NetWorker Module for Microsoft Triage Guide for SQL Server VDI Backups

Summary: Guide to configure NetWorker Module for Microsoft (NMM) to backup and restore SQL Server databases. This applies using Microsoft's Virtual Device Interface (VDI) for SQL Server.

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Instructions

The purpose of this document is to successfully prepare and configure NetWorker Module for Microsoft to backup and restore Microsoft SQL Server databases.

This document focuses on the Virtual Device Interface backup method for SQL backups.

This method can perform the following backup levels:
Backup Levels for SQL VDI
Level Comment
Full Equal to SQL Server database backup
Cumulative Incremental Equal to SQL Server differential backup
Logs_only (or txnlog) Equal to SQL transaction log backup.
This is the new backup level introduced in NetWorker version 9.x, and is designed for SQL transaction log backups.
This is the required level to use for LOG backups. Do Not use level incremental.
Incremental This level was used for log backup for NetWorker versions prior to version 9.x.
This is no longer valid for any NetWorker version 9.x or later.
Do Not use incremental backup level.

Step 1: Installation
Upgrades:
There is no upgrade option. Manually remove any older software in the following order before installing a new version of the software.
  • On each SQL Server, remove the older NMM software and then reboot if prompted.
  • After the reboot, remove the older NetWorker Client.
New Install:
For a new client installation or an installation done after removing older software, perform the following steps.
  • Install the latest version of the NetWorker Client.
  • Install the same version of the NetWorker Extended Client.  
  • Install the same version of NMM that matches the version of NetWorker Client.
Note: Always ensure that the NetWorker Client and the NMM versions are the same!

Step 2: Configure Client Resources.
For any SQL Server instance, a client resource is required to backup the SQL databases. That includes stand alone SQL instances, clustered SQL instances, and AlwaysOn Availability Groups.

These are Required Fields.
  • Backup command
  • Remote User
  • Password
Backup Command
The backup command for SQL backups is nsrsqlsv.exe regardless if the SQL Server is a stand alone instance or a clustered instance.

Remote User
The Remote User is a required field. This field is entered in the format of: DomainName - Username 
For example, when the domain is AD and the user is dbadmin, then the format for remote user field is AD\dbadmin
Password
The Password field is the password for the Remote User.

Save Set and Instances
Stand Alone Instances
Save Set format is: MSSQL$<Instance_Name>:

For example, a SQL Server host named SQLDB1 that has a SQL Server instance named INST01.
Add one client resource to backup the named instance INST01.
If the host has a second instance, INST02, add a second client resource for that instance.
 
Properties
SQL Server Instance Save Set Backs up following objects
Default instance.

MSSQL:

 Backs up all databases in this default instance
  MSSQLL:dbname Backs up only the database 'dbname' in this instance
Named Instance, for example, INST01 MSSQL$INST01: Backs up all databases in this named instance
  MSSQL$INST01:dbname Backs up only the database 'dbname' in this named instance
 
Note:
  • MSSQL is typed in uppercase.
  • If the stand alone SQL Server has two instances, default and INST01 then two client resource are required.
  • One client resource is used for the default instance, MSSQL:
  • One client resource is used for the named instance, MSSQL$INST01.
  • Do not place both clients in the same group and workflow for better granularity of scheduling and performance.
  • Remember to configure the backup command and remote user.

Clustered SQL Server
A clustered SQL server instance is installed in a Failover Cluster. In this example, a clustered SQL Server instance with the name CLUSQL01 may have two nodes where:
  • Node1 is called SQLDB1
  • Node2 is called SQLDB2
  • The clustered SQL Server name is a unique name, for example CLUSQL01
Note:
  1. Any clustered SQL Server contains only one instance.
  2. The Remote user is a Domain User, and is typed as "DomainName\UserName." For example, add this AD\dbadmin for the remote user.
  3. The Save Set format is MSSQL:
  4. The instance name is NOT used in the Save Set.
For example,
  • The correct Save Set is MSSQL:
  • MSSQL$INST01 is NOT correct for clustered SQL Server instances.
  1. The backup command is nsrsqlsv -A virtual_SQL_Server_name. For example, the Backup command is nsrsqlsv.exe -A CLUSQL01
  2. In this example, three client resources are required.
Clustered SQL instance
Note Client Name Backup command Save Set Remote User
Node1 SQLDB1 Leave this blank. All Blank
Node2 SQLDB2 Leave this blank. All Blank
Clustered
SQL Server name		 CLUSQL01 nsrsqlsv.exe -A CLUSQL01 MSSQL: AD\dbadmin

SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Groups
A SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Group (AAG) is a database replication group consisting of at least one database replicated between two or more nodes in a Failover Cluster.

For example:
  • The cluster name is CLU01
  • The cluster contains two nodes, SQLDB1 and SQLDB2
  • SQLDB1 is a stand alone SQL Server with SQL Server instance PROD
  • SQLDB2 is a stand alone SQL Server with SQL Server instance PROD
  • The nodes belong to an AlwaysOn Availability Group, called AGPROD
  • The nodes shared a replicated database agdb1 in AGPROD
  • The Listener name for AGPROD is LSTAGPROD
Note:
  1. To Back up the AAG called AGPROD, add the following client resources.
  • One client resource for each node
  • One client resource for the cluster name
  • As an alternative to the cluster name you can use the listener name, but not both.
  1. The Remote User is DomainName\Username, for example "AD\dbadmin"
  2. The Save Set format is MSSQL$<InstanceName>#<AlwaysOn_Availability_groupname>:
IMPORTANT:
The use of "#" in the Save Set is required to designate the AlwaysOn Availability Group name after MSSQL$InstanceName.
The instance name is required for AAG backups, while it is not supported for clustered instances.
 
SQL AlwaysOn Availability Group
Note Client Name Backup command Save Set Remote User
Node1 SQLDB1 Leave this blank. All Blank
Node2 SQLDB2 Leave this blank. All Blank
Option 1.
Cluster name		 CLU01 nsrsqlsv.exe MSSQL$PROD#AGPROD:
Notice the $instancename
Notice the #AAGname.		 AD\dbadmin
Option 2.
Listener name		 LSTAGPPROD nsrsqlsv.exe MSSQL$PROD#AGPROD:
Notice the $instancename
Notice the #AAGname.		 AD\dbadmin

Step 3: Grant Windows and SQL Server permissions
The remote user field is important for the backups and restores to succeed. This user must have the required permissions. 
The Remote User is a domain user that has been granted the following on each SQL Server:
  • Member of the Windows Local Administrators group, and Backup Operators group
  • Includes the SQL Server roles sysadmin, and public
  • For clustered SQL Server instances and AlwaysOn Availability groups, the SYSTEM account on each SQL Server should also be granted SQL Server sysadmin and public roles.

Step 4: Grant NetWorker permissions
For clustered SQL Servers and AlwaysOn Clusters, certain NetWorker rights are required.
Special rights are granted to the SYSTEM account and remote user account on each Node.
This requires a change to the Remote Access field and the Operators user group in NetWorker.

Remote Access
The Remote Access field of the Clustered SQL Server client (or the AAG Listener name client) requires the following entries. 
SYSTEM@nodename

remoteuser@nodename

For the example given, that would require:
SYSTEM@SQLDB1
SYSTEM@SQLDB2
dbadmin@SQLDB1
dbadmin@SQLDB2
 
Note:
  • Do Not add the Domain name in the remote access field. For example,
    • Dbadmin@SQLDB1 is correct
    • AD\dbadmin@SQLDB1 is not correct

Operators
The same users are added to the NetWorker Operators user group: 
SYSTEM@nodename
remoteuser@nodename

For the example given, that would require:
SYSTEM@SQLDB1
SYSTEM@SQLDB2
dbadmin@SQLDB1
dbadmin@SQLDB2
Article Properties
Article Number: 000155601
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 20 Jan 2026
Version:  9
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