A Replication Agent instance can be in one of two discrete states. The Replication Agent states are:
Admin – this state allows you to set or change any Replication Agent configuration parameter. In this state, the Replication Agent instance is available for any administrative operation.
Replicating – this is the state the Replication Agent instance is in when it is processing data from the transaction log and sending output to the primary Replication Server (or idle while waiting for new transactions to be logged).
The default start-up state is Admin. The Replication Agent instance goes to the Admin state automatically when no start-up state is specified.
The state of a Replication Agent instance can be changed either by an external event that occurs while Replication Agent processes data or by operator intervention. An example of an external event that can cause a Replication Agent state change is a dropped connection. An example of operator intervention that can cause a Replication Agent state change is invoking a command that causes a state change.
From the time a state-changing event occurs until the moment the Replication Agent instance is actually in the new state, the Replication Agent instance is said to be in “transition.” During state transition, some Replication Agent commands are ignored.
