// Module included in the following assemblies:
//
// assembly-config.adoc

[id='con-config-mirrormaker2-connectors-{context}']
= Configuring MirrorMaker 2 connectors

[role="_abstract"]
Use Mirrormaker 2 connector configuration for the internal connectors that orchestrate the synchronization of data between Kafka clusters.

MirrorMaker 2 consists of the following connectors:

`MirrorSourceConnector`:: The source connector replicates topics from a source cluster to a target cluster. It also replicates ACLs and is necessary for the `MirrorCheckpointConnector` to run. 
`MirrorCheckpointConnector`:: The checkpoint connector periodically tracks offsets. If enabled, it also synchronizes consumer group offsets between the source and target cluster.
`MirrorHeartbeatConnector`:: The heartbeat connector periodically checks connectivity between the source and target cluster.

NOTE: ACL replication through the connector is not possible if you are xref:con-mirrormaker-acls-{context}[using the User Operator].

The following table describes connector properties and the connectors you configure to use them.

.MirrorMaker 2 connector configuration properties
[cols="4a,2,2,2",options="header"]
|===

|Property
|sourceConnector
|checkpointConnector
|heartbeatConnector


|admin.timeout.ms:: Timeout for admin tasks, such as detecting new topics. Default is `60000` (1 minute).
|✓
|✓
|✓

|replication.policy.class:: Policy to define the remote topic naming convention. Default is `org.apache.kafka.connect.mirror.DefaultReplicationPolicy`. 
|✓
|✓
|✓

|replication.policy.separator:: The separator used for topic naming in the target cluster. By default, the separator is set to a dot (.). 
Separator configuration is only applicable to the `DefaultReplicationPolicy` replication policy class, which defines remote topic names.
The `IdentityReplicationPolicy` class does not use the property as topics retain their original names.
|✓
|✓
|✓

|consumer.poll.timeout.ms:: Timeout when polling the source cluster. Default is `1000` (1 second).
|✓
|✓
|

|offset-syncs.topic.location:: The location of the `offset-syncs` topic, which can be the `source` (default) or `target` cluster.
|✓
|✓
|

|topic.filter.class:: Topic filter to select the topics to replicate. Default is `org.apache.kafka.connect.mirror.DefaultTopicFilter`.
|✓
|✓
|

|config.property.filter.class:: Topic filter to select the topic configuration properties to replicate. Default is `org.apache.kafka.connect.mirror.DefaultConfigPropertyFilter`.
|✓
|
|

|config.properties.exclude:: Topic configuration properties that should not be replicated. Supports comma-separated property names and regular expressions.
|✓
|
|

|offset.lag.max:: Maximum allowable (out-of-sync) offset lag before a remote partition is synchronized. Default is `100`.
|✓
|
|

|offset-syncs.topic.replication.factor:: Replication factor for the internal `offset-syncs` topic. Default is `3`.
|✓
|
|

|refresh.topics.enabled:: Enables check for new topics and partitions. Default is `true`.
|✓
|
|

|refresh.topics.interval.seconds:: Frequency of topic refresh. Default is `600` (10 minutes). By default, a check for new topics in the source cluster is made every 10 minutes.
You can change the frequency by adding `refresh.topics.interval.seconds` to the source connector configuration.
|✓
|
|

|replication.factor:: The replication factor for new topics. Default is `2`.
|✓
|
|

|sync.topic.acls.enabled:: Enables synchronization of ACLs from the source cluster. Default is `true`. Not compatible with the User Operator.
|✓
|
|

|sync.topic.acls.interval.seconds:: Frequency of ACL synchronization. Default is `600` (10 minutes).
|✓
|
|

|sync.topic.configs.enabled:: Enables synchronization of topic configuration from the source cluster. Default is `true`.
|✓
|
|

|sync.topic.configs.interval.seconds:: Frequency of topic configuration synchronization. Default `600` (10 minutes).
|✓
|
|

|checkpoints.topic.replication.factor:: Replication factor for the internal `checkpoints` topic. Default is `3`.
|
|✓
|

|emit.checkpoints.enabled:: Enables synchronization of consumer offsets to the target cluster. Default is `true`.
|
|✓
|

|emit.checkpoints.interval.seconds:: Frequency of consumer offset synchronization. Default is `60` (1 minute).
|
|✓
|

|group.filter.class:: Group filter to select the consumer groups to replicate. Default is `org.apache.kafka.connect.mirror.DefaultGroupFilter`.
|
|✓
|

|refresh.groups.enabled:: Enables check for new consumer groups. Default is `true`.
|
|✓
|

|refresh.groups.interval.seconds:: Frequency of consumer group refresh. Default is `600` (10 minutes).
|
|✓
|

|sync.group.offsets.enabled:: Enables synchronization of consumer group offsets to the target cluster `__consumer_offsets` topic. Default is `false`.
|
|✓
|

|sync.group.offsets.interval.seconds:: Frequency of consumer group offset synchronization. Default is `60` (1 minute).
|
|✓
|

|emit.heartbeats.enabled:: Enables connectivity checks on the target cluster. Default is `true`.
|
|
|✓

|emit.heartbeats.interval.seconds:: Frequency of connectivity checks. Default is `1` (1 second).
|
|
|✓

|heartbeats.topic.replication.factor:: Replication factor for the internal `heartbeats` topic. Default is `3`.
|
|
|✓

|===

== Changing the location of the consumer group offsets topic

MirrorMaker 2 tracks offsets for consumer groups using internal topics.

