Insufficient Log Data

Question

The mirror database, "UOP_PIMB", has insufficient transaction log data to preserve the log backup chain of the principal database.  This may happen if a log backup from the principal database has not been taken or has not been restored on the mirror database. (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 1478)

 

I've taken a backup while the database is online and applied it to my "other" server.  What do I need to do to have both in sync to get mirroring to work.  My way around this is to restore the backup to my primary.

 

thanks.

Answer 1

Even though the BOL don't mention this, I have always had to apply a full backup AND a transactional backup to the mirror server. A full backup did not suffice. Can anyone confirm this?

Answer 2

Correct. Usually, you must restore a log backup after restoring the full backup to the server that will be the initial mirror.

You don't _always_ have to restore a log backup. For example, create a new database, take a full backup and restore it to the partner server. You can start mirroring without doing a log backup/restore.

BOL has been changed so that it now states that you should restore a log backup to the mirror before starting mirroring.

If you really want to know _why_ you sometimes need to restore a log backup, grab me at a conference and we'll talk for 15 minutes or so. It was quite the interesting bug that we found around this.

Thanks,

Mark

Answer 3

What conferences are in the near future for sql server 2005 that you'll be at (North America)?

thanks.

Answer 4

Tech Ed this June in Boston.

Also, anything SQL related in Seattle. PASS usually.  Looks like they are going to be here (Seattle) in November.

Then there is this:

http://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032290575&EventCategory=4&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US

Thanks,

Mark

Answer 5

Hallo,

 

I had the same problem so i restored the Datanase and the transactionlog but I now received another errormessage:

"The remote copy of database "mirror_Test" has not been rolled forward to a point in time that is encompassed in the local copy"

this issue however was resolved after i backed up and restored the Database and the Transactionlog 3 times in a row .

 

this was only a small database in our testLab but is there a explaination / solution for this problem so i dont have to backup and restore our 60 Gb production db 3 times ( or more ) in a row ?

thanks in advance & Kind regards

 

Maarten

 

Answer 6

Hi, Mark,

We are trying to use COPY_ONLY option to backup the FULL and LOG, and use that to create the mirror db. We got same error. Is this a known limitation of COPY_ONLY option? (we want to use COPY_ONLY option so that it won't affect our regular backups)

Thanks!

George

Answer 7

1. I presume the log must be restored in "No Recovery" mode. Is that correct?

2. I just realized this discussion was for sql 2005. Does that same "restore a transaction log" issue apply to sql 2008?


TIA,

Barkingdog

Answer 8

I just setup Mirroringon a sql 2008 box and also had to restore a translog!

I thought that was a bug -- why isn't it fixed in sql 2008?

TIA,

barkingdog

Answer 9

Hi, Mark,

We are trying to use COPY_ONLY option to backup the FULL and LOG, and use that to create the mirror db. We got same error. Is this a known limitation of COPY_ONLY option? (we want to use COPY_ONLY option so that it won't affect our regular backups)

Thanks!

George

Same thing here. Figured out that you can't use the COPY_ONLY option when using the tran log to set up mirroring. Makes sense in a way since copy only doesnt update the last LSN number... So I'm guess that though the contents of the tran log backup are the same with or without the COPY_ONLY option the last LSN to be backed up has to match from the principle to the mirror.