How to: Switch an Instance of Notification Services to a Standby Server

You can use log shipping and database mirroring to maintain the instance and application databases on a standby server. If you need to use the standby server, you must reregister and update the instance of Notification Services. This topic shows the general procedure for switching an instance of Notification Services to a standby server.

Important

All deployments of Notification Services are unique. Use the following procedure as a guideline for developing and testing your own recovery procedure.

To move instance databases to a standby server

1. If possible, stop the instance of Notification Services.

   An instance of Notification Services frequently attempts to connect to the database server. If the database server is down when the instance is running, Notification Services will write error messages to the Microsoft Windows application event log.

   • How to: Stop an Instance of Notification Services (SQL Server Management Studio)
   • How to: Stop an Instance of Notification Services (Services Manager)
   • How to: Stop an Instance of Notification Services (Command Prompt)

2. Bring the standby database server online and fully recover the instance and application databases. For more information, see Log Shipping How-to Topics or Database Mirroring How-to Topics.

3. Open the Notification Services command prompt. From the Start menu, point to All Programs\Microsoft SQL Server 2005\Configuration Tools, and then click Notification Services Command Prompt.

4. Register the instance of Notification Services with the new database server name. If the instance is scaled-out, you need to reregister the instance on each server that runs a hosted event provider, generator, distributor, subscription management interface, or nonhosted event provider.

   • nscontrol register Command

5. Repair the instance metadata in the msdb database.

   • Run the nscontrol repair Command.

6. Modify the SQL Server system name in the instance configuration and the system names for hosted event providers, generators, and distributors in the application definitions. These values might be parameterized, meaning that you provide values when you create or update the instance.

7. Disable the instance of Notification Services.

   • How to: Disable an Instance of Notification Services (SQL Server Management Studio)
   • nscontrol disable Command

8. Update the instance, which applies the changes made in the previous step to the databases.

   • How to: Update an Instance of Notification Services (SQL Server Management Studio)
   • nscontrol update Command

9. Enable the instance of Notification Services.

   • How to: Enable an Instance of Notification Services (SQL Server Management Studio)
   • nscontrol enable Command

10. Start the instance of Notification Services.

    • How to: Start an Instance of Notification Services (SQL Server Management Studio)
    • How to: Start an Instance of Notification Services (Services Manager)
    • How to: Start an Instance of Notification Services (Command Prompt)

11. Verify the status of the instance of Notification Services.

    • How to: View the Status of a Notification Services Instance (SQL Server Management Studio)
    • nscontrol status Command

    Note

    It may take 30 seconds for the status to be updated.

See Also

Concepts

Using Log Shipping or Database Mirroring with Notification Services

Other Resources

Maintaining High Availability
Log Shipping
Database Mirroring
Managing Instances and Applications How-to Topics (Notification Services)

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2005 Assistance