| Topic |
|
|---|---|
1. Accessing current release bulletin information
A more recent version of this release bulletin may be available on the World Wide Web. To check for critical product or document information added after the release of the product CD, use the Sybase Technical Library Product Manuals Web site.
To access release bulletins at the Technical Library Product Manuals Web site:
Go to Product Manuals.
Follow the links to the appropriate Sybase product.
Select the “Platform-Specific” collection for the product version you are interested in.
From the list of individual documents, select the link to the release bulletin for your platform. You can either download the PDF version or browse the document online.
2. Product summary
Sybase Replication Agent extends the capabilities of Replication Server by allowing non-Sybase database servers to act as primary data servers in a replication system based on Sybase replication technology.
Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1 runs on the platform and operating system configurations listed in Table 1.
Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1 is compatible with the other Sybase products listed in Table 2.
| Product |
Version |
|---|---|
| Replication Server |
11.0.3 or later |
| Replication Server Manager |
12.0 or later |
| Adaptive Server Enterprise |
11.5 or later |
3. Special installation instructions
This section documents installation issues not documented in the Sybase Replication Agent Installation Guide.
3.1 Empty directories after uninstall
After uninstalling Sybase Replication Agent software, some empty directories may be left that can be safely deleted manually. To remove these directories, move to the installation directory, and delete the Sybase Replication Agent directory (rax-12_1) and all its subdirectories and their contents.
3.2 Operating system patch requirements
Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1 is compatible with Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2000, as well as several UNIX operating systems. See “2. Product summary” for more information on specific operating system versions supported by Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1.
There are patches for the Solaris, HP-UX, and AIX operating systems that you should install before installing the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) included with Replication Agent. The following sections describe the operating system patches required for Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1.
3.2.1 HP-UX
Patches required for HP-UX 11.00 and instructions for their installation are listed at the following URL:
http://www.unixsolutions.hp.com/products/java/patches.html
3.2.2 Windows NT
You must use Windows NT version 4.0, Service Pack 4 or later.
3.2.3 Solaris
You must install the following patches for Solaris:
Detailed information on Solaris patches and instructions for downloading and installing them can be found under “Patches” at the following URL:
http://sunsolve.Sun.COM
3.2.4 AIX
You must install the following patch for AIX:
Detailed information on AIX patches and instructions for downloading and installing them can be found at the following URL:
http://www.ibm.com/java/jdk/aix/index.html
3.3 Java VM requirements
There are also a number of required patches for the Java Virtual Machine (VM) that you should install.
3.3.1 AIX
You must install the following patches for the VM for AIX:
| PTF |
APAR |
Full Version |
|---|---|---|
| PTF4 |
IYO6325 |
a118-19991126 |
| PTF3 |
IYO4792 |
a118-19991029 |
| PTF2 |
IYO4815 |
a118-19991006 |
| PTF1 |
IYO3532 |
a118ga-19990907 |
Note:
If you are not already using JRE 1.1.8 for AIX, you must download and install JRE for AIX 1.1.8 before you install the VM patches for AIX.
To access detailed information on VM patches for AIX and instructions for downloading and installation, you must complete the free registration. To begin the registration, choose “Register and Download” from the Contents menu at the following URL:
http://www.ibm.com/java/jdk/aix/index.html
3.3.2 Windows NT and Windows 2000
Replication Agent for Microsoft SQL Server requires Microsoft JVIEW version 5.00.3188 or later on the Windows NT or Windows 2000 platform. Replication Agent for Microsoft SQL Server does not run correctly with the Sun VM on Windows NT and Windows 2000 platforms.
You can download the latest version of JVIEW at the following URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/java
3.4 Connectivity requirements
Sybase Replication Agent requires a JDBC driver or ODBC driver to communicate with the primary database. Table 3 lists the communications drivers that are compatible with Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1.
3.5 Windows platform requirement for Microsoft SQL Server
Instances of Replication Agent for Microsoft SQL Server can only run on a Windows NT or Windows 2000 host. Replication Agent for Microsoft SQL Server cannot be installed on a UNIX platform.
3.5.1 Starting up Replication Agent for Microsoft SQL Server
To start up Replication Agent for Microsoft SQL Server, use the ra_jview.bat batch file, not the ra.bat file.
