Db2 Installation Panels (DSNTIPxx)

How the panel session works

You start DSNTINST, land on the main panel, then press Enter through a guided path. Most fields correspond to Db2 subsystem parameters or install defaults. Asterisks on some panels mark values primed from earlier answers—for example, names derived from the catalog alias on DSNTIPA2. You can accept defaults, override carefully, and SAVE to an output member so you can resume.

Current IBM documentation documents DSNTIPA1–DSNTIPA4 as the early “A” panels, then continues with many other DSNTIPxx panels (DSNTIPD, DSNTIP9, DSNTIPE, DSNTIP1, DSNTIPI, DSNTIPR, DSNTIPC, and more). Training outlines sometimes list DSNTIPA5–DSNTIPA9 as shorthand for that continuing session covering sizes, work files, threads, buffers, and related topics. Learn the real panel IDs on your release’s help panels—the letters after DSNTIP are the durable names.

DSNTIPA1 — main panel

DSNTIPA1 is titled along the lines of “Db2 INSTALL, UPDATE, MIGRATE AND PROVISION - MAIN PANEL.” It is the steering wheel for everything that follows.

Key fields

• USE Z/OSMF WORKFLOW — whether artifacts target z/OSMF provisioning
• INSTALL TYPE — Install, Migrate, Activate, Update, or Provision
• DATA SHARING — Yes or No (some types leave this blank)
• DATA SET(MEMBER) NAME — prior settings for migration only
• LIBRARY NAME PREFIX / SUFFIX — SMP/E Db2 libraries
• DATA SET NAME PREFIX / SUFFIX — tailored NEW libraries
• INPUT MEMBER NAME — defaults such as DSNTIDXA
• OUTPUT MEMBER NAME — where panel answers are saved

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DSNTIPA1  DB2 INSTALL, UPDATE, MIGRATE AND PROVISION - MAIN PANEL
  INSTALL TYPE          ===> INSTALL
  DATA SHARING          ===> NO
  LIBRARY NAME PREFIX   ===> DSN1310
  DATA SET NAME PREFIX  ===> DSN1310
  INPUT MEMBER NAME     ===> DSNTIDXA
  OUTPUT MEMBER NAME    ===> DSNTIDXC

Choosing MIGRATE changes how calculations behave: the CLIST leans on prior-release values instead of running a full green-field calculation path. Choosing ACTIVATE focuses the session on function-level activation jobs. Get INSTALL TYPE right before you invest time in later panels.

DSNTIPA2 — catalog and directory

DSNTIPA2 is the catalog and directory panel. A central idea is whether the CLIST should define the catalog and which catalog alias becomes the naming anchor for catalog and directory data sets. Later panels may prime fields from that alias, so typos here spread widely.

Think of DSNTIPA2 as answering: “Where do the system’s dictionary data sets live, and what high-level name do we stamp on them?” Coordinate with SMS and ICF catalog owners before inventing an alias that conflicts with existing HLQs.

DSNTIPA3 — data parameters

DSNTIPA3 captures allocation-oriented data parameters: permanent and temporary unit names, volume serials when used, and SMS data class, management class, and storage class values for CLIST allocations and non-VSAM data. These are not glamorous fields, but wrong device or SMS choices cause DEFINE failures deep in the job stream.

Prefer site-standard SMS classes over hard-coded volumes when your shop is SMS-managed. Document the classes in the install plan so operations can reclaim or extend space later without reverse-engineering JCL.

DSNTIPA4 — BSDS and active logs

DSNTIPA4 defines the ICF catalog alias for bootstrap data sets (BSDS) and active log VSAM data sets, plus optional SMS or VOL/SER settings for each duplexed pair (log copy 1 with BSDS 2, and log copy 2 with BSDS 1). Duplexing bootstrap and logs across failure domains is a classic recovery practice—panel placement should match that design, not put both copies on the same fragile volume set.

The BSDS and active log alias can differ from the catalog alias. When it differs, it becomes the high-level qualifier used for BSDS, active log, and related archive naming on later panels such as DSNTIPH. Plan both aliases deliberately.

DSNTIPA5–DSNTIPA9 as session continuation

Checklists sometimes enumerate DSNTIPA5 through DSNTIPA9 after A1–A4. On modern releases, the CLIST continues with a richer set of named panels rather than a simple A5–A9 sequence. Treat those checklist items as “cover the rest of the early install questions,” including:

• Sizes and calculations — DSNTIPD, DSNTIPC / DSNTIPC1
• Work file database — DSNTIP9 / DSNTIP91
• Threads and storage — DSNTIPE / DSNTIPE1
• Buffer pools — DSNTIP1 / DSNTIP2
• IRLM, DDF, routines, protection, PARMLIB, logs, archives — DSNTIPI, DSNTIPJ, DSNTIPR, DSNTIP5, DSNTIPP, DSNTIPM, DSNTIPL, DSNTIPA, and related panels

When studying for an interview or certification outline that lists A5–A9, map each item to the real panel that collects that topic on your Db2 version. The skill that matters is knowing which question belongs early (naming and placement) versus later (tuning numbers and feature options).

From panels to subsystem parameters

A helpful habit while learning is to pick one panel field and find its matching subsystem parameter name in IBM’s directory of panel fields. That mapping explains why changing a value on DSNTIPE or DSNTIPR later requires regenerating or updating ZPARM jobs such as DSNTIJUZ. Not every field becomes a ZPARM—some exist only to drive JCL allocation—but enough do that the panel session is really a guided ZPARM and object-defaults interview.

When two team members disagree about a value, record both the panel name and the ZPARM name in the change ticket. Future you will thank present you when a monitor shows a surprising setting six months later.

Practical panel tips

• Save often to the OUTPUT MEMBER so a dropped session is not a full restart.
• Use HELP on a field when the label is unclear—many fields map to ZPARM names.
• Do not casually override CLIST calculations without a capacity rationale.
• Keep a screenshot or export of final values for change control.
• Re-run with UPDATE when you only need to refresh parameters later.

Explain It Like I'm Five

The panels are like a long school form. Page one (DSNTIPA1) asks what kind of project this is and where your supplies are. Page two (DSNTIPA2) asks what to name the big dictionary shelf. Page three (DSNTIPA3) asks which closet and bins to use. Page four (DSNTIPA4) asks where to keep the diary (logs) and the club membership book (BSDS). Extra pages ask how many chairs, how big the desks are, and who can use the door from other schools. When the form is done, the helper prints the building instructions (jobs).

Exercises

1. Name the five INSTALL TYPE values you might see on DSNTIPA1 and when to use each.
2. Explain why a wrong catalog alias on DSNTIPA2 is expensive to fix later.
3. List two SMS-related fields you would expect on DSNTIPA3.
4. Describe how DSNTIPA4 supports duplexed BSDS and active logs.
5. Pick one later topic (buffers, DDF, or work files) and name a real DSNTIPxx panel that covers it on current releases.