DX v15 | Using the DataExchange Utilities and Services

DataExchange User's Guide > Using the DataExchange Utilities and Services

Using the DataExchange Utilities and Services

A Reference for Using the DataExchange Utilities and Services

See the following topics for tools and resources used in different phases of creating and maintaining a replication network:

• Utilities and Services Overview

• Command-Line Utility Reference

• GUI-based Utilities

• Services

Utilities and Services Overview

DataExchange contains a suite of utilities and services for every phase of replication. The DataExchange utilities assist you in designing, customizing, and administering your replication requirements. This topic covers the following:

• Replication Stages and the Utilities Used

• Accessing the Utilities

Replication Stages and the Utilities Used

The next table lists the DataExchange utilities and services and the four primary replication stages in which each is used. Detailed information on the DataExchange utilities and services is included in the topics that follow.

Replication Stage	Utility/Service Name	File Name	For more information...
Activation	Activate a Project Release	dxact	See dxact
Deactivation	Deactivate a Project Release	dxdeact	See dxdeact
Activation	Utility to read/write the event handler DLL path to the database.	dxdeploy	See dxdeploy
Design / Activation	Deployment Utility	dxdeploy	See dxdeploy
Design / Activation	Deployment Wizard	dpwizard	See dpwizard
Design	Dynamic Table Configuration and Test Utility (Real-Time Backup Edition only)	dxdynpath	See dxdynpath
Design	Template Remover Wizard	trwizard	See trwizard
Replication	DataExchange Agent	dxagent	See dxagent
Replication	Control Table Cleanup Configuration Utility	dxcleanup	See dxcleanup
Replication	Table Synchronization and Check Utility	dxsynctables	See dxsynctables
Replication	Administrator	da	See da and Using DataExchange Manager
Replication	Statistics and Log View	replmonitor	See replmonitor and Using the DataExchange Monitoring Tools
Replication	Console Replication Initiation Utility	dxrepl	See dxrepl
All	Zen Replication	replserv	See replserv

Accessing the Utilities

Some DataExchange utilities can be accessed as windows opened in Control Center (ZenCC) or from the Start menu. Other tools offer only a command line interface and must be run from a command prompt. Services are available in the Windows Control Panel. The following topics list ways to access the DataExchange utilities, services, and shortcuts.

Accessing Command-Line Utilities

To run the replication command line utilities, open a command prompt.

Note: For more information, see Command-Line Utility Reference.

Accessing GUI Utilities and Wizards in ZenCC

To run GUI utilities or wizards, follow these steps:

1. Expand the tree view in ZenCC and select an item.

ZenCC menus vary according to what is selected in the tree.

2. Select the Replication node for a database

3. Select DataExchange from the ZenCC menu and select the utility.

Note: For more information, see GUI-based Utilities.

Command-Line Utility Reference

This topic provides a reference to the command line utilities in DataExchange. The following table lists the utilities with brief descriptions. Following this table you can find more detail about each utility and a list of its command line options.

Utility File Name	Utility Name	Description
dxact	Database Activation Utility	Activates an enabled database by registering it with the local runtime environment as belonging to a site on the replication network.
dxcleanup	Control Table Cleanup Configuration Utility	Sets/gets control table cleanup schedules for an activated database.
dxdeact	Database Deactivation Utility	Deactivates a release that was previously activated using dxact.
dxdeploy	Deployment Utility	Deploys DataExchange on two sites using settings given in the XML deployment descriptor file.
dxdynpath (Real-Time Backup Edition only)	Dynamic Table Configuration and Test Utility	Supports appending, replacing, showing and testing regular expressions and file patterns for a designed database.
dxrepl	Console Replication Initiation Utility	Replicates files from DSN to Partner Site.
dxsynctables	Table Synchronization and Check Utility	Finds modified data missed by DataExchange event handler and returns control tables to the consistent state.

dxact

DataExchange Activate a Project Release

Description

This program activates an enabled database by registering it with the local replication runtime environment.

