March 10, 2011 at 8:36 am
I have a sql server database on a on a window 2005. The OS and hardware are controlled by another company. I asked the company who will take reponsiblity for the recovery in case the crash of the system. The company told me that they will backup the whole system everyday and told me don't worry. If the system crashes, they can bring it back on the next day.
Well, because I am the administrator of the database, so, I suggested to backup the database and the log files and let them to backup the damp files, but they disagree and my boss even says that my suggestion is not necessary. He does not want to argue with that company.
What that company does for the backup is to backup the entire server. So, my question is: is they backup good enough? I still want to do the back and let them to backup the file of my backup.
Am I right?
Thank you
Yan
March 10, 2011 at 8:40 am
It may be sufficient but you should get something in writing stating that they can meet your service level agreement for recovery. If you have a requirement for a point in time recovery within 30 minutes then you should make sure that they can agree to cover that. AND if you are not comfortable with what they provide, have them prove it. It's your data and if they lose it their money may not be enough to offset the loss. So, you will have to carry that "torch" to make sure that it meets the company expectation.
David
@SQLTentmaker“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose” - Jim Elliot
March 10, 2011 at 8:42 am
Nope. Unless that's one of a few file-type backups that understands SQL, backing up the database files will get you nothing (if the backup cannot read locked files) or useless copies (if it can but doesn't sync with SQL)
Simple way to solve this. Insist to your boss that the restore should be tested to make sure that it works before something bad happens, and ask the company to test restore last week's database. See what happens.
Edit: Oh, and is once a day enough? Is losing up to 24 hours of data in a disaster acceptable?
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability
March 10, 2011 at 8:51 am
is this on physical hardware or vmware? if the latter than they are probably running vmware incremental backups on the entire instance and locked files aren't an issue
March 10, 2011 at 9:17 am
Thank you guys.. That company is a big company.
Yan
March 10, 2011 at 9:45 am
It is physical hardware, not vmware. I know that they use legado to backup everything. They may also image the server, well, I don't know how frequently.
March 10, 2011 at 9:50 am
they should have a SQL backup agent then where it will backup the databases via MS's API's. Netbackup and everyone else has these.
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