Point-in-time backup of database & filesystem

We're considering purchasing an application,
which stores some data in the filesystem, and
some data (meta data and links to files) in
MS-SQL.

We need to be able to create a backup wherein
the database and files are "in synch" (in other words,
in a consistent state). We need to maintain the
"referential integrity" between database and files.

What I'm thinking of is something like this:
1. stop the application server
2. set database to readonly (flush updates
from cache to disk)
3. backup database to disk files
4. back up application files and backup files.
(We could use "snapshot" capabilities of our disk
hardware, so that the backup could run against the
snapshot; that would minimize downtime.)
4. set database to read_write; restart app server

Recovery scenario would be:
1. Stop application server.
2. restore application files and database backup files
3. restore database from disk backup
4. restart application server

Is there a simpler way to get a "point in time" backup
of application files and the database?"L. Bertolini" <bertolini.1@.osu.edu> wrote in message news:<c25aq0$59b$1@.charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>...
> We're considering purchasing an application,
> which stores some data in the filesystem, and
> some data (meta data and links to files) in
> MS-SQL.
> We need to be able to create a backup wherein
> the database and files are "in synch" (in other words,
> in a consistent state). We need to maintain the
> "referential integrity" between database and files.
> What I'm thinking of is something like this:
> 1. stop the application server
> 2. set database to readonly (flush updates
> from cache to disk)
> 3. backup database to disk files
> 4. back up application files and backup files.
> (We could use "snapshot" capabilities of our disk
> hardware, so that the backup could run against the
> snapshot; that would minimize downtime.)
> 4. set database to read_write; restart app server
> Recovery scenario would be:
> 1. Stop application server.
> 2. restore application files and database backup files
> 3. restore database from disk backup
> 4. restart application server
> Is there a simpler way to get a "point in time" backup
> of application files and the database?

The first place to ask would be the vendor - find out what their
recommended backup strategy is, and how they say you should recover in
case of failure. If they can't give you a good answer, then you should
make that fact part of your decision.

The snapshot backup might be a good option if you already have the
hardware to support it - you probably wouldn't need to stop the server
at all in that case.

Simonsql