Logshipping detach db

[mkal]

I have logshipping going on between two SQL 2000 Servers. On the server that contains the secondary server we are having hardware issues w/our SAN and will need to move to another SQL Server and a different storage array (not sure if this will be another SAN or maybe a DAS).

My question is this, since this database is too large to re-initialize with out creating a backup of the primary and sticking it on a removable drive and shipping it to our secondary location I was wondering If we can detach the existing secondary db and move it to the new storage array.

I realize that reattaching the db will bring it out of standby to an online status thus breaking logshipping. But, I was wondering if we disabled all the jobs involved before the move, took a full backup of the secondary db and then restore from it leaving the secondary database in standby mode. Edit the logshipping maintenance plan to point to the new server and re-enable all the jobs.

Is this possible or would the restore break the log chain?

If this isn't possible anyone have another idea. I really don't want to have to put a backup on a removable drive and ship it to the secondary location.

 

[mrdenny]

This will break the chain.

Stop the SQL Services.

Copy the system and user databases from the SAN to the new drive location. Fire the services back up. Make sure that all the drive letters are the same.

This gets a little trickier if you have to replace the server in the process, but not much.

Copy the files to the new storage, but to a different folder.
Install SQL on the new server (server name should be the same as the old server name). Make sure that the path you install to for the system database files matches what is was on the old server.

After patching to match the old patch level, stop SQL, backup the physical system database files, and put the old system database files in there place. Start the SQL Service and everything should look just like it did before. Then fire up the log shipping jobs to go and get the logs and apply them.

Denny
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[mkal]

Looks like I'll have to do the old fashion way. Drive letters between the SAN and the new DAS are different so is the server name.

Thanks anyway for the info, who knows it may come in handy at a later date.