The Log Transfer Manager

Reference Manual
CHAPTER 4. Database Administration Utilities

The Log Transfer Manager

Syntax

dbltm [ switches ]

Parameters

Switch

Description

-C config_file

Use the named configuration file.

-I interface_file

Use the named interface file.

-S LTM_name

Specify an LTM name.

-A

Do not filter updates.

-M

Recovery mode.

-dl

Display log messages on screen

-o file

Log output messages to file

-ot file

Truncate file, and log output messages to file

-q

Run in minimized window

-s

Show Log Transfer Language (LTL) commands.

-v

Verbose mode

Switch	Description
-C config_file	Use the named configuration file.
-I interface_file	Use the named interface file.
-S LTM_name	Specify an LTM name.
-A	Do not filter updates.
-M	Recovery mode.
-dl	Display log messages on screen
-o file	Log output messages to file
-ot file	Truncate file, and log output messages to file
-q	Run in minimized window
-s	Show Log Transfer Language (LTL) commands.
-v	Verbose mode

Description

The Log Transfer Manager (LTM) is also known as a replication agent.

The LTM is required for any Adaptive Server Anywhere database that participates in a Replication Server installation as a primary site. The Adaptive Server Anywhere LTM reads a database transaction log and sends committed changes to Replication Server. The LTM is not required at replicate sites.

The LTM sends messages to Replication Server in a language named Log Transfer Language (LTL).

By default, the LTM uses a log file named DBLTM.LOG to hold status and other messages. You can use the command-line options to change the name of this file and to change the volume and type of messages that are sent to it.

Switches

-C config_file Use the configuration file config_file to determine the LTM settings. The default configuration file is dbltm.cfg. The format of the configuration file is described in The LTM configuration file.

-I interfaces_file (Upper case i.) Use the named interfaces file. The interfaces file is the file, created by SQLEDIT (or sybinit on NetWare), which holds the connection information for Open Servers. The default interfaces file is sql.ini in the ini subdirectory of your Sybase directory. On NetWare, the default interfaces file is named interfaces.

-S LTM_name Provides the server name for this LTM. The default LTM_name is DBLTM. The LTM_name must correspond to the Open Server name for the LTM that was entered in SQLEDIT.

-A Do not filter updates. By default, all changes made by the maintenance user are not replicated. If the -A switch is set, these changes are replicated. This may be useful in non-hierarchical Replication Server installations, where a database acts as both a replicate site and as a primary site.

-M Recovery Mode. This is used to initiate recovery actions. The LTM starts reading logs from the earliest available position. If the offline directory is specified in the configuration file, the LTM reads from the oldest offline log file.

-dl Display Log Transfer Language (LTL) messages in the LTM window or on the command line and also in the log file. This should be used only to diagnose problems, and is not recommended in a production environment. It carries a significant performance penalty.

-o Use a log file different from the default (DBLTM.LOG). Output messages from log transfer operations are sent to this file for later review.

-ot Use a log file different from the default (DBLTM.LOG), and truncate the log file (all existing content is deleted) when the LTM starts. Output messages from log transfer operations are sent to this file for later review.

-q Minimize the window when the LTM is started.

-s Log all LTL commands that are generated by the LTM. This should be used only to diagnose problems, and is not recommended in a production environment. It carries a significant performance penalty.

-v Displays messages, other than LTL messages, for debugging purposes.

The LTM configuration file

The Adaptive Server Anywhere and Adaptive Server Enterprise LTM configuration files are very similar. This section describes the entries in the Adaptive Server Anywhere LTM configuration file, and the differences from the Adaptive Server Enterprise LTM configuration file.

The configuration file that an LTM uses is specified on the -C command-line switch.

LTM configuration file parameters

The following table describes each of the configuration parameters that the LTM recognizes. Parameters that are used by the Adaptive Server Enterprise LTM but not by the Adaptive Server Anywhere LTM are included in this list, and marked as either ignored (in which case they may be present in the configuration file, but have no effect) or as unsupported (in which case they will cause an error if present in the configuration file).

