RE-add witness fails

I start with 3 servers, in High Safety mode with witness. I disconnect the network cable for the witness. Then I remove the witness from the mirroring session:

ALTER DATABASE db1 SET WITNESS OFF

I reconnect the witness network cable. Now I cannot add the witness back to the mirroring session (either with TSQL or thru the GUI). Here is the error message:

Msg 1433, Level 16, State 4, Server SERVERA, Line 1
All three server instances did not remain interconnected for the duration of the ALTER DATABASE SET WITNESS command. There may be no witness associated with the database. Verify the status and when necessary repeat the command.

I have to stop mirroring (SET PARTNER OFF) and then reconfigure a new mirroring session to be able to include the witness.

If I don't disconnect the network cable, I am able to remove and re-add the witness to the session, no problem.

Is this behavior expected?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Michael Lawson

I found my problem: my witness was at RTM. After upgrading to SP1 I was able to re-add the witness in the scenario I gave.

Raw File Destination Access Mode Filename from Variable Problem

I have a raw file destination and am using a variable to store the filename. In an earlier task, I create the value in the variable. User:Filename ... set to C:\Test.txt.

When I run the package, I get the "Error: 0xC0202070 at DFT Tekelec Call Events, RFD Tekelec [1365]: The file name property is not valid. The file name is a device or contains invalid characters". error. I then set a breakpoint to examine my variables on the DataFlow pre-execute event and found my variable showing the value "C:\\Text.txt" ... so apparently XMLA is adding the \ escape character when it stores the value in the variable but not retracting it when it uses the value as the filename.

What am I missing? Can I not use pathing in the variable? And if that's the case, how do I specify a path. Went back through my Rational Guide to Scripting SSIS but did not find this addressed specifically ... my second option being build the fiilename by script and set the raw file destination property directly via script.

The Watch window shows the C style encoded value, so \ becomes \\ in this display. Using a variable for the Raw File does work, and if setting a literal value it should just work. Have you perhaps got an expression on that variable? Could that confuse things?

Where does XMLA come into this?