Queue reader agent aborting

Hi,
I'm running transactional replication (SQL Server 2000) with queued updating
between two locations (New Jersey & Arizona). Generally it runs fine, but
about every other week the Queue Reader agent fails with an error message
"Queue reader aborting. The step failed". I can't find any information
regarding the source or nature of the error, and if I try to restart the
agent if fails immediately with the same error. The only way I've been able
to get around the error is to drop the subscription and redo the snapshot.
Does anyone have any suggestions how to determine the source of this error?
Thanks for any help...
Ed
Can you do logging for your queue reader and post the error message you get back here?
Follow the instructions in this kb for more information on how to enable it.
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;312292
Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
"ed.d@.osgbilling.com" wrote:

> Hi,
> I'm running transactional replication (SQL Server 2000) with queued updating
> between two locations (New Jersey & Arizona). Generally it runs fine, but
> about every other week the Queue Reader agent fails with an error message
> "Queue reader aborting. The step failed". I can't find any information
> regarding the source or nature of the error, and if I try to restart the
> agent if fails immediately with the same error. The only way I've been able
> to get around the error is to drop the subscription and redo the snapshot.
> Does anyone have any suggestions how to determine the source of this error?
> Thanks for any help...
> Ed
>
>
|||Thanks, I'll try adding that logging parameter. What's the best way to stop
the queue reader agent? In the past, I stopped it from enterprise manager by
right clicking and selecting "Stop Agent", but once I do that it often won't
start again...
Ed
"Hilary Cotter" <hilaryk@.att.net> wrote in message
news:2AE57792-B5BE-461C-9C5B-347F261FF985@.microsoft.com...
> Can you do logging for your queue reader and post the error message you
get back here?
> Follow the instructions in this kb for more information on how to enable
it.[vbcol=seagreen]
> http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;312292
>
> --
> Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
> http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
>
>
> "ed.d@.osgbilling.com" wrote:
updating[vbcol=seagreen]
but[vbcol=seagreen]
message[vbcol=seagreen]
able[vbcol=seagreen]
snapshot.[vbcol=seagreen]
error?[vbcol=seagreen]
|||For me the only reliable way to stop the queue reader and log reader agents is to stop the SQL Server agent.
Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
"ed.d@.osgbilling.com" wrote:

> Thanks, I'll try adding that logging parameter. What's the best way to stop
> the queue reader agent? In the past, I stopped it from enterprise manager by
> right clicking and selecting "Stop Agent", but once I do that it often won't
> start again...
> Ed
>
>
> "Hilary Cotter" <hilaryk@.att.net> wrote in message
> news:2AE57792-B5BE-461C-9C5B-347F261FF985@.microsoft.com...
> get back here?
> it.
> updating
> but
> message
> able
> snapshot.
> error?
>
>
|||Thanks again. Now I'm just waiting for it to fail...
"Hilary Cotter" <hilaryk@.att.net> wrote in message
news:40F318EA-ACF6-4B3A-865D-7B33B00F305E@.microsoft.com...
> For me the only reliable way to stop the queue reader and log reader
agents is to stop the SQL Server agent.[vbcol=seagreen]
> --
> Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
> http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
>
>
> "ed.d@.osgbilling.com" wrote:
stop[vbcol=seagreen]
manager by[vbcol=seagreen]
won't[vbcol=seagreen]
you[vbcol=seagreen]
enable[vbcol=seagreen]
fine,[vbcol=seagreen]
information[vbcol=seagreen]
the[vbcol=seagreen]
been[vbcol=seagreen]
|||Hi,
The queue reader failed. Below is the output from the log. Any insight you
have would be greatly appreciated.
Ed
Microsoft SQL Server Replication Queue Reader Agent 8.00.760
Copyright (c) 2000 Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft SQL Server Replication Agent: [SLIM].12
Connecting to QueueReader 'SLIM.Billing'
Server: SLIM
DBMS: Microsoft SQL Server
Version: 08.00.0760
user name: dbo
API conformance: 2
SQL conformance: 1
transaction capable: 2
read only: N
identifier quote char: "
non_nullable_columns: 1
owner usage: 31
max table name len: 128
max column name len: 128
need long data len: Y
max columns in table: 1024
max columns in index: 16
max char literal len: 524288
max statement len: 524288
max row size: 524288
[6/22/2004 12:57:11 PM]SLIM.Billing: select count(*) from
master.dbo.sysprocesses where [program_name] = 'Queue Reader Main (Billing)'
[6/22/2004 12:57:11 PM]SLIM.Billing: select top 1 id, name from
MSqreader_agents
Server: SLIM, Database Billing : ODBC Error:Invalid object name
'MSqreader_agents'.
Unable to connect to Local Distributor
Queue Reader aborting
|||can you check to see if this table exists in your local distribution database?
Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
"ed.d@.osgbilling.com" wrote:

> Hi,
> The queue reader failed. Below is the output from the log. Any insight you
> have would be greatly appreciated.
> Ed
> Microsoft SQL Server Replication Queue Reader Agent 8.00.760
> Copyright (c) 2000 Microsoft Corporation
> Microsoft SQL Server Replication Agent: [SLIM].12
> Connecting to QueueReader 'SLIM.Billing'
> Server: SLIM
> DBMS: Microsoft SQL Server
> Version: 08.00.0760
> user name: dbo
> API conformance: 2
> SQL conformance: 1
> transaction capable: 2
> read only: N
> identifier quote char: "
> non_nullable_columns: 1
> owner usage: 31
> max table name len: 128
> max column name len: 128
> need long data len: Y
> max columns in table: 1024
> max columns in index: 16
> max char literal len: 524288
> max statement len: 524288
> max row size: 524288
> [6/22/2004 12:57:11 PM]SLIM.Billing: select count(*) from
> master.dbo.sysprocesses where [program_name] = 'Queue Reader Main (Billing)'
> [6/22/2004 12:57:11 PM]SLIM.Billing: select top 1 id, name from
> MSqreader_agents
> Server: SLIM, Database Billing : ODBC Error:Invalid object name
> 'MSqreader_agents'.
> Unable to connect to Local Distributor
> Queue Reader aborting
>
>
|||The table does exist - but I thought it was odd that the statements
contained references to the "Billing" database. That's a database on the
server, but it's not part of replication. Digging into the job under SQL
Server Agent, I saw that the queue reader step was set to run in the
"Billing" database. I'm guessing someone changed that setting
unintentionally. I changed it to run under the "distribution" database, and
the step restarted fine.
Thanks for the tip on logging the output - it would have been impossible to
figure this out without it
Ed
"Hilary Cotter" <hilaryk@.att.net> wrote in message
news:810FBB09-2770-4D9C-A07B-ED917F4B9E32@.microsoft.com...
> can you check to see if this table exists in your local distribution
database?[vbcol=seagreen]
> --
> Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
> http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
>
>
> "ed.d@.osgbilling.com" wrote:
you[vbcol=seagreen]
(Billing)'[vbcol=seagreen]