Sybase ASE – Known Issues / Restrictions

User Name/Password Issues:

• If the default user name is password-protected, the create UI does not detect this until after all validation is complete
  
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    When creating the Sybase resource, you are prompted to enter the user name. The help to front displays a message that if no user is specified, the default of ‘sa’ will be used. However, no password validation is done for the default account at this time. When
  SIOS Protection Suite attempts to create the Sybase resource, the resource creation fails because the password has not been validated or entered. The password validation occurs on the user/password dialog, but only when a valid user is actually entered on the user prompt. Even if using the default user name, it must be specified during the create action.
  

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  User/password dialog skips the password prompt if you do not enter a user name. When updating the user/password via the UI option, if you do not enter the Sybase user name, the default of ‘sa’ will be used and no password validation is done for the account. This causes the monitoring of the database to fail with invalid credential errors. Even if using the default user name, it must be specified during the update action. To fix this failure, perform the following steps:
  

1. Verify that the required Sybase data files are currently accessible from the intended server. In most instances, this will be the backup server due to the monitoring and local recovery failure on the primary.
   
   
2. Start the Sybase database instance from the command line on this server (see the Sybase product documentation for information on starting the database manually).
   
   
3. From the command line, change directory (cd) to the LKROOT/bin directory (/opt/LifeKeeper/bin on most installations).
   
   
4. Once in the bin directory, execute the following:
   
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   ./ins_setstate –t <SYBASE_TAG> -S ISP
   
   where <SYBASE_TAG> is the tag name of the Sybase resource
   
   
5. When the command completes, immediately execute the Update User/Password Wizard from the UI and enter a valid user name, even if planning to use the Sybase default of ‘sa’. Note: The Update User/Password Wizard can be accessed by right-clicking on the Sybase resource instance and selecting Change Username/Password.
   
   
6. When the hierarchy has been updated on the local server, verify that the resource can be brought in service on all nodes.
   

The Sybase user name must consist of less than eight characters. If the Sybase local user name is greater than eight characters, the process and user identification checks used for resource creation and monitoring will fail. This will also prevent the protection of a valid Sybase Backup Server instance from being selected for protection. This problem is caused by the operating system translation of user names that are >= eight characters from the name to the UID in various commands (for example, ps). You must use a user name that is less than eight characters long.

Resource Create Issue:

• Default Sybase install prompt is based on ASE 16.0 SP02 (/opt/sybase). During the SIOS Protection Suite resource creation, the default prompt for the location of the Sybase installation shows up relative to Sybase Version 16.0 SP02 (/opt/sybase). You must manually enter or browse to the correct Sybase install location during the resource create prompt.

Extend Issues:

• The Sybase tag prompt on extend is editable but should not be changed. The Sybase tag can be changed during extend, but this is not recommended. Using different tags on each server can lead to issues with remote administration via the command line.

Properties Page Issues:

• Image appears missing for the Properties pane update user/password. Instead of the proper image, a small square appears on the toolbar. Selecting this square will launch the User/Password Update Wizard.

Remove command not recognized by Sybase on SLES 11

If bringing Sybase in service on the backup server, it must first be taken out of service on the primary server. In order for Sybase to recognize this command, you must add a line in “locales/locales.dat“ for the SIOS Protection Suite remotely executed Sybase command using “POSIX“ as “vendor_locale“.

Example:

Unable to detect that Sybase ARK is running

Symptom: Unable to detect that Sybase ARK is running.

Cause: The Sybase ARK uses the default sql interface tool (isql). On some 64 bit systems, the isql tool is installed as isql64 and not isql.

Solution: The isql64 tool can be copied, in the same path, to isql. Or a link can be created between the isql64 executable and isql.