SQL Anywhere Backup Compatibility

[Former Member]

I've been given a backup from a v11 server and need to restore it. When I start the restore I'm getting "The database archive ... could not be restored on the server ...", Backup file format is invalid, SQLCODE: -=716.

I've tried the restore on SQL Anywhere v16 and v12. I can't find anything about compatibility of backups between versions, is my only option to restore on v11?

I'd give v11 a try myself but even though download page for v11 exists (and I was emailed a license key), the download links themselves bring up a "this page is no longer available" screen.

-Tim Callaghan

[regdomaratzki]

Can you describe how you backed up the database and how you are trying to restore it?

I suspect that you're getting your image and archive backups mixed up, and you backed up using one method, and are trying to restore using the other.  Unless it's 1998 and you're backing up to tape, you should be using image backups.

[Former Member]

Sorry, I should have provided more details. I think I'm doing an archive backup, and I'm not using a tape drive.

The database was backed up using the "Backup Database..." option in Sybase Central. The server that created the backup is running version 11.0.1.2596 and likely SQL Anywhere (not ASE) but I'm not 100% sure of that. I'm trying to restore the backup using SQL Anywhere v16 Developer Edition.

The name of the backup file is Customer-Backup415.1.

When I try to restore using the "Restore Database..." command in Sybase Central I get the above command.

My questions are many, but mostly I'd just like guidance on the best way for me to get a copy of the source database that I can use. Is there a version/compatibility issue restoring backups from a v11 server onto a v16 server? Would an image backup be a better way to get this done? The backup itself isn't huge, it's about 1.2GB.

Thanks for whatever assistance you can provide.

-Tim Callaghan

[Former Member]

Also, if I have the user create a "Backup Image..." will I have compatibility issues opening it in v16 since his server is running v11?

[Former Member]

And one more question. If the database is encrypted, would attempting to restore without the passphrase throw this error message?

-Tim

[regdomaratzki]

I've never used an archive backup, and I'm not sure if a v11 archive backup can be un-archived by a different version, and I don't know if it's encrypted whether that's an issue.  If you really want answers to using archive backups, let me know.

The simplest way to get a copy of another database is to :

1) Shut down the database engine cleanly

2) Copy the database file to another location

If you don't want to stop the database engine, you can take an image backup, which will include a database file and a transaction log.

If it's a v11 database file, you should still be able to start it using the v16 engine.  If it's encrypted, you'll need to specify the encryption key.

Reg