Shutting down the databases

To make it easier to gain exclusive access to the databases, for example before you apply changes to the database schema, you can use the Take Offline command to broadcast a message to all active iBase users that asks them to end their sessions. Existing users are not ejected from the system by this message but new users (except for database administrators) cannot open the databases.

About this task

The message does not deny database access to services such as the Scheduler service, which should be disabled manually. For more information, see iBase Scheduler.

You can broadcast just the standard message (which is *** WARNING *** This database is now offline) or you can add a message to provide users with some instructions or information.

Note: Typically the Take Offline command is run from just one of the databases and the database status is replicated to all the other sites. However, it might need to be run locally if a site is unable to communicate with the publisher site because of a network communications failure.

Procedure

To take the databases offline:

  1. Start iBase and log on as a database administrator.

  2. Open one of the databases and from the Tools menu, select Replication Take Offline.

  3. In the Take Offline dialog, enter a message (if required). Only users who are actively using iBase, or trying to log on, see the message.

  4. Select the frequency with which the message is displayed and click OK.

    This prevents new sessions from being started (unless the user is a database administrator) but it does not end any current sessions.

  5. To change the frequency with which the message displays or to change the message:

  6. From the Tools menu, select Replication Bring Online.

  7. Click Yes to bring the databases online.

  8. From the Tools menu, select Replication Take Offline and re-enter the message, change the interval, or both.

What to do next

When the databases are offline, in iBase, select Tools > Replication Bring Online to bring the databases back online to make them available to users who want to start new sessions.

You can bring the publication database online as soon as your SQL Server administrator tells you that replication is configured for the publisher site. The subscription databases automatically come back online as the subscriber sites are configured for replication.

Note: Do not bring the publication database online while replication is disabled. You should only add data (whether manually or by scheduled import), or edit or delete data while replication is configured. This is because any changes that are made to the data while replication is disabled cannot be replicated to other sites even when replication is reconfigured.