StarQuest Product Release Notes

StarQuest Data Replicator Plus for DB2 UDB v3.67 Release Notes

June 2010

Introduction

StarQuest Data Replicator (SQDR) is a replication software product that allows you to copy data between IBM DB2, Oracle, MySQL, Informix, and Microsoft SQL Server database environments.

The base StarQuest Data Replicator software runs on Windows and provides full refresh replication, which copies all the source data that you specify for replication, regardless of when that data was last replicated. This provides a “snapshot” of the specified source data at the time of replication.

SQDR Plus for DB2 UDB is a separately licensed component that provides incremental replication support for SQDR users. Incremental replications copy only the data that has changed, reducing the amount of data that is transferred and allowing the replication to occur more frequently.

SQDR Plus for DB2 UDB also provides the following advanced features:

  • Comprehensive statistics and easy-to-use graphical interface and Wizards.
  • Enterprise-level security, allowing only operations that are permitted by the operating system, database system, and network.
  • Ability to replicate what you want, when you want, with horizontal and vertical partitioning and flexible subscription scheduling.
  • Ability to "mirror" the source database. In addition to configuring how frequently SQDR Plus polls for changes to the source database you can configure subscriptions to be notified when change data is available and reduce the latency such that updates occur at the target database almost instantaneously after they are committed on the source database.
  • Ability to restrict which database tables can be subscribed to for replication. SQDR Plus provides centralized control for publishing and unpublishing database tables. If you enable the publishing feature, SQDR users can create replication subscriptions only to tables that have been published for replication.

The following topics are addressed in these Release Notes. Refer to the appropriate SQDR Plus Quick Start Guide at http://www.starquest.com/Supportdocs/browseQuickStarts.shtml for detailed information about installing StarQuest Data Replicator Plus for DB2 UDB for the first time. The SQDR Plus Quick Start Guides include instructions for installing both SQDR and SQDR Plus. Refer to the SQDR Plus for DB2 UDB Users Guide for detailed information about using the StarQuest Data Replicator Plus for DB2 UDB software. Refer to SQDR_Plus_doc_addendum.pdf for details about new features and documentation errata.

  • What's New in this Release
  • Upgrade Considerations
  • System Requirements
  • FixPak and PTF Notes
  • Installing and Using the StarQuest Data Replicator Plus for DB2 UDB Software
  • Known Issues
  • Release History
  • Contacting StarQuest

What's New in this Release

This release of the StarQuest Data Replicator Plus for DB2 UDB introduces the following new features and improvements:

  • Text-based installer for UNIX systems
  • Automatic deletion of inactive subscriptions
  • Support for Linux for System z (s390x)

Refer to SQDR_Plus_doc_addendum.pdf for details about the new features.

Upgrade Considerations

This section describes issues of interest for users who are upgrading from a prior version of StarQuest Data Replicator Plus for DB2 UDB.

  • When upgrading or uninstalling the SQDR Plus for DB2 UDB software , the installer will need to connect to the database with the same DB2 UDB user that was used during the original installation. The DB2 Connection Parameters dialog will display that user ID, but you should be prepared to supply the password.

System Requirements

You can install and run the StarQuest Data Replicator Plus for DB2 UDB on computers running the following software:

  • DB2 UDB for Linux, UNIX and Windows v8.2 with FixPak10 or later, or v9.1 or later.

  • Java Virtual Machine (JVM) installed and specified in the PATH. JVM 1.4.2 or later is required during installation, and recommended for use by the Capture Agent and Java stored procedures. See Known Issues below for other JVM considerations.

  • A Linux, UNIX, or Windows operating system version that meets the system requirements for the version of DB2 UDB that you are running. See the IBM Web site http://www.software.ibm.com/software/data/db2/udb/sysreqs.html for detailed system requirements for DB2 UDB and to obtain the latest DB2 UDB fixes.

    StarQuest supports the following platforms. Please contact StarQuest at contact@starquest.com if you wish to run SQDR Plus on a platform other than one of the following:

    • Windows 7, Server 2008, Vista, Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows 2000
    • Linux x86
    • Linux x86-64 (AMD64 & Intel EM64T)
    • Linux for System z (s390x)
    • Solaris SPARC 10 & later
    • HP-UX PA-RISC 11.11i & later
    • AIX 5.3 & later

FixPak and PTF Notes

This section describes specific IBM issues and the FixPak and PTFs that may be necessary for StarQuest Data Replicator Plus for DB2 UDB to function properly.

  • There is a known IBM bug (APAR JR24668) in UDB 8.2 fixpak 13 that causes incorrect operation if you select "Allow SQDR to Manage Logs". If you plan to use SQDR-managed logs, upgrade to fixpak 14 or later.

Installing and Using the StarQuest Data Replicator Plus for DB2 UDB Software

Known Issues

  • The installer prompts for a tablespace to be used for the SQDR control tables. This value is not currently used.
  • Option 6 - Start Capture Agent" of the Capture Agent Maintenance Utility (CAMAINT) does not start the Capture Agent service.

On Windows, use the Services control panel (in Administrative Tools) to start the Capture Agent.

On UNIX, use the appropriate rc script - e.g.
# /etc/init.d/sqdr-MYRDB start

  • If you select "Allow SQDR to Manage Logs" during installation, which installs an exit program in the database, and later uninstall the SQDR Plus product, you must change the logging of your database to an appropriate setting (e.g. circular or archive logging); the exit program will not function after removing SQDR Plus.
  • Shortcuts on UNIX may not function. There are alternate methods of performing the same functions; refer to the SQDR Plus for UDB Users Guide.
  • On AIX, you must use a 32 bit JVM during installation when using the GUI installer.
  • On Linux for x86-64, we recommend the use of a 64 bit JVM during installation.
  • If you are using DB2 9.1 or later on Linux for x86-64, and choose managedLogs, you must use a 64 bit JVM during installation. If you run the installer with a 32 bit JVM, the wrong exit program will be installed.

To verify that the correct exit program was installed, run the following command:

# file ~<instance-owner>/sqllib/adm/db2uext2

The result should be:
db2uext2: ELF 64-bit LSB executable, AMD x86-64

  • On Windows for x86-64, we recommend the use of a 32 bit JVM during installation. The Capture Agent uses a 32 bit JVM during operation, and it is important that the same bitwidth JVM be used during uninstall or upgrades as that used during the original installation.
  • If the Program group shortcut for "Capture Agent Maintenance" does not function, examine the properties of the shortcut (right click on the shortcut and select Properties). If java.exe is not located in the directory listed in the shortcut, change the shortcut to use a directory that does contain a JVM. For example, on Windows Server 2003 x64, the shortcut may be trying to invoke "C:\Windows\java.exe"; change this to "C:\Program Files\IBM\SQLLIB\java\jdk\bin\java.exe". Note that this issue has been noticed only on Windows Server 2003 x64.

 

Release History

This section provides information about problems or enhancements that are made available as "point releases" and major releases of the StarQuest Data Replicator Plus for DB2 UDB software.