Parameter

Description

APC_pw

The password for the APC_user login name. This entry is present only in Adaptive Server Anywhere LTM configuration files.

APC_user

A user ID that is used when executing asynchronous procedures at the primary site. This user ID must have permissions appropriate for all asynchronous procedures at the primary site. This entry is present only in Adaptive Server Anywhere LTM configuration files.

backup_only

By default, this is off. If set to on, the LTM will replicate only backed-up transactions

batch_ltl_cmds

Set to on (the default) to use batch mode (which can increase overall throughput significantly).

batch_ltl_sz

The number of commands that are saved in the buffer before being sent to Replication Server, when batch_ltl_cmds is on. The default is 200.

batch_ltl_mem

The amount of memory that the buffer can use before its contents are sent to Replication Server, when batch_ltl_cmds is on. The default is 256K.

continuous

By default, this is on. When set to off, the LTM automatically shuts down as soon as all committed data has been replicated.

LTM_admin_pw

The password for the LTM_admin_user login name.

LTM_admin_user

The system administrator LTM login name that is used to log in to the LTM. This parameter is required so that the LTM can check whether a user logging on to the LTM to shut it down has the correct login name.

LTM_charset

The Open Client/Open Server character set for the LTM to use.

LTM_language

The Open Client/Open Server language for the LTM to use.

LTM_sortorder

The Open Client/Open Server sort order for the LTM to use to compare user names. You can specify any Adaptive Server Enterprise-supported sort order that is compatible with the LTM's character set. All sort orders in your replication system should be the same.

The default sort order is a binary sort.

maint_cmds_to_skip

[ignored]

rep_func

Set to on to use replicate function APCs. The default is off.

retry

The number of seconds to wait before retrying a failed connection to an Adaptive Server Anywhere data server or Replication Server. The default is 10 seconds.

RS

The name of the Replication Server to which the LTM is transferring the log.

RS_pwd

The password for the RS_user login name.

RS_source_db

The name of the database whose log the LTM transfers to the Replication Server. This name must match the name of the database as defined within the Replication Server connection definitions. Most configurations use the same setting for both RS_Source_db and SQL_database configuration options.

RS_source_ds

The name of the server whose log the LTM transfers to the Replication Server. This name must match the name of the server as defined within the Replication Server connection definitions. Most configurations use the same setting for both RS_Source_ds and SQL_server configuration options.

RS_user

A login name for the LTM to use to log into Replication Server. The login name must have been granted connect source permission in the Replication Server.

scan_retry

The number of seconds that the LTM waits between scans of the transaction log. This parameter is somewhat different in meaning to that of the Adaptive Server Enterprise LTM. The Adaptive Server Anywhere server does not "wake up" and scan the log when records arrive in the log. For this reason, you may wish to set the scan_retry value to a smaller number then that for an Adaptive Server Enterprise LTM.

skip_ltl_cmd_err

[ignored]

SQL_database

The primary site database name on the server SQL_server to which the LTM connects. For Adaptive Server Enterprise during recovery,this is the temporary database whose logs the LTM will transfer to Replication Server. The Adaptive Server Anywhere LTM uses the SQL_log_files parameter to locate offline transaction logs.

SQL_log_files

A directory that holds off-line transaction logs. The directory must exist when the LTM starts up. This entry is present only in Adaptive Server Anywhere LTM configuration files.

SQL_pw

The password for the SQL_user user ID.

SQL_server

The name of the primary site Adaptive Server Anywhere server to which the LTM connects. For Adaptive Server Enterprise during recovery, this is a data server with a temporary database whose logs the LTM will transfer to Replication Server. The LTM uses the SQL_log_files parameter to locate offline transaction logs.

SQL_user

The login name that the LTM uses to connect to the database specified by RS_source_ds and RS_source_db.

