Upgrading SQL Anywhere software and databases in a database mirroring system

When you are using database mirroring, extra steps are required to apply a SQL Anywhere maintenance release or EBF, or to upgrade the database file.

For information about applying a maintenance release, see Apply a SQL Anywhere maintenance release to a database mirroring system.
For information about applying an EBF, see Applying SQL Anywhere EBFs in a database mirroring system.
For information about upgrading or rebuilding the database file, see Upgrading databases in a database mirroring system.

Apply a SQL Anywhere maintenance release to a database mirroring system

All database servers in a database mirroring system must use the same maintenance release of SQL Anywhere. If you use the following procedure to apply a SQL Anywhere maintenance release, the only time the database is not available is during steps 3 and 4.

Shut down the mirror server by running a dbstop command.
Install the new version of SQL Anywhere on the mirror server.
Shut down the primary and arbiter servers by running a dbstop command for each server.
Install the new version of SQL Anywhere on the primary server.
Restart the primary and mirror servers.
Install the new version of the software on the arbiter.
Restart the arbiter.

Applying SQL Anywhere EBFs in a database mirroring system

To install an EBF, you must perform the following steps for each database server in the mirroring system (primary, mirror, and arbiter servers):

Run a dbstop command to stop the database server.
Install the EBF.
Restart the database server.

Upgrading databases in a database mirroring system

There are two procedures you can use to upgrade or rebuild a database that is participating in a database mirroring system. The first process is simpler, but it has a longer database downtime than the second procedure.

Upgrade or rebuild a database in a database mirroring system

Shut down the mirror server.
Shut down the primary server.
Upgrade or rebuild the database using the copy on the primary server. See The upgrade process for version 10 and later databases, or The rebuild process for version 10 and later databases.
Copy the upgraded or rebuilt database and transaction log to the mirror server.
Restart the primary server.
Restart the mirror server.

Note

Any renamed transaction log files should be moved because they are incompatible with the new database. An initial transaction log file is required on both servers for mirroring to start. You can create a transaction log file by running a dbping command against the database.

Minimize downtime while upgrading or rebuilding a database in a database mirroring system

Make a backup of the database and rename the transaction log.
Upgrade or rebuild the backup copy of the database on a different computer. See The upgrade process for version 10 and later databases or The rebuild process for version 10 and later databases.
Shut down both the primary and mirror servers.
Save the current copy of the transaction log on the primary database.
Use the dbtran utility to translate the transaction log saved in step 4.

This transaction log contains any changes made to the database since the backup in step 1.
Start the rebuilt database using a local database server.
Apply the translated transaction log using the READ statement from Interactive SQL.
Stop the rebuilt database.
Copy the upgraded or rebuilt database and its transaction log to the primary and mirror servers.
Start the primary server.
Start the mirror server.