SQL Server Backup and Restore - Simple Talk

Chapter 8: Database Backup and Restore with SQL Backup Pro
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Red Gate\SQL Backup\
BackupSettingsGlobal\\MAXTRANSFERSIZE (32-bit)
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Red Gate\SQL Backup\
BackupSettingsGlobal\\MAXTRANSFERSIZE (64-bit)
The maximum data block option (by default 2 MB) determines the size of the actual data
blocks on disk, when storing backup data. For optimal performance, we want this value
to match or fit evenly in the block size of the media to which the files are being written;
if the data block sizes overlap the media block boundaries, it may result in performance
degradation. Generally speaking, SQL Server will automatically select the correct block
size based on the media.
However, if necessary, we can create a registry entry to overwrite the default value:
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Red Gate\SQL Backup\
BackupSettingsGlobal\\MAXDATABLOCK (32-bit)
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Red Gate\SQL Backup\
BackupSettingsGlobal\\MAXDATABLOCK (64-bit)
The network resilience options determine how long to wait before retrying a failed
backup operation, and how many times to retry; when the retry count has been
exhausted, a failure message will be issued. We want to be able to retry a failed backup
a few times, but we don't want to retry so many times that a problem in the network or
disk subsystem is masked for too long; in other words, rather than extend the backup
operation as it retries again and again, it's better to retry only a few times and then fail,
therefore highlighting the network issue. This is especially true when performing full
backup operations on large databases, where we'll probably want to knock that retry
count down from a default of 10 to 2–3 times. Transaction log backups, on the other
hand, are typically a short process, so retrying 10 times is not an unreasonable number in
this case.
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