The Satellite Administration Center is a set of tools that is available from the DB2 Control Center. They allow you to set up and administer collections of DB2 servers from a central point. Each DB2 server that belongs to a group is known as a satellite. Administering satellites from a central point means that DB2 can be hidden from anyone using a DB2 satellite, thereby avoiding the need for them to learn about database administration.
Use groups to organize DB2 servers that have shared characteristics, such as the applications that run on them or the database configuration that supports the application. The DB2 servers are similar in terms of their database configuration, usage, and purpose.
By grouping the DB2 servers together, you can administer groups of DB2 servers rather than having to administer each DB2 server individually. If you acquire additional DB2 servers to serve the same function as the DB2 servers of an existing group, you can add them to that group by using the Satellite Administration Center.
From the Satellite Administration Center, you can create groups, satellites, application versions, batches, and authentication. You can also define success code sets and perform other functions associated with the administration of the satellite environment. Information about the satellite environment is stored in a central database known as the satellite control database. This database records, among other things, which satellites are in the environment, the group each satellite belongs to, and which version of the end-user application a satellite is running. This database is on a DB2 server that is known as the DB2 control server.
Before the functionality of the Satellite Administration Center can be enabled, you must first catalog a satellite control database (SATCTLDB) on the Control Center. When it is enabled, you can use the Satellite Control Center to set up and maintain satellites, groups, and the batches that the satellites execute when they synchronize for their application version.
To set up and maintain its database configuration, each satellite connects to the satellite control database to download the batches that correspond to its version of the end-user application. The satellite executes these batches locally, then reports the results back to the satellite control database. This process of downloading batches, executing them, then reporting the results of the batch execution is known as synchronization. A satellite synchronizes to maintain its consistency with the other satellites that belong to its group and are running the same version of the end-user application.