If the replication engine is running and control tables have been populated, the first replication with the initial Partner Site will be performed automatically. Once this first replication has succeeded, the newly activated database will be fully aware of all administrative data in that network, including all replication schedules.

Syntax

dxact [options] <DSN>

Argument	Description
<DSN>	Data Source Name for the database to be activated.

Options

Option	Description
/DES[CRIPTION]=<string>	Description of this replication site, e.g. "My First Site". Database name will be automatically appended to it. [default=MyFirstSite]
/DL[LPATH]=<string>	Full path to the event handler DLL, if specified. [default=<null>]
/FI[RSTSITE]	Use this switch only if this is the First Site at which this release is being activated
/FO[RCEINSTALL]	If specified, allows activation of a database that is a copy of an already-activated site
/LOG={flags}	Specify which messages types to log: I = informational messages W = warning messages E = error messages For example, '/log=e /log=w' or '/log=we' (the default) logs errors and warnings only. Any message type left unspecified is suppressed. [default=iwe]
/LOGF[ILE]=<string>	File name for log messages. Specifying '/LOGFILE=' alone sets logging to the console. [default=C:\ProgramData\Actian\Zen\Replication\LogFiles\DXACT.log]
/LOGH[ISTORY]=nnn	Number of files to maintain in the log history [default=5]
/LOGS[IZE]=nnn	Maximum size of the log file (0 means 'no limit') [default=0]
/LOGW[IDTH]=nnn	Log messages are wrapped to fit within this line length. (minimum 50) [default=79]
/NOI[NITIALREPL]	If specified, the replication engine will not perform an initial replication after the release has been activated.
/NOL[OGO]	Do not display starting logo.
/ODBCC[ONNSTR]=<string>	Additional ODBC connection string parameters in the form: <name>=<value>[;<name>=<value>...] [default=<null>]
/ODBCN[AME]=<string>	User name for ODBC connection [default=PDUSER]
/ODBCP[ASSWORD]=<string>	Password for ODBC connection [default=<null>]

Examples

Running the following example from a command prompt on a First Site activates a DSN named Demodata on a First Site machine.

dxact /FIRSTSITE Demodata

The next example, if run from a Partner Site, would activate a DSN named Demodata on a Partner Site machine replicating with a machine named Win10Server.

dxact /PARTNERNETADDR=Win10Server Demodata

This example activates the DSN named Demodata on the First Site machine and sets the dxact logging to the console.

dxact /FIRSTSITE /LOGFILE= Demodata

This example activates the DSN named Demodata on the Partner Site machine replicating with a machine addressed as Adminserver and sets the dxact logging to a file named adminlog.txt located in C:\ProgramData\Actian\Zen\Reports.

dxact /PARTNERNETADDR=AdminServer /LOGFILE=C:\ProgramData\Actian\Zen\Reports\adminlog.txt Demodata

dxcleanup

DataExchange Control Table Cleanup Configuration Utility

Description

This program sets or shows the control table cleanup schedules for an activated database.

Syntax

dxcleanup [options] <Operation> <DSN>

Argument	Description
<Operation>	Valid arguments include SET or SHOW
<DSN>	Database datasource name

