In most cases a SQL Anywhere server without a database is a singularly useless entity. A High Availability Arbiter server, however, is an example of a server-without-a-database that performs a singularly useful role... why, then, does it not feel that way to a database administrator?
Sure, you can use ISQL to connect to an arbiter server using the phantom "utility_db"...
but you can't DO much except ask "What version of the software is running?"...
"%SQLANY12%\bin32\dbisql.com"^ -c "SERVER=arbiter_demo; DBN=utility_db; UID=dba; PWD=sql; HOST=localhost:55400; CON=Arbiter"
![SELECT @@VERSION](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrACHpzq-4rH0EyY1YRoT9leROMpU5lxwK1JeuK_ysDONlfTB-hZWVFy5GQIDAc_0kzhgFvhc_r1Nk1nJ0W2NKyShm8MOHeZnpJH2qwFbhRceMugFyhD6w4LgkYMVcEJzp7BxesDX88M/s1600/Image1+SELECT+@@VERSION.png)
You can't even do something as simple as "Show me all the SET options"...
![SET Could not execute statement](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucNXcauCPlWK1Ahc5XcJIYB3W2ZrbknjVNZpuUO1qOe9b9HBwblu6PmMuzBUkjGoUetW9dIaHFMefruGSDXn9-UKFosvpYd1G27jbJCH9EN2pPyjqRi6shvBIMXiQjcBng0VKBJGDXls/s1600/Image2+SET+Could+not+execute+statement.png)
Sybase Central also lets you connect to an arbiter server, but it too screams "Keep your hands to yourself!" when you ask for the simplest thing...
![Sybase Central Permission denied](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXZSGj7qrpoN2zdyg2VXSJ8Q8ytW93XKbBA2c218zHsPWvPdjrvJ5J9XLql-9mRu6aHOUbEsdF1Oeo8DE0ZQU_AFlPUXZlaAstbB785sh6svsbP64jw8y6ntyBx5sQ9o2n5-vTConF-Y/s1600/Image3+Sybase+Central+Permission+denied.png)
The problem is, SQL Anywhere needs a database to do anything at all... the difference between "empty database" and "no database at all" is vast.
Please, Mr. SQL Anywhere, give the arbiter a database!
Then the administrator can check on the arbiter's health and status, beyond the basic question "Can I connect?"
Maybe even check on the performance of the arbiter, who knows? You can't do anything without a database.
1 comment:
Why not just run a small database on that server? In v16 and later versions of v12.0.1, the arbiter can also be a copy node for the database for which it is an arbiter.
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