AlwaysOn Preferences
Use this property page to configure the backup preference settings for scheduled backups of availability groups and availability replicas in an SQL Server environment. This includes SQL Server instances that use non-default ports in the AlwaysOn Availability Group (AAG) environment.
If an SQL Server instance in the AAG environment is using a non-default port, specify the RemoteSQLInstancePort option in the Data Protection for SQL Server configuration file (tdpsql.cfg by default). This enables Data Protection for SQL Server to communicate with remote replica SQL Server instances in an AAG environment.
For example, RemoteSQLInstancePort replicaname,port# or RemoteSQLInstancePort replicaname1,port#1;replicaname2,port#2.
The replica name that you specify is case-sensitive. Therefore, if the AAG replica name is specified in lowercase on the SQL Server, then you must also specify the RemoteSQLInstancePort replica name in lowercase.
The settings are intended for scheduling backups of availability groups and availability replicas, and not for interactive backups with Microsoft™ Management Console (MMC).
The following settings are available in this property page:
- Availability group
- Select an AlwaysOn Availability Group for which you want to set schedule backup preferences.
- Primary replica
- Displays the primary replica for the selected availability group.
- Preferred replica
- Backup commands are scheduled on all nodes in an availability
group. When the schedules run, the backup occurs only on the preferred
replica. Other replicas receive, at run time, a warning message. The
backup is skipped. You can make the following selections:
- Select Prefer Secondary replica if you want scheduled backups to occur on a secondary replica, if it is available. Otherwise, use the primary replica for the scheduled backup.
- Select Secondary only if you want scheduled backups to occur only on a secondary replica.
- Select Primary if you want scheduled backups to occur only on the primary replica.
- Select Any replica if you want scheduled backups to occur on any availability replica.
- Availability replicas
- For each availability replica in this list box, specify whether it is a candidate for running scheduled backups by specifying the backup priority for that replica. A value of 1 has the lowest priority, and a value of 100 has the highest priority. A value of 0 indicates that the replica is excluded from schedule backup operations.
- Availability databases
- Displays the availability databases that are in an availability replica. The synchronization state is also displayed.