IBM Data Replication Answers

with Tags: infosphere

Do I Need to Buy IBM's Federation Server to Do Data Replication?

DavidT Tags: what_do_i_need licensing infosphere sql_replication cdc federation replication db2 q_replication database oracle replication_server change_data_capture 3,715 Visits

This post is the answer to one of the FAQs found in Licensing Tips for IBM Data Replication.

No, not if you have InfoSphere Data Replication or InfoSphere Replication Server on UNIX or Windows. On those operating systems, Data Replication and Replication Server contain a complete set of IBM's data federation technology for use in data replication solutions*. For example, you can replicate to a PostgreSQL or an Oracle database using the Federation Server technology found in the Replication Server install. If you have any other data replication product, you may be able to use a copy of Federation Server to go to target databases not supported by that replication product. You'd need to work with an expert for that product to know for sure. Note also that, if you have Federation Server, the Federation Server license does not allow general use of the replication components found in Federation Server. That replication technology can only be used in support of building a database cache using cache tables.

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* Data Replication and Replication Server solutions for mainframe data sources such as IMS and VSAM (called 'Classic' data sources) require a 'Classic' data replication product instead of data federation. Therefore, the mainframe federation technology for Classic data (Classic Federation Server) is not included in the purchase of Data Replication or Replication Server on UNIX or Windows.

What Ever Happened to DataPropagator on z/OS?

DavidT Tags: infosphere zos sql_replication database dbms replication replication_server db2 z/os 1 Comment 8,181 Visits

I've been surprised recently by the number of people who still have an old IBM product called DataPropagator, or 'DProp'. More suprising is that they think they're at a dead end with no replacement. Nothing could be further from the truth. DataPropagator was a product name. Product names, as I'll show later, can change. However, the underlying technology remains. In DataPropagator's case, the technology inside it is what IBM calls SQL Replication. SQL Replication is alive and well. You can find it in several IBM products.

For example, if you're on z/OS and currently running DB2 DataPropagator or DataPropagator Relational, the DProp function can now be found in the SQL Replication feature of WebSphere Replication Server v9.1 and InfoSphere Replication Server v10 as well as IBM's newer InfoSphere Data Replication product. This is important information because, if you move to DB2 z/OS v9 or v10, you must upgrade to one of these newer replication products because they contain the only level of DProp function that supports the newer DB2s.

Getting back to the subject of name changes, here is a graphic that shows the transformation of 'DProp' names on z/OS.

What If You're Current on S&S?

You may want to know what you're entitled to if you had purchased DataPropagator and are current on S&S. The easy thing to do is to search IBM announcement letters for 'datapropagator'... okay :) maybe it's easier said than done, so here's the ones that answer the question:

In a nutshell, they say that DataPropagator (v7 and v8) have been replaced by WebSphere Replication Server. v9. Of course, in 2010, v10 of Replication Server was released and its brand was changed to InfoSphere. Customers can move to Replication Server v10 if they are current on DataPropagator S&S.

MileStones

The following lists add some comments about what else changed for each of these name changes:

1990: IBM Data Propagator
- The first - this product only replicated data between IMS and DB2.

1993: DataPropagator Relational
- This product replicated between DB2 databases.
- A companion product, DataPropagator NonRelational, replicated data from IMS to DB2.
- A little later, IBM's data federation product, DataJoiner, provided the basis for heterogeneous SQL Replication between DB2 and other relational databases.

2000: DB2 DataPropagator
- This was the start of a new, improved implementation of SQL Replication.
- The NonRelational product was renamed to IMS DataPropagator.

2004: DB2 Information Integrator
- A new data replication technology, Q Replication, was added as a high-performance alternative to SQL Replication.
- On UNIX and Windows, this merged data replication and federation into a single product.

2005: WebSphere Information Integrator
- A new release and a brand change - from DB2 to WebSphere.

2006: WebSphere Replication Server
- The end of Information Integrator.
- All data replication needs are now contained in a single product with a replication name.

2010: InfoSphere Replication Server
- A new version and a brand change - from WebSphere to InfoSphere.

2011: InfoSphere Data Replication
- A merging of InfoSphere Replication Server and InfoSphere CDC.

If anyone knows of anything I missed, feel free to add it to the comments :)

Is WebSphere MQ Free with Q Replication?

DavidT Tags: licensing q_replication warehouse mq wmq what_do_i_need mqseries infosphere webspheremq db2 1 Comment 4,534 Visits

This post is the answer to one of the FAQs found in License Tips for IBM Data Replication

Yes, a limited-use copy of WebSphere MQ comes with all products that license use of Q Replication. "Limited-use" of MQ simply means that you can only use this copy of MQ with Q Replication. However, some products allow a few other things, too. For example, most DB2 LUW and InfoSphere Warehouse editions bundle MQ because DB2 LUW has a several integration points with MQ, not just Q Replication.

