Moving the SQL Server error logs, SQL Agent logs, and Full-Text logs

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Moving the SQL Server error logs, SQL Agent logs, and Full-Text logs

Tony Fountain

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April 4, 2013 at 12:06 pm

#276166

Ok, during the installation of SQL Server 2008 R2 (Enterprise x64) I changed the "Data root directory" thinking it would only affect the system databases (as I wanted them on our NAS). Evidently this also installed the following folders on the NAS:
FTData (full-text language files)
Data (system databases)
Jobs (sql agent job logs)
Log (sql server logs, sql agent logs, full-text logs)

I need to move FTData, Jobs, and Log back to where they would have been originally installed. Actually, FTData is moved since it was just a registry key that had to be changed and copy the folder over. But when attempting to move Jobs and Log, when I restart SQL Server I get "access denied" messages on the folder C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.<myinstance>\MSSQL\Log\.

I know how to change the configurations to tell SQL Server where these files should be, but is there an easy way (other that uninstall/reinstall) to identify/grant the permissions needed for SQL Server to access these locations?

To give a little background on the accounts being used. Each service (sql server, sql agent, full-text) run under different accounts. SQL Server and SQL Agent are both domain accounts, while full-text runs under LOCALSERVICE.

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 736479 More actions · Answer 1

here are permissions: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143504.aspx#Reviewing_ACLs

I think you need full control most places.

Tony Fountain SSCrazy Points: 2057 More actions · Answer 2

Steve, thanks for the link. I'll see if this provides the information on what I need to move these manually.

Tony Fountain SSCrazy Points: 2057 More actions · Answer 3

Hey Steve, I think I found something a tad easier - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/323007. Now if anyone is as clumsy as I am they have a way to copy the folder structure and files back to where they want them.

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 736479 More actions · Answer 4

Interesting. Are you Win2K? Or does the article apply to other versions for you?

I need to save that bookmark. It's a handy article.

Steve JP Ten Centuries Points: 1070 More actions · Answer 5

XCopy still exists on Win2008, thankfully although slated to be deprecated. Still need to check on 2012 but my feeling is that it is still there

An alternative is Robocopy.