It also includes the enhanced console functionality included in the Enterprise plan.
See the 24 June entry for important information about upgrading from your legacy plan to the new Enterprise or Standard plan by November 30, 2020.
24 June 2020
IBM Db2 on Cloud has never been more ready to take on your toughest, mission critical workloads. To support enterprises both large and small, we are releasing new service plans that support robust HADR capabilities and built-in machine learning. Starting June 24, 2020, you can purchase the Enterprise plan, featuring these exciting new capabilities:
- Dedicated compute and storage running the latest release of Db2, Version 11.5
- Independent scaling of compute and storage with slider-bar UI and REST API
- Three high-availability nodes plan spanning multiple availability zones
- Self-service managed backup with point-in-time restore
- 1 TB of free backup storage for up to 14 days of backups
- Private endpoint connectivity
Be sure to watch for the new Standard plan releasing this summer on a shared, multi-tenant environment.
We're also proud to introduce a brand new console that supports zero downtime for rolling upgrades on HA instances, includes new backup and restore functionality, allows you to scale database resources (CPU/memory and storage), and supports new role-based access control (IAM platform administrator). Some of this functionality was previously only made available through a separate console, but it has now been incorporated into a single console for improved user experience. APIs have also been updated with the new backup, restore, and scaling functionality.
Important: All Flex and Precise Performance plans must be updated to the new Standard and Enterprise plans by November 30, 2020, due to a required hardware retirement impacting current Db2 on Cloud instances. Db2 on Cloud will identify the proper upgrade path and timeline for this initiative. Stay tuned for more information about this upgrade.
14 May 2020
Over the coming days, supporting software on all Db2 on Cloud plans will be updated. The update consists of a regular security update, with no changes to offering externals.
25 Feb 2020
Over the coming days, supporting software on all Db2 on Cloud plans will be updated. The update consists of a regular security update, with no changes to offering externals.
30 Sept 2019
Four new features are now available on Db2 on Cloud instances in IBM Cloud Public:
- Copy database. This feature allows you to create a full database copy of a source database using a few clicks in the UI or an API. For example, you can copy a database and use it as a template to create new databases. Or, you can schedule a job that takes a fresh copy of your production database every morning to use as a development and test machine.
- IBM Key Protect. This feature allows you to control your own encryption keys. For more information, see here.
- Point-in-time restore. This feature allows you to restore to an exact point in time from your backups. It was previously available on request, but is now available by default on all systems. For more information, see here.
- Resource Controller is now live in all regions. All new Db2 on Cloud service instances you create will be created in a resource group. See the Resource Controller subsection of the 8 August 2019 update below for important information about migrating your service instances from their current Cloud Foundry org and space to a resource group. Note that migrating your existing service instances is an essential step if you want to use the new copy database feature or Key Protect.
Also, IBM Cloud SQL Query now supports reading from IBM Cloud Object Storage and writing to external databases in the IBM Cloud, including Db2 on Cloud. For more information, see here.
20 Sept 2019
Resource Controller is now live in the Sydney region. All new Db2 on Cloud service instances you create in this region will be created in a resource group. See the Resource Controller subsection of the 8 August 2019 update below for important information about migrating your service instances from their current Cloud Foundry org and space to a resource group.
The Db2 on Cloud Lite Tier is continuing to grow. It's now supported in both Dallas and London, and provides users with a no-cost way to try out the offering. We no longer offer 7 free days to users who choose the Db2 on Cloud Flex plan.
8 August 2019
Beginning on August 12 and continuing through the end of the month, Db2 on Cloud service instances will be updated as follows:
- The full stack, including the Db2 engine and console interface, will be updated.
- For a list of new and changed functionality in the Db2 engine, see the Mod Pack 4 and Fix Pack 4 section here. One key enhancement is a new set of built-in JSON SQL functions that better support SQL interaction with JSON data.
- For a list of the new and changed functionality in the console, see below.
- Db2 on Cloud will then be migrated to Resource Controller. No maintenance window will be required for this non-disruptive, back-end update. For more information about what this means to you, including some recommended migration steps, see below.
You will receive an email notification for each of these updates using the standard notification process. If you want to add email addresses to the notification list for your instance, create a support ticket and specify your hostname and the list of email addresses.
Updated console
The console includes the following enhancements:
For users with admin authority:
- The landing page has been redesigned and now includes a monitoring overview. The previous landing page contained three panels -- "Quick stats", "Connect" and "Load history". These panels have been moved. "Quick stats" is now available as hover help for the Storage item in the top menu bar; "Connect" has been moved to "Connection Information > Connect"; and "Load history" has been moved to "Load > Load history".
For all users:
- New pages have been added under the Explore menu item and the Monitor menu item. These provide you with a deeper view of your database structure and objects, and more information about your system performance. Admin users are given more new options than non-admin users.
- The "Explore - Tables" page has been redesigned, with new functionality added.
- The "RUN SQL" page has been redesigned.
- The console now supports Load from COS (Cloud Object Storage).
- New APIs have been added to allow you to query monitoring and metrics information, and to allow you to query information on schemas and SQL jobs.
- The Help page for REST APIs has been redesigned to include examples of correct usage.
- Requirements for passwords have been strengthened. The minimum password length is now 15 characters (up from 12), and passwords must contain at least one of each of the following types of character: uppercase letter, lowercase letter, digit, and special character. When a user's legacy password does not meet the new requirements, the user will be prompted to change their password when they log in to the console.
Resource Controller
After Db2 on Cloud is migrated to Resource Controller, any Db2 on Cloud service instances you create will by default be created in a resource group. If you already have Db2 on Cloud service instances, you should create a migration plan to move them from their current Cloud Foundry org and space to a resource group.
Migrating to resource groups is strongly recommended because it provides finer-grained access control by using IBM Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM), the ability to connect service instances to apps and services across different regions, and an easy way to view usage per group. Migrating is an essential prerequisite if you plan to use upcoming features such as copy database and IBM Key Protect. After you migrate to resource groups, you will need to assign the "manager" service access role to other users to allow them to log in to Db2 on Cloud.
After Db2 on Cloud migrates to Resource Controller, you will no longer be able to use the Cloud Foundry CLI commands to provision new instances. You can continue to use Cloud Foundry CLI commands to manage any Cloud Foundry instances that you don't migrate to Resource Controller.
More information about Resource Controller:
- What is a resource?
- Best practices for organizing resources in a resource group (includes several use case examples)
- Creating and managing resource groups
- Migrating Cloud Foundry service instances and apps to a resource group
- Managing connections (includes creating a service credential, and binding the resource to an app in the same or a different IBM Cloud region)
- General CLI (ibmcloud) commands
- Creating, deleting, and binding Cloud Foundry services (lists IBM Cloud API replacement commands for older Cloud Foundry commands)
25 July 2019
14 June 2019
Db2 on Cloud now supports IBM Service Endpoint in the London and Tokyo data centers.
8 May 2019
Db2 on Cloud now supports IBM Service Endpoint. Service Endpoint allows you to restrict connections from your other systems and services to Db2 on Cloud so that they use the IBM Cloud private network. You can also use allowlists to restrict access to limited subnets. For more information about Service Endpoint, see here. Support is currently available in Dallas and Frankfurt. London and Tokyo will soon be supported as well.
The Db2 audit functionality is now available on all Db2 on Cloud plans. This facility generates, and allows you to maintain, an audit trail for a series of predefined database events. It is not enabled by default. If you want to enable it, an authorized user with SECADM privilege (for example, the bluadmin user) must configure an audit policy to control when audit information is collected. For more information, see here.
14 November 2018
Db2 on Cloud now supports IBM Cloud Object Store as a cloud object storage location from which to load data using Db2 utilities. Both regional and cross-regional endpoints are supported.
2 October 2018
Db2 on Cloud now supports Identity and Access Management (IAM). This feature enables you to securely authenticate users for platform services and control access to resources consistently across the IBM Cloud platform. For more information, refer to the Knowledge Center.
13 August 2018
Db2 on Cloud Lite tier is now available in the London data center.
24 July 2018
IBM Hybrid Data Management Platform is now available for Db2 on Cloud. This plan allows you to purchase IBM FlexPoints and allocate them toward multiple resources with a single subscription. For more information, see here.
7 July 2018
Disaster recovery (DR) is now available on Db2 on Cloud. For more information, see here.
20 June 2018
Db2 on Cloud introduces a new console user interface. After your service is updated with the new console, follow the steps here to clear your web browser cache.
The new console includes the following new and changed functionality:
MONITOR
- On the CONNECTIONS page, you can view applications that connect to the current Db2 on Cloud. When an application might impact the performance of the database, you can use the Force Application button to disconnect the application. You can also filter the applications using different metrics, and export the application status to a spreadsheet file.
- On the STORAGE page, you can view the storage status in a list or a heat map, either by schema or by table. You can also filter the storage status using different metrics, and export the storage status to a spreadsheet file.
- On the IN-FLIGHT EXECUTIONS page, you can view the SQL statements that are currently running on the database. You can also filter the SQL statements using different rules, and export the SQL statements to a spreadsheet file.
- Both administrator and normal users can use the monitoring features. For a normal user, only the data of the current user can be monitored and displayed.
RUN SQL
- When you type SQL statements within the SQL editor, the syntax can be validated in real time and recommended fixes for the SQL statement are displayed as annotations in the SQL editor.
- You can save the SQL statements in the SQL editor either to the server, or to a .sql file in order to share the script with other users.
- By adding a FAVORITES tag to the saved SQL statements, you can load the SQL statements into the SQL editor with one click on the drop-down menu of the Favorites button.
- You can export the result of one or more queries to a spreadsheet file, such as an .xlsx file or a .CSV file.
- When you access the console from different browsers, the history of SQL statements executed within the SQL editor is also displayed.
- You can also choose to run a subset of a group of SQL statements from the SQL editor.
- The SQL statements that you are working on are automatically saved and will be restored if you lose your connection to the console.
Security Enhancement
- Forgot password support: For non-entry plans, you can use your user ID and email address to reset the password if you forget your password. You can also use the /auth/reset REST API to reset the password. The reset instruction is sent to your email address and is valid for 24 hours. Note that you can only reset your password once within 24 hours.
- Password policy GUI support: Administrators can update or delete the existing password policy, create new password policies, and assign a specific password policy to a user on the Manage Users page, or using REST API endpoints. The principles in a password policy are enforced as follows for different user roles.
|
Administrator
|
User
|
|
| Password expiration date |
X
|
X
|
| Password minimum length |
X
|
X
|
| Failed login attempts |
X
|
X
|
| Account lockout duration |
X
|
X
|
| Password history |
X
|
Support for Internet Explorer
- You can use Internet Explorer (IE) 11 to access the Db2 on Cloud console.
Load
- You can load the data from a local .csv file that is larger than 2GB. However, you need to enable the High-speed loads powered by Aspera button for a file that is larger than 10GB.
6 June 2018
Federation capability is now available for Db2-based sources over non-SSL connections. You can use federation capability to access data that is located on a data source that is different from the one to which you submitted a query. Supported data sources include IBM Db2 on Cloud, IBM Db2, IBM Db2 Warehouse on Cloud, IBM Db2 Warehouse, IBM Big SQL, and IBM Integrated Analytics System (IIAS). Federation is not supported on the Lite Plan.
23 March 2018
Db2 on Cloud free Lite plan
Db2 on Cloud now includes a free Lite plan. You can sign up for free, without needing to enter a credit card. To get started, click here.
Db2 on Cloud geo-replicated disaster recovery (DR) is in closed beta
Currently, IBM offers HA for Db2 on Cloud within the same data center. With this new beta program, Db2 on Cloud now includes off-site high-availability disaster recovery (HADR) between 2 geographically separated data centers. To apply for the beta program, contact your IBM representative. Watch this page to learn when this functionality is made generally available.
18 July 2017
New offering names
The following table summarizes the new offering names:
| Previous name | New name | Effective date |
| IBM dashDB for Analytics | IBM Db2 Warehouse on Cloud | July 18, 2017 |
| IBM dashDB Local | IBM Db2 Warehouse | July 18, 2017 |
| IBM dashDB for Transactions | IBM Db2 on Cloud | June 20, 2017 |
20 June 2017
dashDB for Transactions has a new name and includes a new plan
Effective June 20th, IBM dashDB for Transactions was renamed IBM Db2 on Cloud. For more information, see the following blog post. In the coming weeks, you'll notice the new name when you open the console and in the product documentation.
The new Flex plan allows you to scale CPU/RAM and storage independently, on demand. Scaling is easy... just use the slider-bars in the console. For more information, click here.
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Modified date:
18 June 2024
UID
ibm10739537