Invalid Descriptor Index

I'm testing db to db transactional replication on a box ( all on the same box
) and the distribution agent fails with the above error. I know it's
something to do with the physical server as this test works on other servers
fine. SQL2k Ent sp4 on w2k3 ent sp1. ( clustered )
Server and Agent accounts are in local admins, tried push and pull, named
and anonymous. Replication also fails if I use the default snapshot location.
I suspect policy restrictions ( maybe on the sql service accounts ) Any
pointers would be helpful - there are no errors other than above, sadly.
The distribution Job fails with this message " Invalid Descriptor Index.
The step failed."
The snapshot works fine, I can see snapshots created ( as I add articles
through tsql ) the data is produced in the designated folder ( not the
default )
When I used the default snapshot folder the snapshot failed with a
permission error - couldn't write the files ( or similar ) which with the
services in the local admins makes me think this is a policy thing.
The servers are not really on the domain and it's actually quite tricky (
like a collection of workgroups ) but that shouldn't stop local replication
working.
This is a hoary problem with no good solution I know of. Some people have
reported success by
1) remove and re-enabling replication (not an option on a clustered server)
2) applying the sp again
3) rearranging the order of columns so the text column is not the last
column in the table. This would require a recreating of the table.
Can you enable logging to determine which table it is breaking on?
http://support.microsoft.com/default...312292&sd=tech
Hilary Cotter
Director of Text Mining and Database Strategy
RelevantNOISE.Com - Dedicated to mining blogs for business intelligence.
This posting is my own and doesn't necessarily represent RelevantNoise's
positions, strategies or opinions.
Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
Looking for a FAQ on Indexing Services/SQL FTS
http://www.indexserverfaq.com
"colinlr" <colinlr@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:872587F6-346A-46F9-80D3-6A3C6660B7C0@.microsoft.com...
> I'm testing db to db transactional replication on a box ( all on the same
> box
> ) and the distribution agent fails with the above error. I know it's
> something to do with the physical server as this test works on other
> servers
> fine. SQL2k Ent sp4 on w2k3 ent sp1. ( clustered )
> Server and Agent accounts are in local admins, tried push and pull, named
> and anonymous. Replication also fails if I use the default snapshot
> location.
> I suspect policy restrictions ( maybe on the sql service accounts ) Any
> pointers would be helpful - there are no errors other than above, sadly.
> The distribution Job fails with this message " Invalid Descriptor Index.
> The step failed."
> The snapshot works fine, I can see snapshots created ( as I add articles
> through tsql ) the data is produced in the designated folder ( not the
> default )
> When I used the default snapshot folder the snapshot failed with a
> permission error - couldn't write the files ( or similar ) which with the
> services in the local admins makes me think this is a policy thing.
> The servers are not really on the domain and it's actually quite tricky (
> like a collection of workgroups ) but that shouldn't stop local
> replication
> working.
>
|||Hah - well there's a point, I'm actually replicating a function, although I
did try a table and a procedure all produced the same result.
have removed and replaced replication about twelve times with no change to
result.
will ask about having the sp re-installed but as it's hosted, not sure. I
could try for 2187 rollup I guess.
"Hilary Cotter" wrote:

> This is a hoary problem with no good solution I know of. Some people have
> reported success by
> 1) remove and re-enabling replication (not an option on a clustered server)
> 2) applying the sp again
> 3) rearranging the order of columns so the text column is not the last
> column in the table. This would require a recreating of the table.
> Can you enable logging to determine which table it is breaking on?
> http://support.microsoft.com/default...312292&sd=tech
> --
> Hilary Cotter
> Director of Text Mining and Database Strategy
> RelevantNOISE.Com - Dedicated to mining blogs for business intelligence.
> This posting is my own and doesn't necessarily represent RelevantNoise's
> positions, strategies or opinions.
> Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
> http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
> Looking for a FAQ on Indexing Services/SQL FTS
> http://www.indexserverfaq.com
>
> "colinlr" <colinlr@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:872587F6-346A-46F9-80D3-6A3C6660B7C0@.microsoft.com...
>
>
|||Two considerations. 1) use snapshot replication for replicating schema only
objects - like functions, views, stored procedures. Snapshot replication is
the only replication type which picks up schema changes.
2) try to use sp_addscriptexec to deploy your function if you deployed your
snapshot through a unc. It does not work using ftp.
Hilary Cotter
Director of Text Mining and Database Strategy
RelevantNOISE.Com - Dedicated to mining blogs for business intelligence.
This posting is my own and doesn't necessarily represent RelevantNoise's
positions, strategies or opinions.
Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
Looking for a FAQ on Indexing Services/SQL FTS
http://www.indexserverfaq.com
"colinlr" <colinlr@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:45033792-E26F-4936-B81B-41E4FAE9D7A3@.microsoft.com...[vbcol=seagreen]
> Hah - well there's a point, I'm actually replicating a function, although
> I
> did try a table and a procedure all produced the same result.
> have removed and replaced replication about twelve times with no change to
> result.
> will ask about having the sp re-installed but as it's hosted, not sure. I
> could try for 2187 rollup I guess.
>
> "Hilary Cotter" wrote:
|||I have to provide a scripted solution for replication, using the GUI is not
an option for a controlled environment. It all works fine on the test boxes,
and yes I'm using the snapshot to move the non table objects. It provides a
simplified solution for the client if everything is within one publication,
less chance of mistakes, and they ( or another DBA ) will have to support my
work after I've gone. There are in truth a number of routes I could take but
a consistant method of implementing changes is important.
Anyway I digress - it works except on the production cluster, if I could
extract a more useful error message or figure out how to run the distributor
command out of the agent job ?
Unless I can get a handle on the problem there is no way to go to the data
centre providers so currently we have an impasse as I figure it's the server
config but without some measure of documented proof I can't approach the data
centre.
"Hilary Cotter" wrote:

> Two considerations. 1) use snapshot replication for replicating schema only
> objects - like functions, views, stored procedures. Snapshot replication is
> the only replication type which picks up schema changes.
> 2) try to use sp_addscriptexec to deploy your function if you deployed your
> snapshot through a unc. It does not work using ftp.
> --
> Hilary Cotter
> Director of Text Mining and Database Strategy
> RelevantNOISE.Com - Dedicated to mining blogs for business intelligence.
> This posting is my own and doesn't necessarily represent RelevantNoise's
> positions, strategies or opinions.
> Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
> http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
> Looking for a FAQ on Indexing Services/SQL FTS
> http://www.indexserverfaq.com
>
> "colinlr" <colinlr@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:45033792-E26F-4936-B81B-41E4FAE9D7A3@.microsoft.com...
>
>
|||Use a pre or post snapshot script to deploy the schema only objects then.
Hilary Cotter
Director of Text Mining and Database Strategy
RelevantNOISE.Com - Dedicated to mining blogs for business intelligence.
This posting is my own and doesn't necessarily represent RelevantNoise's
positions, strategies or opinions.
Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
Looking for a FAQ on Indexing Services/SQL FTS
http://www.indexserverfaq.com
"colinlr" <colinlr@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:E870FE9C-8794-4E27-AD96-CEDE11FD7103@.microsoft.com...[vbcol=seagreen]
>I have to provide a scripted solution for replication, using the GUI is not
> an option for a controlled environment. It all works fine on the test
> boxes,
> and yes I'm using the snapshot to move the non table objects. It provides
> a
> simplified solution for the client if everything is within one
> publication,
> less chance of mistakes, and they ( or another DBA ) will have to support
> my
> work after I've gone. There are in truth a number of routes I could take
> but
> a consistant method of implementing changes is important.
> Anyway I digress - it works except on the production cluster, if I could
> extract a more useful error message or figure out how to run the
> distributor
> command out of the agent job ?
> Unless I can get a handle on the problem there is no way to go to the data
> centre providers so currently we have an impasse as I figure it's the
> server
> config but without some measure of documented proof I can't approach the
> data
> centre.
> "Hilary Cotter" wrote:
|||It's interesting that there doesn't seem to be any logical solutions or
pointers to this error message. I searched extensively prior to posting ( on
several forums ) and I haven't seen one solution other than re-installing sp3
- which doesn't apply here. I have asked that the data centre re-patch but I
don't know when that will be.
I have to admit I rarely post problems I encounter, as, like now, I never
seem to find a resolution - it's very frustrating !!!
Such is life I guess.
"Hilary Cotter" wrote:

> Use a pre or post snapshot script to deploy the schema only objects then.
> --
> Hilary Cotter
> Director of Text Mining and Database Strategy
> RelevantNOISE.Com - Dedicated to mining blogs for business intelligence.
> This posting is my own and doesn't necessarily represent RelevantNoise's
> positions, strategies or opinions.
> Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
> http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
> Looking for a FAQ on Indexing Services/SQL FTS
> http://www.indexserverfaq.com
>
> "colinlr" <colinlr@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:E870FE9C-8794-4E27-AD96-CEDE11FD7103@.microsoft.com...
>
>
|||You can always open a support incident with PSS.
Hilary Cotter
Director of Text Mining and Database Strategy
RelevantNOISE.Com - Dedicated to mining blogs for business intelligence.
This posting is my own and doesn't necessarily represent RelevantNoise's
positions, strategies or opinions.
Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
Looking for a FAQ on Indexing Services/SQL FTS
http://www.indexserverfaq.com
"colinlr" <colinlr@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:44A1572A-A1A8-4DC7-A449-D0418991B110@.microsoft.com...[vbcol=seagreen]
> It's interesting that there doesn't seem to be any logical solutions or
> pointers to this error message. I searched extensively prior to posting
> ( on
> several forums ) and I haven't seen one solution other than re-installing
> sp3
> - which doesn't apply here. I have asked that the data centre re-patch but
> I
> don't know when that will be.
> I have to admit I rarely post problems I encounter, as, like now, I never
> seem to find a resolution - it's very frustrating !!!
> Such is life I guess.
> "Hilary Cotter" wrote: