Back up your Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 system
Published: December 6, 2005
This article provides the information you need to plan and implement a usable and reliable backup and restoration system. The key components of your Microsoft CRM deployment for which you should have backup and recovery process and procedures in place include:
| • | Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, and Active Directory |
| • | Microsoft SQL Server 2000 |
| • | Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services Report Manager |
| • | Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 |
| • | Microsoft CRM Server |
Note Backing up Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 is not discussed in this article.
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If you are going to recover from any scenario, you must back up all appropriate information. A backup plan should be created and rehearsed for all Microsoft CRM components and services to ensure that if a disk or other failure occurs, the maximum amount of data is recoverable.
Backup requirements vary according to the servers involved. The following table provides a summary of what to back up for Microsoft CRM.
Domain controller | Full System State | None. |
Exchange server | Backup not required by Microsoft CRM. | Backup may be required for Exchange purposes. |
SQL Server | Organization_name_MSCRM
Organization_name_METABASE
master
msdb
ReportServer
ReportServertempdb | Backup should be done using SQL Server Enterprise Manager.
The Organization_name_MSCRM and ReportServer databases should have full database backups and transaction log backups.
For databases that are not updated frequently, such as msdb and Organization_name_METABASE, you may choose only full database backup.
Backup of the master and msdb databases are not required by Microsoft CRM but should be part of an overall backup strategy. |
Microsoft CRM server | ISV.config and OutlookClient_sample.xml
(Default location: c:\Inetpub\wwwroot\_Resources)
Web.config
(Default location: c:\Inetpub\wwwroot)
Miscreports folder
(Default location: c:\Inetpub\wwwroot) | ISV.config, OutlookClient_sample.xml and web.config are required only if these files have been changed from the default settings. The file location assumes the installation occurred at the Default Web Site. |
Choosing a Backup Model
When you back up to tape, we recommended that you select a tape backup rotation model that ensures data protection in case a tape malfunctions or is lost. When backing up to disk, you can implement similar logic for rotating disk files. A popular tape rotation scheme is grandparent-parent-child:
| • | The tape used for backup on the last Friday of each month is called the grandparent tape. This tape is stored off-site. |
| • | The tape used for backup every Friday (except the last Friday of the month) is called the parent tape. This tape is also stored off-site. |
| • | The tapes used for backup on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are called child tapes. Often all child tapes are stored on-site except for the tape from the preceding day. |
The following backup options are available using the Microsoft Backup utility:
| • | Normal. Backs up all selected files and marks the files as backed up. |
| • | Copy. Backs up all selected files, but does not mark the files as backed up. |
| • | Differential. Backs up selected files only if they have not been previously backed up or changed since the last backup, but does not mark the files as backed up. |
| • | Incremental. Backs up selected files only if they have not been previously backed up or changed since the last backup, and marks the files as backed up. |
| • | Daily. Backs up only files that have been changed on that particular day, and marks them as backed up. |
Because many small businesses typically do not have system administrators on staff, a Normal backup, which is performed daily and according to the suggested grandparent-parent-child backup model, is recommended for small organizations. Larger organizations likely have an existing backup methodology that Microsoft CRM will fit into.
Backing Up Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 have a comprehensive backup utility that permits you to back up critical company data to disk or tape media. The scheduling capability found in the Backup utility provides data backup for the server itself and workstations in the small business network. The data backed up includes security information, file and share permissions, and registry data. For data security, only a user from the administrator or backup operator group can perform a backup. Individual files and directories on the server can be restored by using the Backup utility.When you back up to tape, the Backup utility requires that the tape backup device be connected to a compatible small computer system interface (SCSI) or non-SCSI controller card. The controller card must be properly installed and functional. Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 automate the installation of a controller card since the new hardware is detected at system startup and the appropriate drivers are automatically installed. For more information, see: "Determining Windows 2000 Storage Management Strategies.”
Backing Up Active Directory
The Backup utility can back up System State data. System State data includes Active Directory, boot files, the Component Services Class Registration database, the registry, and SysVol. Possible backup locations for System State data include floppy disks, a hard disk, removable media, recordable compact discs, and tapes.Although it is recommended that you back up Active Directory, the only way to avoid data loss is to have multiple Active Directory domain controllers. This way, if a domain controller fails, the other domain controller(s) will have a complete copy of the directory. With a tape backup, you have data only as recent as your last backup.Active Directory is a transacted database system that uses log files which support rollback semantics to ensure that transactions are committed to the database. The files associated with Active Directory are:
| • | Edbxxxxx.log. Transaction logs. |
| • | Edb.chk. Checkpoint file. |
| • | Res1.log and Res2.log. Reserved log files. |
Ntds.dit grows as the database fills up. However, the logs are of fixed size (10 MB). Any change made to the database is also appended to the current log file, and its disk image is always kept up to date. Edb.log is the current log file. When a change is made to the database, it is written to the Edb.log file. When the Edb.log file is full of transactions, it is renamed to Edbxxxxx.log. (It starts at 00001 and continues to increment using hexadecimal notation.) Because Active Directory uses circular logging, old log files are constantly deleted once they have been written to the database. At any point in time, you will find the Edb.log file and maybe one or more Edbxxxxx.log files.
The Edb.chk file stores the database checkpoint, which identifies the point where the database engine needs to replay the logs, generally at the time of recovery or initialization. Res1.log and Res2.log are "placeholders"—designed to reserve (in this case) the last 20 MB of disk space on the drive. This is designed to give the log files sufficient room for a graceful shutdown if all other disk space is consumed.
