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NetVault Plug-in for SQL Server 12.2 - User Guide

Introducing NetVault Backup Plug-in for SQL Server Planning your SQL Server deployment Installing and removing the plug-in Configuring the plug-in Backing up data
Defining a backup strategy Understanding snapshot-based backups Reviewing the compression features Performing Online VDI backups Performing VSS backups in SQL Server Example of creating a full VDI backup of an AlwaysOn Availability Group on Windows
Restoring data Using the CLI with the plug-in Troubleshooting

Configuring authentication details

Before initiating a backup, configure the plug-in’s authentication details, which include authentication mode, user name, and password. Use the Configure dialog to specify this information.

How the information that you enter in the Configure dialog applies depends on whether you are configuring a client for a standalone deployment or a NetVault Backup Virtual Client for a SQL Server Failover Cluster or an AlwaysOn Availability Group. When you enter settings for a standalone client, the settings apply to all backups generated from that client when it is selected in the selection tree. If you use Virtual Clients to support a SQL Server Failover Cluster or an AlwaysOn Availability Group, the authentication information that you enter for a specific instance in the cluster or group is used for all nodes within the same cluster or group. All information that you enter on the Configure dialog for a cluster or group is maintained on the NetVault Backup Server, unlike a standalone deployment for which the information is maintained on the server on which the plug-in is installed.

SQL Server provides two authentication modes: Windows Authentication and SQL Server Authentication.

Windows Authentication: With Windows Authentication, you connect through a Microsoft Windows user account. SQL Server validates the account name and password using information in the Windows OS. This method is the default, and is much more secure than Mixed Mode, which allows a combination of Windows authentication and SQL Server Authentication.
SQL Server Authentication: With SQL Server Authentication on SQL Server 2008 or earlier, you must provide the user name and password for a SQL Server user with the sysadmin role. With SQL Server Authentication on SQL Server 2012 or later the sysadmin role is not supported. However, you can assign the sysadmin role to a domain user account, such as Administrator, or you can set the SQL Server service to run using the Log on as option set to a domain user that has the privileges. For a system that is not part of a domain, you can assign the role to a local user or you can set the SQL Server service to run under the local user that has the privileges. For more information, see Setting up SQL Server Authentication for SQL Server 2012 or later (Windows only).

Configuring the NetVault Backup Virtual Client on Windows

After you install, or reinstall, a NetVault Backup Virtual Client and before you perform a backup or restore, ensure that the NetVault Backup Virtual Client is configured. The process for configuring the Virtual Client depends on whether you are using a SQL Server Failover Cluster or an AlwaysOn Availability Group.

In a SQL Server Failover deployment, the SQL Server Failover Virtual Instance is automatically detected if the SQL Server Browser Service is running in all the nodes of the Failover Cluster. Otherwise, to add SQL Server Failover Virtual Instance using the Add Instance Action, follow these steps:

1
In the Navigation pane, click Create Backup Job, and click Create New next to the Selections list.
3
Double-click Plug‑in for SQL Server, and double-click the All Instances node.
IMPORTANT: Add the cluster instance name in the Instances field of the Configure dialog box. To add an instance, if necessary, you might specify the SQL Server cluster name as VIRTUAL SERVER NAME\INSTANCE NAME
b

If your environment uses multiple Virtual Servers in the same failover cluster, create a NetVault Backup Virtual Client for each Virtual SQL Server, and complete the previous steps for each Virtual Client you created.

1
In the Navigation pane, click Create Backup Job, and click Create New next to the Selections list.
3
Double-click Plug‑in for SQL Server.
4
In the Configure dialog box, enter the credentials of the domain user that is used as the default user for accessing SQL Server Instances in the group.

Configuring plug-in options

The settings described in the following topic and subtopics apply to all backup and restore jobs and to individual clients. Additional logon settings are also available; for more information, see Entering logon credentials for all instances on a client and Entering default logon credentials for a specific SQL Server Instance.

1
Access the Configure dialog box.
b
Click Server Settings or Client Settings, as applicable.
c
If you selected Client Settings, select the applicable client, and click Next.
d
On the Settings page, click Plugin Options.
e
Locate the Plug‑in for SQL Server section of the dialog box.
a
In the Navigation pane, click Create Backup Job, and click Create New next to the Selections list.
c
Click Plug‑in for SQL Server, and select Configure from the context menu.
Error Encountered During Checksum: SQL Server lets you specify the action that should be taken if an error is encountered when performing checksums on backups and restores. You can specify the default action to take on encountering checksum errors by selecting one of the following two options from the list:
Continue after error: This option is the default set during the plug-in installation. With this value selected, the backup or restore job continues in spite of checksum errors.
Stop on error: Select this option to set it as the default action. With this value selected, the backup or restore job stops when a checksum error is encountered.
New Database Found in Differential/Incremental Backup: This field applies only to Online VDI backups. If a new database is found while performing Transaction Log or Differential Database backups and the Instance Node is selected on the NetVault Backup Selections page, you can ignore it or take a full backup. You can set this action globally for all Transaction Log and Differential Database backups by selecting the applicable action from the list:
Do full database backup: This option is the default set during the plug-in installation. Retain this option to perform a full backup of all databases added since the last Full Database backup.
Ignore: Select this option to ignore databases created since the last Full Database backup; that is, databases created after the last backup are left out of the Transaction Log or Differential Database backup.
Check SQL Service Agent Status When Restoring msdb Database: If the restore job includes the msdb database, use this option to instruct the plug-in to check the running status of the SQL Server Service Agent. To restore the msdb database and to ensure exclusive access to the database, the SQL Server Service Agent must not be running.
If this option is selected and the restore job includes the msdb database, the plug-in checks the status of the SQL Server Service Agent. If the agent is running, the restore job fails before attempting to restore the msdb database.
AlwaysOn Availability Groups Cluster: Use this option to notify the plug-in that your environment consists of AlwaysOn Availability Groups. if AlwaysOn Availability Groups are detected, the plug-in automatically selects this option.
Undo file for Standby Restores: For performing Standby Restores, the plug-in requires a temporary Undo File. It is required only when the Action After Restore field is set to With STANDBY.
Media Format during VSS Restores: Enter MTF, CPIO, or Default, or leave the field blank.
MTF, Default, or blank: If the backup target is tape-based, the plug-in always uses the MTF format. This behavior is used even if a tape target uses Linux or UNIX. MTF is always acceptable for restoring from a backup produced by this version and recent versions of the plug-in. You do not have to enter this setting. Entering Default or leaving the field blank is the equivalent of entering MTF.
CPIO: Do not use this setting unless instructed to do so by Quest Support. Quest might ask you to use this setting to restore a backup created and written to a Linux-based tape target with a previous version of the plug-in.
SQL Server ODBC Driver: Enter the name of the Microsoft ODBC Driver that the plug-in should use to connect to and query the SQL Server. For example, for SQL Server 2017 on Windows, Microsoft recommends that you use the default driver, Microsoft ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server.
Incomplete Backup of ALL Items Selected: The plug-in can do one of the following when this error condition occurs:
Complete with Warnings — Saveset Retained: The job returns a status of “Backup Completed with warnings” and a backup saveset is created that includes the items that were successfully backed up.
Complete without Warnings — Saveset Retained: The job completes and returns a status of “Backup Completed.” The errors are logged in the NetVault Backup binary logs and ignored on the Job Status page. A backup saveset is created that includes the items that were backed up.
Fail — Saveset Retained: The job returns a status of “Backup Failed.” However, a backup saveset is generated that includes the items that were successfully backed up.
Fail — No Saveset Retained: The job returns a status of “Backup Failed” and no saveset of backed-up objects is kept. That is, even if some of the objects were successfully backed up, the saveset is discarded.
If either of the following occurs, the plug-in overrides the Incomplete Backup of ALL Items Selected setting and responds as indicated:

Configuring options for Linux environments

Operating System VDI Client User Name: Enter the name of the OS root user under which the Client should run.
Operating System VDI Client User Group: Enter the name of the OS group under which the plug-in client should run. Make sure that you enter the root group to which the root user belongs.
VDI Client Library Location: Enter the path to the directory that contains the VDI Client library “libsqlvdi.so” file. The default directory is /opt/mssql/lib.
SQL Server ODBC Driver: Enter the name of the Microsoft ODBC Driver that the plug-in should use to connect to and query the SQL Server. For example, for SQL Server 2017 on Linux, Microsoft recommends that you use the default driver, Microsoft ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server.
Sqlcmd Tool Location: Enter the path to the directory that contains the SQL Server sqlcmd utility. The default directory is /opt/mssql-tools/bin.
Undo file for Standby Restores: For performing Standby Restores, the plug-in requires a temporary Undo File. It is required only when the Action After Restore field is set to With STANDBY.
Incomplete Backup of ALL Items Selected: The plug-in can do one of the following when this error condition occurs:
Complete with Warnings — Saveset Retained: The job returns a status of “Backup Completed with warnings” and a backup saveset is created that includes the items that were successfully backed up.
Complete without Warnings — Saveset Retained: The job completes and returns a status of “Backup Completed.” The errors are logged in the NetVault Backup binary logs and ignored on the Job Status page. A backup saveset is created that includes the items that were backed up.
Fail — Saveset Retained: The job returns a status of “Backup Failed.” However, a backup saveset is generated that includes the items that were successfully backed up.
Fail — No Saveset Retained: The job returns a status of “Backup Failed” and no saveset of backed-up objects is kept. That is, even if some of the objects were successfully backed up, the saveset is discarded.
If either of the following occurs, the plug-in overrides the Incomplete Backup of ALL Items Selected setting and responds as indicated:
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