Backup Solution of SBS

[rjr]

What backup solution is preferred by SBS administrators? I have been using Backup Exec. Is the backup that comes with Win SBS 2003 inferior, superior?

 

[58sniper]

The one that comes with SBS is pretty nice. If you're looking for some more control or granularity, then third party solutions like Backup Exec work nicely.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[ShackDaddy]

I use the native Backup for SBS exclusively unless there are multiple servers that need to be backed up. In a single-server environment there's nothing that I haven't been able to do with ntbackup.

ShackDaddy
Shackelford Consulting

 

[LWComputingMVP]

I don't like the built in wizard based NTBackup because it backs up EVERYTHING with every run. That's wasteful. I prefer a full once a week and differentials the rest of the time. To that end, I wrote a script that works with defined jobs and backs up to external hard drives (USB/Firewire).

I would definitely not say that the built in backup is superior... but it does work just fine, at least to disk... so to that end, I rarely recommend using any other 3rd party product.

 

[Danny28]

Also, the NTbackup cannot backup live SQL data. You have to shut down all the live instances and then perform a straight file copy. This obviously takes your apps down while the backup runs.

 

[maya14]

I have a similar problem with SBS backup. It fails while backing up SQL databases.
Used to work fine before i restore SQL databases to the new server.

 

[Danny28]

You cannot backup a live SQL database with NTBackup. You have to stop the instance first and then just do a direct file backup. Backup Exec allows you to access the data within an SQL instance and just backup the data portion. You can also restore easily this way.

 

[LWComputingMVP]

Not entirely true. You can configure SQL to backup to a file without going offline. Then NTBackup can backup that file. No down time.

 

[Danny28]

Does NTbackup include something to automate that process simply, and can you do such a configuration with an SQL MSDE instance?

 

[LWComputingMVP]

NTBackup is HIGHLY scriptable for performing backup jobs. SQL server can be easily backed up. Not sure about MSDE, but since MSDE uses the SQL engine and most of the "management" ability of Enterprise manager is to basically be a front end for SQL commands, I would expect you can do the same with MSDE.

 

[ShackDaddy]

As long as the SQL\MSDE database is set to "simple recovery" mode, which it is by default, the SQL databases will be successfully backed up at the file level during a backup of the folder in which the database files reside. It uses some shadowing technology to copy the database even while the database is in use and makes sure that the copy is taken between transactions and is in a stable state.

ShackDaddy
Shackelford Consulting