Options

Option	Description
/C[LEANUPPERIOD]=nnn	Time (in days) between cleanup cycles [default=7]
/DXA[DMIN]=<string>	DX administrator name [default=ADMIN]
/DXP[ASSWORD]=<string>	DX administrator password [default=password]
/H[ELP]	Displays the command usage help text.
/LOG={flags}	Specify which message types to log: I = informational messages W = warning messages E = error messages For example, '/log=e /log=w' or '/log=we' (the default) logs errors and warnings only. Any message type left unspecified is suppressed. [default=iwe]
/LOGF[ILE]=<string>	File name for log messages. Specifying '/LOGFILE=' alone sets logging to the console. [default=C:\ProgramData\Actian\Zen\Replication\LogFiles\DXCLEANUP.log]
/LOGH[ISTORY]=nnn	Number of files to maintain in the log history [default=5]
/LOGS[IZE]=nnn	Maximum size of the log file (0 means 'no limit') [default=0]
/LOGW[IDTH]=nnn	Log messages are wrapped to fit within this line length. (minimum 50) [default=79]
/N[OLOGO]	Do not display starting logo.
/ODBCN[AME]=<string>	User name for this database (if security enabled) [default=<null>]
/ODBCP[ASSWORD]=<string>	Password for the user specified as ODBCName (if security enabled) [default=<null>]
/OL[DESTALLOWED]=nnn	Age (in days) of oldest allowed record [default=90]
/PA[RTNERNETADDR]=<string>	The network address of the Partner Site we should replicate with first. If this switch is not specified, DXact will display a prompt for the user to enter the partner network address. [default=<LocalHost>]
/PN[LICENSE]=<string>	Specifies name of PNLicense file to register (specify at network First Site only) [default=C:\Program Files (x86)\Actian\Zen\bin\repllicense.pnl]
/PR[EPROCESS]	If specified, preprocessing of starter data will be performed. This should be done unless it is known that no database changes occur between design and activation, and that starter data was preprocessed at design time. Otherwise, starter data will not get replicated.
/REC[ONCILEREP]	If specified, the replication engine will perform reconciliation processing during the initial replication after the release has been activated. Should be specified unless data is identical between the site being activated and the First Site. Otherwise, reconciliation will not be performed.
/SI[TETYPE]=<string>	Override new site's default site type. Must be one of: COMPLETE or HIGH [default=COMPLETE]
/SU[BSCRIBESITES]	If specified, this site will be automatically subscribed to all new sites (via the dSite table).

Example

This example displays the number of days set for the cleanup period and the age (in days) of the oldest allowed record currently in place for the data source name demodata.

dxcleanup show demodata

A message should display that lists the name and version of the control table cleanup configuration utility, and additional information such as the following:

Cleanup Period is 7 day(s)

Oldest Allowed is 90 day(s)

dxdeact

DataExchange Deactivate a Project Release

Description

This program deactivates a release that was previously activated using DXact and removes the activated database from the list of those available for replication. If you want to delete a replicated database from physical storage, you must deactivate it first.

Syntax

dxdeact [options] <DSN>

Argument	Description
<DSN>	Database datasource name

Options

Option	Description
/K[EEPINFO]	Keep Activation Information in system database (by default, that info is removed)
/LOG={flags}	Specify which messages types to log: I = informational messages W = warning messages E = error messages For example, '/log=e /log=w' or '/log=we' (the default) logs errors and warnings only. Any message type left unspecified is suppressed. [default=iwe]
/LOGF[ILE]=<string>	File name for log messages. Specifying '/LOGFILE=' alone sets logging to the console. [default=C:\ProgramData\Actian\Zen\Replication\LogFiles\DXDEACT.log]
/LOGH[ISTORY]=nnn	Number of files to maintain in the log history [default=5]
/LOGS[IZE]=nnn	Maximum size of the log file (0 means 'no limit') [default=0]
/LOGW[IDTH]=nnn	Log messages are wrapped to fit within this line length. (minimum 50) [default=79]
/N[OLOGO]	Do not display starting logo.
/ODBCN[AME]=<string>	User name for this database (if security enabled) [default=<null>]
/ODBCP[ASSWORD]=<string>	Password for the user specified as ODBCName (if security enabled) [default=<null>]
/H[ELP]	Displays the command usage help text.

Examples

This example deactivates the data source name demodata and retains the activation information in the system database. By default, activation information is removed.

dxdeact /keepinfo demodata

dxdeploy

DataExchange Deploy

Description

This program deploys DataExchange on two sites using settings given in the XML Deployment Descriptor file. This utility streamlines replication processes by combining functionality of Dxact and Dxsynctables.

Syntax

dxdeploy [options] <XML File>

Argument	Description
<XML file>	XML Deployment Descriptor file. XML Descriptor file templates (EXPRESS.XML and CUSTOM.XML) are located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Actian\Zen\Replication\docs on 64-bit systems.

