How Data Recovery Works

When you initiate the recovery of Microsoft SQL Server data, Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server checks if the administrative share (for example, \\myserver\ADMIN$) is available on the target machine (and staging server if necessary). The user must have at least Read and Write permissions; Full Control is recommended.

The data recovery process works differently depending on whether the administrative share is available or not:

• If the administrative share is available, the Veeam SQL Restore Service runtime component is deployed and registered as a service on the target server and, if necessary, on the staging server. The Veeam SQL Restore Service checks the valid rights assignments required for database recovery, gets information about the databases, and performs required file operations including database and transaction logs copy.
• If the administrative share is not available, the Veeam Installer Service must be deployed on the target machine (and on the staging server if necessary). For more information on installing this service, see the Veeam Installer Service section of the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide.

If the Veeam Installer Service is present, it checks whether the necessary persistent components are installed, namely the Veeam SQL Agent Service for database recovery, and the Veeam Log Shipping Service if transaction logs are used. If the persistent components are installed, Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server proceeds with the recovery operation. If they are not installed, the Veeam Installer Service first installs the necessary components and Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server proceeds with the recovery operation.

After the recovery session completes, the Veeam SQL Restore Service is automatically stopped and removed from the target server (and if necessary, from the staging server), but the persistent components remain on the machine until they are manually deleted.

All activities of the Veeam SQL Restore Service are logged to the Veeam.SQL.Service_<timestamp>.log file stored in the Temp folder, located in the system directory.

Consider the following:

• The Veeam SQL Restore Service component requires the Local System account.
• Inbound and outbound traffic management between Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server and the Veeam SQL Restore Service is performed over the RPC protocol. For more information on the ports used during data recovery operations, see Ports.
• The Veeam SQL Restore Service component is not deployed when restoring to the server where the Veeam Backup & Replication console is installed.