Post reply

Disk and Tape Backup Devices

  • December 2, 2005 at 9:16 am

    #92668

    Why is it that backup devices refer to actual files on disks where disks are considered, and they refer not to files but the actual media itself where tapes are considered? Is this really so or do I understand it incorrectly. If this is indeed so, then why is it that way?

  • December 5, 2005 at 8:00 am

    This was removed by the editor as SPAM

  • December 5, 2005 at 11:04 am

    #607752

    Not sure about this other than it's probably legacy. On the tapes, you can have multiple "files" or backups on one media, as well as one backup spanning tapes.

    There is a read header type parameter that will work with tape.

  • December 5, 2005 at 11:34 am

    #607761

    It is just confusing terminology. Tape Device can have the same disk backup file (backup device in terms of HDD) - offcourse in the MS Tape Format.

    You can have SomeDBBakup.BAK file on both HDD and Tape, only the terminology is confusing.

    < backup_device >

    Specifies the logical or physical backup device to use for the backup operation. Can be one or more of the following:

    { logical_backup_device_name } | { @logical_backup_device_name_var }

    Is the logical name, which must follow the rules for identifiers, of the backup device(s) (created by sp_addumpdevice) to which the database is backed up. If supplied as a variable (@logical_backup_device_name_var), the backup device name can be specified either as a string constant (@logical_backup_device_name_var = logical backup device name) or as a variable of character string data type, except for the ntext or text data types.
     

    { DISK | TAPE } =
    'physical_backup_device_name' | @physical_backup_device_name_var

    Allows backups to be created on the specified disk or tape device. The physical device specified need not exist prior to executing the BACKUP statement. If the physical device exists and the INIT option is not specified in the BACKUP statement, the backup is appended to the device.

    When specifying TO DISK or TO TAPE, enter the complete path and file name. For example, DISK = 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL\BACKUP\Mybackup.dat' or TAPE = '\\.\TAPE0'.

     

Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply