About this book

Replication Agent™ extends the capabilities of Replication Server® by supporting non-Sybase® primary data servers in a Sybase replication system.

Replication Agent is the software solution for replicating transactions from a primary database in one of the following data servers:

• Oracle

• Microsoft SQL Server

• IBM DB2 Universal Database (on UNIX and Microsoft Windows platforms)

This book is for anyone who needs to administer a Sybase replication system with non-Sybase primary data servers, or administer the non-Sybase primary data servers in a Sybase replication system.

If you are new to Sybase replication technology, see the following documents:

• The Replication Server Design Guide for an introduction to basic data replication concepts and Sybase replication systems

• The Replication Server Heterogeneous Replication Guide for an introduction to heterogeneous replication concepts and the issues peculiar to Sybase replication systems with non-Sybase data servers.

Refer to this book when you need detailed information about Replication Agent support for non-Sybase data servers.

This book is organized as follows:

A Sybase replication system comprises several components. You may find it helpful to have the following documentation available.

• The Replication Agent Release Bulletin contains last-minute information that was too late to be included in the books.

  A more recent version of the release bulletins 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 Product Manuals Web site.

• The Replication Agent Installation Guide describes how to install the Replication Agent software. It includes an installation and setup worksheet that you can use to collect the information you need to complete the software installation and Replication Agent setup.

• The Replication Agent Administration Guide introduces replication concepts and Sybase replication technology. This document also describes Replication Agent features and operations, and how to set up, administer, and troubleshoot the Replication Agent software.

• The Replication Agent Reference Manual describes all Replication Agent commands and configuration parameters in detail, including syntax, examples, and usage notes.

Replication Agent requires a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) on the machine that acts as the Replication Agent host.

• The 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 your Java environment.

• Administration Guide – includes information and guidelines for creating and managing a replication system, setting up security, recovering from system failures, and improving performance.

• Configuration Guide for your platform – describes configuration procedures for Replication Server and related products, and explains how to use the rs_init configuration utility.

• Design Guide – contains information about designing a replication system and integrating non-Sybase data servers into a replication system.

• Getting Started with Replication Server – provides step-by-step instructions for installing and setting up a simple replication system.

• Heterogeneous Replication Guide – describes how to implement a Sybase replication system with heterogeneous or non-Sybase data servers.

• Reference Manual – contains the syntax and detailed descriptions of Replication Server commands in the Replication Command Language (RCL); Replication Server system functions; Replication Server executable programs; and Replication Server system tables.

• Troubleshooting Guide – contains information to aid in diagnosing and correcting problems in the replication system.

Sybase recommends that you or someone at your site be familiar with the software and database administration tasks for the non-Sybase data server(s) supported by Replication Agent:

• Oracle

• Microsoft SQL Server

• UDB

If your replication system includes databases in Adaptive Server® Enterprise, make sure you have documentation that is appropriate for the version of Adaptive Server Enterprise that you use.

Use the Sybase Getting Started CD and the Sybase Product Manuals Web site to learn more about your product:

Technical documentation at the Sybase Web site is updated frequently.

Set up a MySybase profile. MySybase is a free service that allows you to create a personalized view of Sybase Web pages.

The following sections describe the style, syntax, and character case conventions used in this book.

• In a sample screen display, commands that you should enter exactly as shown appear like this:

  pdb_setreptable authors, mark
  

• In the regular text of this document, variables or user-supplied words appear like this:

  Specify the value of table_name to mark the table.

• In a sample screen display, variables or words that you should replace with the appropriate value for your site appear like this:

  pdb_setreptable table_name, mark
  

  Here, table_name is the variable you should replace.

• In the regular text of this document:

  • Names of programs, utilities, procedures, and commands appear like this:

    Use the pdb_setreptable command to mark a table for replication.

  • Names of database objects (such as tables, columns, stored procedures) appear like this:

    Check the price column in the widgets table.

  • Names of datatypes appear like this:

    Use the date or datetime datatype.

  • Names of files and directories appear like this:

    Log files are located in the $SYBASE/RAX-15_5/inst_name/log subdirectory.

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.

• All command syntax and command examples are shown in lowercase. However, Replication Agent command names are not case-sensitive. For example, PDB_XLOG, Pdb_Xlog, and pdb_xlog 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 is interpreted as an invalid parameter name.

• Database object names are not case-sensitive in Replication Agent commands. However, to use a mixed-case object name in a command (to match a mixed-case object name in the database), delimit the object name with quote characters. For example:

  pdb_setreptable "TableName", mark
  

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.

Replication Agent and the HTML documentation have 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.

The online help for this product is also provided in HTML, which you can navigate using a screen reader.

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, have the designated person contact Sybase Technical Support or the Sybase subsidiary in your area.