New, Online SQL Server High Availability Course Starts Tomorrow
SolidQ and SSWUG.ORG unveils the first virtual class on SQL Server High Availability, providing you with the advanced knowledge and experience necessary to design, implement and administer SQL Server High Availability solutions in SQL Server 2005, 2008 or 2012.
Randy Dyess, a SolidQ Mentor having a large variety of experiences dealing with SQL Server for more than 18 years, delivers technical and business information to predictably achieve high availability in a SQL Server database environment.
Upon completion of this class, you will know how to:
- Manage SQL Server failures through backup and restore techniques
- Use SQL Server files and filegroups for High Availability
- Implement and administer SQL Server clusters, database mirroring, log shipping, database snapshots and a replicated environment
- Differentiate between RAID levels
- Administer, monitor, upgrade and troubleshoot High Availability solutions
Click here to register now!
SQL SMO Virtual Device
SQL SMO (System Management Objects) is a Dot Net Class Library wrapped around management tasks performed against an SQL Server instance. It has objects and methods to interact at the server and database levels.
SMO can be utilized from PowerShell as well as any Dot Net language. It is often used to perform database backup and restore commands. The techniques are pretty intuitive in that they mirror to a great extent the screens you use in SQL Server management studio. Just picture objects and methods you would create to implement the tasks you perform in SQL Server Management Studio.
The other day I started to wonder if I could simply perform a backup to memory, and then restore that database on a different server, from that same memory. The intention was to have very fast performance. I found that this is nearly possible using what is known as a Virtual Device.
SMO supports common Database Backup Targets right out of the box such as Disk and Tape. However, they do have an interface known as a Virtual Device against which you can program. In this fashion you can capture the database backup stream, and do with it what you will. You could compress, encrypt or even redirect the stream to another computer. Theoretically, you could capture the output stream from a backup, and use that as an input stream for a restore to another database.
To be clear, the Virutal Device Interface is a part of SQL Server, not Dot Net SMO. As a result, it is not part of Managed Code. I really enjoyed this blog from Steve Abrams as he demonstrates use of the Virtual Device. There is a little bit of work if you like to use Dot Net languages. Steve demonstrates a method for using interop services and the virtual device interface itself.
If you could capture the backup stream from SQL Server and do anything you wish, what would you do? Drop me a note at btaylor@sswug.org with your ideas.
Cheers,
Ben
$$SWYNK$$
Featured Article(s)
Tips for IT Professionals to Increase Effectiveness and Efficiency at the Office
Many of us like to think of ourselves are multi-tasking experts. In reality, multi-tasking is an euphemism for interruptions and distractions.
Featured White Paper(s)
Office 365 SharePoint Online – what does it mean to my organization as a CIO?
Written by AvePoint
The goal of this white paper is to clarify the disjoint… (read more)