How to.... EMS SQL Backup

9

398 EMS SQL Backup Administration console - User manual

How to...

The succeeding pages of this chapter are intended to provide you with brief instructions on how to perform this or that operation correctly using EMS SQL Backup.

Install EMS SQL Backup

Install server-side components without having permissions for remote installation

Activate SQL Server instance

Schedule backup database task daily

Configure transaction log shipping

Monitor server productivity counters

Create a policy based on predefined templates

Add database/server to an existing policy

Create a policy rapidly on sevreral servers/databases

Transfer policy tasks to another set of databases/servers

Reveal a reason of a failed policy execution

Restore successful policy status

Convert SQL Server maintenance plan to EMS SQL Backup policy

Manage templates effectively

Configure policy notifications

Create a report on policy execution

Ensure simultaneous policy execution on servers from different time zones

Update EMS SQL Backup

Remove EMS SQL Backup

See also:

Getting Started

Servers

Policies

Templates

Activities

Maintenance Actions

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9.1

Install EMS SQL Backup

EMS SQL Backup consists of two core units: SQL Administration Console and Server-side components. So to perform a full installation and start working with SQL Server in EMS

SQL Backup Console you need:

1.

Install EMS SQL Backup Administration Console.

2. Register server using the

Register Server Wizard . To launch it use the

Register

Server context menu item of the Server Explorer.

3. Connect to the server using the Connect item of its context menu.

4. After server registration you need to install server-side components. To launch the

Install server-side EMS SQL Backup components use the Install server-side EMS SQL

Backup Components server context menu item.

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9.2

Install server-side components without having permissions for remote installation

If you do not have permissions for a remote installation of server-side components using

Install server-side EMS SQL Backup components you can install them locally on the server

using the

Stand-alone remote components Installer .

In order to perform server-side components installation locally on the server do the following:

1. copy EMS SQL Backup setup file to the server machine.

2. launch the EMS SQL Backup setup wizard and choose the Server-side only mode on the third step.

3. after the EMS SQL Backup Setup wizard is finished the

Stand-alone remote components

Installer is launched automatically.

4. follow the steps of the wizard in compliance with

Stand-alone remote components

Installer topic.

Note:

The EMS SQL Backup setup wizard installs EMS SQL Backup Service Installer application ( Inst a llWiza r d.e xe)which allows installing, updating and removing server-side components locally on a server.

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9.3

Activate license on SQL Server instance

License activation for SQL Server instance is performed by means of

License activation wizard . Use the Activate license server context menu item to launch this wizard.

There are four methods of activating license on SQL Server instance: online activation; web-site activation; manual re-activation.

Online activation

1. On the

first step of the wizard select the Activate EMS SQL Backup License online

option.

2. On the

second step of the wizard enter License Key. It can be copied from the

Members Area or from the e-mail that is received after license purchasing.

3. On the

last step

click the Finish button to complete the activation.

Web-site activation

1. On the first step of the wizard select the Activate EMS SQL Backup License

through our website option.

2. Register in the Members Area at https://secure.sqlmanager.net/login and open My

Registered Products section.

3. Expand key list for desired product and choose the Activate License action.

4. Enter automatically generated SQL Server instance ID on the

second step into a web

form and generate the activation code.

5. Copy the generated activation code in the License Activation Code field on the

third step .

6. On the

last step

click the Finish button to complete the activation.

Renew maintenance manually

This option is available if the license key is already activated for prolonging maintenance.

1. On the

first step of the wizard select the Enter existing license activation code

manually option.

2. On the

second step enter License Activation Code.

3. On the

last step

click the Finish button to complete the activation.

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9.4

Schedule backup database task daily

If you want a backup database task to be executed daily you need to create a

policy

with a

Backup Database step and a schedule with appropriate parameters.

