Solve Error Protection on SQL Server with DPM

Q: Why am I receiving an error when trying to protect a SQL Server 2012 server using System Center 2012 Data Protection Manager?

A: If you have performed a fresh SQL Server installation and are trying to protect it with System Center 2012 Data Protection Manager (DPM), you might get an error in DPM that the server can't be protected.

If you open Event Viewer and look in the Application log, you might see an error similar to the following:

Log Name: DPM AlertsSource: DPM-EMDate: 5/6/2013 3:53:08 PMEvent ID: 3170Task Category: NoneLevel: ErrorKeywords: ClassicUser: N/AComputer: savdaldpm12.savilltech.netDescription:DPM could not start a recovery, consistency check, or initial replica creation job for SAVDALSQL01AppController on savdalsql01.savilltech.net for following reason:(ID: 3170)The DPM job failed for SAVDALSQL01AppController on savdalsql01.savilltech.net because the protection agent did not have sysadmin privileges on the SQL Server instance. (ID: 33424)

As the error suggests, the problem is that the built-in NT AuthoritySYSTEM doesn't have sysadmin rights. To resolve, perform the following:

In DPM, right-click the protected service and select the Perform consistency check ... action, which will retry the protection and solve the problem.