Detailed System Requirements
Abstract
This document details the backup and restores requirements for Microsoft SQL Server for IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management 2.2.28.
Content
- The product now known as IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management was named IBM Storage Copy Data Management in levels earlier than 2.2.26. To learn more about the brand change, see IBM Storage brand change to IBM Storage Defender.
- The product now known as IBM Storage Copy Data Management was named IBM Spectrum Copy Data Management in levels earlier than 2.2.20. To learn more about the brand change, see IBM Spectrum Protect brand change to IBM Storage Protect.
This document is divided into linked sections for ease of navigation. Use the following links to jump to the section of the document that you require:
- IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management installs an agent on application servers when they are registered. Some anti-virus software might flag or attempt to remove the agent software. If you run anti-malware software on application servers, exclude the installation path of the IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management agent.
For Microsoft Windows-based systems, such as Microsoft SQL Server, the agent installation directory must be excluded for any anti-virus scans. Add this path to the exclusion list for all anti-virus software that is installed on the application server:
C:\Program Files\IBM\IBM Storage Copy Data Management- IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management support for third-party operating systems, applications, services, and hardware depend on the respective vendor. If a third-party product or version moves into extended support, self-service support, or end-of-life, IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management supports the product or version at the same level as the vendor. See also IBM Support General Guidelines and Limitations - IBM support for software on unsupported operating systems
Before you register each Microsoft SQL Server in IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management, verify that it meets the following requirements.
Supported platforms and configurations: |
Database version on operating system:
- Microsoft SQL Server 2012 on Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 [1]
- Microsoft SQL Server 2012 SP2 on Microsoft Windows Server 2016
- Microsoft SQL Server 2014 on Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 [1]
- Microsoft SQL Server 2014 on Microsoft Windows Server 2016
- Microsoft SQL Server 2016 on Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 [1]
- Microsoft SQL Server 2016 on Microsoft Windows Server 2016
- Microsoft SQL Server 2017 on Microsoft Windows Server 2019
- Microsoft SQL Server 2019 on Microsoft Windows Server 2019
- Microsoft SQL Server 2022 on Microsoft Windows Server 2019
- Microsoft SQL Server 2022 on Microsoft Windows Server 2022
- Microsoft SQL Server 2022 on Microsoft Windows Server 2025 (SQL Standalone only)
Note: Make sure the most current Microsoft SQL Server fixes and updates are installed in your environment.
Database configurations: Standalone, SQL Server Failover Clustering, and AlwaysOn [2]
Server Type | Storage System | Storage Configuration |
| Physical [7, 8, 9, 10, 11] | IBM Storage Virtualize Software Version: 7.3.x, 8.1.x (beginning with 8.1.2), 8.3.x, 8.4.x, 8.5.x, 8.6.x, 8.7.0.x, 8.7.3.x, 9.1.0. Pure Storage running Pure REST API version 1.0 - 1.16 [7] Dell PowerMax Storage [10] Unisphere version - 10.1.0, 10.3.0 |
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| Virtual (VMware) [3] | IBM Storage Virtualize Software Version: 7.3.x, 8.1.x (beginning with 8.1.2), 8.3.x, 8.4.x and 8.5.x, 8.6.0, 8.7.0.x, 8.7.3.x, 9.1.0. NetApp ONTAP Storage Systems running the following versions: Pure Storage purity version (6.5.8) Pure REST API version 1.0 - 1.16 Note: VM Replication restore jobs can be run to store off-host copies on the storage systems previous listed. Dell PowerMax Storage [10] Unisphere version - 10.1.0, 10.3.0 Dell PowerFlex Manager version - 4.6.1.0 (715) Note: Due to a known limitation in PowerFlex Manager version 4.6.1, the standard user account with storage admin privileges is insufficient for performing remote snapshot operations, as a workaround user must be granted super-user privileges. |
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Notes:
- Windows Remote Shell (WinRM) must be enabled.
- Clustered Shared Volumes (CSV) are not supported.
- For supported VMware vSphere versions, see in System Requirements: IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management 2.2.28
- Select the physical provider type when you register the provider in IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management. Recoveries require direct access to storage. NetApp ONTAP Storage Systems are not supported.
