---
title: Initialization
description: Replica initialization transfers a copy of the backend containing the replication domain to a target server. You should perform this after replication is enabled with the dsreplication initialize subcommand. There is no impact on the source server during this process.
component: pingdirectory
version: 11.0
page_id: pingdirectory:pingdirectory_server_administration_guide:pd_ds_replica_initialization
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingdirectory/11.0/pingdirectory_server_administration_guide/pd_ds_replica_initialization.html
revdate: September 13, 2023
---

# Initialization

Replica initialization transfers a copy of the backend containing the replication domain to a target server. You should perform this after replication is enabled with the `dsreplication initialize` subcommand. There is no impact on the source server during this process.

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|   | When enabling or initializing servers, the `--topologyFilePath` option can be used with `dsreplication` to specify a file with a series of hosts and ports available in the topology that can be used as source servers.This option is used in place of specifying `host 1`, `port 1`. When the `hosts` file is used for an enable or initialize action, the servers in the file are tried sequentially until the new server is successfully enabled or added. The rest of the servers in the file are ignored. This ensures that a host server is always available for replication. This file is generated with the `manage-topology export` command. |

* `dsreplication initialize`

  The recommended approach for replica initialization. The `dsreplication initialize` subcommand performs the most efficient copy of data needed to initialize one or more replicas on a target server. Existing data on the target server replica is lost and the backend containing the base DN is taken offline on the target server during the initialization.

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  | - | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
  |   | For mixed-version topologies, you must run the **`dsreplication initialize`** command on a lower-version server. However, you can specify a higher-version server as the source for initialization.Starting with version 11.0, the servers store composite index data differently. With this change, you can't specify servers running version 11.0 or later as the source for initialization to servers running earlier versions. |

* Binary copy

  The database copy method involves copying database backup files from the source PingDirectory server to one or more target servers. The PingDirectory server provides tools necessary for backing up and restoring backends. Using `server-root/bin/backup`, create a backup of the backend containing the replicated base DN. The backup files must then be transferred to the target servers and restored individually with `server-root/bin/restore`. There are additional considerations when using database copy as the means to initialize a target replica:

  * If encryption is enabled on the servers, then a database `bin/encryption-settings export` followed by `bin/encryption-settings import` must be performed on the `encryption-settings` backend.

  * When using database copy to initialize a server that has been offline longer than the replication purge delay, the database copy of the `replicationChanges`, `schema`, and `adminRoot` backends are required.

* Import/export LDIF

  The import/export LDIF method is the most flexible approach, as it works well in environments where target replicas are configured differently than the backend containing the data (for example, the target replica has different indexes than the source server). The process involves exporting the backend data as LDIF from the source server and importing the LDIF into the target servers. Replicas can be initialized locally while the server is offline or online through remote access. For more information, see [Importing and exporting data](pd_ds_import_export_data.html).