Options

Option	Description
/LOG={flags}	Specify which messages types to log: I = informational messages W = warning messages E = error messages For example, '/log=e /log=w' or '/log=we' (the default) logs errors and warnings only. Any message type left unspecified is suppressed. [default=iwe]
/LOGF[ILE]=<string>	File name for log messages. Specifying '/LOGFILE=' alone sets logging to the console. [default=C:\ProgramData\Actian\Zen\Replication\LogFiles\DXDEPLOY.log]
/LOGH[ISTORY]=nnn	Number of files to maintain in the log history [default=5]
/LOGS[IZE]=nnn	Maximum size of the log file (0 means 'no limit') [default=0]
/LOGW[IDTH]=nnn	Log messages are wrapped to fit within this line length. (minimum 50) [default=79]
/N[OLOGO]	Do not display starting logo.
/S[ITE]=<string>	Choose which site in Sites list to deploy: First \| Partner (This setting is optional and is used for demonstration purposes only.) [default=<null>]
/H[ELP]	Displays the command usage help text.

XML Descriptor File Templates

DXdeploy is used to implement 1-way Real-Time Backup and 1-way and 2-way Data Synchronization. The DXdeploy utility uses an XML descriptor file that you create to capture information about your database and replication environment. As shown in the syntax example, this file is included as an argument when you execute the utility. DXdeploy uses the XML descriptor file to handle the processes required for replication.

DataExchange includes two different XML descriptor templates you can use to create your specific XML descriptor file to use with DXdeploy. You must edit the template to include necessary information in order for DXdeploy to successfully replicate your data.

Caution! You cannot use these template files as is and successfully replicate your data. You must create a template file to include specific information about your replication environment.

EXPRESS.XML

See 1-Way Deployment Using DXdeploy for an example deployment using the EXPRESS.XML template file.

CUSTOM.XML

See 2-Way Deployment Using DXdeploy for an example deployment using the CUSTOM.XML template file.

dxdynpath

DataExchange Dynamic Table Configuration and Test Utility (Real-Time Backup Only)

Description

Append, replace, or show the existing include and exclude patterns and regular expressions for a given designed database. Optionally test existing or hypothetical patterns or regular expressions.

Syntax

dxdynpath [options] <Operation> <DSN>

Argument	Description
<Operation>	Valid arguments include APPEND, REPLACE, SHOW or TEST.
<DSN>	Database datasource name created by DataExchange.

Options

Option	Description
/F[ILEPATH]=<string>	Absolute file path to test (valid only for <Operation> TEST). The path used here is the absolute path to the database created by DataExchange. [default=<null>]
/LOG={flags}	Specify which messages types to log: I = informational messages W = warning messages E = error messages For example, '/log=e /log=w' or '/log=we' (the default) logs errors and warnings only. Any message type left unspecified is suppressed. [default=iwe]
/LOGF[ILE]=<string>	File name for log messages. Specifying '/LOGFILE=' alone sets logging to the console. [default=C:\ProgramData\Actian\Zen\Replication\LogFiles\DXDYNPATH.log]
/LOGH[ISTORY]=nnn	Number of files to maintain in the log history [default=5]
/LOGS[IZE]=nnn	Maximum size of the log file (0 means 'no limit') [default=0]
/LOGW[IDTH]=nnn	Log messages are wrapped to fit within this line length. (minimum 50) [default=79]
/N[OLOGO]	Do not display starting logo.
/ODBCN[AME]=<string>	User name for this database (if security enabled) [default=<null>]
/ODBCP[ASSWORD]=<string>	Password for the user specified as ODBCName (if security enabled) [default=<null>]
/P[ATTERN]=<string>	Glob-style pattern (e.g. "dir newfile*.mkd") or regular expression. For <Operation> APPEND or REPLACE, PATTERN is applied to Dynamic Table Configuration. For <Operation> TEST, PATTERN is used to test for a match, otherwise ignored [default=<null>]
/T[YPE]=<string>	INCLUDE, EXCLUDE or BOTH (BOTH is valid only for <Operation> SHOW) [default=INCLUDE]
/H[ELP]	Displays the command usage help text.

Remarks

Any file used with the dxdynpath utility requires system keys.

Before we explain how DataExchange automatically includes or excludes files using pattern matching, let’s first discuss the types of expressions you can use.

Note: Dxdynpath should only be used with the Real-Time Backup Edition.

Types of Expressions

You may use the following types of pattern-matching expressions with the dxdynpath utility:

• Dir expressions

• Regular expressions

Dir Expressions

This type of expression is based on the Windows directory (dir) command, and provides an alternative to using regular expressions. Dir expressions have the following characteristics:

• Must contain dir as the first characters (dir is not case-sensitive).

• May include a relative path to the dictionary files. See Relative Paths. Absolute paths are not allowed.

• Must include the names of files. File names may include the ? or * wildcard. Note that a period (.) designates a period. It is not the same as the ? wildcard.

• May include the slash (/) character, backslash (\) character, or a combination of the two.

• May include the /s option to specify files in subdirectories. The /s option may not be the first characters in the expression. Other than that, the option is not positional.

• Must include a space character as the separator between the elements of the expression.

• May be used in a series, separated by semicolons (;). A space character may precede or follow the semicolon if you choose, but is not required.

The following dir expressions are valid examples:

• dir mydbase\*.mkd /s

• dir ..\..\acct/acct*.?db

• dir ../payables/custdb/??posted??.pay

• dir mydbase\*.mkd /s ; dir ..\..\acct/acct*.?db

Regular Expressions

Regular expressions are a pattern-matching technique to parse and manipulate text. DataExchange uses the same regular expressions as the Windows version of the programming language perl.

Regular expressions have the following characteristics:

• May include literal or relative paths. If relative paths are used, see Relative Paths.

• May include the slash (/) character, backslash (\) character, or a combination of the two as characters in a relative path. When paired with the double period (..) characters in a relative path, slash and backslash are interpreted as part of a path structure. For example, ..\..\.*bak. If relative paths are used, see Relative Paths.

• May be used in a series, separated by semicolons (;). A space character may precede or follow the semicolon if you choose, but is not required.

• May use uppercase characters, lowercase characters, or a combination of the two.

• Must be surrounded by double quotation marks if the expression contains characters that are meaningful to the command line interpreter. For example, the “|” character is legitimate in a regular expression to indicate “or.” That same character, however, represents a pipe directive to the command line interpreter. Any regular expression that uses the “|” character must be surrounded by double quotation marks. If you are unsure about a character, surround the regular expression with double quotation marks.

• Must use valid regular expression syntax, with the exceptions noted above in this bulleted list. Consult the regular expression syntax in your perl documentation.

The following regular expressions are valid examples:

• “..\..\(mon|tue|wed|thru|fri)\\(([01][0-9]|2[0-3]))\\.*\.mkd” (any mkd file in a relative directory structure of weekday\hour)

• .*bak (any backup file in or below the “home” directory)

• day\dt\.ddf (dictionary files with a name format of day[0-9]t.ddf, such as day0t.ddf, day4t.ddf, and so forth)

• (\w+)\\.*\\\1\\.* (all files in subordinate directories under the home directory where a subordinate directory name recurs, for example /data/acct/data/purged)

Relative Paths

Relative paths are relative to a home directory. The home directory is the one that contains data dictionary files (DDFs) recognized by DataExchange. To be recognized by DataExchange, the dictionary files must have been created by one of the DataExchange utilities or by a DataExchange replication process. If you already have dictionary files created by a replication process, the home directory is relative to their location.

Relative paths use “..\” to refer to a directory level. You may also use the slash character (/) instead of the backslash (\). Each “..\” means to move up the directory structure relative to the home directory. For example, if your home directory is c:\myapp\mydata\accounts\, then a relative path of “..\” navigates to c:\myapp\mydata. Similarly, a relative path of “..\..\” navigates to c:\myapp.

