Log shipping - moving the monitor server

Hi all,

We have a log shipping pair, and a monitoring server.  The monitoring server
is being retired, so I need to find out if there is a way to move/create a
log shipping monitor server on a new server, without effecting the
primary/secondary log shipping pair?  Anyone tried this before?

Thanks,
dave

Hi David

I have never tried this, I would expect if your new server is the same name
as the old one and you move the databases using attach/detach from the old
server then it I could be relatively trouble free... but you don't give any
details about the replacement!!!

John

"David Curlewis" wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> We have a log shipping pair, and a monitoring server.  The monitoring serv
er
> is being retired, so I need to find out if there is a way to move/create a
> log shipping monitor server on a new server, without effecting the
> primary/secondary log shipping pair?  Anyone tried this before?
>
> Thanks,
> dave

Here the details are then; the server that currently acts as monitor is goin
g
to be "reassigned" to another role, which will require it being completely
rebuilt, arrays reconfigured, SANs changed, etc.  It is therefore likely tha
t
I will be able to keep the same server name, and could detach and reattach
the databases.

But what databases contain the replication information, and can they be
successfully re-attached to a new install of SQL?  Is it the MSDB database
mainly, or are there tables in Master as well?  All servers are running
SQL2000 SP4 on Windows 2003 Server SP1.

Thanks,
Dave

"John Bell" wrote:

> Hi David
>
> I have never tried this, I would expect if your new server is the same nam
e
> as the old one and you move the databases using attach/detach from the old
> server then it I could be relatively trouble free... but you don't give an
y
> details about the replacement!!!
>
> John

Log shipping info, on the primary, secondary & monitor boxes, is kept in
the msdb.dbo.log_shipping_* tables.  So the msdb database should be the
only DB relevant to log shipping on the monitor box.  However, you'll
need to make sure the SQL logins you use for inter-server communication
are the same on the new monitor server (and that login info is stored in
the master database).

If it was me, I'd be thinking about setting up my new monitor box,
restoring the master DB from a backup of your current master DB on the
monitor box (see Restoring the master Database from a Current Backup
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/e...bkprst_4g4w.asp> )
and then restoring the msdb database (Restoring the model, msdb, and
distribution Databases
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/e...bkprst_2w1f.asp> ).

I'm not sure if that will work (as I haven't tested it before), but that
would be the recovery strategy I'd start with to recover or replace the
monitor box involved in log shipping.

--
*mike hodgson*
blog: http://sqlnerd.blogspot.com



DavidCur wrote:

>Here the details are then; the server that currently acts as monitor is goi
ng
>to be "reassigned" to another role, which will require it being completely
>rebuilt, arrays reconfigured, SANs changed, etc.  It is therefore likely th
at
>I will be able to keep the same server name, and could detach and reattach
>the databases.
>
>But what databases contain the replication information, and can they be
>successfully re-attached to a new install of SQL?  Is it the MSDB database
>mainly, or are there tables in Master as well?  All servers are running
>SQL2000 SP4 on Windows 2003 Server SP1.
>
>Thanks,
>Dave
>
>"John Bell" wrote:
>
>
> 

Thanks very much for that.  I've set up a test environment today, so will
test your proposed restoration strategy next week (Friday afternoon here,
yay!).  I will post the results once the testing is completed.

Thanks again,
Dave

"Mike Hodgson" wrote:

> Log shipping info, on the primary, secondary & monitor boxes, is kept in
> the msdb.dbo.log_shipping_* tables.  So the msdb database should be the
> only DB relevant to log shipping on the monitor box.  However, you'll
> need to make sure the SQL logins you use for inter-server communication
> are the same on the new monitor server (and that login info is stored in
> the master database).
>
> If it was me, I'd be thinking about setting up my new monitor box,
> restoring the master DB from a backup of your current master DB on the
> monitor box (see Restoring the master Database from a Current Backup
> <http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/e...bkprst_4g4w.asp> )
> and then restoring the msdb database (Restoring the model, msdb, and
> distribution Databases
> <http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/e...bkprst_2w1f.asp> ).
>
> I'm not sure if that will work (as I haven't tested it before), but that
> would be the recovery strategy I'd start with to recover or replace the
> monitor box involved in log shipping.
>
> --
> *mike hodgson*
> blog: http://sqlnerd.blogspot.com

Hi David

You may want to also check out:

http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...b;en-us;Q314546
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/224071/EN-US/

John

"DavidCur" wrote:

> Thanks very much for that.  I've set up a test environment today, so will
> test your proposed restoration strategy next week (Friday afternoon here,
> yay!).  I will post the results once the testing is completed.
>
> Thanks again,
> Dave
>
> "Mike Hodgson" wrote:
> 
>

Restoring just the MSDB database seems to do the trick.  On my test system I
setup log shipping, then backed up the MSDB database on the monitoring
server, and uninstalled SQL.  Then reinstalled SQL and restored the MSDB
database.  The "Log Shipping Monitor" option then became available under
Management in Enterprise Manager, and everything seems to be working
normally.  This has been running for a week now without problems.

Thanks everyone!

dave