How to Test Log Shipping

Question

I am evaluating log shipping as a solution to keep a permanent failover copy of our live database. It looks ideal.

We are using Filestream which is part of the reason to use it over mirroring.

I have a secondary database in the (Standby / Read-Only) state. In my tests which are on a small database I have been able to take it offline, copy the mdf and ldf files, create a new database and replace the mdf and ldf files.

This then gives me a copy of the database to test that the log shipping is working as expected, and the idea is that I want to test that the database will be in a state that come go back live straight away.

The problem comes when I go back to our live database and use log shipping. To test that it can failover I cannot copy away the mdf and ldf files because it is using Filestream, and those files won't include the Filestream data.

Suggestions for the testing? I would ideally like to keep the secondary database connected to log shipping because it is big and rebuilding it again wouldn't be ideal.

Answer 1

There doesn't seem to be a good answer to this question. When you have a secondary database for log shipping it remains in the 'Standby / Read-only' mode, and you cannot do much about that.

At some stage I will have to set up a second secondary database, leave it running for a week and then break the log shipping to test that it has worked.

Or else I will just have to break the current log shipping and recreate it.

Looking at the files in the Filestream proves that data is being log shipped correctly.

Answer 2

I'm not sure why your copying the mdf and ldf files but I'm assuming that you want a copy of the database without breaking the log chain.

This can be done by taking a backup of the database and specifying the COPY_ONLY option which will not effect the log chain http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms191495.aspx