Verifying Expression Pattern Matching

Constructing valid regular expressions can be challenging. To help, DataExchange provides the utility Dxdynpath.exe to verify the pattern matching of your regular and dir expressions. The utility compares the pattern against the command line arguments and reports whether the comparison passes or fails.

Note: Dxdynpath bases pattern matching solely on its command line arguments. It does not check for the existence of files or directories or navigate them. For example, if you test an expression against the file acctdata\Bbzz95.mkd, dxdynpath does not check whether this folder and file exist.

The following example compares a dir expression against a supposed file located in c:\bklog\hr or in any subdirectories to c:\bklog\hr. The example would be entered as a single line at the command prompt.

dxdynpath /f=c:\mydata\acct\dbQ299x.mkd /p="Dir ..\..\bklog\hr\dbQ2???.mk? /s" test mydbdsn

Dxdynpath reports “matches pattern” because supposed file dbQ299x.mkd matches the pattern and resides in a subdirectory of c:\bklog\hr.

By default, output from Dxdynpath is written to a log file, not to the screen. If you want output written to the screen, use the /LOGF= option.

Examples

This example displays the include and exclude patterns currently in place for the data source name demodata.

dxdynpath /t=both show demodata

If there are no include or exclude patterns configured, a message similar to the following returns:

INCLUDE pattern is ""

EXCLUDE pattern is ""

Running the following command on the First Site appends attend*.mkd as an include pattern to any include patterns that already exist for demodata.

dxdynpath /t=include /p="dir attend*.mkd" append demodata

Note: Commands are case insensitive. You may use uppercase characters, lowercase characters, or a combination of the two.

dxregevnt

DataExchange utility to read/write the event handler DLL path to the database

Description

Registers, unregisters, or shows the event handler for an activated database.

Syntax

dxregevnt [options] <Operation> <DSN>

Argument	Description
<Operation>	Valid arguments include REGISTER, UNREGISTER or SHOW
<DSN>	Datasource name

Options

Option	Description
/DXA[DMIN]=<string>	DX administrator name [default=ADMIN]
/DXP[ASSWORD]=<string>	DX administrator password [default=password]
/LOG={flags}	Specify which messages types to log: I = informational messages W = warning messages E = error messages For example, '/log=e /log=w' or '/log=we' (the default) logs errors and warnings only. Any message type left unspecified is suppressed. [default=iwe]
/LOGF[ILE]=<string>	File name for log messages. Specifying '/LOGFILE=' alone sets logging to the console. [default=C:\ProgramData\Actian\Zen\Replication\LogFiles\DXREGEVNT.log]
/LOGH[ISTORY]=nnn	Number of files to maintain in the log history [default=5]
/LOGS[IZE]=nnn	Maximum size of the log file (0 means 'no limit') [default=0]
/LOGW[IDTH]=nnn	Log messages are wrapped to fit within this line length. (minimum 50) [default=79]
/N[OLOGO]	Do not display starting logo.
/ODBCN[AME]=<string>	User name for this database (if security enabled) [default=<null>]
/ODBCP[ASSWORD]=<string>	Password for Administrator. [default=<null>]
/P[ATH]=<string>	Absolute path to an event handler (a shared library) [default=<null>]
/H[ELP]	Displays the command usage help text.

Examples

Running this example displays if the specified database has an Event Handler DLL registered.

dxregevnt show demodata

If you do not have an Event Handler DLL registered, a message similar to the following displays:

No Event Handler is Registered

The next example registers an Event Handler DLL named dxevent.dll located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Actian\Zen\bin with demodata on 64-bit systems.

dxregevnt /p="C:\Program Files (x86)\Actian\Zen\bin\dxevent.dll" register demodata

If you have an Event Handler DLL registered, a message similar to the following displays:

Event Handler is "C:\Program Files (x86)\Actian\Zen\bin\dxevent.dll"

dxrepl

DataExchange Console Replication Initiation Utility

Description

Replicate files from DSN to Partner Site.

