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Backup Exec 12 - SQL 2008 Express Rollback

ChrisM750
Level 3

Hi everyone,

This is the first major problem that I've had with Backup Exec 12, since installing it 3 years ago. Any help whould be greatly appreciated.

The system is Backup Exec 12, installed on a 32 bit Windows Server 2003 machine. It was running with it's database installed on a local SQL 2005 Express install. This has been fine but we've done some work with another package on the server and needed SQL 2008 Express. I ran the 2008 Express install without thinking and mistakenly upgraded the Backup Exec database to a 2008 one.

Looking at the internet since I've found this is a bad idea and I've had trouble with backups on the local server ever since. Backup Exec itself seems to run OK and so do remote backups but the local ones just don't work.

Rather than messing around trying to get round whatever the problem is, does anyone have any ideas, tips or links to site/articles about how I can move the database back to a 2005 Express one and completely remove 2008 Express? I hope it's easy but I'm not an SQL expert so a guide would be ideal.

I hope someone knows what they are doing and can help.

Regards, Chris.

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited

Mmm...if you run a repair of BE through Add/Remove Programs it might fix it.

That said, you're also able to dump the current DB, and recreate it from base level (empty). This might then put it in SQL Express 2005. Just keep a decent copy of your DB.

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8 REPLIES 8

SaurabhK
Level 4
Employee

Chris, Stop all BE services, detach the BEDB database from SQL 2008, (You will need management studio for SQL Express installed for this). Take a copy of the MDF and LDF files. Install SQL 2005, attach the BEDB pointing to the copy of the DB files. Using BEUTILITY, point the location of the DB to the SQLSERVERNAME\INSTANCENAME (SQL 2005)

Whatever you do, ensure you have a copy of the BEDB_DAT.MDF and BEDB_LOG.LDF in a safe location.

Follow the below articles,

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH37752

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH34487

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH129666

 

To sum it up, detach the DB files from SQL 2008, and attach wherever you install SQL 2005, download management studios for both versions as they will be required.

Use BEUTILITY and re point to the new SQL 2005, then uninstall SQL 2008 if you no longer require the software.

Mark as solution if this post answers your questions.

ChrisM750
Level 3

Hi SaurabhK,

I thought your instructions sounded too easy. When I detach the 2008 files from the server and try to attach them in the 2005 version is says that the files are from a later version and cannot be attached. Great.

I thought that I'd restore the BEDB_DAT.MDF and BEDB_LOG.LDF files from the last backup were they were in a 2005 format and attach them instead. The problem is that when I try this they are backup up with a .BAK extension and I can't use them. I've tried to restore the .BAK file using various versions of SQL and they all give different errors.

Is there an easy way to restore the BEDB_DAT.MDF and BEDB_LOG.LDF that I have on tape from the 2005 version of SQL Express?

I hope so because this is driving me mad after a week.

Regards, Chris.

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited

Hi Chris,

 

Have you tried to restore that database using BEutility?

ChrisM750
Level 3

I haven't tried that because if I do a restore won't it copy all the old data back into the 2008 Exress database I'm trying to get rid of? I want to get the old database attached in 2005 and running in parallel so I can then point Backup Exec to that DB.

Or am I missing something?

Chris.

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited

Mmm...if you run a repair of BE through Add/Remove Programs it might fix it.

That said, you're also able to dump the current DB, and recreate it from base level (empty). This might then put it in SQL Express 2005. Just keep a decent copy of your DB.

ChrisM750
Level 3

This is getting to be a pain now. Do you know what is stored in the database? Is it the entire config or just the details about your previous backups? I'm tempted to just blow the lot and start from scratch.

Ken_Putnam
Level 6

The BEDB contains your job definitions, schedules, partition info, B2D info, all of the media that have  been inventoried, etc.  basically everything except the catalog info

 

I'm pretty sure the you are out of luck, trying to restore a SQL 2008 backup into a 2005 database in any way

 

You will probably have to go to a backup taken before the upgrade and restore the BEDB.BAK file in the BackupExec install directory, then run BEUTIL and do a "Recover Configuration from a file"  (assuming that you have indeed removed SQL Express 2008)

ChrisM750
Level 3

Hi,

I finally managed to get this sorted last week with a combination of ideas from CraigV and Ken. I ended up shutting down all the BE services, removing SQL 2008 completely with all instances, before creating a new instance in SQL 2005 with exactly the same name. I then did a restore from the last 2005 backup I had, into that instance. When I restarted the BE services it just picked everything up without even having to use BEUTIL. I had loads of problems trying to create another instance with diferent names and using BEUTIL to transfer onto it but this worked perfectly.

Glad to see the back of that one. Thanks for everyone's help.

Chris.