A quick question on backup

  • Hi there,

    one of our prod db is hosted on an external server.DB regular maintenance plans are all set and fine.

    They do a system NT backup and IIS backup on the system and its like weekly full and daily differential(its like hot backup, backing .mdf and .ldf files while the db is in use).

    My question is, does their backup restore the database to any good shape? Forget about point in time.

    Thanks,

    Pavan.

  • Hard to say, How often do you test the backups that are done and do practise restores, to test the DR scenario.

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  • thanks for the suggestion, havent tested the restore...will surely do that, restored many times with the regular SQL backups, but not from system backup.

  • You will definitely need to work with them to test a full system restore. This will probably sound like an overly simple question, but do you move the backups to a different system after they're taken? (If not, won't they get wiped out on a full system restore?).

    Without looking, I would assume that after restoring the system, to ensure database integrity you would want to restore the database from the 'hot' backups you've taken.

  • Thanks for the suggestion, just joined here...looking into things!

    Oh..I have lots of questions to ask them...hmm! and test them.

    If they do a system restore even my regular trn backups will be deleted and I may get the system/db to....can't be imagined!!!

  • There is TONS of good information here on SQL ServerCentral. The challenge is to find what you need without getting bogged down in all the other interesting information here.

    Sounds like you haven't been in the field for decades, like some of us have. I don't know if there's been consideration to building an anecdotal forum called 'war stories' or some such, where veterans could share some of the more interesting and hair-raising escapades they (we) have survived.

    Welcome to the forums! Some terms you may want to learn quick overviews about:

    business continuity (or business continuity planning)

    disaster recovery

    mirroring

    replication

    offsite storage

    backup and restore (sometimes viewed as two separate concepts) - which you've touched on in this thread.

    Welcome to the forum! Unfortunately, I have no longer memorized the link to the site where you are given guidance on how to post - Steve - is there a way to put that as a hotlink on the Forums page?

  • dba_pkashyap (9/24/2009)


    Hi there,

    one of our prod db is hosted on an external server.DB regular maintenance plans are all set and fine.

    They do a system NT backup and IIS backup on the system and its like weekly full and daily differential(its like hot backup, backing .mdf and .ldf files while the db is in use).

    My question is, does their backup restore the database to any good shape? Forget about point in time.

    Thanks,

    Pavan.

    Those backups of .mdf & .ldf are of no use. Proper SQL backups should be taken (.BAK or 3rd party files), then those backup files can be part of the NT backup to tape.

    The only way to backup .mdf files is to detach the database, backup the .mdf, attach the db after completion. That requires downtime and is cumbersome with no benefit.

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