SQLAgent

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Backup Exec 11.0SQL Agent

Mike Payne

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2Symantec Confidential

Agenda

VDI DLL Update

Database Snapshots OverviewNew Agent Features

Q&A

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VDI DLL Update

Crete now detects and fixes VDI registration

issues on the fly. It should just work every time.

Having said that, in mixed environments if only

older version of SQL can be backed up, suspectVDI problems. 7.0 + 2000 or 2000 + 2005

One known VDI issue is x32 SQL running on x64

Windows. See next slide

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VDI continued

Native x64 applications (like Backup Exec)

cannot directly load or use i386 DLLs.

If i386 SQL 2000 or 2005 is installed on x64 OS

there is no native x64 VDI DLL installed. A fix isavailable from Microsoft which contains two new

VDI DLLs for customer to manually install.

No problem if a native x64 SQL instance is also

installed.

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Database Snapshot Overview

Creates a read-only copy of an existing SQL 2005

database almost instantly with new database name.

Initially uses zero disk space. All blocks in the new read-

only snapshot database point back to parent database.

Before a data block in the parent database changes,

original data block is written to the active database

snapshots.

Not done with VSS. All internal to SQL.

Not supported on SQL Express edition or on FAT drives.

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Snapshot continued

One parent database can have any number of

active read-only snapshots.

If parent goes away or parent disk crashes, all

snapshots are gone too.

Snapshots cannot be backed up today. This is a

SQL limitation in 2005.

All active snapshots must be deleted before

restoring the parent database.

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Snapshot continued

Parent database can be reverted or rolled back tothe time a snapshot was created VERY fast.Much like a differential restore. Only the blocksthat are in the snapshot must be written back tothe parent database. The rest are already there.

Any changes made to parent database betweensnapshot creation time and rollback are LOST!

All but one snapshot must be deleted beforerollback.

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Snapshot continued

Snapshot jobs create an almost empty set on tape\disk.

Might not want to make a real tape drive the target device

to prevent tape wear and time delay.

Catalog entries are groomed when all snapshots in the set

have been pruned. We can only prune a complete set from

the catalogs today.

Revert does not currently groom catalogs even though it

removes snapshots. Oops.

Cataloging a tape will bring back entries until they aregroomed again.

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Snapshot continued

Snapshots are not full text catalog aware. All full text

catalogs must be deleted before reverting to a snapshot.

Crete supports creating snapshots as a SQL backup type.

Reverting a snapshot can be done as a restore job.Everything handled for you as part of the job.

Snapshots cannot be redirected.

Snapshots cannot be created for system databases.

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Snapshot continued

Crete can auto-prune the number of active

snapshots per database for you.

Example: Setup a snapshot backup job to run every

15 minutes. Configure it to keep only last 4snapshots for each database.

Once job is running database can be reverted if

table is accidentally dropped to one of 4 recent

points in time.

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Full Text Catalogs (FTC)

FTC allows for quick text searching of database text

columns. SQL maintains separate index files on disk for

the catalogs.

In SQL 2000 these must be regenerated after a restore.

Could take hourssearching slow until regen completes.

In SQL 2005 they must be backed up and restored as part

of database. Potentially dozens of files.

Required change to VSS snapshot data format. Crete VSS

SQL backups cannot be restored to original 10d release.

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Full Text Catalogs (FTC) continued

Full text files MUST BE restored during redirected

restores.

Attempt to handle redirected FTC files as closely

as possible to redirected database files.

Doing a redirected manual query restore is far

more complicated if FTC exists.

Even non-redirected restore may require

relocating FTC files.

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Option and Selection Checking (OSC)

Located on SQL restore options page and on

SQL redirection option page. Either place does

same thing.

Can detect and offer to correct many restoreerrors before job is run.

Assumes complete catalogs exist.

Does not support filegroup selections in this

release.

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Detects incorrect full-diff-log-log sequence.

Detects incorrect point in time restore selections.

Detects if database could be restored to later

date then existing selections.

Detects master database selected at same time

as other databases.

Detects multiple DBs selected for redirection.

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You can select any backup of any database and

have OSC correct your selections to the latest

sets required.

Same for point in time restores. Select DB, fill indesired time, and then have OSC auto-generate

the selections for you.

If auto-generated or auto-corrected selections fail

then easy work around is to not use it.

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SQL 2005 Copy Only Backups

SQL 2005 only feature. Same as Full backup but

as if it never ran.

Next differential backup not affected.

Cannot restore COPY-DIFF-LOG-LOG

Can restore COPY-LOG-LOG-LOG-LOG

Also known as out-of-band backup.

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SQL 2005 Checksums on backup

SQL 2005 only feature.

Has SQL generate checksums in the data stream

sent to Backup Exec.

Big benefit if used with Verify-Only restore.

Some performance hit as with all checksums.

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Verify Only Restore

Tells SQL to do everything possible to verify therestore would work if run as regular restore.

Will not affect existing live database that would

be overwritten if restore really ran.SQL parses data stream. If checksums exist itcan do much more thorough parsing.

It does not verify that set 2 can be restored after

set 1. Each set independently verified.Not as good a verification in SQL 2000.

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Continue Restore on Error

SQL 2005 only feature.

Without option SQL aborts restore when first

error encountered. No way to get data off tape

and onto disk so error can be fixed.

If used leaves database in unusable suspect

state. So you cant leave it on by default.

Considered a last resort option.

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Support for case sensitive installs

Special case where SQL allows databases named aaa

and AAA to exist as two different databases.

Previously the agent choked on these.

Not very common for SQL installs.Currently broken by service pack 1. Backup Exec hangs

when browsing. Fixing collation key string in registry fixes

it.

Under the setup registry key change _CI back to _CS in

Collation string.

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On Disk Copies

Has the agent place a copy of the SQL data

stream in a directory for the user (dba) at the

same time we are writing it to tape or B2D.

Data streams can be used for manual queryrestores.

Performance hit to backup speed.

Keeps all streams needed to restore the latest

backup sequence. Prunes the rest.

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SQL 2005 Large DB Restore

If running on Win 2003 or later then file initialization can be

eliminated. This can cut restore time up to 50%.

The SQL service must be running under a Windows

account.

That account must be given the

SE_MANAGE_VOLUME_NAME permission. This can be

done by adding the windows account to the Perform

Volume Maintenance Tasks policy.

Does not apply to transaction log files.

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Other SQL 2005 features

Database Mirroringno special support needed.

Block Level Restorewe are not supporting it

yet.

Partial Backupwe are not supporting it yet. It

just skips read-only filegroups.

Fast Recoveryno special support needed.

Online Restoreno special support needed.

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Licensing

One license includes support for SQL 7.0, SQL

2000, and SQL 2005.

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Extra backslashes Issue

SQL 2000 and 2005 allow extra backslashes inthe database file path. SQL doesnt seem to carethey are there.

We now detect them, fail the backup, and reportthe error.

User will need to detach and re-attach thedatabase to get rid of them.

They are often not displayed by SQL tools.Example: C:\SqlFiles\\mydb.mdf

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Debugging Issues

Get a beremote debug log.

The SQL VDI log is now in the event log for 2005.

Named pipe related registry keys are gone.

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Questions?

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