`offset-syncs` topic:: The `offset-syncs` topic maps the source and target offsets for replicated topic partitions from record metadata.
`checkpoints` topic:: The `checkpoints` topic maps the last committed offset in the source and target cluster for replicated topic partitions in each consumer group.

As they are used internally by MirrorMaker 2, you do not interact directly with these topics. 

`MirrorCheckpointConnector` emits _checkpoints_ for offset tracking.
Offsets for the `checkpoints` topic are tracked at predetermined intervals through configuration.
Both topics enable replication to be fully restored from the correct offset position on failover.

The location of the `offset-syncs` topic is the `source` cluster by default.
You can use the `offset-syncs.topic.location` connector configuration to change this to the `target` cluster.
You need read/write access to the cluster that contains the topic.
Using the target cluster as the location of the `offset-syncs` topic allows you to use MirrorMaker 2 even if you have only read access to the source cluster.

== Synchronizing consumer group offsets

The `__consumer_offsets` topic stores information on committed offsets for each consumer group.
Offset synchronization periodically transfers the consumer offsets for the consumer groups of a source cluster into the consumer offsets topic of a target cluster.

Offset synchronization is particularly useful in an _active/passive_ configuration.
If the active cluster goes down, consumer applications can switch to the passive (standby) cluster and pick up from the last transferred offset position.

To use topic offset synchronization, enable the synchronization by adding `sync.group.offsets.enabled` to the checkpoint connector configuration, and setting the property to `true`.
Synchronization is disabled by default.

When using the `IdentityReplicationPolicy` in the source connector, it also has to be configured in the checkpoint connector configuration.
This ensures that the mirrored consumer offsets will be applied for the correct topics.

Consumer offsets are only synchronized for consumer groups that are not active in the target cluster.
If the consumer groups are in the target cluster, the synchronization cannot be performed and an `UNKNOWN_MEMBER_ID` error is returned. 

If enabled, the synchronization of offsets from the source cluster is made periodically.
You can change the frequency by adding `sync.group.offsets.interval.seconds` and `emit.checkpoints.interval.seconds` to the checkpoint connector configuration.
The properties specify the frequency in seconds that the consumer group offsets are synchronized, and the frequency of checkpoints emitted for offset tracking.
The default for both properties is 60 seconds.
You can also change the frequency of checks for new consumer groups using the `refresh.groups.interval.seconds` property, which is performed every 10 minutes by default.

Because the synchronization is time-based, any switchover by consumers to a passive cluster will likely result in some duplication of messages.

NOTE: If you have an application written in Java, you can use the `RemoteClusterUtils.java` utility to synchronize offsets through the application. The utility fetches remote offsets for a consumer group from the `checkpoints` topic. 


== Deciding when to use the heartbeat connector

The heartbeat connector emits heartbeats to check connectivity between source and target Kafka clusters.
An internal `heartbeat` topic is replicated from the source cluster, which means that the heartbeat connector must be connected to the source cluster. 
The `heartbeat` topic is located on the target cluster, which allows it to do the following:

* Identify all source clusters it is mirroring data from
* Verify the liveness and latency of the mirroring process

This helps to make sure that the process is not stuck or has stopped for any reason. 
While the heartbeat connector can be a valuable tool for monitoring the mirroring processes between Kafka clusters, it's not always necessary to use it. 
For example, if your deployment has low network latency or a small number of topics, you might prefer to monitor the mirroring process using log messages or other monitoring tools. 
If you decide not to use the heartbeat connector, simply omit it from your MirrorMaker 2 configuration.

== Aligning the configuration of MirrorMaker 2 connectors

To ensure that MirrorMaker 2 connectors work properly, make sure to align certain configuration settings across connectors.
Specifically, ensure that the following properties have the same value across all applicable connectors:

* `replication.policy.class`
* `replication.policy.separator`
* `offset-syncs.topic.location`
* `topic.filter.class`

For example, the value for `replication.policy.class` must be the same for the source, checkpoint, and heartbeat connectors.
Mismatched or missing settings cause issues with data replication or offset syncing, so it's essential to keep all relevant connectors configured with the same settings.