NetBackup™ for Microsoft SQL Server Administrator's Guide

Last Published:
Product(s): NetBackup & Alta Data Protection (10.5)
  1. About NetBackup for SQL Server
    1.  
      Overview of NetBackup for SQL Server
    2.  
      Detailed features for NetBackup for SQL Server
  2. Installation
    1.  
      Planning the installation of NetBackup for SQL Server
    2.  
      NetBackup server and client requirements
    3.  
      Requirements for using NetBackup for SQL Server in a NetBackup cluster
    4.  
      License for NetBackup for SQL Server
  3. Host configuration and job settings
    1.  
      Configuring SQL Server hosts and user permissions
    2. Installing the Veritas VSS provider for vSphere
      1.  
        Disabling the SQL Server VSS Writer service
    3.  
      Configure the NetBackup services for SQL Server backups and restores
    4.  
      Configure local security privileges for SQL Server
    5.  
      Reviewing the auto-discovered mappings
    6.  
      Configuring mappings for restores of a distributed applications, clusters, or virtual machines
    7.  
      Configure the ODBC connection
    8.  
      Configure NetBackup for the SQL Server non-readable secondary instances that are hidden
    9.  
      Configure the primary server host name for the SQL Server agent
    10.  
      Configure the number of jobs allowed for backup operations
    11.  
      Configure the Maximum jobs per client setting
  4. Configuring RBAC for SQL Server administrators
    1.  
      RBAC roles for the SQL Server administrator
    2.  
      Create a custom role for a non-SQL Server administrator
    3.  
      RBAC permissions that are needed to view and manage SQL Server and VMware jobs
  5. Managing SQL Server assets and their credentials
    1.  
      About the Workloads > Microsoft SQL Server utility
    2. About discovery of SQL Server objects
      1.  
        Discover advanced or basic availability groups on demand
      2.  
        Discover databases on demand
      3.  
        Discover read-scale availability groups
    3. About registering SQL Server instances and availability replicas
      1.  
        About options to register SQL Server credentials
      2.  
        Register a SQL Server instance or replica with an existing credential
      3.  
        Register a SQL Server instance or replica with a new credential
      4.  
        Add a credential for SQL Server
      5.  
        View the credential name that is applied to an asset
      6.  
        Edit or delete a named credential
    4.  
      Browse SQL Server assets
    5.  
      View the protection status of databases, instances, or availability groups
    6.  
      Use Backup now to back up a SQL Server asset
    7.  
      Remove SQL Server instances
    8.  
      Remove SQL Server databases
    9.  
      Manually add a SQL Server instance
    10.  
      Deactivate or activate an instance
  6. Configuring backups with SQL Server Intelligent Policy
    1.  
      About SQL Server Intelligent Policies
    2.  
      Create a SQL Server Intelligent Policy
    3.  
      About policy attributes
    4.  
      Schedule properties for SQL Server Intelligent Policies
    5.  
      Schedule backup types for SQL Server Intelligent Policies
    6.  
      Add instances to a policy
    7.  
      Add databases to a policy
    8.  
      Add filegroups or files to the backup selections list
    9.  
      Add instance groups to a backup policy
    10. Performance tuning and configuration options
      1.  
        Configure multistriped backups of SQL Server
      2.  
        Converting differential backups to full backups
      3.  
        Converting log backups to full backups
    11.  
      Back up read-only filegroups
    12.  
      Back up read-write filegroups
    13.  
      Perform a manual backup
  7. Protecting SQL Server availability groups
    1.  
      About protecting SQL Server availability groups
    2. Protecting SQL Server availability groups with intelligent policies
      1.  
        Prerequisites for protecting SQL Server availability groups
      2. Configuring a backup policy to protect a SQL Server availability group
        1.  
          Add an availability group to a policy
        2.  
          Add availability databases to a policy
        3.  
          Add filegroups or files in an availability database to the backup selections list
    3. Protecting SQL Server availibility groups with batch file-based policies
      1. About protecting the preferred replica in a SQL Server availability group (batch file-based policies)
        1.  
          Prerequisites for protecting SQL Server availability groups
        2.  
          Configure an automatic backup policy for the preferred or the primary replica of a SQL Server availability group
        3.  
          Create batch files for the policy that protects the preferred or the primary replica
        4.  
          Add the batch files to the policy that protects the preferred or the primary replica
      2. About protecting a specific node in a SQL Server availability group (batch file-based policies)
        1.  
          Configure an automatic backup policy for a specific replica of a SQL Server availability group
        2.  
          Create a batch file for the policy that protects a specific availability replica in an availability group
        3.  
          Add the batch files to the policy that protects a specific replica in the availability group
    4.  
      Protect a SQL Server availability group that crosses NetBackup domains
  8. Protecting SQL Server with VMware backups
    1. About protecting an application database with VMware backups
      1.  
        Limitations of VMware application backups
    2.  
      About configuring NetBackup for VMware backups that protect SQL Server
    3.  
