Start the database that will be mirrored on a database server with the -su and -xp on options. For example:

dbsrv12 -n mirror_server1 -x tcpip(PORT=6871;DOBROAD=no) -su sql 
"c:\server1\mymirrordb.db" -xp on

See -su dbeng12/dbsrv12 server option and -xp dbsrv12 database option.

Define the partner servers and arbiter server for the database by using the CREATE MIRROR SERVER statement. You must define one database server as the primary server and one database server as the mirror server, as well as an arbiter server. You must also define the primary and mirror servers as partners in the database mirroring system.

The first statement defines the name that clients use to connect to the database server that is acting as the primary server in the database mirroring system. The second statement defines mirror_server1 as a partner server in the database mirroring system.

CREATE MIRROR SERVER myprimary
AS PRIMARY
connection_string='SERVER=myprimary;HOST=localhost:6871,localhost:6872';

CREATE MIRROR SERVER mirror_server1
AS PARTNER
connection_string='SERVER=mirror_server1;host=localhost:6871'
state_file='c:\\server1\\server1.state';

The following SQL statements define the name of the database server that is acting as the mirror server in the database server, and also define the second partner server in the database mirroring system:

CREATE MIRROR SERVER mymirror
AS MIRROR
connection_string='SERVER=mymirror;HOST=localhost:6871,localhost:6872';

CREATE MIRROR SERVER mirror_server2
AS PARTNER
connection_string='SERVER=mirror_server2;host=localhost:6872'
state_file='c:\\server2\\server2.state';

The following SQL statement defines the arbiter server for the database mirroring system:

CREATE MIRROR SERVER myarbiter
AS ARBITER
connection_string ='SERVER=myarbiter;HOST=localhost:6870';

See CREATE MIRROR SERVER statement.

Set mirroring options for the mirroring system. You must specify an authentication string. For example:

SET MIRROR OPTION authentication_string='abc';

See SET MIRROR OPTION statement.

Make a copy of the database, current transaction log, as well as any other transaction logs on the computer where the second database server will be running.

The transaction log files on the primary server computer and the mirror server computer must be identical, including the starting offset of the current transaction log files.

If you stop the database server running the database you want to mirror, you can copy files; otherwise, use the BACKUP DATABASE statement or the Backup utility (dbbackup). See BACKUP statement and Backup utility (dbbackup).

Start the second database server in the database mirroring system:

dbsrv12 -n mirror_server2 -x tcpip(PORT=6872;DOBROAD=no) -su sql 
"c:\server2\mymirrordb.db" -xp on

Start the arbiter server.

dbsrv12 -n myarbiter -su sql  
-x "TCPIP(PORT=6870;DOBROAD=no)" -xf "c:\arbiter\arbiter.state" 
-xa "AUTH=abc;DBN=mymirrordb"

Clients can now connect to the mirrored database.