Mirror Activator is a Sybase® software solution that allows you to combine the benefits of transaction replication and disk replication, thereby eliminating the disadvantages of using either system alone in a disaster recovery solution.
The Mirror Activator solution includes the following Sybase software products:
Mirror Replication Agent™
Replication Server®
This book is for anyone who needs to manage or administer a Mirror Activator system. This may include:
System Administrators
Database Administrators
Network Administrators
This book is organized as follows:
Chapter 1, “Overview and Introduction,” provides an overview of replication solutions for disaster recovery, and introduces the Mirror Activator solution and the Mirror Replication Agent component.
Chapter 2, “Setup and Configuration,” describes how to set up and configure the Mirror Replication Agent, and other software components of the Mirror Activator system.
Chapter 3, “Administering Mirror Replication Agent,” describes administrative tasks and procedures for the Mirror Replication Agent.
Chapter 4, “Mirror Replication Agent Command Reference,” describes Mirror Replication Agent commands, including syntax, options, usage, and examples.
Chapter 5, “Mirror Replication Agent Configuration Parameters,” describes the Mirror Replication Agent configuration file and provides a configuration parameter reference.
Chapter 6, “Troubleshooting Mirror Replication Agent,” describes basic troubleshooting and system recovery procedures.
Appendix A, “Materializing Databases,” describes how to materialize the databases in a Mirror Activator system.
Appendix B, “Failover and Failback with Mirror Activator,” describes procedures for failover and failback in a Mirror Activator system.
If you are not familiar with Sybase transaction replication technology, refer to the following documents for more information:
Replication Server Design Guide for an introduction to basic transaction replication concepts and Sybase transaction replication systems
Replication Server Administration Guide for an introduction to Replication Server support for warm standby applications
To learn more about the Mirror Activator solution and the Mirror Replication Agent component, refer to the following documents:
Mirror Activator Overview Guide for more information about how Mirror Activator fits into an integrated disaster recovery solution
Mirror Activator Administration Guide for an overview of the Mirror Activator solution, information about configuring and administering the Mirror Replication Agent component, and information about configuring other software components in the Mirror Activator system.
Mirror Replication Agent Installation Guide for information about installing the Mirror Replication Agent software
The Mirror Replication Agent release bulletin for last-minute information that was too late to be included in the books
A more recent version of the Mirror Replication Agent release bulletin
may be available on the World Wide Web. To check for critical product
or document information that was added after the release of the product
CD, use the Sybase Technical Library.
Make sure you have appropriate documentation for the Adaptive Server Enterprise version used with the Mirror Activator system.
The Mirror Replication Agent component requires a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) on the Mirror Replication Agent host machine.
The Mirror Replication Agent release bulletin contains the most up-to-date information about Java and JRE requirements.
Java documentation available from your operating system vendor describes how to set up and manage the Java environment on your platform.
Further information about Java environments can be found at the following URL:
http://java.sun.com
Use the Sybase Getting Started CD, the Sybase Technical Library CD, and the Technical Library Product Manuals Web site to learn more about your product:
The Getting Started CD contains release bulletins and installation guides in PDF format, and may also contain other documents or updated information not included on the Technical Library CD. It is included with your software. To read or print documents on the Getting Started CD, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader (downloadable at no charge from the Adobe Web site, using a link provided on the CD).
The Technical Library CD contains product manuals and is included with your software. The DynaText reader (included on the Technical Library CD) allows you to access technical information about your product in an easy-to-use format.
Refer to the Technical Library Installation Guide in your documentation package for instructions on installing and starting the Technical Library.
The Technical Library Product Manuals Web site is an HTML version of the Technical Library CD that you can access using a standard Web browser. In addition to product manuals, you will find links to EBFs/Updates, Technical Documents, Case Management, Solved Cases, newsgroups, and the Sybase Developer Network.
To access the Technical Library Product Manuals Web site, go to Product Manuals.
Technical documentation at the Sybase Web site is updated frequently.
