Symantec Backup Exec and SQL Server script backups...over redundant?

  • As like many others, we had layoffs and being a mid-size company we now take on the jobs of others.

    One of our network admins was in charge of server backups using Symantec Backup Exec (12.5 version). Upon taking this piece over I noticed that there is a sql server piece for sql backups.

    He had this scheduled for some of our smaller non-critical databases.

    On running this as Full backup Saturday, then differentials during the week. Backup Exec received an error saying that the diff could not be backed up because the original full backup wasn't from the Backup Exec agent.

    In SQL server we have scripts that run a full backup nightly.

    So I think it is looking in msdb table and noticing that the last Full was issued by the SQL service and thus causes the error.

    SQL backups with two systems (SQL and Backup Exec) could cause a backup issue by the two systems conflicting with each other.

    Long story short, I don't think it is productive let alone worth it to do the SQL backups via Backup Exec...

  • Only use the backup exec stuff if you don't want to do a restore.

    I've yet to see a backup vendor produce a product to backup databases directly to tape that works without any issues, or with any consistency.

    The best way is to always dump your databases to disk and backup those dumps (as you are doing already).



    Shamless self promotion - read my blog http://sirsql.net

  • thanks Nicholas and after reading the best practices for Backupexec SQL I would have to turn off a majority of my SQL scripts (which I obviously not going to do)

    Now the fun part to see how much we paid in licensing for this useless add-on

  • I've seen a large number of enterprises get sucked into these "SQL Agents" thinking that it will really help them out.

    As already stated, I've not seen a recovery work from a 3rd party backup Agent correctly. Definitely run the backups to disk and then copy the SQL created Backup file to tape from there.

    Regards, Irish 

  • I have a single SQL-2005 server which holds a single database

    for a custom-made Document Management product. I would like to backup

    that single production database together with whichever system databases

    are necessary to be able to, for example, restore all the SQL

    functionality and data to a new Windows Server if there is ever a need

    for a disaster recovery.

    I am now running BackupExec 12.0 with SQL-Agent Option. If I want to use

    the SQL-2005 built-in backup functionality instead of Backup Exec, what

    considerations should I make? One maintenance plan for user+system

    databases, or several different maintenance plans?

    Any other gotchas I should be aware of?

    Thanks a lot.

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