HP Data Protector best practices for backing up and restoring Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010

Data Protector Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 VSS based

solution

Environment description

• A SharePoint farm of arbitrary size.

• You need to back up and restore Microsoft SQL Server databases, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010

search index files and Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 search index files. Database granularity

suffices your needs. Zero downtime backup (ZDB) and instant recovery (IR) required.

• Use the Data Protector Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007/2010 VSS based solution.

Backup and restore of Microsoft SQL Server databases, Microsoft

SharePoint Server 2010 search index files and Microsoft FAST Search

Server 2010 search index files

Use the Data Protector Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007/2010 VSS based solution (VSS based solution)

to back up and restore Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 data that is stored in Microsoft SQL Server

databases and to back up and restore Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and Microsoft FAST Search

Server 2010 search index files.

The FAST Search index files can also be backed up incrementally, for all other Microsoft SharePoint

Server data only the Full backup type is supported. Also, the VSS based solution enables you to

perform zero downtime backup (ZDB) and instant recovery (IR) sessions. If you plan to run these

sessions, ensure that the SPSearch and OSearch index files of each SSA, and the FAST Search index files

reside on a disk array. Before backup or restore, run the PowerShell commands

SharePoint_VSS_backup.ps1 –help to display the command usage and

SharePoint_VSS_backup.ps1 –version to display the command version. Moreover, it is strongly

recommended to start the Data Protector PowerShell command SharePoint_VSS_backup.ps1

from the SharePoint 2010 Management Shell console.

Backup

Create or identify a Windows domain user account that has Windows administrative rights on the

Microsoft SharePoint Server system on which you plan to execute the Data Protector commands. This

user must also be granted Microsoft SharePoint Server farm administrative rights and must be added

to the Data Protector admin user group.

The only supported way to create backup specifications and start backup sessions is using the Data

Protector PowerShell command SharePoint_VSS_backup.ps1. The command needs to be

executed on one of the Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 systems, recommended on the one where

the Data Protector Cell Manager is installed. Starting backup sessions using the Data Protector GUI or

CLI is not supported. However, you can use the Data Protector GUI to modify backup specifications (for

example, to add backup devices).