SQL Continuous in Hyper-V and Licensing

[dlevasseur]

So I currently have a Hyper-V host, licensed including both Hyper-V Granular Restore and SQL Continuous backup.

The host has 6 guest machines, one of which is going to be a SQL server (2014). I have read that the SQL continuous license needs to be installed on the SQL guest machine. So does that mean I need another BackupAssist license for that guest? So I have to license the Host and the Guest for SQL? I just want to verify that before I buy another license.

If the case above is true, is there anything I have to do with the guest backup process when they Host backup runs? Does it need to be stopped during the Host backup?

[casey.burns]

Hi there,

My name is Casey, and I'm with the BackupAssist team. Thanks for posting on our forum.

If you have BackupAssist installed on the host, all you need is one purchase of the SQL add on and it will cover all of your virtual machines.

However, I recommend also purchasing the Hyper-V add-on as it allows for individual file and folder restoration for virtual machines.

Additionally, it is not needed to shut down the SQL database before the backup runs as it will run while the database is open and running.

For more information on how our SQL backups work, check out this link: [url]https://www.backupassist.com/education/v9/backupassist/sql-protection-guide.html

[/url]I hope this helps, please let me know if you have anything further to add.
Kind regards,

Casey Burns
BackupAssist Support

[dlevasseur]

Casey, thanks for the reply but it really didn't answer anything I don't think...

I ALREADY have the Host machine licensed with granular restore AND with they SQL continuous. So that is covered.

From the link you provided:

Hyper-V Environments
BackupAssist with the SQL Continuous Add-on can be used to backup SQL Servers that are running on guests (VMs) in Hyper-V environments.

Backing up SQL from the guest

BackupAssist and the SQL Continuous Add-on should be installed on the guest VM that is running the SQL Server.

Backing up SQL from the host

It is best practice to not run applications on the Hyper-V host because any problems or performance overheads could affect all of the guests, and software updates could require a server reboot, causing an outage for all of your guests and the services they provide.

If your Hyper-V Server is running multiple SQL servers on separate guests (VMs) it is possible to install BackupAssist and the SQL Continuous Add-on on the Hyper-V host and back up each guest, but this is not recommended.

So... Do I need to buy another BackupAssist license for the SQL Guest machine? The way I read it is "Yes". But I want to verify before spending that money. So OK the guest is in charge of continuous SQL backups, does that need to stop while the host backup process runs? Or is the guest aware enough to pause the continuous SQL backup while the host process finishes?