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Back up a service application (Search Server 2010)

 

Applies to: Search Server 2010

Topic Last Modified: 2010-02-17

We recommend that you regularly back up at the farm level. However, business or IT requirements might require that you back up a service application. Regularly backing up a service application reduces the possibility of data losses that might occur from hardware failures, power outages, or other problems. It is a simple process that helps to ensure that all the service application-related data and configurations are available for recovery, if that is required. You can back up only one service application at a time. You can back up all the service applications in the farm by backing up the complete farm.

Backing up a service application does not affect the state of the farm. However, it does require resources. Therefore, backing up a service application might affect farm performance while the backup is running. You can avoid performance issues by backing up the service application during hours when farm use is lowest.

Procedures in this topic:

Note

You cannot use SQL Server tools or Data Protection Manager to back up a service application.

Task requirements

Before you begin, you must create a folder on the local computer or the network in which to store the backups. For better performance, we recommend that you back up to the local computer, and then move the backup files to a network folder.

Use Windows PowerShell to back up a service application

You can use Windows PowerShell to back up one or more service applications manually or as part of a script that can be run at scheduled intervals.

To back up a service application by using Windows PowerShell

  1. Verify that you meet the following minimum requirements: See Add-SPShellAdmin.

  2. On the Start menu, click All Programs.

  3. Click SharePoint 2010 Products.

  4. Click SharePoint 2010 Management Shell.

  5. At the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

    Backup-SPFarm -Directory <BackupFolder> -BackupMethod Full -Item <ServiceApplicationName> [-Verbose]

    Where:

    • <BackupFolder> is the path of the backup folder.

    • <ServiceApplicationName> is the name of the service application. To display the name of the service application, at the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command: Backup-SPFarm -ShowTree.

    To view the progress of the backup operation, use the Verbose parameter.

    If you do not use the Verbose parameter, the Command Prompt window displays no message if the backup succeeds. If the backup job does not finish successfully, the Command Prompt window displays an error message such as the following:

    Backup-SPFarm: The operation failed. For more information, see the error log that is located in the backup directory. At line: <line> char:<column>. + <cmdlet> <<<< <location of error>

    Note

    If you are backing up the service application for the first time, you must use the Full option. You must perform a full backup before you can perform a differential backup.
    Some service applications always require a full backup. For these service applications, even if you select the Differential option, the system performs a full backup.

  6. If there are errors or warnings, or if the backup does not finish successfully, review the Spbackup.log file in the backup folder.

For more information, see Backup-SPFarm.

Note

We recommend that you use Windows PowerShell when performing command-line administrative tasks. The Stsadm command-line tool has been deprecated, but is included to support compatibility with previous product versions.

Use Central Administration to back up a service application

You can use Central Administration to back up a service application.

To back up a service application by using Central Administration

  1. Verify that the user account that performs this procedure is a member of the Farm Administrators group.

  2. In Central Administration, on the Home page, in the Backup and Restore section, click Perform a backup.

  3. On the Perform a Backup — Step 1 of 2: Select Component to Back Up page, select the service application from the list of components, and then click Next.

    Note

    The service application might consist of several components. You must select the top-level component.

  4. On the Start Backup — Step 2 of 2: Select Backup Options page, in the Backup Type section, select either Full or Differential.

    Note

    If you are backing up the service application for the first time, you must use the Full option. You must perform a full backup before you can perform a differential backup.
    Some service applications always require a full backup. For these service applications, the system performs a full backup even if you select the Differential option.

  5. In the Backup File Location section, type the path of the backup folder, and then click Start Backup.

  6. You can view the general status of all backup jobs at the top of the Backup and Restore Job Status page in the Readiness section. You can view the status for the current backup job in the lower part of the page in the Backup section. The status page updates every 30 seconds automatically. You can manually update the status details by clicking Refresh. Backup and recovery are Timer service jobs. Therefore, it may take several seconds for the backup to start.

    If you receive any errors, you can review them in the Failure Message column of the Backup and Restore Job Status page. You can also find more details in the Spbackup.log file at the UNC path that you specified in step 5.