Version Number Release Date Significant Changes
3.67.0622 Jun 2010 11307 UDB installer: RunAsUser problems on Solaris
11364 Gracefully handle truncated log record image
11365 Text-based installer: avoid "in-use" error for exit pgm & logreader library
11370 Deletes may be ignored when using "criteria" to limit incremental subscription
3.66.0610 Jun 2010 11257 Implement text-based installer for UDB UNIX platforms
11329 Decouple delete target from delete subscription
11324 Support ATTACH PARTITION for UDB 9.1 and 9.5
11325 Support DETACH PARTITION for UDB 9.1 and 9.5
11330 parameterize pruning operation to detect maxRows/maxTransactions to limit UOW
11331 Detect and cleanup orphaned "target" rows periodically
11336 Flag, then delete inactive subscribers subscriptions
11348 Reduce retry frequency when DB2 is unavailable
11355 Expand "logclean" support beyond 4byte LSN
11356 Log errors caused by bad criteria as INFO (or less), not SEVERE
11357 Subscription can be left not collecting changes after DB2 failure
3.65.0524 May 2010 11247 Notify clients upon startup
11258 Provide support for Transaction Sequencing in CaptureAgent
11271 Add useTxSequence keyword to sqagent.properties file
11273 UDB: store install_history.log in DBCONFDIR/logs; add DB2 version info
11308 UDB Installer: some VPD parameters not persisted, affecting express update
11309 UDB Installer: error msgs at end of install
11310 TABLEINFO SP not returning UDB partitioned tables
11311 UDB: IR replication not working with partitioned tables
11313 Incorrect Java SP signature on some UDB 9.7 systems
11314 UDB Installer: UDB9 change to db2ilist affects instance bitwidth determination
11317 Add new getChange3 SP for sequenced transactions
3.64.0409 Apr 2010 11056 UDB Installer: improve guess of location of DB2 UDB on UNIX
11237 Provide UserID filter property to bypass staging transactions for specific USER
11238 Provide capture option to maintain a relaxed open Window state, indefinitely
11241 log record handling while the SQDRPlus service is stopped
11252 Support "Ignore Delete" captureOptions
3.63.0318 Mar 2010 11098 AIX binaries refreshed
11096 Installer: Tab order on installer dialogs is not correct
11144 Installer: cursor focus should start on the first field of a dialog
3.60.1320 Jan 2010 10831 Implement "MoveSubscription" SP
9685 Support customer support product error email notification
10961 Installer: Support customer support product error email notification
10735 Review reset of TOTAL for RecordsProcessed
10836 Connectivity check slows down startup
10840 Define monitors for lagtime conditions
10842 Support dynamic maxROW setting - add counters to transaction table
10909 Failure to delete subscription should be considered a WARNING not SEVERE
9895 Do not allow publish of SQDR Plus control tables
10642 display startup information in capture log before accessing sqagent.properties
10863 emphasize case sensitivity when publishing files
10704 CAMAINT: Highlight subscription status if associated "target" is no longer "current"
11031 Provide Option for CAMAINT to save zip file locally
11032 Remote CAMAINT: Publish doesn't detect table when full name used
10739 Provide programmatic mechanism to render "target(s)" offline/online on source system
11014 Provide Capture startup option to support "Fail-over"/"Fall-back" scenarios
9593 UDB: Add Subscriber Existence Check on Host when polling for Changes
10739 Provide programmatic mechanism to render "target(s)" offline/online on source system
11014 Provide Capture startup option to support "Fail-over"/"Fall-back" scenarios
10275 UDB Installer: check for existence of function\jar directory
10696 SQDRPlus/StarAdmin - Release Notes update icon to iExplorer
11076 Provide command to invoke offline/online operations
11062 Accumulate number of staged rows in SQ_STATISTICS
11063 Reject resetTablePosition SP call if table is offline
11067 Recovery menu options
11044 add UDB 9.7 support to LogReader
11045 problem creating control tables on UDB 9.7
3.44.0504 May 2009 10671 Enhance Publish to support lenient mode of operation
10677 Failures in Journal reader when using mis-matched metadata
10678 Contention/Error during subscription/deletion can cause getChanges error
10680 Rare condition causes leftover staging tables
10689 Replace traceback text with meaningful error message
10683 SQDR Plus/UDB: convert readme to HTML
3.43.0319 March 2009 9758 GetChanges (UDB) should report Agent status (if not running return error)
9933 Improve rollback performance
10589 Error when retrieving INTEGER using getShort method
10407 update default password for sqdrdrop to latest value
10410 change CAMAINT to persist ftp, mail address for "support" functions
10448 provide mechanism to delivery "zip" logs etc to new client application
10174 DNS/TCP checking code should not throw SEVERE message unless the issue prevents connectivity.
10170 send email notification to starquest if "support" files are posted
10366 Treat Duplicate Subscription as warning not error
10378 flag subscription as altered if journal option is not acceptable
3.37.1030 October 2007 10204 dump journal/receiver sequence number information when unexpected log records
10232 add uninstaller JRE resolution for JRE 1.6 & 1.7
3.36.0813 August 2007 9670 need option to FTP/email relevant product files to customer support
10100 Remove "unnecessary" dependency on local TCP/DNS configuration
10110 Provide a more robust verification of the local communication channel
10111 Unknown log format causing tables to be flagged
10027 UDB Installer: change backslash to double backslash for qualified userID
10126 UDB Installer: camaint changes for ftp option
3.35.0402 April 2007 10005 support SP access to log via RMI
10006 log UDB GetChanges return information
10018 provide status of subscriber/subscription acknowledgment via AgentUtil
10028 UDB Installer: need mechanism to change DB2 userID

Contacting StarQuest

If you need to contact technical support, please provide the following information to help the support engineers address your issue. You can contact StarQuest via phone, email, or facsimile as indicated at the bottom of this page.

Company Information Address
Phone
Fax
Contact Information First and Last Name of individual contact
Email Address
Host Type Hardware and Operating System (i.e., AS/400 V5R4)
Network Protocol/Gateways Protocol and/or Gateways used (i.e., TCP/IP, HIS 2000)
Client Type Client Type and Operating System (i.e., Windows 2008 SP2)
StarQuest Product,
Version, and Source 		Which StarQuest product and what version is installed (i.e., StarSQL for Windows v5.50.02.18)
Where you obtained the software (i.e., direct from StarQuest, name of specific reseller)
Problem Information Provide as much detail as possible, including information about any application that is using the StarQuest product when the problem occurs and the exact error message that appears.

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Telephone: 415-669-9619
FAX: 415-669-9639
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