Restore Database from network location

  • Comments posted to this topic are about the item Restore Database from network location

  • True you can use a UNC path in a scripted backup \ restore as per the example given, but you can also use UNC paths within Enterprise Manager or Management Studio too. You don't need to use a script if you don't want to.

    Although only local drives on the server appear within the selection of backup \ restore locations within the GUI, you can simply type the full UNC path (excluding file name) into the path box, and the file name itself in the second box.

    One good gotcha to watch out for is to ensure that the account used to run the SQL Server services is a domain account as opposed to a local system account. Otherwise the share will not be accessible.

    Also, said domain account will need permissions to access the share where the file is housed \ to be written to.

  • The other point to consider is whether the backup file was compressed by Sql Server (Enterprise/Dev edition only). If not, depending on the computing power available and the capacity/capability of the link, it may be quicker to zip/transfer/unzip/restore.

  • Andy Hogg (7/24/2009)


    True you can use a UNC path in a scripted backup \ restore as per the example given, but you can also use UNC paths within Enterprise Manager or Management Studio too. You don't need to use a script if you don't want to.

    Agreed. I've set up backup plans in both that backup to a network location rather than the local machine. Probably not recommended if you have 200Gb database backups, but the sort of database backup sizes I've generally been dealing with (less than 3Gb) haven't ever had an issue.

  • Thanks for the script.

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