SAP + SQL Server 2008 R2 VM backup

[EBoucq]

Hi,

What's the right job setting to backup online a VM running SAP + SQL Server 2008 R2 please ?

Should I truncate the logs ?

When I try and restore the VM, SQL Server starts but SAP doesn't (disp+work processes stop one after the other)

Thanks.

Regards,
Eric

[Vitaliy S.]

Hi Eric,

If you don't have another tool to maintain consistency of the database state and you don’t want to overflow the storage space, then it definitely makes sense to truncate SQL Server log files.

As to your question about SAP recovery issues, unfortunately, I know very little about SAP backup/recovery procedures, so you may want to try and address this question to the SAP community. I would appreciate if you could update this topic with the resolution to help our future readers.

Thanks!

[EBoucq]

Hi Vitaly,

Thanks for your answer and advice.

Regards,
Eric.

[dellock6]

I'm also interested in the final results of this thread, I have a customer with 3 SAP landscapes (12 total VMs) and they want to switch from Symantec to Veeam, and managing SQL databases is an open point in the Veeam Design. So please Eric come back and update us when you find useful info

[EBoucq]

Hello Luca,

I did another test with my SAP vm.
I still don't truncate logs.
This time it worked: I restored the VM and started SAP without any problem. The reason why it worked ? I realized that even if it's for a test and that you don't really need a network, SAP won't start if there's no connected network adapter. So I connected one and SAP started without any problem.

Regards,
Eric

[dellock6]

Thanks for the info. So at the end, if Veeam does not truncate logs, how do you do it?

[EBoucq]

What do you mean ?

[dellock6]

You said "I still don't truncate logs."
You do not truncate via Veeam, or you do not truncate at all?

[EBoucq]

I don't use the option in the Veeam job

[Vitaliy S.]

I believe Luca wants to know how do you truncate them without using Veeam?

[dellock6]

Exactly, thanks Vitaliy

[EBoucq]

Sorry for misunderstanding you.

I checked with the SAP Administrator and the SQL database is in no TR log mode so need to activate the "truncate logs" option in Veeam.

This leads me to a question: if the database was Oracle with archivelog mode on, could I use the "truncate logs" option in Veeam since it's said "Logs pruning is supported for...and MS SQL Server" in the tab ?

Thanks.

[Vitaliy S.]

Since logs pruning is supported only for MS Exchange and SQL Servers, enabling this option should not have any affect on your Oracle database.