Non deleting replicas (SP3)

Topic

New Reply

I have a design master Db which has 2 replicas. But in the design master, the dialog that comes up when selecting the menu item Tools | Replication | Synchronize now…, shows 5 members of the replica set not 3. Usually after trying to synchronize the design master with a non-existent replica, the non-existent replica is deleted from the set next time the design master is opened. I have tried this several times but the non-existent replicas aren’t deleted. How do I get rid of them?

Reply | Quote

Replies

Check the folder of the nonexistent replicas. Does this folder still exist? If not, you will have to re-create the folder temporarily, then synchronize. This should remove the nonexistent replicas from the set. You can then delete the folder again.

Reply | Quote

Thanks Hans. However I don’t think so. One of the incorrect references is PETESLAPTOPAccessInsurancMainData.mdb, which I don’t think can be created as no drive is shown. The reference should be PETESLAPTOPCAccessInsurancMainData.mdb

Reply | Quote

I’m afraid I don’t know a solution then. Sorry. Hopefully someone who has more experience with replication will have a suggestion.

Reply | Quote

Hans is correct (as usual!). The *folder* for the replica must exist, but the *file* must be non-existent before Access will remove the dead replica. In your case, you must attempt to synchronize with PETESLAPTOPAccessInsurancMainData.mdb, which means that you must have a computer named PETESLAPTOP with a Share named Access, containing a folder named Insuranc. There should *not* be a file within that folder when you attempt to synchronize with it.

You may have been confused by the difference between UNC file names and Drive: filenames.

HTH

Reply | Quote

Thanks Jack.
I tried that; I shared the folder named ‘Access’ on PETESLAPTOP, then renamed the replica on that computer and also moved it to another folder. When I tried to Synchronize with that non-existent replica from the design master, Access said that the replica had been deleted from the replica set. But when I closed and opened the design master again, there was the non-existent replica listed in all it’s glory. I can’t get rid of the darn thing!
10 minutes later, I rechecked and the replica has gone. IT WORKS, THANKS

Reply | Quote

Glad to help!
You said that you moved the replica to another folder. I hope that you NEVER use that replica again — especially if you sync it with another member of the replica set. Moving a replica will cause Jet to issue it with a new (internal) ReplicaID. For all intents and purposes, it is a NEW replica and its previous location becomes a dead (unreachable!) replica.

See http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/Replication/ind…d_replica.3F.22%5B/url%5D

Reply | Quote

Oh boy, thank you for that info – could have been disastrous. I will delete it an create another replica.
Thanks Jack.

Reply | Quote

Hi Jack.
I tried removing the 2nd non-existing replica the same way. ‘TOWERAccessInsurancMainData.mdb’. I created the share and indeed the folder ‘Access’ is shown as a share in ‘My Network Places’ on the design master computer. When I try to synch with that non-existing replica, Access can’t find it (cause the replica has been deleted), and reports that next time the design master opens the replica will be deleted from the set. No way, I have tried several times and the darn thing is still listed as part of the replica set. Any idea what I can do?

20 minutes later. I found out that the folder ‘Access’ is write protected and no matter how many times I un-write protect it, it stays protected, even though I am logged on as an administrator. I will put a post in the Widows section of the lounge to see if anyone can show me how to un-write protect that folder.

Reply | Quote

I doubt that the write-protected will influence whether or not the deletion works properly. Yes, it should be corrected, but it probably won’t influence the results.

One of the hidden system tables created when you replicate a database is called something like “MSysReplicas”. It lists all the replicas in the set. I would bet that it shows *many* copies of your dead replica, especially if you have been using bad habits… My understanding (and I stand to be corrected) is that each time you do a sync with a non-existent replica, it will delete one record from the MSysReplicas. My advice would be to keep deleting those phantom dead replicas until they all disappear from MSysReplicas.

Other than that… I hope someone else can kick in. There is an active Usenet newsgroup about replication. You can access it via Google Groups; look for microsoft.public.access.replication.

Reply | Quote

I have been watching this post with great interest as I have this very problem myself. I tried finding the MSysReplicas and was only successful in doing so when I took a copy of my design master (so it could experiment) and placed it on my desktop. However when I tried to delete the replicas from this table they wouldnt go. When I tried to show system files on the genuine design master the tables will not show at all.

So I will be interested to follow this post and see if anyone comes up with a result.

