Configuring and validating the Mirror Replication Agent resource file

A single installation of the Mirror Replication Agent can support replication from multiple databases. However, one Mirror Replication Agent instance is needed for each Microsoft SQL Server database that is to be replicated. This section describes how to prepare for and create a Mirror Replication Agent instance.

To configure and validate the Mirror Replication Agent parameters in a resource file

Locate the resource file template.

The majority of configuration values required to create and initialize a Mirror Replication Agent can be recorded and stored in a resource file. Using it provides a means to record or retain the configuration information for a Mirror Replication Agent instance, allowing an instance to be removed and recreated.

The Microsoft SQL Server resource file template can be found at %SYBASE%\MA-15_1\init\mssql.rs.

Create an instance resource file.

Copy the resource file template %SYBASE%\MA-15_1\init\mssql.rs to another file. For example:

copy mssql.rs myma.rs

Using a text editor, change the values assigned to properties in the resource file so they match the values required for your environment. The majority of these values are host, port, user, and password information for the Microsoft SQL Server, Replication Server, and RSSD connections.

The resource file is self-documenting, with each parameter described. For more information, refer to the Mirror Activator Administration Guide, in Chapter 2, “Setup and Configuration,” the section titled, “Creating a Mirror Replication Agent instance using resource files.”

**Table 2-2: Resource file parameters**
Parameter	Description	Example values
instance_name	Any valid name	myma
admin_port	Port number that Mirror Replication Agent uses.	20500 (if in use, select a different port number)
pds_server_name	Name of the primary Microsoft SQL Server.	TEAMSTER
pds_port_number	Port number for Microsoft SQL Server.	1521
pds_dac_port_number	Microsoft SQL Server Dedicated Administration connection port number.	1348
pds_database_name	Name of the primary database.	pubs
pds_username	User ID that Mirror Replication Agent uses to access the primary data server.	ra_user
pds_password	Password for pds_username.	sybase
create_pds_username	Specifies whether or not the ma_admin utility, invoked without the -r option, should create the Mirror Replication Agent primary database user login if the login does not already exist in the primary data server. For information about the ma_admin utility -r option, see the Mirror Activator Administration Guide.	yes
rs_host_name	Machine where Replication Server is installed.	teamster
rs_port_number	Port where Replication Server is installed.	11752
rs_username	Replication Server user with CONNECT SOURCE and CREATE OBJECT capabilities.	SAMPLE_RS_ra
rs_password	Password for rs_username.	SAMPLE_RS_ra_ps
rs_source_ds	Valid name representing data server of primary Microsoft SQL Server database.	mymrm
rs_source_db	Valid name representing primary Microsoft SQL Server database.	pubs
rs_charset	Character set that Replication Server is using. The value defined for the rs_charset configuration parameter MUST match the RS_charset value in Replication Server’s configuration file, %SYBASE%\REP-15_1 \install\<server>.cfg or %SYBASE%\REP-15_1 \samp_repserver\SAMPLE_RS.cfg.	cp850
rssd_host_name	Machine where RSSD resides.	teamster
rssd_port_number	Port number where RSSD resides.	11751
rssd_database_name	Database name for RSSD.	SAMPLE_RS_ERSSD
rssd_username	Valid user for RSSD.	SAMPLE_RS_RSSD_maint
rssd_password	Password for rssd_username.	SAMPLE_RS_RSSD_maint_ps
ddl_username	Identifies the database user name included in LTL for replicating DDL commands to the standby database.	ddl_user
ddl_password	Identifies the password for ddl_username.	The password you created previously
start_instance	Automatically start the instance that was created.	yes
initialize_instance	Automatically initialize the new Mirror Replication Agent instance. Set the initialize_instance parameter to yes (the default is no) to initialize the Mirror Replication Agent instance. If you retain the default value of no, you must manually issue the ra_devicepath command after initialization to set the correct mirror path.	yes
ra_devicepath_x	Primary database log mirror location information. These parameter names must be unique in the format ra_devicepath_x, where x is a unique sequential number and the parameter value contains both the device name and the device path separated by a comma.	ra_devicepath_1= logA, /dev/pubs2/logA.dat, or leave commented if not using mirrored log

WARNING! The combined values of rs_source_ds and rs_source_db must match the “pds.pdb” values of the Replication Server primary connection name.

Be sure your CLASSPATH environment variable points to the Microsoft SQL Server JDBC driver, and use the Mirror Replication Agent ma_admin utility to validate the settings in the new instance resource file using the -vr parameter. For example:

%SYBASE%\MA-15_1\bin\ma_admin -vr myma.rs

Validation results are returned as one of the following:

Response-file processing completed
Response-file processing completed with errors

If any validation fails, the ma_admin utility returns an error message and information about the failure. You can repeat the validation process as many times as necessary until it executes without error. No entities are changed or created because of this process.