      Configuring a VMware backup policy to protect SQL Server
    4.  
      Configuring a VMware policy to protect SQL Server using Replication Director to manage snapshot replication
    5. Create a protection plan to protect SQL Server data with a VMware backup
      1.  
        Backup options and Advanced options
      2.  
        Exclude disks from backups
      3.  
        Snapshot retry options
    6.  
      Protect SQL Server data with a VMware backup
  9. Configuring backup policies with Snapshot Client
    1.  
      About NetBackup Snapshot Client for SQL Server
    2.  
      How SQL Server operations use Snapshot Client
    3.  
      Snapshot methods
    4.  
      Configuration requirements for SQL Server snapshot and Instant Recovery backups
    5.  
      Configure a snapshot policy for SQL Server
    6.  
      Configure a policy for Instant Recovery backups of SQL Server
    7. Using copy-only snapshot backups to affect how differentials are based
      1.  
        Create a copy-only backup
      2.  
        Creating an Instant Recovery backup that is not copy-only (batch file-based policies)
    8. About SQL Server agent grouped snapshots
      1.  
        Restoring a database backed up in a group
  10. Protecting SQL Server in a cluster environment
    1.  
      Configuring backups of clustered SQL Server instances (SQL Server Intelligent Policy)
    2.  
      Configuring backups of clustered SQL Server instances (batch file-based policies)
  11. Managing protection plans for SQL Server
    1. Create a protection plan to protect SQL Server assets
      1.  
        Schedules
    2.  
      Add SQL Server assets to a protection plan
    3.  
      Customize protection settings for a NetBackup for SQL Server asset
    4.  
      Remove protection from SQL Server assets
  12. Restoring SQL Server with the NetBackup web UI
    1.  
      Requirements for restores of SQL Server
    2.  
      Perform a complete database recovery
    3.  
      Recover a single recovery point
    4.  
      Options for SQL Server restores
    5.  
      Restore a database (non-administrator users)
    6.  
      Select a different backup copy for recovery
    7.  
      Configuring permissions for redirected restores
    8.  
      Restore SQL Server databases from a VMware backup
    9.  
      Restore a SQL Server availability database to a secondary replica
    10.  
      Restore a SQL Server availability database to the primary and the secondary replicas
    11.  
      Restoring an availability database when an availability group crosses NetBackup domains
  13. Using instant access with SQL Server
    1. Prerequisites when you configure an instant access SQL Server database
      1.  
        Hardware and configuration requirements of instant access
    2.  
      Things to consider before you configure an instant access database
    3.  
      Configure Samba users for SQL Server instant access
    4.  
      Configure an instant access database
    5.  
      View the livemount details of an instant access database
    6.  
      Delete an instant access database
    7.  
      Options for NetBackup for SQL Server instant access
    8.  
      NetBackup for SQL Server terms
    9.  
      Frequently asked questions
  14. Configuring batch-file based policies for SQL Server backups
    1.  
      About batch file-based policies for SQL Server backups
    2.  
      Overview of configuring SQL Server backups with batch file-based policies
    3.  
      Configure the NetBackup services for SQL Server backups and restores (batch file-based policies)
    4.  
      About SQL Server security with batch file-based policies
    5. Requirements to use batch files with NetBackup for SQL Server
      1.  
        Keywords and values used in batch files
      2.  
        Create a batch file
      3.  
        Run batch files
    6.  
      Add a batch file-based policy
    7. Schedule properties for SQL Server batch file-based policies
      1.  
        Schedule backup types for batch file-based policies
      2.  
        Configure an application backup schedule
      3.  
        Example application backup schedule
      4.  
        Configure automatic backup schedules
      5.  
        Example automatic backup schedule
    8.  
      Add clients to a policy
    9.  
      Add batch files to the backup selections list
    10.  
      Options for SQL Server backup operations
    11.  
      Create a script to backup a remote SQL Server installation
    12.  
      About automatic retry of unsuccessful SQL Server backups
    13. Configure a batch file-based policy for a user-directed backup of read-only filegroups
      1.  
        View SQL Server read-only backup sets (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    14.  
      Configure a batch file-based policy for a user-directed backup of read-write filegroups
  15. Performing backups and restores with the NetBackup MS SQL Client
    1.  
      About the NetBackup MS SQL Client
    2.  
      Start the NetBackup MS SQL Client for the first time
    3.  
      Select the SQL Server host and instance (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    4.  
      About viewing the properties of the objects selected for backup
    5.  
      Perform a user-directed backup of SQL Server databases (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    6.  
      Perform a user-directed backup of SQL Server transaction logs (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    7.  
      Perform a user-directed backup of SQL Server database filegroups (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    8.  
      Perform a user-directed backup of SQL Server database files (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    9.  
      Perform a partial database backup (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    10.  
