Converting a Non-encrypted Database into an Encrypted Database
To convert a non-encrypted database to an encrypted database, use the copydb command with exclusive lock to unload the database. Destroy the database and recreate it with encryption using the createdb command with the "-encrypt" option. Load the new encrypted database with the unloaded data. See
copydb Command--Copy and Restore a Database for more details on how to use it.
Prerequisites for Converting a Non-encrypted Database into an Encrypted Database
The following are prerequisites for converting a non-encrypted database into an encrypted database:
For the duration of the conversion, the database needs to be locked in exclusive mode to avoid inconsistencies and possible recovery problems in case of an unexpected server outage. Therefore the database is not available for user connections during the conversion.
Permanent disk space
• On the Ingres side, the encrypted data does not need more disk space than the non-encrypted data.
• On the X100 side, the encrypted database needs slightly more disk space than the non- encrypted database. This is mainly due to the padding of the transaction log records in the WAL files. The padding on average consumes 8 additional bytes per transaction and adds only small overhead.
Temporary additional disk space
For the duration of the conversion operation additional disk space is needed for the unloaded data.
Table column encryption not in use
Table column encryption cannot be used in an encrypted database. If table column encryption is in use, you can edit the copy.in file (created by the copydb command) and remove the encryption specifications for the tables with column encryption. The table data will be loaded without table column encryption into the new encrypted database.
Last modified date: 01/27/2026