SIMS Backups

[Grommit]

How do you back up SIMS..

Do you get SIMS to do its own backup via the System Manager everynight ? (how do I automate this?)

Or just use Backup exec or NTbackup to backup the whole MSSQL folder to tape and disk ?

[mark]

We have some sort of scheduled job(set up by our central team), plus another to stop the database, copy those locked files then re-start.

[kingswood]

We have some sort of scheduled job(set up by our central team), plus another to stop the database, copy those locked files then re-start.

That's kind of what we have too.

[apeo]

We use Backup exec to back up the sims database nightly and use the System Manager backup to do on the fly backups.

[Jake]

Backup Exec here

[djm968]

One option I have used in the passed, was to write a script to stop the SQL service, xcopy the SIMS.LDF and SIMS.MDF pair (the SQL database) and xcopy the entire SIMS folder to another server. The advantage of this is that you could have a "warm" backup.

[stitch]

We use Backup Exec along with the SQL agent add on.

[ajbritton]

Custom script which calls DBATTACH to make a SIMS backup then calls NTBACKUP to backup to tape.

[Grommit]

Custom script which calls DBATTACH to make a SIMS backup then calls NTBACKUP to backup to tape.

Thanks Guys... I am using Backup Exec with SQL add on... but I would like to have what ajbritton or djm968 use...

AJ do you have the script that can co Backup exec as that would alsso be a warm backup someting like djm968's

[vsnider]

We do what Mark does. Scheduled job to stop the service, give it plenty of time to do the backup (run a test first and add a couple of hours), run whatever backup (we use windows backup), scheduled job to restart the service. Over the last couple of years I remember it not working twice.

[steve]

We also run Backup Exec with SQL agent and the DBATTACH script.

dbattach.exe /user:"username" /password:"password" /backup /SERVER:"SERVERNAME" /DATABASE:"sims" /AUTO

The dbattach file is located in something like C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL\Binn - depends if you run MSDE or full SQL.

We run it as a nightly scheduled task, just keep an eye on the build up of the backup files - they soon eat into your diskspace.

[klawd]

Is there a reason for starting and stopping the SQL Services?

I assumed volume shadow copy was designed so you didnt have to do this.

We currently use dbattach to backup the SIMS db then copy it to another server + upload it offsite.

Other backups (Exchange + sql) are done using a custom NTbackup script.

[mark]

You can't copy the database files if they're live klawd

[Grommit]

The problem that i am having is that after the Backup exec has run (with SQL add on) is that the 2 SIMS files are not there ?

any reason why ?

[meastaugh1]

The problem that i am having is that after the Backup exec has run (with SQL add on) is that the 2 SIMS files are not there ?

any reason why ?

When using BE SQL agent, I believe the database will be represented as Microsoft SQL Server "SIMS" and not as flat files in your backup/restore selections.

I use both the SQL agent and the DBAttach command line, just in case.