WSS content database restoration problem

Question

A while back, I routinely applied a bunch of updates to our Sharepoint server (SBS 2003 / WSS 3). One of these seems to have put the sharepoint installation into a bad state - I could still access Central Admin, but the Web App was giving "Could not connect to the configuration database".

I tried to roll back the upgrade which related to the problem () but it seems to be irreversible. So after a few more hours of trying suggestions in forums, I had messed it up even further, and now Central Admin was also inaccessible, with the same error.

Weeks later, I finally have time to attempt a fix. I have a full set of backups from before the incident and I have been trying to restore them. I have the content and configuration databases, the 12 hive, and all the 3rd party templates and web parts that were installed first time round.

I setup a Windows Server 2008 VM as a restoration sandbox, installed WSS 3, created a web app with the same port number and https settings as the production server. I then deleted the default content database.

I then connected SSMS to the Windows Internal Database (SSEE) and attached the content database from the backup. Next, I used stsadm to restore the backed up content db:

stsadm -o addcontentdb -url http://myvm:555 -databasename WSS_Content

But this gave me:

The specified SPContentDatabase Name=WSS_Content Parent=SPDatabaseServiceInstanc
e Name=Microsoft##SSEE has been upgraded to a newer version of SharePoint. Pleas
e upgrade this SharePoint application server before attempting to access this ob
ject.

So naturally I tried to upgrade it:

stsadm -o upgrade -inplace -url http://myvm:555 -forceupgrade

When I attempt to add the content db again, I get the same error. There are no content databases listed in Central Admin. I'm stumped.

What can I try?

Answer 1

You need to bring your new SharePoint environment up to at least the same patch level as the one that failed. An easy solution would be to apply the latest Service Pack and possibly the latest Cumulative Update to the new farm. Once that is done, you should be able to attach the old content database and it should upgrade as part of the attach.