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Veritas NetBackup™ for Microsoft SQL Server Administrator's Guide

Last Published: 2019-07-01

Product(s): NetBackup & Alta Data Protection (8.2)

Introducing NetBackup for SQL Server
1. Overview of NetBackup for SQL Server
2. Features of NetBackup for SQL Server
3. NetBackup for SQL Server terminology
Installing NetBackup for SQL Server
1. Planning the installation of NetBackup for SQL Server
2. Verifying the operating system and platform compatibility
3. NetBackup server and client requirements
4. Requirements for using NetBackup for SQL Server in a NetBackup cluster
5. About the license for NetBackup for SQL Server
Managing SQL Server objects for use with SQL Server Intelligent Policies
1. About the Applications utility
2. About autodiscovery of SQL Server objects
3. Using the Applications utility to view SQL Server objects
4. About registering SQL Server instances and availability group replicas
5. Deleting SQL Server objects from the Applications utility
6. Manually adding a SQL Server instance in the Applications utility
7. Deactivating or activating an instance
8. Cleaning up instances
Configuring SQL Server backups with SQL Server Intelligent Policy
1. About SQL Server Intelligent Policies
2. Adding a new SQL Server Intelligent Policy
3. About policy attributes
4. About schedule properties
5. Schedule backup types for SQL Server Intelligent Policies
6. Adding instances to a policy
7. Adding databases to a policy
8. Adding filegroups or files to the backup selections list
9. Manually adding files or filegroups to the backup selections list
10. Adding instance groups to a backup policy
11. About tuning parameters for SQL Server backups
12. Backing up read-only filegroups
13. Backing up read-write filegroups
Configuring NetBackup for SQL Server
1. Configuring mappings for restores of a distributed application, cluster, or virtual machine
2. Reviewing the auto-discovered mappings in Host Management
3. About NetBackup for SQL performance factors
4. Configuring the number of jobs allowed for backup operations
5. Configuring the Maximum jobs per client setting
6. Configuring multistriped backups of SQL Server
7. Performing a manual backup
Performing restores of SQL Server
1. Starting the NetBackup MS SQL Client for the first time
2. Selecting the SQL Server host and instance
3. Browsing for SQL Server backup images
4. Options for NetBackup for SQL Server restores
5. Restoring a SQL Server database backup
6. Staging a full SQL Server database recovery
7. Restoring SQL Server filegroup backups
8. Recovering a SQL Server database from read-write filegroup backups
9. Restoring SQL Server read-only filegroups
10. Restoring SQL Server database files
11. Restoring a SQL Server transaction log image without staging a full recovery
12. Performing a SQL Server database move
13. About performing a SQL Server page-level restore
14. Configuring permissions for redirected restores
15. Redirecting a SQL Server database to a different host
  1. About selecting a master server
16. Performing a restore of a remote SQL Server installation
17. About restores of a database that contain full-text catalog
18. 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
19. About using bplist to retrieve SQL Server backups
20. About NetBackup for SQL Server backup names
Protecting SQL Server data with VMware backups
1. About protecting SQL Server data with VMware backups
  1. About the Veritas VSS provider for vSphere
  2. Limitations of using a VMware policy to protect SQL Server
2. About configuring NetBackup for VMware backups that protect SQL Server
3. Using NetBackup Accelerator to increase speed of full VMware backups
4. Installing the Veritas VSS provider for vSphere
5. Configuring the NetBackup services for VMware backups that protect SQL Server
6. Configuring a VMware backup policy to protect SQL Server
7. Configuring a VMware policy to protect SQL Server using Replication Director to manage snapshot replication
8. About truncating logs with a VMware backup that protects SQL Server
9. Restoring SQL Server databases from a VMware backup
Using NetBackup for SQL Server with Snapshot Client
1. About NetBackup Snapshot Client for SQL Server
2. How SQL Server operations use Snapshot Client
3. Configuration requirements for SQL Server snapshot and Instant Recovery backups
4. Configuring a snapshot policy for SQL Server
5. Configuring a policy for Instant Recovery backups of SQL Server
6. Using copy-only snapshot backups to affect how differentials are based
7. About SQL Server agent grouped backups (legacy SQL Server policies)
Protecting SQL Server availability groups
1. About using NetBackup to protect SQL Server availability groups
2. Protecting SQL Server availability groups with intelligent policies
