Clusters and Multiple Servers

You can install SQL Backup Pro on all SQL Server instances (nodes) in a cluster at the same time. If you have a SQL Backup Pro multi-server license, you can then activate SQL Backup on all of the nodes.

Note that if you are using SQL Backup with clustered SQL Servers, you are required to save backup files on a shared drive within the cluster. This ensures that the backups are available in the event of failure of one of the clustered SQL Servers.

You can also activate a number of servers that are not clustered at the same time if you have purchased a SQL Backup Pro multi-server license. However, you must first install SQL Backup on each of the SQL Server instances individually; for details, see Installing and Upgrading SQL Backup.

Installing on clusters

When you install SQL Backup on a cluster, the SQL Backup Agent is clustered so that it can run backup and restore operations on whichever cluster node is active. In addition, the following SQL Backup registry keys are clustered:

BackupSettingsGlobal\<instance name>
BackupSettings\<instance name>

These registry keys contain details of saved SQL Server settings, templates, and other resources that are specific to SQL Backup. Note that SQL Backup scheduled backup jobs and log shipping jobs are clustered by the SQL Server instance.

To install SQL Backup on your cluster using the graphical user interface, register the cluster by specifying the alias for the clustered SQL Server instance in the Add SQL Server dialog box. You can then start the installation wizard on the registered cluster: in the Registered SQL Servers pane, right-click on the SQL Server instance, and then click Install or Upgrade Server Components.

To install SQL Backup manually, copy SQBServerSetup.exe to the active node on the cluster, and run the program.

The Setup wizard guides you through the installation process. When you specify the SQL Server instance, the Setup wizard detects that the SQL Server instance is clustered, and provides the option to install SQL Backup on all the cluster nodes.

This is selected by default. (If you clear this check box, SQL Backup is installed only on the specified SQL Server instance, and it is not used as a clustered node for SQL Backup.) The cluster administrator credentials you enter must be valid on all nodes in the cluster.

Similarly, when you enter the account name and password for the SQL Backup Agent service, and for the service application, these must be valid for all nodes.

The SQL Backup server components are installed in the same location on each node in turn. Therefore, the location you specify must be on a local drive that is valid on all nodes, for example you cannot use a shared drive for this.

Activating on clusters and multiple SQL Servers

For general information about activating SQL Backup, see Activating SQL Backup. In addition, when you activate on clusters or multiple servers, note the following points.

To activate SQL Backup on a cluster or on multiple servers, you must have a multi-server license key.

The Activation wizard offers you the Multiple Servers option. In addition, if the Activation wizard detects that the local server is clustered, it offers you the option to activate all the nodes in the cluster.

Click All nodes on cluster if you want SQL Backup to run the activation on all the nodes automatically; the nodes detected by SQL Backup will be listed in the next page of the wizard. Click Multiple Servers if you want to specify the servers in the cluster manually, or if you are activating multiple servers that are not in a cluster; you must then type the name of each server on the next page of the wizard.

You must enter the credentials of a user with administration rights on all the servers that you are activating. Only the user name and password is taken into account.

If you choose to activate by email, for each server in the cluster you must copy the activation text provided and send it in a separate email to the activation server. You will receive a separate response for each server; paste each response into the appropriate tab in the wizard.

The final page of the wizard displays the final status of activation on all of the servers. If activation has failed on any servers, click Finish to close the Activation wizard, and repeat the activation for those servers.