## Support Group (Special Operating System Group)

### Definition

On UNIX, the database system uses special operating system groups, the support groups. Defining a support group for a database instance is optional.

We recommend that you define a separate support group for each database instance.

The system default for the name of the support group for a database instance is <sdb<database_name>>, such as sdbdemodb for the DEMODB database instance. If you define a support group, you have to include the special operating system user <sdb_user> in this group.

### Use

Operating system users who belong to the support group can execute support tasks without having to be a member of the <sdba_group> operating system group.

If there is a support group for a database instance, then the volumes receive the operating system group ID (GID) of the support group. Operating system users who belong to the support group can access the volumes directly, for diagnosis purposes, for example.

If you have defined a support group, but have not yet assigned any operating system users to it (empty support group), then operating system users cannot access the volumes directly.

If there is a support group for a database instance, then the user profile container also receives the GID of the support group. The user profile container is the file in which the DBM Server manages its rights. The directory and name of the user profile container: <independent_data>/config/<database_name>.upc.

See also:

Special Operating System Users and Groups (UNIX/Linux)