Backup-Restore Content of SharePoint 2010 Problems

So, I see a different issues coming up when we try to backup-restore content of SharePoint from one server to another. Most commonly issues that I found is that we will stuck on this message:

“Your backup is from a different version of Microsoft SharePoint Foundation and cannot be restored to a server running the current version. The backup file should be restored to a server with version '4.0.145.0' or later.”

Sometimes it says exact version like above, sometimes with another number of version. To resolve it, there’s more approach that Microsoft has provided.

There are 2 approaches to do a backup-restore of SharePoint content itself:

1. SharePoint Site Collection backup.
2. SharePoint Content Database backup.

First approach and always be the best approach (I’ve done this many times never fails):
Make sure both destination and source server have to be the exact same version, both in the SharePoint version or SharePoint build number.

With that approach, both solution can be applied. But of course, sometimes we happen to find a different version both on source or destination for some reason. Again, you could compare both versions, which one is higher. If the source is higher than destination, definitely you can’t just do a backup-restore the content straightaway. You need to make destination at least the same version as source. But if the source is lower than destination, on most cases it will just restored without problem.

But, if you notice my last sentence, that doesn’t mean totally without problem. Say you have SharePoint pre-SP1 as a source, and SharePoint with SP1 as a destination. This scenario can’t be done! But why?

That’s a logical question, because normally if the destination is higher version than source, it’ll do just straightaway, but this is not. The reason behind this is just as simple as this, pre-SP1 and SP1 content database structure has a big change and no backward compatibility.

How we are gonna do this? So, there are 2 approaches.

If you do a content-database backup as I said above, your approach will be easier as 1-2-3:

1. Attach the pre-SP1 Content Database to an SP1 Farm. This can be done by adding the content database to the specific web application in SharePoint Central Administration.
2. You have to run SharePoint Configuration Wizard to update the content database to SP1 version. Or if it’s failed, try run PSConfig command to upgrade it (PSConfig.exe -cmd upgrade -inplace b2b -force -cmd applicationcontent -install -cmd installfeatures).
3. Detach the upgraded Content Database from that SP1 Farm. This can be done by removing the content database from specific web application in SharePoint Central Administration.
4. Recover content as unattached database by running PowerShell command (Get-SPContentDatabase -ConnectAsUnattachedDatabase  -DatabaseName <DatabaseName> -DatabaseServer <DatabaseServer>).

But if you only “able” to get the site collection backup file from stsadm or PowerShell (because say some companies are restricting us to do a database backup or it has to go with some crazy procedures), here’s what you need to do (which is painful):

1. Restore pre-SP1 site collection backup file to a new test pre-SP1 farm.
2. Upgrade the test farm to SP1 until you finished running SharePoint Configuration Wizard.
3. Perform a site collection backup from test farm.
4. Perform a site collection restore to destination farm.

Any other way would be:

1. Restore pre-SP1 site collection backup file to a new test pre-SP1 farm.
2. Without upgrading, detach Content Database of test pre-SP1 farm.
3. Attach pre-SP1 Content Database to an SP1 Farm.
4. Upgrade it by using SharePoint Configuration Wizard or PSConfig as I mentioned above.
5. Detach the upgraded Content Database.
6. Recover content as unattached Content Database.

Hope it helps, guys….

 

reference: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh344831(v=office.14).aspx