3. Protecting SQL Server availibility groups with legacy policies
  1. About protecting the preferred replica in a SQL Server availability group (legacy backup policies)
  2. About protecting a specific node in a SQL Server availability group (legacy backup policies)
4. Configuring SQL Server backups when an availability group crosses NetBackup domains
5. Browsing for SQL Server availability group backup images
6. Restoring a SQL Server availability database to a secondary replica
7. Restoring a SQL Server availability database to the primary and the secondary replicas
8. Restoring an availability database when an availability group crosses NetBackup domains
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 (legacy SQL Server policies)
3. Performing a restore of a virtual SQL Server instance
Configuring backups with legacy SQL Server policies using clients and batch files
1. About legacy SQL Server policies
2. About configuring backups with legacy SQL Server policies
3. Configuring the NetBackup services for SQL Server backups and restores (legacy SQL Server policies)
4. About SQL Server security with NetBackup legacy backup policies
5. About using batch files with NetBackup for SQL Server
6. Adding a new SQL Server legacy policy
7. About schedule properties
8. Adding clients to a policy
9. Adding batch files to the backup selections list
10. Selecting the SQL Server host and instance
11. Options for SQL Server backup operations
12. About viewing the properties of the objects selected for backup
13. Performing user-directed backups of SQL Server databases
14. Performing a backup of a remote SQL Server installation
15. About file checkpointing with NetBackup for SQL Server
16. About automatic retry of unsuccessful SQL Server backups
Using NetBackup for SQL Server with multiple NICs
1. About configuration of SQL Server backups with multiple NICs
2. Configuring the NetBackup client with the private interface name
3. Configuring backups of SQL Server when you have multiple NICs (SQL Server Intelligent Policies)
4. Configuring backups for SQL Server when you have multiple NICs (legacy SQL Server policies)
5. Performing restores of SQL Server when you have multiple NICs
6. Configuring backups of a SQL Server cluster when you have multiple NICs (SQL Server Intelligent Policies)
7. Configuring backups of a SQL Server cluster when you have multiple NICs (legacy SQL Server policies)
8. Creating a batch file for backups of a SQL Server cluster when you have multiple NICs (legacy SQL Server policies)
9. Performing restores of a SQL Server cluster when you have multiple NICs
Protecting SQL Server a log-shipping configuration
1. Configuring NetBackup to support database log-shipping
2. Backing up SQL Server in an environment with log shipping
SQL Server backups and restores in an SAP environment (legacy SQL Server policies)
1. About SQL Server backups and restores in an SAP environment
2. About manual backups of SQL Server in an SAP environment
3. About policy configuration for SQL Server in an SAP environment
Backup and recovery concepts
1. Overview of SQL Server backup and recovery concepts
2. What are the components of NetBackup for SQL Server?
3. How does NetBackup resolve SQL Server host and instance names?
4. How does NetBackup for SQL Server back up a database?
5. How does NetBackup for SQL Server recover a database?
6. Protecting SQL Server files and filegroups
7. About recovery considerations for SQL Server files and filegroups
8. Reducing backup size and time by using read-only filegroups
9. What factors affect the data transfer rate during a SQL Server backup or restore operation?
10. About recovery factors for SQL Server
Troubleshooting
1. About monitoring NetBackup for SQL Server operations
2. About NetBackup reports for SQL Server troubleshooting
3. About debug logging for SQL Server troubleshooting
4. Setting the maximum trace level for NetBackup for SQL Server
5. Troubleshooting credential validation in the Applications utility
6. About minimizing timeout failures on large SQL Server database restores
7. Troubleshooting VMware backups and restores of SQL Server
8. Delays in completion of backup jobs
9. SQL Server log truncation failure during VMware backups of SQL Server
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
Disaster recovery of a SQL Server
1. About disaster recovery of SQL Server
2. Preparing for disaster recovery of SQL Server
3. Recovering SQL Server databases after disaster recovery
Appendix A. Sample batch files
1. About sample backup batch files for legacy SQL Server policies
2. About sample restore batch files
Appendix B. Multiplexed backups
1. Configuring multiplexed backups of SQL Server
2. Restoring a multiplexed SQL Server backup
Appendix C. Register authorized locations
1. Registering authorized locations used by a NetBackup database script-based policy

