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Oracle®
Database

Backup and Recovery User's Guide
11g Release 2 (11.2)
E10642-08

May 2015
A guide to backup and recovery of Oracle databases,
including RMAN backup and recovery, RMAN data transfer,
Oracle Flashback Technology, and user-managed backup and
recovery

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide, 11g Release 2 (11.2)
E10642-08
Copyright © 2003, 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Primary Author: Lance Ashdown
Contributors: Katherine Weill, Tammy Bednar, Anand Beldalker, Timothy Chien, Mark Dilman, Raymond
Guzman, Stephan Haisley, Wei Hu, Alex Hwang, Ashok Joshi, Vasudha Krishnaswamy, J. William Lee
Valarie Moore, Muthu Olagappan, Vsevolod Panteleenko, Francisco Sanchez, Vinay Srihari, Margaret
Susairaj, Mike Stewart, Steven Wertheimer, Wanli Yang, Rob Zijlstra
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Contents
Preface ............................................................................................................................................................... xix
What's New in Backup and Recovery? .......................................................................................... xxi
Part I
1

Overview of Backup and Recovery

Introduction to Backup and Recovery
Purpose of Backup and Recovery.......................................................................................................... 1-1
Data Protection ................................................................................................................................... 1-2
Data Preservation ............................................................................................................................... 1-3
Data Transfer ...................................................................................................................................... 1-3
Oracle Backup and Recovery Solutions............................................................................................... 1-3
Oracle Flashback Technology................................................................................................................ 1-5
Logical Flashback Features ............................................................................................................... 1-5
Flashback Database............................................................................................................................ 1-7
Data Recovery Advisor............................................................................................................................ 1-7
Backup and Recovery Documentation Roadmap .............................................................................. 1-8
Recovery Manager Documentation Roadmap............................................................................ 1-10
User-Managed Backup and Recovery Documentation Roadmap ........................................... 1-10

2

Getting Started with RMAN
Overview of the RMAN Environment ................................................................................................. 2-1
Starting RMAN and Connecting to a Database ................................................................................. 2-2
Showing the Default RMAN Configuration ...................................................................................... 2-3
Backing Up a Database............................................................................................................................ 2-4
Backing Up a Database in ARCHIVELOG Mode.......................................................................... 2-4
Backing Up a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode ................................................................... 2-5
Typical Backup Options .................................................................................................................... 2-5
Making Incremental Backups........................................................................................................... 2-6
Validating Database Files and Backups .......................................................................................... 2-7
Scripting RMAN Operations ............................................................................................................ 2-8
Reporting on RMAN Operations .......................................................................................................... 2-9
Listing Backups .................................................................................................................................. 2-9
Reporting on Database Files and Backups .................................................................................. 2-10
Maintaining RMAN Backups ............................................................................................................. 2-10

iii

Cross-checking Backups.................................................................................................................
Deleting Obsolete Backups ............................................................................................................
Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor ..............................................
Listing Failures and Determining Repair Options .....................................................................
Repairing Failures ...........................................................................................................................
Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database...........................................................................
Restoring and Recovering Database Files ........................................................................................
Preparing to Restore and Recover Database Files......................................................................
Recovering the Whole Database ...................................................................................................
Recovering Tablespaces .................................................................................................................
Recovering Individual Data Blocks ..............................................................................................

Part II

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Starting and Configuring RMAN and Flashback Database

3 Recovery Manager Architecture
About the RMAN Environment ............................................................................................................
RMAN Command-Line Client...............................................................................................................
RMAN Channels ......................................................................................................................................
Channels and Devices .......................................................................................................................
Automatic and Manual Channels....................................................................................................
RMAN Repository....................................................................................................................................
Media Management .................................................................................................................................
RMAN Interaction with a Media Manager ....................................................................................
Oracle Secure Backup ........................................................................................................................
Backup Solutions Program ...............................................................................................................
Fast Recovery Area ...................................................................................................................................
RMAN in a Data Guard Environment .................................................................................................
RMAN Configuration in a Data Guard Environment ..................................................................
RMAN File Management in a Data Guard Environment ............................................................

4

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Starting and Interacting with the RMAN Client
Starting and Exiting RMAN................................................................................................................... 4-1
Specifying the Location of RMAN Output ......................................................................................... 4-2
Setting Globalization Support Environment Variables for RMAN .............................................. 4-2
Entering RMAN Commands.................................................................................................................. 4-2
Entering RMAN Commands at the RMAN Prompt..................................................................... 4-3
Using Command Files with RMAN ................................................................................................ 4-3
Entering Comments in RMAN Command Files............................................................................ 4-4
Using Substitution Variables in Command Files .......................................................................... 4-4
Checking RMAN Syntax ................................................................................................................... 4-5
Making Database Connections with RMAN...................................................................................... 4-7
About RMAN Database Connections ............................................................................................. 4-7
Making RMAN Database Connections from the Operating System Command Line ............. 4-9
Making Database Connections from the RMAN Prompt ......................................................... 4-10
Connecting RMAN to an Auxiliary Database ............................................................................ 4-11
Making RMAN Database Connections Within Command Files ............................................. 4-11

iv

Diagnosing RMAN Connection Problems ..................................................................................
Using the RMAN Pipe Interface ........................................................................................................
Executing Multiple RMAN Commands in Succession Through a Pipe: Example................
Executing RMAN Commands in a Single Job Through a Pipe: Example...............................

5

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Configuring the RMAN Environment
Configuring the Environment for RMAN Backups .......................................................................... 5-1
Showing and Clearing Persistent RMAN Configurations ........................................................... 5-2
Configuring the Default Device for Backups: Disk or SBT .......................................................... 5-3
Configuring the Default Type for Backups: Backup Sets or Copies........................................... 5-4
Configuring Channels ....................................................................................................................... 5-4
Configuring Control File and Server Parameter File Autobackups ........................................... 5-7
Configuring RMAN to Make Backups to a Media Manager........................................................... 5-9
Prerequisites for Using a Media Manager with RMAN ............................................................... 5-9
Determining the Location of the Media Management Library ................................................... 5-9
Configuring Media Management Software for RMAN Backups............................................. 5-10
Testing Whether the Media Manager Library Is Integrated Correctly ................................... 5-11
Configuring SBT Channels for Use with a Media Manager ..................................................... 5-13
Configuring the Fast Recovery Area.................................................................................................. 5-14
Overview of the Fast Recovery Area............................................................................................ 5-14
Enabling the Fast Recovery Area .................................................................................................. 5-16
Disabling the Fast Recovery Area................................................................................................. 5-20
Configuring Locations for Control Files and Redo Logs .......................................................... 5-20
Configuring RMAN File Creation in the Fast Recovery Area.................................................. 5-21
Configuring the Backup Retention Policy ....................................................................................... 5-22
Configuring a Redundancy-Based Retention Policy ................................................................. 5-22
Configuring a Recovery Window-Based Retention Policy ....................................................... 5-23
Disabling the Retention Policy ...................................................................................................... 5-23
Backup Optimization and the CONFIGURE command................................................................ 5-24
Overview of Backup Optimization............................................................................................... 5-24
Effect of Retention Policies on Backup Optimization for SBT Backups .................................. 5-25
Configuring Backup Optimization ............................................................................................... 5-26
Configuring an Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy ..................................................................... 5-27
About Archived Redo Log Deletion Policies .............................................................................. 5-27
Enabling an Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy....................................................................... 5-28
Configuring RMAN in a Data Guard Environment....................................................................... 5-29

6

Configuring the RMAN Environment: Advanced Topics
Configuring Advanced Channel Options ...........................................................................................
About Channel Control Options......................................................................................................
Configuring Specific Channel Parameters .....................................................................................
Configuring Advanced Backup Options .............................................................................................
Configuring the Maximum Size of Backup Sets ............................................................................
Configuring the Maximum Size of Backup Pieces ........................................................................
Configuring Backup Duplexing.......................................................................................................
Configuring Tablespaces for Exclusion from Whole Database Backups ...................................

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v

Configuring Compression Options ................................................................................................. 6-6
Configuring Backup Encryption ...................................................................................................... 6-7
Configuring Auxiliary Instance Data File Names .......................................................................... 6-11
Configuring the Snapshot Control File Location............................................................................ 6-11
Viewing the Configured Location of the Snapshot Control File.............................................. 6-12
Setting the Location of the Snapshot Control File ...................................................................... 6-12
Configuring RMAN for Use with a Shared Server......................................................................... 6-12
Enabling Lost Write Detection ........................................................................................................... 6-14

7 Using Flashback Database and Restore Points
Understanding Flashback Database, Restore Points and Guaranteed Restore Points ............... 7-1
Flashback Database............................................................................................................................ 7-2
Flashback Database Window ........................................................................................................... 7-2
Limitations of Flashback Database .................................................................................................. 7-3
Normal Restore Points....................................................................................................................... 7-4
Guaranteed Restore Points ............................................................................................................... 7-4
Logging for Flashback Database and Guaranteed Restore Points ................................................. 7-5
Guaranteed Restore Points and Fast Recovery Area Space Usage ............................................ 7-5
Logging for Guaranteed Restore Points with Flashback Logging Disabled ............................. 7-6
Logging for Flashback Database with Guaranteed Restore Points Defined ............................. 7-7
Prerequisites for Flashback Database and Guaranteed Restore Points ........................................ 7-7
Using Normal and Guaranteed Restore Points .................................................................................. 7-8
Creating Normal and Guaranteed Restore Points ........................................................................ 7-8
Listing Restore Points ........................................................................................................................ 7-8
Dropping Restore Points ................................................................................................................... 7-9
Using Flashback Database................................................................................................................... 7-10
Enabling Flashback Database ........................................................................................................ 7-10
Disabling Flashback Database Logging ....................................................................................... 7-10
Configuring the Environment for Optimal Flashback Database Performance...................... 7-11
Monitoring the Effect of Flashback Database on Performance ................................................ 7-11
Flashback Writer (RVWR) Behavior with I/O Errors ............................................................... 7-12

Part III
8

Backing Up and Archiving Data

RMAN Backup Concepts
Consistent and Inconsistent RMAN Backups ....................................................................................
Consistent Backups ............................................................................................................................
Inconsistent Backups .........................................................................................................................
Online Backups and Backup Mode ......................................................................................................
Backup Sets................................................................................................................................................
Backup Sets and Backup Pieces .......................................................................................................
Block Compression for Backup Sets ................................................................................................
Binary Compression for Backup Sets ..............................................................................................
Backup Undo ......................................................................................................................................
Encryption for Backup Sets...............................................................................................................
Filenames for Backup Pieces ............................................................................................................

vi

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Number and Size of Backup Pieces ................................................................................................. 8-6
Number and Size of Backup Sets ..................................................................................................... 8-6
Multiplexed Backup Sets................................................................................................................... 8-7
Proxy Copies ....................................................................................................................................... 8-8
Image Copies............................................................................................................................................. 8-9
RMAN-Created Image Copies ......................................................................................................... 8-9
User-Managed Image Copies ........................................................................................................ 8-10
Multiple Copies of RMAN Backups ................................................................................................. 8-10
Duplexed Backup Sets .................................................................................................................... 8-11
Backups of Backups ........................................................................................................................ 8-11
Control File and Server Parameter File Autobackups.................................................................... 8-12
When RMAN Performs Control File Autobackups ................................................................... 8-12
How RMAN Performs Control File Autobackups ..................................................................... 8-13
Incremental Backups ............................................................................................................................ 8-13
Multilevel Incremental Backups ................................................................................................... 8-14
Block Change Tracking .................................................................................................................. 8-16
Incremental Backup Algorithm..................................................................................................... 8-16
Recovery with Incremental Backups............................................................................................ 8-17
Backup Retention Policies................................................................................................................... 8-17
Recovery Window........................................................................................................................... 8-18
Backup Redundancy....................................................................................................................... 8-20
Batch Deletes of Obsolete Backups............................................................................................... 8-20
Backup Retention Policy and Fast Recovery Area Deletion Rules .......................................... 8-21

9

Backing Up the Database
Overview of RMAN Backups ................................................................................................................ 9-1
Purpose of RMAN Backups.............................................................................................................. 9-1
Basic Concepts of RMAN Backups.................................................................................................. 9-1
Specifying Backup Output Options ..................................................................................................... 9-2
Specifying the Device Type for an RMAN Backup....................................................................... 9-2
Specifying Backup Set or Copy for an RMAN Backup to Disk................................................... 9-3
Specifying a Format for RMAN Backups ....................................................................................... 9-3
Specifying Tags for an RMAN Backup ........................................................................................... 9-4
Making Compressed Backups.......................................................................................................... 9-6
Backing Up Database Files with RMAN ............................................................................................. 9-6
Backing Up a Whole Database with RMAN .................................................................................. 9-7
Backing Up Tablespaces and Datafiles with RMAN .................................................................... 9-7
Backing Up Control Files with RMAN ........................................................................................... 9-8
Backing Up Server Parameter Files with RMAN .......................................................................... 9-9
Backing Up a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode ................................................................ 9-10
Backing Up Archived Redo Logs with RMAN................................................................................ 9-10
About Backups of Archived Redo Logs....................................................................................... 9-10
Backing Up Archived Redo Log Files .......................................................................................... 9-12
Backing Up Only Archived Redo Logs That Need Backups .................................................... 9-12
Deleting Archived Redo Logs After Backups ............................................................................. 9-13
Making and Updating Incremental Backups................................................................................... 9-14
Purpose of Incremental Backups .................................................................................................. 9-14

vii

Planning an Incremental Backup Strategy ..................................................................................
Making Incremental Backups........................................................................................................
Incrementally Updating Backups .................................................................................................
Using Block Change Tracking to Improve Incremental Backup Performance ......................
Making Database Backups for Long-Term Storage .......................................................................
Purpose of Archival Backups ........................................................................................................
Basic Concepts of Archival Backups ............................................................................................
Making an Archival Backup for Long-Term Storage.................................................................
Making a Temporary Archival Backup .......................................................................................
Backing Up RMAN Backups...............................................................................................................
About Backups of Backups ............................................................................................................
Backing Up Backup Sets with RMAN..........................................................................................
Backing Up Image Copy Backups with RMAN .........................................................................

10

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Backing Up the Database: Advanced Topics
Limiting the Size of RMAN Backup Sets .........................................................................................
About Backup Set Size....................................................................................................................
Limiting the Size of Backup Sets with BACKUP ... MAXSETSIZE..........................................
Dividing the Backup of a Large Data File into Sections ............................................................
Using Backup Optimization to Skip Files........................................................................................
Optimizing a Daily Archived Log Backup to a Single Tape: Scenario....................................
Optimizing a Daily Archived Log Backup to Multiple Media Families: Scenario ................
Creating a Weekly Secondary Backup of Archived Logs: Example........................................
Skipping Offline, Read-Only, and Inaccessible Files ...................................................................
Duplexing Backup Sets ........................................................................................................................
Duplexing Backup Sets with CONFIGURE BACKUP COPIES ...............................................
Duplexing Backup Sets with BACKUP ... COPIES ....................................................................
Making Split Mirror Backups with RMAN .....................................................................................
Encrypting RMAN Backups..............................................................................................................
About RMAN Backup Encryption Settings...............................................................................
Making Transparent-Mode Encrypted Backups ......................................................................
Making Password-Mode Encrypted Backups...........................................................................
Making Dual-Mode Encrypted Backups ...................................................................................
Restarting RMAN Backups ...............................................................................................................
About Restartable Backups..........................................................................................................
Restarting a Backup After It Partially Completes ....................................................................
Managing Backup Windows.............................................................................................................
About Backup Windows ..............................................................................................................
Specifying a Backup Duration.....................................................................................................
Permitting Partial Backups in a Backup Window ....................................................................
Minimizing Backup Load and Duration....................................................................................

Part IV

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Managing RMAN Backups

11 Reporting on RMAN Operations
Overview of RMAN Reporting .......................................................................................................... 11-1

viii

Purpose of RMAN Reporting ........................................................................................................
Basic Concepts of RMAN Reporting ............................................................................................
Listing Backups and Recovery-Related Objects .............................................................................
About the LIST Command.............................................................................................................
Listing All Backups and Copies ....................................................................................................
Listing Selected Backups and Copies ...........................................................................................
Listing Database Incarnations .......................................................................................................
Reporting on Backups and Database Schema .................................................................................
About Reports of RMAN Backups .............................................................................................
Reporting on Files Needing a Backup Under a Retention Policy ..........................................
Reporting on Datafiles Affected by Unrecoverable Operations ............................................
Reporting on Obsolete Backups ..................................................................................................
Reporting on the Database Schema ............................................................................................
Using V$ Views to Query Backup Metadata .................................................................................
Querying Details of Past and Current RMAN Jobs .................................................................
Determining the Encryption Status of Backup Pieces .............................................................
Querying Recovery Catalog Views..................................................................................................
About Recovery Catalog Views ..................................................................................................
Querying Catalog Views for the Target DB_KEY or DBID Values .......................................
Querying RC_BACKUP_FILES...................................................................................................

12

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Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records
Overview of RMAN Backup and Repository Maintenance .........................................................
Purpose of Backup and Repository Maintenance ......................................................................
Basic Concepts of Backup and Repository Maintenance ..........................................................
Maintaining the Control File Repository .........................................................................................
About Control File Records ...........................................................................................................
Preventing the Loss of Control File Records...............................................................................
Protecting the Control File.............................................................................................................
Maintaining the Fast Recovery Area .................................................................................................
Deletion Rules for the Fast Recovery Area..................................................................................
Monitoring Fast Recovery Area Space Usage .............................................................................
Managing Space for Flashback Logs in the Fast Recovery Area..............................................
Responding to a Full Fast Recovery Area ...................................................................................
Changing the Fast Recovery Area to a New Location ...............................................................
Disabling the Fast Recovery Area.................................................................................................
Responding to an Instance Crash During File Creation............................................................
Updating the RMAN Repository .......................................................................................................
Crosschecking the RMAN Repository .......................................................................................
Changing the Repository Status of Backups and Copies ........................................................
Adding Backup Records to the RMAN Repository .................................................................
Removing Records from the RMAN Repository......................................................................
Deleting RMAN Backups and Archived Redo Logs ....................................................................
Overview of RMAN Deletion......................................................................................................
Deleting All Backups and Copies ...............................................................................................
Deleting Specified Backups and Copies ....................................................................................
Deleting Expired RMAN Backups and Copies.........................................................................

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ix

Deleting Obsolete RMAN Backups Based on Retention Policies........................................... 12-21
Dropping a Database .......................................................................................................................... 12-22

13

Managing a Recovery Catalog
Overview of the Recovery Catalog ....................................................................................................
Purpose of the Recovery Catalog..................................................................................................
Basic Concepts for the Recovery Catalog ....................................................................................
Basic Steps of Managing a Recovery Catalog .............................................................................
Creating a Recovery Catalog ...............................................................................................................
Configuring the Recovery Catalog Database..............................................................................
Creating the Recovery Catalog Schema Owner..........................................................................
Executing the CREATE CATALOG Command..........................................................................
Registering a Database in the Recovery Catalog ............................................................................
About Registration of a Database in the Recovery Catalog ......................................................
Registering a Database with the REGISTER DATABASE Command.....................................
Cataloging Backups in the Recovery Catalog ..................................................................................
Creating and Managing Virtual Private Catalogs...........................................................................
About Virtual Private Catalogs .....................................................................................................
Creating and Granting Privileges to a Virtual Private Catalog Owner ................................
Creating a Virtual Private Catalog .............................................................................................
Revoking Privileges from a Virtual Private Catalog Owner ..................................................
Dropping a Virtual Private Catalog ...........................................................................................
Protecting the Recovery Catalog.......................................................................................................
Backing Up the Recovery Catalog ..............................................................................................
Recovering the Recovery Catalog...............................................................................................
Managing Stored Scripts....................................................................................................................
About Stored Scripts .....................................................................................................................
Creating Stored Scripts.................................................................................................................
Replacing Stored Scripts ..............................................................................................................
Executing Stored Scripts ..............................................................................................................
Creating and Executing Dynamic Stored Scripts .....................................................................
Printing Stored Scripts..................................................................................................................
Listing Stored Script Names ........................................................................................................
Deleting Stored Scripts .................................................................................................................
Executing a Stored Script at RMAN Startup.............................................................................
Maintaining a Recovery Catalog ......................................................................................................
About Recovery Catalog Maintenance ......................................................................................
Resynchronizing the Recovery Catalog .....................................................................................
Updating the Recovery Catalog After Changing a DB_UNIQUE_NAME...........................
Unregistering a Target Database from the Recovery Catalog ................................................
Resetting the Database Incarnation in the Recovery Catalog.................................................
Upgrading the Recovery Catalog ...............................................................................................
Importing and Moving a Recovery Catalog..............................................................................
Dropping a Recovery Catalog ...........................................................................................................

Part V

x

Diagnosing and Responding to Failures

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14

RMAN Data Repair Concepts
Overview of RMAN Data Repair.......................................................................................................
Problems Requiring Data Repair ..................................................................................................
RMAN Data Repair Techniques ...................................................................................................
RMAN Restore Operations .................................................................................................................
Backup Selection..............................................................................................................................
Restore Failover ...............................................................................................................................
About RMAN Restore Operations and ASM..............................................................................
Restore Optimization......................................................................................................................
RMAN Media Recovery.......................................................................................................................
Selection of Incremental Backups and Archived Redo Logs ....................................................
Database Incarnations ....................................................................................................................

15

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Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor
Overview of Data Recovery Advisor.................................................................................................
Purpose of Data Recovery Advisor ..............................................................................................
Basic Concepts of Data Recovery Advisor ..................................................................................
Basic Steps of Diagnosing and Repairing Failures.....................................................................
Listing Failures ......................................................................................................................................
Listing All Failures..........................................................................................................................
Listing a Subset of Failures ............................................................................................................
Checking for Block Corruptions by Validating the Database .....................................................
Determining Repair Options ............................................................................................................
Determining Repair Options for All Failures ...........................................................................
Determining Repair Options for a Subset of Failures..............................................................
Repairing Failures ...............................................................................................................................
About Repairing Failures.............................................................................................................
Repairing a Failure........................................................................................................................
Changing Failure Status and Priority..............................................................................................

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16 Validating Database Files and Backups
Overview of RMAN Validation .........................................................................................................
Purpose of RMAN Validation .......................................................................................................
Basic Concepts of RMAN Validation ...........................................................................................
Checking for Block Corruption with the VALIDATE Command ...............................................
Validating Database Files with BACKUP VALIDATE .................................................................
Validating Backups Before Restoring Them ...................................................................................

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17 Performing Complete Database Recovery
Overview of Complete Database Recovery......................................................................................
Purpose of Complete Database Recovery....................................................................................
Scope of This Chapter.....................................................................................................................
Preparing for Complete Database Recovery ....................................................................................
Identifying the Database Files to Restore or Recover ................................................................
Determining the DBID of the Database .......................................................................................

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Previewing Backups Used in Restore Operations......................................................................
Validating Backups Before Restoring Them ...............................................................................
Restoring Archived Redo Logs Needed for Recovery...............................................................
Performing Complete Database Recovery .....................................................................................
About Complete Database Recovery .........................................................................................
Performing Complete Recovery of the Whole Database.........................................................
Performing Complete Recovery of a Tablespace......................................................................
Performing Complete Recovery After Switching to a Copy...................................................

18

Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery
Overview of Oracle Flashback Technology and Database Point-in-Time Recovery...............
Purpose of Flashback and Database Point-in-Time-Recovery .................................................
Basic Concepts of Point-in-Time Recovery and Flashback Features .......................................
Rewinding a Table with Flashback Table........................................................................................
Prerequisites of Flashback Table...................................................................................................
Performing a Flashback Table Operation ....................................................................................
Rewinding a DROP TABLE Operation with Flashback Drop .....................................................
About Flashback Drop....................................................................................................................
Prerequisites of Flashback Drop ...................................................................................................
Performing a Flashback Drop Operation.....................................................................................
Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database.........................................................................
Prerequisites of Flashback Database ..........................................................................................
Performing a Flashback Database Operation............................................................................
Monitoring Flashback Database..................................................................................................
Performing Database Point-in-Time Recovery .............................................................................
Prerequisites of Database Point-in-Time Recovery..................................................................
Performing Database Point-in-Time Recovery .........................................................................
Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery Scenarios .....................................................
Rewinding an OPEN RESETLOGS Operation with Flashback Database.............................
Rewinding the Database to an SCN in an Abandoned Incarnation Branch.........................
Recovering the Database to an Ancestor Incarnation..............................................................

19

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Performing RMAN Recovery: Advanced Scenarios
Recovering a NOARCHIVELOG Database with Incremental Backups ....................................
Restoring the Server Parameter File ..................................................................................................
Restoring the Server Parameter File from a Control File Autobackup ...................................
Creating an Initialization Parameter File with RMAN..............................................................
Performing Recovery with a Backup Control File ..........................................................................

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Performing Block Media Recovery
Overview of Block Media Recovery ..................................................................................................
Purpose of Block Media Recovery ................................................................................................
Basic Concepts of Block Media Recovery ....................................................................................
Prerequisites for Block Media Recovery ..........................................................................................
Recovering Individual Blocks ............................................................................................................
Recovering All Blocks in V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION..........................................

20

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About Recovery with a Backup Control File ..............................................................................
Performing Recovery with a Backup Control File and No Recovery Catalog .......................
Performing Disaster Recovery ............................................................................................................
Prerequisites of Disaster Recovery ...............................................................................................
Recovering the Database After a Disaster ...................................................................................
Restoring a Database on a New Host ..............................................................................................
Preparing to Restore a Database on a New Host .....................................................................
Testing the Restore of a Database on a New Host ...................................................................