Do you have to use the bundled copy of MQ? No. If you already have a fully licensed copy of MQ, Q Replication will work with that. The one thing to remember is that a best practice is to have dedicated queue managers for Q Replication. In other words, create new ones, don't use queue managers that have other work going through them.

For UNIX and Windows, do you have to install the WebSphere MQ server software on the same system as where Q Replication is installed? No. The MQ server software can be installed on a different system and queue managers created there. Q Replication will access those queue mangers through MQ client software installed on the same system as Q Replication. However, for optimal performance, queue managers should be co-located on the same system(s) as Q Replication. For those of you who want an example of what's allowed, here's one :)

For z/OS, are there any special considerations? Yes, but only for how you order the bundled copy that comes with a z/OS product. See the last heading of this post for ordering information.

How do you verify everything I just said about licensing? :) Check the IBM license information documents. They are the official and final word about what you're entitled to. In fact, what they say overrides anything anyone says in a blog :) You can find IBM license information documents on ibm.com by using IBM's search interface:

Software License Agreements Search

Simply enter the product name and date, then follow the on-screen instructions. To read the MQ related terms, search for the string 'MQ'. Here are links to two license information documents that tend to be of interest to people:

IBM InfoSphere Data Replication (IIDR) v10
InfoSphere Replication Server 9.7

You may want to use a date range to limit the results returned.

Ordering Considerations for z/OS

If you plan to use the copy of MQ that comes with InfoSphere Replication Server v10 for z/OS, please note that Replication Server is in Shopz's DB2 zone and the bundled WebSphere MQ is in Shopz's MVS zone. For example, Shopz will show something like the following in the DBS DB2 group/zone:

Shopz will show something like the following for MQ in the MVS group/zone:

License Tips for IBM Data Replication (IIDR)

DavidT Tags: replication_server purescale what_do_i_need licensing oracle warehouse change_data_capture cdc database sql_replication infosphere q_replication db2 replication 7,839 Visits

IBM offers a lot of flexibility with its data replication technologies (CDC, Q Replication, and SQL Replication). As a result, we get a lot of questions about what's needed under various circumstances. This post is a collection of links to answers for the most common questions I get asked. Of course, as you read these, remember that IBM's license documents are the final word on what's allowed. If there's ever a conflict between them and what's posted here, the license document win :)

Note: After the links, I also have a little background about why flexibility drives these questions.

The Links

We don't have a lot, but I divided them by headings to make them easier to navigate visually.

What Do I Get for Free?

Is CDC Free with DB2 LUW?

Is Q Replication free? (Or, When Do I Need to Buy Q Replication? )

Which products contain Q or SQL Replication?

Is WebSphere MQ free with Q Replication?

Do I Need to Buy Federation Server?

Is Data Event Publisher free?

Is DB2-Informix replication free with DB2?

How Does Upgrading Work?

Does upgrading to DB2 Advanced ESE affect my existing Q Replication?

How did I get IBM's InfoSphere Data Replication (IIDR)?

What Do I Need...?

How do I license Data Replication for Hot, Warm, and Cold Standbys?

How do I license Data Replication for Database Migration?

How do I license Q Replication for a DB2 HADR secondary?

What do I need to do data replication with DB2 z/OS v7?

What do I need to use Q Replication with DB2 pureScale 9.8?

What do I need to use SQL Replication between DB2 z/OS and DB2 LUW?

What Replaces Old Products?

What happened to InfoSphere CDC?

What happened to IBM's Replication Server?

What happened to the IBM Homogeneous Replication Feature for DB2?

Which product replaces DataPropagator for z/OS?

What replaces the old Information Integrator product (8.2)?

If you have any suggestions for questions to add, feel free to use the comment section of this blog.

Background

I regularly get some variation of the following three questions:

Which products contain IBM replication technologies?
What happens if my source and target have different levels of software?
What do I need to get for my particular configuration?

To determine or understand the answers, you may need a little background related to three areas of flexibility. First, you can get IBM's data replication technologies a number of ways:

In a stand-alone product.
As a feature of selected products.
Included at no additional charge in selected products.

Second, IBM data replication technologies allow a lot of differences between source and target systems:

The source's operating system can be different from the target's (e.g., AIX vs Windows).
The source database can be different from the target database (e.g., DB2 z/OS vs InfoSphere Warehouse).
The source's software can be at a different version and release than that of the target. This includes:
- Operating systems
- Databases
- The replication software

Third, IBM data replication technolgies offer a number of ways they can be set up:

Capture can often be run remote from the source when the source and capture run on Linux, UNIX, or Windows.
Apply can run remote from the target.
A single install can access many sources and targets.

The links in this post help you navigate the options.

Modified by DavidT

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