3.6 Installing the ODBC driver for Microsoft SQL Server
During the Microsoft SQL Server software installation process, the ODBC driver is automatically installed on the same host as SQL Server. If the host machine where the Sybase Replication Agent executes is not the same host as the Microsoft SQL Server host, you must install the ODBC driver manually on the Sybase Replication Agent host machine.
Replication Agent for Microsoft SQL Server requires the ODBC driver version best suited to your SQL Server version:
-
Microsoft SQL Server version 6.5 – ODBC driver version 3.60.03.19.
-
Microsoft SQL Server version 7.0 – ODBC driver version 3.70.06.23.
-
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (8.0) – ODBC driver version 2000.80.194.00.
The easiest way to install the Microsoft SQL Server ODBC driver is to perform the Microsoft SQL Server Client installation on the Replication Agent host. The SQL Server Client software installation is an option on the SQL Server installation CD. In addition to the ODBC driver, the Microsoft SQL Server installation installs utilities, such as isql and wisql.
Note:
See the Microsoft SQL Server installation instructions for a complete description of the items installed with the Microsoft SQL Server Client and the procedures for completing that installation.
If the Microsoft SQL Server Client software is not available, you can install the Microsoft ODBC driver using “Microsoft Data Access Components,” which is available on the web at:
http://www.microsoft.com/data
See Appendix C of the Sybase Replication Agent Administration Guide for information on how to configure the ODBC driver for Microsoft SQL Server.
4. Special upgrade instructions
Customers currently using a release of Replication Agent for Oracle earlier than the 12.0 release should review the Sybase Replication Agent for Oracle Migration Guide before proceeding with installation.
Customers using the Sybase Replication Agent version 12.0 can migrate to Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1 by following the migration instructions in Chapter 4 of the Sybase Replication Agent Installation Guide.
5. Changed functionality in this version
Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1 provides support for additional database servers and versions that were not supported by Sybase Replication Agent version 12.0:
-
IBM DB2 Universal Database, Enterprise Edition versions 6.1 and 7.1, on Windows NT, Windows 2000, and UNIX platforms
-
Informix Dynamic Server 2000 (9.2)
-
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (8.0)
Sybase Replication Agent version 12.0 supported Informix versions 7.2 and 7.3 only, and Microsoft SQL Server versions 6.5 and 7.0 only.
For a complete list of the database servers and versions supported by Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1, see “7. Product compatibilities”.
6. Known issues
This section describes known problems in Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1 at the time of release. This section also describes how to solve or work around the known problems.
6.1 Known version 12.0 issues addressed in version 12.1
The following table lists the known issues in Sybase Replication Agent version 12.0 that have been fixed in Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1.
In addition to the known issues in version 12.0 that are fixed in Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1, the following known issues in version 12.0 are addressed in the documentation for Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1.
6.2 Datatype restrictions
Sybase Replication Agent and Replication Server impose the following constraints on datatypes:
-
If you use a version of Replication Server prior to version 12 with Replication Agent, you must set the value of the Replication Agent use_rssd configuration parameter to true to avoid problems with the smallint and tinyint datatypes.
-
Replication Server limits char and varchar dataypes to 255 characters. Any instance of char and varchar datatypes that contain more than 255 characters will be truncated to 255 characters.
6.3 Edits on pending property changes
Validation of changes made to Sybase Replication Agent instance properties may not take effect until the instance is restarted. If you enter an invalid value, you may not detect the error until the Sybase Replication Agent instance is restarted.
This information addresses CR #211427.
6.4 Update with no change generates LTL with update
Under certain conditions, Sybase Replication Agent sends erroneous LTL for an update that does not change any data. This problem occurs only when the value of the Replication Agent column_compression parameter is set to true.
To avoid this problem, set the value of the column_compression parameter to false.
This information addresses CR #233675.
6.5 Known issues for HP-UX
The following sections describe known issues in Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1 specific to the HP-UX operating system.
6.5.1 HP-UX ra script loop
Running scripts that execute the UNIX source command in HP-UX to obtain path and alias information from the .cshrc file may result in indefinite looping if the .cshrc file uses the echo command to print information to the terminal.