- vRDMs are supported through VM Replication jobs.
- Independent disks are supported only if the underlying storage uses supported storage systems. Register the SQL resource as Physical when you configure the provider in IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management. Independent disks do not allow snapshots to be taken in VMware virtual scenarios. The previous listed IBM Spectrum Accelerate, IBM Spectrum Virtualize, and Pure Storage FlashArrays are supported for physical registration.
- When you register physical Microsoft SQL Servers, register them through the DNS server. The IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management appliance must be resolvable and route-able by the DNS server. The physical Microsoft SQL Server communicates back to IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management through DNS.
- Recovery for target servers registered as Physical provider types requires direct access to storage.
- Any Windows node with iSCSI or Fibre Channel access to the storage can be selected as a proxy server, if the node is not part of the original cluster. Select a stand-alone virtual or physical Windows node as a proxy server.
- For physical Microsoft SQL Servers you must allow outgoing connections to port 8443 on the IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management appliance from the Microsoft SQL Server.
- Dynamic disks are not supported.
- On IBM Systems Storage, condense is run during maintenance jobs.
- For Dell PowerMax Storage:
- Use separate Storage Groups (SG) for different databases for improved performance.
- IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management supports one parent SG, and it must contain different child SG for different databases. CDM requires that a child storage group be created for each database data and log files that is within another parent storage group.
- Keep datafiles and log files in separate SG.
- When using Parent SG with child SGs, use separate child SGs for data and log.
- For Instant Disk Restore, Host on Dell PowerMax array must have at-least one Masking View created for itself, even if the host is a part of a hostgroup having active Masking View.
- For remote replication feature, please create and map the host to the remote array and have at least 1 masking created using it. The portgroup used in the user created masking view will be used by the SCDM restore job while creating masking views to map the restored volumes to the host on the remote array.
- Async type of SRDF relationship is not supported.
- If you are using IBM Storage Systems running IBM Spectrum Accelerate level 11.5.3 or later, including FlashSystem A9000/A9000R and IBM XIV Storage Systems use IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management 2.2.13.
- Microsoft SQL Servers staying on any storage can also be protected to supported storage systems through VM Replication jobs.
- For both physical and virtual SQL environments, point-in-time recoveries beyond the last snapshot taken are incompatible with workflows by using more than one Site. In a virtual environment, the Microsoft SQL Server, associated vCenter, and storage must be registered to the same site. In a physical environment, the Microsoft SQL Server and storage must be registered to the same site.
- For more information about Microsoft SQL Server requirements, see Microsoft SQL Server Support FAQ.
- For Dell PowerFlex Storage:
Ensure that the VMware ESXi hostnames registered in Dell PowerFlex Storage exactly match the hostnames configured on the VMware vSphere environment.
Ensure that the Dell PowerFlex SDC component is installed and running on ESXi hosts where the application VMs are hosted.
Microsoft SQL Support for VMware virtual machines
UUID must be enabled to run Microsoft SQL-based backup functions. To enable,
- power off the guest virtual machine through the vSphere client.
- Then, select the guest and click Edit Settings. Select Options,
- Then General under the Advanced section.
- Select Configuration Parameters..., then find the disk.EnableUUID parameter.
- If set to FALSE, change the value to TRUE.
- If the parameter is not available, add it by clicking Add Row, set the value to TRUE, then power on the guest.
The virtual machine must use SCSI disks only; dynamic disks are not supported.
The most current VMware Tools must be installed on the virtual machine node.
In-Memory OLTP requirements and limitations
In-Memory OLTP is a memory-optimized database engine used to improve database application performance, supported in Microsoft SQL Server 2014 and Microsoft SQL Server 2016.
IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management requirements and limitations for In-Memory OLTP usage:
- The maximum restore file path must be fewer than 256 characters, which is an SQL requirement. If the original path exceeds this length, consider by using a customized restore file path to reduce the length.
- The metadata that can be restored is subject to VSS and SQL restore capabilities.
Revert Considerations and Limitation
Considerations and Limitations for databases in an Availability Group: CDM restores copies of primary databases only. Revert is at the LUN level and must be reverted back to the source LUN that was used to create the snapshot. A database cannot be reverted if it is part of an Availability Group. CDM removes the database from the Availability Group as part of the revert process. CDM does not put the database back in the Availability Group. After CDM recovers the database, manually perform the following steps: Restore any log backups that are required and recover the database by using (RESTORE DATABASE [database name] WITH RECOVERY;) command. Delete the secondary database. Add the primary database back into the availability group using the SQL Server Management Studio. a. Connect to the server instance hosting the primary replica. b. Expand the Always On High Availability node and the Availability Groups node. c. Right-click the availability group and select Add Database to launch the Add Database to Availability Group wizard. d. Select the database on the Select Databases page. If a database does not meet all the prerequisites, the Status hyperlink provides a brief explanation of why the database is not eligible. e. Select the data synchronization preference on the Select Initial Data Synchronization page. f. Connect to the secondary SQL Server instances on the next page and click Next. g. If the validation is successful, click Next, else correct the problem, and click Re-run Validation. h. Review the summary and click Finish.
Instant Seeding Prerequisites and Limitations
- The goal of seeding is to restore a secondary database by taking advantage of snapshot technology and minimize the data movement between primary and secondary replicas.
- Seeding of both virtual and physical Microsoft SQL Servers is supported. The seeding destination replica must be an instance of a secondary role and must be created or configured with a working mirroring endpoint before the seeding process. The seeding process restores by using the original database only, and only the most current backup snapshot is supported.
- Source databases must be backed up under the full recovery model, which is configured though the SQL Management Console. The full recovery model provides a granular transaction restore.
- The transaction log can grow indefinitely unless the logs are backed up, which automatically initiates log truncation. The database administrator must run maintenance to free space if necessary.
- Before the seeding process, primary databases and log backups are required to make sure the LSN gap between the primary and secondary databases is acceptable by the SQL AAG framework.
- The data file and log file paths on all replicas of an availability group must be the same. IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management requires that the original volume mount points are available on the target SQL node for seeding process. If the original volume was mounted on a volume mount point, such as a folder, the root drive letter of the mount point must exist before the restore begins.
- When you create an Instant Seeding restore job definition, the destination must be a non-system drive. The SQL database and log files must be on nonsystem drives.
- A network share for Always On log backups must be accessible from the secondary node. The seeding restore restores log backups directly from the original log backup target instead of the temporary snapshot.
Authentication, registration, and privileges
Authentication and registration
Register each Microsoft SQL Server as a provider in IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management by name or IP address. When you register an SQL Cluster (AlwaysOn) node, register each node by name or IP address.
Note: The IP addresses must be public-facing and listening on port 5985.
The fully qualified domain name and virtual machine node DNS name must be resolvable and route-able from the IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management appliance.
The user identity needs sufficient rights to install and start the IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management Tools Service on the node. The sufficient rights also include "Log on as a service" rights. For more information, see Add the Log on as a service right to an account
The default security policy uses the Windows NTLM protocol, and the user identity format follows the default domain\Name format.
You must manually create a directory to store VSS provider logs when you run IBM Spectrum Copy Data Management 2.2.6 and earlier. Create the following directory structure on the Microsoft SQL Server: c:\temp\CDM\logs
Privileges
On the Microsoft SQL Server, the system login credentials need public, and sysadmin permissions enabled, plus permission to access cluster resources in an SQL AlwaysOn environment. If one user account is used for all SQL functions, a Windows login must be enabled for the Microsoft SQL Server, with public and sysadmin permissions enabled.
Every SQL instance can use a specific user account to access the resources of that particular SQL instance.
To run log backups, the SQL user registered with IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management must enable the sysadmin permission to manage Microsoft SQL Server agent jobs. If the Microsoft SQL Server agent service user is the default NT user, the agent uses that account to enable and access log backup jobs.
Related Information
Product Synonym
IBM Storage Copy Data Management; IBM Spectrum Copy Data Management; IBM Storage Defender Copy Data Management; Featured; 2.2
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Document Information
Modified date:
12 December 2025
UID
ibm17253215