Recovering a content database

This topic describes the recovery of a content database to the original SharePoint farm by using Acronis Backup.

The recovery to a non-original farm is a more complicated procedure. Its steps vary depending on the farm configuration and other parameters of the production environment.

Recovering a content database by using Agent for SQL

This method allows you to recover a database from a single-pass backup of a machine running SQL Server.

To recover a content database

1. Connect the console to the machine where you need to recover the database to. Agent for SQL must be installed on the machine.
2. Recover the database to an instance, as described in the "Recovering SQL databases to instances" section.
3. If you have recovered the database to a non-original SQL server of the original SharePoint farm, attach the recovered database to the farm. To do this, run the following command on a front-end Web server:

   In SharePoint 2010 or later:

   Mount-SPContentDatabase <database> -DatabaseServer <database server> -WebApplication <site url>

   In SharePoint 2007:

   stsadm.exe -o addcontentdb -url <site url> -databasename <database> -databaseserver <database server>

Recovering a content database by using Agent for Windows

This method allows you to recover a database from a disk-level backup of a machine running SQL Server.

To recover a content database to the original SQL server

1. If the Windows SharePoint Services Timer service is running, stop the service and wait for a few minutes for any running stored procedures to complete. Do not restart the service until you have recovered all the databases that you need to recover.
2. If you are recovering the database to the original location on the disk, do the following:
   1. Bring the destination database offline.
   2. Recover the database files as described in "Recovering SQL Server databases from a disk backup", except for the database attachment step (the database is already attached).
   3. Bring the recovered database online.

   If you are recovering the database to another location on the disk, recover the database files as described in "Recovering SQL Server databases from a disk backup", including the database attachment step.

3. Start the Windows SharePoint Services Timer service.

To recover a content database to another SQL server of the original farm

1. Remove from the SharePoint farm the database that you will later recover. To do this, run the following command on a front-end Web server:

   In SharePoint 2010 or later:

   Dismount-SPContentDatabase <database>

   If you have multiple content databases that have the same name, you must use the content database GUID in this command instead of using the content database name. To retrieve the GUID of the content database, run the Get-SPContentDatabase cmdlet with no arguments.

   In SharePoint 2007:

   stsadm -url <web application url> –o deletecontentdb –databasename <database>

2. Recover the database files as described in "Recovering SQL Server databases from a disk backup", including the database attachment step.
3. Attach the recovered database to the SharePoint farm. To do this, run the following command on a front-end Web server:

   In SharePoint 2010 or later:

   Mount-SPContentDatabase <database> -DatabaseServer <database server> -WebApplication <site url>

   In SharePoint 2007:

   stsadm.exe -o addcontentdb -url <site url> -databasename <database> -databaseserver <database server>