Informix Database Health Check
We offer three Informix database health checks:
Quick Health Check
A simple, easy-to-follow, graphical report which highlights the key areas of concern in an Informix system. It’s a great way to get a high level view of the state of an Informix installation.
Quick Health Check Report
| Description | The quick health check report is designed to give an at-a-glance view of the state of an Informix database server. We examine basic performance statistics that the customer provides to us on request and produce a simple graphical report to identify any areas of concern. |
| Deliverables | We provide a 2-page graphical report. It includes a traffic light report which lists critical or advisory observations and a number of charts relating to overall capacity. |
| Access & Security | No remote access or data interchange is required. |
| Resourcing | Very limited customer resource is required for this exercise. We provide a series of Informix commands in a readable text format and require that the customer runs these on the target Informix system. The customer’s technical resource should ideally have Informix DBA privileges. |
| Booking | Contact our sales team to book this or raise the request on our contact form. As this is a free service and we are not accessing the customer’s systems, we can run a quick health check on demand without a purchase order or any other paperwork. |
| Delivery Timeframe | Once we receive the output files from the customer we can produce the health check report in a few minutes. |
Standard Health Check
This is a high-level report which identifies opportunities for improvement in an Informix database system with clear recommendations and relevant best practice guidelines.
Standard Health Check Report
| Description | The standard health check report is designed to build on the quick health check service by providing recommendations and guidelines for best practice. Exactly like the quick health check, we examine basic performance statistics that the customer provides to us on request and produce a simple graphical report to identify any areas of concern. If there are specific issues that are highlighted during our investigation then we may request additional information from the customer in order to provide a more accurate or relevant recommendation. |
| Deliverables | In addition to a 2-page graphical report we provide a management overview and a recommendations listing. As per the quick health check, the graphical report includes a traffic light report which lists critical or advisory observations and a number of charts relating to overall capacity. |
| Access & Security | No remote access or data interchange is required. If we are asked by the customer to perform a deeper analysis of a specific configuration issue then we may request more technical information from the customer. |
| Resourcing | Very limited customer resource is required for this exercise. Exactly like the quick health check, we provide a series of Informix commands in a readable text format and require that the customer runs these on the target Informix system. The customer's technical resource should ideally have Informix DBA privileges. |
| Booking | This is a chargeable service. Before commencing work we will require a purchase order from the customer. In addition, the requirement is documented in a statement of work which the customer receives with our quotation. |
| Delivery Timeframe | The lead time for a standard health check service is typically between 2 and 5 days. |
Full Health Check
A comprehensive and complete health check report of an Informix installation providing detailed analysis of system performance, security, capacity, availability and recoverability.
Full Health Check Report
| Description | The full health check service is a comprehensive analysis of an Informix installation. It covers system performance, security, capacity, availability and recovery. We monitor the Informix environment for a period of up to 30 days and collect a large amount of data on its overall performance. This means that we can identify trends and make reasonably accurate predictions regarding capacity and future system performance. |
| Deliverables | We provide a full, detailed health check report with a management overview, a recommendations listing, detailed capacity and performance trend analysis, a database security assessment and more. |
| Access & Security | Full remote access is required. In addition, if not already installed, we will also require access to an environment on which the AGS monitoring tools can be installed. Temporary DBA privileges will also be required. |
| Resourcing | This project will typically require the involvement of the customer’s network, security and database administration or systems administration personnel. |
| Booking | This is a chargeable service. Before commencing work we will require a purchase order from the customer. In addition, the requirement is documented in a statement of work which the customer receives with our quotation. |
| Delivery Timeframe | The lead time for a full health check service is typically between 14 and 30 days. |
Frequently asked questions about our Informix database health checks:
We can perform a health check on any version or edition of IBM Informix Dynamic Server. Our standard health check service does not cover non-IDS products (e.g. Informix Standard Engine, Informix C-ISAM or Informix Online). If you are not running Informix Dynamic Server and you need assistance please contact our sales team to discuss a bespoke health check service.
You can book a quick health check by using the button below. As this is a free service and we are not directly accessing the customer’s systems, we can run a quick health check on demand without a purchase order or any other paperwork.
We provide a series of Informix commands in a readable text format and require that the customer runs these on the target Informix system. These are provided via email and take seconds to run. Once we receive the output files from the customer we can produce the health check report in a few minutes.
A maximum of 30 days. In the full health check exercise we would use AGS Sentinel to monitor an Informix database system for a period of up to 30 days. At the end of the monitoring period we would produce a comprehensive report which includes specific recommendations for improvement. The longer we have to monitor a database environment the more accurate and extensive our knowledge of that environment. We would recommend a minimum of 14 days monitoring.
No remote access or data interchange is required for either the quick health check or the standard health check. Our full health check service requires privileged Informix system access. Depending on security restrictions it can be performed onsite or remotely.
No. We supply and configure all of the required software and there is no charge for the software we use. Once we have completed the full health check service we will remove the software as part of the engagement. If the customer would like to continue to monitor their Informix environment using the tools we use then optionally they can purchase the licences for an additional fee. In this case, we would not remove the software.
With every new release of the Informix product, IBM introduces new features and new capabilities. During a full health check we would expect to understand the available features and capabilities that are not being used and to identify opportunities to use those features that are relevant to the customer’s own Informix environment.
A full health check provides detailed analysis of system performance, security, capacity, availability and recoverability. System performance relates to system efficiency. It helps us to determine if we can get more out of the customer’s underlying hardware. A performance review is focused on database application performance and the application user experience. Database application performance is not usually investigated during a health check exercise.
As part of a full system health check we perform a high-level database security assessment. The security assessment uses a combination of tools and utilities that are provided by IBM Informix and other third party tools that we have adapted for this purpose. We also provide a separate database security vulnerability assessment which can be performed independently from an Informix health check.