When the Zmanda Client for Windows is configured and licensed for Microsoft SQL backup, it uses the Microsoft Volume Shadow Services to back up the SQL database(s) and logs. Depending on which service is enabled on the server, ZWC uses either the SQL Server VSS Writer or the MSDE Writer. ZWC does not use the MS-SQL API for backup.
ZWC performs an incremental backup of databases and transaction log files just as it does any other file system backup (based on modification time). ZWC does not support transaction log based backup because this mechanism is not supported either by MSDE or the SQLServer.
ZWC does not truncate transaction logs after a backup. If you wish to truncate transaction logs after a backup, this can be accomplished using a post-backup plugin.
These instructions assume you have already installed and licensed the Amanda Enterprise server and the Microsoft SQL Server being backed up. There are a number of additional requirements:
Create a dedicated backup set for each Microsoft SQL Server you intend to back up. On the Backup What page you are prompted to select what type of object you want to back up. Choose mssql, and the following options are displayed:
After you have set the options, click the Add button to add the Microsoft SQL Server object to the backup set. Click Apply to Server to commit the changes; you can then configure the backup set just as you would any other by setting the options on Backup Where, Backup How, and Backup When, etc.
Make sure that MS SQL is installed in the same location as when the backup was run. The databases and logs file locations should also match the original configuration. When you have selected the disk list entry that includes the MS SQL databases for restore, the Restore What page displays the following options:
Select all the host databases and log files on the Restore->What page. The Zmanda Windows Client will automatically stop the MS SQL Server and all dependent services as a pre-restore procedure. Although the MS-SQL service is automatically restarted by the Zmanda client after the restore, dependent services are not restarted. To see what dependent services may need to be restarted after a restore, click Start, then right-click on My Computer and select Manage... from the pop-up menu. Click Services, then double-click Microsoft SQL from the list of services to display its properties. The Dependencies tab will display any SQL-dependent services that you should restart.
If an MS SQL backup fails, follow these troubleshooting steps: