Move the Arcserve Backup Catalog Database to a Different Location

Managing the Database and Reporting › How the Catalog Database Works › Move the Arcserve Backup Catalog Database to a Different Location

Move the Arcserve Backup Catalog Database to a Different Location

This topic describes how to move the Arcserve Backup catalog database to a different new location. You may wish to move the catalog database to a different location when you experience any of the conditions that follow:

The overall size of the catalog database increases significantly. For example, the size of the catalog database increased from one GB (gigabyte) to 30 GBs.
There is a noticeable time lag when you retrieve restore data.
More than eight hours are required to complete the Database Protection Job.
More than four hours are required to complete the Database Pruning Job.
The catalog database is consuming a significant amount of disk space on the C:\ drive, which affects the amount disk space required for the Windows pagefile.sys file.
Microsoft SQL Server performance has deteriorated due to increased Arcserve Backup transactions and overhead, and you do not have a dedicated SQL Server system.
You cannot export the Arcserve Backup database to a flat file using Microsoft SQL Server utilities due to the overall size of the database.
You wish to modify your current Arcserve Backup database configuration such that summary information is recorded in the Arcserve Backup database and detail information is recorded in the catalog database.

Best Practices

Before you move the Arcserve Backup catalog database to a different location, consider the following best practices:

By default, the catalog database is installed in the directory that follows:
```
C:\Program Files or Program Files(x86)\CA\ARCserve Backup\CATALOG.DB
```
If you must move the catalog database, the best practice is to move the catalog database to a location resides or communicates locally with the Arcserve Backup server.

Note: You should not move the catalog database to a remote disk that resides on a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device or a mapped network drive. These locations may require authentication to access the devices.
The application used for the Arcserve Backup is not relevant to the location of the catalog database. However, consideration should be given for the protocols used for communication:
- ODBC/RPC--The communication protocol used between member servers and the catalog database on the primary server and the communication protocol used between the catalog database on the primary server and Microsoft SQL Server.
For configurations where the catalog database resides on a SAN device, you should consider installing an additional SCSI controller or HBA card on the Arcserve Backup server to accommodate communication between the Arcserve Backup server and the storage device.

Note: The steps that follow apply to Arcserve Backup servers using Microsoft SQL Server or Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Express Edition to host the Arcserve Backup database.

To move the Arcserve Backup catalog database to a different location

Complete the following tasks:
- Ensure that all jobs, including the Database Protection Job and the Database Pruning Job, are in a Hold state.
- Ensure that the Arcserve Backup Manager Console is closed on all servers in the Arcserve Backup domain, with the exception of the primary or stand-alone server.
If there are member servers in the Arcserve Backup domain, execute Cstop on all member servers to stop all Arcserve Backup services.
Note: For information about using Cstop, see Stop and Start All Arcserve Backup Services Using Batch Files.
Execute Cstop on the Arcserve Backup primary or stand-alone server to stop all Arcserve Backup services.
After all services stop, bring the new location for the catalog database online.
In the new location for the catalog database, create the path.
For example:
```
F:\ARCserve\catalog.db  
```
Copy all folders from the original location to the new location.
For example:
Original location
```
C:\Program Files\CA\ARCserve Backup\CATALOG.DB
```
New location
```
F:\ARCserve\catalog.db
```
After you copy the Catalog files to the new location, execute Cstart on the primary or stand-alone Arcserve Backup server to restart all Arcserve Backup services.
Note: For information about using Cstart, see Stop and Start All Arcserve Backup Services Using Batch Files.

Allow several minutes to elapse to ensure that all Arcserve Backup services start.
Open the Server Admin Manager.
From the server directory tree, click the Arcserve Backup primary server or stand-alone server.

Click Configuration on the toolbar.

The Configuration dialog opens.
Click the Database Engine tab.
In the Catalog database folder field, specify the new path to the catalog database.

For example:
```
F:\ARCserve\catalog.db
```
Optionally, you can click the ellipsis to browse to the new location for the catalog database.

Click OK.

The Configuration dialog closes.
Submit a simple backup job from the primary or stand-alone server.
After the simple backup job is complete, submit a simple restore job from the primary or stand-alone server.
After the simple backup and restore jobs on the primary or stand-alone server are complete, ensure that Arcserve Backup is writing job summary and detail information to the new location for the catalog database.
If there are members servers in the Arcserve Backup domain, execute Cstart on one of the member servers. Allow several minutes to elapse to ensure that all Arcserve Backup services start.
Submit a simple backup job from a member server.
After the simple backup job is complete, submit a simple restore job from the member server.
After the simple backup and restore jobs on the member server are complete, ensure that Arcserve Backup is writing job summary and detail information to the new location for the catalog database on the primary server.
Execute Cstart on the remaining member servers in the Arcserve Backup domain. You should allow five minutes to elapse between Cstart executions to minimize SAN, LAN, and Arcserve Backup RPC updates.

Note: After you move the catalog database to a different location, restore job and summary and detail data from the same backup job may not reflect in the catalog database. To remedy this problem, run Repair Database Connection using the Server Configuration Wizard. For more information, see Repair the Arcserve Database Connection on a Primary Server.