The merge process could not initialize the Pub...

Question

The merge process could not initialize the Pub...

iypatel

SSC-Addicted

Points: 471
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June 24, 2003 at 4:53 am

#82782

Context:
Merge replication with central publisher and a single remote subscriber
Pull subscription with Continuous synchronization
Problem:
The merge process could not initialize the Publisher '<Server>:<DB>'.
Attempt/Finding:
We have configured another replication with same configuration for testing with enabling merge agent to log information in output file with verbose level 2.
After functioning properly for quite a some time, it again has produced the following problem:
The merge process could not initialize the Publisher '<Server>:<DB>'.
When we look into the log, the last step and actual error occured are:
1. Step from Subscriber to Publisher:
master..sp_MScheck_agent_instance N'Some Agent/Job Name', 4
2. Error occured during the step:
Another merge agent for the subscription(s) is running.
When look into the list of Job through Enterprise Manager Management/SQL Server Agent/Jobs, we have not found any name like 'Some Agent/Job Name'. However, when again through Enterprise Manager we look into the list of current processes running, it list multiple process for the 'Some Agent/Job Name' trying to running different TSQL Batch commands.
It looks to us as kind of Orphan Agent/Job created due to some problem and caused to stop actual Merge Agent/Job. This is because when we kill all the processes of that Orphan Agent/Job and running merge agent on subsriber again, it starts functioning again but not for long and we keep experiencing the same problem again.
We'll appreciate any help to fix this problem.
Regards,
IP

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MarkusB SSC-Dedicated Points: 37370 More actions · Answer 1

Which version of SQL Server do you run, which Service Pack. I've seen my share of replication problems but never experienced orphaned agents. Do you allow anonymous subscriptions? What is the full error message. It should be more than

quote:
The merge process could not initialize the Publisher '<Server>:<DB>'

[font="Verdana"]Markus Bohse[/font]

iypatel SSC-Addicted Points: 471 More actions · Answer 2

Hi,

quote:
Which version of SQL Server do you run, which Service Pack. I've seen my share of replication problems but never experienced orphaned agents. Do you allow anonymous subscriptions? What is the full error message. It should be more than
quote:
The merge process could not initialize the Publisher '<Server>:<DB>'

We are using SQL Server Enterprise Edit with Service Pack 3 both on publisher/subscriber. And no we have'nt configured for Anonymous Subscription.

The merge process could not initialize the Publisher '<Server>:<DB>', here <Server> is representing our Publisher Server (CFSQL)and <DB> (CFDMSForReplTest) is for Publication. It shows only this message while log file show another message after this message. The message is:

'Another merge agent for the subscription(s) is running.'

This message gave me the clue so I found out that orphan agent running on publisher.

Also that 'Some Agent/Job Name' I mentioned earlier is respresenting SQL Server Agent Job name that seems to me as dervided from the actual Merge Agent name (actual SQL Server Agent Job for merge agent) but suffixed with another integer value. Following is the actual agent name that runs on subscriber and orphan agent that runs on publisher:

Actual:

CFSQL-CFDMSForReplTest-CFDMSForReplTestPub-CFUSSQL-CFDMSUSForReplTest- 0

Orphan:

CFSQL-CFDMSForReplTest-CFDMSForReplTestPub-CFUSSQL-19

Hope this makes things more visible.

Regards,

IP

Edited by - iypatel on 06/25/2003 02:59:08 AM

Edited by - iypatel on 06/25/2003 09:52:45 AM

annejo Ten Centuries Points: 1080 More actions · Answer 3

Is it possible that someone had torn down replication, but not done a full cleanup job, including sp_removedbreplication? Have you tried completely rebuilding? I have seen this before and rebuilding has helped in most cases...

iypatel SSC-Addicted Points: 471 More actions · Answer 4

Hi,

quote:
Is it possible that someone had torn down replication, but not done a full cleanup job, including sp_removedbreplication? Have you tried completely rebuilding? I have seen this before and rebuilding has helped in most cases...

I have configured a new publication and subscription but it couldn't help.

Regards,

IP

annejo Ten Centuries Points: 1080 More actions · Answer 5

annejo

Ten Centuries

Points: 1080

June 25, 2003 at 10:24 am

#463072

Did you delete that orphan merge job?

iypatel SSC-Addicted Points: 471 More actions · Answer 6

Hi,

quote:
Did you delete that orphan merge job?

Yes-I deleted the orphan merge job.

After again I reconfigured replication yesterday, the problem is not produced till now. As far as I know, I haven't made any changes. So now I'm in wait and see state while searching in other forums perhape someone came across the situation ealier.

Many thanks for asking.

Regards,

IP

TSchwab Ten Centuries Points: 1357 More actions · Answer 7

Hi,

it seems that the client does not have the rights to read from the snapshot-folder.

During the setup of the publisher you have to choose the initial snapshotfolder (Default setting is something like this \\ServerName\d$\Program Files\MSSQL\DATA\ReplData). SQL-Server always uses this system link to d$ to which a 'normal' user has no rights to connecting to. So the publisher can not initialize the snapshot.

So make sure that you put a share directly on the repldata-folder. Something like this: \\ServerName\ReplData$.

Make sure, that the user which is used for running the SQL-ServerAgent and the MSSQL-Server, and the client users have full rights on that share and on the files in that folder and subfolders.

Now it should work.

I hope this helps.

Thorsten

Germany

iypatel SSC-Addicted Points: 471 More actions · Answer 8

Hi,

quote:
Hi,
it seems that the client does not have the rights to read from the snapshot-folder.
During the setup of the publisher you have to choose the initial snapshotfolder (Default setting is something like this \\ServerName\d$\Program Files\MSSQL\DATA\ReplData). SQL-Server always uses this system link to d$ to which a 'normal' user has no rights to connecting to. So the publisher can not initialize the snapshot.
So make sure that you put a share directly on the repldata-folder. Something like this: \\ServerName\ReplData$.
Make sure, that the user which is used for running the SQL-ServerAgent and the MSSQL-Server, and the client users have full rights on that share and on the files in that folder and subfolders.
Now it should work.
I hope this helps.
Thorsten
Germany

Thanks for you suggestions though I had focused on these configuration requirements at the beginning because without these replication would have not been started.

I'm almost about to reach to the reason for the problem that seems to me bit different than what we're thinking.

It is leading me towards where there really are orphan processes but these processes became orphan because somehow they lost the contact with their creators/parents, perhaps due to long network failure. I'm still on narrowing it down.

Regards,

IP

Pakistan/UK

liyakatali25 SSC Journeyman Points: 83 More actions · Answer 9

I have encountered the same issue in production and by killing the oprhan session connection at publisher, issue resolved.Thanks...:-)