Sandpiper's SQL Snapshot Solution

The Problem


To obtain a consistent backup, the application must suspend write operations on the storage volumes before invoking the snapshot backup.  SQL Server 2000 has this capability built-in through the use of the Virtual Device Interface (VDI). Microsoft’s traditional SQL Server data management solutions for backup and recovery creates difficult problems that hinder production service levels and increase cost and complexity for many data centers.  Storage management backups typically consumed SQL Server application resources for lengthy periods causing disruption to many users. Restoring from backup tapes is also costly due to complex recovery solutions and long recovery time.  Network resources and storage space depleted from full disk copy backups and several restore points is often required. Consequences of this dilemma vary between purchasing extra storage or performing fewer backups. Performance and availability is critical and over-provisioning along with around-the-clock maintenance and planning make MS SQL Server storage management challenging. 

The Solution 
Sandpiper Snapshot Utility for Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQLDBSNAPSHOT) intelligently creates and manages snapshots for any SAN environment. Administrators can quickly restore SQL databases or non-disruptively back them up to disk. Sandpiper snapshot backups minimize or eliminate the use of server resources to accomplish the backup. This is especially beneficial for moderate to very large databases in which availability is extremely important. The primary benefits of MSSQLDBSNAPSHOT are:

  • A backup can be created in a very short time, typically measured in seconds, with little or no impact on the server.
  • Restore can be accomplished from a disk backup just as quickly.
  • Backup to tape can be accomplished by another host with no impact on the production system.
  • Easy installation on any Windows Server in any clustered or non-clustered environment (i.e.. Sandpiper snapshot utility installed on every instance of SQL server requiring little configuration)
  • Coordinates multiple database snapshots and restores
  • Integrates with any Scheduler
  • Integrates with any Storage Management Application such as NetAPP or NetBackup (i.e..NetAPP snapshots the volume of SQL server snapshot data so the volume is split-mirrored and recoverable providing another layer of protection for database restore points) 



Using MSSQLDBSNAPSHOT, a copy of a production database can be created instantly for reporting or testing. Snapshot backups can be created for an entire database or individual files. They are functionally equivalent to conventional full database and file backups and can be rolled forward using conventional, differential and log backups. Underlying SAN technology creates an instantaneous copy of the data being backed up by MSSQLDBSNAPSHOT. This is typically accomplished by splitting a mirrored set of disks or creating a copy of a disk block when it is written, preserving the original.   Because MSSQLDBSNAPSHOT easily integrates with both split-mirror or copy-on-write, hundreds of snapshots can be kept online economically, allowing for extended or frequent SQL Server recovery points. At restore time, the original is made available immediately and synchronizing the underlying disks is done in the background, resulting in almost instantaneous restores.