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Backup Exec 2012 SQL Transaction Log Backups

Peter_Sheridan
Level 6

Hello,

Just upgraded to BE2012 and I am now getting these errors.

 

V-79-40960-37936 - The SharePoint database ShareWebDb is configured to maintain transaction logs. Th...

 

I have seen a previous article that Exchange Transaction logs are automatically taken care of with a full backup. Is there a similar option for SQL and Sharepoint Databases?

 

If not (as the message kinda implies) what would be a recommended alternative without changing database to simple recovery mode?

 

Thanks

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Accepted Solutions

pkh
Moderator
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You would have to add another backup in the job that backup the databases.

View solution in original post

12 REPLIES 12

Backup_Exec1
Level 6
Employee Accredited Certified

Hi

 

Please check this

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH126063

 

Thanks

Peter_Sheridan
Level 6

Hello,

Thanks for your response, but i believe that article is related to BE2010? I am running 2012 and don't have that option there unfortunately...

pkh
Moderator
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You would have to add another backup in the job that backup the databases.

Colin_Weaver
Moderator
Moderator
Employee Accredited Certified

For info needing a separate SQL Log backup to truncate the logs is a Microsoft SQL API Limitation not a BE limitation. The Exchange API works differently, hence BE can truncate the logs for Exchange.

Willhoy
Level 3

So, do we need a second job, that runs after the first?  

What is selected?  Only the SQL databases that aren't maintaining logs?  

What settings should we use under "Incremental method for Microsoft SQL:"?  Log or Differential?  

 

I used to have a job that would run after my primary backup ran.  All it did was backup/truncate SQL logs so that this exception did not occur.  What is the proper method for accomplishing this in 2012?

Thanks!

Peter_Sheridan
Level 6

Hello,

In response to Willhoy's question that is the same way I use to do it. But I think in BE 2012 we need to re think the strategies.

My Environment is a SBS 2008 box and in the past i have just had 1 backup that does the whole server (exchange, sharepoint, sql instances everything). This is the same sort of method i have tried to use in BE2012, 1 Backup Job that does a Full Backup Every night to USB Drives.

I have tried what phk suggests and works to a certain extent but there is a problem. I have added in an additional stage that runs weekly and configured that stage to backup the logs. The only problem is that by adding that stage, it is also going to try and backup everything in that selection list as an incremental backup...if that made sense.

As a result of this i started to get these errors

Snapshot technology error (0xE0008497): You cannot perform incremental and differential backups because Microsoft Exchange is configured for circular logging. To perform incremental or differential backups disable circular logging.  Additionally, you cannot perform no-loss restores if you keep circular logging enabled.

In BE2012 is appears you cannot create just a stand alone Incremental backup, it has to be tied to a Full Backup. So my new idea is to create a new full backup that backs up sharepoint, add an additional stage what runs directly after which backs-up the log file.

Thoughts?

pkh
Moderator
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In BE2012 is appears you cannot create just a stand alone Incremental backup, it has to be tied to a Full Backup. 

 

This is the way it is in BE 2012.  This is to prevent users from running an incremental backup without running a full backup.  You should always run the backups of your applications separately as they have different backup parameters.

jpk
Level 4

I'm trying to do the same thing with my SQL server.  In 2010 I had log file only backups that ran throughout the day (using the scheduling options that were also removed.  for example: run a job between specific times every x hours) so i could recover my db's set to "full recovery" mode to points in time throughout the day. 

The fact that every job relies on a full backup job is a major hinderance.  From what pkh has stated, it sounds like this was done to protect boneheads from creating differential/incremental jobs without first creating full jobs somewhere else.  Couldn't they have used a message box to warn them instead of completely removing the functionality?

It seems as if each server "job" relies on the full backup stage within it.  The fact that a full backup was taken in another job for that same server is ignored entirely.

pkh
Moderator
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Couldn't they have used a message box to warn them instead of completely removing the functionality?

 

Personally, I found through the years that warning a user is futile.

TheMind
Level 3

So does this mean in BE2012 that even if you set up a Policy where the SQL Database does a full backup and then has it's next stage for a transaction log backup, that you cannot set the transaction log backup to run every 1 hour between 7am-5pm?

I did the preview for BE2012 and had installed it, but I didn't get past the job migrations being confusing at that time, and reverted back to 2010 R3.  One thing I couldn't figure out how to do was to keep the hourly transaction log backup job.  I realized that it wanted you to revert to a policy where the Full DB backup was first, but I didn't seem to find how to schedule the transaction log backup the way I needed it.

Peter_Sheridan
Level 6

Hello,

That should be possible, what you would do is have a full backup first, and then have an incremental backup as an additional stage like you have said. Then alter the schedule for the Incremental Backup to run every Hour. The only problem is that I don't know how you would only schedule it to run ONLY between 7am-5pm...

 

jpk
Level 4

Well.. it can be done but it's a lot more complicated than it ever was before.  The advanced scheduling has all be removed (http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH179148). 

Admittedly, I'm still trying to figure out the "new and improved" way to do things and I hope I'm doing something wrong because this seems like a major step backwards.  I'm also concerned because I write everything off directly to tape at this point and nnother poster has commented that in BE2012 each "job" will cause the tape to load, run, go back to it's intial slot, repeat!  That's a lot of time lost during the night for loading and unloading tapes when everything is appending to the same tape for multiple server jobs!

In BE2010 I was able to protect almost all of my servers using 1 policy (weekly job and nightly) and a second job that went and grabbed transaction logs for specific db's on my SQL servers every 2 hours between the hours of 8am and 8pm.  In order to accomlish this in BE2012, I've done the following (12 jobs for just this server!):

 

1. To protect the filesystem I selected only the C:, System State, etc.

a. Full job that runs weekly on Saturday

b. Differential that runs all other nights

 

2. To protect DB's configured in Full Recovery mode, I selected the SQL Server and selected only the db's set up this way

a. Full job that I HAD to run to get the process started.  I configured this as a one time run only.  Unfortunately, it's stuck in the list now and i cannot delete it even though i will never use it again.  I tried to add it as a secondary "full" job in the list hoping I could go back and simply delete it.  Nope.. it moved it to the top and won't let me get rid of it now.

b. Full job that backs these db's up weekly on Saturday

c. Full job configured to run every night (not required, but I like to take full backups of the db's each night)

d,e,f,g,h. ** 5 ** separate incremental jobs that go every few hours and download the transaction logs for this set of db's (who needs advanced scheduling.. this is way better!!)

 

3. To protect DB's on this server that are configured in Simple Recovery mode, i selected the SQL Server and the inverse of the db's above

a. Full job that backs up these db's each night

b. Full job that backs up these db's each saturday