SQL Server backup and GPT disks

[rfn]

Hi,

I have a specific question about backup of SQL Servers. I've been using Veeam for several years at my previous workplace but at my current workplace I'm forced to use TSM that is managed by a third party. I'm not happy about this at all

I trying to get application aware backups working in TSM and now we found out that TSM can't do application aware backups when databases are located on GPT disks! We're getting this error:

Code: Select all

An incompatible disk configuration is detected. Individual SQL Database Restore of database 'XXX' is not supported.

I'm trying to figure out if this limitation is the same for Veeam since I'm collecting all the downsides of using TSM to maybe get it replaced with Veeam. This is just one of many downsides...

[dellock6]

Hi Renè,
I don't have specific informations about SQL over GPT disks, but we do have GPT support since v6, so as far as I know we can backup (and restore) anything that resides on a GPT disk, even SQL databases.

[Vitaliy S.]

Hi Rene,

I cannot recall any issues with GPT disks and AAIP. For more info on the supported systems check out our release notes document > http://www.veeam.com/veeam_backup_8_0_r ... tes_rn.pdf

Thanks!

[rfn]

Great... thank you for the answers. I have looked throught the release notes and documention and GPT disks aren't even mentioned, so I guess that it will just work. Strange that TSM doesn't support it then, but there are other strange issues, like no support for >2 TB VMDK's

[dellock6]

Are you sure vSphere 5.5 is supported?
disks larger than 2Tb on vSphere needs to be formatted in GPT, MBR is not supported, so seems at least there is a coherence in the two statements, but at this point it feels like any GPT disk isn't supported.

[rfn]

Yes vSphere 5.5 is supported since it's the latest version 7.1 of TSM:

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.w ... 20versions

GPT disks are backed up but is just not supported for doing "smart" restores from a snapshot. It doesn't complain about our Exchange which is also using GPT disks as far as I remember.

I did complain about the 2 TB VMDK limit and they contacted IBM that came back with some links that documented that larger VMDK's wasn't a good idea... A bit lame I think . I guess that it will be supported eventually but right now it forces us to use TSM SQL agent on a large database server that has VMDK's larger than 2 TB because the database file is more than 4 TB. So now I need to give that server 8 vCPU's to be able to back it up in a reasonable amount of time