About credentials used with SQL Server Intelligent Policy

SQL Server instances or replicas must be registered with Windows credentials that have the proper permissions to perform backup and restore operations. Intelligent Policy supports Windows authentication and Windows Active Directory authentication. It does not support Mixed Mode or SQL Server authentication. Credentials are not supported at the database level.

Table: Options to register credentials

Option to register credentials	Environment or configuration	Notes
Use these specific credentials	The SQL Server DBA provides the NetBackup administrator with the SQL Server user credentials. The SQL Server DBA does not want the NetBackup services running as a privileged SQL Server user on the client.	(Recommended) Veritas recommends that you use this option to register credentials. See Requirements when you use specific credentials for registration.
Use credentials that are defined locally on the client	The user account that installed NetBackup is already running as a SQL Server privileged account. The SQL Server DBA does not want to provide credentials to register instances or replicas. The NetBackup administrator does not have access to the SQL Server credentials.	The NetBackup services run as a privileged SQL Server user on the client. See Requirements when you use locally defined credentials for registration.
Add to group and register using group credentials	You want to be able to do one or more of the following: Logically group your instances or replicas in some way. Use a particular tuning parameter to improve the performance for each of the instances or replicas in the group. (Optional) Automatically register new instances or replicas and add them to a group.	The group can be configured so instances or replicas in the group all use a specific set of credentials. Or, instances or replicas in the group can use separate, locally defined credentials. See Registering instances or availability replicas with an instance group.
Command line	The DBA does not have access to the NetBackup Administration Console. The NetBackup administrator does not have the credentials for SQL Server. The DBA wants to maintain the SQL Server credentials independently of the backup administrator.	See Configuring credentials from the command line.

Requirements when you use specific credentials for registration

The following requirements apply when you use the option Use these specific credentials for registration:

The user must have the SQL Server "sysadmin" role.
The user must be a member of the Windows Administrators group.
The logon account for the NetBackup Client Service and the NetBackup Legacy Network Service can be either the SQL System administrator or Local System. The services do not have to use the same logon account.
See Configuring the NetBackup services for SQL Server backups and restores.
The logon account for the NetBackup Client Service and the NetBackup Legacy Network Service must have the privileges to Impersonate a client after authentication and Replace a process level token.
See Configuring local security privileges for SQL Server.

Requirements when you use locally defined credentials for registration

When you use the option Use credentials that are defined locally on the client for registration, NetBackup uses the credentials for the user that installed NetBackup. The following requirements apply with this option:

The user must have the SQL Server "sysadmin" role.
The user must be a member of the Windows Administrators group.
The logon account for the NetBackup Client Service and the NetBackup Legacy Network Service can be either the SQL System administrator or Local System. The services must use the same logon account.
See Configuring the NetBackup services for SQL Server backups and restores.

Configuring credentials from the command line

To register an instance or replica from the command line, the following configuration is required:

The NetBackup administrator must authorize the nbsqladm command for a specific DBA or user on a specific host.
On the NetBackup master server, use nbsqladm to authorize the user:
nbsqladm [-S master_server] -add_dba host_name user_name
If you have multiple NICs, authorize the DBA using the private interface name of the SQL Server host. For a SQL Server cluster, authorize the DBA for each node in the cluster. (Do not authorize a DBA using the virtual name of the SQL Server cluster.) For the -host name provide one of the node names in the SQL Server cluster. For a SQL Server cluster with multiple NICs, authorize the DBA using the private interface name for each of the nodes in the SQL Server cluster.
Once a DBA is authorized to use the nbsqladm command, the DBA can register instances with the local credentials (-local_credentials) or other specific credentials (-user name -domain name).

For complete details on the nbsqladm command, see the NetBackup Commands Reference Guide.

Registering instances when SQL Server hosts are clustered or use multiple NICs

When NetBackup discovers a SQL Server cluster, it adds a single entry in the Applications utility. This instance represents all nodes in the cluster. The host name is the virtual name of the SQL Server cluster. When you register this instance NetBackup validates the credentials on the active node. The credentials must be valid for all nodes in the cluster.

When NetBackup discovers a SQL Server host that uses multiple NICs, it adds an entry using the NetBackup client name in the Applications utility. If you installed the NetBackup client using the public interface name, you must configure the NetBackup client name as the private interface name. Then register the instance with its private interface name. For a SQL Server cluster that uses multiple NICs, add and register the instance with the private virtual name of the SQL Server cluster.

See Configuring the NetBackup client with the private interface name.

Validation of credentials

After you add credentials, NetBackup validates the credentials, marks the instances as registered, and adds the instances to the NetBackup database. NetBackup requests detailed information about the instances or replicas from the NetBackup client and displays it in the Microsoft SQL Server > Instances or Microsoft SQL Server > Availability Group nodes.

For a SQL Server cluster or if an availability group instance is part of SQL Server cluster, NetBackup validates the credentials on the active node. The credentials must be valid for all nodes in the cluster. For a SQL Server availability group, replicas are registered and validated individually.

If you choose to save the credentials despite a validation failure, the instances or replicas are still marked as registered. NetBackup cannot successfully protect an instance or an availability group without valid credentials.

See Troubleshooting credential validation in the Applications utility.