NetVault Plug-in for SQL Server 10.0.6


	TIP: To run a job that you have already created and saved, select Manage Job Definitions in the Navigation pane, select the applicable job, and click Run Now.

You can monitor progress on the Job Status page and view the logs on the View Logs page. For more information, see the Dell NetVault Backup Administrator’s Guide.

Example of creating a full VDI backup of an AlwaysOn Availability Group

This procedure is based on the following configuration and settings:

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The AlwaysOn databases reside on the primary replica and on all secondary replicas.

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The Virtual Client uses the network name or IP address of either the AlwaysOn Availability Group Listener or the AlwaysOn Cluster.

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The database is online.

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All SQL Server services, including SQL Server Browser, are running on each node.

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NetVault Backup Server is running only on the server; it is not running on the client nodes.

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The Log on as option for the NetVault Process Manager is configured to use the domain administrator.

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Each NetVault Backup client node is able to access the NetVault Backup client on the other nodes.

After reviewing the preceding information, complete the steps outlined in the following sections:

To create a Backup Selection Set:

In the Navigation pane, click Create Backup Job.

In Job Name, specify a name for the job.

Next to the Selections list, click Create New.

In the list of plug-ins for the applicable Client, open Plug‑in for SQL Server, and then open the All Instances node to view the individual instances.

Do either of the following:

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Select an entire AlwaysOn Availability Group instance for inclusion.

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Open an AlwaysOn Availability Group instance to display its individual databases, and select the databases that you want to include.


	IMPORTANT: If you are running a Tail-Log backup, use SQL Server Management Studio to remove the primary and secondary databases from the group before continuing. After the databases are removed from the group, their status changes to Restoring, and they are owned by the SQL Server Instance assigned the Primary Role in the group. To complete the Tail-Log backup, select the databases under the SQL Server Instance.

Click Save, enter a name in the Create New Set dialog box, and click Save.

To create a Backup Options Set:

Next to the Plugin Options list, click Create New.

In the Backup Method section, select Use Virtual Device Interface (VDI).

In the Backup Type section, select Full Database.

In the Incomplete Backup of ALL Items Selected section, select the applicable option.

In the VDI Backup Options section, select the applicable compression.

Complete the VDI Streams/Compression Threads and Number of Parallel NetVault Backup Streams options.


	NOTE: In an AlwaysOn Availability Group, the plug-in uses Number of Parallel NetVault Backup Streams as the number of streams used by each NetVault Backup Client. For example, if the group has three NetVault Backup Clients, and you enter 1 for the number of streams, each uses one stream. This specification equals three streams for the overall backup job.

If you want the plug-in to perform checksum on the backups, select the Enable Backup Checksum option, and then use Error Encountered During Checksum to indicate what the plug-in should do if it encounters an error.

Click the AlwaysOn Availability Groups tab, and select the Primary Only option.

Click Save, specify a name for the set in the Create New Set dialog box, and click Save.

To finalize and submit a backup job:

Use the Schedule, Target Storage, and Advanced Options lists to configure any additional required options.

Click Save or Save & Submit, whichever is applicable.

Restoring data

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Restoring data: an overview

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Restoring data from online VDI backups

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Restoring data from VSS backups

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Using other restore procedures

Restoring data: an overview

Restoring is the process of copying data from a backup and applying transaction logs to the data to roll it forward to the target recovery point. A backup contains sufficient transaction log records to allow rolling forward the active transactions as part of restoring each backup. Each backup also contains sufficient transaction logs to roll back any uncommitted transactions to bring the database to a consistent, usable state. The process of rolling forward uncommitted transactions, if any, and bringing the database online is known as Recovery.

Understanding the online VDI restore process

This section includes the following topics:

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Reviewing the phases of the restore sequence

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Understanding the available types of online VDI restores

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Restoring system databases

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Restoring databases involved in replication

Reviewing the phases of the restore sequence

Each SQL Server® restore scenario is implemented using one or more restore operations, which is called a restore sequence. A restore sequence moves data through one or more phases of restore. The possible phases of a restore include the data copy, redo (roll forward), and undo (roll back) phases, which are detailed in the following sections.

Data copy phase

The first phase in any restore process is the data copy phase. The data copy phase involves copying all the data, log, and index pages from the backup media to the database files. It involves copying data from one or more of the following backup types:

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Full Database

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Differential Database

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Copy-Only

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Full File and Filegroup

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Differential File and Filegroup

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Partial Database

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Differential Database

Redo phase (roll forward)

Redo is the process of reapplying logged changes to the data in the roll forward set to bring the data forward in time. To accomplish the redo, the SQL Server® Database Engine processes Transaction Log backups as they are restored. The engine starts with the log contained in the data copy backups listed in the preceding section and any Incremental Transaction Log backups that are then restored. Roll forward stops at the recovery point; this point is either the end of the log or a point specified in the SQL Server restore options for Incremental Transaction Log backups. Plug‑in for SQL Server supports both time-based and marked transaction-based PIT recovery.

Undo (roll back) phase and recovery

After the redo phase has rolled forward all the log transactions, a database typically contains changes made by transactions that are uncommitted at the recovery point. This result makes the rolled forward data transactionally inconsistent. The recovery process opens the transaction log and identifies uncommitted transactions and rolls them back to bring the database into a transactionally consistent state. This step is called the undo phase.

If the data is transactionally consistent at the start of the recovery process, the undo phase is skipped.

After the database is transactionally consistent, recovery brings the database online.