Hi, folks I had a Sharepoint Services 3 intranet site hosted on a W2k3 domain controller which recently suffered a hardware failure. Luckily, I had a backup of the site. The server also hosted Microsoft Search Server Express 2008. The site was hosted on just the one server so it was a stand-alone installation. I have now replaced the faulty hardware and have reinstalled everything on the DC - W2k3 and Sharepoint Services 3 and Search Server Express. The DC has a new name and IP address. I have run Microsoft Update after reinstalling the software and everything is as up-to-date as it can be. I also installed all optional updates. I have copied the backed-up Sharepoint data to the DC. When I try to restore the farm I specify the local folder containing the backup. The restore process recognises the data and I can select the entire 'Farm' to be restored. I choose to restore it as a New installation and change the names on the next page replacing the old server name with the new one. After I click OK the restore operation fails with the following error: Code: Event Type: Error Event Source: Windows SharePoint Services 3 Event Category: Timer Event ID: 6398 Date: 24/11/2011 Time: 11:23:02 User: N/A Computer: HYDRA Description: The Execute method of job definition Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.Backup.SPBackupRestoreJobDefinition (ID a8a417e3-d3c2-450f-ba46-4393d5070ab4) threw an exception. More information is included below. Access to the path 'c:\back\spbrtoc.xml' is denied. I've read various threads and articles about this and they all refer to granting the required permissions to the account that is attempting to restore the data. The backup was originally made using my domain account from my PC. I have tried copying the backup data to my PC and restoring it by opening the Sharepoint site's Operations page but the data cannot be accessed. I have also tried to restore it by logging onto the DC as the domain administrator and trying a restore from there, again using a local copy of the data but I get the error seen above. When trying this from the DC I added every single sharepoint group and account and every single SQL group and account to the folder's security and gave them full control. I have made the domain administrator account a member of every sharepoint and SQL group, too. I have also seen reference to content deployment options where you can enable deployments but I am unable to find the page that allows me to configure this. Is this option only available in Sharepoint 2007 onwards? Any Sharepoint Services 3 wizards out there who can help me with this, please? Thanks.

Hi RealBlood, Can you do the following and let me know what the result is? Create a network share location / share your back folder and try accessing the location with the account that is running the backup as \\computername\back , per your tests you should be able to add a new file to the share location successfully (make sure backup is placed in that share location) Check what account is used to run the SQL service instance. That account shoud also have read and write permissions over the backup. If your SQL service runs with a local service account, then make changes and make sure it runs with some service account other than local service. Now from Central Administration try to restore the backup (refer screenshot below) Regards, Nikhil Sharma Dharanipragada

Hi, Nikhil Thank you for your reply. 1. I shared the \back folder and added the administrator account, the system account and my own account to the share permissions. These accounts already existed on the folder security permissions. I was able to access the share \\hydra\back and create files/folders within it both locally and across the network from my domain PC. 2. The service SQL Server (OFFICESERVERS) was indeed using the System account. The system account had full control over the \back folder at both share and security level. I changed the service logon account to the domain administrator and restarted the service. I also tried using my own domain admin account. 3. Trying to restore the farm from the backup locally and specifying the UNC path \\hydra\back results in the same error message, except for the path in the message which is displayed as a UNC path. This happens regardless of which logon account I used for the SQL Server service. The same happens when trying to restore from the backup using my PC.

After changing the share and security permissions on the backup folder so that 'Everyone' was allowed full control, the Access Denied error disappeared. Instead, I now get error messages referring to duplicate content. On page 4 of the restore process I have tried changing the names of all the databases and the folders. I changed the restore options to: [u]Farm\Windows SharePoint Services Web Application\SharePoint - 80[/u] New Web Application URL: http://hydra New web application name: SharePoint - 80 [u]Farm\Windows SharePoint Services Web Application\SharePoint - 80\WSS_Content[/u] New database server name: HYDRA\OfficeServers New directory name: c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office Servers\12.0\Data\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\HTLINTRA\ New database name: WSS_Content_HTLINTRA [u]Farm\SharedServices\SharedServices_DB_7d3f74ac-0f88-4fce-b4ba-748f89b2b512[/u] New database server name: HYDRA\OfficeServers New directory name: c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office Servers\12.0\Data\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\HTLINTRA\ New database name: SharedServices_DB_7d3f74ac-0f88-4fce-b4ba-748f89b2b512-HTLINTRA [U]Farm\SharedServices\Shared Search Index[/U] New server name: HYDRA New directory name: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office Servers\12.0\Data\Office Server\HTLINTRA [u]Farm\SharedServices\Shared Search Index\SharedServices_Search_DB_7d3f74ac-0f88-4fce-b4ba-748f89b2b512[/u] New database server name: HYDRA\OfficeServers New directory name: c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office Servers\12.0\Data\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\HTLINTRA\ New database name: SharedServices_Search_DB_7d3f74ac-0f88-4fce-b4ba-748f89b2b512-HTLINTRA [u]Farm\Windows SharePoint Services Help Search\Search instance\WSS_Search_TITAN[/u] New database server name: HYDRA\OfficeServers New directory name: c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office Servers\12.0\Data\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\HTLINTRA\ New database name: WSS_Search_HTLINTRA I manually created the HTLINTRA folders where required. The error messages that appear are: Object SharedServices failed in event OnRestore. For more information, see the error log located in the backup directory. SPDuplicateObjectException: An object of the type Microsoft.Office.Server.Administration.SharedResourceProvider named "SharedServices" already exists under the parent Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPFarm named "SharePoint_Config_d83e550c-49d8-4701-b3bf-b1353f12825c". Rename your object or delete the existing object. Object SharedServices_DB_7d3f74ac-0f88-4fce-b4ba-748f89b2b512-HTLINTRA (previous name: SharedServices_DB_7d3f74ac-0f88-4fce-b4ba-748f89b2b512) failed in event OnRestore. For more information, see the error log located in the backup directory. SPDuplicateObjectException: An object of the type Microsoft.Office.Server.Administration.SharedResourceProvider named "SharedServices" already exists under the parent Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPFarm named "SharePoint_Config_d83e550c-49d8-4701-b3bf-b1353f12825c". Rename your object or delete the existing object. Object Shared Search Index failed in event OnRestore. For more information, see the error log located in the backup directory. SPDuplicateObjectException: An object of the type Microsoft.Office.Server.Administration.SharedResourceProvider named "SharedServices" already exists under the parent Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPFarm named "SharePoint_Config_d83e550c-49d8-4701-b3bf-b1353f12825c". Rename your object or delete the existing object. I don't know how I can overcome this. If I use SQL Server Management Studio Express I can see the database named SharePoint_Config_d83e550c-49d8-4701-b3bf-b1353f12825c. I have renamed every single component that is editable. Therefore, following the recommendation to delete the original seems the only option left. However, if I delete the database referenced in the errors the Sharepoint Services 3 website stops working.