In order to do this perform the following operations:

1. choose the database in the server explorer and select the

Maintenance Policies |

Create New Policy item of its context menu;

2. on the second step of

policy wizard select the Steps section and click the

Add

button;

3. in the Select Step dialog select the Backup Database item;

4. in the

Backup Database step wizard opened configure backup settings; after all wizard

steps completion the Ba c kup Da t a ba se step appears in the Steps list;

5. select the Schedules section and click the Add button;

6. in the opened

Schedule editor

set the following parameters:

Schedule type - Re c ur r ing fr o m da t e,

Occurs - Da ily,

Recurs every - 1 da y,

Daily frequency - O c c ur s o nc e a t,

Occurs once at - launch time for backup database task execution; then press the OK button

7. complete all steps of the policy wizard.

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9.5

Setup uploading backup files to different storage locations

(Network folders/FTP/SFTP/Clouds)

EMS SQL Backup provides the possibility to save backup files not only in the standard

backup folder but also upload their copies to different external storages.

If you want to configure uploading of backup files to different storages perform the following actions.

1. Open the

Options

dialog and proceed to the

Cloud Connections tab.

2. Click the Create new connection button and select the connection type in the opened dialog:

SMB/CIFS ,

FTP ,

Amazon S3 Cloud ,

Secure FTP

,

Microsoft Azure .

3. Depending on the type selected the relevant dialog for configuring connection properties appears.

4. After all connection properties are set click the OK button. The specified connection appears in the list of Cloud connections.

5. After that on configuring

backup operation proceed to the

Specifying cloud connections

step of the wizard and click the Add existing connection button.

6. Select the connection from the list. You can add as many connections as you need.

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9.6

Create a policy based on predefined templates

There is a set of predefined policies, tasks, steps and schedules in EMS SQL Backup that can be used for rapid maintenance policy creation.

All predefined templates with descriptions can be found on the

Templates tab.

In order to add a predefined task to a policy you need to proceed to the

second step of

the

Policy wizard , select the Tasks section, click the

button and select the needed

task template

.

Create New from Template

In order to add a predefined step to a task in a policy you need to proceed to the

second step of the

Policy wizard , select the Steps section, click the

Template button and select the needed

step template .

Create New from

In order to add a predefined schedule to a task in a policy you need to proceed to the

second step of the

Policy wizard , select the Schedules section, click the

New from Template button and select the needed

schedule template

.

Create

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9.7

Configure transaction log shipping

To configure transaction log shipping from one server to another you need to create a policy with a

Transaction Log Shipping step.

On the

second step

of the

Transaction Log Shipping wizard you need to set pairs of

databases for transaction log shipping. The destination database must be the restored copy of the source database and be in Re st o r ing state. Otherwise use the Overwrite (to rewrite database) or Create new options.

On the

third step of the wizard specify the directory on the source server for storing

transaction log backups of the source database. Also, set backup parameters.

On the fourth step you need to set the backup shared folder (Network shared folder) for copying transaction log backups of the source database. Backup files will be transferred to the directory set in the Destination folder field. Both source and destination servers should have access to this folder otherwise log shipping cannot be performed.

If you are creating or overwriting a database then after

Transaction Log Shipping wizard

completion the full source database backup copy is created on a destination server. The destination database is in the restoring state. Transaction log shipping will be performed according to the schedule set in the service task.

Note:

On the

first step of the policy with Transaction Log Shipping step you need to set

Use local Console time as absolute time option.

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9.8

Monitor server productivity counters

Using the

Database Parameters Logger maintenance operation you can monitor database

parameters and receive notifications when their values do not match specified conditions.

To receive warnings about possible faults you need to include

Database Parameters

Logger step in a policy. Also you can execute this maintenance action by selecting

Quick Maintenance Actions | Database Parameters Logger context menu item of a server or a database.

In case a status of a policy including Database Parameters Logger step changed to

Wa r ning after policy execution that means some databases parameters values do not match conditions set on the third step of

Database Parameters Logger wizard . To view

these parameters and their values select this step in the

Launches list and click the Show

details button. The information in the dialog appeared will contain a detailed report on step execution result.

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9.9

Add database/server to an existing policy

There are several ways to add databases or servers to a policy. The way chosen depends on whether the policy was created on a solution or not and on tasks and steps count in a policy.

