Backup and Recover SharePoint like a time traveler

	Crash happens. When it happens to your SharePoint farm it could put your users out of commission for hours. If only you had a magic time machine capable of fast, full-farm backup and restore, and crammed full of powerful search capabilities, easy item-level recovery, and the ability to alter the space-time continuum. Say no more. Idera SharePoint backup has most of that covered (we’re still working on the space-time thing), plus tools to schedule, manage, and monitor backups farm-wide. And you can do it three times faster than out-of-the-box SharePoint backup.  Our fast, easy, space-time altering features include: Lightning-Fast Backups - With powerful compression and encryption technology Full-Farm Protection - Covers content databases, farm config, service applications and more! Real-Time Status Alerts - Measure progress for backup and restore operations Self-Service Document Recovery - Recovery for site users that saves time Idera SharePoint backup saves you from spending hours restoring backups after Crash happens. It’s the next best thing to a time machine for your SharePoint farm. Try it for free for 14 days and see for yourself. Our time-travelling customers love SharePoint backup: “The best part of working with Idera's SharePoint backup is that it’s easy to use and configure. Compared to similar products, it offers features that are easier to use and cost less!” –Gerald Parish, SharePoint Architect, Resurgent Capital  “I’m so impressed, I’m not even going to complain about the complete lack of ninja protection.” –Keith, Very busy SharePoint administrator, Taxes ‘R’ Us, Possibly not real

Restore Web applicaton using SQL server tools in SharePoint 2010

There are some limitations to restore the whole web applicartion using SQL restore but we can use DB associated with Web Application using SQL tools

To restore databases associated with a Web application by using SQL Server tools

1. The account must be a member of the sysadmin fixed server role.
2. All stored procedures must be finished before a restore if any procedure is running stop SharePoint Timer service and wait for several minutes for any currently running stored procedures to finish.
3. Do not restart the service until after you restore the databases.
4. Now we are all set open SQL management studio and expand Database server
5. Select the DB you want to restore > Right Click > Tasks > Restore > Database.
6. In the Restore Database dialog box, specify all required information
7. Open Options.
8. In the Restore options section, select only Overwrite the existing database
9. Recovery state section specify details as per your requirements
10. Click OK

Restore a web applicaiton using Central Admin in SharePoint 2010

1. Open Central Administration > Home page > Backup and Restore section > click Restore from a backup.
2. The process consists of 3 steps

Step 1

Select Backup to Restore page > from the list of backups > select the backup job that contains the farm or Web application backup > and then click Next

Step 2

Select Component to Restore page > select the check box that is next to the Web application > and then click Next.

Step 3

Select Restore Options page > in the Restore Component section > make sure that Farm\<Web application>appears in the Restore the following content list.

3.      In the Restore Only Configuration Settings section, make sure that the Restore content and configuration settings option is selected.

4.      In the Restore Optionssection, under Type of Restore, select the Same configurationoption. A dialog box appears that asks you to confirm the operation. Click OK

5.      Click Start Restore.

Restore a Web application in SharePoint 2010 using Windows PowerShell

1. Open SharePoint 2010 Management Shell.
2. At the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

Restore-SPFarm -Directory <BackupFolderName> -RestoreMethod Overwrite -Item  <WebApplicationName> [-BackupId <GUID>] [-Verbose]

3.      If you do not specify the value of the BackupID parameter, the most recent backup will be used.

4.      You cannot restore a Web application by using a configuration-only backup.

5.      You can view the backups for the farm by typing the following

Get-SPBackupHistory -Directory <BackupFolderName> -ShowBackup

Restore a site collection using Windows PowerShell in SharePoint 2010

1.      Open SharePoint 2010 Management Shell.

2.      At the Windows PowerShell command prompt

3.      Type the following command, and then press ENTER:

Restore-SPSite -Identity <Site collection URL> -Path <Backup file> [-DatabaseServer <Database server name>] [-DatabaseName <Content database name>] [-HostHeader <Host header>] [-Force] [-GradualDelete] [-Verbose]

4.      If you want to restore the site collection to a specific content database, use the DatabaseServer and DatabaseName parameters to specify the content database.

5.      If you do not specify a content database, the site collection will be restored to a content database chosen by Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010.

6.      If you are restoring a host-named site collection, use the Identity parameter to specify the URL and use the HostHeader parameter to specify the URL of the Web application that will hold the host-named site collection.

7.      If you want to overwrite an existing site collection, use the Force parameter.

Restore databases instantly

	When disaster strikes, it can take hours to restore a database from backup. New SQL safe withinstant restore technology makes it possible to bring a database back on-line in minutes, not hours. With SQL safe instant restore, you can: Virtually eliminate costly application down-time Avoid impacting end-user productivity Maintain database availability while the full restore completes in the background Plus, SQL safe delivers fast, compressed backups (up to 95% compression!) so you can save time and storage space. Learn more.

How to restore content database using SQL server in SharePoint 2010 ?

1. If the Windows SharePoint Services Timer service is running, stop the service and wait for several minutes for any currently running stored procedures to finish.
2. Do not restart the service until after you restore the content databases.
3. Open SQL Server Management Studio
4. Connect to the database server.
5. Right-click the Database that you want to restore > Tasks > Restore > Database.
6. In the Restore Database dialog box, specify the destination and the source, and then select the backup set or sets that you want to restore.
7. In the Select a page pane, click Options.
8. In the Restore options section, select only Overwrite the existing database.
9. In the Recovery state section:
• If you have included all the transaction logs that you must restore, select RECOVER WITH RECOVERY.
• If you must restore additional transaction logs, select RECOVER WITH NORECOVERY.
• The third option, RECOVER WITH STANDBY is not used in this scenario.
10. Click OK to complete the recovery operation.
11. Repeat steps 4 through 10 for each database that you are restoring.
12. Start the Windows SharePoint Services Timer service.

Ref: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee748604#section3