Installing and configuring Data Protection for SQL Server

You can quickly install and configure Data Protection for SQL Server to start protecting your SQL server data.

Before you begin

Before you install and configure Data Protection for SQL Server, verify that you satisfy the hardware and software requirements.
You can obtain the installation package from the product DVD or from an IBM® download site.
  • If you obtain the package from the product DVD, ensure that the installation files are visible on the DVD drive.
  • If you obtain the package from an IBM download site, you must extract the installation files.

About this task

Data Protection for SQL Server is available in both licensed and maintenance packages. The installation process differs between these two package types.

Licensed package
Includes a license enablement file that is only available from your software distribution channel, such as Passport Advantage®, and includes the initial General Availability release of a product or component.
Maintenance update (fix pack or interim fix package)
Available from the maintenance delivery channel, and can sometimes be used to refresh the software distribution channel. Maintenance packages do not contain license enablement files and must be installed after a licensed package.

See the README.FTP file for information about how to install a fix pack or interim fix package. The README.FTP file is available in the same directory where the maintenance package is downloaded.

Installing Data Protection for SQL Server

Procedure

  1. Log on to the system as an administrator.
  2. Download the appropriate package file from one of the following websites, or you can access the files from the product DVD:
  3. If you download the package from one of the download sites, complete the following steps:
    1. Verify that you have enough space to store the installation files when they are extracted from the product package.
    2. Change to the directory where you placed the executable file.
      Important: In the next step, the files are extracted to the current directory. The path must contain no more than 128 characters. Be sure to extract the installation files to an empty directory. Do not extract the files to a directory that contains previously extracted files, or any other files.
    3. Either double-click the executable file, or enter the following command on the command line to extract the installation files. The files are extracted to the current directory. 
      package_name.exe
      where package_name is like this example: 
      7.1.4.0-TIV-TSMSQL-Win.exe
  4. Follow the installation instructions that are displayed on the screen.
  5. Click Finish.
  6. If you plan to use VSS operations, you must install the most recent version of the IBM Spectrum Protect™ backup-archive client. The backup-archive client is also the VSS Requestor and is available separately.

Completing the installation configuration

Procedure

  1. To start Microsoft Management Console (MMC), click Start > All Programs > IBM Spectrum Protect > Data Protection for Microsoft SQL Server > DP for SQL Management Console. If you did not previously configure Data Protection for SQL Server, the IBM Spectrum Protect configuration wizard starts automatically.
  2. If the IBM Spectrum Protect configuration wizard does not start automatically, click Manage > Configuration > Wizards in the navigation tree, select the wizard, and click Start in the Actions pane.
  3. Complete the following pages of the wizard:
    Data Protection Selection
    Select SQL Server as the application to protect.
    Requirements Check
    Click any Failed or Warnings links for help on resolving potential issues.
    IBM Spectrum Protect Node Names
    Specify the IBM Spectrum Protect node names to use for the applications that you want to protect.
    • In the VSS Requestor field, enter the node name that communicates with the VSS Service to access the SQL Server data. This node name is the IBM Spectrum Protect client node name, also known as the DSM agent node name.
    • In the Data Protection for SQL field, enter the node name where the Data Protection for SQL Server application is installed. This node stores the Data Protection for SQL Server backups. Do not use double-byte characters (DBCS).
    • If you are configuring Data Protection for SQL Server with SQL Server 2012 or later versions, enter a node name in the AlwaysOn Node field. This node name is used when the availability databases are backed up in an AlwaysOn Availability Group.
    IBM Spectrum Protect Server Settings
    Specify the IBM Spectrum Protect server address, and choose whether to have the wizard configure the IBM Spectrum Protect server. Alternatively, you can view and change the commands that the configuration wizard uses to configure the IBM Spectrum Protect server, or run manually run the commands.
    Custom Configuration
    Click Default in most situations, or click Custom to enter all service-related information.
    IBM Spectrum Protect Configuration
    Wait for all components to be provisioned and configured. Click Re-run if there are any problems. Click the Failed or Warnings link for more information if any problems remain.
    Completion
    The configuration status is displayed. Select the VSS Diagnostics check box to begin VSS verification.

    If you do not use the wizard to configure the IBM Spectrum Protect server, the IBM Spectrum Protect administrator must configure the IBM Spectrum Protect server before verification can be completed.

    If the wizard does not configure the IBM Spectrum Protect server, it provides a link to a macro that can be provided to the IBM Spectrum Protect administrator as an example of one way to configure the IBM Spectrum Protect server.

Verifying the configuration

Procedure

  1. Verify that VSS is working correctly.

    If the VSS Diagnostics check box is selected at the completion of the configuration wizard, the VSS Diagnostics wizard is displayed. You can also start this wizard by clicking Manage > Diagnostics, and clicking VSS Diagnostics in the Actions pane.

    Do not run these tests if you are already using SAN Volume Controller or Storwize® V7000 space-efficient snapshots on your computer. Doing so can result in the removal of previously existing snapshots.

  2. Complete the following pages in the VSS Diagnostics wizard:
    Snapshot Volume Selection
    Select the volumes that you want to test and review the VSS provider and writer information.
    VSS Snapshot Tests
    Review event log entries that are logged as the persistent and non-persistent snapshots are taken, and resolve any errors.
    Completion
    Review the test status and click Finish.
  3. Verify that Data Protection for SQL Server is configured properly:
    1. Click the Automate tab. An integrated command line is available in the task window. You can use the interface to enter PowerShell cmdlets or command-line interface commands. The output is displayed in the main window.
    2. Change PowerShell to Command Line.
    3. Click the folder icon, and select the verify_sql.txt file. Then, click Open. These commands are displayed in the command-line panel: 
      query tdp
query tsm
query sql
    4. With the cursor in the command-line panel, press Enter to run the commands to verify your configuration. The configuration is verified when these commands run without warnings or errors.
    5. When verification is complete, you can use Data Protection for SQL Server to back up and restore SQL Server data.
    6. Back up and restore a set of test data.

Customizing the configuration

Procedure

After you successfully configure and verify Data Protection for SQL Server, customize your settings by defining your policy settings and scheduled operations to meet your business requirements.

What to do next

If you are installing Data Protection for SQL Server in a Windows Failover Cluster environment or Veritas Cluster server environment, repeat the installation procedure on the nodes of your cluster that you want to protect.