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21 Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR)
Overview of RMAN TSPITR ..............................................................................................................
Purpose of RMAN TSPITR ............................................................................................................
Basic Concepts of RMAN TSPITR ................................................................................................
TSPITR Restrictions, Special Cases, and Limitations....................................................................
Limitations of TSPITR ....................................................................................................................
Special Considerations When Not Using a Recovery Catalog .................................................
Planning and Preparing for TSPITR .................................................................................................
Step 1: Select the Right Target Time for TSPITR ........................................................................
Step 2: Determine the Recovery Set..............................................................................................
Step 3: Identify and Preserve Objects That Are Lost After TSPITR.........................................
Performing Fully Automated RMAN TSPITR ................................................................................
Overriding Defaults for RMAN TSPITR with an RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance .....
Renaming TSPITR Recovery Set Data Files with SET NEWNAME ......................................
Naming TSPITR Auxiliary Set Data Files..................................................................................
Using Image Copies for Faster RMAN TSPITR Performance ................................................
Customizing Initialization Parameters for the Automatic Auxiliary Instance in TSPITR .
Performing RMAN TSPITR Using Your Own Auxiliary Instance ...........................................
Preparing Your Own Auxiliary Instance for RMAN TSPITR ................................................
Preparing RMAN Commands for TSPITR with Your Own Auxiliary Instance..................
Executing TSPITR with Your Own Auxiliary Instance ...........................................................
Performing TSPITR with Your Own Auxiliary Instance: Scenario........................................
Troubleshooting RMAN TSPITR ....................................................................................................
Troubleshooting Filename Conflicts ..........................................................................................
Troubleshooting the Identification of Tablespaces with Undo Segments ............................
Troubleshooting the Restart of a Manual Auxiliary Instance After TSPITR Failure ..........

Part VI
22

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Tuning and Troubleshooting

Tuning RMAN Performance
Purpose of RMAN Performance Tuning ..........................................................................................
Basic Concepts of RMAN Performance Tuning..............................................................................
Read Phase .......................................................................................................................................
Copy Phase.......................................................................................................................................
Write Phase for System Backup Tape (SBT)................................................................................
Write Phase for Disk .......................................................................................................................
Using V$ Views to Diagnose RMAN Performance Problems....................................................

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Monitoring RMAN Job Progress with V$SESSION_LONGOPS ...........................................
Identifying Bottlenecks with V$BACKUP_SYNC_IO and V$BACKUP_ASYNC_IO ........
Tuning RMAN Backup Performance ..............................................................................................
Step 1: Remove the RATE Parameter from Channel Settings ................................................
Step 2: If You Use Synchronous Disk I/O, Set DBWR_IO_SLAVES .....................................
Step 3: If You Fail to Allocate Shared Memory, Set LARGE_POOL_SIZE ...........................
Step 4: Tune the Read, Write, and Copy Phases.......................................................................

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23 Troubleshooting RMAN Operations
Interpreting RMAN Message Output ...............................................................................................
Identifying Types of Message Output .........................................................................................
Recognizing RMAN Error Message Stacks .................................................................................
Identifying Error Codes .................................................................................................................
Interpreting RMAN Error Stacks ..................................................................................................
Identifying RMAN Return Codes.................................................................................................
Using V$ Views for RMAN Troubleshooting .................................................................................
Monitoring RMAN Interaction with the Media Manager ........................................................
Correlating Server Sessions with RMAN Channels...................................................................
Testing the Media Management API ..............................................................................................
Obtaining the sbttest Utility ........................................................................................................
Obtaining Online Documentation for the sbttest Utility.........................................................
Using the sbttest Utility................................................................................................................
Terminating an RMAN Command ..................................................................................................
Terminating the Session with ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION............................................
Terminating the Session at the Operating System Level.........................................................
Terminating an RMAN Session That Is Not Responding in the Media Manager ...............

Part VII

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Transferring Data with RMAN

24 Duplicating a Database
Overview of RMAN Database Duplication.....................................................................................
Purpose of Database Duplication .................................................................................................
Basic Concepts of Database Duplication .....................................................................................
Basic Steps of Database Duplication ............................................................................................
Preparing to Duplicate a Database ....................................................................................................
Step 1: Choosing a Duplication Technique .................................................................................
Step 2: Choosing a Strategy for Naming Duplicate Files ..........................................................
Step 3: Making Backups Accessible to the Duplicate Instance.................................................
Step 4: Preparing Remote Access to Databases ........................................................................
Step 5: Creating an Initialization Parameter File and Starting the Auxiliary Instance .......
Placing the Source Database in the Proper State ..........................................................................
Starting RMAN and Connecting to Databases..............................................................................
Configuring RMAN Channels for Use in Duplication................................................................
Configuring Channels for Active Database Duplication ........................................................
Configuring Channels for Backup-Based Duplication ............................................................
Duplicating a Database ......................................................................................................................

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Backup-Based Duplication Without a Target Connection: Example..................................... 24-15
Backup-Based Duplication with a Target Connection: Example ........................................... 24-16
Backup-Based Duplication Without a Target and a Recovery Catalog Connection: Example.......
24-16
Restarting DUPLICATE After a Failure.......................................................................................... 24-17

25 Duplicating a Database: Advanced Topics
Specifying Alternative Names for Duplicate Database Files.......................................................
Specifying Non-OMF or Non-ASM Alternative Names for Duplicate Database Files.........
Specifying OMF or ASM Alternative Names for Duplicate Database Files ...........................
Making Disk Backups Accessible Without Shared Disk..............................................................
Duplicating a Database When No Server Parameter File Exists..................................................
Starting the Auxiliary Instance When No Server Parameter File Exists...................................
Duplicating a Subset of the Source Database Tablespaces ........................................................
Excluding Specified Tablespaces ................................................................................................
Including Specified Tablespaces .................................................................................................

26

Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets
Overview of Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets...................................................................
Purpose of Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets..................................................................
Basic Concepts of Transportable Tablespace Sets ......................................................................
Basic Steps of Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets .............................................................
Customizing Initialization Parameters for the Auxiliary Instance .............................................
Setting Initialization Parameters for the Auxiliary Instance.....................................................
Setting the Location of the Auxiliary Instance Parameter File .................................................
Creating a Transportable Tablespace Set .........................................................................................
Troubleshooting the Creation of Transportable Tablespace Sets ...............................................
Transportable Tablespace Set Scenarios ..........................................................................................
Creating a Transportable Tablespace Set at a Specified Time or SCN ....................................
Specifying Locations for Data Pump Files...................................................................................
Specifying Auxiliary File Locations..............................................................................................

27

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Transporting Data Across Platforms
Overview of Cross-Platform Data Transportation..........................................................................
Purpose of Cross-Platform Data Transportation........................................................................
Basic Concepts of Cross-Platform Data Transportation............................................................
Performing Cross-Platform Tablespace Conversion on the Source Host ..................................
Performing Cross-Platform Data File Conversion on the Destination Host .............................
About Cross-Platform Data File Conversion on the Destination Host ...................................
Using CONVERT DATAFILE to Convert Data File Formats...................................................
Checking the Database Before Cross-Platform Database Conversion .......................................
Converting Data Files on the Source Host When Transporting a Database..............................
Converting Data Files on the Destination Host When Transporting a Database ..................
Performing Preliminary Data File Conversion Steps on the Source Host ............................
Converting Data Files on the Destination Host ........................................................................

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Part VIII
28

Performing User-Managed Backup and Recovery

Making User-Managed Database Backups
Querying V$ Views to Obtain Backup Information ......................................................................
Listing Database Files Before a Backup .......................................................................................
Determining Data File Status for Online Tablespace Backups.................................................
Making User-Managed Backups of the Whole Database..............................................................
Making User-Managed Backups of Tablespaces and Data Files.................................................
Making User-Managed Backups of Offline Tablespaces and Data Files ................................
Making User-Managed Backups of Online Tablespaces and Data Files.................................
Making User-Managed Backups of the Control File....................................................................
Backing Up the Control File to a Binary File.............................................................................
Backing Up the Control File to a Trace File...............................................................................
Making User-Managed Backups of Archived Redo Logs ...........................................................
Making User-Managed Backups in SUSPEND Mode .................................................................
About the Suspend/Resume Feature.........................................................................................
Making Backups in a Suspended Database...............................................................................
Making User-Managed Backups to Raw Devices.........................................................................
Backing Up to Raw Devices on Linux and UNIX.....................................................................
Backing Up to Raw Devices on Windows .................................................................................
Making Backups with the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) .............................................
Verifying User-Managed Data File Backups .................................................................................
Testing the Restoration of Data File Backups ...........................................................................
Running the DBVERIFY Utility ..................................................................................................

29

Performing User-Managed Database Flashback and Recovery
Performing Flashback Database with SQL*Plus ............................................................................
Overview of User-Managed Media Recovery..................................................................................
About User-Managed Restore and Recovery..............................................................................
Automatic Recovery with the RECOVER Command................................................................
Recovery When Archived Logs Are in the Default Location ...................................................
Recovery When Archived Logs Are in a Nondefault Location................................................
Recovery Cancellation ....................................................................................................................
Parallel Media Recovery ................................................................................................................
Performing Complete Database Recovery .......................................................................................
Performing Closed Database Recovery .......................................................................................
Performing Open Database Recovery ........................................................................................
Performing Incomplete Database Recovery...................................................................................
Performing Cancel-Based Incomplete Recovery ......................................................................
Performing Time-Based or Change-Based Incomplete Recovery ..........................................
Recovering a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode...................................................................
Troubleshooting Media Recovery....................................................................................................
About User-Managed Media Recovery Problems....................................................................
Investigating the Media Recovery Problem: Phase 1...............................................................
Trying to Fix the Recovery Problem Without Corrupting Blocks: Phase 2 ..........................
Deciding Whether to Allow Recovery to Mark as Corrupt Blocks: Phase 3 ........................

xvi

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Allowing Recovery to Corrupt Blocks: Phase 4........................................................................ 29-23
Performing Trial Recovery........................................................................................................... 29-23

30

Performing User-Managed Recovery: Advanced Scenarios
Responding to the Loss of a Subset of the Current Control Files ...............................................
Copying a Multiplexed Control File to a Default Location ......................................................
Copying a Multiplexed Control File to a Nondefault Location ...............................................
Recovering After the Loss of All Current Control Files ................................................................
Recovering with a Backup Control File in the Default Location .............................................
Recovering with a Backup Control File in a Nondefault Location .........................................
Recovering Through an Added Data File with a Backup Control File ...................................
Recovering Read-Only Tablespaces with a Backup Control File.............................................
Re-Creating a Control File ...................................................................................................................
Recovering Through a RESETLOGS with a Created Control File ...........................................
Recovery of Read-Only Files with a Re-Created Control File ..................................................
Re-Creating Data Files When Backups Are Unavailable ..............................................................
Recovering NOLOGGING Tables and Indexes..............................................................................
Recovering Transportable Tablespaces ..........................................................................................
Recovering After the Loss of Online Redo Log Files...................................................................
Recovering After Losing a Member of a Multiplexed Online Redo Log Group .................
Recovering After Losing All Members of an Online Redo Log Group.................................
Recovering from a Dropped Table Without Using Flashback Features...................................
Dropping a Database with SQL*Plus..............................................................................................

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Glossary
Index

xvii

xviii

Preface
This preface contains the following topics:
■

Audience

■

Documentation Accessibility

■

Related Documentation

■

Relocated Documentation

■

Conventions

Audience
Backup and Recovery User's Guide is intended for database administrators who perform
the following tasks:
■

Back up, restore, and recover Oracle databases

■

Perform maintenance on backups of database files

■

Transfer data between a file system and ASM or between platforms when
installing Oracle Database

To use this document, you must know the following:
■

■

Relational database concepts and basic database administration as described in
Oracle Database Concepts and the Oracle Database Administrator's Guide
The operating system environment under which you run the database

Documentation Accessibility
For information about Oracle's commitment to accessibility, visit the Oracle
Accessibility Program website at
http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=acc&id=docacc.
Access to Oracle Support
Oracle customers have access to electronic support through My Oracle Support. For
information, visit http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=acc&id=info or
visit http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=acc&id=trs if you are hearing
impaired.

Related Documentation
For more information about backup and recovery, see these Oracle resources:

xix

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference

■

Oracle Database Utilities

■

Oracle Database Storage Administrator's Guide

You can access information about the Backup Solutions Program (BSP) at
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/features/availability/bsp-08881
4.html
Many books in the documentation set use the sample schemas of the seed database,
which is installed by default when you install Oracle Database. Refer to Oracle
Database Sample Schemas for information about how these schemas were created and
how you can use them yourself.

Relocated Documentation
The following chapters have been relocated:
■

■

Chapter 24: "Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets." You can reference this
material in Oracle Database Administrator's Guide.
Chapter 26: "Performing ASM Data Migration." This information is now included
in the Database Storage Administrator's Guide.

Conventions
The following text conventions are used in this document:

xx

Convention

Meaning

boldface

Boldface type indicates graphical user interface elements associated
with an action, or terms defined in text or the glossary.

italic

Italic type indicates book titles, emphasis, or placeholder variables for
which you supply particular values.

monospace

Monospace type indicates commands within a paragraph, URLs, code
in examples, text that appears on the screen, or text that you enter.

What's New in Backup and Recovery?
This section describes new features of backup and recovery for Oracle Database 11g
Release 2 and provides pointers to additional information.
The release of Recovery Manager (RMAN) continues to enhance and extend the
reliability, efficiency, and availability of Oracle Database backup and recovery. Some
highlights in this release are the inclusion of Oracle's Database Backup Cloud offering,
referred to as Oracle Secure Backup (OSB) Cloud Module, the addition of Expanded
Backup Compression Levels, and several DUPLICATE Database Command
Enhancements.

New Backup and Recovery Features for Oracle 11g Release 2
The following Backup and Recovery features are new in Oracle Database 11g Release 2
(11.2):
■

Oracle Secure Backup (OSB) Cloud Module
Users can take advantage of the Internet-based data storage services offered by
Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) for their RMAN backup and
recovery tasks. The OSB Cloud Module interface extends the Amazon S3
functionality and provides an easy-to-manage, cost-efficient, and scalable
alternative to maintaining in-house data storage and a local, fully configured
backup infrastructure.
See Also:

Appendix C in Oracle Database Backup and Recovery

Reference
■

DUPLICATE Database Command Enhancements
Users can duplicate a database without connecting to a target database. The only
requirements for this operation are a connection to a catalog and an auxiliary
database. This new functionality is useful when the target database is not always
available.
Users can also duplicate a database without connecting to a target database and a
recovery catalog. In this case, the only requirement is that you provide a disk
backup location where RMAN can find all the backups, data file copies, archived
logs, and control file copies for database duplication. This database duplication
enhancement is helpful when it is not possible to connect to the target database
and the recovery catalog.
When you duplicate from a target database, RMAN determines if any excluded
tablespaces contain SYS-owned objects, materialized views, and identifies
tablespaces that are not self-contained before starting any duplication operations.

xxi

See Also: Chapter 24, "Duplicating a Database", and Oracle Database
Backup and Recovery Reference to learn about the associated DUPLICATE
command options NOREDO and UNDO TABLESPACE
■

RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR) Enhancements
TSPITR can be used to recover a dropped tablespace and to recover to a point in
time before the tablespace was brought online. The latter TSPITR operation can be
repeated as many times as necessary.
Before this release, TSPITR did not operate on dropped
tablespaces.

Note:

■

Automatic Block Repair
The enhancements to corrupt block detection make block repair more efficient and
increase availability. The automatic block repair enhancement complements the
Oracle Database 11g Release 1 automatic block corruption detection.
A detected corrupt block (for example, through a user's SQL query) is now
automatically repaired by using a good block from a physical standby database.
With automatic block repair, a user querying data in the corrupt block no longer
sees the corrupt block error message displayed (ORA-01578). Instead, there is a
pause while the corrupt block is repaired, and then the results of the SQL query
are returned. The automatic block repair is transparent to the user unless the
repair fails. Block recovery is faster because no redo must be applied to the block
that is taken from the physical standby database.
Automatic block repair requires an Oracle Active Data Guard license because
real-time query mode must be enabled on the physical standby database.
The operation occurs automatically but can also be explicitly invoked with the
RMAN RECOVER BLOCK command.
See Also: Chapter 19, "Performing Block Media Recovery" and the
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference RECOVER command

■

SET NEWNAME Options
The SET NEWNAME command is more powerful and easier to use. You can use this
command on a specific tablespace or on all data files and temp files. You can also
change the names for multiple files in the database.
A new string format identifier "%b" makes it easier to move files around. Using SET
NEWNAME with the format identifier "%b" enables you to designate a file name
without its directory path. This option is particularly useful when you want to
keep the names of your data files the same but move the data files to a different
directory location.
See Also:
■
■

■

xxii

Chapter 25, "Duplicating a Database: Advanced Topics"
Example 25–2, "Duplicating with SET NEWNAME FOR
DATAFILE and FOR TABLESPACE"
The SET option in the Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference
to learn about the enhanced SET NEWNAME functionality

■

CONVERT DATABASE Option
A new option, SKIP UNNECESSARY DATAFILES, is now supported for the CONVERT
DATABASE command. When the option is invoked, the only data files that are
converted are those that require RMAN processing during transfer between the
specified platforms. The rest of the data files can be used by the destination
database through shared storage or path name. By skipping the conversion of data
files that do not contain undo segments, overall database transport time can be
reduced. You can use this option when converting at the source or converting ON
DESTINATION PLATFORM.
The CONVERT DATABASE option in the Oracle Database
Backup and Recovery Reference

See Also:

■

Expanded Backup Compression Levels
RMAN now offers a wider range of compression levels with the Advanced
Compression Option (ACO). Although the existing BASIC compression option may
be suitable for most environments, you may want to explore the ACO backup
compression levels (LOW, MEDIUM, and HIGH) to achieve better performance or
higher compression ratios.
"Binary Compression for Backup Sets" on page 8-4 and the
CONFIGURE ... COMPRESSION ALGORITHM command option in the Oracle
Database Backup and Recovery Reference
See Also:

■

INCARNATION Specifier Enhancement
Incarnations may now be used to further qualify archived redo log ranges for the
BACKUP, RESTORE, and LIST commands. You can now specify ALL or CURRENT or
designate a particular incarnation number when listing ranges of archived logs.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for settings
and examples

■

TO DESTINATION syntax has been added to the BACKUP command. This addition
enables you to designate a specific directory location for backups to disk and is
primarily for use with the BACKUP RECOVERY AREA command. If backup
optimization is enabled, then RMAN only skips backups of identical files that
reside in the directory location specified by the TO DESTINATION option.
See Also: BACKUP command and examples of the new setting in the
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference

Changes in RMAN Functionality or Prerequisites
The Block Change Tracking feature can be used at a physical standby database only if
the Oracle Active Data Guard option is licensed.

xxiii

xxiv

Part I
Part I

Overview of Backup and Recovery

The chapters in this part introduce backup and recovery and explain how to devise a
backup and recovery strategy:
■

Chapter 1, "Introduction to Backup and Recovery"

■

Chapter 2, "Getting Started with RMAN"

1
1

Introduction to Backup and Recovery

This chapter explains Oracle Database backup and recovery and summarizes the
Oracle solutions. This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Purpose of Backup and Recovery

■

Oracle Backup and Recovery Solutions

■

Oracle Flashback Technology

■

Data Recovery Advisor

■

Backup and Recovery Documentation Roadmap
To get started with Recovery Manager (RMAN) right away,
proceed to Chapter 2, "Getting Started with RMAN."

Note:

Purpose of Backup and Recovery
As a backup administrator, your principal duty is to devise, implement, and manage a
backup and recovery strategy. In general, the purpose of a backup and recovery
strategy is to protect the database against data loss and reconstruct the database after
data loss. Typically, backup administration tasks include the following:
■

Planning and testing responses to different kinds of failures

■

Configuring the database environment for backup and recovery

■

Setting up a backup schedule

■

Monitoring the backup and recovery environment

■

Troubleshooting backup problems

■

Recovering from data loss if the need arises

As a backup administrator, you may also be asked to perform other duties that are
related to backup and recovery:
■
■

Data preservation, which involves creating a database copy for long-term storage
Data transfer, which involves moving data from one database or one host to
another

The purpose of this manual is to explain how to perform the preceding tasks.

Introduction to Backup and Recovery

1-1

Purpose of Backup and Recovery

Data Protection
As a backup administrator, your primary job is making and monitoring backups for
data protection. A backup is a copy of data of a database that you can use to
reconstruct data. A backup can be either a physical backup or a logical backup.
Physical backups are copies of the physical files used in storing and recovering a
database. These files include data files, control files, and archived redo logs.
Ultimately, every physical backup is a copy of files that store database information to
another location, whether on disk or on offline storage media such as tape.
Logical backups contain logical data such as tables and stored procedures. You can use
Oracle Data Pump to export logical data to binary files, which you can later import
into the database. The Data Pump command-line clients expdp and impdp use the
DBMS_DATAPUMP and DBMS_METADATA PL/SQL packages.
Physical backups are the foundation of any sound backup and recovery strategy.
Logical backups are a useful supplement to physical backups in many circumstances
but are not sufficient protection against data loss without physical backups.
Unless otherwise specified, the term backup as used in the backup and recovery
documentation refers to a physical backup. Backing up a database is the act of making
a physical backup. The focus in the backup and recovery documentation set is almost
exclusively on physical backups.
While several problems can halt the normal operation of an Oracle database or affect
database I/O operations, only the following typically require DBA intervention and
data recovery: media failure, user errors, and application errors. Other failures may
require DBA intervention without causing data loss or requiring recovery from
backup. For example, you may need to restart the database after an instance failure or
allocate more disk space after statement failure because of a full data file.

Media Failures
A media failure is a physical problem with a disk that causes a failure of a read from or
write to a disk file that is required to run the database. Any database file can be
vulnerable to a media failure. The appropriate recovery technique following a media
failure depends on the files affected and the types of backup available.
One particularly important aspect of backup and recovery is developing a disaster
recovery strategy to protect against catastrophic data loss, for example, the loss of an
entire database host.

User Errors
User errors occur when, either due to an error in application logic or a manual
mistake, data in a database is changed or deleted incorrectly. User errors are estimated
to be the greatest single cause of database downtime.
Data loss due to user error can be either localized or widespread. An example of
localized damage is deleting the wrong person from the employees table. This type of
damage requires surgical detection and repair. An example of widespread damage is a
batch job that deletes the company orders for the current month. In this case, drastic
action is required to avoid a extensive database downtime.
While user training and careful management of privileges can prevent most user
errors, your backup strategy determines how gracefully you recover the lost data
when user error does cause data loss.

1-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Oracle Backup and Recovery Solutions

Application Errors
Sometimes a software malfunction can corrupt data blocks. In a physical corruption,
which is also called a media corruption, the database does not recognize the block at
all: the checksum is invalid, the block contains all zeros, or the header and footer of
the block do not match. If the corruption is not extensive, then you can often repair it
easily with block media recovery.
See Also:
■

Chapter 9, "Backing Up the Database"

■

Oracle Database Utilities to learn how to use Data Pump

Data Preservation
Data preservation is related to data protection, but serves a different purpose. For
example, you may need to preserve a copy of a database as it existed at the end of a
business quarter. This backup is not part of the disaster recovery strategy. The media
to which these backups are written are often unavailable after the backup is complete.
You may send the tape into fire storage or ship a portable hard drive to a testing
facility. RMAN provides a convenient way to create a backup and exempt it from your
backup retention policy. This type of backup is known as an archival backup.
See Also: "Making Database Backups for Long-Term Storage" on
page 9-23

Data Transfer
In some situations you may need to take a backup of a database or database
component and move it to another location. For example, you can use Recovery
Manager (RMAN) to create a database copy, create a tablespace copy that can be
imported into another database, or move an entire database from one platform to
another. These tasks are not strictly speaking part of a backup and recovery strategy,
but they do require the use of database backups, and so may be included in the duties
of a backup administrator.
See Also:

The chapters in Part VII, "Transferring Data with RMAN"

Oracle Backup and Recovery Solutions
When implementing a backup and recovery strategy, you have the following solutions
available:
■

Recovery Manager (RMAN)
Recovery Manager is fully integrated with the Oracle database to perform a range
of backup and recovery activities, including maintaining an RMAN repository of
historical data about backups. You can access RMAN through the command line
or through Oracle Enterprise Manager.

■

User-managed backup and recovery
In this solution, you perform backup and recovery with a mixture of host
operating system commands and SQL*Plus recovery commands.You are
responsible for determining all aspects of when and how backups and recovery
are done.

These solutions are supported by Oracle and are fully documented, but RMAN is the
preferred solution for database backup and recovery. RMAN provides a common

Introduction to Backup and Recovery

1-3

Oracle Backup and Recovery Solutions

interface for backup tasks across different host operating systems, and offers several
backup techniques not available through user-managed methods.
Most of this manual focuses on RMAN-based backup and recovery. User-managed
backup and recovery techniques are covered in Section VIII, "Performing
User-Managed Backup and Recovery." The most noteworthy are the following:
■

Incremental backups
An incremental backup stores only blocks changed since a previous backup.
Thus, they provide more compact backups and faster recovery, thereby reducing
the need to apply redo during data file media recovery. If you enable block
change tracking, then you can improve performance by avoiding full scans of
every input data file. You use the BACKUP INCREMENTAL command to perform
incremental backups.

■

Block media recovery
You can repair a data file with only a small number of corrupt data blocks without
taking it offline or restoring it from backup. You use the RECOVER BLOCK command
to perform block media recovery.

■

Binary compression
A binary compression mechanism integrated into Oracle Database reduces the
size of backups.

■

Encrypted backups
RMAN uses backup encryption capabilities integrated into Oracle Database to
store backup sets in an encrypted format. To create encrypted backups on disk, the
database must use the Advanced Security Option. To create encrypted backups
directly on tape, RMAN must use the Oracle Secure Backup SBT interface, but
does not require the Advanced Security Option.

■

Automated database duplication
Easily create a copy of your database, supporting various storage configurations,
including direct duplication between ASM databases.

■

Cross-platform data conversion

Whether you use RMAN or user-managed methods, you can supplement physical
backups with logical backups of schema objects made with Data Pump Export utility.
You can later use Data Pump Import to re-create data after restore and recovery.
Logical backups are mostly beyond the scope of the backup and recovery
documentation.
Table 1–1 summarizes the features of the different backup techniques.
Table 1–1

Feature Comparison of Backup Techniques

Feature

Recovery Manager

User-Managed

Data Pump Export

Closed database backups

Supported. Requires
instance to be mounted.

