SQL Server Instance Exclusions

[SQLDBA_GDS]

Hi All,

We're just implementing VEEAM and have come across some issues in our SQL Server Environment on instances that are no longer running. VEEAM presents OLEDB connection error warnings on these instances. There are other SQL instances running on the same sever so I'd like to exclude the instances and not the servers.

The long term plan is to get rid of those SQL instances, but for now instance exclusion is the desired option.

We've enabled the "EnableDBExclusions" Registry entry to give us the option to exclude databases from the nightly backup jobs, but this requires the addition of a single database to exclude rather than an entire instance.

Also for Transaction Log Backups via the Application aware backups, I know from the Deep Dive Webinar that we need to edit the SqlBackupDatabaseToSkip. However, in the webinar it is demonstrated how to exclude an instance name, a database name on an instance name and a database name with the following entries:-

MSSQLSERVER:;SQL2008R2;:Datawarehouse

If for example we had a SQL Server with three instances on it:-

SQLServer01\Ins1
SQLServer01\Ins2
SQLServer01\Ins3

So my questions are:-

1. How would I exclude the SQLServer01\Ins1 in the full backup overnight job using the Database Exclusions options in the GUI?
2. How would I exclude the SQLServer01\Ins1 instance in that registry key?

Thanks in advance for any help received.

[foggy]

Entire instance cannot be excluded via this option, you have to add all the databases. Actually, you can add them in the corresponding Veeam B&R database table (dbo.DataSources) using SQL Management Studio, everything that is specified there is excluded regardless of whether the EnableDBExclusions value is specified.

[SQLDBA_GDS]

Thanks for the info foggy.

[panzer]

After upgrading to Version 8 update 2, I now get a lot of warnings regarding truncing of SQL logs. The warnings are mostly resolved by changing permissions in SQL. However, one of my servers contains 2 instances where only 1 is running. How can I have Veeam trunking the logs in the running databases while ignoring the offline instance?

[foggy]

Stig, there's currently no ability to exclude the entire instance, please see above for the possible workaround. And here's an existing thread discussing the reasons of why you started getting those warnings.

[Regnor]

How can we exclude databases which are in an unnamed instance? Veeam trys to connect to instance "" and with management studio I can connect to this instance with just entering the server name.
An exclusion for servername + database doesn't seem to work.

[foggy]

How do you exclude it, do you use the EnableDBExclusions registry value to specify exclusions in UI?

[Regnor]

Yes I've tried it with the registry key/option in the UI.
I've added the server name and database name without an instance name; I've also tried adding a . or \ but still the database isn't excluded.

02.08.2018 22:27:37 :: [TDB]Unable to update SQL backupset for instance : Code = 0x80040e09
Code meaning = IDispatch error #3081
Source = Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server
Description = The UPDATE permission was denied on the object 'backupset', database 'msdb', schema 'dbo'.

With Management Studio I can connect to this instance with only using the server hostname.

[foggy]

Ah, then this is a permission issue, please review this thread.

[Regnor]

We can't access the instance because of lacking permissions
As it's only a demo instance I didn't want to put any more work into this and thought that the exclusions would be enough.
Then we'll go with the hotfix mentioned here: https://www.veeam.com/kb2689