restoring backup to new server

[Former Member]

greetings, happy new year to all of you! This is my second post and I'm new as dba, hopefully one can help me on that. I would like to ask how can i restore a backup file into new server? FYI, I've tried restoring the file into test server which is same exactly with current running db, but sybase central return me invalid format of backup file. Then I manage to study over the dump and load function, yet i don't know where can i doing this. Is it inside Interactive sql?

thanks for the help !

[justin_willey]

Hi - a few questions that may help get to a solution for you problem:

1. Which version of SQL Anywhere are you using?
2. Do you have both the .db file and .log file that you want to restore?
3. When you say "restore" what actions are you taking? In SQL Anywhere, all that is needed is to copy the .db and .log file to the new server and start the database server.

[Former Member]

Hi justin, thanks for the response given.

1.I am using SQL anywhere 12 2.yes, i do have both the .db and .log file 3. I am trying to do restoration from a "archive" backup which is done daily by the user. Yes, That was my temporary solution for running it in another server, but I'm expecting reading from a "archive" backup file instead of copying the .db and .log file to another server...

[jeff_albion]

I've tried restoring the file into test server which is same exactly with current running db, but sybase central return me invalid format of backup file.

How did you originally take the backup? Sybase Central has "two" modes of backup:

1. Create Backup Images (take a copy of the currently running .db and .log as a single .db and single .log file) - most customers use this mode of backup

2. "Archive" Backup (just labelled as "Backup Database"...), which splits the .db and .log backup into multiple images (with the extension .1, .2, .3, etc.), which are generally suited for backup to tape drives

Only "Archive" backups require the "Restore" function in Sybase Central (to take the .1, .2, .3, ... files and put them back into the same .db / .log file). So if you did not create the backup through the "Create Backup..." method to create an "archive" backup (to get .1, .2, .3, ... files), you do not need to go to "restore" to put the backup in place (and if you do, you will see the error 'Invalid format of backup file'). You should just need to move / copy around the resulting .db / .log file from your image backup.

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This is my second post and I'm new as dba, hopefully one can help me on that. I would like to ask how can i restore a backup file into new server?

Welcome to SQL Anywhere! Have you had a chance to review our whitepaper regarding backups in SQL Anywhere yet? This may help clarify some of the general backup issues you're wondering about.

• http://www.sybase.com/detail?id=47877

[Former Member]

hello Jeff, thanks for the reply, appreciate it ! 🙂

The backup is based on "archive backup", 2nd mode u mentioned. I am running the new server by using backup images. It work perfectly, however I am looking for a way to load "archive backup" from the origin server to new server. (since the .db and .log is the same, why the new server cannot read the "archive backup" from the origin server?..) The error message 'Invalid format of backup file' returned 😞

thank you for the whitepaper! will look into it soon.

[Former Member]

any1 here can help? I need a way doing this

[MCMartin]

Do both servers have the same SQLA Version number?

[VolkerBarth]

Have you tried to use the RESTORE DATABASE statement in DBISQL (instead of using Sybase Central)?

Note, I ain't saying that this does work better - it's just an alternative, and you might get more/other feedback...

AFAIK, in case the database (i.e. an older state of that database) is not already running on the second server, you will have to connect to the particular utility_db to restore the database from there, as documented here.