Supported.

Not supported.

Open database backups

Supported. No need to use
BEGIN/END BACKUP
statements.

Supported. Must use
BEGIN/END BACKUP
statements.

Requires rollback or undo
segments to generate
consistent backups.

Incremental backups

Supported.

Not supported.

Not supported.

1-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Oracle Flashback Technology

Table 1–1 (Cont.) Feature Comparison of Backup Techniques
Feature

Recovery Manager

User-Managed

Data Pump Export

Corrupt block detection

Supported. Identifies
corrupt blocks and logs in
V$DATABASE_BLOCK_
CORRUPTION.

Not supported.

Supported. Identifies
corrupt blocks in the
export log.

Automatic specification of Supported. Establishes the
files to include in a backup name and locations of all
files to be backed up (whole
database, tablespaces, data
files, control files, and so
on).

Not supported. Files to be Not applicable.
backed up must be located
and copied manually.

Backup repository

Supported. Backups are
Not supported. DBA must Not supported.
recorded in the control file,
keep own records of
which is the main repository backups.
of RMAN metadata.
Additionally, you can store
this metadata in a recovery
catalog, which is a schema
in a different database.

Backups to a media
manager

Supported. Interfaces with a Supported. Backup to tape Not supported.
media manager. RMAN also is manual or controlled by
a media manager.
supports proxy copy, a
feature that allows a media
manager to manage
completely the transfer of
data between disk and
backup media.

Backup of initialization
parameter file

Supported.

Supported.

Not supported.

Backup of password and
networking files

Not supported.

Supported.

Not supported.

Platform-independent
language for backups

Supported.

Not supported.

Supported.

Oracle Flashback Technology
As explained in Oracle Database Concepts, Oracle Flashback Technology complements
your physical backup and recovery strategy. This set of features provides an additional
layer of data protection. Specifically, you can use the various features of Oracle
Flashback to view past states of data and rewind your database without restoring
backups or performing point-in-time recovery. In general, flashback features are more
efficient and less disruptive than media recovery in most situations in which they
apply.

Logical Flashback Features
Most of the flashback features of Oracle operate at the logical level, enabling you to
view and manipulate database objects. The logical-level flashback features of Oracle
do not depend on RMAN and are available whether or not RMAN is part of your
backup strategy. Except for Oracle Flashback Drop, the logical flashback features rely
on undo data, which are records of the effects of each database update and the values
overwritten in the update.
Oracle Database includes the following logical flashback features:
■

Oracle Flashback Query
Introduction to Backup and Recovery

1-5

Oracle Flashback Technology

You can specify a target time and run queries against a database, viewing results
as they would have appeared at the target time. To recover from an unwanted
change like an update to a table, you could choose a target time before the error
and run a query to retrieve the contents of the lost rows. Oracle Database Advanced
Application Developer's Guide explains how to use this feature.
■

Oracle Flashback Version Query
You can view all versions of all rows that ever existed in one or more tables in a
specified time interval. You can also retrieve metadata about the differing versions
of the rows, including start and end time, operation, and transaction ID of the
transaction that created the version. You can use this feature to recover lost data
values and to audit changes to the tables queried. Oracle Database Advanced
Application Developer's Guide explains how to use this feature.

■

Oracle Flashback Transaction Query
You can view changes made by a single transaction, or by all the transactions
during a specific time period. Oracle Database Advanced Application Developer's
Guide explains how to use this feature.

■

Oracle Flashback Transaction
You can reverse a transaction. Oracle Database determines the dependencies
between transactions and in effect creates a compensating transaction that reverses
the unwanted changes. The database rewinds to a state as if the transaction, and
any transactions that could be dependent on it, had never happened. Oracle
Database Advanced Application Developer's Guide explains how to use this feature.

■

Oracle Flashback Table
You can recover a table or set of tables to a specified point in time in the past
without taking any part of the database offline. In many cases, Flashback Table
eliminates the need to perform more complicated point-in-time recovery
operations. Flashback Table restores tables while automatically maintaining
associated attributes such as current indexes, triggers, and constraints, and in this
way enabling you to avoid finding and restoring database-specific properties.
"Rewinding a Table with Flashback Table" on page 18-4 explains how to use this
feature.

■

Oracle Flashback Drop
You can reverse the effects of a DROP TABLE statement. "Rewinding a DROP TABLE
Operation with Flashback Drop" on page 18-7 explains how to use this feature.

A flashback data archive enables you to use some logical flashback features to access
data from far back in the past. A flashback data archive consists of one or more
tablespaces or parts of tablespaces. When you create a flashback data archive, you
specify the name, retention period, and tablespace. You can also specify a default
flashback data archive. The database automatically purges old historical data the day
after the retention period expires.
You can turn flashback archiving on and off for individual tables. By default, flashback
archiving is turned off for every table.

1-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Data Recovery Advisor

See Also:
■

■

Chapter 18, "Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time
Recovery" to learn how to perform Flashback Table and
Flashback Drop
Oracle Database Advanced Application Developer's Guide for more
information on the logical flashback features

Flashback Database
At the physical level, Oracle Flashback Database provides a more efficient data
protection alternative to database point-in-time recovery (DBPITR). If the current
data files have unwanted changes, then you can use the RMAN command FLASHBACK
DATABASE to revert the data files to their contents at a past time. The end product is
much like the result of a DBPITR, but is generally much faster because it does not
require restoring data files from backup and requires less redo than media recovery.
Flashback Database uses flashback logs to access past versions of data blocks and
some information from archived redo logs. Flashback Database requires that you
configure a fast recovery area for a database because the flashback logs can only be
stored there. Flashback logging is not enabled by default. Space used for flashback logs
is managed automatically by the database and balanced against space required for
other files in the fast recovery area.
Oracle Database also supports restore points along with Flashback Database and
backup and recovery. A restore point is an alias corresponding to a system change
number (SCN). You can create a restore point at any time if you anticipate needing to
return part or all of a database to its contents at that time. A guaranteed restore point
ensures that you can use Flashback Database to return a database to the time of the
restore point.
See Also: "Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database" on
page 18-11 to learn how to perform Flashback Database with the
FLASHBACK DATABASE command

Data Recovery Advisor
Oracle Database includes a Data Recovery Advisor tool that automatically diagnoses
persistent data failures, presents appropriate repair options, and executes repairs at
your request. Data Recovery Advisor provides a single point of entry for Oracle
backup and recovery solutions. You can use Data Recovery Advisor through the
Enterprise Manager Database Control or Grid Control console or through the RMAN
command-line client.
A database failure usually manifests itself as a set of symptoms: error messages, alerts,
trace files and dumps, and failed data integrity checks. Data Recovery Advisor
automatically diagnoses and informs you of these failures. For Data Recovery Advisor,
a failure is a persistent data corruption that can be directly mapped to a set of repair
actions. Each failure has a status of open or closed. Each failure also has a priority of
critical, high, or low.
Failures are detected by data integrity checks, which are diagnostic procedures
executed to assess the health of the database or its components. If a data integrity
check reveals a failure, then Data Recovery Advisor automatically assesses the effect
of a set of failures and maps it to a set of repair options. Usually, Data Recovery
Advisor presents both automated and manual repair options.

Introduction to Backup and Recovery

1-7

Backup and Recovery Documentation Roadmap

Data Recovery Advisor determines the best automated repair option and its effect on
the database. The repair option may include repairs such as data file restore and
recovery, media recovery, Flashback Database, and so on. Before presenting an
automated repair option, Data Recovery Advisor validates it for the specific
environment and the availability of media components required to complete the
proposed repair.
If you choose an automated repair option, then RMAN coordinates sessions on the
Oracle database to perform the repair for you. The Data Recovery Advisor tool verifies
the repair success and closes the appropriate failures.
See Also: Chapter 15, "Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data
Recovery Advisor," to learn how to use Data Recovery Advisor

Backup and Recovery Documentation Roadmap
Figure 1–1 illustrates the recommended way to navigate the backup and recovery
documentation. The roadmap is divided into two main paths: RMAN and
user-managed backup and recovery. Optional paths are shown as splitting off and then
rejoining each main path.
If you are new to Oracle Database and want to learn about backup recovery, then the
best entry point is Oracle Database 2 Day DBA. The backup and recovery chapter
explains how to use Enterprise Manager to perform basic operations. Optionally, you
can expand your knowledge of basic backup and recovery principles by reading the
relevant chapter in Oracle Database Concepts.

1-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backup and Recovery Documentation Roadmap

Figure 1–1 Backup and Recovery Documentation Roadmap
2 Day DBA

Backup and Recovery Concepts
(in Database Concepts)
Introduction to
Backup and Recovery

RMAN
Path

Getting Started

User-Managed
Path

Starting RMAN

Backing Up the Database

Configuring the
RMAN Environment

Performing Database
Flashback and Recovery
Performing Database
Recovery: Advanced

Managing the
Recovery Catalog

Backing Up the Database

End

Reporting on RMAN
Operations
Maintaining RMAN
Backups
Using the Data
Recovery Advisor
Performing Flashback
and DBPITR
Performing Complete
Database Recovery
Performing Block
Media Recovery
Performing Advanced
RMAN Recovery
Tuning RMAN
Performance

End

As shown in Figure 1–1, you can either implement your backup and recovery strategy
with RMAN, which is recommended, or with user-managed tools.

Introduction to Backup and Recovery

1-9

Backup and Recovery Documentation Roadmap

Recovery Manager Documentation Roadmap
If you use RMAN as your principal backup and recovery solution, then begin by
reading "Getting Started with RMAN" on page 2-1. This brief chapter, which explains
the most basic RMAN techniques, may be adequate for your purposes. For a more
comprehensive explanation of how to implement a backup and recovery strategy with
RMAN, read the chapters in the following order (optional chapters are not listed):
1.

Read Chapter 4, "Starting and Interacting with the RMAN Client."
This chapter explains how to start the RMAN client and connect to databases.

2.

Read Chapter 5, "Configuring the RMAN Environment."
This chapter explains how to perform basic tasks such as configuring a fast
recovery area, backup retention policy, and archived redo log deletion policy.

3.

Read Chapter 9, "Backing Up the Database."
This chapter explains how to implement a basic backup strategy.

4.

Read Chapter 11, "Reporting on RMAN Operations."
This chapter explains how to monitor RMAN backup and recovery operations.
Specifically, the chapter explains how to use the reporting commands (LIST,
REPORT, and SHOW) and the relevant V$ and recovery catalog views.

5.

Read Chapter 12, "Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records."
This chapter explains how to verify the existence of backups, change the
repository status of backups, delete backups, and perform other maintenance
tasks.

6.

Read Chapter 15, "Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery
Advisor."
This chapter explains how to use the Data Recovery Advisor tool. You can use it to
list failures, obtain advice about to respond to these failures, and in some cases
automatically repair the failures.

7.

Read Chapter 18, "Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery."
This chapter explains how to use the FLASHBACK DATABASE command and perform
point-in-time recovery with the RECOVER DATABASE command.

8.

Read Chapter 17, "Performing Complete Database Recovery."
This chapter explains how to recover individual tablespaces or the database.

User-Managed Backup and Recovery Documentation Roadmap
If you do not use RMAN as your principal backup and recovery solution, then you
must use third-party tools to make your backups and SQL or SQL*Plus commands to
perform recovery. Read the chapters in the following order:
1.

Read Chapter 28, "Making User-Managed Database Backups."
This chapter explains how to make backups with third-party tools.

2.

Read Chapter 29, "Performing User-Managed Database Flashback and Recovery."
This chapter explains how to use the SQL statement FLASHBACK DATABASE and to
perform recovery with the SQL*Plus RECOVER command.

3.

Read Chapter 30, "Performing User-Managed Recovery: Advanced Scenarios."
This chapter explains various recovery scenarios.

1-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

2
2

Getting Started with RMAN

This chapter is intended for new users who want to start using RMAN right away
without first reading the more detailed chapters in this book. This chapter provides the
briefest possible digest of the most important RMAN concepts and tasks. It is not a
substitute for the rest of the backup and recovery documentation set.
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Overview of the RMAN Environment

■

Starting RMAN and Connecting to a Database

■

Showing the Default RMAN Configuration

■

Backing Up a Database

■

Reporting on RMAN Operations

■

Maintaining RMAN Backups

■

Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor

■

Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database

■

Restoring and Recovering Database Files

Overview of the RMAN Environment
Recovery Manager (RMAN) is an Oracle Database client that performs backup and
recovery tasks on your databases and automates administration of your backup
strategies. It greatly simplifies backing up, restoring, and recovering database files.
The RMAN environment consists of the utilities and databases that play a role in
backing up your data. At a minimum, the environment for RMAN must include the
following components:
■

A target database
An Oracle database to which RMAN is connected with the TARGET keyword. A
target database is a database on which RMAN is performing backup and recovery
operations. RMAN always maintains metadata about its operations on a database
in the control file of the database. The RMAN metadata is known as the RMAN
repository.

■

The RMAN client
An Oracle Database executable that interprets commands, directs server sessions
to execute those commands, and records its activity in the target database control
file. The RMAN executable is automatically installed with the database and is

Getting Started with RMAN

2-1

Starting RMAN and Connecting to a Database

typically located in the same directory as the other database executables. For
example, the RMAN client on Linux is located in $ORACLE_HOME/bin.
Some environments use the following optional components:
■

A fast recovery area
A disk location in which the database can store and manage files related to backup
and recovery. You set the fast recovery area location and size with the DB_
RECOVERY_FILE_DEST and DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE initialization parameters.

■

A media manager
An application required for RMAN to interact with sequential media devices such
as tape libraries. A media manager controls these devices during backup and
recovery, managing the loading, labeling, and unloading of media. Media
management devices are sometimes called SBT (system backup to tape) devices.

■

A recovery catalog
A separate database schema used to record RMAN activity against one or more
target databases. A recovery catalog preserves RMAN repository metadata if the
control file is lost, making it much easier to restore and recover following the loss
of the control file. The database may overwrite older records in the control file, but
RMAN maintains records forever in the catalog unless the records are deleted by
the user.

This chapter explains how to use RMAN in the most basic configuration, which is
without a recovery catalog or media manager.
See Also:
■

■

Chapter 3, "Recovery Manager Architecture"for a more detailed
overview of the RMAN environment
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for BACKUP command
syntax and semantics

Starting RMAN and Connecting to a Database
The RMAN client is started by issuing the rman command at the command prompt of
your operating system. RMAN then displays a prompt for your commands as shown
in the following example:
% rman
RMAN>

RMAN connections to a database are specified and authenticated in the same way as
SQL*Plus connections to a database. The only difference is that RMAN connections to
a target or auxiliary database require the SYSDBA privilege. The AS SYSDBA keywords
are implied and cannot be explicitly specified. See Oracle Database Administrator's Guide
to learn about database connection options for SQL*Plus.
Caution: Good security practice requires that passwords should not
be entered in plain text on the command line. You should enter
passwords in RMAN only when requested by an RMAN prompt. See
Oracle Database Security Guide to learn about password protection.

You can connect to a database with command-line options or by using the CONNECT
TARGET command. The following example starts RMAN and then connects to a target
2-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Showing the Default RMAN Configuration

database through Oracle Net, AS SYSDBA is not specified because it is implied. RMAN
prompts for a password.
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET SYS@prod
target database Password: password
connected to target database: PROD (DBID=39525561)

The following variation starts RMAN and then connects to a target database by using
operating system authentication:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET /
connected to target database: PROD (DBID=39525561)

To quit the RMAN client, enter EXIT at the RMAN prompt:
RMAN> EXIT

Syntax of Common RMAN Command-line Options
RMAN
[ TARGET connectStringSpec
| { CATALOG connectStringSpec }
| LOG ['] filename ['] [ APPEND ]
.
.
.
]...
connectStringSpec::=
['] [userid] [/ [password]] [@net_service_name] [']

The following example appends the output from an RMAN session to a text file at
/tmp/msglog.log
% rman TARGET / LOG /tmp/msglog.log APPEND

See Also: Chapter 4, "Starting and Interacting with the
RMAN Client," to learn more about starting and using the RMAN
client

Showing the Default RMAN Configuration
The RMAN backup and recovery environment is preconfigured for each target
database. The configuration is persistent and applies to all subsequent operations on
this target database, even if you exit and restart RMAN.
RMAN configured settings can specify backup devices, configure a connection to a
backup device (known as a channel), policies affecting backup strategy, and others.
The default configuration is adequate for most purposes.
To show the current configuration for a database:
Start RMAN and connect to a target database.

1.
2.

Run the SHOW ALL command.
For example, enter the command at the RMAN prompt as follows:
RMAN> SHOW ALL;
Getting Started with RMAN

2-3

Backing Up a Database

The output lists the CONFIGURE commands to re-create this configuration.
Chapter 5, "Configuring the RMAN Environment," and
Chapter 6, "Configuring the RMAN Environment: Advanced Topics,"
to learn how to configure the RMAN environment

See Also:

Backing Up a Database
Use the BACKUP command to back up files. RMAN backs up data to the configured
default device for the type of backup requested. By default, RMAN creates backups on
disk. If a fast recovery area is enabled, and if you do not specify the FORMAT parameter
(see Table 2–1), then RMAN creates backups in the recovery area and automatically
gives them unique names.
By default, RMAN creates backup sets rather than image copies. A backup set consists
of one or more backup pieces, which are physical files written in a format that only
RMAN can access. A multiplexed backup set contains the blocks from multiple input
files. RMAN can write backup sets to disk or tape.
If you specify BACKUP AS COPY, then RMAN copies each file as an image copy, which is
a bit-for-bit copy of a database file created on disk. Image copies are identical to copies
created with operating system commands like cp on Linux or COPY on Windows, but
are recorded in the RMAN repository and so are usable by RMAN. You can use
RMAN to make image copies while the database is open.
See Also:
■

■

■

Chapter 8, "RMAN Backup Concepts," to learn concepts relating
to RMAN backups
Chapter 9, "Backing Up the Database," to learn how to back up
database files with RMAN
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for BACKUP command
syntax and semantics

Backing Up a Database in ARCHIVELOG Mode
If a database runs in ARCHIVELOG mode, then you can back up the database while it is
open. The backup is called an inconsistent backup because redo is required during
recovery to bring the database to a consistent state. If you have the archived redo logs
needed to recover the backup, open database backups are as effective for data
protection as consistent backups.
To back up the database and archived redo logs while the database is open:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database.
2.

Run the BACKUP DATABASE command.
For example, enter the following command at the RMAN prompt to back up the
database and all archived redo log files to the default backup device:
RMAN> BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;

2-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backing Up a Database

Backing Up a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode
If a database runs in NOARCHIVELOG mode, then the only valid database backup is a
consistent backup. For the backup to be consistent, the database must be mounted
after a consistent shutdown. No recovery is required after restoring the backup.
To make a consistent database backup:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database.
2.

Shut down the database consistently and then mount it.
For example, enter the following commands to guarantee that the database is in a
consistent state for a backup:
RMAN>
RMAN>
RMAN>
RMAN>

3.

SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
STARTUP FORCE DBA;
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
STARTUP MOUNT;

Run the BACKUP DATABASE command.
For example, enter the following command at the RMAN prompt to back up the
database to the default backup device:
RMAN> BACKUP DATABASE;

The following variation of the command creates image copy backups of all data
files in the database:
RMAN> BACKUP AS COPY DATABASE;
4.

Open the database and resume normal operations.
The following command opens the database:
RMAN> ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

Typical Backup Options
The BACKUP command includes a host of options, parameters, and clauses that control
backup output. Table 2–1 lists some typical backup options.
Table 2–1

Common Backup Options

Option

Description

Example

FORMAT

Specifies a location and name for backup
pieces and copies. You must use substitution
variables to generate unique file names.

BACKUP
FORMAT 'AL_%d/%t/%s/%p'
ARCHIVELOG LIKE '%arc_dest%';

The most common substitution variable is %U,
which generates a unique name. Others
include %d for the DB_NAME, %t for the
backup set time stamp, %s for the backup set
number, and %p for the backup piece number.
TAG

Specifies a user-defined string as a label for
the backup. If you do not specify a tag, then
RMAN assigns a default tag with the date
and time. Tags are always stored in the
RMAN repository in uppercase.

See Also:

BACKUP
TAG 'weekly_full_db_bkup'
DATABASE MAXSETSIZE 10M;

"Specifying Backup Output Options" on page 9-2

Getting Started with RMAN

2-5

Backing Up a Database

Making Incremental Backups
If you specify BACKUP INCREMENTAL, then RMAN creates an incremental backup of a
database. Incremental backups capture block-level changes to a database made after a
previous incremental backup. Incremental backups are generally smaller and faster to
make than full database backups. Recovery with incremental backups is faster than
using redo logs alone.
The starting point for an incremental backup strategy is a level 0 incremental backup,
which backs up all blocks in the database. An incremental backup at level 0 is identical
in content to a full backup, however, unlike a full backup the level 0 backup is
considered a part of the incremental backup strategy.
A level 1 incremental backup contains only blocks changed after a previous
incremental backup. If no level 0 backup exists in either the current or parent database
incarnation when you run a level 1 backup, then RMAN makes a level 0 backup
automatically.
You cannot make incremental backups when a NOARCHIVELOG
database is open, although you can make incremental backups when
the database is mounted after a consistent shutdown.

Note:

A level 1 backup can be a cumulative incremental backup, which includes all blocks
changed since the most recent level 0 backup, or a differential incremental backup,
which includes only blocks changed since the most recent incremental backup.
Incremental backups are differential by default.
When restoring incremental backups, RMAN uses the level 0 backup as the starting
point, then updates changed blocks based on level 1 backups where possible to avoid
reapplying changes from redo one at a time. Recovering with incremental backups
requires no additional effort on your part. If incremental backups are available, then
RMAN uses them during recovery.
To make incremental backups of the database:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database.
2.

Run the BACKUP INCREMENTAL command.
The following example creates a level 0 incremental backup to serve as a base for
an incremental backup strategy:
BACKUP INCREMENTAL LEVEL 0 DATABASE;

The following example creates a level 1 cumulative incremental backup:
BACKUP INCREMENTAL LEVEL 1 CUMULATIVE DATABASE;

The following example creates a level 1 differential incremental backup:
BACKUP INCREMENTAL LEVEL 1 DATABASE;

See Also: "Incremental Backups" on page 8-13 for a more detailed
conceptual overview of incremental backups and "Making and
Updating Incremental Backups" on page 9-14

Making Incrementally Updated Backups
The RMAN incrementally updated backup feature is an efficient incremental backup
strategy. The strategy has the following main features:

2-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backing Up a Database

The strategy requires a level 0 data file copy as a base. This copy has either a
system-defined or user-defined tag.

■

Periodically, level 1 differential backups are created with the same tag as the level
0 data file copy. The BACKUP FOR RECOVER OF COPY command specifies that an
incremental backup should contain only blocks changed since the most recent
incremental backup with the same tag.

■

Periodically, the incremental backups are applied to the level 0 data file copy.
Because the data file copy has been updated with more recent changes, it now
requires less media recovery.

■

Table 2–2 explains which options to use with FOR RECOVER OF COPY to implement an
incrementally updated backup strategy.
Table 2–2

FOR RECOVER OF COPY Options

BACKUP Option

Description

Example

FOR RECOVER OF COPY
WITH TAG 'tag_name'

Use TAG to identify the tag of the data
file copy serving as basis for the
backup strategy. RMAN
automatically assigns the same tag to
every level 1 backup of this copy.

BACKUP
INCREMENTAL LEVEL 1
FOR RECOVER OF COPY
WITH TAG 'incr_update'
DATABASE;

If no level 0 data file copy with the
specified tag exists in either the
current or parent database
incarnation, then RMAN creates a
level 0 data file copy with the
specified tag.
FOR RECOVER OF COPY
DATAFILECOPY FORMAT
'format'

Specifies where RMAN creates the
data file copy if a copy does not exist.
If you add a new data file to the
database, then you do not need to
change your script, because RMAN
automatically creates the level 0 copy
required by the incremental backup
routine.

BACKUP
INCREMENTAL LEVEL 1
FOR RECOVER OF COPY
DATAFILECOPY FORMAT
'/disk2/df1.cpy'
DATABASE;

To implement an incrementally updated backup strategy:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database.
2.

Run the RECOVER COPY and BACKUP INCREMENTAL commands.
The following script, run on a regular basis, is all that is required to implement a
strategy based on incrementally updated backups.
RECOVER COPY OF DATABASE
WITH TAG 'incr_update';
BACKUP
INCREMENTAL LEVEL 1
FOR RECOVER OF COPY WITH TAG 'incr_update'
DATABASE;

See Also:

"Incrementally Updating Backups" on page 9-16

Validating Database Files and Backups
You can use the VALIDATE command to confirm that all database files exist, are in their
correct location, and are free of physical corruption. The CHECK LOGICAL option also
checks for logical block corruption.

Getting Started with RMAN

2-7

Backing Up a Database

To validate database files:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database.
2.

Run the BACKUP VALIDATE ... command for the desired files.
For example, enter the following commands to validate all database files and
archived redo log files for physical and logical corruption:
BACKUP VALIDATE CHECK LOGICAL
DATABASE ARCHIVELOG ALL;

You can also use the VALIDATE command to check individual data blocks, as
shown in the following example:
VALIDATE DATAFILE 4 BLOCK 10 TO 13;

You can also validate backup sets, as shown in the following example:
VALIDATE BACKUPSET 3;

You specify backup sets by primary key, which is shown in the output of the LIST
BACKUP command.
See Also:
■
■

Chapter 16, "Validating Database Files and Backups"
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for VALIDATE
command syntax and semantics

Scripting RMAN Operations
RMAN supports the use of command files to manage recurring tasks such as weekly
backups. A command file is a client-side text file containing RMAN commands,
exactly as you enter them at the RMAN prompt. You can use any file extension. The
RUN command provides a degree of flow-of-control in your scripts.
To create and run a command file:
1. Use a text editor to create a command file.
For example, create a command file with the following contents:
# my_command_file.txt
CONNECT TARGET /
BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;
LIST BACKUP;
EXIT;
2.

Start RMAN and then execute the contents of a command file by running the @
command at the RMAN prompt:
% rman
RMAN> @/my_dir/my_command_file.txt

# runs specified command file

You can also launch RMAN with a command file to run, as shown here:
% rman @/my_dir/my_command_file.txt

2-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Reporting on RMAN Operations

"Using Command Files with RMAN" on page 4-3 to learn
more about command files, and "Using Substitution Variables in
Command Files" on page 4-4 to learn how to use substitution
variables in command files and pass parameters at run time

See Also:

Reporting on RMAN Operations
The RMAN LIST and REPORT commands generate reports on backup activities based
on the RMAN repository. Use the SHOW ALL command to display the current RMAN
configuration.

Listing Backups
Run the LIST BACKUP and LIST COPY commands to display information about backups
and data file copies listed in the repository. For backups, you can control the format of
LIST output with the options in Table 2–3 and Table 2–4.
Table 2–3

LIST Options for Backups

Option

Example

Explanation

BY BACKUP

LIST BACKUP OF DATABASE
BY BACKUP

Organizes the output by backup set. This is the
default mode of presentation.

BY FILE

LIST BACKUP BY FILE

Lists the backups according to which file was
backed up.

SUMMARY

LIST BACKUP SUMMARY

Displays summary output.

For both backups and copies you have additional options shown in Table 2–4.
Table 2–4

Additional LIST Options

Option

Example

Explanation

EXPIRED

LIST EXPIRED
COPY

Lists backups that are recorded in the RMAN repository
but that were not present at the expected location on disk
or tape during the last CROSSCHECK command. An expired
backup may have been deleted by an operating system
utility.

RECOVERABLE

LIST BACKUP
RECOVERABLE

Lists data file backups or copies that have status AVAILABLE
in the RMAN repository and that can be restored and
recovered.

To list backups and copies:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database.
2.

Run the LIST command at the RMAN prompt.
You can display specific objects, as in the following examples:
LIST
LIST
LIST
LIST

BACKUP OF DATABASE;
COPY OF DATAFILE 1, 2;
BACKUP OF ARCHIVELOG FROM SEQUENCE 10;
BACKUPSET OF DATAFILE 1;

Getting Started with RMAN

2-9

Maintaining RMAN Backups

See Also:

"Listing Backups and Recovery-Related Objects" on page 11-3 to
learn more about the LIST command

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for LIST command
syntax

■

Reporting on Database Files and Backups
The REPORT command performs more complex analysis than LIST. Some main options
are shown in Table 2–5.
Table 2–5

REPORT Options

Option

Example

Explanation

NEED BACKUP

REPORT NEED
BACKUP DATABASE

Shows which files need backing up under current
retention policy. Use optional REDUNDANCY and
RECOVERY WINDOW parameters to specify different
criteria.

OBSOLETE

REPORT OBSOLETE

Lists backups that are obsolete under the configured
backup retention policy. Use the optional
REDUNDANCY and RECOVERY WINDOW parameters to
override the default.

SCHEMA

REPORT SCHEMA

Reports the tablespaces and data files in the
database at the current time (default) or a different
time.

UNRECOVERABLE

REPORT
UNRECOVERABLE

Lists all data files for which an unrecoverable
operation has been performed against an object in
the data file since the last backup of the data file.

To generate reports of database files and backups:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database.
2.

Run the REPORT command at the RMAN prompt.
The following example reports backups that are obsolete according to the
currently configured backup retention policy:
REPORT OBSOLETE;

The following example reports the data files and temp files in the database:
REPORT SCHEMA;

See Also: "Reporting on Backups and Database Schema" on
page 11-9 to learn how to use the REPORT command for RMAN
reporting

Maintaining RMAN Backups
RMAN repository metadata is always stored in the control file of the target database.
The RMAN maintenance commands use this metadata when managing backups.

Cross-checking Backups
The CROSSCHECK command synchronizes the logical records of RMAN backups and
copies with the files on storage media. If a backup is on disk, then CROSSCHECK
2-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor

determines whether the header of the file is valid. If a backup is on tape, then RMAN
queries the RMAN repository for the names and locations of the backup pieces. It is a
good idea to crosscheck backups and copies before deleting them.
To crosscheck all backups and copies on disk:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database.
2.

Run the CROSSCHECK command, as shown in the following example:
CROSSCHECK BACKUP;
CROSSCHECK COPY;

See Also: "Crosschecking the RMAN Repository" on page 12-10 to
learn how to crosscheck RMAN backups

Deleting Obsolete Backups
The DELETE command removes RMAN backups and copies from disk and tape,
updates the status of the files to DELETED in the control file repository, and removes the
records from the recovery catalog (if you use a catalog). If you run RMAN
interactively, and if you do not specify the NOPROMPT option, then DELETE displays a list
of files and prompts for confirmation before deleting any file in the list.
The DELETE OBSOLETE command is particular useful because RMAN deletes backups
and data file copies recorded in the RMAN repository that are obsolete, that is, no
longer needed. You can use options on the DELETE command to specify what is
obsolete or use the configured backup retention policy.
To delete obsolete backups and copies:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database.
2.

Run the DELETE OBSOLETE command, as shown in the following example:
DELETE OBSOLETE;

See Also: "Deleting RMAN Backups and Archived Redo Logs" on
page 12-17 to learn how to use the DELETE command

Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor
The simplest way to diagnose and repair database problems is to use the Data
Recovery Advisor. This Oracle Database tool provides an infrastructure for
diagnosing persistent data failures, presenting repair options to the user, and
automatically executing repairs.
See Also:

"Overview of Data Recovery Advisor" on page 15-1

Listing Failures and Determining Repair Options
A failure is a persistent data corruption detected by the Health Monitor. Examples
include physical and logical data block corruptions and missing data files. Each failure
has a failure priority and failure status. The priority can be CRITICAL, HIGH, or LOW.
The status can be OPEN or CLOSED.
You can run the LIST FAILURE command to show all known failures. If failures exist,
then run the ADVISE FAILURE command in the same session to determine manual and

Getting Started with RMAN

2-11

Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor

automated repair options. The following example illustrates these two commands
(sample output included).
Example 2–1 LIST FAILURE and ADVISE FAILURE
RMAN> LIST FAILURE;
List of Database Failures
=========================
Failure ID
---------142
101

Priority
-------HIGH
HIGH

Status
--------OPEN
OPEN

Time Detected
------------23-APR-07
23-APR-07

Summary
------One or more non-system datafiles are missing
Datafile 1: '/disk1/oradata/prod/system01.dbf'
contains one or more corrupt blocks

Time Detected
------------23-APR-07
23-APR-07

Summary
------One or more non-system datafiles are missing
Datafile 1: '/disk1/oradata/prod/system01.dbf'
contains one or more corrupt blocks

RMAN> ADVISE FAILURE;
List of Database Failures
=========================
Failure ID
---------142
101

Priority
-------HIGH
HIGH

Status
--------OPEN
OPEN

analyzing automatic repair options; this may take some time
using channel ORA_DISK_1
analyzing automatic repair options complete
Mandatory Manual Actions
========================
no manual actions available
Optional Manual Actions
=======================
1. If file /disk1/oradata/prod/users01.dbf was unintentionally renamed or moved, restore it
Automated Repair Options
========================
Option Repair Description
------ -----------------1
Restore and recover datafile 28; Perform block media recovery of
block 56416 in file 1
Strategy: The repair includes complete media recovery with no data loss
Repair script: /disk1/oracle/log/diag/rdbms/prod/prod/hm/reco_660500184.hm

The ADVISE FAILURE output shows both manual and automated repair options. First
try to fix the problem manually. If you cannot fix the problem manually, then review
the automated repair section.
An automated repair option describes a server-managed repair for one or more
failures. Repairs are consolidated when possible so that a single repair can fix multiple
failures. The repair option indicates which repair is performed and whether data is lost
by performing the repair operation.
In Example 2–1, the output indicates the file name of a repair script containing RMAN
commands. If you do not want to use Data Recovery Advisor to repair the failure
automatically, then you can use the script as the basis of your own recovery strategy.
"Listing Failures" on page 15-6 and "Determining Repair
Options" on page 15-10

See Also:

2-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database

Repairing Failures
After running LIST FAILURE and ADVISE FAILURE in an RMAN session, you can run
REPAIR FAILURE to execute a repair option. If you execute REPAIR FAILURE with no
other command options, then RMAN uses the first repair option of the most recent
ADVISE FAILURE command in the current session. Alternatively, specify the repair
option number obtained from the most recent ADVISE FAILURE command.
Example 2–2 illustrates how to repair the failures identified in Example 2–1.
Example 2–2 REPAIR FAILURE
RMAN> REPAIR FAILURE;

By default, REPAIR FAILURE prompts for confirmation before it begins executing. After
executing a repair, Data Recovery Advisor reevaluates all existing failures on the
possibility that they may also have been fixed. Data Recovery Advisor always verifies
that failures are still relevant and automatically closes fixed failures. If a repair fails to
complete because of an error, then the error triggers a new assessment and
re-evaluation of existing failures and repairs.
See Also:

"Repairing Failures" on page 15-12

Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database
You can use the Oracle Flashback Database to rewind the whole database to a past
time. Unlike media recovery, you do not need to restore data files to return the
database to a past state.
To use the RMAN FLASHBACK DATABASE command, your database must have been
previously configured to generate flashback logs. This configuration task is described
in "Flashback Database" on page 7-2. Flashback Database works by rewinding changes
to the data files that exist at the moment that you run the command. You cannot use
the command to repair media failures or missing data files.
The database must be mounted when you issue FLASHBACK DATABASE. If you have
previously created a restore point, then you can flash back to this restore point if it
falls within the flashback database window.
To rewind a database with Flashback Database:
Start RMAN and connect to a target database.

1.
2.

Ensure that the database is in a mounted state.
The following commands shut down and then mount the database:
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
STARTUP MOUNT;

3.

Run the FLASHBACK DATABASE command.
The following examples illustrate different forms of the command:
FLASHBACK DATABASE TO SCN 861150;
FLASHBACK DATABASE
TO RESTORE POINT BEFORE_CHANGES;
FLASHBACK DATABASE
TO TIMESTAMP TO_DATE(04-DEC-2009

03:30:00','DD-MON-YYYY HH24:MI:SS');

Getting Started with RMAN

2-13

Restoring and Recovering Database Files

4.

After performing the Flashback Database, open the database read-only in
SQL*Plus and run some queries to verify the database contents.
Open the database read-only as follows:
SQL "ALTER DATABASE OPEN READ ONLY";

5.

If satisfied with the results, then issue the following sequence of commands to
shut down and then open the database:
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
STARTUP MOUNT;
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

See Also: "Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database" on
page 18-11

Restoring and Recovering Database Files
Use the RESTORE and RECOVER commands for RMAN restore and recovery of physical
database files. Restoring data files is retrieving them from backups as needed for a
recovery operation. Media recovery is the application of changes from redo logs and
incremental backups to a restored data file to bring the data file forward to a desired
SCN or point in time.
See Also:

Chapter 17, "Performing Complete Database Recovery"

Preparing to Restore and Recover Database Files
If you must recover the database because a media failure damages database files, then
you should first ensure that you have the necessary backups. You can use the RESTORE
... PREVIEW command to report, but not restore, the backups that RMAN could use to
restore to the specified time. RMAN queries the metadata and does not actually read
the backup files. The database can be open when you run this command.
To preview a database restore and recovery:
1. Start RMAN and connect to the target database.
2.

Optionally, list the current tablespaces and data files, as shown in the following
command:
RMAN> REPORT SCHEMA;

3.

Run the RESTORE DATABASE command with the PREVIEW option.
The following command specifies SUMMARY so that the backup metadata is not
displayed in verbose mode (sample output included):
RMAN> RESTORE DATABASE PREVIEW SUMMARY;
Starting restore at 21-MAY-07
allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: SID=80 device type=DISK
List of Backups
===============
Key
TY LV S Device Type Completion Time #Pieces #Copies Compressed Tag
------- -- -- - ----------- --------------- ------- ------- ---------- --11
B F A DISK
18-MAY-07
1
2
NO
TAG20070518T181114

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Restoring and Recovering Database Files

13
B F A DISK
TAG20070518T181114
using channel ORA_DISK_1

18-MAY-07

1

2

NO

List of Archived Log Copies for database with db_unique_name PROD
=====================================================================
Key
Thrd Seq
S Low Time
------- ---- ------- - --------47
1
18
A 18-MAY-07
Name: /disk1/oracle/dbs/db1r_60ffa882_1_18_0622902157.arc
Media recovery start SCN is 586534
Recovery must be done beyond SCN 587194 to clear datafile fuzziness
validation succeeded for backup piece
Finished restore at 21-MAY-07

Recovering the Whole Database
Use the RESTORE DATABASE and RECOVER DATABASE commands to recover the whole
database. You must have previously made backups of all needed files. This scenario
assumes that you can restore all data files to their original locations. If the original
locations are inaccessible, then use the SET NEWNAME command as described in
"Restoring Datafiles to a Nondefault Location" on page 17-10.
To recover the whole database:
1. Prepare for recovery as explained in "Preparing to Restore and Recover Database
Files" on page 2-14.
2.

Place the database in a mounted state.
The following example terminates the database instance (if it is started) and
mounts the database:
RMAN> STARTUP FORCE MOUNT;

3.

Restore the database.
The following example uses the preconfigured disk channel to restore the
database:
RMAN> RESTORE DATABASE;

4.

Recover the database, as shown in the following example:
RMAN> RECOVER DATABASE;

5.

Open the database, as shown in the following example:
RMAN> ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

Recovering Tablespaces
Use the RESTORE TABLESPACE and RECOVER TABLESPACE commands on individual
tablespaces when the database is open. In this case, you must take the tablespace that
needs recovery offline, restore and then recover the tablespace, and bring the
recovered tablespace online.
If you need to restore a data file to a new location, then use the RMAN SET NEWNAME
command within a RUN command to specify the new file name. Afterward, use a
SWITCH DATAFILE ALL command, which is equivalent to using the SQL statement
Getting Started with RMAN

2-15

Restoring and Recovering Database Files

ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE, to update the control file to reflect the new names for
all data files for which a SET NEWNAME has been issued in the RUN command.
Unlike in user-managed media recovery, you should not place an online tablespace in
backup mode. Unlike user-managed tools, RMAN does not require extra logging or
backup mode because it knows the format of data blocks.
To recover an individual tablespace when the database is open:
Prepare for recovery as explained in "Preparing to Restore and Recover Database
Files" on page 2-14.

1.
2.

Take the tablespace to be recovered offline:
The following example takes the USERS tablespace offline:
RMAN> SQL 'ALTER TABLESPACE users OFFLINE';

3.

Restore and recover the tablespace.
The following RUN command, which you execute at the RMAN prompt, sets a new
name for the data file in the USERS tablespace:
RUN
{
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE '/disk1/oradata/prod/users01.dbf'
TO '/disk2/users01.dbf';
RESTORE TABLESPACE users;
SWITCH DATAFILE ALL;
# update control file with new file names
RECOVER TABLESPACE users;
}

4.

Bring the tablespace online, as shown in the following example:
RMAN> SQL 'ALTER TABLESPACE users ONLINE';

You can also use RESTORE DATAFILE and RECOVER DATAFILE for recovery at the data file
level.
See Also:
■

"Performing Complete Recovery of a Tablespace" on page 17-13

■

"Online Backups and Backup Mode" on page 8-2

Recovering Individual Data Blocks
RMAN can recover individual corrupted data file blocks. When RMAN performs a
complete scan of a file for a backup, any corrupted blocks are listed in V$DATABASE_
BLOCK_CORRUPTION. Corruption is usually reported in alert logs, trace files, or results of
SQL queries.
To recover data blocks:
1. Obtain the block numbers of the corrupted blocks if you do not have this
information.
The easiest way to locate trace files and the alert log is to connect SQL*Plus to the
target database and execute the following query:
SQL> SELECT NAME, VALUE
2 FROM V$DIAG_INFO;
2.

Start RMAN and connect to the target database.

2-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Restoring and Recovering Database Files

3.

Run the RECOVER command to repair the blocks.
The following RMAN command recovers all corrupted blocks:
RMAN> RECOVER CORRUPTION LIST;

You can also recover individual blocks, as shown in the following example:
RMAN> RECOVER DATAFILE 1 BLOCK 233, 235 DATAFILE 2 BLOCK 100 TO 200;

See Also:

Chapter 19, "Performing Block Media Recovery"

Getting Started with RMAN

2-17

Restoring and Recovering Database Files

2-18 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Part II
Part II

Starting and Configuring RMAN and
Flashback Database

The chapters in this part explain the basic components of the RMAN environment and
how to configure it. This part contains the following chapters:
■

Chapter 3, "Recovery Manager Architecture"

■

Chapter 4, "Starting and Interacting with the RMAN Client"

■

Chapter 5, "Configuring the RMAN Environment"

■

Chapter 6, "Configuring the RMAN Environment: Advanced Topics"

■

Chapter 7, "Using Flashback Database and Restore Points"

3
Recovery Manager Architecture
3

This chapter describes the Recovery Manager (RMAN) interface and the basic
components of the RMAN environment. This chapter contains the following topics:
■

About the RMAN Environment

■

RMAN Command-Line Client

■

RMAN Channels

■

RMAN Repository

■

Media Management

■

Fast Recovery Area

■

RMAN in a Data Guard Environment

About the RMAN Environment
The Recovery Manager environment consists of the various applications and databases
that play a role in a backup and recovery strategy.
Table 3–1 lists some components in a typical RMAN environment.
Table 3–1

Components of the RMAN Environment

Component

Description

RMAN client

The client application that manages backup and recovery operations for a target
database. The RMAN client can use Oracle Net to connect to a target database, so it
can be located on any host that is connected to the target host through Oracle Net.

target database

A database containing the control files, datafiles, and optional archived redo logs
that RMAN backs up or restores. RMAN uses the target database control file to
gather metadata about the target database and to store information about its own
operations. The work of backup and recovery is performed by server sessions
running on the target database.

recovery catalog database

A database containing a recovery catalog, which contains metadata that RMAN
uses to perform backup and recovery. You can create one recovery catalog that
contains the RMAN metadata for multiple target databases. Unless you are using
RMAN with a physical standby database, a recovery catalog is optional when
using RMAN because RMAN stores its metadata in the control file of each target
database.

recovery catalog schema

The user within the recovery catalog database that owns the metadata tables
maintained by RMAN. RMAN periodically propagates metadata from the target
database control file into the recovery catalog.

Recovery Manager Architecture 3-1

About the RMAN Environment

Table 3–1 (Cont.) Components of the RMAN Environment
Component

Description

physical standby database

A copy of the primary database that is updated with archived redo logs generated
by the primary database. A physical standby database has the same DBID and DB_
NAME values as the primary database, but a different DB_UNIQUE_NAME. You can fail
over to the standby database if the primary database becomes inaccessible.
RMAN can create, back up, or recover a standby database. Backups that you make
at a standby database are usable at primary database or another standby database
for same production database. The recovery catalog is required when you use
RMAN in the Data Guard environment.
Note: A logical standby database is treated as a separate database by RMAN
because it has a different DBID from its primary database.
See Also: Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how to use RMAN
in a Data Guard environment

duplicate database

A copy of the primary database that you can use for testing purposes. The DBID is
different from the database from which it was created.

fast recovery area

A disk location that you can use to store recovery-related files such as control file
and online redo log copies, archived redo logs, flashback logs, and RMAN
backups. Oracle Database and RMAN manage the files in the fast recovery area
automatically.

media manager

A vendor-specific application that enables RMAN to back up to a storage system
such as tape

media management catalog A vendor-specific repository of metadata about a media management application
Oracle Enterprise Manager

A browser-based interface to the database, including backup and recovery through
RMAN

The only required components in an RMAN environment are a target database and
RMAN client, but most real-world configurations are more complicated. For example,
you use an RMAN client connecting to multiple media managers and multiple target
databases and auxiliary databases, all accessed through Enterprise Manager.
Figure 3–1 illustrates components in a possible RMAN environment. The figure shows
that the primary database, standby database, and recovery catalog databases all reside
on different computers. The primary and standby database hosts use a locally attached
tape drive. The RMAN client and Enterprise Manager console run on a separate
computer.

3-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

RMAN Channels

Figure 3–1 Sample RMAN Environment

See Also: Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide to learn
about Oracle Net

RMAN Command-Line Client
Use the RMAN command-line client to enter commands that you can use to manage
all aspects of backup and recovery operations. RMAN uses a command language
interpreter that can execute commands in interactive or batch mode. Even when you
use the backup and recovery features in Enterprise Manager that are built on top of
RMAN, an RMAN client executes behind the scenes.

RMAN Channels
The RMAN client directs database server sessions to perform all backup and recovery
tasks. What constitutes a session depends on the operating system. For example, on
Linux, a server session corresponds to a server process, whereas on Windows it
corresponds to a thread within the database service.
The RMAN client itself does not perform backup, restore, or recovery operations.
When you connect the RMAN client to a target database, RMAN allocates server
sessions on the target instance and directs them to perform the operations.
An RMAN channel represents one stream of data to a device, and corresponds to one
database server session. The channel reads data into PGA memory, processes it, and

Recovery Manager Architecture 3-3

RMAN Channels

writes it to the output device. See "Basic Concepts of RMAN Performance Tuning" on
page 22-1 for a low-level description of how channels work.
Most RMAN commands are executed by channels, which must be either configured to
persist across RMAN sessions, or manually allocated in each RMAN session. As
illustrated in Figure 3–2, a channel establishes a connection from the RMAN client to a
target or auxiliary database instance by starting a server session on the instance.
Figure 3–2 Channel Allocation

Disk

Server
session

channel ch1

Recovery Manager

Oracle
Target
Recovery
database
Catalog

Channels and Devices
The RMAN-supported device types are disk and SBT (system backup to tape). An SBT
device is controlled by a third-party media manager. Typically, SBT devices are tape
libraries and tape drives.
If you use a disk channel for a backup, then the channel creates the backup on disk in
the file name space of the target database instance creating the backup. You can make a
backup on any device that can store a data file. RMAN does not call a media manager
when making disk backups.
To create backups on nondisk media, you must use media management software such
as Oracle Secure Backup and allocate channels supported by this software. RMAN
contacts the media manager whenever the channel type allocated is not disk. How and
when the SBT channels cause the media manager to allocate resources is
vendor-specific. Some media managers allocate resources when you issue the
command; others do not allocate resources until you open a file for reading or writing.
See Also: "Configuring the Default Device for Backups: Disk or SBT"
on page 5-3

Automatic and Manual Channels
You can use the CONFIGURE CHANNEL command to configure channels for use with disk
or tape across RMAN sessions. This technique is known as automatic channel
allocation. RMAN comes preconfigured with one DISK channel that you can use for
backups to disk.
When you run a command that can use automatic channels, RMAN automatically
allocates the channels with the options that you specified in the CONFIGURE command.
For the BACKUP command, RMAN allocates only the type of channel required to back
up to the specified media. For the RESTORE command and RMAN maintenance

3-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

RMAN Repository

commands, RMAN allocates all necessary channels for the device types required to
execute the command. RMAN determines the names for automatic channels.
You can also manually allocate channels. Each manually allocated channel uses a
separate connection to the database. When you manually allocate a channel, you give
it a user-defined name such as dev1 or ch2.
The number of channels available for use with a device when you run a command
determines whether RMAN reads from or write to this device in parallel while
performing the command. When the work is done in parallel, the backup of the files is
done by multiple channels. Each channel may back up multiple files, but unless a
multisection backup is performed, no file is backed up by more than one channel.
See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for ALLOCATE
CHANNEL syntax
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference on ALLOCATE
CHANNEL FOR MAINTENANCE
"Configuring Channels for Disk" on page 5-5 and "Configuring
SBT Channels for Use with a Media Manager" on page 5-13

RMAN Repository
The RMAN repository is the collection of metadata about the target databases that
RMAN uses for backup, recovery, and maintenance. RMAN always stores its metadata
in the control file. The version of this metadata in the control file is the authoritative
record of RMAN backups of your database. This is one reason why protecting your
control file is an important part of your backup strategy. RMAN can conduct all
necessary backup and recovery operations using just the control file to store the
RMAN repository information, and maintains all records necessary to meet your
configured retention policy.
You can also create a recovery catalog, which is a repository of RMAN metadata
stored in an Oracle database schema. The control file has finite space for records of
backup activities, whereas a recovery catalog can store a much longer history. You can
simplify backup and recovery administration by creating a single recovery catalog that
contains the RMAN metadata for all of your databases.
The owner of a recovery catalog can grant or revoke restricted access to the catalog to
other database users. Each restricted user has full read/write access to his own
metadata, which is called a virtual private catalog. When one or more virtual private
catalogs exist in a database, the database contains just one set of catalog tables. These
tables are owned by the base recovery catalog owner. The owner of the base recovery
catalog controls which databases each virtual private catalog user can access.
Some RMAN features only function when you use a recovery catalog. For example,
you can create a stored script in the recovery catalog and use this script to execute
RMAN jobs. Other RMAN commands are specifically related to managing the
recovery catalog and so are not available (and not needed) if RMAN is not connected
to a recovery catalog.
The recovery catalog is maintained solely by RMAN. A target database instance never
accesses the catalog directly. RMAN propagates information about the database
structure, archived redo logs, backup sets, and data file copies into the recovery
catalog from the target database control file after any operation that updates the
repository, and also before certain operations.

Recovery Manager Architecture 3-5

Media Management

See Also: Chapter 12, "Maintaining RMAN Backups and
Repository Records" and Chapter 13, "Managing a Recovery
Catalog"

Media Management
The Oracle Media Management Layer (MML) API lets third-party vendors build a
media manager, software that works with RMAN and the vendor's hardware to allow
backups to sequential media devices such as tape drives. A media manager handles
loading, unloading, and labeling of sequential media such as tapes. You must install
media manager software to use RMAN with sequential media devices.
When backing up or restoring, the RMAN client connects to a target database instance
and directs the instance to send requests to its media manager. No direct
communication occurs between the RMAN client and the media manager.

