SQL Server DR Test

  • Hi all

     

    I am pretty new with SQL Server and I have some doubt about doing DR tests with SQL Server.

     

    I have around 25 database running in SQL Server 2012 Standard Edition with Log Shipping setup in another Data Center. I have to do a simulation DR test, breaks Data Center communication, open the secondary database as primary for one day so the application team use the Data Center as the real primary Data Center and day 2 restore to previous situation. back as DR site.

     

    Once I open the databases and application team starts to insert, deleting data etc. Until now the previous SQL Server DBA had to recreate all log shipping from scratch. Very time consuming (there are a couple of dabase which are 1TB). I wonder if we can do this to minimize the time to restore the Data Center to previos role.

     

    1. Cut Communication between primary Data center and the secondary
    2. Stop the secondary databases
    3. From SAN create storage snapshots of all SQL Server Disks
    4. Open the secondary database as primary databases
    5. run the application tests
    6. Stop the databases
    7. Restore the Snapshots
    8. Start secondary databases with the snapshots
    9. Restore communication primary Data center and the secondary

     

    Is this doable?

     

    Thank you in advance

  • If your database is in standby mode, you can do a snapshot, but you cannot set a standby database online if there is a snapshot on it.

    You can do a snapshot on the online database.

    Do you have a lot of disk space?

    Sounds like you want to discard changes after test and go back to synchronizing mode with primary? In that case restore the db from full, latest differential and subsequent xlog

  • Hi

     

    I want to simulate the DR test with secondary database (log shipping targets).

     

    But I am talking about Storage Snapshots, not database snapshots.... It seems to me you are talking about database snapshots?

    I have done the same DR tests with similar steps I described above with Oracle Databases with success but wonder if same would work with SQL Server.

     

     

    Cheers

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