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Configure and Back Up SQL Clusters

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A SQL cluster is a group of servers that run independently but are synced to each other to work together, accessed through a single access point. In a clustered environment, having backups ensures that you can recover data even if one node fails.

Backing up a SQL cluster involves creating copies of the databases and their associated data within a clustered SQL Server environment.

Barracuda Backup (BBS) uses agent certificates to maintain a secure relationship between a backup appliance and a backup source. Files are generated during the initial connection attempts and stored on the BBS config database as well as the file system of the source.

Because of this, some extra steps are needed when configuring a SQL Cluster for backup to avoid any authentication issues between the nodes and the BBS.

Note that this guide is for backing up the SQL component. To back up the file system and system state of each individual node, additional steps are required. Contact Barracuda Networks Technical Support for assistance.

Configure and Back Up SQL Cluster

  1. In the Backup > Sources page, add a backup source pointed to the cluster host IP or FQDN.

  2. Identify the current active node.

  3. Install the Barracuda Backup Agent on the active node and verify the connectivity on the Backup > Sources page. Tip: To the right of the source, click Edit Agent Source. In the Agent Software section, click Test Software Connectivity.
    This will set the certificate in the config database and create the certificate files on the backup source.

  4. Identify the passive nodes and install the Backup Agent on each passive node.

  5. Once the Backup Agent has been installed on each passive node, stop the agent service on ALL nodes.

  6. Copy the agent certificates from the active node to each passive node’s config folder.
    Tip: The agent certificates are located in C:/Program Files/Barracuda/Barracuda Backup Agent/config.

    • Agent.crt

    • Agent.key

    • BBS.crt

  7. Restart the agent service on ALL nodes.

  8. Verify the connectivity to the current active node on the Backup > Sources page. Tip: To the right of the source, click Edit Agent Source. In the Agent Software section, click Test Software Connectivity.

Test SQL Cluster Backup

Note that if a failover occurs during a backup, the backup will fail.

A failover necessitates that databases transition between the nodes they are currently active on. Since two distinct nodes require separate servers, the agent cannot track the process if a failover occurs during an ongoing backup. If you encounter a failed backup on a cluster, confirm that a failover did not take place during the backup.

To test the backup of SQL clusters, initiate a failover to switch the cluster host to a different active node. After the failover, verify the connectivity by using the Test Software Connectivity button when editing the affected source.

For further assistance, contact Barracuda Networks Technical Support.