Parameter	Description
APC_pw	The password for the APC_user login name. This entry is present only in Adaptive Server Anywhere LTM configuration files.
APC_user	A user ID that is used when executing asynchronous procedures at the primary site. This user ID must have permissions appropriate for all asynchronous procedures at the primary site. This entry is present only in Adaptive Server Anywhere LTM configuration files.
backup_only	By default, this is off. If set to on, the LTM will replicate only backed-up transactions
batch_ltl_cmds	Set to on (the default) to use batch mode (which can increase overall throughput significantly).
batch_ltl_sz	The number of commands that are saved in the buffer before being sent to Replication Server, when batch_ltl_cmds is on. The default is 200.
batch_ltl_mem	The amount of memory that the buffer can use before its contents are sent to Replication Server, when batch_ltl_cmds is on. The default is 256K.
continuous	By default, this is on. When set to off, the LTM automatically shuts down as soon as all committed data has been replicated.
LTM_admin_pw	The password for the LTM_admin_user login name.
LTM_admin_user	The system administrator LTM login name that is used to log in to the LTM. This parameter is required so that the LTM can check whether a user logging on to the LTM to shut it down has the correct login name.
LTM_charset	The Open Client/Open Server character set for the LTM to use.
LTM_language	The Open Client/Open Server language for the LTM to use.
LTM_sortorder	The Open Client/Open Server sort order for the LTM to use to compare user names. You can specify any Adaptive Server Enterprise-supported sort order that is compatible with the LTM's character set. All sort orders in your replication system should be the same. The default sort order is a binary sort.
maint_cmds_to_skip	[ignored]
rep_func	Set to on to use replicate function APCs. The default is off.
retry	The number of seconds to wait before retrying a failed connection to an Adaptive Server Anywhere data server or Replication Server. The default is 10 seconds.
RS	The name of the Replication Server to which the LTM is transferring the log.
RS_pwd	The password for the RS_user login name.
RS_source_db	The name of the database whose log the LTM transfers to the Replication Server. This name must match the name of the database as defined within the Replication Server connection definitions. Most configurations use the same setting for both RS_Source_db and SQL_database configuration options.
RS_source_ds	The name of the server whose log the LTM transfers to the Replication Server. This name must match the name of the server as defined within the Replication Server connection definitions. Most configurations use the same setting for both RS_Source_ds and SQL_server configuration options.
RS_user	A login name for the LTM to use to log into Replication Server. The login name must have been granted connect source permission in the Replication Server.
scan_retry	The number of seconds that the LTM waits between scans of the transaction log. This parameter is somewhat different in meaning to that of the Adaptive Server Enterprise LTM. The Adaptive Server Anywhere server does not "wake up" and scan the log when records arrive in the log. For this reason, you may wish to set the scan_retry value to a smaller number then that for an Adaptive Server Enterprise LTM.
skip_ltl_cmd_err	[ignored]
SQL_database	The primary site database name on the server SQL_server to which the LTM connects. For Adaptive Server Enterprise during recovery,this is the temporary database whose logs the LTM will transfer to Replication Server. The Adaptive Server Anywhere LTM uses the SQL_log_files parameter to locate offline transaction logs.
SQL_log_files	A directory that holds off-line transaction logs. The directory must exist when the LTM starts up. This entry is present only in Adaptive Server Anywhere LTM configuration files.
SQL_pw	The password for the SQL_user user ID.
SQL_server	The name of the primary site Adaptive Server Anywhere server to which the LTM connects. For Adaptive Server Enterprise during recovery, this is a data server with a temporary database whose logs the LTM will transfer to Replication Server. The LTM uses the SQL_log_files parameter to locate offline transaction logs.
SQL_user	The login name that the LTM uses to connect to the database specified by RS_source_ds and RS_source_db.

Example configuration file

The following is a sample LTM configuration file.

# This is a comment line
# Names are case sensitive.
SQL_user=sa
SQL_pw=sysadmin
SQL_server=PRIMESV
SQL_database=primedb
RS_source_ds=PRIMEOS
RS_source_db=primedb
RS=MY_REPSERVER
RS_user=sa
RS_pw=sysadmin
LTM_admin_user=DBA
LTM_admin_pw=SQL
LTM_charset=cp850
scan_retry=2
SQL_log_files=e:\logs\backup
APC_user=sa
APC_pw=sysadmin