      Options for NetBackup for SQL Server restores
    11.  
      Browsing for SQL Server backup images (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    12.  
      Restore a SQL Server database backup (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    13.  
      Stage a full SQL Server database recovery (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    14.  
      Restore SQL Server filegroup backups (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    15.  
      Recover a SQL Server database from read-write filegroup backups (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    16.  
      Restore SQL Server read-only filegroups (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    17.  
      Restore SQL Server database files (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    18.  
      Restore a SQL Server transaction log image without staging a full recovery (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    19.  
      Perform a SQL Server database move (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    20.  
      About performing a SQL Server page-level restore (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    21. Redirect a SQL Server database to a different host (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
      1.  
        About selecting a primary server
    22.  
      Perform a restore of a remote SQL Server installation (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    23. Restoring multistreamed SQL Server backups
      1.  
        About conventional backups using multiple streams
      2.  
        About snapshot backup methods using multiple streams
      3.  
        Restoring a multistreamed SQL Server backup with fewer devices than it was backed up with
    24.  
      About using bplist to retrieve SQL Server backups
    25.  
      About NetBackup for SQL Server backup names
  16. Using NetBackup for SQL Server with multiple NICs
    1.  
      Configuration and requirements for SQL Server backups with multiple NICs
    2.  
      Configure the NetBackup client with the private interface name
    3.  
      Configure backups of SQL Server when you have multiple NICs (SQL Server Intelligent Policies)
    4.  
      Configure backups for SQL Server when you have multiple NICs (batch file-based policies)
    5.  
      Restore SQL Server when you have multiple NICs (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
    6.  
      Configure backups of a SQL Server cluster when you have multiple NICs (SQL Server Intelligent Policies)
    7.  
      Configure backups of a SQL Server cluster when you have multiple NICs (batch file-based policies)
    8.  
      Create a batch file for backups of a SQL Server cluster when you have multiple NICs (batch file-based policies)
    9.  
      Restore a SQL Server cluster when you have multiple NICs (NetBackup MS SQL Client)
  17. Performance and troubleshooting
    1.  
      NetBackup for SQL Server performance factors
    2. About debug logging for SQL Server troubleshooting
      1.  
        Setting the debug level on a NetBackup for SQL Server client
      2.  
        Veritas VSS provider logs
    3.  
      Troubleshooting credential validation
    4.  
      Troubleshooting VMware backups
    5.  
      SQL Server log truncation failure during VMware backups of SQL Server
    6.  
      About monitoring NetBackup for SQL Server operations
    7.  
      Set the maximum trace level for NetBackup for SQL Server
    8.  
      Reporting of unsuccessful filegroup or file backups
    9.  
      About minimizing timeout failures on large SQL Server database restores
    10.  
      SQL Server restore fails when you restore a SQL Server compressed backup image as a single stripe or with multiple stripes
    11.  
      Incorrect backup images are displayed for availability group clusters
    12.  
      A restore of a SQL Server database fails with Status Code 5, or Error (-1), when the host name of the SQL Server or the SQL Server database name has trailing spaces
    13.  
      A move operation fails with Status Code 5, or Error (-1), when the SQL Server host name, the database name, or the database logical name has trailing spaces
    14.  
      Unable to discover or browse availability group replicas
    15. About disaster recovery of SQL Server
      1.  
        Preparing for disaster recovery of SQL Server
      2.  
        Recovering SQL Server databases after disaster recovery
  18. Appendix A. Other configurations
    1.  
      Configuring multiplexed backups of SQL Server
    2.  
      Restoring a multiplexed SQL Server backup
    3. About SQL Server backups and restores in an SAP environment
      1. Creating batch files for automatic backups in for SQL Server in an SAP environment
        1.  
          Create a batch file for database backups
        2.  
          Create a batch file for transaction log backups
      2.  
        Monitoring backups on SQL Server
      3. Restoring the R/3 database
        1.  
          About including differential backups in a restore operation
        2.  
          Restore the R/3 database after a disk crash
        3.  
          Restore the database backups and transaction log backups
      4.  
        About policy configuration for SQL Server in an SAP environment
    4.  
      Configure NetBackup to support database log-shipping
    5.  
      Backing up SQL Server in an environment with log shipping
    6. About NetBackup for SQL Server with database mirroring
      1.  
        Configure NetBackup to support database mirroring
      2.  
        Perform simultaneous backups for mirrored partners
      3.  
        Restore a mirrored database backup image
  19. Appendix B. Register authorized locations
    1.  
      Registering authorized locations used by a NetBackup database script-based policy

