Merge replication odd question

Hello,
I need to configure a merge replication between 3 machines, one of these is never connected with the other two machines. I've tried to work with the off-line machine with backup and restore to the offline machine and the others in this way: I backup up a
subscripted DB and restored to the offline machine, update some data and then backup and restore again on the subscripted DB. It breaks the synchronization.
Do you think there is a way to "freeze" a subscribed DB, move it to another off-line machine (moving backups or data and log files, or something else), work on this machine and then restore the updated DB to the freezed one?
And do you think it will work also between a SQL server 2000 publisher and an MSDE subscriber?
Thank you for your help!
Michele
This certainly is an odd request.
I think it might work if you use the keep_replication switch of the restore command while you are restoring your database.
Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
|||But Hilary, if we RESTORE over the top of one of the two connected databases
the database that was disconnected then we will lose at the very least all
transactions that happened between the two connected databases won't we?
It is almost as though we want to RESTORE to a 3rd DB with KEEP_REPLICATION
and then fire up the Agents.
Not even sure if that will do it.
Allan
"Hilary Cotter" <hilaryk@.att.net> wrote in message
news:F1BFFB4C-C330-4BDD-9753-A7787783F03D@.microsoft.com...
> This certainly is an odd request.
> I think it might work if you use the keep_replication switch of the
restore command while you are restoring your database.
> Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
> http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
>
|||OK so here was my testing
Create 3 databases
M1,M2,M3
M1 = Publisher
M2,M3 = Subs
Create a table (I used a very simple table with IDENTITY())
Create an article of the table (Handle Identity ranges)
Add to a publication
Start cooking
--Now remove M3 from the topology so we can put it on the laptop for however
long we want and continue to work on it (watch identity ranges if a long
time)
--stop the merge agent and drop the database
--Restore somewhere else with KEEP_REPLICATION
Must be restored as M3 otherwise you get the following when inputting data
ERROR!!
INITCOLVS: The Parameter 'nickname' is invalid
--Input data
Backup from this box now and restore to the original (WITH KEEP_REPLICATION)
Start up the Merge agent
In it goes.
Allan
"Hilary Cotter" <hilaryk@.att.net> wrote in message
news:F1BFFB4C-C330-4BDD-9753-A7787783F03D@.microsoft.com...
> This certainly is an odd request.
> I think it might work if you use the keep_replication switch of the
restore command while you are restoring your database.
> Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
> http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
>
|||I'll try to repro this later.
If you have a subscriber, and you backup that database, and restore it to the 3rd machine using the keep replication switch, make your changes, backup the database and restore it to the second machine, again using keep replication, this should work.
You must have replication installed on the third machine however.
This is a variation of the way you can deploy susbcribers using a backup and restore.
Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
|||It works!
Thank you very much Hilary and Allan for your precious help!
Michele
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Merge replication fails with odd message

Hi Guys,

I've got a merge replication set up between boxes. They're on separate sites both behind an ADSL Nat modem router. The publisher connects to the subscriber via a port forward / Nat translation at the router. This replication set up has been running for some months now. This morning I got this failure message from the merge agent on the publisher.

"the specified remote server name may not be the network name of the remote server or the remote server is unreachable due to network problems. The step failed"

Currently the Enterprise Mgr at the publisher can see the subscriber as can query analyzer running on the publisher.

The host name of the subscriber is the same name used in the server registration at the publisher. The registration uses a Client Network Utility alias to resolve the name.

If I run a ping command at the publisher using the subscribers name I get replies (the resolution of that name is done via a hosts file entry)

Both machines are Win2k Server boxes running SQL Server 2000 Standard.

Any ideas why the agent can't see the subscriber despite the fact its usual communications channel is working just fine?I've still no idea why I was getting this behaviour but I've reinitialised the subscriptions now and the problem's 'gone'.