You are trying for a new job and...

You are backing up your SQL Server 2000...

You are trying to recover the database server...

Your SQL Server has just crashed and it's...

Worst Practice - Detailed Disaster Plans

Another in our series of things you should avoid at all costs. Seems silly at first, not having a detailed recovery plan for your SQL Server. Perhaps it is, but having dealt with any number of problems over the last few years, Steve Jones has some ideas why a detailed plan may not be the best thing to spend your time on.

Incident Response - Responding to an Incident

Part 2 of Steve Jones' Incident Response series that looks at how you should be prepared as well as what to do when disaster strikes. Part 1 established a basic framework and part 2 dives deeper into what you might need for the next virus, hardware failure, or hurricane :(.

You are the DBA for a large company...

Incident Response - The Framework

Do you have a SQL Server disaster plan? What about something less than a disaster? Steve Jones has worked more than his share of disasters or incidents, some of them self-inflicted. He's taken some of his experience and started a new series looking at a framework for dealing with incidents. Read part 1 about getting prepared.

Backup Scenarios for successful SQL Server Restores and Recovery

SQL Server has a great backup and recovery architecture, but you have to know how to properly configure and use the server to ensure that you will not be seeking new employment anytime soon. A few of the Sonasoft team have written this short piece on strategies for setting up your backup jobs to ensure recovery in the event of a disaster. Welcome new authors Bilal Ahmed, Kiran Kumar, and Vas Srinivasan.

Save Yourself - Recovering from an XP Disaster

How many of you dig into Windows XP extensively? Working with hardware and the OS isn't something that many DBAs deal with these days. Most companies have an admin to work on servers, hardware, workstations, etc. But sometimes you need to help yourself out. Steve Jones had to work to get his laptop back after an XP disaster. Read on and hopefully this will help you one day recover your system.