Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 : Disaster Recovery - Backup Process Flow

• SMS site database

• SMS directory on the site server

• Master site control file (SMS\Inboxes\Sitectrl.box\Sitectrl.ct0)

• SMS and NAL registry keys on the site server

Stopping All Services and Components

Before you initiate any manual backup steps, you must of course stop any SMS services and components that might be running so that they don’t leave any files open or lock any portion of the database. This includes ending any remote SMS Administrator Console sessions that might be active.

SMS services and components are best managed through the SMS Service Manager tool in the SMS Administrator Console. To stop a service or component, follow these steps:

1.	In the SMS Administrator Console, navigate to the Tools node, select SMS Service Manager, right-click it, choose Select All Tasks, and then choose Start SMS Service Manager.
2.	Expand the site server entry and then select Components to display a list of available components, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. The SMS Service Manager window, showing available services and components.
3.	To view the current status of a component, select it and click the Query Component button (an exclamation point). To disable the component, select it and click the Stop button (the red square).
4.	Click the Query Component button again to verify that the component has stopped.
5.	To start a component, select it and click the Start button (the green triangle). Tip You can stop or start all the components at one time by choosing Select All from the Component menu and then clicking the Stop or Start button.

By stopping the SMS Executive first through the SMS Service Manager, you will stop most of the other SMS components, as many of these components are themselves started by the SMS Executive. After you’ve stopped all SMS services and components using this technique, verify that at least the following services have indeed stopped by running the Services program in the Administrative Tools folder, accessible by clicking Start and then Programs:

• SMS Executive

• SMS Site Component Manager

• SMS SQL Monitor

• SQL Executive

Only after you’ve stopped all the services and components should you back up the SMS site database.

Backing Up the Site Database

You can back up this database using a number of techniques. You could use SQL Server’s BACKUP command through the SQL Server Enterprise Manager. You could use your favorite third-party backup system, such as Veritas Backup Exec, which includes add-ons that back up SQL Server databases. (Review your backup product’s documentation to learn how.) You could also use the Backup SMS Site Server maintenance tasks available through the SMS Administrator Console.

Backing Up Registry Keys and the Directory Structure

Next, you back up the SMS and NAL registry keys by choosing Save Key from the Windows Registry Editor’s Registry menu and then the SMS directory structure. When you back up these elements, you should give the backups similar names. Use the site code in the name and perhaps add a number indicating the date or iteration of the backup. For example, you could name the registry keys SMSxxx. reg and NALxxx. reg, where xxx represents the three-digit site code for your site.

Save your backups in a single directory for easy reference. This directory can then itself be backed up by your favorite server backup program for added redundancy. Again, consider your naming convention carefully. For example, you could name the directory something like SMSBackupxxx.ddd, where xxx represents your site’s site code and ddd represents a date or iteration reference.

If you were backing up the site A01 on August 31, for instance, you could create a directory named SMSBackupA01.aug31. You would save the SMS database backup file here, perhaps as SMSDBA01, as well as the registry keys (SMSA01.reg and NALA01.reg) and the SMS directory (SMSA01.dir). You should maintain this master backup location on another server; you should also back up the master backup folder itself as part of your normal network server backup routine.

The Backup SMS Site Server database maintenance task included in the SMS Administrator Console includes most of these steps in one automated package. Because you don’t have to perform these backups manually, it’s a more effective backup routine.