Syntax

dxrepl [options] <DSN> [<SiteID>]

Argument	Description
<SiteID>	The target site for the replication session [default=<null>]
<DSN>	The Zen replication data source name

Options

Option	Description
/LOG={flags}	Specify which messages types to log: I = informational messages W = warning messages E = error messages For example, '/log=e /log=w' or '/log=we' logs errors and warnings only. Any message type left unspecified is suppressed. [default=iwe]
/LOGF[ILE]=<string>/	File name for log messages. Specifying '/LOGFILE=' alone sets logging to the console. [default=C:\ProgramData\Actian\Zen\Replication\LogFiles\DXREPL.log]
/LOGH[ISTORY]=nnn/	Number of files to maintain in the log history [default=5]
/LOGS[IZE]=nnn	Maximum size of the log file (0 means 'no limit') [default=0]
/LOGW[IDTH]=nnn	Log messages are wrapped to fit within this line length. (minimum 50) [default=79]
/N[OLOGO]	Do not display starting logo.
/ODBCN[AME]=<string>	User name for this database (if security enabled) [default=<null>]
/ODBCP[ASSWORD]=<string>	Password for the user specified as ODBCName (if security enabled) [default=<null>]
/H[ELP]	Displays the command usage help text.

dxsynctables

DataExchange Table Synchronization and Check Utility

Description

Finds modified data missed by DataExchange event handler and returns control tables to the consistent state.

Syntax

dxsynctables [options] <Table> <DSN>

Argument	Description
<Table>	Name of table to be updated (*=All tables)
<DSN>	Datasource name

Options

Option	Description
/E[XCLUDE]=<string>	Optional comma-separated list of tables to exclude [default=<null>]
/F[ORCE]	Forces update of timestamped columns.
/LOG={flags}	Specify which messages types to log: I = informational messages W = warning messages E = error messages For example, '/log=e /log=w' or '/log=we' (the default) logs errors and warnings only. Any message type left unspecified is suppressed. [default=iwe]
/LOGF[ILE]=<string>	File name for log messages. Specifying '/LOGFILE=' alone sets logging to the console. [default=C:\ProgramData\Actian\Zen\Replication\LogFiles\].
/LOGH[ISTORY]=nnn	Number of files to maintain in the log history [default=5]
/LOGS[IZE]=nnn	Maximum size of the log file (0 means 'no limit') [default=0]
/LOGW[IDTH]=nnn	Log messages are wrapped to fit within this line length. (minimum 50) [default=79]
/M[SD]	Mark the data with starter data timestamp
/N[OLOGO]	Do not display starting logo.
/ODBCN[AME]=<string>	User name for this database (if security enabled) [default=<null>]
/ODBCP[ASSWORD]=<string>	Password for the user specified as ODBCName (if security enabled) [default=<null>]
/H[ELP]	Displays the command usage help text.

GUI-based Utilities

DataExchange includes four graphical user interface tools for replication design, administration, and monitoring tasks. The following table lists the GUI utilities and their descriptions.

Utility File Name	Utility Name	Description
da	Manager	GUI DX Administration utility. Sets up notifications, user access, and replication schedule information.
replmonitor	Replication Progress and Log Viewers	GUI statistics and logging view utility. Configures replication sessions, monitors data replication, and sets logging options.
dpwizard	Deployment Wizard	Wizard to deploy replication.
trwizard	Template Remover Wizard	Wizard to remove a replication template.

DataExchange Manager

Description

DataExchange Manager is used to administer replication networks. It is a separate application that can be run external to ZenCC. You can open it by selecting Actian DataExchange > DX Manager from the Start menu or within ZenCC by selecting DataExchange > Manager.

For more information, see Using DataExchange Manager.

replmonitor

Replication Progress and Log Viewers

Description

DataExchange allows you to configure replication sessions, initiate replication, monitor it, and log it. The tools with which you perform these actions are the Replication Progress and Log Viewers. Their window is accessed from ZenCC.

