If you are using Data Studio Administration Console (DSAC) to monitor a Q Replication environment, there are a few important things you should know.

1. DSAC v1.2 Fixpack 1 is available for *free* download.  You can access both the base code and the Fixpack at the Blogroll link in the lower right hand corner of this page under “Q Replication Tools”.  There are a couple of installation “gotchas” that you need to know that I covered in and earlier post.
2. What is old is new again.  The original Q Replication Dashboard was a Java-based heavy client.  That was replaced by the current DSAC implementation: browser-based, thin-client with a lite webserver imbedded.  Q Replication monitoring is now moving away from the “Data Studio” umbrella and will be called Q Replication Dashboard again.  My guess is that the new implementation will retain a lot of the “look and feel” of DSAC, so there’s no risk in starting to use DSAC today for Q Replication monitoring.  Watch the blog for details as they become available.
3. In a follow-up to Kim’s What’s in a Name post from a while back, IBMer Anjul Bhambhri made an off-hand remark at the June meeting of the Baltimore/Washington DB2 Users Group which identified an important IBM product naming convention distinction.  Products named “Data Studio” are available for *free*; these are typically tools which provide basic functionality (e.g. DSAC).  Products named “Optim” are for-fee products offering more integration and/or robust functionality.  “Optim” is a name that derives from IBM’s acquisition of Princeton Softech.  Most folks associated “Optim” with data archiving.  Now “Optim” will be the brandlet that covers IBM cross-database tooling.  Clear?  I hope so.  At least until the next change.

If you’re not using DSAC for Q Replication real-time monitoring, how come?