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Backup

The backup process backs up both the database and the configuration files. Due to their size, event-related and statistics-related database tables are not backed up by default, but you can choose to include them and some other optional configuration files. Backing up the SMS database is resource-intensive, particularly if the server is under heavy load and the database is large. Consider this when scheduling a regular backup or initiating an immediate one.

Restore

When restoring an SMS Server database, SMS validates the integrity of the file from which backed-up data is being restored. If the file is invalid, the SMS console displays an error message. To ensure database integrity, the system automatically reboots after the restore operation. SMS supports restoring a backup taken only from support versions. For example, you can restore a backup taken with SMS v6.0 and restore it to an SMS v6.5 server. When you restore a previous-version backup, SMS not only restores the database but properly migrates the data and data structures to match the version of SMS currently running on your SMS server.

 
Note: If you restore a backup to an SMS server upon which SMS patches are installed, you may need to roll back and reapply the patch after you restore the backup. The restoration process will indicate in a dialog box if you need to perform this task.

Storage

The backup and restore processes need access to storage to either backup data to the storage or restore data from the storage. The SMS backup and restore processes can perform their tasks using any of the following storage access protocols:

  • Network File System (NFS) Protocol
  • Server Message Block (SMB) Protocol, a Microsoft-based shared-access file system.
  • Secure File Transfer Protocol (sFTP)
  • Secure Copy Protocol (SCP)
  • Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS)

 

Process

Backup and restore processes break down into the following tasks, each performed by the SMS server:

  1. Mount the storage destination, which is referred to in the SMS product as the location.
  2. Stop the SMS server database and SMS server application.
  3. Backup or restore the database files to/from the specified storage location.
  4. Un-mount the storage destination.
  5. Restart the SMS server database and application. If it is a restore operation, the SMS server is not just restarted; it is rebooted, which terminates client connections to the SMS server.

 

IP Addressing

Some of the supported storage access protocols allow IPv6 addresses. When you specify a backup location in the SMS backup wizard with an IPv6 address, adhere to the following syntax requirements:

  • NFS - Does NOT support IPv6
  • SMB - IPv6 address MUST be surrounded by brackets
  • SCP - IPv6 address with or without brackets
  • sFTP - IPv6 address with or without brackets

How To: Common Task

  1. Log in to the SMS from a client.
  2. On the SMS toolbar, navigate to the Admin->Database tab.

How To: Backup the SMS Database

  1. If you want to schedule a one-time or recurring backup, click New in the Scheduled Backups area. If you want to initiate an immediate backup, click Backup Now in the Backup and Restore area. The SMS Backup Wizard launches.
  2. If initiating an immediate backup, skip this step and proceed to the next one. If you are scheduling a one-time or recurring backup, enter into the first page of the SMS Backup Wizard schedule information, including the recurrence pattern of the scheduled backup and the date range of the backup schedule itself.
  3. Configure the backup options, referring to the following table for descriptions:

  

Database Backup Options
SettingDescription
Number of Digital VaccinesIn addition to backing up the SMS Server database, you can specify up to six of the most recent Digital Vaccines (DV) to include in the backup. You are required to back up the most recent DV.
Number of Device TOS packagesYou can optionally specify up to six of the most recent Device TOS packages to be included in the backup.
Number of custom packagesIf you have custom packages installed, you can specify up to six of the most recent custom packages to be included in the backup. The backup always includes the latest active package. It does not automatically back up more than one package or inactive packages. For example, your installation might include a custom scriptwriter (CSW) package.
Include eventsCheck this box if you want to include the contents of the database's events table in the backup.
Email backup resultsCheck this box if you want to email the backup results to the members of the SMS notification list, which is defined in the SMTP Server area on the Admin - Server Properties - Network tab.
Timestamp suffix on the backup file nameCheck this box if you want SMS to append the current timestamp to the end of the backup filename.
Encrypt backupIf you want to encrypt the contents of the backed-up data, check this box and enter an encryption password. Be sure to note the password, as it is not recoverable. You cannot restore the contents of an encrypted backup without this password.
  1. Click Next.
  2. Select the storage access protocol you want the backup process to use. Depending on the selected protocol, you are asked to identify one or more of the following:
  • The network path to the storage location, including the hostname, directory structure, and backup file name.
 
Note: If HTTPS is the chosen storage access protocol, the backup file is placed on the SMS server. Best practices suggest moving the file to other storage media. To do so you connect to the SMS server over a web browser, locate the file using the location generated by the SMS server, and copy it.
  • The username and password with sufficient access to write to the identified storage location. If NFS is the chosen storage access protocol, ensure the NFS share grants the SMS Server write permissions for the anonymous user.
  • The domain in which the storage location resides.
  1. Verify your backup configuration and then click Finish. The backup procedure begins by validating access to the specified storage location and then proceeds to back up the data. Backup time varies according to the amount of data, the performance of the server, and the performance of the chosen storage location/device.
 
Note: An SMS backup includes the web certificate (and its private key in encrypted form) configured for the system. If the SMS is configured to use a custom web certificate, and a backup (that was created before the custom web certificate was imported) is restored, the custom web certificate will be overwritten with the original web certificate (and its private key) from the backup. If this happens, you will need to re-import the custom web certificate. To secure the private key, you can encrypt the backup.

How To: Restore the SMS Database

Before initiating a restore, ensure there are no active client connections to the SMS Server, including from the SMS client, from the SMS CLI, or a web browser.

  1. From the Backup and Restore area, click Restore. The SMS Restore Wizard displays.
  2. Browse to and select the backup file you want to restore. The selected file can be of a backup taken with a version of SMS that matches or is older than, the version of SMS to which the file is being restored.
  3. Click Import. The SMS Restore Wizard verifies the integrity of the chosen file and proceeds if the file is valid. If the file is invalid, the SMS displays an error message.
  4. A summary page is displayed. If all of the summary information is correct, click Finish. Database restoration begins, with the restored data overwriting the existing data. Once complete, the SMS Server reboots to finalize the restore process and ensure data integrity of the restored database.
Keywords: sms database, backup, configuration files, restore, backup or restore, sms server, backup process