Patent ID: 7526514

Claim:
In a database mirroring network that includes a backup server, a live database and a mirror database, as well as client machines, a method for backing up a database comprising: sending a request to one of the client machines for obtaining status information of a database associated with the client machine to which the request is directed; receiving, from the client machine, the status information that identifies a location of the live database, wherein the live database actively participates in database mirroring to the mirror database, the live database being configured to have its designation dynamically changed to the mirror database and the mirror database being configured to have its designation dynamically changed to the live database; backing up the live database using the status information that identifies the location of the live database, notwithstanding any ongoing changes in the designation of the live database; and continuing to coordinate a mirror relationship between the live database and the mirror database while backing up the live databases to a backup, wherein that data in the mirror database is an up-to-date record of the live database and the backup includes data of the live database at a time of the backup.