For more information, see:
Backing Up Microsoft SQL Server, including Reporting Services
The Backup utility in Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 cannot back up Microsoft SQL Server databases that are online. To back up SQL Server database files, you must first stop the MSSQLSERVER service. A better solution that can be used while SQL Server runs is the built-in backup. Use SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Manager to create a backup of the SQL Server databases. Thereafter, you can run a backup job from the Backup utility to include database backups that Enterprise Manager created. You would schedule the backup routing in Enterprise Manager to run first, followed by a backup job run in the Backup utility. For more information about SQL Server backups, see “Designing a Backup and Restore Strategy”, in SQL Server 2000 Books Online.
Microsoft CRM creates three Microsoft CRM–specific databases and two Reporting Services databases on SQL Server and also depends on the default SQL Server databases for database services. The databases that make up a Microsoft CRM database on SQL Server are:
| • | Organization_name_METABASE |
Your SQL Server backup plan should address each of these databases to ensure that Microsoft CRM could recover if one or all fail. If your organization already has SQL Server or another database application, your database administrator may already have a database backup strategy in place. However, if this is the first database application in your organization, you can create and maintain scheduled backup jobs to perform the necessary backups using the Database Maintenance Plan Wizard in SQL Server Enterprise Manager.
Your backup plan for the Microsoft CRM databases provides you a backup set that includes a full database backup and some number of transaction log backups, depending on your Microsoft CRM installation and the frequency with which you determine that you require backups. For more general information about backup and restore strategies, see SQL Server Books Online.
For databases that are updated infrequently, such as msdb and Organization_name_METABASE, you might choose to perform only full database backups. The Organization_name_MSCRM and ReportServer databases should have both full database backups and transaction log backups.
Databases on which transaction log backups will be performed, must have the Full Recovery model database property set. You can set this database property through Enterprise Manager. For more information about setting database properties, see "How to Change the Configuration Settings for a Database (Enterprise Manager)" in SQL Server Books Online.
Schedule full database backups often enough to minimize the number of restores after a failure. For example, if one day’s data loss is acceptable, you can back up the transaction log once a day and back up the database once a week. If only one hour’s maximum data loss is acceptable, you can back up the transaction log once per hour. To minimize the number of restores, back up the database once per day.
To create a database maintenance plan for scheduled backups, run the Database Maintenance Plan Wizard from Enterprise Manager. Choose the option to back up the database as part of the maintenance plan for a full database backup. Choose the option to back up the transaction log as part of the maintenance plan for a transaction log backup.
Your computer running SQL Server should also be designed with a level of fault-tolerance that is appropriate for a database server. This includes a RAID-5 disk array for your databases and a RAID-0 (mirror) for your transaction logs. With the proper level of hardware fault-tolerance, restoring from backup should be a very uncommon occurrence.
For information about the other options available in these maintenance plans, such as where to store the backups, see Database Maintenance Plan Wizard Help in SQL Server Books Online. For more information about backing up and restoring SQL Server databases, see:
Backing Up Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 2003
The Backup utility provided by Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 can back up the Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server or Exchange Server 2003 Information Store and directory services. Backing up the Exchange Information Store is an important part of creating a fault-tolerant messaging system. The backup and restore features in Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 2003 help you recover from various types of data loss with minimal downtime for your mail system.
Exchange uses the Backup utility to back up and restore the Exchange Information Store. The Backup utility enables you to protect data from accidental loss or hardware and media failure by using a storage device to back up and restore data on any server in your organization locally or over the network.
Enhancements in Exchange ensure that backing up and restoring data is efficient and reliable; for example, you can restore one or more mailbox stores or public folder stores without shutting down the Information Store.
You can make sure that your organization is prepared to recover from data loss by performing proper planning and implementation. Developing a backup and restoration strategy consists of the following steps:
1. | Understand Exchange 2000 Server or Exchange Server 2003 database and storage group technology. |
2. | Design a backup plan. |
3. | Develop disaster recovery strategies. |
4. | Restore data. |
The Microsoft CRM-Exchange E-mail Router (the Router) is a component that is installed on all Exchange servers that can receive incoming Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) messages. If an Exchange server that has the Router fails and is recovered, the Router component must be reinstalled so that it will continue identifying Microsoft CRM messages as they enter the organization.
For more information about Exchange 2000 Server disaster planning, see:
For more information about Exchange Server 2003 disaster planning, see:
| • | Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 technical library (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=52201). |
Backing Up Microsoft CRM Server
Backing up (and restoring) your Microsoft CRM Server basically involves the:
| • | Microsoft CRM Server program files |
| • | Microsoft CRM Server database files |
| • | Customizations made to your Microsoft CRM server |
During the installation of the Microsoft CRM-Exchange E-mail Router (the Router), Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 registry changes are made to the Microsoft CRM servers that identify the Exchange 2000 or Exchange 2003 servers as a Microsoft CRM-Exchange E-mail Router. If Microsoft CRM Server fails and has to be reinstalled, the Router must be reinstalled on all of the Exchange servers so that the proper registry settings are applied to the reinstalled Microsoft CRM Server.
For basic Microsoft CRM customizations such as modifying forms, views, and mappings, the Customization Export tool is available to help you back up your customizations. It is a good practice to make a backup of your customizations before attempting to make new changes. If you make a mistake or do not want the new changes, you can recover to a previous state.
