August 27, 2010 at 1:52 pm
I'm new to the clustering technology, so excuse my knowledge on the subject.
I have a active clustered sql server that has a backed up database sitting on it.
Is it possible to be on a remote server and create a mapped drive to the backup file that is sitting on the clustered server?
If so, can you provide a link to examples of this or provide examples?
I currently have to copy the backup to the remote server and then do the restore on the remote server, which seems to me to be a lot of wasted time and a lot of taxation on the network.
Thank you in advance.
Mark
August 27, 2010 at 4:19 pm
You need to use the cluster network name which can move from one node in the cluster to another. If you have Server1 and Server2 clustered there would be a network name like ServerCluster. You can access the cluster drives or shares by using the cluster network name:
\\ServerCluster\Backups
To copy to a remote server and restore, you could setup a SQL job on the remote server like so:
Step 1:
xcopy \\ServerCluster\Backups\exampledb.bak C:
Step 2:
RESTORE DATABASE Exampledb
FROM DISK = 'C:\exampledb.bak'
August 27, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Instead of Mapping the drive, why not backup the database to the network share directly? An example here
However, it is recommended to backup the database locally to disk and then copy it to the network share
Pradeep Adiga
Blog: sqldbadiaries.com
Twitter: @pradeepadiga
August 29, 2010 at 8:44 am
edogg's solution is fine. It depends how many times you need to restore the backups. If its regular then you should schedule it.
If Network traffic is an issue for you or time is then you should schedule copies over night. This could tie into your DR plan as I assume you have the backups on tape somewhere, if it was on another set of storage then you could get it back quickly assuming you dont lose your datacentre.
Steve.
August 30, 2010 at 4:21 am
We have similar setup, backup to the network shared location and restored the same backup to a diff test server for QA testing.
"More Green More Oxygen !! Plant a tree today"
August 31, 2010 at 6:03 am
Thanks All!!!
I see, so you can't do a backup on the cluster and access that backup from a remote server to restore it on that remote server; correct?
Rather, back up the clustered database to a shared location, or basically copy it to a place where it can be shared.
Bottom line is that I can't get to the the cluster as a UNC path or mapped drive, right?
August 31, 2010 at 6:15 am
Coozie (8/31/2010)
Bottom line is that I can't get to the the cluster as a UNC path or mapped drive, right?
Mark
Wrong - you can use Cluster Administrator to create a file share on the clustered disk that your backup file is on. You can then access the file across the network in the normal way.
John
August 31, 2010 at 6:16 am
Coozie (8/31/2010)
Thanks All!!!I see, so you can't do a backup on the cluster and access that backup from a remote server to restore it on that remote server; correct?
Rather, back up the clustered database to a shared location, or basically copy it to a place where it can be shared.
Bottom line is that I can't get to the the cluster as a UNC path or mapped drive, right?
You can do a backup on the cluster no problem at all, but it would be best practice to place this on the shared storage. It is also best practice to store this on a network drive away from the cluster as this allows for DR should your shared storage go offline as it separates it from your database files.
It would also impact your production server if you pulled several GB's from your shared storage to another server. This depends on speed and kit you use but not best practice.
You can get to your shared storage or local node drives from UNC but everything people are telling you is best practice.
Hope this makes sense.
Steve.
August 31, 2010 at 6:23 am
Yes I apologize for that, I jumped the gun a bit. After reading edogg's a bit more carefully I believe it pretty much works the same way as if I were accessing a file from any other server.
Thanks my friends! I love this site.
Just SSC it...
August 31, 2010 at 6:29 am
Ah, got ya Steve. I understand.
Since we're on that subject...
Do you all think it's better to backup the actual data files, or do you prefer to create jobs to do the backup and then back up the backup's to tape?
Mark
August 31, 2010 at 6:37 am
You can't backup the database files unless you took SQL Server offline which defeats the point a bit and isnt the right answer by a long shot!
Take a backup via a job and then have the output directory taken to tape or whatrever your backup solution is. You need to be careful of timings of course.
Steve.
August 31, 2010 at 6:41 am
I was under the impression that CA BrightStor backed up live somehow.
August 31, 2010 at 7:22 am
Before the backup data from all nodes in the cluster of servers, be sure to save the cluster disk signatures and partition with the recovery system of the backup wizard. This step is necessary if you later restore the quorum disk signature, for example, if you have a complete system failure, and the quorum disk signature has changed since the last backup.
August 31, 2010 at 7:31 am
Coozie (8/31/2010)
I was under the impression that CA BrightStor backed up live somehow.
Never used the product but we do have something that backs up our databases live, using a SQL plugin. What I was getting at was that you can't take a copy of files at a OS level. These utilities obviously work live, but they don't simply copy the file to tape.
I have always been dubious about live snapshots but to be fair have no bad experiences to qualify it. I just prefer what I have done for years.
August 31, 2010 at 7:55 am
I agree. I'm more comfortable with using jobs to create backups and then back those up to tape because it just makes my life easier.
I've never did any homework on how it's done live, but I believe it is backed up from a stack. I just thought that meant it was somehow related to backing up the mdb, but now I realize how dumb that sounds. I guess it's done with smoke and mirrors, or realistically, stored procs.
Thank you all for all your help and feedback.
Mark
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