TI Server 9.1 and SQL Server Imaging questions

I have tried contacting the people on my "Maintainence and Priority Support" phone number, but they are clueless. (Won't be purchasing that again!) They obviously were guessing answers, sent me incorrect information, and indicated they could not contact anyone who may know more.

So, I am going this route to try and find out from someone who has actually done this process and maybe they can share their experience with me.

I am going to image 3 servers that run Windows 2000 Server and Microsoft SQL Server 2000 using True Image Server for Windows 9.1. I am trying to get the answers to these questions in order to time the running of image backup process.

The documentation suggests that you stop and start the SQL Server services via the "before/after data capture commands".

1. What happens if I do not stop the services? Will my image still restore and sql server still run correctly from the restored image?

2. The documentation states "It is critical to note that these commands, as opposed to Backup commands above, will be executed before and after data capture process, which takes seconds, while the entire backup procedure may take quite long time. Therefore, the database idle time will be minimal."
How long must the service actually be stopped? Is this time regardless of the DB size or size of data on the disk? Does it have to backup all the sql server data on the disk before it starts the service back up?

3. The doc says the backup commands will be executed right before the "data capture" process. When does this "data capture" process actually occur during the imaging process? At the beginning, first thing? Unpredictable? When?

Thanks to anyone who can answer these questions.

 

1. There is a big chance that it will restore. But if it is a Database with really a Lot of transactions it is advicable to do the stop and start scripts before and after. Or upgrade to windows server 2003 and use the True Image 9.1 VSS support.

2. Services need to be stopped the entire image process.

3. Very simple. TrueImage runs your own made stop scripts. Then makes the image of the entire system or whatever you chose. And then when it is done imaging is runs your own made start scripts.

Its really not that difficult to understand now is it?

 

My sales rep says she has been told that you do not have to stop the services and it should backup just fine.

I ran a full image backup and had it write to the event log. It appears that the "data capture" event happened at the beginning of the backup. For some reason, it happened twice. The first time from the time the Stop script ran until the time the Start script ran was 17 seconds. The second time was shorter.

So it appears the stop/start process (at least on this small DB server) is quick as the documentation states. The purpose of the stop/start is to complete any pending transactions on the DB server and that should not take too long.