SMSQL Restore from Unmanaged Media for system database

[arndt]

Can SMSQL be used to do a restore from unmanaged media for system databases?  When using this option in SMSQL for restores, it wants the path to your old SnapInfo data where the .dmp and .sml files are located.  This works fine for non-system databases, but the system database backups are streamed and are located in a folder that only has a .FBK file.  Is there some other way to restore a system database from these .FBK files?  Thanks!

Mike

[abhisek]

Hi Mike ,

Before you can restore system databases from SnapManager backup sets:

1. The system databases must be migrated to LUNs.

2. SnapManager must be used to create stream-based backup sets of those databases.

The procedure to restore your SQL Server system database depends on whether the database is still functional. If the database is no longer functional, you must rebuild the system databases first.

Full database stream-based backup files are .fbk files .It is similar to .bak file in SQL Server.

Regards,

Abhishek

[arndt]

Hi Abhisek,

Thanks for the reply. We already have the system databases on a NetApp LUN, and it is being backed up via a streaming backup with SMSQL (to .fbk files). The question is around how we do restores of these backups when they have been copied off to another backup system. Is it possible to copy the .fbk files to a location back on the original system and use the SMSQL restore from unmanaged media option to restore these system databases to the running system? Thanks,

Mike

[QPAYADMINS]

Would be nice to get the answer for this.  We're in process of getting a new DR environment up and running and like arndt/Mike, we have the system databases on a LUN and using SMSSQL to back them up to fbk files in the SnapInfo directory, however, not able to perform a restore.

[qzhang]

You can simply copy the .FBK file to snapinfo directory where the master database backup is located on the DR server, from the restore tab, you should see this backup (with time stamp as the file name), then you can just do the restore.

System database backup is stream based backup, so there is no metadata associated, you don’t need to use the restore from unmanaged media feature for system database restore.

Thanks,

-Qing