SnapManager license requirements
SnapManager for Microsoft SQL Server requires that a SnapManager license be enabled on either the SQL Server or on the storage system.
Per-SQL Server license: This license is for a specific SQL Server and provides capacity-based utilization for enterprise accounts. This type of license is also called a per-server license or a server-side license. With server-side
licensing, no SnapManager license is required on the storage system.
If you are using a per-server SnapManager license, you can enter the license key while you are installing the SnapManager software (in the Customer Information screen of the SnapManager software installation utility). You can also enter the license key later (from the About SnapManager dialog box), after SnapManager is installed.
Per-storage-system license: This license is for a specific storage system and enables you to use SnapManager on the storage system with any number of SQL Server instances and any database sizes. This type of license is also called a per-storage system license or a per-storage system-side license. If no server-side license is detected, SnapManager checks the storage system for a storage system-side license when a SnapManager operation is initiated. If a storage system-side license is not enabled, the SnapManager operation fails and an error message is written to the Windows event log.
SnapManager service account requirements: To run the SnapManager Backup and Restore functions, the SnapManager service account must have sysadmin fixed server role privileges on the SQL Server. This is usually addressed by giving the Windows user account administrator rights on the SQL Server. You can meet this requirement by adding the Windows domain account used by SnapManager to the system administrator’s server role on the SQL Server.
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Authentication
SQL Server authentication
When using SQL Server authentication, the SQL Server administrator must have sysadmin server role privileges on the SQL Server instance. SnapManager requires that the database administrator have the required privileges to mount and unmount databases and backup and restore data and transaction log files. The system administrator role fulfills all these permissions requirements.
Windows authentication
When using Windows authentication, the Windows account that you are logged onto the system with must have system administrator privileges on the SQL Server. This account is presumably the same account running SnapDrive.
However, some organizations give different categories of administrators different responsibilities and therefore different levels of access. For example, one group of administrators might run SnapManager to manage the SQL Server databases while another group of administrators might run SnapDrive to manage the LUNs.
In this case, separate accounts would be used for SnapDrive and SnapManager.
The SnapManager server would still run under the SnapManager user account.
A storage system administrator must perform and verify the configuration.
SnapManager service account requirements in workgroup mode
To use SnapManager with Windows in workgroup mode, the SnapManager service account must be a local user account (not a domain account) that meets the requirements described in “SnapManager service account requirements” on page 24. For instructions on how to configure SnapDrive in workgroup mode, see the SnapDrive Installation and Administration Guide for your version of SnapDrive.
SnapDrive requirement
In a SnapManager configuration, SnapDrive is required on all Windows host systems except those that are used exclusively as remote administration servers.
On the Microsoft SQL Server computer: To use SnapManager to migrate, backup and restore SQL Server data, you must have SnapDrive installed on the same computer and use it to create two or more dedicated LUNs to hold the SQL Server databases and SnapInfo. SnapInfo cannot share a LUN with any database files.
36 Authentication
Note
It is advisable that you create a minimum of three LUNs so that system databases and user databases can be placed on separate LUNs.
For a remote administration server: The SnapManager installation package enables you to install SnapManager on a Windows host system without SnapDrive. This enables you to install SnapManager on a remote system that is used to administer the Microsoft SQL Server computer that is running with SnapManager. If this remote system is not used to perform database verification, SnapDrive is not required.
For a remote verification server: You can also install SnapManager on a remote Windows host system to offload the CPU-intensive database verification process. SnapDrive must be installed on this remote system, but you do not need to have LUNs on that system. For installation details, see the SnapDrive Installation and Administration Guide for your version of SnapDrive.
Implications for your storage system: The storage system used in your SnapManager environment must also be configured to meet the SnapDrive license requirements. For information about compatible versions of SnapManager, SnapDrive, and Data ONTAP, see the SnapManager and SnapDrive Compatibility Matrix. The system requirements for a storage system used in a SnapManager environment are described in “Verifying storage system requirements” on page 39.
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A SQL Server instance that is running SnapManager can be remotely administered from another Windows system that is configured as a remote administration server:
◆ You do not need to install an iSCSI driver or an HBA driver on this system.
◆ SnapDrive does not need to be installed unless you want to use the remote administration server to remotely administer SnapDrive.
◆ SnapManager must be installed.
Note
Some limitations apply to using SQL Server authentication as the security authentication method to be used to establish the connection to a remote administration server. For more information, see “About SQL Server authentication” on page 420.
You can add servers that you want to use through the option “Add servers to be managed” in the Actions pane. For more information, see “Add new servers” on page 90.
Requirements for a remote verification server
SnapManager performs remote verification using the same mechanisms used for local verification, except that the verification is performed on a host that is different from the SQL Server that initiated the backup. This is the reason that you need SnapDrive and SnapManager installed on your remote verification server, in addition to connectivity to the storage system (through FCP or iSCSI).
To run remote database consistency checks, your remote Windows system must meet the following requirements:
◆ The appropriate LUN driver (iSCSI or FCP) must be installed.
◆ The remote Windows system must have connectivity (iSCSI or FCP) to the storage system.
◆ SnapDrive must be installed.
Note
Do not try to connect the SQL Server’s LUNs to the remote SQL Server.
◆ SnapManager must be installed, but it does not need to be configured. You must specify the user account that you use for the production SQL Server.