I have a Windows 2003 (Standard) backup server running ARCserve 11.1. One of the server to be backup by the backup server is a Windows 2003 (Enterprise) server running DB2 database. Does anyone knows how to have the backup server instructs the other server running DB2 database to execute a DB2 shutdown/startup script before and after the backup? I have explored RCMD.exe (Windows Remote Command) and was told that it is not secure. Someone suggested that the other alternative would be SSH-2 (Secure Shell). I have visited many SSH-2 related website and I am still confused and unsure what is the SSH-2 equivalent of the Windows RCMD.exe command. Therefore, I would very much appreciate it if someone could point to me the specific capability of SSH-2 that is equivalent to RCMD.exe. On top of that, I hope someone could also recommend a SSH-2 freeware that would meet the requirement that I mentioned. Thanks you.

A company I used to do work for had 3 Windows 2000 servers running in their domain. One was the DC, one was the Exchange server and the other ran an MS database app. The db server's backup was very important (goes without saying) as were the other two. Instead of spending a pile of money on software that could backup all 3 across the network as well as stop/start db services I used the built in ntbackup combined with a batchfile to copy the backup file to the DC where the main backup was performed to tape. When I first took over, I discovered the db backups weren't being performed properly. The person I replaced didn't know how to make it work and didn't bother trying to figure it out from what I can tell. To make a long story short, I consulted a friend who's a certified MS db admin and he told me how to make it work. Without knowing exactly what db program you're using I can't be very specific. Also, it's been a couple years since I touched that server. In a nutshell, the db program had built in backup capabilities which I used to backup to a single folder which I then incorporated into the nightly ntbackup. After that was finished, a batchfile ran that then copied the backed up folder to the DC to be incorporated into it's backup which was done to a tape drive. I recommend you start by learning if the db software you're using has built in backup capabilities.