Microsoft SQL plug-in configuration notes
You can configure the CloudPoint plug-in for Microsoft SQL to discover SQL application instances and databases and protect them using disk-level snapshots. After you configure the plug-in, CloudPoint automatically discovers all the file system assets, SQL instances and databases that are configured on the SQL server host. The discovered SQL assets then appear in the NetBackup user interface (UI) from where you can protect the assets by subscribing them to a protection plan or by taking snapshots manually.
The following types of SQL server deployments are supported:
SQL instances and databases, including standalone databases
You can perform snapshot and restore operations at an instance level. When you take a snapshot of a SQL instance, the snapshot includes all the online databases that are configured in that instance.
Beginning with NetBackup 9.0 release, you can also perform the same set of operations at a single database level. You can take a backup of a individual standalone SQL database that is in an online state and restore it either to the same location or to an alternate location. You are provided with an option to overwrite the existing database. Restore to the same location or alternate location fails if the overwrite existing option is not selected. A disk-level snapshot restore operation restores the database on the target host. The new database is discovered in the next discovery cycle and automatically displayed in the UI.
SQL databases deployed in an Availability Group (AG)
Beginning with NetBackup 9.0 release, you can perform backup and restore operations on SQL databases that are part of an AG. When you take a snapshot of a database in the SQL AG the snapshots are taken from the replica that is configured by the SQL database administrator. You can restore a single AG database to a SQL instance that is configured as a replica in the AG configuration. The AG database can also be restored to a SQL instance that is not part of any AG configuration. When restoring to an AG environment, the database must be removed from the AG before performing the restore.
Before you configure the plug-in, ensure that your environment meets the following requirements:
This plug-in is supported in Microsoft Azure and Amazon AWS environments only.
A supported version of Microsoft SQL server is installed on the Windows instance.
The SQL server instances that you want to protect must be running on a non-system drive.
CloudPoint also does not support SQL server instances that are installed on a mount point.
CloudPoint uses the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS).
Ensure that you configure VSS to store shadow copies on the same drive (the originating drive) where the database resides.
See Configuring VSS to store shadow copies on the originating drive.
Note:
CloudPoint does not support discovery, snapshot, and restore operations for SQL databases that contain leading or trailing spaces or non-printable characters. This is because the VSS writer goes into an error state for such databases. Refer to the following for more details: