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NetVault Plug-in for SQL Server 10.0.6 - User Guide

Introducing Dell™ 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 Restoring data Troubleshooting

Standalone deployment

You can set up one machine as both the NetVault Backup Server and the SQL Server® (that is, all software installation and configuration requirements are performed on a single machine). However, Dell recommends that these two entities exist on separate machines.
Figure 1. Standalone deployment
Important considerations
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Regardless of the environment in place (two entities or one), install Plug‑in for SQL Server on the host where SQL Server resides.
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If you use SQL Server Replicated Databases, obtain the required number of plug-in licenses based on the replication type and the backup and recovery requirements. Also install the plug-in on each host included in the SQL Server Replication environment, including the following:
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Publisher: Install the plug-in on this node regardless of the replication type implemented.
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Distributor: If you use a Local Distributor, the Distributor is running on the same node as the Publisher. However, if you use a Remote Distributor, install the plug-in on the Distributor host.
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Subscriber: If you want to back up the changed data in a Subscriber database, install the plug-in on the Subscriber hosts. This configuration lets you synchronize the Publication database with the Subscription database after recovery. If the plug-in is not installed on the Subscriber nodes, re-initialize all subscriptions to the publications in the Publication database after recovery.
The plug-in considers each of these nodes as an individual Client.

High-availability deployments

Whether you choose to deploy an Active/Passive or Active/Active configuration, Microsoft requires that you install and configure failover clustering. High-availability deployments include:
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Failover Cluster (Active/Passive) with SQL Server 2012 and earlier
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AlwaysOn Availability Group (Active/Active) with SQL Server 2012 and later
Important considerations
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This guide does not offer instructions on how to set up NetVault Backup’s Application Cluster Support to administer backups and restores of non-SQL Server-related data and files. This process is not plug-in-specific, and you can find complete details in the Dell NetVault Backup Administrator’s Guide.
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Before you continue, Dell recommends that you review all cluster-related information provided in the Dell NetVault Backup Administrator’s Guide. That guides helps you understand how the information included in this guide works with SQL Server Failover Cluster and AlwaysOn Availability Group functionality.
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When interacting with an AlwaysOn Availability Group, Dell recommends that you use the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the cluster. You can also use the listener IP or IP address of the cluster.
Failover Clustering
SQL Server Failover Clustering (Active/Passive) provides high-availability for an entire SQL Server Instance. For example, you can configure a SQL Server Instance on one node of a failover cluster to fail over to a different node in the cluster during a failure or planned upgrade.
A failover cluster is a combination of one or more nodes (hosts) with two or more shared disks, known as a resource group. The combination of a resource group, its network name, and an IP address that makes up the clustered application or server is called a Virtual Server. A Virtual Server appears on the network as if it were a single computer, but provides failover from one node to different node if the current node becomes unavailable.
 
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IMPORTANT: In NetVault Backup terminology, a cluster node is called a Virtual Client. The references to Virtual Client in Plug‑in for SQL Server are basically references to the Virtual Server in a SQL Server Failover Cluster environment or AlwaysOn Availability Group.
Using the failover cluster network name, the Plug‑in for SQL Server identifies the current node that is in control of the SQL Server Virtual Server and targets it for backup.
AlwaysOn Availability Group
You can use the plug-in with the AlwaysOn Availability Groups that you have created on top of your WSFC cluster. In addition to backing up data, you can use the plug-in to manage the addition and removal of the primary and secondary replicas during a restore process. This option eliminates the need to use SQL Server Management Studio to add and remove the replicas.
Figure 2. AlwaysOn deployment

Installing and removing the plug-in

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Installation prerequisites
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Installing the plug-in
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Licensing the plug-in
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Removing the plug-in
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Removing a SQL Server® Instance

Installation prerequisites

The requirements vary depending on your configuration:
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Prerequisites for a standalone deployment
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Additional prerequisites for a high-availability deployment
Prerequisites for a standalone deployment
Before installing Plug‑in for SQL Server, check that the following software is installed and configured on the machine that is to host SQL Server®:
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NetVault Backup Server and Client software: At a minimum, the Client version of NetVault Backup software must be installed on the machine configured as the SQL Server.
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SQL Server software: The machine must be running a supported version of SQL Server. For a list of supported versions, see the Dell NetVault Backup Compatibility Guide, which is available at http://quest.com/support/.
 
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IMPORTANT: Service Pack 2 is a requirement for SQL Server 2005 to run on Windows Server® 2008 (both 32-bit and 64-bit). For more information, see http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2005/en/us/system-requirements.aspx#ws.
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SQL Server VSS Writer Services: If you want to implement a VSS backup strategy for SQL Server databases, the SQL Server VSS Writer service must be running. The SQL Server VSS Writer is automatically installed. However, the service is not set to start automatically. To enable VSS backups, use the Windows Services utility. Dell recommends that you set the Startup Type for this service to Automatic.
Additional prerequisites for a high-availability deployment
Before installing Plug‑in for SQL Server, check that the requirements are met:
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Microsoft SQL Server Failover Clustering or AlwaysOn environment in place: You must have a properly configured environment.
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Failover Clustering is only supported with SQL Server® Standard and Enterprise Editions. For more information on installing Failover Clustering, see the Failover Clustering section of SQL Server 20xx Books Online.
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AlwaysOn requires SQL Server 2012 and later and is supported on Windows 2008 R2 and later. For more information, see the applicable Microsoft documentation: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh510230(v=sql.120).aspx
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For SQL Server 2012, see: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh510230(v=sql.110).aspx
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For SQL Server 2014, see: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh510230(v=sql.120).aspx
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Separate NetVault Backup Server machine: The machine that serves as the NetVault Backup Server must be configured and it must exist outside the SQL Server cluster. The machine must have network connectivity to the nodes (hosts) within the cluster.
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