Provisioning SQLCE client without an open mothership SQL Server port

Question

Hello,

We have used reference code to implement a tested and functional synch solution using SQL CE as the client and SQL Server as a central server. Now that we are moving into production, we have encountered an issue due to production policies that forbid the opening of SQL server ports.

Our code uses the SqlCeSyncScopeProvisioning class to provision as follows (pseudocode):

SqlCeConnection clientConnection = new SqlCeConnection("[... client connection string...]");
SqlConnection serverConnection serverConnection = new SqlConnection("[... server connection string...]");
DbSyncScopeDescription scopeDescription = SqlSyncDescriptionBuilder.GetDescriptionForScope("[...scope name...]", serverConnection);
SqlCeSyncScopeProvisioning clientProv = new SqlCeSyncScopeProvisioning(clientConnection, scopeDescription);
clientProv.Apply();

How can we accomplish the same thing, without requiring a direct connection to the server? 

Thanks, Crile

---

Crile Carvey

Answer 1

you can generate a snapshot SDF and use that to initialize client...

but your issue on the connection is not limited to the provisioning but to the actual sync as well not unless you're using an n-tier setup synching via WCF.

Answer 2

I should have updated the post. We discovered CE snapshot provisioning and it seems to be working. We were already using WCF to allow sync without a direct connection. Crile

---

Crile Carvey