Dell PowerProtect Data Manager Appliance 5.12.0.1 Microsoft SQL Server User Guide

The centralized restore of multiple Microsoft SQL Server databases supports the following use cases:

• Performing disaster recovery of the original Microsoft SQL Server instance.
• Performing a restore rehearsal by restoring a Microsoft SQL Server instance database to an alternate host to validate the backups.

For disaster recovery to the original host, you can select all the databases for the Microsoft SQL Server instance. Once the restore job starts, the application agent automates the disaster recovery procedures as outlined by Microsoft. The disaster recovery includes a restart of the Microsoft SQL Server instance in single user mode to restore the master database.

For disaster recovery to an alternate host, ensure that the alternate host is a Microsoft SQL Server service that is a discovered asset of PowerProtect Data Manager Appliance.

PowerProtect Data Manager Appliance applies the following concurrency rules for jobs that are associated with either a single-database or multi-database centralized restore, including any backup, restore, and manual agent installation jobs that you run on the same service, S1:

• If an agent installation for S1 is in progress, the S1 backup is queued and the Microsoft SQL Server restore against target S1 is queued.
• If a S1 backup is in progress, the agent installation for S1 is queued and the Microsoft SQL Server restore against target S1 is queued.
• If the Microsoft SQL Server restore against target S1 is in progress, the agent installation for S1 is queued and the S1 backup is queued.

Application agent manual installation and configuration

In either of the following cases, you must manually install and configure the Microsoft application agent on the target service host of the restore:

• The PowerProtect Data Manager Appliance has been updated.
• You want to restore to a service that is not part of a protection policy.

Ensure that the target service meets the following prerequisites:

• A Windows OS is running.
• The VMware Tools are installed at the same version as required for backup.
• The Microsoft SQL Server is installed and running.
• The SYSTEM account has the same security configuration as required for backup.
• The network ports are configured as required for backup.

Perform the following steps to manually install and configure the application agent:

1. Ensure that the Windows account credentials for the service are set at the service asset level, not the protection policy level.

   To set the credentials at the asset level, select Infrastructure > Assets > Virtual Machine, select the service, and select More Actions > Set Credential.

2. To install the application agent, select Infrastructure > Assets > Virtual Machine, select the service, and select More Actions > Install Agent.

   After you confirm to start the installation, you can monitor the installation job status on the Jobs page.