This problem can be avoided by removing the echo command from your .cshrc file.
This information addresses CR #190720.
6.5.2 HP-UX JAVA_HOME variable
When using Sybase Replication Agent on an HP-UX platform, the JAVA_HOME variable must point to the Java home directory created by the Sybase Installer program:
$SYBASE/shared-1_0/jre-1_1-HP-UX
where $SYBASE is the install directory specified when you installed the Sybase Replication Agent software.
Note:
If the JAVA_HOME variable points to any directory other than the Sybase Java home directory, an error occurs when you attempt to start a Replication Agent instance.
If you cannot set the JAVA_HOME variable to point to the Sybase Java home directory, you must not use the JAVA_HOME variable.
This information addresses CR #232650.
6.6 Known issues for Sybase Installer
The following known issues concern the Sybase Installer software.
6.6.1 Product configuration may not be available during installation
If you install Sybase software from more than one Integrated Product Set, or from a single product CD and an Integrated Product Set, the Sybase Installer product configuration utility may not work correctly.
When installing the Sybase Replication Agent software, the Configure Sybase Replication Agent Instances dialog box may not appear after you specify the directory for the Replication Agent configuration. Refer to Chapter 4 in the Sybase Replication Agent Installation Guide for more information about creating and configuring a Replication Agent instance.
6.6.2 Uneditable text field for HP-UX installation using Exceed.
If you use an Exceed window to install Sybase Replication Agent on HP-UX from Windows NT or Windows 2000, you may not be able to alter text in the Choose Directory dialog box to specify your installation directory.
If you encounter this problem, reset the value of the SYBASE environment variable to specify your installation directory and run the install, as in the following example:
%> cd /cdrom
%> setenv SYBASE /myHPinstall
%> ./install
where myHPinstall is the installation directory. When you start the installation, the directory you specified in the SYBASE environment variable appears in the text field of the Choose Directory dialog box.
This information addresses CR# 212520.
6.7 Known issues for DB2 Universal Database
The following issues apply to Replication Agent for UDB only.
6.7.1 System bind files required for JDBC driver
If the Sybase Replication Agent software is installed on a different host machine from the DB2 Universal Database server, you must install the DB2 Universal Database Administration Client on the same host machine as the Replication Agent.
When you install the DB2 Universal Database Administration Client software, you must select the following items to be installed:
If you do not install the bind files with the DB2 Universal Database Administration Client and the JDBC driver, errors may occur when you invoke the Replication Agent pdb_get_tables command.
This information addresses CR# 234915.
6.7.2 JRE distributed with Replication Agent incompatible with JDBC driver
The Solaris JRE version 1.1.8_005 distributed with the Sybase Replication Agent software on the Enterprise Connect Data Movement CD is not compatible with the IBM DB2 Universal Database JDBC driver.
Symptoms of the problem are connection failure and core dump when the Replication Agent instance attempts to connect to the primary DB2 Universal Database server.
To solve this problem, Sybase recommends that you download the current Solaris JRE 1.1.8 version from the Javasoft Web site at:
http://www.javasoft.com.
After you download the current Solaris JRE 1.1.8 version, you must install it in the $SYBASE/shared-1_0/jre-1_1 directory on the Replication Agent host machine.
Note:
There are no known problems with other JREs provided with the Sybase Replication Agent software when connecting to the DB2 Universal Database JDBC driver.
This information addresses CR# 238411.
6.8 Known issues for Informix
The following known issues apply to Replication Agent for Informix only.
6.8.1 Empty fields in varchar fields replicate as NULL
Replication Agent replicates empty strings in varchar fields as NULL. There is currently no workaround for this issue.
This information addresses CR# 203896.
6.9 Known issues for Microsoft SQL Server
The following known issues should be considered for Microsoft SQL Server.
6.9.1 Locking issues in SQL Server 6.5
Replication Agent uses tables and other database objects for its transaction log to record transaction operations for replication. Each time a data modifying operation is performed against a marked table (for example, insert, update, or delete), corresponding operations are generated against one or more of the Replication Agent transaction log tables.
Because of the default page-level locking used in Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, when multiple users perform operations against marked tables, it is possible for operations performed by the first user to block operations performed by the second user. In some cases, Replication Agent log reading operations can lock part of a transaction log table, and thereby block user operations.
The recommended work-arounds to reduce the probability of encountering this problem are:
-
Use Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 with its row-level locking option.
-
If you must use Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, limit data modifying operations to short transactions, or use fewer concurrent transactions.
6.9.2 Slow log scanning with Microsoft SQL Server 6.5
The query for scanning the Replication Agent transaction log takes considerably more time to complete with Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 than with Microsoft SQL Server 7.0. This amount of execution time may increase with the size of the ra_proc_seq_ table.
To avoid this problem, truncate the transaction log more frequently.
This information addresses CR #211704.
6.9.3 Replication Agent failure with SQLServer 7.0 and ODBC driver 6.5
In Microsoft SQL Server version 7.0, the length of CHAR and VARCHAR datatype fields has increased from 255 bytes to 4000 bytes. ODBC driver version 6.5 returns only the first 255 bytes of these fields and truncates the remaining length.
To avoid this problem, use the ODBC driver version 7.0 when communicating with Microsoft SQL Server version 7.0.
This information addresses CR# 209206.
6.9.4 Microsoft isql tool
The interactive query tool provided with Microsoft SQL Server is Microsoft isql. You must use Microsoft isql (or a compatible tool) to access the Microsoft SQL Server database to execute some of the test scripts documented in the Replication Agent Administration Guide.Although the name of the Microsoft isql tool is the same as the Sybase tool called isql, the Sybase and Microsoft tools are not compatible. For example, you cannot use the Sybase isql tool to access the Microsoft SQL Server data server and you cannot use the Microsoft isql tool to access the Replication Agent administration port.If you have both Sybase and Microsoft isql tools loaded on the same machine, you may need to change an environment variable (possibly the path variable) to avoid problems when you invoke one of the isql tools.
6.10 Known issues for Oracle
The following known issues should be considered for Oracle.
6.10.1 Oracle 8.0.5 JDBC driver unusable
To ensure transactional integrity, Replication Agent verifies that the isolation level indicated in the SET TRANSACTION statement used by the primary database is at least READ COMMITTED (a transaction cannot see uncommitted updates from other transactions). Because the Oracle 8.0.5 JDBC driver indicates to Sybase Replication Agent that transactions are not supported, the Oracle 8.0.5 JDBC driver is unusable.
This is not a problem for the Oracle 8.1.6 JDBC driver.
See “3.4 Connectivity requirements”.
This information addresses CR# 212288.
7. Product compatibilities
Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1 supports the database servers and versions listed in Table 6.
Sybase Replication Agent version 12.1 is compatible with the other Sybase products listed in Table 2.
8. Documentation updates and clarifications
The Sybase Replication Agent Administration Guide refers to the base directory in which you install Sybase Replication Agent as base_dir. The value for base_dir for this release is install_dir/rax-12_0, where install_dir is the directory in which you install Sybase Replication Agent. This directory is specified in step 6 of the installation procedure in the Sybase Replication Agent Installation Guide. This value should be used in any reference to the base directory base_dir.
9. Technical support
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 have any questions about this installation or if you need assistance during the installation process, ask the designated person to contact Sybase Technical Support or the Sybase subsidiary in your area.
10. Other sources of information
Use the Sybase Technical Library CD and the Technical Library Product Manuals Web site to learn more about your product:
-
Technical Library CD contains product manuals and technical documents and is included with your software. The DynaText browser (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.
-
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’ll find links to the Technical Documents Web site (formerly known as Tech Info Library), the Solved Cases page, and Sybase/Powersoft newsgroups.
To access the Technical Library Product Manuals Web site, go to Product Manuals.
10.1 Sybase certifications on the Web
Technical documentation at the Sybase Web site is updated frequently.
For the latest information on product certifications
Point your Web browser to Technical Documents.
Select a product from the product pick 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.
For the latest information on EBFs and Updates
Point your Web browser to Technical Documents.
Select EBFs/Updates. Enter user name and password information, if prompted (for existing web accounts) or create a new account (a free service).
Specify a time frame and click Go.
Select a product.
Click an EBF/Update title to display the report.
To create 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.