You can prepare to run OpenEdge Replication using an online backup of the source database to create the target database. To enable online backups, you must implement the deferred agent startup mode, which is described in Use the deferred agent startup mode. You also must enable AI on the source database.

Perform the following steps on the source database:

Step 1: Create a structure file

Once you shut down the source database, you must build a structure file (.st). Use the following command to build this file:

prostrct list source-db-name source-db-name.st

Later you will copy this structure file from the source to the target machine.

Step 2: Enable the database for after-imaging

To use OpenEdge Replication, you must enable after-imaging on the source database.

If after-imaging is already enabled for the database, skip this topic and go to Step 3: Enable the source database for OpenEdge Replication.

If after-imaging is not already enabled for the database, use the procedure that follows to enable it.
  1. Create a new structure file—named, for example, source-db-name_ai.st—and edit it to add after-imaging.

    The following is a sample of the structure file:

    # addai.st
a C:\OpenEdge\WRK\ f 1024
a C:\OpenEdge\WRK\ f 2048

    Be sure to give the new structure file a different name from the one you created in Step 1: Create a structure file.

  2. Apply source-db-name_ai.st to the source database.

    The syntax is shown:

    prostrct add source-db-name source-db-name_ai.st
  3. Back up the database.

    The syntax is shown:

    probkup source-db-name source-db-backup-name
  4. Begin after-imaging.

    The syntax is shown:

    rfutil source-db-name -C aimage begin

Step 3: Enable the source database for OpenEdge Replication

OpenEdge Replication requires that the source database be enabled for replication before you start the database. To enable the source database, use the following command:

proutil source-db-name -C enableSiteReplication source

Step 4: Perform an online backup

To perform an online backup, use the online and -REPLTargetCreation options, as shown:

probkup online source-db-name source-db-backup-name -REPLTargetCreation

Step 5: Configure the OpenEdge Replication server for deferred agent startup

Online backups require a server that is configured for deferred agent startup. To configure such a server, you must set the defer-agent-startup property to a valid time-out value (in minutes) in the server property file. In the following example, the time-out (shown in bold) is set for 240 minutes, or four hours:

[server]
     control-agents=agent-name    
     database=source-db-name     
     transition=manual
     transition-timeout=1200
     defer-agent-startup=240

Create the OpenEdge Replication target database

To set up OpenEdge Replication, you must restore the backup you created of the source database to use as your target database.

The information in the following sections is provided based on the expectation that you are familiar with using OpenEdge databases and their supported commands. If you are not familiar, refer to Manage the OpenEdge Database.

Use the following steps to create the OpenEdge Replication target database.

  1. Move or copy the source backup file and the incremental backup file from the source database machine to the target database machine.
  2. Copy the structure file (source-db-name.st) from the source database to the target machine.

    This structure file lists the physical structure of the source database. If the physical structure of your target database is different (for example, there are different drives, slices, or directories) you must edit the structure file for the target database to accurately describe the physical structure of the target database.

  3. If the source database is encrypted, copy the source database key store (source-db-name.ks) to the target database directory and rename it with the name of the target database (target-db-name.ks).

    The source database keystore was created when you enabled transparent data encryption on the source database.

  4. Restore the backup copy of the source database to the target machine.

    The syntax follows:

    prorest target-db-name source-db-backup-name
  5. Enable the target database for OpenEdge Replication.

    The syntax follows:

    proutil target-db-name -C enableSiteReplication target