Password Management

Password Changes (Db2 for i host schema owner)

The wizard for creating a Staging Agent for a Db2 for i source system ("Add Databases" operation) prompts for a schema name (default SQDR) and password. A schema (collection) and a user are created on the source system, and the credentials are stored (encrypted) in the agent's configuration file (sqagent.properties). If the password for the Db2 for i user changes, the Staging Agent will be unable to start. The simplest solution is to make sure that the user's password is never expired or changed, but some host systems enforce periodic password changes.

If the agent is already running when the password change occurs, you can use the SQDR Control Center to modify the password:

  1. Select the Agent from the Databases list

  2. Open the Configuration Settings panel

  3. Select the text field sourcePassword and enter the new password - it will be displayed in plain text.

  4. Select the Save button at the top of the Configuration Settings panel; this will encrypt the new password, save the configuration, and restart the Agent.

If the agent is unable to start because of the password change:

  1. Locate the sqagent.properties file for the agent - it will be located in a directory agtN (where N is a numeric value) in C:\ProgramData\StarQuest\sqdrplus\conf (Windows) or /var/sqrdplus/conf (Linux).

  2. Edit sqagent.properties with notepad or other text editor and change the sourcePassword value to the new password (plain text). Save sqagent.properties.

  3. You should now be able to start the agent; if necessary, use the Services control panel to restart the SQDR Plus Launch Agent.  On Linux, use "/etc/init.d/sqdr-capagent restart".

  4. After the agent is running, use the SQDR Control Center as described above to change the value again so that the value is encrypted.

Password Changes (local or domain Windows or Linux user for access to Db2 LUW control database)

When using a local Db2 LUW control and staging database for SQDR Plus, the prerequisites include the creation of a local or domain user ID named "sqdr". The user and password information is collected during creation of a Staging Agent are stored (encrypted) in the agent's configuration file (sqagent.properties) and in a table (SQ_PROPERTIES) on the source system that is used by SQDR clients in order to connect to the SQDR Plus staging database. If the password for this user changes, SQDR will be unable to retrieve data from the SQDR Plus staging database and the Staging Agent will be unable to start.

The procedure for changing SQDR Plus to use the new password is identical to the process above for source password changes, except that you should modify the password field rather than the sourcePassword field. Saving the change restarts the Staging Agent, which in turn updates the SQ_PROPERTIES table on the source system.

After the change has been made to SQDR Plus, refresh the connection information (to the staging database) stored on the SQDR client:

  1. Open Data Replicator Manager

  2. Right-click on the Source and select Properties

  3. Select the Advanced tab

  4. Select OK

Password Changes (Derby database used by Launch Agent)

The SQDR Plus Launch Agent uses a local Derby database as a control database. You are prompted to supply a password during installation. We recommend using a non-sensitive password for this function as it is stored in plain text in several locations. This is the password that is supplied for the user SQDR when starting the SQDR Control Center.

Contact StarQuest Support for details on changing the Derby password.