Active Roles 7.2.1 - Replication: Best Practices and Troubleshooting

Modifying database connection settings

You may need to modify Administration Service database connection settings if the login of the Administration Service for SQL Server authentication is no longer valid, or has the password changed. If you change the login, you also need to change it for Replication Agents, as described in the Modifying Replication Agent credentials section later in this document.

You can modify connection settings by using Active Roles Configuration Center:

1. Start Configuration Center on the computer running the Administration Service, or connect Configuration Center to that computer.

You can start Configuration Center by selecting Active Roles 7.2 Configuration Center on the Apps page or Start menu, depending upon the version of your Windows operating system. For detailed instructions, see “Running Configuration Center” in the Active Roles Administrator Guide.

2. On the Dashboard page in the Configuration Center main window, click Manage Settings in the Administration Service area.
3. On the Administration Service page that opens, click Change in the Active Roles database area.
4. Use the Change Active Roles Database wizard that appears to view or change the login or password of the Administration Service for SQL Server authentication: Type the appropriate login name and password in the fields under the SQL Server authentication option on the Connection to Database page.

Changing the service account

With the Windows authentication option selected for database connection, the Administration Service uses its service account to authenticate with SQL Server. Additionally, if the Administration Service’s database server holds the Publisher role, and has a Subscriber with Windows authentication, the service account requires the appropriate permissions on the Subscriber SQL Server. For details, see the “SQL Server permissions” section in the Active Roles Quick Start Guide.

Given this role of the service account, you may need to specify a different service account with sufficient SQL Server permissions. Also, you may need to change the service account’s password. You can view or change the service account by using Active Roles Configuration Center as follows.

1. Start Configuration Center on the computer running the Administration Service, or connect Configuration Center to that computer.

You can start Configuration Center by selecting Active Roles 7.2 Configuration Center on the Apps page or Start menu, depending upon the version of your Windows operating system. For detailed instructions, see “Running Configuration Center” in the Active Roles Administrator Guide.

2. On the Dashboard page in the Configuration Center main window, click Manage Settings in the Administration Service area.
3. On the Administration Service page that opens, click Change in the Service account area.
4. On the Change Service Account page that appears, type the logon name and password of the service account, and then click Change.

Changing the SQL Server Agent logon account

If the Publisher has a Subscriber that uses Windows authentication, it is required that the SQL Server Agent logon account on the Publisher SQL Server have appropriate access permissions on the Subscriber SQL Server. For details, see the “SQL Server permissions” section in the Active Roles Quick Start Guide.

Given these requirements of the SQL Server Agent logon account, you may encounter a situation where you need to specify a different logon account with sufficient access permissions. You may also need to change password for the logon account. This section provides instructions on how to change the SQL Server Agent logon account.

You can specify the name and password of the SQL Server Agent logon account by using SQL Server Configuration Manager:

1. On the computer running the Publisher SQL Server, open SQL Server Configuration Manager.
2. In the console tree, select SQL Server Services.
3. In the details pane, right-click the SQL Server Agent to modify, and then click Properties.
4. On the Log On tab, click This account, and specify the account name and password.
5. Click OK.
6. For the changes to take effect, click Yes in the confirmation message box.

Modifying Replication Agent credentials

This section provides information on how to repair Active Roles replication if it fails due to insufficient permissions of Replication Agents. The credentials used by Replication Agents to access a given SQL Server depend on authentication mode of the Administration Service connection to that SQL Server:

• Windows authentication In this mode, Replication Agents use the credentials of the SQL Server Agent service running on the Publisher SQL Server computer
• SQL Server authentication In this mode, Replication Agents use the credentials of the SQL Server login specified for the Administration Service connection to SQL Server

The following sub-sections elaborate on each of these two options.