SQL Log Shipping Service

This project provides a solution for automatically restoring SQL Server transaction log backups. Implemented as a .NET application that runs as a Windows service, it provides the following features:

• Simple config based setup. Eliminates the need for per-database basis configuration. Very effective for handling a large number of databases
• Automatic initialization of new databases. Incorporate new databases without any manual intervention
• UNC path or URL (Azure Blob or S3). Additional flexibility to work directly with Azure blob containers, S3 buckets or standard UNC paths. e.g. \\server\share
• Scalable. The log shipping service allows for a configurable number of threads so your SQL instance isn't overloaded with a job per database or constrained by a single job. The service is efficient and can scale to a large number (thousands) of databases
• Standby mode support. Allow users to query your log shipped databases. Prevent open connections from blocking log restores with options to kill sessions after a period of time. Keep your databases available for querying during certain hours. Standby option is only applied after the last log is restored (more efficient than built-in log shipping)
• A disaster recovery tool. Beyond the tools primary capability as a log shipping tool, it can also be used as part of your disaster recovery strategy to restore your databases from backup.

Intended Audience

Ideal for anyone looking to implement log shipping or needing a reliable process for database recovery from backups. Especially beneficial for environments with a large number of databases or utilizing BACKUP TO URL, where alternative solutions are limited. Suitable for both small and large-scale database environments.

Getting Started

The Quick Start guide will help you get up and running quickly. The wiki also provides documentation on all the features and functionality of the tool.

👉 Get Started Here

Architecture

The tool runs as a Windows service, configured using an appsettings.json config file. Log restores are run on a specified schedule with a configurable number of threads processing the restores. It can restore logs from a file share or from Azure blob. For each database in a restoring or standby state, it enumerates the files for the database, checks the restore headers and restores the appropriate log files.

New databases can be initialized by specifying the Full/Diff backup paths OR by specifying a connection string to the primary server.

Designed solely for restoration, this service complements backup solutions like Ola'Hallegren's maintenance solution, which offer parallel backup capabilities and support for BACKUP TO URL.