Loading an OS/2-based Database Dump

It is possible to do a full database dump from an OS/2-based version 4.2x Microsoft SQL Server and load it onto a Windows NT-based SQL Server, or vice versa, as long as the same sort order is running on both SQL Servers. The dump can be to a disk dump device, a diskette dump device, or a tape drive that is supported by Windows NT.

The dump must be a full database dump, not a log dump, and the dump must occur when there is no update activity taking place in the database. For this reason, it is recommended that the dump occur when SQL Server is started in single-user mode.

Note When you load a database dump taken from a Windows NT-based SQL Server onto an OS/2-based SQL Server, DBCC CHECKALLOC on that database will report some errors. If DBCC CHECKALLOC reports error message 2540 in syslogs, and there are 14 or less of these messages (meaning 14 or less pages affected, or up to 7 of the 8 pages on the first and last extent of the log), the messages can be safely ignored. These messages report uninitialized pages that the Windows NT - based SQL Server didn't use and that the OS/2-based SQL Server doesn't need. To correct these errors, issue DBCC FIX_AL (dbname). In order to execute this command, the database being fixed must be in single-user mode. The command should be executed from a database other than the database being fixed.

If other error messages are reported by DBCC CHECKDB or DBCC CHECKALLOC, do not ignore them, as they indicate a real problem.