Kerry

Reply | Quote

It is expected that you cannot delete items manually from the system tables. Only the database engine itself can do that. Attempting to sync with a non-existant replica in an existing folder is the only way to delete the dead replicas.

As for your inability to view the system tables in your Design Master — I can’t explain that. Did you enable the viewing of both System and Hidden objects in the Tools > Options > View menu?

Reply | Quote

Thanks for your reply. I think that I am stuck with my strays then, because the actual server that these old replicas were on has been replaced by another, so there is no chance of getting the path to the folder back again.

Never mind – its not a life threatenins situation. I can live with it.

Kind Regards

Reply | Quote

Perhaps you have a computer kicking around that you can rename with the name of your old server. Share a folder and give it a share name to match the old share name. Create the appropriate folder structure and attempt to sync with the dead replica in that folder.

Or…. as you said, just live with it.

Reply | Quote

Hi Jack, been away on hols for a week.
By replicating the non-existent replicas, I have got rid of all the non-existent ones. Only the correct replicas are now listed. However the table MSysReplicas still shows 30 replicas yet there are only 3 in the whole set. How do I get rid of the ones that shouldn’t be there?

Reply | Quote

If I understand correctly, you have deleted all the replicas whose names and/or folder names are bogus, and you are still left with 30 entries of “valid” UNC names for the 3 valid replicas. You want to delete “dead’ replicas that are seemingly OK. Is that correct?

I am going out on a limb here because I have not done this process. No guarantees!

I would move each of the new replicas to a safe location, leaving its home folder empty. Then I would try to synchronize with it, and since it is now missing, it will be deleted from the replica set. Repeat until they are all gone. Then move the preserved replica back to its correct location, and open it with Access. It should be recognized as a new replica, and properly added to the replica set. Of course, it **may** carry with it all the names of the 30 dead replicas, in which case your hard work was for nought.

Hope this helps, but as I said, there are NO guarantees!!!

Reply | Quote

I actually did better than that. I deleted all the replicas. Physically deleted them, then tried to synchronize with the ones I had just deleted, so that they were deleted from the replica set. Then, using the design master I created 2 new replicas. Unfortunately the old replicas (along with 27 others and the design master) are still showing in that table.
For neatness I would like to be rid of them, but if there is no performance or reliability hit, I guess I can live with them.

Reply | Quote

Did you do all the synchronizations from the Design Master? When you created the 2 new replicas from the Design Master, had you deleted all its dead replicas?

One reliability issue with dead replicas is if you start doing massive deletions and such, those changes will be carried inside the replica set “forever”, waiting for an opportunity to inform the dead replicas about the changes. Of course, that opportunity will never arise, thus your replicas will carry excess baggage forever.

Reply | Quote

Yep, I did all the synchs from the design master after deleting all replicas.
Having useless legacy data hanging around forever seems ridiculous. But then, Microsoft have NEVER been known for being not ridiculous.
Do you know if TSI’s Unreplicator will work on Access 2003?

Reply | Quote

Sorry, but I have never used the TSI unreplicator.

Reply | Quote

Searched the web and apparently TSI Unreplicator is OK for Access 2003, even though it is marked as being for Access 2000.
I tried it and it worked like a charm. I then created the 2 replicas I needed; also worked like a charm. The design master went from 33 MB to 27 MB, and the MySysReplicas table now only shows the 3 Dbs.
Thanks for your input.

Reply | Quote

Testing the new set up after using TSI UnReplicator on this Access 2003 database, the Db kept crashing. So back to the previous setup. I will live with it..
So a warning, perhaps TSI UnReplicator doesn’t work with Access 2003.

Reply | Quote

Try:

http://www.pacificdb.com.au/MVP/Code/UnReplicate.htm%5B/url%5D

Reply | Quote

Thanks for the suggestion Jack.
But I’ve already tried that. There are 2 methods. The first involves getting Access to load a text file using the VBA editor – just plain doesn’t work. The second involves running code form an Access Db. The form on the Db from which the code is launched won’t open in either normal nor design mode. It gives an out of memory message (despite the fact that it was the only program loaded on my computer and there was 1.5 GB fee memory). As the code is behind the form, I can’t get to it to run it another way. There are many references to these two methods not working on the web, but they haven’t been fixed.

Reply | Quote

BTW – before I learned about dead replicas, I created a replica set with dozens of dead ones. Never did delete them all; I eventually unreplicated the database and created the replica set again from scratch. Big job…

Reply | Quote