A policy was created on a solution with databases/servers

1. If a policy includes a big number of tasks (steps) then do the following: create a template based on this policy (without saving selected databases) by choosing the Create Template from Policy its context menu item; add needed databases/servers to the existing solution; create policy on a renewed solution based on the created template by choosing the

Maintenance Policies | Create from Templates of the solution context menu item.

2. If a policy includes several tasks (steps) then it is recommended to open every step editor and check needed databases/servers on a Selection tab.

A policy was created on separate databases/servers

1. If a policy includes a big number of tasks (steps) then it is recommended to do the following: unite databases/servers from this policy into a solution and then add needed databases/servers to it; create a template based on this policy (without saving selected databases) by choosing the Create Template from Policy its context menu item; create a policy based on this template on the created solution by using the

Maintenance Policies |

Create from Templates solution context menu item.

2. If a policy includes several tasks (steps) then it is recommended to open every step editor and check needed databases/servers on a Selection tab.

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9.10

Create a policy rapidly on several servers/databases

The most efficient way to create a policy rapidly on several servers/databases is to create it on a solution that unites these servers/databases.

In order to create a policy rapidly on several servers or databases perform the following operations:

1. create a solution by selecting Create Solution context menu item of Solutions section;

2. move needed databases/servers to this solution;

Note:

One solution cannot include both databases and servers.

3. Select the Maintenance Policies | Create New Policy solution context menu item to create a new policy. All databases/servers will be checked automatically in creating steps in this policy.

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9.11

Transfer policy tasks to another set of databases/servers

There are several ways to transfer policy tasks from one set of databases/servers to another. The way chosen depends on whether the policy was created on a solution or not and on tasks and steps count in a policy.

A policy was created on a solution with databases/servers

1. If a policy includes a big number of tasks (steps) then do the following: create a template based on this policy (without saving selected databases) by choosing the Create Template from Policy its context menu item; create a new solution and add needed databases/servers to it; create policy on this solution based on the created template by choosing the

Maintenance Policies |

Create from Templates of the solution context menu item.

2. If a policy includes several tasks (steps) then it is recommended to open every step editor and check needed databases/servers on a Selection tab.

A policy was created on separate databases/servers

1. If a policy includes a big number of tasks (steps) then it is recommended to do the following: unite databases/servers on which you want to transfer policy into a solution; create a template based on this policy (without saving selected databases) by choosing the Create Template from Policy its context menu item; create a policy based on this template on the created solution by using the

Maintenance Policies |

Create from Templates solution context menu item.

2. If a policy includes several tasks (steps) then it is recommended to open every step editor and check needed databases/servers on a Selection tab.

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9.12

Reveal a reason of a failed policy execution

If a server has at least one policy with status F a ile d then the server status contains

Policies have problems message.

To reveal a policy with erroneous execution you need to find a policy with a F a ile d status in the

Policies

list. This status means that at least one policy task execution was erroneous.

When you select this policy task in the

Policies list the Launches

list shows information on all task launches. Select a task with a F a ile d status and click the Show details button in the M e ssa ge column. In the dialog appeared the reason of failed execution will be displayed in the Message field

If the problem occurred on policy execution has been resolved you can

restore succeeding policy status .

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9.13

Restore successful policy status

If you have revealed a reason of why a policy did not run or failed after execution you can repair its overall status that means to change erroneous policy statuses ( F a ile d,

M isse d, Abo r t e d and Wa r ning) to Igno r e d and repeat erroneous tasks if needed. This can be done on several ways.

Click the Resolve button located under the server

status . In the dialog appeared all

problem tasks of all policies will be listed. You can change erroneous status to Igno r e d and/or execute all problem tasks of all policies. In this case overall status of every policy will be changed based on last launches of erroneous tasks.

Select the erroneous policy in the

Policies

list and then choose the Resolve the

Problem item of its context menu. In the opened dialog you will be proposed to change statuses of all erroneous policy tasks to Igno r e d and/or execute all problem tasks of this policy. In this case overall status of this policy will be changed based on last launches of its erroneous tasks.

Select the erroneous policy task in the

Policies list and then choose the Resolve the

Problem item of its context menu. In the opened dialog you will be proposed to change status of this erroneous policy task to Igno r e d and/or repeat its execution. In this case overall status of this policy will be changed based on a last launch of this erroneous task.

Using a context menu of an erroneous task in the

Launches list you can change to

Igno r e d (Ignore Errors for Selected Launches) its status or statuses of all erroneous tasks (Ignore Errors for All Problem Launches).

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9.14

Convert SQL Server maintenance plan to SQL Backup policy

Configured SQL Server maintenance plans can be used in EMS SQL Backup after their conversion to EMS SQL Backup policies.

To convert SQL Server maintenance plan to EMS SQL Backup policy perform the following operations:

1. Select the

Maintenance Policies |

Convert from Maintenance Plan server context menu item to launch

Maintenance plan conversion wizard .

2. On the

second step of the wizard select the maintenance plan for conversion.

3. On the

third step of the wizard you can view conversion results. Maintenance plan

subplans are converted to policy service tasks. In case some mistakes occurred on maintenance plan conversion you can correct them in the

policy editor that is launched

by clicking the Edit Policy button.

4. It is recommended to check the Disable Maintenance plan option to disable tasks execution in maintenance plan being converted.

5. On the last step view conversion settings and click the Finish button. Created policy appears in the list on the Policies tab.

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9.15

Manage templates effectively

Using the

templates tool of EMS SQL Backup you can create saved into EMS SQL Backup

configuration policies, tasks, steps and schedules settings.

In order to create a template proceed to the Templates tab and choose an object type

(policy, task, step or schedule) which template you want to create. Then click the Add button located on the toolbar or in the context menu.

If you already have a configured policy on a group of databases or servers you can create its template. In order to do this proceed to the Policies tab and select the Create

Template from Policy its context menu item.

Also you can create templates of existing tasks, steps and schedules. To do this you need to: open the policy including these objects in the

policy editor ;

select the Copy to Templates context menu item of the object which template you want to create.

All saved templates can be later used for creating policies.

In order to create a policy based on a template you need to select the

Create Policy

from Template context menu item of a policies list on the Policies tab. In the Item

Selection dialog choose the needed template (or several templates). The policy editor will be opened. All tasks included in the template will be automatically added to the policy being created.

In order to create a

task /

step /

schedule based on a template in a policy use the

Add

New from Template context menu item or the toolbar corresponding button on the second step of the

policy wizard . The added object can be opened in its editor afterwards

to change some parameters if needed.

Templates tab contains a list of all predefined templates as well as templates created by user. You can save a template into *.xml file by selecting the Export its context menu item. Also you can load saved templates using the Import button. This ability allows copying templates from one EMS SQL Backup configuration to another.

See also:

Create a policy based on predefined templates

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9.16

Configure policy notifications

You can configure notifications that will inform you about policy execution result via email.

Notification parameters are set on the

third step

of the

policy wizard .

You need to set an action on which notifications should be sent:

When the policy succeeds - send the message when policy tasks have been successfully completed;

When the policy fails - send the message when policy has failed;

When the policy completes - send the message when policy has been launched.

In the Send E-mail To field enter the e-mail address of the administrator that should receive messages generated on policy execution.

SQL Server Agent must be configured to use Database Mail for sending e-mail.

Note:

Email agent options should be set for the service at

Server-side components

Properties .

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9.17

Create a report on policy execution

Using the reports tool you can view information on policy tasks execution that is displayed in the

Launches section as well as save reports to files of different formats and send them

via email.

To generate a report on task execution you need to click the Report button on the toolbar of the

Launches

section or select the Show Report context menu item of a task.

There are three types of reports:

Single-server report

Multi-server report

Detailed task report

Single-server report

This report can be viewed when a single server is selected in the

explorer and a policy

deployed on this server is selected in the

Policies area. If a policy deployed on several

servers is selected in

Policies area a report will include information on launches of this

policy only on the selected server. The report displays brief information on tasks of the selected policy including t a sk na m e, pla nne d st a r t, t im e st a r t e d, t im e finishe d and t a sk st a t us.

Multi-server report

Multi-server report is available when a policy deployed on multiple servers is selected in the

Policies

area. Besides, a group or a solution must be selected in the

Servers area. The

report displays brief information on tasks of the selected policy including t a sk na m e, se r v e r na m e, pla nne d st a r t, t im e st a r t e d, t im e finishe d and t a sk st a t us.

