For each UR, there is a syncpoint manager and participating resource managers. The syncpoint manager determines the outcome, either commit or back out, for the UR, and the participating resource managers accept the outcome and ensure that the resources they manage are changed or not changed. Normally, RRS takes the role of syncpoint manager, and all resource managers act as participants.

Sometimes, however, a resource manager can tell RRS that it needs to determine the outcome of the syncpoint. For example, a communication resource manager might need this control when the outcome of the syncpoint is actually being determined by a syncpoint manager on another system and the communication resource manager is being used to communicate the outcome to RRS. In this case, the communication resource manager becomes the syncpoint manager.

To take either the DSRM role or the SDSRM role, the resource manager calls the Set_Syncpoint_Controls service. Note that, for any given syncpoint operation, only one resource manager can take the DSRM or SDSRM role.