Database Mirroring Witness Catalog Views - sys.database_mirroring_witnesses

Applies to: SQL Server

Contains a row for every witness role that a server plays in a database mirroring partnership.

In a database mirroring session, automatic failover requires a witness server. Ideally, the witness resides on a separate computer from both the principal and mirror servers. The witness does not serve the database. Instead, it monitors the status of the principal and mirror servers. If the principal server fails, the witness may initiate automatic failover to the mirror server.

Column name Data type Description
database_name sysname Name of the two copies of the database in the database mirroring session.
principal_server_name sysname Name of partner server whose copy of the database is currently the principal database.
mirror_server_name sysname Name of the partner server whose copy of the database is currently the mirror database.
safety_level tinyint Transaction safety setting for updates on the mirror database:

0 = Unknown state

1 = Off (asynchronous)

2 = Full (synchronous)

Using a witness for automatic failover requires full transaction safety, which is the default.
safety_level_desc nvarchar(60) Description of safety guarantee of updates on the mirror database:

UNKNOWN

OFF

FULL
safety_sequence_number int Update sequence number for changes to safety_level.
role_sequence_number int Update sequence number for changes to principal/mirror roles played by the mirroring partners.
mirroring_guid uniqueidentifier Identifier of the mirroring partnership.
family_guid uniqueidentifier Identifier of the backup family for the database. Used for detecting matching restore states.
is_suspended bit Database mirroring is suspended.
is_suspended_sequence_number int Sequence number for setting is_suspended.
partner_sync_state tinyint Synchronization state of the mirroring session:

5 = The partners are synchronized. Failover is potentially possible. For information about the requirements for failover see, Role Switching During a Database Mirroring Session (SQL Server).

6 = The partners are not synchronized. Failover is not possible now.
partner_sync_state_desc nvarchar(60) Description of the synchronization state of the mirroring session:

SYNCHRONIZED

UNSYNCHRONIZED

Permissions

The visibility of the metadata in catalog views is limited to securables that a user either owns, or on which the user was granted some permission. For more information, see Metadata Visibility Configuration.

See Also

Database Mirroring Witness
sys.database_mirroring (Transact-SQL)
sys.database_mirroring_endpoints (Transact-SQL)
Querying the SQL Server System Catalog FAQ