Managing databases mounted at or restored to alternate locations

SnapManager supports the ability to mount a database without restoring it. See the following topics for more information:

Mounting and attaching a database

You can mount a database without restoring it. The database is mounted at an alternate, temporary location, but the transaction logs are not applied. Because the data is not current, this feature can be used to view only the layout of the data.

Note
To view the current data at a temporary location, you would need to restore the database to a temporary location using a writable Snapshot copy, as described in Destinations for a restore operation.

To mount a database without restoring the data, complete the following steps.

Step	Action
1	In the SnapManager main window, click the Restore tab.
2	In the left panel of the Restore tab, expand the list and then double-click to select the database that you want to mount.
3	In the menu bar, select Action > Mount & Attach Db. Result The Mount Snapshot and Attach Database dialog box appears.
4	You have the option to verify the selected databases.
	If...	Then...
	You do not want to verify the database	Leave the Run DBCC CHECKDB option unselected, then go to Step 7.
	You want to verify the database	Go to Step 5.
5	Select the Run DBCC CHECKDB option.
6	If you want to leave the databases attached after the DBCC CHECKDB command has finished, then also select the Leave database attached after DBCC option. Note If you select this option, you will need to explicitly detach and dismount the Snapshot copies after completing your task or test. This is described in Detaching a database and dismounting Snapshot LUNs. If you do not detach the databases and dismount the Snapshot copy LUNs, you might encounter a busy Snapshot when you attempt to delete the Snapshot copy.
7	Click OK to close the message box and proceed with mounting the databases. Result The Restore Status dialog box appears.
8	Click Start Now to proceed with mounting the database. Result SnapManager begins to mount your databases to a temporary, alternate location. SnapManager Restore completes each task and checks it off the list shown in the Restore Task List view. You can switch back and forth between the task check-off list and the progress report using the Switch buttons on either window. If the databases are successfully mounted, the Task window shows the check-off list with the tasks completed, and a dialog box reports that the restore was successful.
9	Click OK to close the message box. Result A database restored to or mounted at a temporary, alternate location is listed in the Backup and Verification tab with the following label: `SnapLUN` If the database name already exists on the server, or if the backup set consists of more than one database, the database is listed using the following naming convention: databasename__`Mount`

Detaching a database and dismounting Snapshot LUNs

If a database is restored to or mounted at a temporary, alternate location using a writable Snapshot copy (described in Restore to a temporary, alternate location and in Mounting and attaching a database), you must detach the database and dismount the Snapshot copy LUNs when you have finished viewing the layout of the data. If you fail to do this, you might encounter a busy Snapshot condition when you attempt to delete the Snapshot copy.

To explicitly detach a database and dismount the Snapshot copy LUNs, complete the following steps.

Step	Action
1	In the SnapManager main window, click the Backup and Verification tab.
2	In the left panel of the Backup and Verification tab, expand the list and then select the database Snapshot copy that you have explicitly mounted at a temporary location. The temporarily mounted databases are listed in the Backup and Verification tab with the following label to the right of the database name: `SnapLUN`
3	Determine which method to use to detach the temporary database and dismount Snapshot copy LUNs.
	If...	Then...
	The database is restored to a temporary location in a Read-Only post-restore state or the database is in a loading state	Go to Step 4.
	The database is restored to a temporary location in an Operational or Non-Operational post-restore state	Go to Step 7.
	The database is only mounted at a temporary location	Go to Step 7.
4	Attempt to bring the temporary database into read-write mode. For details, see your Microsoft SQL Server documentation.
	If...	Then...
	You succeed at bringing the temporary database into read-write mode	Go to Step 7.
	You are unable to bring the temporary database into read-write mode	Go to Step 5.
Use the SQL Server backup utility and SnapDrive
5	Use SQL Server Enterprise Manager or Management Studio to delete the read-only database.
6	Use SnapDrive to detach the Snapshot copy LUNs. To do this, follow the instructions in SnapDrive Installation and Administration Guide for your version of SnapDrive. The procedure is now finished.
Use the "Detach Database and Dismount Snapshot LUN(s)" function
7	Click and hold the right mouse button to open the context menu, then select Detach Database and Dismount Snapshot LUN(s). Note The Detach Database and Dismount Snapshot LUN(s) option is grayed out and not selectable if the database restored to the alternate location using a writable Snapshot copy (a) was restored in a Read-Only post-restore state or (b) is in the Loading state. Result A message box displays a warning that this operation might take some time and asks you to confirm that you want to proceed.
8	Click OK to close the message box and proceed with the operation. The procedure is now finished.

Managing databases mounted at or restored to alternate locations

Mounting and attaching a database

Result

Result

Result

Result

Detaching a database and dismounting Snapshot LUNs

Result