MSSQL VM cluster backup

[adam900331]

Hy!

What is the best practice to backup a two VM node MSSQL cluster properly? Do I have to configure two separate job for each cluster member?

Thanks.

[PetrM]

Hello,

For Windows Server Failover clusters, you need to use Veeam Agent managed by Veeam Backup & Replication and configure a job to work with Failover Cluster. You may refer to this section of our help center. If you're talking about Always On, then you can just add both nodes in the VMware or Hyper-V job.

Thanks!

[adam900331]

Hello!

I found this blog which contain that the SQL Always On Availability group can backup with agent: https://www.veeam.com/kb2463
Is this blog valid?

W

Thanks.

[veremin]

The KB article has been updated more or less recently, so yes, the support team keeps it current. But initially, you were thinking about a VM backup, not an agent one - for which Petr's suggestions are still valid. Thanks!

[PetrM]

Hello!

An important detail is that backup of Windows Server Failover clusters is supported only with Veeam Agent managed by Veeam Backup & Replication even for VMs.

That's why I asked initially about the deployment because "MSSQL cluster" is quite an ambiguous description: is it just a WSFC or Always On, if it is Always On then is it clusterless Always On or is it based on SQL Server Failover Cluster Instances etc.

Thanks!

[ChristophWeber]

Dear all
Thanks for the helpful information in this thread. I also have to backup a large number of Always ON MS SQL Clusters at a customer.
About 30 2-node clusters. I looked at the helpcenter and this KB: https://www.veeam.com/kb2463

What I'm missing in this KB is the information what is backed up exactly:
- only one copy of the databases?
- all copies from all nodes of the databases?

I understand that this type of agent job does handle the log backup properly. But my requirement would be that we backup the SQL databases only once as this would lead into a huge additional capacity we would need on our repos.

Using the MS SQL Plug-in is not an option due to the missing immutability support.
Many thanks for your clarification.

Best regards, Christoph

[PetrM]

Hi Christoph,

In the image-level mode we process all copies of all databases.

But what you mean by the missing immutability support in MSSQL plug-in? You can store backups on the immutable repository, we even analyze a backup chain and extend immutability period in the same way as we do in image-level backup.

Thanks!