sp_addumpdevice (Transact-SQL)

Article
12/03/2008

Adds a backup device to an instance of the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Database Engine.

Topic link icon Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions

Syntax

sp_addumpdevice [ @devtype = ] 'device_type' 
        , [ @logicalname = ] 'logical_name' 
        , [ @physicalname = ] 'physical_name'
      [ , { [ @cntrltype = ] controller_type |
          [ @devstatus = ] 'device_status' }
      ]

Arguments

[ @devtype= ] 'device_type'
Is the type of backup device. device_type is varchar(20), with no default, and can be one of the following values.

Value Description

disk

Hard disk file as a backup device.

tape

Any tape devices supported by Microsoft Windows.

Value	Description
disk	Hard disk file as a backup device.
tape	Any tape devices supported by Microsoft Windows.

[ @logicalname = ] 'logical_name'
Is the logical name of the backup device used in the BACKUP and RESTORE statements. logical_name is sysname, with no default, and cannot be NULL.

[ @physicalname = ] 'physical_name'
Is the physical name of the backup device. Physical names must follow the rules for operating-system file names or universal naming conventions for network devices, and must include a full path. physical_name is nvarchar(260), with no default value, and cannot be NULL.

When creating a backup device on a remote network location, be sure that the name under which the Database Engine was started has appropriate write capabilities on the remote computer.

If you add a tape device, this parameter must be the physical name assigned to the local tape device by Windows; for example, \\.\TAPE0 for the first tape device on the computer. The tape device must be attached to the server computer; it cannot be used remotely. Enclose names that contain nonalphanumeric characters in quotation marks.

Note

This procedure enters the specified physical name into the catalog. The procedure does not attempt to access or create the device.

[ @cntrltype = ] 'controller_type'
Obsolete. If specified, this parameter is ignored. It is supported purely for backward compatibility. New uses of sp_addumpdevice should omit this parameter.

[ @devstatus = ] 'device_status'
Obsolete. If specified, this parameter is ignored. It is supported purely for backward compatibility. New uses of sp_addumpdevice should omit this parameter.

Return Code Values

0 (success) or 1 (failure)

Result Sets

None

Remarks

sp_addumpdevice adds a backup device to the sys.backup_devices catalog view. The device can then be referred to logically in BACKUP and RESTORE statements. sp_addumpdevice does not perform any access to the physical device. Access to the specified device only occurs when a BACKUP or RESTORE statement is performed. Creating a logical backup device can simplify BACKUP and RESTORE statements, where specifying the device name is an alternative using a "TAPE =" or "DISK =" clause to specify the device path.

Ownership and permissions problems can interfere with the use of disk or file backup devices. Make sure that appropriate file permissions are given to the Windows account under which the Database Engine was started.

The Database Engine supports tape backups to tape devices that are supported by Windows. For more information about Windows-supported tape devices, see the hardware compatibility list for Windows. To view the tape devices available on the computer, use SQL Server Management Studio.

Use only the recommended tapes for the specific tape drive that are suggested by the drive manufacturer. If you are using digital audio tape (DAT) drives, use computer-grade DAT tapes (Digital Data Storage (DDS)).

sp_addumpdevice cannot be executed inside a transaction.

Permissions

Requires membership in the diskadmin fixed server role.

Examples

A. Adding a disk dump device

The following example adds a disk backup device named mydiskdump, with the physical name c:\dump\dump1.bak.

USE master;
GO
EXEC sp_addumpdevice 'disk', 'mydiskdump', 'c:\dump\dump1.bak';

B. Adding a network disk backup device

The following example shows adding a remote disk backup device called networkdevice. The name under which the Database Engine was started must have permissions to that remote file (\\<servername>\<sharename>\<path>\<filename>.bak).

USE master;
GO
EXEC sp_addumpdevice 'disk', 'networkdevice',
    '\\<servername>\<sharename>\<path>\<filename>.bak';

C. Adding a tape backup device

The following example adds the tapedump1 device with the physical name \\.\tape0.

USE master;
GO
EXEC sp_addumpdevice 'tape', 'tapedump1', '\\.\tape0';

D. Backing up to a logical backup device

The following example creates a logical backup device, AdvWorksData, for a backup disk file. The example then backs up the AdventureWorks database to this logical backup device.

USE master
GO
EXEC sp_addumpdevice 'disk', 'AdvWorksData', 
'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\BACKUP\AdvWorksData.bak';
GO
BACKUP DATABASE AdventureWorks 
 TO AdvWorksData
   WITH FORMAT;
GO

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