RMAN Interaction with a Media Manager
Before performing backup or restore to a media manager, you must allocate one or
more channels to handle the communication with the media manager. You can also
configure default channels for the media manager. The default channels are used for
all backup and recovery tasks that employ the media manager and for which you have
not explicitly allocated channels.
RMAN does not issue specific commands to load, label, or unload tapes. When
backing up, RMAN gives the media manager a stream of bytes and associates a unique
name with this stream. When RMAN must restore the backup, it asks the media
manager to retrieve the byte stream. All details of how and where that stream is stored
are handled entirely by the media manager. For example, the media manager labels
and keeps track of the tape and names of files on each tape, and automatically loads
and unloads tapes, or signals an operator to do so.
Some media managers support proxy copy functionality, in which they handle the
entire data movement between data files and the backup devices. These products may
use technologies such as high-speed connections between storage and media
subsystems to reduce the load on the primary database server. RMAN provides a list
of files requiring backup or restore to the media manager, which in turn makes all
decisions regarding how and when to move the data.
See Also: "Configuring SBT Channels for Use with a Media
Manager" on page 5-13

Oracle Secure Backup
Oracle Secure Backup is a media manager that provides reliable and secure data
protection through file system backup to tape. All major tape drives and tape libraries
in SAN, Gigabit Ethernet, and SCSI environments are supported.
Although Oracle Secure Backup has no specialized knowledge of database backup and
recovery algorithms, it can serve as a media management layer for RMAN through the
SBT interface. In this capacity, Oracle Secure Backup provides the same services for
RMAN as other supported third-party SBT libraries. Oracle Secure Backup has some
features, however, that are not available in other media managers.
See Also: Oracle Secure Backup Administrator's Guide to learn how to
use Oracle Secure Backup

3-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

RMAN in a Data Guard Environment

Backup Solutions Program
The Oracle Backup Solutions Program (BSP), part of the Oracle PartnerNetwork, is a
group of media manager vendors whose products are compliant with Oracle's MML
specification. Several products may be available for your platform from media
management vendors. For more information, contact your Oracle representative for a
list of available products, contact individual vendors to ask them if they participate, or
access the Backup Solutions Program website at:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/features/availability/bsp-08881
4.html
Oracle does not certify media manager vendors for compatibility with RMAN.
Questions about availability, version compatibility, and functionality can only be
answered by the media manager vendor, not Oracle.

Fast Recovery Area
The components that create different backup and recovery-related files have no
knowledge of each other or of the size of the file systems where they store their data.
With automatic disk-based backup and recovery, you can create a fast recovery area
(also called the recovery area), which automates management of backup-related files.
A fast recovery area minimizes the need to manually manage disk space for
backup-related files and balance the use of space among the different types of files. In
this way, a fast recovery area simplifies the ongoing administration of your database.
Oracle recommends that you enable a recovery area to simplify backup management.
When you create a recovery area, you choose a location on disk and set an upper
bound for storage space. You also set a backup retention policy that governs how long
backup files are needed for recovery. The database manages the storage used for
backups, archived redo logs, and other recovery-related files for the database within
this space. Files no longer needed are eligible for deletion when RMAN must reclaim
space for new files.
See Also: "Configuring the Fast Recovery Area" on page 5-14 to
learn about the fast recovery area and how to configure it

RMAN in a Data Guard Environment
When using RMAN in a Data Guard environment, a recovery catalog is required. The
recovery catalog can store the metadata for all primary and standby databases.
A database in a Data Guard environment is uniquely identified by the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
parameter in the initialization parameter file. For RMAN to work correctly in a Data
Guard environment, the DB_UNIQUE_NAME must be unique across all the databases with
the same DBID.
See Also: Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how
to use RMAN in a Data Guard environment

RMAN Configuration in a Data Guard Environment
To simplify ongoing use of RMAN for backup and recovery, you can set some
persistent configuration settings for each primary and physical standby database in a
Data Guard environment. These settings control many aspects of RMAN behavior. For
example, you can configure the backup retention policy, default destinations for
backups to tape or disk, default backup device type, and so on.

Recovery Manager Architecture 3-7

RMAN in a Data Guard Environment

You can use the CONFIGURE command with the FOR DB_UNIQUE_NAME clause to create a
persistent configuration for a database in a Data Guard environment without
connecting to the standby database or primary database as TARGET. For example, you
connect RMAN to the recovery catalog, run the SET DBID command, and then can
create a configuration for a physical standby database before its creation so that the
RMAN configuration applies when the database is created.
RMAN updates the control file of the database when connected to it as TARGET during
a recovery catalog resynchronization. If you use FOR DB_UNIQUE_NAME for a database
without being connected as TARGET to this database, however, then RMAN changes
configurations in the recovery catalog only.
See Also:

"Configuring RMAN in a Data Guard Environment" on

page 5-29

RMAN File Management in a Data Guard Environment
RMAN uses a recovery catalog to track file names for all database files in a Data Guard
environment. The catalog also records where the online redo log files, standby redo log
files, temp files, archived redo log files, backup sets, and image copies are created.

Interchangeability of Backups in a Data Guard Environment
RMAN commands use the recovery catalog metadata to function transparently across
different physical databases in the Data Guard environment. For example, you can
back up a tablespace on a physical standby database and restore and recover it on the
primary database. Similarly, you can back up a tablespace on a primary database and
restore and recover it on a physical standby database.
Backups of logical standby databases are not usable at the
primary database.

Note:

Backups of standby control files and nonstandby control files are interchangeable. For
example, you can restore a standby control file on a primary database and a primary
control file on a physical standby database. This interchangeability means that you can
offload control file backups to one database in a Data Guard environment. RMAN
automatically updates the file names for database files during restore and recovery at
the databases.

Association of Backups in a Data Guard Environment
The recovery catalog tracks the files in the Data Guard environment by associating
every database file or backup file with a DB_UNIQUE_NAME. The database that creates a
file is associated with the file. For example, if RMAN backs up the database with the
unique name of standby1, then standby1 is associated with this backup. A backup
remains associated with the database that created it unless you use the CHANGE
...RESET DB_UNIQUE_NAME command to associate the backup with a different
database.

Accessibility of Backups in a Data Guard Environment
The accessibility of a backup is different from its association. In a Data Guard
environment, the recovery catalog considers disk backups as accessible only to the
database with which they are associated, whereas tape backups created on one
database are accessible to all databases. If a backup file is not associated with any
database, then the row describing it in the recovery catalog view shows null for the

3-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

RMAN in a Data Guard Environment

SITE_KEY column. By default, RMAN associates a file whose SITE_KEY is null with the
database to which they are connected as TARGET.
RMAN commands such as BACKUP, RESTORE, and CROSSCHECK work on any accessible
backup. For example, for a RECOVER COPY operation, RMAN considers only image
copies that are associated with the database as eligible to be recovered. RMAN
considers the incremental backups on disk and tape as eligible to recover the image
copies. In a database recovery, RMAN considers only the disk backups associated with
the database and all files on tape as eligible to be restored.
To illustrate the differences in backup accessibility, assume that databases PROD and
STANDBY1 reside on different hosts. RMAN backs up data file 1 on PROD to
/prmhost/disk1/df1.dbf on the production host and also to tape. RMAN backs up
data file 1 on STANDBY1 to /sbyhost/disk2/df1.dbf on the standby host and also to
tape. If RMAN is connected to database prod, then you cannot use RMAN commands
to perform operations with the /sbyhost/disk2/df1.dbf backup located on the
standby host. However, RMAN does consider the tape backup made on STANDBY1 as
eligible to be restored.
You can transfer a backup from a standby host to a primary
host or vice versa, connect as TARGET to the database on this host, and
then use the CATALOG command to catalog the backup. After a file is
cataloged by the target database, the file is associated with the target
database.

Note:

See Also:
■

■

■

■

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how to
perform RMAN backup and recovery in a Data Guard
environment
"Maintenance Commands in a Data Guard Environment" on
page 12-2
Chapter 13, "Managing a Recovery Catalog" to learn how to
manage a recovery catalog in a Data Guard environment
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for CONFIGURE
syntax

Recovery Manager Architecture 3-9

RMAN in a Data Guard Environment

3-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

4
4

Starting and Interacting with the RMAN Client
This chapter explains how to start the RMAN command-line interface and make
database connections. This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Starting and Exiting RMAN

■

Specifying the Location of RMAN Output

■

Setting Globalization Support Environment Variables for RMAN

■

Entering RMAN Commands

■

Making Database Connections with RMAN

■

Using the RMAN Pipe Interface

Starting and Exiting RMAN
The RMAN executable is automatically installed with the database and is typically
located in the same directory as the other database executables. For example, the
RMAN client on Linux is located in $ORACLE_HOME/bin. You have the following basic
options for starting RMAN:
■

Start the RMAN executable at the operating system command line without
specifying any connection options, as in the following example:
% rman

■

Start the RMAN executable at the operating system command line while
connecting to a target database and, possibly, to a recovery catalog, as in the
following examples:
% rman TARGET /
% rman TARGET SYS@prod NOCATALOG
% rman TARGET / CATALOG rco@catdb

# operating system authentication
# RMAN prompts for SYS password
# RMAN prompts for rco password

Most RMAN commands require that RMAN connect to at least
a target database to perform useful work. See "Making Database
Connections with RMAN" on page 4-7 for more details about
connecting RMAN to different types of databases.

Note:

To quit RMAN and terminate the program, enter EXIT or QUIT at the RMAN prompt:
RMAN> EXIT

Starting and Interacting with the RMAN Client

4-1

Specifying the Location of RMAN Output

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for RMAN
command-line syntax

Specifying the Location of RMAN Output
By default, RMAN writes command output to standard output. To redirect output to a
log file, enter the LOG parameter on the command line when starting RMAN, as in the
following example:
% rman LOG /tmp/rman.log

In this case, RMAN displays command input but does not display the RMAN output.
The easiest way to send RMAN output both to a log file and to standard output is to
use the Linux tee command or its equivalent. For example, the following technique
enables both input and output to be visible in the RMAN command-line interface:
% rman | tee rman.log
RMAN>

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn
about RMAN command-line options

Setting Globalization Support Environment Variables for RMAN
Before invoking RMAN, it may be useful to set the NLS_DATE_FORMAT and NLS_LANG
environment variables. These variables determine the format used for the time
parameters in RMAN commands such as RESTORE, RECOVER, and REPORT.
The following example shows typical language and date format settings:
NLS_LANG=american
NLS_DATE_FORMAT='Mon DD YYYY HH24:MI:SS'

If you are going to use RMAN to connect to an unmounted database and mount the
database later while RMAN is still connected, then set the NLS_LANG environment
variable so that it also specifies the character set used by the database.
A database that is not mounted assumes the default character set, which is US7ASCII. If
your character set is different from the default, then RMAN returns errors after the
database is mounted. For example, if the character set is WE8DEC, then to avoid errors,
you can set the NLS_LANG variable as follows:
NLS_LANG=american_america.we8dec

In order for the environment variable NLS_DATE_FORMAT to be applied and override the
defaults set for the server in the server initialization file, the environment variable NLS_
LANG must also be set.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the NLS_
LANG and NLS_DATE_FORMAT parameters
Oracle Database Globalization Support Guide

Entering RMAN Commands
You can enter RMAN commands either directly from the RMAN prompt or read them
in from a text file.

4-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Entering RMAN Commands

This section contains the following topics:
■

Entering RMAN Commands at the RMAN Prompt

■

Using Command Files with RMAN

■

Entering Comments in RMAN Command Files

■

Using Substitution Variables in Command Files

■

Checking RMAN Syntax

Entering RMAN Commands at the RMAN Prompt
When the RMAN client is ready for your commands, it displays the command prompt,
as in this example:
RMAN>

Enter commands for RMAN to execute. For example:
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET
RMAN> BACKUP DATABASE;

Most RMAN commands take some parameters and must end with a semicolon. Some
commands, such as STARTUP, SHUTDOWN, and CONNECT, can be used with or without a
semicolon.
When you enter a line of text that is not a complete command, RMAN prompts for
continuation input with a line number. For example:
RMAN> BACKUP DATABASE
2> INCLUDE CURRENT
3> CONTROLFILE
4> ;

Using Command Files with RMAN
For repetitive tasks, you can create a text file containing RMAN commands, and start
the RMAN client with the @ argument, followed by a file name. For example, create a
text file cmdfile1 in the current directory containing one line of text as shown here:
BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;

You can run this command file from the command line as shown in this example, and
the command contained in it is executed:
% rman TARGET / @cmdfile1

After the command completes, RMAN exits.
You can also use the @ command at the RMAN command prompt to execute the
contents of a command file during an RMAN session. RMAN reads the file and
executes the commands in it. For example:
RMAN> @cmdfile1

After the command file contents have been executed, RMAN displays the following
message:
RMAN>

**end-of-file**

Unlike the case where a command file is executed from the operating system
command line, RMAN does not exit.
Starting and Interacting with the RMAN Client

4-3

Entering RMAN Commands

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for RMAN
command-line syntax

Entering Comments in RMAN Command Files
The comment character in RMAN is a pound sign (#). All text from the pound sign to
the end of the line is ignored. For example, the following command file contents backs
up the database and archived redo log files and includes comments:
# Command file name: mybackup.rman
# The following command backs up the database
BACKUP DATABASE;
# The following command backs up the archived redo logs
BACKUP ARCHIVELOG ALL;

The following example shows that you can break a single RMAN command across
multiple lines:
RMAN> BACKUP # this is a comment
2> SPFILE;
Starting backup at 30-APR-07
allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1
.
.
.

Using Substitution Variables in Command Files
When running a command file, you can specify one or more values in a USING clause
for use in substitution variables in a command file. In this way, you can make your
command files dynamic.
As in SQL*Plus, &1 indicates where to place the first value, &2 where to place the
second value, and so on. The substitution variable syntax is &integer followed by an
optional period, for example, &1.3. The optional period is part of the variable and
replaced with the value, thus enabling the substitution text to be immediately followed
by another integer. For example, if you pass the value mybackup to a command file
containing the variable &1.3, then the result of the substitution is mybackup3.
The following procedure explains how to create and use a dynamic shell script that
calls a command file containing substitution variables.
To create and use a dynamic shell script:
1. Create an RMAN command file that uses substitution variables.
The following example shows the contents of a command file named quarterly_
backup.cmd, which is run every quarter. The script uses substitution variables for
the name of the tape set, for a string in the FORMAT specification, and for the name
of the restore point to be created.
# quarterly_backup.cmd
CONNECT TARGET /
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1
DEVICE TYPE sbt
PARMS 'ENV=(OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=&1)';
BACKUP DATABASE
TAG &2

4-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Entering RMAN Commands

FORMAT '/disk2/bck/&1%U.bck'
KEEP FOREVER
RESTORE POINT &3;
}
EXIT;
2.

Create a shell script that you can use to run the RMAN command file created in
the previous step.
The following example creates a shell script named runbackup.sh. The example
creates shell variables for the format and restore point name and accepts the
values for these variables as command-line arguments to the script.
#!/bin/tcsh
# name: runbackup.sh
# usage: use the tag name and number of copies as arguments
set media_family = $argv[1]
set format = $argv[2]
set restore_point = $argv[3]
rman @'/disk1/scripts/whole_db.cmd' USING $media_family $format $restore_point

3.

Execute the shell script created in the previous step, specifying the desired
arguments on the command line.
The following example runs the runbackup.sh shell script and passes it archival_
backup as the media family name, bck0906 as the format string, and FY06Q3 as the
restore point name.
% runbackup.sh archival_backup bck0906 FY06Q3

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for @
syntax

Checking RMAN Syntax
You may want to test RMAN commands for syntactic correctness without executing
them. Use the command-line argument CHECKSYNTAX to start the RMAN client in a
mode in which it only parses the commands that you enter and returns an RMAN-00558
error for commands that are not legal RMAN syntax.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn
about the CHECKSYNTAX command-line option

Checking RMAN Syntax at the Command Line
You can check the syntax of RMAN commands interactively without actually
executing the commands.
To check RMAN syntax at the command line:
1. Start RMAN with the CHECKSYNTAX parameter.
For example, enter the following commands:
% rman CHECKSYNTAX
2.

Enter the RMAN commands to be tested.
The following shows a sample interactive session, with user-entered text in bold.
RMAN> run [ backup database; ]

Starting and Interacting with the RMAN Client

4-5

Entering RMAN Commands

RMAN-00571:
RMAN-00569:
RMAN-00571:
RMAN-00558:
RMAN-01006:

===========================================================
=============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
===========================================================
error encountered while parsing input commands
error signaled during parse

RMAN-02001: unrecognized punctuation symbol "["
RMAN> run { backup database; }
The command has no syntax errors
RMAN>

Checking RMAN Syntax in Command Files
To test commands in a command file, start RMAN with the CHECKSYNTAX parameter
and use the @ command to name the command file to be passed.
To test commands in a command file:
1. Use a text editor to create a command file.
Assume that you create the /tmp/goodcmdfile with the following contents:
# command file with legal syntax
RESTORE DATABASE;
RECOVER DATABASE;

Assume that you create another command file, /tmp/badcmdfile, with the
following contents:
# command file with bad syntax commands
RESTORE DATABASE
RECOVER DATABASE
2.

Run the command file from the RMAN prompt in the following format, where
filename is the name of the command file:
% rman CHECKSYNTAX @filename

The following example shows the output when you run /tmp/goodcmdfile with
CHECKSYNTAX:
RMAN> # command file with legal syntax
2> restore database;
3> recover database;
4>
The cmdfile has no syntax errors
Recovery Manager complete.

In contrast, the following example shows the output when you run
/tmp/badcmdfile with CHECKSYNTAX:
RMAN> #command file with syntax error
2> restore database
3> recover
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00558: error encountered while parsing input commands
RMAN-01005: syntax error: found "recover": expecting one of: "archivelog,
4-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making Database Connections with RMAN

channel, check, controlfile, clone, database, datafile, device,
from, force, high, (, preview, ;, skip, spfile, standby, tablespace,
until, validate"
RMAN-01007: at line 3 column 1 file: /tmp/badcmdfile

As explained in "Using Substitution Variables in Command Files" on page 4-4, you
make your command files dynamic by including substitution variables. When you
check the syntax of a command file that contains substitution variables, RMAN
prompts you to enter values. Example 4–1 illustrates what happens you enter invalid
values when checking the syntax of a dynamic command file. The text in bold
indicates text entered as the prompt.
Example 4–1 Checking the Syntax of a Command File with Bad Syntax
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET *
2> BACKUP TAG
Enter value for 1: mybackup
abc COPIES
Enter value for 2: mybackup
abc
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00558: error encountered while parsing input commands
RMAN-01009: syntax error: found "identifier": expecting one of: "integer"
RMAN-01008: the bad identifier was: mybackup
RMAN-01007: at line 2 column 25 file: /tmp/whole_db.cmd

RMAN indicates a syntax error because the string mybackup is not a valid argument for
COPIES.

Making Database Connections with RMAN
This section explains how to connect the RMAN client to target databases. It contains
the following topics:
■

About RMAN Database Connections

■

Connecting RMAN to an Auxiliary Database

■

Making RMAN Database Connections Within Command Files

■

Diagnosing RMAN Connection Problems

About RMAN Database Connections
To perform useful work, the RMAN client must connect to a database. The following
table describes the types of database connections that you can make with RMAN.
Table 4–1

Overview of RMAN Database Connections

Type of Database
Connection

Keyword

Description

target database

TARGET

A database to be backed up or restored by RMAN

recovery catalog
database

CATALOG

A database that provides an optional backup store for
the RMAN repository in addition to the control file.

Starting and Interacting with the RMAN Client

4-7

Making Database Connections with RMAN

Table 4–1 (Cont.) Overview of RMAN Database Connections
Type of Database
Connection
auxiliary instance or
auxiliary database

Keyword

Description

AUXILIARY

A physical standby database, or a database instance
created for performing a specific task such as creating
a duplicate database, transporting tablespaces, or
performing tablespace point-in-time recovery
(TSPITR).
For many tasks that use an auxiliary database, RMAN
creates an automatic auxiliary instance for use during
the task, connects to it, performs the task, and then
destroys it when the task is completed. You do not
give any explicit command to connect to automatic
auxiliary instances.

Authentication for RMAN Database Connections
RMAN connections to a database are specified and authenticated in the same way as
SQL*Plus connections to a database. The only difference is that RMAN connections to
a target or auxiliary database require the SYSDBA privilege. The AS SYSDBA keywords
are implied for target and auxiliary connections and cannot be explicitly specified.
A SYSDBA privilege is not required when connecting to the recovery catalog. You must
grant the RECOVERY_CATALOG_OWNER role to the catalog schema owner.
See Also: Oracle Database Administrator's Guide to learn about
database connection options when using SQL*Plus

Authentication for RMAN Database Connections Using the Operating System To connect to a
database using operating system authentication, you must set the environment
variable specifying the Oracle SID. For example, to set the SID to prod in some UNIX
shells, you would enter:
% ORACLE_SID=prod; export ORACLE_SID

A special operating system groups controls SYSDBA connections when using operating
system authentication. This group is generically referred to as OSDBA. The group is
created and assigned a specific name as part of the database installation process. The
specific name varies depending upon your operating system.
If the current operating system user is a member of the OSDBA group, and if the
Oracle SID is set, then RMAN can connect to this database with SYSDBA privileges as
follows:
% rman TARGET /

Authentication for RMAN Database Connections Using a Password File If a database uses a
password file, then RMAN can use a password to connect to this database. Use a
password file for either local or remote access. You must use a password file if you are
connecting remotely as SYSDBA with a net service name.
Caution: Good security practice requires that passwords should not
be entered in plain text on the command line. You should enter
passwords in RMAN only when requested by an RMAN prompt. See
Oracle Database Security Guide to learn about password protection.

You can start RMAN without a password in the connect string, as in this example:

4-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making Database Connections with RMAN

% rman TARGET SYS@prod
target database Password: password
connected to target database: PROD1 (DBID=39525561)

RMAN prompts for a password and does not echo the characters.

Making RMAN Database Connections from the Operating System Command Line
To connect to a target database from the operating system command line, enter the
rman command followed by the connection information. You can begin executing
commands after the RMAN prompt is displayed.
In the examples in this chapter, the generic values have the meanings shown in
Table 4–2.
Table 4–2

Values in Examples

Value Used in Example

Meaning

SYS

User with SYSDBA privileges

prod

The net service name for the target database

rco

User that owns the recovery catalog schema. This is a user
defined in the recovery catalog database that has been granted
the RECOVERY_CATALOG_OWNER role.

catdb

The net service name for the recovery catalog database

aux

The net service name for an auxiliary instance

Example 4–2 illustrates a connection to a target database that uses operating system
authentication. The NOCATALOG option indicates that a recovery catalog is not used in
the session.
Example 4–2 Connecting to a Target Database from the System Prompt
% rman TARGET / NOCATALOG
connected to target database: PROD (DBID=39525561)
using target database control file instead of recovery catalog
RMAN>

Example 4–3 illustrates a connection to a target database that uses Oracle Net
authentication. RMAN prompts for the password.
Example 4–3 Connecting to a Target Database from the System Prompt
% rman TARGET SYS@prod NOCATALOG
target database Password: password
connected to target database: PROD (DBID=39525561)
RMAN>

Use the CATALOG keyword to connect to a recovery catalog. Example 4–4 illustrates a
connection that uses Oracle Net authentication for the target and recovery catalog
databases. In both cases RMAN prompts for a password.

Starting and Interacting with the RMAN Client

4-9

Making Database Connections with RMAN

Example 4–4 Connecting to Target and Catalog Databases from the System Prompt
% rman TARGET SYS@prod CATALOG rco@catdb
target database Password: password
connected to target database: PROD (DBID=39525561)
recovery catalog database Password: password
connected to recovery catalog database
RMAN>

You can also start RMAN without specifying NOCATALOG or CATALOG. If you do not
specify NOCATALOG on the command line, and if you do not specify CONNECT CATALOG
after RMAN has started, then RMAN defaults to NOCATALOG mode the first time that
you run a command that requires the use of the RMAN repository.
After you have executed a command that uses the RMAN
repository in NOCATALOG mode, you must exit and restart RMAN to be
able to connect to a recovery catalog.
Note:

If you connect to the target database on the operating system command line, then you
can begin executing commands after the RMAN prompt is displayed.

Making Database Connections from the RMAN Prompt
If you start RMAN without connecting to a target database, then you must issue a
CONNECT TARGET command at the RMAN prompt to connect to a target database and
begin performing useful work.
To make a database connection from the RMAN prompt:
1. On the operating system command line, start the RMAN client without making a
database connection. For example, enter rman as follows:
% rman
RMAN>
2.

At the RMAN prompt, enter one or more CONNECT commands.
The following example connects to a target database using operating system
authentication:
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET /

The following alternative example connects to a target database and then a
recovery catalog. The target connection uses operating system authentication,
whereas the catalog database connection uses Oracle Net authentication. RMAN
prompts for the password of the recovery catalog user.
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET /
RMAN> CONNECT CATALOG rco@catdb
recovery catalog database Password: password
connected to recovery catalog database

The following example connects to a target database with database-level
credentials. RMAN prompts for the SYS password.
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET SYS@prod

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Making Database Connections with RMAN

target database Password: password
connected to target database: PROD (DBID=39525561)

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn
about the CONNECT command

Connecting RMAN to an Auxiliary Database
To use the DUPLICATE command, you must connect to an auxiliary instance. To
perform RMAN tablespace point-in-time recovery (TSPITR), you may also need to
connect to an auxiliary instance.
When you use the DUPLICATE ... FROM ACTIVE DATABASE
command, a net service name is required. See "Step 5: Creating an
Initialization Parameter File and Starting the Auxiliary Instance" on
page 24-12 for more details.

Note:

The form of an auxiliary connection is identical to a target database connection, except
that you use the AUXILIARY keyword instead of the TARGET keyword. Example 4–5
connects to a target database and auxiliary instance from the RMAN prompt.
Example 4–5 Connecting to the Target and Auxiliary Databases from the RMAN Prompt
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET /
RMAN> CONNECT AUXILIARY SYS@aux
auxiliary database Password: password
connected to auxiliary database: PROD (DBID=30472568)

See Also:
■

■

Chapter 24, "Duplicating a Database" for more details on using
the DUPLICATE command
Chapter 21, "Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time
Recovery (TSPITR)" for more details on performing TSPITR

Making RMAN Database Connections Within Command Files
If you create an RMAN command file which uses a CONNECT command with database
level credentials (user name and password), then anyone with read access to this file
can learn the password. There is no secure way to incorporate a CONNECT string with a
password into a command file.
If you create an RMAN command file which uses a CONNECT command, then RMAN
does not echo the connect string when you run the command file with the @ command.
This behavior prevents connect strings from appearing in any log files that contain
RMAN output. For example, suppose you create a command file listbkup.rman as
follows:
cat > listbkup.rman << EOF
CONNECT TARGET /
LIST BACKUP;
EOF

Starting and Interacting with the RMAN Client

4-11

Using the RMAN Pipe Interface

You execute this script by running RMAN with the @ command line option as follows:
% rman @listbkup.rman

When the command file executes, RMAN replaces the connection string with an
asterisk, as shown in the following output:
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET *
2> LIST BACKUP;
3>
connected to target database: RDBMS (DBID=771530996)
using target database control file instead of recovery catalog
List of Backup Sets
===================
. . .

Diagnosing RMAN Connection Problems
When diagnosing errors RMAN encounters in connecting to the target, catalog and
auxiliary databases, using SQL*Plus to connect to the databases directly can reveal
underlying problems with the connection information or the databases.

Diagnosing Target and Auxiliary Database Connection Problems
RMAN always connects to target and auxiliary databases using the SYSDBA privilege.
Thus, when using SQL*Plus to diagnose connection problems to the target or auxiliary
databases, request a SYSDBA connection to reproduce RMAN behavior.
For example, suppose that the following RMAN command encountered connection
errors:
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET /

You reproduce the preceding connection attempt with the SQL*Plus command as
follows:
SQL> CONNECT / AS SYSDBA

Diagnosing Recovery Catalog Connection Problems
When RMAN connects to the recovery catalog database, it does not use the SYSDBA
privilege. So, when you are using SQL*Plus to diagnose connection problems to the
recovery catalog database, you must enter the database connect string exactly as it was
entered into RMAN. Do not specify AS SYSDBA.

Using the RMAN Pipe Interface
The RMAN pipe interface is an alternative method for issuing commands to RMAN
and receiving the output from those commands. With this interface, RMAN obtains
commands and sends output by using the DBMS_PIPE PL/SQL package instead of the
operating system shell. Using this interface, it is possible to write a portable
programmatic interface to RMAN.
The pipe interface is invoked by using the PIPE command-line parameter for the
RMAN client. RMAN uses two private pipes: one for receiving commands and the
other for sending output. The names of the pipes are derived from the value of the
PIPE parameter. For example, you can invoke RMAN with the following command:
% rman PIPE abc TARGET /
4-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Using the RMAN Pipe Interface

RMAN opens the two pipes in the target database: ORA$RMAN_ABC_IN, which RMAN
uses to receive user commands, and ORA$RMAN_ABC_OUT, which RMAN uses to send all
output back to RMAN. All messages on both the input and output pipes are of type
VARCHAR2.
RMAN does not permit the pipe interface to be used with public pipes, because they
are a potential security problem. With a public pipe, any user who knows the name of
the pipe can send commands to RMAN and intercept its output.
If the pipes are not initialized, then RMAN creates them as private pipes. If you want
to put commands on the input pipe before starting RMAN, you must first create the
pipe by calling DBMS_PIPE.CREATE_PIPE. Whenever a pipe is not explicitly created as a
private pipe, the first access to the pipe automatically creates it as a public pipe, and
RMAN returns an error if it is told to use a public pipe.
If multiple RMAN sessions can run against the target
database, then you must use unique pipe names for each RMAN
session. The DBMS_PIPE.UNIQUE_SESSION_NAME function is one
method that you can use to generate unique pipe names.

Note:

Executing Multiple RMAN Commands in Succession Through a Pipe: Example
This scenario assumes that the application controlling RMAN wants to run multiple
commands in succession. After each command is sent down the pipe and executed
and the output returned, RMAN pauses and waits for the next command.
To execute RMAN commands through a pipe:
1. Start RMAN by connecting to a target database (required) and specifying the PIPE
option. For example, issue:
% rman PIPE abc TARGET /

You can also specify the TIMEOUT option, which forces RMAN to exit automatically
if it does not receive any input from the input pipe in the specified number of
seconds. For example, enter:
% rman PIPE abc TARGET / TIMEOUT 60
2.

Connect to the target database and put the desired commands on the input pipe
by using DBMS_PIPE.PACK_MESSAGE and DBMS_PIPE.SEND_MESSAGE. In pipe mode,
RMAN issues message RMAN-00572 when it is ready to accept input instead of
displaying the standard RMAN prompt.

3.

Read the RMAN output from the output pipe by using DBMS_PIPE.RECEIVE_
MESSAGE and DBMS_PIPE.UNPACK_MESSAGE.

4.

Repeat Steps 2 and 3 to execute further commands with the same RMAN instance
that was started in Step 1.

5.

If you used the TIMEOUT option when starting RMAN, then RMAN terminates
automatically after not receiving any input for the specified length of time. To
force RMAN to terminate immediately, send the EXIT command.

Starting and Interacting with the RMAN Client

4-13

Using the RMAN Pipe Interface

Executing RMAN Commands in a Single Job Through a Pipe: Example
This scenario assumes that the application controlling RMAN wants to run one or
more commands as a single job. After running the commands that are on the pipe,
RMAN exits.
To execute RMAN commands in a single job through a pipe:
1. After connecting to the target database, create a pipe (if it does not exist under the
name ORA$RMAN_pipe_IN).
2.

Put the desired commands on the input pipe. In pipe mode, RMAN issues
message RMAN-00572 when it is ready to accept input instead of displaying the
standard RMAN prompt.

3.

Start RMAN with the PIPE option, and specify TIMEOUT 0. For example, enter:
% rman PIPE abc TARGET / TIMEOUT 0

4.

RMAN reads the commands that were put on the pipe and executes them by using
DBMS_PIPE.PACK_MESSAGE and DBMS_PIPE.SEND_MESSAGE. When it has exhausted
the input pipe, RMAN exits immediately.

5.

Read RMAN output from the output pipe by using DBMS_PIPE.RECEIVE_MESSAGE
and DBMS_PIPE.UNPACK_MESSAGE.
Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
documentation on the DBMS_PIPE package

See Also:

4-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

5
5

Configuring the RMAN Environment

This chapter explains the most basic tasks involved in configuring RMAN. This
chapter contains the following topics:
■

Configuring the Environment for RMAN Backups

■

Configuring RMAN to Make Backups to a Media Manager

■

Configuring the Fast Recovery Area

■

Configuring the Backup Retention Policy

■

Backup Optimization and the CONFIGURE command

■

Configuring an Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy

■

Configuring RMAN in a Data Guard Environment
See Also:
■

■

Chapter 6, "Configuring the RMAN Environment: Advanced
Topics" to learn about configuration options not covered in this
chapter, including backup compression and encryption
Appendix C in the Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference
for information about configuring RMAN for the Oracle Secure
Backup (OSB) Cloud Module.

Configuring the Environment for RMAN Backups
For most parameters required for backups, RMAN provides sensible defaults that
enable you to perform basic backup and recovery. When implementing an
RMAN-based backup strategy, you can use RMAN more effectively if you understand
the most common configurations.
To simplify ongoing use of RMAN, you can set some persistent configuration settings
for each target database. These settings control many aspects of RMAN behavior. For
example, you can configure the backup retention policy, default destinations for
backups, default backup device type, and so on. You can use the SHOW and CONFIGURE
commands to view and change RMAN configurations.
This section explains what an RMAN configuration is and how you can use the
CONFIGURE command to change RMAN default behavior for your backup and recovery
environment. This section also introduces the major settings available to you and their
more common values.

Configuring the RMAN Environment

5-1

Configuring the Environment for RMAN Backups

If you plan to back up to tape, refer to "Configuring RMAN to
Make Backups to a Media Manager" on page 5-9.

Note:

This section includes the following topics:
■

Showing and Clearing Persistent RMAN Configurations

■

Configuring the Default Device for Backups: Disk or SBT

■

Configuring the Default Type for Backups: Backup Sets or Copies

■

Configuring Channels

■

Configuring Control File and Server Parameter File Autobackups
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
CONFIGURE syntax
See Also:

Showing and Clearing Persistent RMAN Configurations
You can use the SHOW command to display the current value of RMAN configured
settings for the target database. You can also view whether these commands are
currently set to their default values.
To view or change your CONFIGURE command settings:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Run the RMAN SHOW command.
For example, run SHOW ALL as shown in Example 5–1 (sample output included).
The output includes both parameters that you have changed and those that are set
to the default. The configuration is displayed as the series of RMAN commands
required to re-create the configuration. You can save the output in a text file and
use this command file to re-create the configuration on the same or a different
database.

Example 5–1 SHOW ALL Command
SHOW ALL;
RMAN configuration parameters for database with db_unique_name PROD1 are:
CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO RECOVERY WINDOW OF 3 DAYS;
CONFIGURE BACKUP OPTIMIZATION ON;
CONFIGURE DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE TO DISK; # default
CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP ON;
CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT FOR DEVICE TYPE SBT_TAPE TO '%F'; # default
CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK TO '%F'; # default
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' PARALLELISM 2 BACKUP TYPE TO COMPRESSED BACKUPSET;
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE DISK PARALLELISM 1 BACKUP TYPE TO BACKUPSET; # default
CONFIGURE DATAFILE BACKUP COPIES FOR DEVICE TYPE SBT_TAPE TO 1; # default
CONFIGURE DATAFILE BACKUP COPIES FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK TO 1; # default
CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG BACKUP COPIES FOR DEVICE TYPE SBT_TAPE TO 1; # default
CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG BACKUP COPIES FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK TO 1; # default
CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' PARMS 'ENV=(OB_DEVICE=tape1)';
CONFIGURE MAXSETSIZE TO UNLIMITED; # default
CONFIGURE ENCRYPTION FOR DATABASE OFF; # default
CONFIGURE ENCRYPTION ALGORITHM 'AES128'; # default
CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY TO NONE; # default
CONFIGURE SNAPSHOT CONTROLFILE NAME TO '/disk1/oracle/dbs/snapcf_ev.f'; # default

5-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring the Environment for RMAN Backups

You can also use the SHOW command with the name of a particular configuration.
For example, you can view the retention policy and default device type as follows:
SHOW RETENTION POLICY;
SHOW DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE;
3.

Optionally, use the CONFIGURE ... CLEAR command to return any configuration to
its default value, as shown in the following examples:
CONFIGURE BACKUP OPTIMIZATION CLEAR;
CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY CLEAR;
CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK CLEAR;

See Also:
syntax

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for SHOW

Configuring the Default Device for Backups: Disk or SBT
Backups for which no destination device type is specified are directed to the
configured default device. RMAN is preconfigured to use disk as the default device
type. No additional configuration is necessary.
You may need to change the default device type from disk to tape, or change it back
from tape to disk. Table 5–1 shows the commands that configure the default device.

Table 5–1

Commands to Configure the Default Device Type

Command

Explanation

CONFIGURE DEFAULT
DEVICE TYPE TO DISK

Specifies that backups should go to disk by default.
If a recovery area is enabled, then the backup location defaults to
the fast recovery area. Otherwise, the backup location defaults to
an operating system-specific directory on disk.
When backing up to disk, the logical block size of the database
file must be an even multiple of the physical block size of the
destination device. For example, a device of type DISK with a
block size of 2 kilobytes can only be used as a destination for
backups of database files with logical block sizes of 2 KB, 4 KB, 6
KB, and so on. Most disk drives have physical block sizes of 512
bytes, so this limitation rarely affects backup to disk drives.
Nevertheless, you can encounter this limitation when backing up
to a writable DVD or a device that has a larger physical block
size.

CONFIGURE DEFAULT
DEVICE TYPE TO sbt

Specifies that backups should go to tape by default.
"Configuring RMAN to Make Backups to a Media Manager" on
page 5-9 explains how to set up RMAN for use with a media
manager. After RMAN can communicate with the media
manager, you can configure RMAN to make backups to tape and
specify SBT as the default device type.

You can always override the default device by using the DEVICE TYPE clause of the
BACKUP command, as shown in the following examples:
BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt DATABASE;
BACKUP DEVICE TYPE DISK DATABASE;

To change the configured default device type:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Run the SHOW ALL command to show the currently configured default device.
Configuring the RMAN Environment

5-3

Configuring the Environment for RMAN Backups

3.

Run the CONFIGURE DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE command, specifying either TO DISK or
TO sbt.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for more
details on using the BACKUP command with the DEVICE TYPE clause

Configuring the Default Type for Backups: Backup Sets or Copies
The BACKUP command can create either backup sets or image copies. For disk, you can
configure RMAN to create either backup sets or image copies as its default backup
type with the CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE DISK BACKUP TYPE TO command. The default
backup type for disk is an uncompressed backup set.
Note: Because RMAN can write an image copy only to disk, the
backup type for tape can only be a backup set.

RMAN can create backup sets using binary compression. You can configure RMAN to
use compressed backup sets by default on a device type by specifying the COMPRESSED
option in the BACKUP TYPE TO ... BACKUPSET clause. To disable compression, use the
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE command with arguments specifying your other desired
settings, but omit the COMPRESSED keyword.
To configure the default type of backup:
Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).

1.
2.

Configure backup sets or image copies as the default backup type.
The following examples configure the backup type for disk backups to copies and
backup sets:
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE DISK BACKUP TYPE TO COPY; # image copies
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE DISK BACKUP TYPE TO BACKUPSET; # uncompressed

The following examples configure compression for backup sets:
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE DISK BACKUP TYPE TO COMPRESSED BACKUPSET;
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE sbt BACKUP TYPE TO COMPRESSED BACKUPSET;

See Also:
■

Backup Sets on page 8-3

■

Making Compressed Backups on page 9-6

Configuring Channels
As explained in "RMAN Channels" on page 3-3, an RMAN channel is a connection to
a database server session. RMAN uses channels to perform most tasks.

About Channel Configuration
Use the CONFIGURE CHANNEL command to configure options for disk or SBT channels.
CONFIGURE CHANNEL takes the same options used to specify one-time options with the
ALLOCATE CHANNEL command. You can configure generic channel settings for a device
type, that is, a template that is used for any channels created based on configured
settings for that device.

5-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring the Environment for RMAN Backups

Note: This section explains configuration of disk channels. To learn
how to configure channels for tape, see "Configuring SBT Channels
for Use with a Media Manager" on page 5-13.

If you use CONFIGURE CHANNEL to specify generic channel settings for a device, any
previous settings are discarded, even if the settings are not in conflict. For example,
after the second CONFIGURE CHANNEL command, which specifies only the FORMAT for
configured disk channels, the MAXPIECESIZE for the disk channel is returned to its
default value:
CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE DISK MAXPIECESIZE 2G;
CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE DISK FORMAT /tmp/%U;

Configuring Channels for Disk
By default, RMAN allocates one disk channel for all operations. You may want to
specify different options for this channel, for example, a new default location for
backups. Example 5–2 configures RMAN to write disk backups to the /disk1 directory
and specifies a nondefault format for the relative file name.
Example 5–2 Configuring a Nondefault Backup Location
CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE DISK FORMAT '/disk1/ora_df%t_s%s_s%p';

In Example 5–2, RMAN automatically replaces the format specifier %t with a four byte
time stamp, %s with the backup set number, and %p with the backup piece number.
When you configure an explicit format for disk channels,
RMAN does not create backups by default in the fast recovery area. In
this case, you lose the disk space management capabilities of the fast
recovery area.

Note:

You can also specify an ASM disk location, as shown in Example 5–3:
Example 5–3 Configuring an ASM Disk Location
CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE DISK FORMAT '+dgroup1';

See Also: "Backing Up Database Files with RMAN" on page 9-6 to
learn how to make backups

Configuring Parallel Channels for Disk and SBT Devices
The number of channels available for a device type when you run a command
determines whether RMAN reads or writes in parallel. As a rule, the number of
channels used in executing a command should match the number of devices accessed.
Thus, for tape backups, allocate one channel for each tape drive. For disk backups,
allocate one channel for each physical disk, unless you can optimize the backup for
your disk subsystem architecture with multiple channels. Failing to allocate the right
number of channels adversely affects RMAN performance during I/O operations.
You can configure channel parallelism settings, binary compression for backup sets,
and other options for an SBT device with CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE sbt. You set the
configuration for the device type independently of the channel configuration.

Configuring the RMAN Environment

5-5

Configuring the Environment for RMAN Backups

Example 5–4 changes the SBT device (sample output included) so that RMAN can
back up to a media manager using two tape drives in parallel. Each configured SBT
channel backs up approximately half the total data.
Example 5–4 Configuring Parallelism for an SBT Device
RMAN> CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE sbt PARALLELISM 2;
old RMAN configuration parameters:
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' BACKUP TYPE TO COMPRESSED BACKUPSET PARALLELISM 1;
new RMAN configuration parameters:
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' PARALLELISM 2 BACKUP TYPE TO COMPRESSED BACKUPSET;
new RMAN configuration parameters are successfully stored

Example 5–5 changes the default backup type for the SBT device to an uncompressed
backup set (sample output included).
Example 5–5 Configuring the Backup Type for an SBT Device
RMAN> CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE sbt BACKUP TYPE TO BACKUPSET;
old RMAN configuration parameters:
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' PARALLELISM 2 BACKUP TYPE TO COMPRESSED BACKUPSET;
new RMAN configuration parameters:
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' BACKUP TYPE TO BACKUPSET PARALLELISM 2;
new RMAN configuration parameters are successfully stored

The CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE commands used in this example only affect parallelism
and backup type and do not affect the values of settings not specified. In Example 5–4,
the default backup type of compressed backup set was not changed by changing the
parallelism setting. In Example 5–5, the ability to use multiple tape drives in parallel
was not affected by changing the default backup type.
See Also:
■

■

■

"Specifying Multiple Formats for Disk Backups" on page 9-4 to
learn how to make disk backups in parallel
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for reference
material on the CHANNEL parameter of the BACKUP command
Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment
Guide for information about taking advantage of parallel
operations in an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC)
configuration

Manually Overriding Configured Channels
If you manually allocate a channel during a job, then RMAN disregards any
configured channel settings. For example, assume that the default device type is SBT,
and you execute the following command:
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE DISK;
BACKUP TABLESPACE users;
}

In this case, RMAN uses only the disk channel that you manually allocated within the
RUN command, overriding any defaults set by using CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE, CONFIGURE
DEFAULT DEVICE, or CONFIGURE CHANNEL settings.

5-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring the Environment for RMAN Backups

See Also:
■

■

■

"RMAN Channels" on page 3-3 to learn about configured and
allocated channels
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for ALLOCATE
CHANNEL syntax
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for CONFIGURE
syntax

Configuring Control File and Server Parameter File Autobackups
As explained in "Control File and Server Parameter File Autobackups" on page 8-12,
you can configure RMAN to automatically back up the control file and server
parameter file. The autobackup occurs whenever a backup record is added. If the
database runs in ARCHIVELOG mode, then an autobackup is also taken whenever the
database structure metadata in the control file changes. A control file autobackup
enables RMAN to recover the database even if the current control file, recovery
catalog, and server parameter file are lost.
Because the file name for the autobackup follows a well-known format, RMAN can
search for it without access to a repository and then restore the server parameter file.
After you have started the instance with the restored server parameter file, RMAN can
restore the control file from an autobackup. After you mount the control file, the
RMAN repository is available, and RMAN can restore the data files and find the
archived redo logs.
You can enable the autobackup feature by running the following command:
CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP ON;

You can disable the feature by running the following command:
CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP OFF;

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
CONFIGURE syntax
See Also:

Configuring the Control File Autobackup Format
By default, the format of the autobackup file for all configured devices is the
substitution variable %F in the FORMAT clause. This variable format translates into
c-IIIIIIIIII-YYYYMMDD-QQ, with the placeholders defined as follows:
■

IIIIIIIIII stands for the DBID.

■

YYYYMMDD is a time stamp of the day the backup is generated.

■

QQ is the hexadecimal sequence that starts with 00 and has a maximum of FF.

You can change the default format by using the following command, where
deviceSpecifier is any valid device type, and 'string' must contain the substitution
variable %F (and no other substitution variables) and is a valid handle for the specified
device:
CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT
FOR DEVICE TYPE deviceSpecifier TO 'string';

For example, you can run the following command to specify a nondefault file name for
the control file autobackup. In the file name, ? stands for ORACLE_HOME.
CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT

Configuring the RMAN Environment

5-7

Configuring the Environment for RMAN Backups

FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK TO '?/oradata/cf_%F';

The following example configures the autobackup to write to an Automatic Storage
Management disk group:
CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT
FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK TO '+dgroup1/%F';

The valid formats for control file autobackups are: %D, %I, %M,
%Y, %F, %T, %d, and %n. If you use formats other than these, you may not
be able to restore the control file autobackup.
Note:

To clear control file autobackup formats for a device, use the following commands:
CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK CLEAR;
CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT FOR DEVICE TYPE sbt CLEAR;

If you have set up a fast recovery area for the database, then you can direct control file
autobackups to the fast recovery area by clearing the control file autobackup format
for disk.
All files in the fast recovery area are maintained by Oracle
Database and associated file names are maintained in the Oracle
Managed Files (OMF) format.

Note:

Overriding the Configured Control File Autobackup Format
The SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT command, which you can specify either
within a RUN command or at the RMAN prompt, overrides the configured autobackup
format in the current session only. The order of precedence is:
1.

SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT (within a RUN block)

2.

SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT (at RMAN prompt)

3.

CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT

The following example shows how the two forms of SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP
FORMAT interact:
SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK TO 'controlfile_%F';
BACKUP AS COPY DATABASE;
RUN
{
SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK TO '/tmp/%F.bck';
BACKUP AS BACKUPSET
DEVICE TYPE DISK
DATABASE;
}

The first SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT controls the name of the control file
autobackup until the RMAN client exits, overriding any configured control file
autobackup format. The SET CONTROFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT in the RUN block
overrides the SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT outside the RUN block for the
duration of the RUN block.

5-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring RMAN to Make Backups to a Media Manager

Configuring RMAN to Make Backups to a Media Manager
On most platforms, to back up to and restore from sequential media such as tape you
must integrate a media manager with your Oracle database. You can use Oracle
Secure Backup, which supports both database and file system backups to tape, as
your media manager. See Oracle Secure Backup Administrator's Guide to learn how to set
up RMAN for use specifically with Oracle Secure Backup.
If you do not use Oracle Secure Backup, then you can use a third-party media
manager. This section describes the generic steps for configuring RMAN for use with a
third-party media manager. The actual steps depend on the media management
product that you install and the platform on which you run the database. If you opt to
use RMAN with a media manager other than Oracle Secure Backup, then you must
obtain all product-specific information from the vendor.
Read the following sections in order when configuring the media manager:
1.

Prerequisites for Using a Media Manager with RMAN

2.

Determining the Location of the Media Management Library

3.

Configuring Media Management Software for RMAN Backups

4.

Testing Whether the Media Manager Library Is Integrated Correctly

5.

Configuring SBT Channels for Use with a Media Manager
See Also: "Media Management" on page 3-6 for an overview of
media management software and its implications for RMAN

Prerequisites for Using a Media Manager with RMAN
Before you can begin using RMAN with a third-party media manager, you must install
the media manager and ensure that RMAN can communicate with it. Refer to the
media management vendor's software documentation for instructions.
In general, you should begin by installing and configuring the media management
software on the target host or production network. Ensure that you can make
non-RMAN backups of operating system files on the target database host. This step
makes later troubleshooting much easier by confirming that the basic integration of
the media manager with the target host has been successful. Refer to your media
management documentation to learn how to back up files to the media manager
without using RMAN.
Then, obtain and install the third-party media management module for integration
with the database server. This module contains the media management library that
the Oracle database loads and uses when accessing the media manager. It is generally
a third-party product that must be purchased separately. Contact your media
management vendor for details.

Determining the Location of the Media Management Library
Before attempting to use RMAN with a media manager, determine the location of the
media management library. When allocating or configuring a channel for RMAN to
use to communicate with a media manager, you must specify the SBT_LIBRARY
parameter in an ALLOCATE CHANNEL or CONFIGURE CHANNEL command. The SBT_
LIBRARY parameter specifies the path to the library.
The following example shows the channel syntax, where pathname is the absolute file
name of the library:

Configuring the RMAN Environment

5-9

Configuring RMAN to Make Backups to a Media Manager

CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE sbt
PARMS 'SBT_LIBRARY=pathname';

When RMAN allocates channels to communicate with a media manager, it attempts to
load the library indicated by the SBT_LIBRARY parameter.
If you do not provide a value for the SBT_LIBRARY parameter in an allocated or
preconfigured channel, then RMAN looks in a platform-specific and secured default
location.
On Linux and UNIX, the SBT library is loaded from:
/opt/oracle/extapi/[32,64]/{SBT}/{VENDOR}/{VERSION}/libobk.so

The SBT library file name extension name varies according to platform:
■

.so, .sl on HP-UX,

■

.a on AIX,

On Windows, the SBT library is loaded from:
%SYSTEM_DRIVE%\oracle\extapi\[32,64]\{SBT}\{VENDOR}\{VERSION}\orasbt.dll

If RMAN cannot use the secured default location or if you are using Oracle Database
11g or earlier, RMAN loads the SBT library from the location designated by the
environment variables PATH or LIBPATH.
In some cases, your organization may have security or regulatory compliance
requirements that prohibit the use of environment variables PATH or LIBPATH to
designate a library directory. To disable this behavior, set the PARMS string to SBT_
SECURE=1.
The default media management library file is not part of the
standard database installation. It is present only if you install
third-party media management software.

