How to Create a Manual Replica for Application Servers

  • Article

Applies To: System Center Data Protection Manager 2010

The following DPM procedure applies for applications such as SQL Server, Exchange Server, Windows SharePoint Services, and Virtual Server. However, you can also stop the application service, copy the files between the protected server and the destination (DPM) server, and then restart the application service. For applications such as Virtual Server, this might be a more efficient approach.

For Windows SharePoint Services, the following data sources are copied:

  • All of the SQL databases—configuration database, content databases, security support provider databases, and the search database.

  • Search indexes, if you have enabled a search service or server.

To create a manual replica for application servers

  1. Use the specific application administrator console to determine the location of the data files for the data source you are protecting. For example, use SQL Management Studio for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 databases.

  2. Use the native backup tool to back up the data files of the data source. In Windows Server 2003, click Start, click Run, and then enter ntbackup.

    You should perform a file-level backup and not an application backup. For example, back up the Exchange log and databases as files and not as an application.

    Important

    Use the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) parameter of the Ntbackup tool to ensure that the file backup includes recovery points. The parameter is /SNAP:on.

  3. In DPM Administrator Console, on the navigation bar, click Protection.

  4. In the display pane, select a data source.

  5. In the Details pane, click Click to view details. The Details of Replica Path dialog box displays the original path of the data files on the protected server and the target path where this data should be copied.

  6. Use Ntbackup to restore the data files to the corresponding paths on the DPM server to create the manual replica.

  7. When you have copied the data to the DPM Server from DPM Administrator Console, on the navigation bar, click Monitoring and then click the Alerts tab.

  8. In the Manual Replica Creation Pending alert, you can choose to run a consistency check job.

    Note

    You can also run a consistency check job in the Protection area of the navigation pane for this data source.

See Also

Concepts

About the Details of Replica Path Dialog Box
Optimizing Performance