Database mirroring is a primarily software solution for increasing database availability. Mirroring is implemented on a per-database basis and works only with databases that use the full recovery model. The simple and bulk-logged recovery models do not support database mirroring. Database mirroring is supported in SQL Server Standard and Enterprise.

Database mirroring offers a substantial improvement in availability over the level previously possible using Microsoft SQL Server and provides an easy-to-manage alternative or supplement to failover clustering or log shipping. When a database mirroring session is synchronized, database mirroring provides a hot standby server that supports rapid failover with no loss of data from committed transactions. During a typical mirroring session, after a production server fails, client applications can recover quickly by reconnecting to the standby server.

Note:
You cannot mirror the master, msdb, temp, or model databases.

 In This Section

Pausing and Resuming Database Mirroring

Explains how to pause and resume a session using Transact-SQL.

Removing Database Mirroring

Explains how to end a session using Transact-SQL.

Managing Database Mirroring (SQL Server Management Studio)

Introduces database mirroring administration using SQL Server Management Studio, which provides a properties page for database mirroring and a wizard for configuring database mirroring security.

Database Mirroring Administration How-to Topics (Database Engine)

Contains topics describing database mirroring.

 See Also

Concepts

Recovery Model Overview

Other Resources

High Availability: Interoperability and Coexistence

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2008 Assistance