Note:

See Also: Your operating system-specific database documentation
and the documentation supplied by your media vendor for
instructions on how to achieve media manager integration on your
platform

Configuring Media Management Software for RMAN Backups
After installing the media management software, perform whatever configuration that
your vendor requires so that the software can accept RMAN backups. Depending on
the type of media management software that you installed, you may have to define
media pools, configure users and classes, and so on.
Consult your media management vendor documentation for the appropriate RMAN
settings. The PARMS parameter sends instructions to the media manager. If PARMS values
are needed for the ALLOCATE CHANNEL or the CONFIGURE CHANNEL command, or if a
FORMAT string is recommended for the BACKUP or CONFIGURE command, then refer to the
vendor documentation for this information.
Example 5–6 shows a PARMS setting for Oracle Secure Backup. This PARMS settings
instructs the media manager to back up to a family of tapes called datafile_mf. The
PARMS settings are always vendor-specific.

5-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring RMAN to Make Backups to a Media Manager

Example 5–6 PARMS Setting for Oracle Secure Backup
CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE 'SBT_TAPE'
PARMS 'ENV=(OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=datafile_mf)';

See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for ALLOCATE
CHANNEL syntax
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for channel control
options
Oracle Secure Backup Reference for RMAN-specific parameter
settings for Oracle Secure Backup

Testing Whether the Media Manager Library Is Integrated Correctly
After you have confirmed that the database server can load the media management
library, test to ensure that RMAN can back up to the media manager.

Testing ALLOCATE CHANNEL on the Media Manager
The following steps use the ALLOCATE CHANNEL command to perform a basic test of
RMAN communication with the media manager.
To test channel allocation on the media manager:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Run the ALLOCATE CHANNEL command with the PARMS required by your media
management software.
The following RUN command shows sample vendor-specific PARMS settings:
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE sbt
PARMS 'SBT_LIBRARY=/mydir/lib/libobk.so,
ENV=(OB_DEVICE=drive1,OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=datafile_mf)';
}

3.

Examine the RMAN output.
If you do not receive an error message, then the database successfully loaded the
media management library. If you receive the ORA-27211 error, the media
management library could not be loaded:
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03009: failure of allocate command on c1 channel at 11/30/2007 13:57:18
ORA-19554: error allocating device, device type: SBT_TAPE, device name:
ORA-27211: Failed to load Media Management Library
Additional information: 25

In this case, check the media management installation to ensure that the library is
correctly installed, and recheck the value for the SBT_LIBRARY parameter as
described in "Determining the Location of the Media Management Library" on
page 5-9.

Configuring the RMAN Environment 5-11

Configuring RMAN to Make Backups to a Media Manager

If the database cannot locate a media management library in the location specified
by the SBT_LIBRARY parameter or the default location, then RMAN issues an
ORA-27211 error and exits.
Whenever channel allocation fails, the database writes a trace file to the trace
subdirectory in the Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR) home directory. The
following shows sample output:
SKGFQ OSD: Error in function sbtinit on line 2278
SKGFQ OSD: Look for SBT Trace messages in file /oracle/rdbms/log/sbtio.log
SBT Initialize failed for /oracle/lib/libobk.so

See Also: Oracle Database Administrator's Guide to learn how to
use the Automatic Diagnostic Repository to monitor database
operations

Testing Backup and Restore Operations on the Media Manager
After testing a channel allocation on the media manager, create and restore a test
backup. For example, you can use the command in Example 5–7 (substituting the
channel settings required by your media management vendor) to test whether a
backup can be created on the media manager. If your database does not use a server
parameter file, then back up the current control file instead.
Example 5–7 Backing Up the Server Parameter File to Tape
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE sbt
PARMS 'SBT_LIBRARY=/mydir/lib/libobk.so,
ENV=(OB_DEVICE=drive1,OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=datafile_mf)';
BACKUP SPFILE;
# If your database does not use a server parameter file, use:
# BACKUP CURRENT CONTROLFILE;
}

If the backup succeeds, then attempt to restore the server parameter file as an
initialization parameter file. Example 5–8 restores the backup created in Example 5–7
to a temporary directory.
Example 5–8 Restoring the Server Parameter File from Tape
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE sbt
PARMS 'SBT_LIBRARY=/mydir/lib/libobk.so,
ENV=(OB_DEVICE=drive1,OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=datafile_mf)';
RESTORE SPFILE TO PFILE '/tmp/test_restore.f';
# If your database does not use a server parameter file, use:
# RESTORE CURRENT CONTROLFILE TO '/tmp/test_restore.f';
}

If the backup and restore operations succeed, then you are ready to use the media
manager with RMAN. Possible failures include the following cases:
■

The backup hangs.
A hanging backup usually indicates that the media manager is waiting to mount a
tape. Check if there are any media manager jobs in tape mount request mode and
fix the problem. Ensure that the steps in "Configuring RMAN to Make Backups to
a Media Manager" on page 5-9 are correctly done.

5-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring RMAN to Make Backups to a Media Manager

■

The backup fails with ORA-27211: Failed to load Media Management Library.
This error indicates that the media management software is not correctly
configured. Ensure that the steps in "Configuring RMAN to Make Backups to a
Media Manager" are correctly done. Also, ensure that you have the PARMS and
FORMAT strings required by your media management software.
See Also: "Testing the Media Management API" on page 23-11
and Chapter 23, "Troubleshooting RMAN Operations"

Configuring SBT Channels for Use with a Media Manager
This section describes how to configure channels for use with a media manager. For an
overview of configured channels and how they are used, refer to the section
"Configuring Advanced Channel Options" on page 6-1.

About Media Manager Backup Piece Names
A backup piece name is determined by the FORMAT string specified in the BACKUP
command, CONFIGURE CHANNEL command, or ALLOCATE CHANNEL command. The media
manager considers the backup piece name as the name of the backup file, so every
backup piece must have a unique name in the media management catalog.
You can use the substitution variables in a FORMAT parameter to generate unique
backup piece names. For example, %d specifies the name of the database, whereas %t
specifies the backup time stamp. For most purposes, you can use %U, in which case
RMAN automatically generates a unique file name. The backup piece name 12i1nk47_
1_1 is an example. If you do not specify the FORMAT parameter, then RMAN
automatically generates a unique file name with the %U substitution variable.
Your media manager may impose restrictions on file names and sizes. In this case, you
may need more control over the naming of backup pieces so that they obey media
manager restrictions. For example, some media managers only support a 14-character
backup piece name, and some require special FORMAT strings. The unique names
generated by the %U substitution variable do not exceed 14 characters.
Some media managers may have limits on the maximum size of files that they can
back up or restore. You must ensure that RMAN does not produce backup sets larger
than those limits. To limit backup piece sizes, use the parameter MAXPIECESIZE, which
you can set in the CONFIGURE CHANNEL and ALLOCATE CHANNEL commands.
See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference and "Number and
Size of Backup Pieces" on page 8-6 to learn how to set
MAXPIECESIZE
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for the complete
list of variables allowable in format strings with the BACKUP
command
Your media management documentation to determine the
string character limit for the media manager

Configuring Automatic SBT Channels
The easiest technique for backing up to a media manager is to configure automatic
SBT channels. As explained in "Configuring the Default Device for Backups: Disk or
SBT" on page 5-3, you can use a tape device as your default backup destination.

Configuring the RMAN Environment 5-13

Configuring the Fast Recovery Area

To configure channels for use with a media manager:
1. Configure a generic SBT channel.
In the configuration, enter all parameters that you tested "Testing Backup and
Restore Operations on the Media Manager" on page 5-12. The following example
configures vendor-specific channel parameters and sets the default device:
CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE sbt
PARMS 'ENV=(OB_RESOURCE_WAIT_TIME=1minute,OB_DEVICE=tape1)';
2.

Configure the default device type to SBT, as shown in the following command:
CONFIGURE DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE TO sbt;

If you use multiple tape devices, then you must specify the channel parallelism as
described in "Configuring Parallel Channels for Disk and SBT Devices" on
page 5-5. The following configuration enables you to back up to two tape drives in
parallel:
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE sbt PARALLELISM 2;

Optionally, check your channel configuration by running the following command:
SHOW CHANNEL FOR DEVICE TYPE sbt;
3.

Make a test backup to tape.
The following command backs up the server parameter file to tape:
BACKUP SPFILE;

4.

List your backups to ensure that the test backup went to the media manager:
LIST BACKUP OF SPFILE;

Configuring the Fast Recovery Area
As explained in "Fast Recovery Area" on page 3-7, the fast recovery area feature
enables you to set up a disk area where the database can create and manage a variety
of files related to backup and recovery. Use of the fast recovery area is strongly
recommended. Consider configuring a fast recovery area as a first step in
implementing a backup strategy.
This section outlines the functions of the fast recovery area, identifies the files stored
there, explains the rules for file management, and introduces the most important
configuration options. This section contains the following topics:
■

Overview of the Fast Recovery Area

■

Enabling the Fast Recovery Area

■

Disabling the Fast Recovery Area

■

Configuring Locations for Control Files and Redo Logs

■

Configuring RMAN File Creation in the Fast Recovery Area
See Also:

"Maintaining the Fast Recovery Area" on page 12-6

Overview of the Fast Recovery Area
The fast recovery area can contain control files, online redo logs, archived redo logs,
flashback logs, and RMAN backups. Files in the recovery area are permanent or

5-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring the Fast Recovery Area

transient. Permanent files are active files used by the database instance. All files that
are not permanent are transient. In general, Oracle Database eventually deletes
transient files after they become obsolete under the backup retention policy or have
been backed up to tape.
The fast recovery area is an Oracle Database managed space that can be used to hold
RMAN disk backups, control file autobackups and archived redo log files. The files
placed in this location are maintained by Oracle Database and the generated file names
are maintained in Oracle Managed Files (OMF) format.
Table 5–2 describes the files in the recovery area, the classification of each file as
permanent or temporary, and how database availability is affected.
Table 5–2

Files in the Fast Recovery Area

Files

Type

Database Behavior When Fast Recovery Area Is Inaccessible

Multiplexed copies of
the current control file

Permanent

The instance fails if the database cannot write to a multiplexed copy of the
control file stored in the fast recovery area. Failure occurs even if accessible
multiplexed copies are located outside the recovery area.
See Also: "Configuring Control File Locations" on page 5-21 to learn how
to configure control files in the recovery area

Online redo log files

Permanent

Instance availability is not affected if a mirrored copy of the online redo
log exists in an accessible location outside the fast recovery area.
Otherwise, the instance fails.
See Also: "Configuring Online Redo Log Locations" on page 5-20 to learn
how to configure online redo logs in the recovery area

Archived redo log files Transient

Instance availability is not affected if the log is archived to an accessible
location outside the fast recovery area. Otherwise, the database eventually
halts because it cannot archive the online redo logs.
See Also: "Configuring Archived Redo Log Locations" on page 5-21 to
learn how to configure archived redo logs in the recovery area

Foreign archived redo
log files

Transient

Instance availability is not affected.

Image copies of data
files and control files

Transient

Instance availability is not affected.

Backup pieces

Transient

Instance availability is not affected.

Flashback logs

Transient

Instance availability is not affected if guaranteed restore points are not
defined. In this case, the database automatically disables Flashback
Database, writes a message to the alert log, and continues with database
processing. If guaranteed restore points are configured, the instance fails
because of interdependencies on the flashback logs.

Note: Foreign archived redo logs are received by a logical standby
database for a LogMiner session. Unlike a normal archived log, a foreign
archived redo log is associated with a different DBID. For this reason, it
cannot be backed up or restored on a logical standby database.

The Oracle Flashback Database feature, which provides a convenient
alternative to database point-in-time recovery (DBPITR), generates
flashback logs. These logs are transient files and must be stored in the fast
recovery area. Unlike other transient files, flashback logs cannot be backed
up to other media. If the fast recovery area has insufficient space to store
flashback logs and meet other backup retention requirements, then the
recovery area may delete flashback logs.
See Also: "Enabling Flashback Database" on page 7-10 to learn how to
enable flashback logging

If you are on a Windows platform, then you can use the Volume Shadow Copy
Service (VSS) with the Oracle VSS writer. In this case, the fast recovery area

Configuring the RMAN Environment 5-15

Configuring the Fast Recovery Area

automates management of files that are backed up in a VSS snapshot and deletes them
as needed.
See Also:
■

■

Chapter 18, "Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time
Recovery"
Oracle Database Platform Guide for Microsoft Windows to learn about
making backups in a VSS environment

Oracle Managed Files and Automatic Storage Management
The fast recovery area can be used with Oracle Managed Files (OMF) and Automatic
Storage Management (ASM). Because the fast recovery area is built on top of OMF, so
it can be stored anywhere that Oracle Managed Files can. You can also use the
recovery area with ASM.
Even if you choose not to set up the fast recovery area in ASM storage, you can still
use Oracle Managed Files to manage your backup files in an ASM disk group.
However, you lose a major benefit of the fast recovery area: the automatic deletion of
files no longer needed to meet your recoverability goals as space is needed for more
recent backups. Nevertheless, the other automatic features of OMF still function.
When your store backups, using OMF on top of ASM without using a fast recovery
area is supported but discouraged. It is awkward to directly manipulate files under
ASM.

How Oracle Manages Disk Space in the Fast Recovery Area
Space in the fast recovery area is balanced among backups and archived logs that must
be kept according to the retention policy, and other files that may be subject to
deletion. Oracle Database does not delete eligible files from the fast recovery area until
the space must be reclaimed for some other purpose. Files recently moved to tape are
often still available on disk for use in recovery. The recovery area can thus serve as a
cache for tape. When the fast recovery area is full, Oracle Database automatically
deletes eligible files to reclaim space in the recovery area as needed.
See Also: "Deletion Rules for the Fast Recovery Area" on page 12-6
and "Responding to a Full Fast Recovery Area" on page 12-8

Enabling the Fast Recovery Area
You enable the fast recovery area by setting two initialization parameters. These
parameters enable the fast recovery area without having to shut down and restart the
database instance.
You set the size of the fast recovery area with the parameter DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_
SIZE first, and then you set the physical location of the flash recovery files with the
parameter DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST.
Table 5–3 discusses both the mandatory and optional parameters for enabling the fast
recovery area.
In an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) database, all instances must have
the same values for these initialization parameters. The location must be on a cluster
file system, ASM, or a shared directory.

5-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring the Fast Recovery Area

Table 5–3

Initialization Parameters for the Fast Recovery Area

Initialization Parameter

Required Description

DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE

Yes

Specifies the disk quota, which is maximum storage in
bytes of data to be used by the recovery area for this
database. You must set this parameter before DB_RECOVERY_
FILE_DEST.
The DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE setting does not include
the following kinds of disk overhead:
■

Block 0 or the operating system block header of each
Oracle Database file is not included.
Allow an extra 10% for this data when computing the
actual disk usage required for the fast recovery area.

■

DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE does not indicate the
real size occupied on disk when the underlying file
system is mirrored, compressed, or affected by
overhead not known to Oracle Database.
For example, if the recovery area is on a two-way
mirrored ASM disk group, each file of x bytes occupies
2x bytes on the ASM disk group. In this case, set DB_
RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE to no more than half the
size of the disks for the ASM disk group. Likewise,
when using a three-way mirrored ASM disk group, DB_
RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE must be no greater than one
third the size of the disks in the disk group, and so on.

DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST

Yes

Specifies the recovery area location, which can be a file
system directory or ASM disk group, but not a raw disk.
The location must be large enough for the disk quota.

DB_FLASHBACK_RETENTION_TARGET

No

Specifies the upper limit (in minutes) on how far back in
time the database may be flashed back. This parameter is
required only for Flashback Database.
This parameter indirectly determines how much flashback
log data is kept in the recovery area. The size of flashback
logs generated by the database can vary considerably
depending on the database workload. If more blocks are
affected by database updates during a given interval, then
more disk space is used by the flashback log data generated
for that interval.

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for ALTER SYSTEM
syntax, and Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for details on
setting and changing database initialization parameters

See Also:

Considerations When Setting the Size of the Fast Recovery Area
The larger the fast recovery area is, the more useful it becomes. Ideally, the fast
recovery area should be large enough to contain the files listed in Table 5–2 on
page 5-15. The recovery area should be able to contain a copy of all data files in the
database and the incremental backups used by your chosen backup strategy.
If providing this much space is impractical, then it is best to create an area large
enough to keep a backup of the most important tablespaces and all the archived logs
not yet on tape. At an absolute minimum, the fast recovery area must be large enough
to contain the archived redo logs not yet on tape. If the recovery area has insufficient
space to store new flashback logs and meet other backup retention requirements, then
to make room, the recovery area may delete older flashback logs.
Formulas for estimating a useful fast recovery area size depend on whether:

Configuring the RMAN Environment 5-17

Configuring the Fast Recovery Area

■

Your database has a small or large number of data blocks that change frequently

■

You store backups only on disk, or on disk and tape

■

■

You use a redundancy-based backup retention policy, or a recovery
window-based retention policy
You plan to use Flashback Database or a guaranteed restore point as alternatives
to point-in-time recovery in response to logical errors

If you plan to enable flashback logging, then the volume of flashback log generation is
approximately the same order of magnitude as redo log generation. For example, if
you intend to set DB_FLASHBACK_RETENTION_TARGET to 24 hours, and if the database
generates 20 gigabytes of redo in a day, then a general rule of thumb is to allow 20 GB
to 30 GB of disk space for the flashback logs. The same rule applies to guaranteed
restore points when flashback logging is enabled. For example, if the database
generates 20 GB of redo every day, and if the guaranteed restore point is kept for a day,
then plan to allocate 20 to 30 GB.
Suppose that you want to determine the size of a fast recovery area when the backup
retention policy is set to REDUNDANCY 1 and you intend to follow Oracle's suggested
strategy of using an incrementally updated backup. In this example, you use the
following formula to estimate the disk quota, where n is the interval in days between
incremental updates and y is the delay in applying the foreign archived redo logs on a
logical standby database:
Disk
Size
Size
Size
Size
Size
Size
Size

Quota =
of a copy of database +
of an incremental backup +
of (n+1) days of archived redo logs +
of (y+1) days of foreign archived redo logs (for logical standby) +
of control file +
of an online redo log member * number of log groups +
of flashback logs (based on DB_FLASHBACK_RETENTION_TARGET value)

Considerations When Setting the Location of the Fast Recovery Area
Place the fast recovery area on a separate disk from the database area, where the
database maintains active database files such as data files, control files, and online
redo logs. Keeping the fast recovery area on the same disk as the database area
exposes you to loss of both your live database files and backups if a media failure
occurs.
Oracle recommends that DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST be set to a different value from DB_
CREATE_FILE_DEST or any of the DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n initialization
parameters. The database writes a warning to the alert log if DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST
equals these parameters.
Multiple databases can have the same value for DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST, but one of
the following must be true:
■

■

No two databases for which the DB_UNIQUE_NAME initialization parameters are
specified have the same value for DB_UNIQUE_NAME.
For those databases where no DB_UNIQUE_NAME is provided, no two databases have
the same value for DB_NAME.

When databases share a single recovery area in this way, the location should be large
enough to hold the files for all databases. Add the values for DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_
SIZE for the databases, then allow for overhead such as mirroring or compression.

5-18 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring the Fast Recovery Area

Setting the Fast Recovery Area Location and Initial Size
Table 5–3 lists the initialization parameters that you must set to enable the fast
recovery area. This section explains how to specify a location for the recovery area and
set its initial size.
To determine the optimum size for the fast recovery area:
1. If you plan to use flashback logging or guaranteed restore points, then query
V$ARCHIVED_LOG to determine how much redo the database generates in the time
to which you intend to set DB_FLASHBACK_RETENTION_TARGET.
2.

Set the recovery area size.
If you plan to use flashback logging or guaranteed restore points, then ensure that
the size value obtained from Step 1 is incorporated into the setting. Set the DB_
RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE initialization parameter by any of the following means:
■

Shut down the database and set the DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE parameter
in the initialization parameter file of the database, as shown in the following
example:
DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE = 10G

■

Specify the parameter with the SQL statement ALTER SYSTEM SET when the
database is open, as shown in the following examples:
ALTER SYSTEM SET
DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE = 10G
SCOPE=BOTH SID='*';

■

3.

Use the Database Configuration Assistant to set the size.

Set the recovery area location.
Set the initialization parameters by any of the following means:
■

Set DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST in the initialization parameter file of the database,
as shown in the following example:
DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST = '/u01/oradata/rcv_area'

■

Specify DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST with the SQL statement ALTER SYSTEM SET
when the database is open, as shown in the following example:
ALTER SYSTEM SET
DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST = '+disk1'
SCOPE=BOTH SID='*';

■

Use the Database Configuration Assistant to set the location.

If you do not plan to use flashback logging, then open the database (if it is closed)
and do not complete the rest of the steps in this procedure.
4.

If flashback logging is enabled, then run the database under a normal workload
for the time period specified by DB_FLASHBACK_RETENTION_TARGET.
In this way, the database can generate a representative sample of flashback logs.

5.

Query the V$FLASHBACK_DATABASE_LOG view as follows:
SELECT ESTIMATED_FLASHBACK_SIZE
FROM
V$FLASHBACK_DATABASE_LOG;

Configuring the RMAN Environment 5-19

Configuring the Fast Recovery Area

The result is an estimate of the disk space needed to meet the current flashback
retention target, based on the database workload since Flashback Database was
enabled.
6.

If necessary, adjust the flashback log space requirement based on the actual size of
flashback logs generated during the time period specified by DB_FLASHBACK_
RETENTION_TARGET.
See Also: "Managing Space for Flashback Logs in the Fast Recovery
Area" on page 12-7

Disabling the Fast Recovery Area
If you have enabled Flashback Database or use the fast recovery area for archive logs,
then take the appropriate steps from those that follow below. Otherwise, skip to Step 3:
1.

If Flashback Database is enabled, then disable it before you disable the fast
recovery area.
ALTER DATABASE FLASHBACK OFF;

2.

If you are using the fast recovery area for archive logs, then set the initialization
parameter LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n to use a non-fast recovery area location.
For example, to change the fast recovery area for LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 to a
non-fast recovery area location, use the command ALTER SYSTEM SET:
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1='LOCATION=USE_DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST'
ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1='LOCATION=/ORACLE/DBS/';

3.

Disable the fast recovery area initialization parameter.
ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST='';

Configuring Locations for Control Files and Redo Logs
As explained in "Overview of the Fast Recovery Area" on page 5-14, the only
permanent files are multiplexed copies of the current control file and online redo logs.
This section explains how to set locations for these files and the archived logs.

Configuring Online Redo Log Locations
The initialization parameters that determine where online redo log files are created are
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n, DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST, and DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST.
Details of the effect of combinations of these parameters on online redo log creation
can be found in Oracle Database SQL Language Reference in the description of the
LOGFILE clause of the CREATE DATABASE statement.
The following SQL statements can create online redo logs in the fast recovery area:
■

CREATE DATABASE

■

ALTER DATABASE ADD LOGFILE

■

ALTER DATABASE ADD STANDBY LOGFILE

■

ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS

The default size of an online log created in the fast recovery area is 100 megabytes. The
log member file names are automatically generated by the database.

5-20 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring the Fast Recovery Area

Configuring Control File Locations
The initialization parameters CONTROL_FILES, DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n, DB_
RECOVERY_FILE_DEST, and DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST all interact to determine the location
where the database control files are created. For a full description of how these
parameters interact, see the "Semantics" section of the description of CREATE
CONTROLFILE in Oracle Database SQL Language Reference.
If the database creates an Oracle managed control file, and if the database uses a server
parameter file, then the database sets the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter in the
server parameter file. If the database uses a client-side initialization parameter file,
then you must set the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter manually in the
initialization parameter file.

Configuring Archived Redo Log Locations
Oracle recommends that you the use fast recovery area as an archiving location
because the archived logs are automatically managed by the database. The generated
file names for the archived logs in the fast recovery area are for Oracle Managed files
and are not determined by the parameter LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT. Whatever archiving
scheme you choose, it is always advisable to create multiple copies of archived redo
logs.
You have the following basic options for archiving redo logs, listed from most to least
recommended:
1.

Enable archiving to the fast recovery area only and use disk mirroring to create the
redundancy needed to protect the archived redo logs.
If DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST is specified and no LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n is specified,
then LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_10 is implicitly set to the recovery area. You can override
this behavior by setting LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_10 to an empty string.

2.

Enable archiving to the fast recovery area and set other LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n
initialization parameter to locations outside the fast recovery area.
If a fast recovery area is configured, then you can add the fast recovery area as an
archiving destination by setting any LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameter to
LOCATION=USE_DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST.

3.

Set LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n initialization parameters to archive only to non-fast
recovery area locations.

If you use the fast recovery area, then you cannot use the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST and LOG_
ARCHIVE_DUPLEX_DEST initialization parameters. Using either of these parameters
prevents you from starting the instance. Instead, set the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n
parameters. After your database is using LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n, you can configure a
recovery area.
Note also that if you enable archiving but do not set any value for LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST,
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n, or DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST, then the redo logs are archived to a
default location that is platform-specific. For example, on Solaris the default is ?/dbs.
Oracle Database Reference for details on the semantics of the
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameters
See Also:

Configuring RMAN File Creation in the Fast Recovery Area
This section describes RMAN commands or implicit actions (such as control file
autobackups) that can create files in the fast recovery area, and explains how to control
whether a command creates files there or in another destination. The commands are:

Configuring the RMAN Environment 5-21

Configuring the Backup Retention Policy

■

BACKUP
If you do not specify the FORMAT clause for disk backups, then RMAN creates
backup pieces and image copies in the fast recovery area, with names in Oracle
Managed Files name format. If a fast recovery area is enabled, and if you do
specify FORMAT on BACKUP or a channel, then RMAN creates the backup in a
platform-specific location rather than in the recovery area.

