Red Gate forums: SQL Virtual Restore 2

RE: Error: Virtual Restore cannot read backup.sqb

RajK — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 07:30:26 GMT

Do you get this error message for all .sqb file that are located on this drive? Or you are getting this issue for this particular backup?

Can you also try a virtual restore of a .sqb backup that is hosted on another drive? For eg. c:\

Thanks for your feedback in this matter.

Error: Virtual Restore cannot read backup.sqb

AlexB138 — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:40:54 GMT

I am unable to load a .sqb file in Virtual Restore. It returns the following error when selecting the file:

Virtual Restore cannot read backup.sqb. Check that the file's location and extension are registered with HyperBac.

HyperBac is setup to use .sqb files in all locations.

The volume is a local volume.

The HyperBac service is set to login with an admin level account for testing purposes. The folder was opened to the Everyone role. Neither of these cause a change in the error.

The database that this is a backup of is approximately 2.2TB. The backup is approximately 391GB.

Log file output:

Code:

*******************************************************************
*
* 22 Mar 13 16:26:45.874 OPENED LOG FILE
*
HyperFileId=0x0000000000000006
HyperFile=0x0000000009343870
FileName=U:\Snapshot\FULL_MSSQLSERVER2012E_BoomTown_20130321_220000.sqb
OpenTime=Fri Mar 22 16:26:43 2013
OpenProcessId=1804
OpenProcessName=sqlservr.exe
ProcessAttr1=0
ProcessAttr2=0
FileIndexNumber=0x000A000000000040
FileCreationTime=0x01CE270027CF556A
VolumeNumber=0x2E1DC438
HeaderVersion=2
FileType=8
FormatVersion=0xFFFFFFFF
CreateVersion=0x05090000
CreateOS=0x00010601
FileFlags=0x00000044
RequiredVersion=0x00000000
WriteAccess=No
FillFactor=131072
VirtualEOF=0x00000A0000000000
FileActualStart=0x0000000000000000
FileActualEnd=0x00000061C2841400
LastDataBlock=0x00000061C2840000
FileActualMetaEnd=0x0000000000000000
LastCrcOffset=0x00000A0000000000
SequentialOffset=0x00000A0000000000
LastBlockOffset=0x00000A0000000000
IndexType4Format=1
IndexStart=0x0000000000000000
IndexEnd=0x0000000000000000
OpenHandleCount=1
FileDirty=No
AsyncWrites=Yes
AsyncError=0
UpdateCount=0x0000000000000001
LastIoOffset=0x0000000000000000
FileState=0x00000001
LastSumOffset=0x0000000000000000
AffinityMask=0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
*
*******************************************************************

22 Mar 13 16:26:45.874 1012 GetVirtualBlockForSQB: We have searched the maximum iterations and haven't found the refid: 0
22 Mar 13 16:26:45.874 1012 HyperReadBlock: Failed to load comp data for SQB, File offset: 0xCE9690000. Error: 0xE2000001.
22 Mar 13 16:26:45.874 1012 HyperVirtualRead: Failed to read block at offset: 0xCE9690000, Length: 512. Error: 0xE2000001

Please advise.

SQL Virtual Restore has been retired

fionag — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:05:34 GMT

After a review of our database administration software, we've decided to focus development on our core database administration tools, and to retire the HyperBac powered products (SQL HyperBac, SQL Storage Compress, and SQL Virtual Restore).

If you already own one of these tools, you can continue to use our forums for help and support � just post your query here.

RE: What now - replacement product?

Tom Harris — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:08:34 GMT

Hi,

many thanks for your questions around SQL Virtual Restore. Red Gate has no plans to develop this product further, or to develop a new product that does something similar.

We have had a look round the market place and have not found any alternative tools.

I'm sorry that this may not be great news. We will continue to support SQL Virtual Restore for our customers

Thanks, Tom

Tom Harris, PhD
Red Gate

What now - replacement product?

fgsimon — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:57:05 GMT

Hi all,
Now that HyperBack technology is no longer developed, what are your plans? Are there any alternatives out there?

RE: Huge .vmdf and takes forever to restore from compressed .sqb

RajK — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:00:43 GMT

I am the support engineer investigating this issue you have raised. I am really sorry that you have run into this issue.

I was hoping to get some clarifications in regards to the activity on the system?

1) Have you always encountered large .vmdf files with this version that you are currently using? Or this has just started happening?
2) The .sqb backup files are they now being created with a different version of sql backup?
3) Please also send me the version number the backup files if possible.
4) If possible please send me the service.log file (located at \hyperbac\logs directory).

I will be following up in regards to this case via our support ticketing system.

Thanks for your patience and feedback in this matter.

RE: Automate restore

sqlphilosopher — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:44:33 GMT

Here is the Script that I wrote to handle the complexity of restoring each database on a given instance, using hyperbac virtual restore, and then performming DBCC Check DB Against it:

http://www.sqlphilosopher.com/wp/2013/01/my-red-gate-hyperbac-dbcc-checkdb-script/

I apologize that it took me so long to get it pulled together.

Huge .vmdf and takes forever to restore from compressed .sqb

TDawg3 — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:17:11 GMT

Each day we do full backups of all our SQL 2005 databases on Windows 2003 using your SQL Backup 6.5.1.9 product into individual .sqb files using minimum compression (level 1), unencrypted, 2 threads selected under optimization with maximum transfer size set to 1024KB and maximum data block set too 2048KB.

We're very pleased with this tool and haven't touched this process in nearly 2 years - it always creates about 80% compressed backups, on average.

HOWEVER, the few times I've ever attempted to perform a virtual restore, including today, using Virtual Restore v2.3.0.104, it just flat out doesn't work. It certainly doesn't mount to the .sqb files "instantly" with tiny files. but rather crawls and crawls and I see the created .vmdf and .vldf files swell and swell. I eventually give up and cancel.

On a very small database (1.8GB), whose recovery model is simple, the Backup Pro tool creates a tiny .sqb backup (217MB), but the "virtual restore" of this backup took nearly 2 minutes and created a .vmdf of 3.2GB - nearly twice the size of the original .mdf and nearly 15x larger than the .sqb is was supposed to be virtually mounting to.

The "real" .sqb I want to mount to and query virtually is 14GB (original file is 100GB) but, see above, it takes so long and saps so much space, I give up about 1/2 through (which is about 45min later and a .vmdf file size of 80GB and growing with no end in sight - I'm sure it would surpass the size of the original .mdf long before the process ever finished if I were to let it go.

So, what gives? I only read glowing reviews of this product and I've always been happy with the .sqb creation piece, but now I need the virtual mount/restore to work as everybody claims ("instantly" with extremely small .vmdf file sizes).

By the way, it looks like we have HyperBac service version 5.4.0.22 running for the Virtual Restore v2.3.0.104 wizard.

Help!

RE: Slow Virtual Restore

jhboricua — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 18:41:43 GMT

So what is the scoop on this?

I'm just having the same issue with slow restores on a 40GB SQL Backup 6 SQB file (1 stream, compression level=1). At the current rate of restore it will take >200 minutes to complete!!!

I'm running the latest version of the SQL virtual Restore (downloaded it 2 weeks ago from the Red-Gate website).

I've found other old threads here alluding to slow virtual restore issues with no indication that the slowness issue has ever been resolved.

Can someone from Red Gate update shed some light on this?

Issues running in vmware

JJB7 — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 11:47:59 GMT

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 x64
2 vCPUs @ 2.93GHz & 8GB RAM
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 Standard Edition x64
ESX 4.1

I'm currently running a virtual environment with the above configuration. I'm experiencing instability on the server whenever I try to run a restore. Scenario is as follows:

Create database < ok
Backup database < ok
Restore backup < ok
Virtual restore backup < at this point the environment loses all connectivity with it's disks and hangs for about 30 seconds before being forced to restart by vSphere.

Has anyone experienced issues similar to this?

RE: Feature Request: Queued Restores

SQLGator — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 19:57:32 GMT

You can schedule them but you have to do these one at a time, how about a wildcard in the database name and let it do the restores one at a time.

How to select a backup from multiple backup sets

ajones — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:08:31 GMT

I have a native SQL Server backup that has several backup sets in it. When I use the SQL Virtual Restore Wizard it does not allow me to specify which backup I want to use and always uses the first one. How do I specify which backup to mount?

RE: Cannot Delete Backup File

Matthew Flatt — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 14:44:40 GMT

I have been working offline with DLapointe and after upgrading to HyperBac Service version 5.9 his issue was resolved.

You can obtain the latest version here:

http://www.red-gate.com/products/dba/sql-virtual-restore/download

Thanks,

RE: Maximum amount of databases

RajK — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 07:26:36 GMT

In regards to the maximum number of databases you may have reached the limit as far as the hardware resources are concerned. There is only so much benefit a software solution might be able to provide in this use case. Are you able to let me know what are the native online sizes of the databases that are being virtual restored?

In regards to the file-locking behaviour can you confirm how many databases are you restoring from each backups? Is there a 1:1 relationship between a SVR database and a backup?

You should be ok to delete the contents of the indexes folder as long as there are no corresponding databases. If you are constantly creating and deleting new SVR databases then it might be good to put this delete as an additional step after the delete step.

Are you able to send us your serial number details to the support works email that corresponds to this case? Thanks.

Thanks for your feedback in this matter.

RE: Receiving Virtual Restore 2 errors in Red Gate Software log

RajK — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:33:34 GMT

This post has raised a support request in our system and I am responding to this via our support system.

We have released a newer version of the product in Sept and I was wondering what is the status of this server? Is this a dev, test or production server?

I will be requested some additional info via our support system to get some dev input in this regards.

Thanks for your patience and feedback in this matter.