Backing Up to a Novell File Server

Dump devices can be located on Novell file servers. The capability to define dump devices located on Novell file servers takes advantage of the Windows NT Workstation Client and Gateway Services for NetWare available from Microsoft.

Defining database dump devices with Microsoft SQL Server without setting up a Gateway Share is simple and does not require special mapping on the Novell file server, nor does it require that there be a shared device defined in File Manager.

It is important that the Client and Gateway Services for NetWare be appropriately set up so that files can be copied from the Novell file server to Windows NT without error. Routing and frame type issues must be resolved prior to implementing this procedure.

To set up the Client and Gateway Services, an NTGATEWAY group must already exist on the Novell file server. There are two ways to do this.

Guest Validation by the Novell File Server

The first method depends on GUEST validation by the Novell file server. Begin the Windows NT setup by assigning the LocalSystem account to the SQL Server (MSSQLServer) service. Use the Services application in the Control Panel to do this. For instructions, see your documentation for Windows NT.

When SQL Server starts, it will log in as a LocalSystem account on Windows NT, which means that the Novell file server will have no knowledge of this Windows NT user ID.

On the Novell file server, add the GUEST account to the NTGATEWAY Group and be sure that it has complete Trustee rights to the directory where the SQL Server database dump will be written. When SQL Server attempts to dump the database to this directory, the Novell file server will validate the login and use the GUEST account with NTGATEWAY as the user group.

Running SQL Server Under a Valid User Account

The second way to set up the Client and Gateway Services is to start the SQL Server service with a user account that is valid on the Novell file server and on Windows NT. This user must have appropriate access to stop and start Windows NT services. The user ID and password on Windows NT must exactly match the user ID and password on the Novell file server. In addition, the user account must also be a member of the NTGATEWAY Group and have complete Trustee rights to the directory where the SQL Server database dump will be written.

Unlike setting up a local disk dump device, a UNC path to a Novell file server consists of the file server name, volume, directory, and file.

For example, to define a database dump device on the Novell file server WHISTLE/SYS:USERS/TEST, the following would be entered as the physical filename:

Logical Name: pubsdump
Physical Name: \\WHISTLE\SYS\USERS\TEST\PUBS.DMP

Once the dump device has been defined, verify that the process works by dumping a database with a valid SQL Server login ID.

Note When a server is configured to run the SQL Server service under a user account in order to perform backups to dump devices located on a Novell file server, that server cannot act as a SQLMail client. SQLMail functionality requires that the SQL Server service (MSSQLServer) be configured to run under the computer's LocalSystem account. For more information see Chapter 18, Setting Up Mail.