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8.4. Configuring Single-Master Replication

To set up single-master replication such as the configuration shown in Figure 8.1, “Single-Master Replication”, between supplier Server A, which holds a read-write replica, and the two consumers Server B and Server C, which each hold a read-only replica, there are two major steps:

8.4.1. Configuring the Read-Write Replica on the Supplier Server

  1. Specify the supplier settings for the server.
    1. In the Directory Server Console, select the Configuration tab.
    2. In the navigation tree, select the Replication folder.
    3. In the right-hand side of the window, select the Supplier Settings tab.
    4. Check the Enable Changelog checkbox.
      This activates all of the fields in the pane below that were previously grayed out.
    5. Specify a changelog by clicking the Use default button, or click the Browse button to display a file selector.
    6. Set the changelog parameters for the number and age of the log files.
      Clear the unlimited checkboxes to specify different values.
    7. Click Save.
  2. Specify the replication settings required for a read-write replica.
    1. In the navigation tree on the Configuration tab, expand the Replication node, and highlight the database to replicate.
      The Replica Settings tab opens in the right-hand side of the window.
    2. Check the Enable Replica checkbox.
    3. In the Replica Role section, select the Single Master radio button.
    4. In the Common Settings section, specify a Replica ID, which is an integer between 1 and 65534, inclusive.
      The replica ID must be unique for a given suffix, different from any other ID used for read-write replicas on this server and on other servers.
    5. In the Common Settings section, specify a purge delay in the Purge delay field.
      The purge delay is how often the state information stored in the replicated entries is deleted.
    6. Click Save.

8.4.2. Configuring the Read-Only Replica on the Consumer

  1. Create the database for the read-only replica if it does not exist. See Section 3.1.1, “Creating Suffixes” for instructions on creating suffixes.
  2. Create the entry for the supplier bind DN on the consumer server if it does not exist. The supplier bind DN is the special entry that the supplier will use to bind to the consumer. This is described in Section 8.3, “Creating the Supplier Bind DN Entry”.
  3. Specify the replication settings required for a read-only replica.
    1. In the Directory Server Console, select the Configuration tab.
    2. In the navigation tree, expand the Replication folder, and highlight the replica database.
      The Replica Settings tab for that database opens in the right-hand side of the window.
    3. Check the Enable Replica checkbox.
    4. In the Replica Role section, select the Dedicated Consumer radio button.
    5. In the Common Settings section, specify a purge delay in the Purge delay field.
      This option indicates how often the state information stored in the replicated entries is purged.
    6. In the Update Settings section, specify the bind DN that the supplier will use to bind to the replica. Enter the supplier bind DN in the Enter a new Supplier DN field, and click Add. The supplier bind DN appears in the Current Supplier DNs list.
      The supplier bind DN should be the entry created in step 2. The supplier bind DN is a privileged user because it is not subject to access control.

      NOTE

      There can be multiple supplier bind DNs per consumer but only one supplier DN per replication agreement.
    7. Specify the URL for any supplier servers to which to refer updates.
      By default, all updates are first referred to the supplier servers that are specified here. If no suppliers are set here, updates are referred to the supplier servers that have a replication agreement that includes the current replica.
      Automatic referrals assume that clients bind over a regular connection; this has a URL in the form ldap://hostname:port. For clients to bind to the supplier using SSL, use this field to specify a referral of the form ldaps://hostname:port, where the s in ldaps indicates a secure connection.
  4. Click Save.
Repeat these steps for every consumer server in the replication configuration.

8.4.3. Create the Replication Agreement

Create one replication agreement for each read-only replica. For example, in the scenario illustrated in Figure 8.1, “Single-Master Replication”, Server A has two replication agreements, one for Server B and one for Server C.
  1. In the navigation tree of the Configuration tab, right-click the database to replicate, and select New Replication Agreement.
    Alternatively, highlight the database, and select New Replication Agreement from the Object menu to start the Replication Agreement Wizard.
  2. In the first screen, fill in a name and description for the replication agreement, and hit Next.
  3. In the Source and Destination screen, fill in the URL for the consumer and the supplier bind DN and password on that consumer. If the target server is not available, hit in other to fill in the information manually.
    • Unless there is more than one instance of Directory Server configured, by default, there are no consumers available in the drop-down menu.
    • The port listed is the non-SSL port, even if the Directory Server instance is configured to run over SSL. This port number is used only for identification of the Directory Server instance in the Console; it does not specify the actual port number or protocol that is used for replication.
    • If SSL is enabled on the servers, it is possible to select the Using encrypted SSL connection radio button for SSL client authentication. Otherwise, fill in the supplier bind DN and password.

      NOTE

      If attribute encryption is enabled, a secure connection must be used for the encrypted attributes to be replicated.
    Hit Next.
  4. Fractional replication controls which entry attributes are replicated between servers. By default, all attributes are replicated. To select attributes that will not be replicated to the consumer, check the Enable Fractional Replication checkbox. Then, highlight the attribute (or attributes) in the Included column on the right, and click Remove. All attributes that will not be replicated are listed in the Excluded column on the left, as well as in the summary the replication agreement is complete.

    NOTE

    To safeguard against potential integrity problems, the consumer in fractional replication must be a dedicated consumer, not a multi-master supplier or hub. This is not enforced at the time the replication agreement is made, but replication will fail if the consumer is not a read-only replica.
  5. Set the schedule for when replication runs. By default, replication runs continually.
    Hit Next.
  6. Set when the consumer is initialized. Initializing a consumer manually copies all data over from the supplier to the consumer. The default is to create an initialization file (an LDIF of all supplier data) so that the consumer can be initialized later. It is also possible to initialize the consumer as soon as the replication agreement is completed or not at all. For information on initializing consumers, see Section 8.10, “Initializing Consumers”.

    NOTE

    Replication will not begin until the consumer is initialized.
    Hit Next.
  7. The final screen shows the settings for the replication agreement, as it will be included in the dse.ldif file. Hit Done to save the agreement.
The replication agreement is set up.

NOTE

After creating a replication agreement, the connection type (SSL or non-SSL) cannot be changed because LDAP and LDAPS connections use different ports. To change the connection type, re-create the replication agreement.