Unless you had a lot of specific farm configuration, it may be easier to just restore the particular web applications that you need, and then perform any farm configuration needed.

Thanks, but not being proficient in the use of Sharepoint Services I have no idea how to achieve that. I am going to re-create the site from scratch. However, I have to ask the obvious question: How can I avoid this in the future? The backups I took have turned out to be useless because the site used a default database name. This database name appears to be set during installation and thus any content that is created will, by default, use this database name. I don't want to re-create my site, back it up and then experience the same problem again. Can I change this name so that if I need to restore the site I can do so without the restore procedure throwing up errors? Thanks

Hi RealBlood, I assume the following: you are not trying to restore to same environment you have already installed SharePoint in new environment you want to restore your web application from what ever environment to this new environment (Note we are not worried about your farm configuration restore here.. not worried about your search configuration restore here.. and any other configuration for that matter over here). All we want is to restore the content only(sites, site collections, web application). If my above assumptions are correct please follow the below steps: Create a new web application in your new environment (a blank web application using CA->App Mgmt->Create or extent web application). Make sure you give some temp different name to the database while filling up the form while creating a new web application. Note: You have just created a web app so far, but not a site collection yet. Now start restoring your backup. Use CA->Opeartions->Restore from backup. Select the backup path (share folder until the xml file). While choosing restore component do not check the farm, but check the box against exact database that has your content (web sites/site collections). In your case if I am right it is "Farm\Windows SharePoint Services Web Application\SharePoint - 80\WSS_Content". After selecting the component before proceeding with restore do followoing.. (a)Detatch this database wss_content if already attached it any web application in this new environment from CA->App Mgmt->Content DB's (b)Delete this database wss_content if its already present in your new environment (from your MSSMSE). (c)Delete the mdf and ldf files if they are not automatically already deleted. Now restore should complete with / witout an error or warning. After restore is complete ignore if there are any errors and check if the content database is restored (go to MSSMSE check if DB is restored). If the content database is restored, go to CA->App Mgmt->Content DB attach this newly resoted DB to the web application that we created in step 1. Let me know how that woked! Note: I know that I am asking you to do the restore of content DB's only. This way you atleast not end up loosing your content (putting the configurations of farm aside). I am sure the backup you did is not a waste. We just need to figure out a way to resote it component by component.Regards, Nikhil Sharma Dharanipragada

Hi, Nikhil Thanks again for replying. I uninstalled and reinstalled Search Server Express and Sharepoint Services 3 and ran Windows Update so all service packs and additional updates were installed. I created a new web application and called it HTL-<port> and changed the database name from WSS_Content to HTL-Content. I deleted the WSS_Content.ldf and mdf files. The only database shown was HTL_Content. Next, I restored just WSS_Content. The restore process returned the following error: Object WSS_Content failed in event OnRestore. For more information, see the error log located in the backup directory. SqlException: The operating system returned the error &#39;5(error not found)&#39; while attempting &#39;RestoreContainer::ValidateTargetForCreation&#39; on &#39;c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office Servers\12.0\Data\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\DATA\WSS_Content_log.ldf&#39;. File &#39;WSS_Content_log&#39; cannot be restored to &#39;c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office Servers\12.0\Data\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\DATA\WSS_Content_log.ldf&#39;. Use WITH MOVE to identify a valid location for the file. Problems were identified while planning for the RESTORE statement. Previous messages provide details. RESTORE DATABASE is terminating abnormally. Again, after the attempt to restore, the only content database shown is the HTL-Content database.

Just to throw out my experience after trying to do this over the past day or so. By far the easiest approach was to copy the backup folder to the server in which I was trying to restore it to. When I did that, the permission granting was much easier. For me it was adding the local Network Service account to the backup folder and the SQL login.