Backing Up a WINS Database on a Windows 2000 Cluster (283290)

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After you install the WINS service on a cluster node, and configure the Cluster WINS Service resource, the WINS database resides on an external drive in the \Winnt\System32\Wins folder, so that all nodes can access a common database, and the associated log files.

In a scenario where WINS is installed, and running on a stand-alone server, the database is stored in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Wins subfolder. In this scenario, you can back up the WINS database by clicking the WINS server in the WINS MMC Snap-in, right-clicking it, and then clicking Back Up Database. A backup directory is required, and %SystemRoot%\System32\Wins is generally used. After the database backup is complete, a subfolder under the WINS folder, Wins_bak, is created, and the subfolder "New" contains copies of the Wins.mdb file, the Wins.pat file, and a copy of the latest jet database log file, which will have this format: J5XXXXX.log. These files are used to restore the WINS database if required.

Because the Back Up Database command is not available for WINS when it is running on a Cluster, there are only two methods available for backing up the database:

1. Back up the WINS folder on the external drive by using Ntbackup, or a third-party backup software product. You need to take the WINS Service resource offline for this process, or the files may not be backed up because they are in use by the WINS service. In addition, you must run Ntbackup on the node that owns the group that contains the WINS resource. This makes it difficult to use the scheduling capability because there is no guarantee that the node, on which you want to run Ntbackup, currently owns the required resource group. You can create a batch file, which incorporates commands from the Cluster.exe, and Ntbackup.exe command-line utilities, that will move the group to the appropriate node, and then take the WINS resource offline before backing up the database. After the backup is complete, you can use another command to bring the WINS resource back online, and then move it back to a preferred node:

   C:\WINNT\cluster>cluster group /?

   The syntax of this command is:

   CLUSTER [[/CLUSTER:]cluster-name] GROUP <options>

   <options> =
     [group-name] [/STAT[US]]
     /NODE:node-name
     /PROP[ERTIES]
     /PRIV[PROPERTIES]
     group-name /PROP[ERTIES] [<prop-list>]
     group-name /PRIV[PROPERTIES] [<prop-list>]
     group-name /PROP[ERTIES][:propname[,propname ...] /USEDEFAULT]
     group-name /PRIV[PROPERTIES][:propname[,propname ...] /USEDEFAULT]
     group-name /CREATE
     group-name /DELETE
     group-name /REN[AME]:new-group-name
     group-name /MOVE[TO][:node-name] [/WAIT[:timeout-seconds]]
     group-name /ON[LINE][:node-name] [/WAIT[:timeout-seconds]]
     group-name /OFF[LINE] [/WAIT[:timeout-seconds]]
     group-name /LISTOWNERS
     group-name /SETOWNERS:node-name[,node-name ...]
   
   <prop-list> =
     name=value[,value ...][:<format>] [name=value[,value ...][:<format>] ...]
   					

   Note: For more information about how to use the Ntbackup.exe command-line utility, refer to online Help.
   
   
2. Open WINS Manager in MMC, select, and then right-click the WINS server, click Properties, and then on the General tab, click to select the Back up database during server shutdown check box. Make sure that the path to the \Winnt\System32\Wins folder on the shared disk is correct before you click OK.

Step two is more efficient because anytime that the group that contains the WINS Service resource is moved, or failed over to another node, the WINS service on the losing node is taken offline (stopped), and then brought online (started) on the gaining node. This effectively backs up the WINS database each time this occurs.