How to Create a Min-Database for eSync

  • Updated

When upgrading, migrating, or testing sites and databases with eSync, you may wish to create a min database. We also use min databases to troubleshoot sync issues in Support. Please find the steps below to create a min database for eSync purposes.

These steps are extremely similar to the original min-site article. However, there are extra steps needed to set up a sync relationship to a min database. 

NOTE: We highly recommend to back up any existing databases that will be replaced with a min-database before proceeding. This will cause the site that is being connected to the min-database to go "down" until the sync has been completed successfully. As such, we also highly recommend to perform these steps during an "off hours" or "scheduled maintenance" period.

If you are using a separate database server, you need the following information:

  • database server host name or IP address
  • if the database server is on the same domain as the application server, it must support NT or SQL authentication
  • if the database server is on a separate domain from the application server, it must support SQL authentication
  • you must have database administrator or database creator privileges
  • your license key for your site that you are connecting the database to
  1. Go to the web server you are creating a min database for. For example, if you are having issues syncing to your production database, create the min database on your -production- web server.
  2. Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Ektron\CMS400vXX\Utilities\SiteSetup, and run the cms400sitesetup.exe application as an Administrator.
  3. Select CMS400 Database Setup
  4. Choose "New CMS400 Database"
  5. Enter the license key for your site that you are connecting the database to.
  6. Continue through the prompts, selecting your site and host.
  7. Confirm or adjust the site path in the prompts as necessary.
  8. Create a database name.
  9. Enter the Ektron administrator user's password. It cannot be 'admin'. You may also change the user's username if you wish.
  10. Enter the builtin user's username and password. The password cannot be 'builtin'.
  11. The SQL Server DB Setup screen appears and prompts for database connection information.
    • Server-List the database server on this system. Enter a SQL or SQL Express server that already exists. For SQL Express enter: servername\SQLEXPRESS.
    • Username-Enter the username you will use to access the database.
    • Password-Enter the password you will use to access the database.
    • NOTE: If you want to use NT authentication, leave the username and password blank. This will set up a trusted connection.
  12. After you complete the screen, the setup verifies the database connection information. If the database name already exists, you are asked to assign a different name. When a connection is made and the name is available, the installation program creates a database using the provided information.

After the database is set up, navigate to your site's connectionstring, located in the web.config and confirm that the min database SQL server and name are correct.

Then, to confirm that the EktronWindowServices picked up the changes, navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Ektron\EktronWindowsService40, and open the sitedb.config and data.config. You should see the new min-database connectionstring from your site's web.config in both files. If these files are still pointing to the 'old' database, restart the EktronWindowService4.0 service on the web server. Re-verify if the changes took place. If the files are correct, navigate to the sending site's workarea.

In the sending site's working, navigate to Settings Configuration Synchronization Profiles. Create a new sync relationship and set up a sync relationship with the min database(steps below). When you are ready, perform an initial sync to the min database. 

Performing the initial sync

  1. On the server that still has the populated database(not the one connected to the min database), sign on to the Workarea > Settings > Configuration > Synchronization > Profiles.
  2. The View All Synchronization Configurations screen appears.
  3. Click Create Synchronization Server Relationship.
  4. At the Remote Server field, enter the remote server name. The remote server appears in the Choose Certificate field.
  5. Click Connect. A screen shows the remote server's databases.
  6. Click the database with which you want to sync then Next. A screen appears, showing both servers.
  7. Change the direction so the data is syncing in the correct direction.
  8. Click Create. This action connects the local and remote servers.
  9. From the View All Synchronization Configurations screen, click Start Initial Sync.
  10. The initial sync uploads the local server’s database and resources to the remote server. A screen tracks the progress.
  11. When the sync is finished, Synchronization is Complete appears.
  12. The initial sync creates a default database profile. You can reuse this profile to sync database/resource files in the future.