data replication

Hello Informixers, We have a DG AViiON running DG/UX and a 486 running SCO/UNIX. Informix 5.x runs on both platforms. We want the 486 to serve as a fall back when the AViiON fails. How can we do it? I tried restoring a set of db archive + logical logs saved on the AViiON on the PC but failed (tbtape died with a strange error message mentioning an odd (-ve) tape block size and archival length (?) and "mismatched configurations". I had, of course <wry grin>, RTFM beforehand and made sure that the configurations are compatible (all "size-wise" parameters on the PC are >= corresponding ones on the AViiON, but there are unimportant [or so I think) differences in log file pathnames, dbspace device pathnames etc. I'll make 'em all equal later and try again so if that was your suggestion please just wait for me to report the results.) I also contacted our local Informix tech support (or perhaps she's a sales rep or all-rolled-into-one? I don't really know) who said that because of byte-order differences (little/big-endianess) between the AViiON (which is based on the Motorola RISC 88k processor) and 486 I wouldn't succeed. Then I asked if v6 with the replication services would help me, and she said that it won't and was quite adamant about it too (I asked "Are you sure?" and that irritated her I guess ;) She then added that perhaps I should wait for v8. Now my questions: 1. Is it so hard to provide data compatibility across platforms? I mean even Perl supports (unwittingly you may say) network byte order. Good old RM/COBOL data and index files are compatible across PCs and AViiONs. 2. Is v6's replication services so lamb? XDR have been around for years right? Even if XDR is irrelevant here, why can't the primary server, at the user's option, just xlate the trx data into text and xfer it to the secondary server (given that he is willing to let the 2ndary have trxes piled up and lag behind)? 3. If I have dbexported data of a db and a backup of the logical logs. Can I somehow dbimport the db, restore the logical logs and roll-forward? Please note that I didn't mean to bash Informix with the above! I know seemingly easy things can be difficult since I'm a developer myself and I know how things can get tangled up when we go down to the nuts and bolts. I do want (or, demand) to know the _whys_ and the _workarounds_ though.