Finding the latest information on product certifications
Point your Web browser to Technical Documents.
Select Products from the navigation bar on the left.
Select a product name from the product list and click Go.
Select the Certification Report filter, specify a time frame, and click Go.
Click a Certification Report title to display the report.
Creating a personalized view of the Sybase Web
site (including support pages)
Set up a MySybase profile. MySybase is a free service that allows you to create a personalized view of Sybase Web pages.
Point your Web browser to Technical Documents.
Click MySybase and create a MySybase profile.
Finding the latest information on EBFs and software
maintenance
Point your Web browser to the Sybase Support Page.
Select EBFs/Maintenance. Enter user name and password information, if prompted (for existing Web accounts) or create a new account (a free service).
Select a product.
Specify a time frame and click Go.
Click the Info icon to display the EBF/Maintenance report, or click the product description to download the software.
The following style conventions are used in this book:
In a sample screen display, commands that you should enter exactly as shown appear like this:
pdb_init
In the regular text of this document, variables or user-supplied words appear like this:
Specify the value option to change the setting of the configuration parameter.
In a sample screen display, variables or words that you should replace with the appropriate value for your site appear like this:
resume connection to pds.pdb
where pds and pdb are the variables you should replace.
In the regular text of this document, names of programs, utilities, procedures, and commands appear like this:
Use the pdb_init command to initialize the primary database.
In the regular text of this document, names of database objects (tables, columns, stored procedures, etc.) appear like this:
Check the price column in the widgets table.
In the regular text of this document, names of datatypes appear like this:
Use the date or datetime datatype.
In the regular text of this document, names of files and directories appear like this:
Log files are located in the $SYBASE/MRA-12_6/inst_name/log directory.
The following syntax conventions are used in this book:
Key |
Definition |
|---|---|
{ } |
Curly braces indicate that you must choose at least one of the enclosed options. Do not type the braces when you enter the command. |
[ ] |
Brackets mean that choosing one or more of the enclosed options is optional. Do not type the brackets when you enter the command. |
( ) |
Parentheses are to be typed as part of the command. |
| |
The vertical bar means you can select only one of the options shown. |
, |
The comma means you can choose as many of the options shown as you like, separating your choices with commas that you type as part of the command. |
In reference sections of this document, statements that show the syntax of commands appear like this:
ra_config [param[, value]]
The words param and value in the syntax are variables or user-supplied words.
The following character case conventions are used in this book:
All command syntax and command examples are shown in lowercase. However, Mirror Replication Agent command names are not case sensitive. For example, PDB_INIT, Pdb_Init, and pdb_init are equivalent.
Names of configuration parameters are case sensitive. For example, Scan_Sleep_Max is not the same as scan_sleep_max, and the former would be interpreted as an invalid parameter name.
Database object names are not case sensitive in Mirror Replication Agent commands. However, if you need to use a mixed-case object name in a command (to match a mixed-case object name in the primary database), you must delimit the object name with quote characters. For example:
pdb_get_tables "TableName"
This document is available in an HTML version that is specialized for accessibility. You can navigate the HTML with an adaptive technology such as a screen reader, or view it with a screen enlarger.
The HTML documentation has been tested for compliance with U.S. government Section 508 Accessibility requirements. Documents that comply with Section 508 generally also meet non-U.S. accessibility guidelines, such as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) guidelines for Web sites.
You might need to configure your accessibility tool
for optimal use. Some screen readers pronounce text based on its
case; for example, they pronounce ALL UPPERCASE TEXT as initials,
and MixedCase Text as words. You might find it helpful to configure
your tool to announce syntax conventions. Consult the documentation
for your tool.
For information about how Sybase supports accessibility, see Sybase Accessibility. The Sybase Accessibility site includes links to information on Section 508 and W3C standards.
Each Sybase installation that has purchased a support contract has one or more designated people who are authorized to contact Sybase Technical Support. If you cannot resolve a problem using the manuals or online help, please have the designated person contact Sybase Technical Support or the Sybase subsidiary in your area.