Detailed task report

Task report is available when a particular task is selected in the

Policies

area. This report displays a detailed information on a task and its steps of the selected policy including t a sk na m e, pla nne d st a r t, t im e st a r t e d, t im e finishe d, t a sk/st e p st a t us and e xe c ut io n m e ssa ge (info r m a t io n, w a r ning o r e r r o r ).

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9.18

Ensure simultaneous policy execution on servers from different time zones

To ensure simultaneous policy tasks launches on servers located in different time zones you need to select the Use local Console time as absolute time option on the

first step of the

policy wizard .

In this case a policy will be executed on all servers at the time corresponding to the local

EMS SQL Backup Console taking into consideration time zones where servers are located.

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9.19

Report bugs and suggestions

If you want to report a bug occurred in the application or just provide some feedback you can do it directly from the EMS SQL Backup. Before reporting bugs and suggestions make sure you are using the latest version of the EMS SQL Backup.

To create an e-mail with attached bug report files automatically do the following:

1. select the server on which the problem occurred in the

Servers tree;

2. choose the Send bug report to EMS its context menu item;

3. after a while the default mail client installed on your computer will be opened with newly created letter having bug report files attached to it;

4. in the generated e-mail describe the steps to reproduce the occurred bug and send the letter.

If due to some reasons the e-mail creation failed or the report sending was cancelled the following dialog appears.

Follow the given instructions to create bug report e-mail manually:

1. click the "mailto:" link [email protected]

to open mail client, or in case no client has been opened copy the address by clicking the Copy to clipboard button and create e-mail in a preferable client;

2. click the Save and open folder button and define the directory where the bug report file should be saved; after the file is saved the defined directory will be opened automatically;

3. attach the saved file to the created e-mail;

4. describe the steps to reproduce the occurred bug and send the letter.

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9.20

Update EMS SQL Backup

EMS SQL Backup update process consists of EMS SQL Backup Administration Console and

Server-side components update.

In order to update EMS SQL Backup Administration Console, please, do the following: download the full installation package of EMS SQL Backup from the download page available at our site; close EMS SQL Backup application if it is running; repeat the steps you have made for the first-time installation; run EMS SQL Backup using its shortcut in the corresponding group of Windows Start menu.

After EMS SQL Backup Administration Console is launched you will be warned that serverside components version is out-of-date. You will be offered to update server-side components. This is done by means of

Update/Remove server-side EMS SQL Backup components .

If you do not have permissions for remote update of server-side components via EMS SQL

Backup Administration Console you can copy EMS SQL Backup setup file to the server machine and run installation there. Server-side components update process locally on a server is similar to their installation process and is performed by means of

Stand-alone remote components Installer . To update server components you need to select the

Update option and then select instances on which you want to update components.

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9.21

Remove EMS SQL Backup

In order to remove EMS SQL Backup perform the following operations:

1. Remove server-side components from all servers they were installed. This is done by means of

Update/Remove server-side EMS SQL Backup components that is launched by

selecting the Update/Remove server-side EMS SQL Backup components server context menu item.

2. Remove EMS SQL Backup Administration Console from your computer via Control Panel -

> Programs and Features.

Note:

If you do not have permissions for remote of server-side components uninstall via

EMS SQL Backup Administration Console you can copy EMS SQL Backup setup file to the server machine and run installation there. Server-side components remove process locally on a server is similar to their installation process and is performed by means of

Standalone remote components Installer . To remove server components you need to select the

Uninstall All option on the second step.

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9.22

Use Free version of EMS SQL Backup

In order to use EMS SQL Backup Free version you need to activate the Free license key.

Note that for activating Free license you need Internet connection.

1. Open the

License activation wizard from the SQL Server instance context menu.

2. On the

first step of the wizard select the Activate EMS SQL Backup License online

option.

3. On the

second step of the wizard select the Free option as a License type.

4. Complete the wizard steps.

The list of all functional differences between EMS SQL Backup versions can be found in the Feature Matrix.

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