BUG: Restore From DLT Tape Fails w/ Errors 603 or 3104

• Microsoft SQL Server, version 6.0

SYMPTOMS

When a database is dumped to a DLT (Digital Linear Tape) tape dump device on one server and subsequently is restored on another from a different DLT tape dump device, the restore process fails with error 603 ("There are not enough system session descriptors available to run this query. The maximum number available to a process is %d. Split query and rerun") or 3104 ("LOAD DATABASE encountered page with invalid logical page number 0x%lx").

WORKAROUND

Dump the database to a disk dump device and copy the file to other server across the network (with verify). If the net copy is not an option, use the Windows NT backup facility to backup and restore the disk dump file from an original server to a target server.

Another approach is to use Transfer Manager to copy a database from one server to another server.

Finally, other tape drives, such as DAT tape drives, work fine and allow for this operation.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft SQL Server version 6.0. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.