Question

Backup of a mirrored databse

Asked by: Foliot

Hello,

We have 2 servers with Microsoft SQL Standard 2005. They have a SQL database that is being mirrored. We want to make a backup of the mirror database, which has the state Recovering. Is it possible to take a backup of a databse in that state? If not, how do we remove it from that state? Also if we remove it, how do we put it back in for mirroring?

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Asked On
2009-08-11 at 13:15:14ID24644464
Tags

Microsoft SQL 2005

,

database

,

mirror

,

backup

Topics

Databases Miscellaneous

,

SQL Server 2005

,

SQL Query Syntax

Participating Experts
4
Points
500
Comments
13

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Answers

 

by: chapmandewPosted on 2009-08-11 at 13:17:30ID: 25072890

I've not tried to make a backup..but you can try it easily w/o side effects.  If you cannot, you can always create a database snapshot of the mirrored db...from there, you should be able to make a backup of the snapshot.

 

by: PriceDPosted on 2009-08-11 at 13:17:52ID: 25072896

Backup Exec is an excellant backup program which allow backup using OFO.

 

by: chapmandewPosted on 2009-08-11 at 13:18:28ID: 25072906

Backup Exec is not necessary here.

 

by: SireesPosted on 2009-08-11 at 13:25:35ID: 25072986

You cannot backup a database in mirror state.

Also there is really no need to backup the mirror database as it will be in synch with the principal database. So a backup of principal database should be enough.

 

by: FoliotPosted on 2009-08-11 at 13:27:11ID: 25073010

We are using backup exec, but we will not use that for a mirrored databse, only for the primary. The reason I am asking this is to verfiy if we can easily transfer the databse from the mirror to our backup VM server SQL in the case of a server outage.

Can you provide the steps to do a snapshot of a DB?

 

by: chapmandewPosted on 2009-08-11 at 13:29:15ID: 25073035

CREATE DATABASE DatabaseSnapshotName
AS SNAPSHOT OF DatabaseName  --where DatabaseName is the name of the db in recovery

 

by: FoliotPosted on 2009-08-11 at 13:42:02ID: 25073203

I will give this a try.

 

by: FoliotPosted on 2009-08-11 at 13:45:04ID: 25073230

"Msg 1844, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
Database Snapshot is not supported on Standard Edition (64-bit)."

Guess this is not a solution.

 

by: chapmandewPosted on 2009-08-11 at 13:53:51ID: 25073307

yep, you need enterprise edition.

Sirees is probably right, but you can always try to do a backup of the database...just in case.  try this:

backup database dbname
to disk = 'c:\backup.bak'

if it works, you're golden.  if not, we'll figure somethign else out.

 

by: FoliotPosted on 2009-08-11 at 14:01:22ID: 25073398

"Msg 954, Level 14, State 1, Line 1
The database "MeublesFoliot" cannot be opened. It is acting as a mirror database.
Msg 3013, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
BACKUP DATABASE is terminating abnormally."

Guess that's a no go either. Sirees is right, but I still wish to do this if it is possible, we are currently in the testing of a server outage, and this would be the best way to test the worse case scenario.

 

by: wiljePosted on 2009-08-11 at 19:53:38ID: 25075381

The mirrored database should be on the server you want to use in case of a server outage of your primary database.  Why would you be moving the database to another server in case of a server outage?

For the record, you cannot backup a database that is being recovered.  That is the state of a database that is being mirrored or participating in log shipping.  If you really want to backup the database, you have to break the mirror - recover the database, then you can back it up.  To put it back after that, you have to restore the backup from your live system, apply all of the transaction logs since that backup was done and then re-instate mirroring.

Also, even if you were on Enterprise Edition and could create a snapshot - you cannot backup a snapshot.

 

by: FoliotPosted on 2009-08-12 at 04:23:06ID: 25077524

Ok, as it turns out that it is not possible I will clsoe the question and split points. The reason we wanted to do this is because the mirrored database does not have all the proper applications to support the database software, and it would not be possible to install it on it. We have a VM image of the primary server and when it would go down we wanted to turn the VM on and then restore the database from the mirrored to the VM server.

 

by: FoliotPosted on 2009-08-12 at 04:24:16ID: 31614428

Does not seem to be possible to do, other than taking the database offline.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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