About protecting an application database with VMware backups

With a VMware backup policy and the Veritas VSS provider, NetBackup can create consistent, full backups of an application database that resides on a virtual machine.

VMware application backups let you:

  • Choose whether or not to truncate logs.

  • Use the existing database restore process to restore and recover data from VMware backups.

  • From one VMware backup, choose from these restore options: Volume-level restore, file-level recovery, or database restore.

  • With the Enable T-SQL snapshots option, NetBackup create a full SQL Server backup (not copy-only) that can be used as a basis for SQL Server incremental and transaction log backups. T-SQL snapshots were added with SQL Server 2022 and are strongly recommended for systems with SQL Server 2022 or later. This type of snapshot is not supported with SQL Server 2019 and earlier.

  • Restore and recover databases from VMware backups to alternate clients. The target destination client can be a physical computer or a virtual machine.

Supported environments and configuration

See the following information on virtual systems compatibility:

https://www.veritas.com/content/support/en_US/doc/NB_70_80_VE

Veritas VSS provider

Veritas recommends the Veritas VSS provider. VMware Tools calls the provider to quiesce the VSS writers for a file-level consistent backup. Without this VSS provider (or the VMware VSS Provider), database recovery may require manual steps and granular recovery is not supported.

See Installing the Veritas VSS provider for vSphere.

The Veritas VSS provider allows the VMware backups that truncate the logs on SQL Server virtual machines. The Veritas VSS provider truncates the logs by means of full VSS backups. Note that the VMware VSS provider creates copy-only backups, which cannot be used as a basis to truncate logs.

Disabling the SQL Server VSS Writer service

For VMware backups with T-SQL snapshots, you must also disable the SQL Server VSS Writer service.

See Disabling the SQL Server VSS Writer service .

Using NetBackup Accelerator to increase the speed of full VMware backups

Select the Use Accelerator policy option to use NetBackup Accelerator to potentially increase the speed of full VMware backups. (This option is not available in the settings for a protection plan.) By reducing the backup time, it is easier to perform the VMware backup within the backup window. To use this feature, you must first perform an initial backup with Use Accelerator enabled. Subsequent backup times can then be significantly reduced. Accelerator support for database agents currently restricts backups to the full schedule type.

To periodically establish a new baseline of change detection on the client, create a separate policy schedule with the Accelerator forced rescan option enabled.

For more details on Accelerator with VMware backups, see the NetBackup for VMware Administrator's Guide.

For Accelerator to work with a VMware policy with application protection for SQL Server, a successful and complete previous backup is required to gain acceleration optimization. A backup job or child job (including the ASC) can have an incomplete status (Status 1). In that case, the backup image is not considered as a base backup for a subsequent job and acceleration optimization for that job is zero.