Setup and configuration

PI AF collectives use SQL Server replication to copy data from the primary PI AF SQL database computer (publisher) to each of the secondary PI AF SQL database computers.

Each secondary server communicates with the primary server through a Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) connection and reports its status information. The server authenticates the WCF connection using a Windows certificate that the PI AF server generates when it is started. SQL Server replication transmits the primary PI AF server’s certificate to each secondary server. After the secondary server receives the primary server’s certificate, it can communicate its status to the primary server.

When PI AF data is changed on the primary PI AF server, the log reader agent pushes changes to the SQL Server instance on each secondary server. If the secondary server is not reachable (for example, if there is a network problem or the computer is offline), the agent retries later.

Follow these procedures to create and configure a PI AF collective.