Introducing Arcserve Backup Agents and Options › Using Agents › Agent for Microsoft SQL Server › Introducing the Agent › How the Agent Works › How Data Flows During Backup

How Data Flows During Backup

The following steps describe the data flow when Arcserve Backup uses the Agent for Microsoft SQL Server to back up a Microsoft SQL Server instance:

1. Arcserve Backup sends a request to the agent for a database.
2. The agent instructs Microsoft SQL Server to perform a backup of a particular database or log.
3. Microsoft SQL Server returns the data from the database in multiple chunks to the agent, one chunk at a time.
4. The agent receives the data chunks from Microsoft SQL Server and transfers them to Arcserve Backup.
5. Arcserve Backup writes the data chunks to media.

These steps are repeated until there is no more data to be backed up. The agent and the Microsoft SQL Server backup function guarantee the consistency and accuracy of the data being backed up.

Agent Services

The Agent for Microsoft SQL Server runs within the context of the Arcserve Universal Agent Service. This service is shared with other agents, providing a single point of access for backup and restore operations. The service starts automatically after the installation is completed, and dynamically recognizes the addition of new agents as they are installed.