For more information, see Using the DataExchange Monitoring Tools.

dpwizard

DataExchange Deployment Wizard

Description

DataExchange Deployment Wizard walks you through the steps necessary to deploy replication on First and Partner Sites. The wizard is an automated alternative to the DXdeploy command line utility and can be invoked by selecting Actian DataExchange > DX Deployment Wizard from the Start menu or from within ZenCC by selecting DataExchange > Deployment Wizard.

trwizard

DataExchange Template Remover Wizard

Description

Template Remover is a wizard that deletes a replication template. You can no longer use the template to activate sites. You access this wizard by selecting Actian DataExchange > DX Template Remover from the Start menu or from within ZenCC by selecting DataExchange > Template Remover.

Services

DataExchange includes two services that initiate automatically at the time of startup. This topic discusses these services and includes specific information on configuring these for your specific business requirements.

File Name	Utility Name	Description
dxagent	DataExchange Agent	Detects critical replication failures, and notifies administrators by email.
replserv	Zen Replication	Performs data replication between databases.

dxagent

DataExchange Agent

Description

Detects critical replication failures and notifies administrators by email.

Failure Notification

DataExchange has the ability to notify you by email if a scheduled replication fails. The failure can be either of the following types:

• A scheduled replication fails to replicate within a specified period.

• Communication with a replication site fails. Perhaps the machine is down, the network has failed, and so forth.

Notification Agent

DataExchange installs a component called the notification agent if the machine contains the Zen Server product. The notification agent, or DX Agent, provides the notification functionality when scheduled replication fails.

The agent sends email if a replication failure occurs. The email subject line contains the words “DataExchange alert.” The email body contains the following primary content:

• Identity of computer on which the failure occurred

• Name of database

• Time since the last successful replication

Communication Protocol

The agent requires the basic Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to communicate with a mail server. Each replication machine with an agent must be configured to access the SMTP server. The SMTP server correspondingly must be set up to accept email from each replication site running the agent.

The agent does not deal with authentication or encryption. It does allow a different port other than the standard SMTP port 25. Thus, if a firewall opens a different port, you can specify which one. The port must not require authentication or encryption.

If a replication failure occurs and the SMTP server cannot be reached, a pop-up message appears. The message informs you that email could not be sent and lists the name of the SMTP server that cannot be communicated with. Note that the pop-up message appears even if no one is logged on to the computer. Also, the message continues to display until replication succeeds or the SMTP server becomes available. This is true even if you click OK to dismiss the message.

Agent Configuration

DataExchange contains a configuration file with which you configure the agent.

To configure the notification agent

1. In a text editor, open the file DXAgentConfig.xml, found on 64-bit systems in C:\Program Files (x86)\Actian\Zen\Replication\Config.

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<hostname>SMTP Server To Be Configured
</hostname

</smtpserver>

<email>

<from>DXAgent@MyCompany.com</from>

<to>Email Address To Be Configured</to>

</email>

</dxagentconfig>

2. Specify the following in the file:

• SMTP Server To Be Configured – The name or IP address of the email server.

• 25 – Port number on the email server used for receiving mail. By default, set to port 25.

• DXAgent@mycompany.com – The email address used by the agent for the sender of the notification. This address is for information only and does not have be an valid address.

• Email Address To Be Configured – The email address used by the agent for the recipient of the notification. Only one address is allowed, but it may be a group address.

The following example shows a modified DXAgentConfig.xml file.

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<hostname>myserver.mylocation.mycompany.com</hostname>

</smtpserver>

<email>

<from>DXAgent@mycompany.com</from>

<to>mailbox@myserver.mylocation.mycompany.com</to>

</email>

</dxagentconfig>

3. Save your modified DXAgentConfig.xml file.

4. If you have not already done so, reset your replication schedule to include notification.

replserv

Zen Replication Service

Description

The executable of the Replication service. The DataExchange service performs data replication between databases.

For information, see Starting and Stopping Replication.

Last modified date: 12/01/2023