■

Control File Autobackup
RMAN can create control file autobackups in the fast recovery area. Use the
RMAN command CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT FOR DEVICE TYPE
DISK CLEAR to clear any configured format option for the control file autobackup
location on disk. RMAN creates control file autobackups in the fast recovery area
when no other destination is configured.

■

RESTORE ARCHIVELOG
Explicitly or implicitly set a LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameter to LOCATION=USE_DB_
RECOVERY_FILE_DEST. If you do not specify SET ARCHIVELOG DESTINATION to
override this behavior, then RMAN restores archived redo log files to the fast
recovery area.

■

RECOVER DATABASE or RECOVER TABLESPACE, RECOVER ... BLOCK, and FLASHBACK
DATABASE
These commands restore archived redo log files from backup for use during media
recovery, as required by the command. RMAN restores any redo log files needed
during these operations to the fast recovery area and deletes them after they are
applied during media recovery.
To direct the restored archived logs to the fast recovery area, set a LOG_ARCHIVE_
DEST_n parameter to LOCATION = USE_DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST. Verify that you are
not using SET ARCHIVELOG DESTINATION to direct restored logs to some other
destination.

Configuring the Backup Retention Policy
As explained in "Backup Retention Policies" on page 8-17, the backup retention policy
specifies which backups must be retained to meet your data recovery requirements.
This policy can be based on a recovery window or redundancy. Use the CONFIGURE
RETENTION POLICY command to specify the retention policy.
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
CONFIGURE syntax
See Also:

Configuring a Redundancy-Based Retention Policy
The REDUNDANCY parameter of the CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY command specifies
how many full or level 0 backups of each data file and control file that RMAN should
keep. If the number of full or level 0 backups for a specific data file or control file
exceeds the REDUNDANCY setting, then RMAN considers the extra backups as obsolete.
The default retention policy is REDUNDANCY 1.
As you produce more backups, RMAN keeps track of which ones to retain and which
are obsolete. RMAN retains all archived logs and incremental backups that are needed
to recover the nonobsolete backups.
Assume that you make a full backup of data file 7 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
and Thursday. You now have four full backups of this data file. If REDUNDANCY is 2, then

5-22 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring the Backup Retention Policy

the Monday and Tuesday backups are obsolete. If you make another backup on Friday,
then the Wednesday backup of data file 7 becomes obsolete.
Assume a different case in which REDUNDANCY is 1. You run a level 0 database backup at
noon on Monday, a level 1 cumulative backup at noon on Tuesday and Wednesday,
and a level 0 backup at noon on Thursday. Immediately after each daily backup you
run the command DELETE OBSOLETE. The Wednesday DELETE command does not
remove the Tuesday level 1 backup because this backup is not redundant: the Tuesday
level 1 backup could be used to recover the Monday level 0 backup to a time between
noon on Tuesday and noon on Wednesday. However, the DELETE command on
Thursday removes the previous level 0 and level 1 backups.
Run the CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY command at the RMAN prompt, as in the
following example:
CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO REDUNDANCY 3;

See Also: "Deleting Obsolete RMAN Backups Based on Retention
Policies" on page 12-21

Configuring a Recovery Window-Based Retention Policy
The RECOVERY WINDOW parameter of the CONFIGURE command specifies the number of
days between the current time and the earliest point of recoverability. RMAN does not
consider any full or level 0 incremental backup as obsolete if it falls within the
recovery window. Additionally, RMAN retains all archived logs and level 1
incremental backups that are needed to recover to a random point within the window.
Run the CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY command at the RMAN prompt. This example
ensures that you can recover the database to any point within the last week:
CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO RECOVERY WINDOW OF 7 DAYS;

RMAN does not automatically delete backups rendered obsolete by the recovery
window. Instead, RMAN shows them as OBSOLETE in the REPORT OBSOLETE output and
in the OBSOLETE column of V$BACKUP_FILES. RMAN deletes obsolete files if you run
the DELETE OBSOLETE command.
See Also: "Deleting Obsolete RMAN Backups Based on Retention
Policies" on page 12-21

Disabling the Retention Policy
When you disable the retention policy, RMAN does not consider any backup as
obsolete. To disable the retention policy, run this command:
CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO NONE;

Configuring the retention policy to NONE is different from clearing it. Clearing it returns
it to its default setting of REDUNDANCY 1, whereas NONE disables it.
If you disable the retention policy and run REPORT OBSOLETE or DELETE OBSOLETE
commands without passing a retention policy option to the command, then RMAN
issues an error because no retention policy exists to determine which backups are
obsolete.

Configuring the RMAN Environment 5-23

Backup Optimization and the CONFIGURE command

Caution: If you are using a fast recovery area, then you should not
run your database with the retention policy disabled. If files are never
considered obsolete, then a file can only be deleted from the fast
recovery area if it has been backed up to some other disk location or to
a tertiary storage device such as tape. This action is likely to use all of
the space in your recovery area, which interferes with the normal
operation of your database. See "How Oracle Manages Disk Space in
the Fast Recovery Area" on page 5-16

Backup Optimization and the CONFIGURE command
Run the CONFIGURE command to enable and disable backup optimization. Backup
optimization skips the backup of files in certain circumstances if the identical file or an
identical version of the file has been backed up.

Overview of Backup Optimization
If you enable backup optimization, then the BACKUP command skips backing up files
when the identical file has already been backed up to the specified device type.
Table 5–4 describes criteria that RMAN uses to determine whether a file is identical to
a file that it backed up.
Table 5–4

Criteria to Determine an Identical File

Type of File

Criteria to Determine an Identical File

Data file

The data file must have the same DBID, checkpoint SCN, creation SCN, and
RESETLOGS SCN and time as a data file in a backup. The data file must be
offline-normal, read-only, or closed normally.

Archived log

Same DBID, thread, sequence number, and RESETLOGS SCN and time

Backup set

Same DBID, backup set record ID, and stamp

If RMAN determines that a file is identical and it has been backed up, then it is a
candidate to be skipped. RMAN must do further checking to determine whether to
skip the file, however, because both the retention policy and the backup duplexing
feature are factors in the algorithm that determines whether RMAN has sufficient
backups on the specified device type.
RMAN uses backup optimization when the following conditions are true:
■

■

The CONFIGURE BACKUP OPTIMIZATION ON command has been run to enable backup
optimization.
You run BACKUP DATABASE, BACKUP ARCHIVELOG with ALL or LIKE options, or BACKUP
BACKUPSET ALL, BACKUP RECOVERY AREA, BACKUP RECOVERY FILES, or BACKUP
DATAFILECOPY.
When TO DESTINATION is used with BACKUP RECOVERY AREA or
BACKUP RECOVERY FILES, RMAN only skips backups of files that have
identical backups in the TO DESTINATION location that you provide.
Note:

■

Only one type of channel is allocated, do not mix disk and SBT channels in the
same backup command.

5-24 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backup Optimization and the CONFIGURE command

Note: In backup undo optimization, RMAN excludes undo changes
(that are not needed for recovery of a backup) for transactions that
have been committed. You can enable and disable backup
optimization, but backup undo optimization is built-in behavior.

For example, assume that you have configured backup optimization. These commands
back up to tape the database, all archived logs, and all backup sets:
BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;
BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt BACKUPSET ALL;

If none of the backed-up files has changed since the last backup, then RMAN does not
back up the files again. RMAN also does not signal an error if it skips all files specified
in the command because the files have already been backed up.
You can override optimization at any time by specifying the FORCE option on the
BACKUP command. For example, you can run:
BACKUP DATABASE FORCE;
BACKUP ARCHIVELOG ALL FORCE;

The CONFIGURE entry in Oracle Database Backup and
Recovery Reference for a complete description of the backup
optimization rules

See Also:

Effect of Retention Policies on Backup Optimization for SBT Backups
Backup optimization is not always applied when backing up to SBT devices. The
exceptions to normal backup optimization behavior for recovery window-based and
redundancy-based retention policies are described in the following sections.
Use caution when enabling backup optimization if you use
a media manager with its own internal expiration policy. Run the
CROSSCHECK command periodically to synchronize the RMAN
repository with the media manager. Otherwise, RMAN may skip
backups due to optimization without recognizing that the media
manager has discarded backups stored on tape.
Note:

Backup Optimization for SBT Backups with Recovery Window Retention Policy
Suppose that backup optimization is enabled, and a recovery window backup
retention policy is in effect. In this case, when performing SBT backups RMAN always
backs up data files whose most recent backup is older than the recovery window. For
example, assume the following scenario:
■

Today is February 21.

■

The recovery window is 7 days.

■

The most recent backup of tablespace tools to tape is January 3.

■

Tablespace tools is read-only.

On February 21, when you issue a command to back up tablespace tools to tape,
RMAN backs it up even though it did not change after the January 3 backup (because
it is read-only). RMAN makes the backup because no backup of the tablespace exists
within the 7-day recovery window.

Configuring the RMAN Environment 5-25

Backup Optimization and the CONFIGURE command

This behavior enables the media manager to expire old tapes. Otherwise, the media
manager would be forced to keep the January 3 backup of tablespace tools
indefinitely. By making a more recent backup of tablespace tools on February 21,
RMAN enables the media manager to expire the tape containing the January 3 backup.

Backup Optimization for SBT Backups With Redundancy Retention Policy
Assume that you configure a retention policy for redundancy. In this case, RMAN only
skips backups of offline or read-only data files to SBT when there are r + 1 backups of
the files, where r is set in CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO REDUNDANCY r.
For example, assume that you enable backup optimization and set the following
retention policy:
CONFIGURE DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE TO sbt;
CONFIGURE BACKUP OPTIMIZATION ON;
CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO REDUNDANCY 2;

With these settings, RMAN only skips backups when three identical files are already
backed up. Also assume that you have never backed up the users tablespace, which is
read/write, and that you perform the actions described in Table 5–5 over the course of
the week.
Table 5–5

Effect of Redundancy Setting on Backup Optimization

Day

Action

Result

Redundant Backup

Monday

Take users offline normal.

Tuesday

BACKUP DATABASE

The users tablespace is backed up.

Wednesday

BACKUP DATABASE

The users tablespace is backed up.

Thursday

BACKUP DATABASE

The users tablespace is backed up.

Tuesday backup

Friday

BACKUP DATABASE

The users tablespace is not backed up.

Tuesday backup

Saturday

BACKUP DATABASE

The users tablespace is not backed up.

Tuesday backup

Sunday

DELETE OBSOLETE

The Tuesday backup is deleted.

Monday

BACKUP DATABASE

The users tablespace is backed up.

Wednesday backup

The backups on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday back up the offline users
tablespace to satisfy the condition that three backups must exist (one more than
redundancy setting). The Friday and Saturday backups do not back up the users
tablespace because of backup optimization. The Tuesday backup of users is obsolete
beginning on Thursday.
On Sunday, you delete all obsolete backups, which removes the Tuesday backup of
users. The Tuesday backup is obsolete because of the retention policy setting. The
whole database backup on Monday then backs up the users tablespace to satisfy the
condition that three backups must exist (one more than redundancy setting). In this
way, you can recycle your tapes over time.
See Also: "Backup Optimization and the CONFIGURE
command" on page 5-24

Configuring Backup Optimization
By default, backup optimization is configured to OFF. You can use the SHOW BACKUP
OPTIMIZATION command to view the current settings of backup optimization.

5-26 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring an Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy

To configure backup optimization:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Run the SHOW BACKUP OPTIMIZATION command to determine whether optimization
is currently enabled.
For example, enter the following command:
SHOW BACKUP OPTIMIZATION;

Sample output for SHOW BACKUP OPTIMIZATION follows:
RMAN configuration parameters for database with db_unique_name PROD1 are:
CONFIGURE BACKUP OPTIMIZATION OFF;
3.

Enable backup optimization by running the following command:
CONFIGURE BACKUP OPTIMIZATION ON;

See Also: "Using Backup Optimization to Skip Files" on page 10-3
for examples of how to optimize RMAN backups

Configuring an Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy
You can use RMAN to create a persistent configuration that governs when archived
redo logs are eligible for deletion from disk.

About Archived Redo Log Deletion Policies
You can use the CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY command to specify when
archived redo logs are eligible for deletion. This deletion policy applies to all archiving
destinations, including the fast recovery area.
Archived redo logs can be deleted automatically by the database or by user-initiated
RMAN commands. Only logs in the fast recovery area can be deleted automatically by
the database. For archived redo log files in the fast recovery area, the database retains
them as long as possible and automatically deletes eligible logs when additional disk
space is required. You can manually delete eligible logs from any location, whether
inside or outside the fast recovery area, when you issue BACKUP ... DELETE INPUT or
DELETE ARCHIVELOG commands.

When the Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy Is Disabled
By default, there is no archived redo log deletion policy and this is why the archive
redo log policy is set to the NONE clause. In this particular case, the fast recovery area
considers archived redo log files in the recovery area as eligible for deletion if they
have been backed up at least once to disk or SBT or the logs are obsolete according to
the backup retention policy. The backup retention policy considers logs obsolete only if
the logs are not needed by a guaranteed restore point and the logs are not needed by
Oracle Flashback Database. Archived redo logs are needed by Flashback Database if
the logs were created later than SYSDATE-'DB_FLASHBACK_RETENTION_TARGET'.

Configuring the RMAN Environment 5-27

Configuring an Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy

See Also:
■

■

The CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY entry in Oracle
Database Backup and Recovery Reference for detailed information
about policy options
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how to
configure an archived log deletion policy in a Data Guard
environment

When the Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy Is Enabled
You can use the CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY BACKED UP integer TIMES
TO DEVICE TYPE command to enable an archived log deletion policy. This
configuration specifies that archived logs are eligible for deletion only when the
specified number of archived log backups exist on the specified device type.
If the deletion policy is configured with the BACKED UP integer TIMES clause, then a
BACKUP ARCHIVELOG command copies the logs unless integer backups already exist on
the specified device type. If integer backups of the logs exist, then the BACKUP
ARCHIVELOG command skips the logs. In this way, the archived log deletion policy
functions as a default NOT BACKED UP integer TIMES clause on the BACKUP ARCHIVELOG
command. You can override the deletion policy by specifying the FORCE option on the
BACKUP command.
The archived log deletion policy also has options specific to a Data Guard
environment. For example, if you specify the APPLIED ON STANDBY clause, then RMAN
can delete logs after they have been applied at all mandatory remote destinations. If
you specify SHIPPED TO STANDBY, then RMAN can delete logs when they have been
transferred to all mandatory standby destinations.
See Also:
■

■

The CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY entry in Oracle
Database Backup and Recovery Reference for detailed information
about policy options
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how to
configure an archived log deletion policy in a Data Guard
environment

Enabling an Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy
This section explains how to configure an archived redo log deletion policy. By default
the policy is set to NONE.
To enable an archived redo log deletion policy:
Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).

1.
2.

Run the CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY command with the desired
options.
The following example specifies that archived redo logs are eligible to be deleted
from the fast recovery area and all local archiving destinations when logs have
been backed up at least twice to tape:
CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY
TO BACKED UP 2 TIMES TO SBT;

5-28 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring RMAN in a Data Guard Environment

See Also:
■
■

■

"Deleting Archived Redo Logs After Backups" on page 9-13
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how to
manage archived redo logs in a Data Guard environment
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for a complete
explanation of the CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY
command and the conditions under which archived logs are
eligible for deletion

Configuring RMAN in a Data Guard Environment
If you use RMAN in a Data Guard environment, then you can use the CONFIGURE
command to register and configure settings for the physical databases in this
environment. RMAN uses the DB_UNIQUE_NAME initialization parameter to distinguish
one database from another. Thus, it is critical that you maintain the uniqueness of the
DB_UNIQUE_NAME in the Data Guard environment.
RMAN must be connected to a recovery catalog when you create or alter a
configuration for a database in the Data Guard environment. If you use the SET DBID
command to set the DBID in the RMAN session, then you can configure a standby
database even when RMAN is not connected as TARGET to a database in the Data
Guard environment. You can even create a configuration for a standby database that
has not yet been created.
You can use the following forms of the CONFIGURE command:
■

CONFIGURE DB_UNIQUE_NAME defines a connection to a physical standby database
and implicitly registers the new database.
New standby databases are also automatically registered when RMAN connects as
TARGET to a standby database for the first time.

■

CONFIGURE FOR DB_UNIQUE_NAME configures settings for a database in the Data
Guard environment.
For example, you can configure channels, default devices, and so on for a specified
database or for all databases in the environment. You can use SHOW ALL FOR DB_
UNIQUE_NAME to show the configuration for a specific standby database or SHOW
ALL FOR DB_UNIQUE_NAME ALL to show configurations for all known databases.

A Data Guard environment involves many considerations that are only relevant for
Data Guard. For example, you can configure an archived redo log deletion policy
based on whether archived logs are transferred to or applied on a standby database.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how to
configure the RMAN environment for use with a standby
database
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for a complete
explanation of the CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY
command and the conditions under which archived logs are
eligible for deletion

Configuring the RMAN Environment 5-29

Configuring RMAN in a Data Guard Environment

5-30 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

6
6

Configuring the RMAN Environment:
Advanced Topics

This chapter describes how to perform setup and configuration tasks. This chapter
contains the following topics:
■

Configuring Advanced Channel Options

■

Configuring Advanced Backup Options

■

Configuring Auxiliary Instance Data File Names

■

Configuring the Snapshot Control File Location

■

Configuring RMAN for Use with a Shared Server

■

Enabling Lost Write Detection

Configuring Advanced Channel Options
Whereas "Configuring Channels" on page 5-4 explains the basics for configuring
channels, this section explains more advanced channel topics. This section contains
the following topics:
■

About Channel Control Options

■

Configuring Specific Channel Parameters
"RMAN Channels" on page 3-3 for a conceptual
overview of configured and allocated channels, and Oracle Database
Backup and Recovery Reference for CONFIGURE syntax

See Also:

About Channel Control Options
Whether you allocate channels manually or use automatic channel allocation, you can
use channel commands and options to control behavior. Table 6–1 summarizes the
ways in which you can control channel behavior. Unless noted, all channel parameters
are supported in both CONFIGURE CHANNEL and ALLOCATE CHANNEL commands.
Table 6–1

Channel Control Options

Type of Channel Control

Commands

Limit I/O bandwidth
consumption

Use the RATE channel parameter to act as a throttling
mechanism for backups.

Configuring the RMAN Environment: Advanced Topics 6-1

Configuring Advanced Channel Options

Table 6–1 (Cont.) Channel Control Options
Type of Channel Control

Commands

Limit backup sets and
pieces

Use the MAXPIECESIZE channel parameter to set limits on the
size of backup pieces. You can also use the MAXSETSIZE
parameter on the BACKUP and CONFIGURE commands to set a
limit for the size of backup sets.

Vendor-specific instructions

Use the PARMS channel parameter to specify vendor-specific
information for a media manager. You can also use the SEND
command to send vendor-specific commands to a media
manager.

Channel parallel backup
and restore operations

Use CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE ... PARALLELISM for persistent
channel parallelism or multiple ALLOCATE CHANNEL commands
for job-level parallelism.

Connection settings for
database instances

Specify which instance performs an operation with the CONNECT
channel parameter.

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
ALLOCATE CHANNEL syntax, and Oracle Database Backup and Recovery
Reference for CONFIGURE syntax
See Also:

Configuring Specific Channel Parameters
In addition to configuring parameters that apply to all channels of a particular type,
you can also configure parameters that apply to one specific channel. Run the
CONFIGURE CHANNEL n command (where n is a positive integer less than 255) to
configure a specific channel.
When manually numbering channels, you must specify one or more channel options
(for example, MAXPIECESIZE or FORMAT) for each channel. When you use that specific
numbered channel in a backup, the configured settings for that channel are used
instead of the configured generic channel settings.
Configure specific channels by number when it is necessary to control the parameters
set for each channel separately. This technique is necessary in the following situations:
■

■

When running an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) database in
which individual nodes do not have access to the full set of backups. Each channel
must be configured with a node-specific connect string so that all backups are
accessible by at least one channel.
When using a media manager that requires different PARMS settings on each
channel.
See Also: Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and
Deployment Guide to learn about RMAN backups in an Oracle RAC
environment

Configuring Specific Channels: Examples
In this example, you want to send disk backups to two different disks. Configure disk
channels as follows:
CONFIGURE DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE TO disk;
# backup goes to disk
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE disk PARALLELISM 2;
# two channels used in parallel
CONFIGURE CHANNEL 1 DEVICE TYPE DISK FORMAT '/disk1/%U' # 1st channel to disk1
CONFIGURE CHANNEL 2 DEVICE TYPE DISK FORMAT '/disk2/%U' # 2nd channel to disk2
BACKUP DATABASE; # backup - first channel goes to disk1 and second to disk2

6-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring Advanced Backup Options

Assume a different case in which you have two tape drives and want each drive to use
tapes from a different tape media family. Configure your default output device and
default tape channels as shown in Example 6–1 to use parallel database backups.
Example 6–1 Configuring Channel Parallelism for Tape Devices
CONFIGURE DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE TO sbt;
# backup goes to sbt
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE sbt PARALLELISM 2; # two sbt channels allocated by default
# Configure channel 1 to pool named first_pool
CONFIGURE CHANNEL 1 DEVICE TYPE sbt
PARMS 'ENV=(OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=first_pool)';
# configure channel 2 to pool named second_pool
CONFIGURE CHANNEL 2 DEVICE TYPE sbt
PARMS 'ENV=(OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=second_pool)';
BACKUP DATABASE; # first stream goes to 'first_pool' and second to 'second_pool'

In Example 6–1, the backup data is divided between the two tape devices. Each
configured channel backs up approximately half the total data.

Relationship Between CONFIGURE CHANNEL and Parallelism Setting
The PARALLELISM setting is not constrained by the number of specifically configured
channels. For example, if you back up to 20 different tape devices, then you can
configure 20 different SBT channels, each with a manually assigned number (from 1 to
20) and each with a different set of channel options. In such a situation, you can set
PARALLELISM to any value up to the number of devices, in this instance 20.
RMAN always numbers parallel channels starting with 1 and ending with the
PARALLELISM setting. For example, if the default device is SBT and parallelism is set to
3, then RMAN names the channels as follows:
ORA_SBT_TAPE_1
ORA_SBT_TAPE_2
ORA_SBT_TAPE_3

RMAN always uses the name ORA_SBT_TAPE_n even if you configure DEVICE TYPE sbt
(not the synonymous sbt_tape). RMAN always allocates the number of channels
specified in PARALLELISM, using specifically configured channels if you have
configured them and generic channels if you have not. If you configure specific
channels with numbers higher than the parallelism setting, then this setting prevents
RMAN from using them.
See Also:

"RMAN Channels" on page 3-3 to learn about channels

Configuring Advanced Backup Options
"Configuring the Environment for RMAN Backups" on page 5-1 explains the basics for
configuring RMAN to make backups. This section explains more advanced
configuration options. This section contains the following topics:
■

Configuring the Maximum Size of Backup Sets

■

Configuring the Maximum Size of Backup Pieces

■

Configuring Backup Duplexing

■

Configuring Tablespaces for Exclusion from Whole Database Backups

■

Configuring Compression Options

■

Configuring Backup Encryption

Configuring the RMAN Environment: Advanced Topics 6-3

Configuring Advanced Backup Options

Configuring the Maximum Size of Backup Sets
In tape backups, it is possible for a multiplexed backup set to span multiple tapes,
which means that blocks from each data file in the backup set are written to multiple
tapes. If one tape of a multivolume backup set fails, then you lose the data on all the
tapes rather than just one. If a backup is not a multisection backup, then a backup set
always includes a whole data file rather than a partial data file. You can use
MAXSETSIZE to specify that each backup set should fit on one tape rather than spanning
multiple tapes.
The CONFIGURE MAXSETSIZE command limits the size of backup sets created on a
channel. This CONFIGURE setting applies to any channel, whether manually allocated or
configured, when the BACKUP command is used to create backup sets. The default
value is given in bytes and is rounded down to the lowest kilobyte value.
The value set by the CONFIGURE MAXSETSIZE command is a default for the given
channel. You can override the configured MAXSETSIZE value by specifying a
MAXSETSIZE option for an individual BACKUP command.
Assume that you issue the following commands at the RMAN prompt:
CONFIGURE DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE TO sbt;
CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE sbt PARMS 'ENV=(OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=first_pool)';
CONFIGURE MAXSETSIZE TO 7500K;
BACKUP TABLESPACE users;
BACKUP TABLESPACE tools MAXSETSIZE 5G;

The results are as follows:
■

■

The backup of the users tablespace uses the configured SBT channel and the
configured default MAXSETSIZE setting of 7500K.
The backup of the tools tablespace uses the MAXSETSIZE setting of 5G specified in
the BACKUP command.
See Also:
■

■

"Limiting the Size of Backup Sets with BACKUP ...
MAXSETSIZE" on page 10-2
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for BACKUP syntax

Configuring the Maximum Size of Backup Pieces
Backup piece size is an issue when it exceeds the maximum file size permitted by the
file system or media management software. You can use the MAXPIECESIZE parameter
of the CONFIGURE CHANNEL or ALLOCATE CHANNEL command to limit the size of backup
pieces.
For example, to limit the backup piece size to 2 gigabytes or less, you can configure the
automatic DISK channel as follows and then run BACKUP DATABASE:
CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE DISK MAXPIECESIZE 2G;
BACKUP DATABASE;

In version 2.0 of the media management API, media
management vendors can specify the maximum size of a backup piece
that can be written to their media manager. RMAN respects this limit
regardless of the settings that you configure for MAXPIECESIZE.

Note:

6-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring Advanced Backup Options

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn
about the CONFIGURE CHANNEL ... MAXPIECESIZE command

Configuring Backup Duplexing
You can use the CONFIGURE ... BACKUP COPIES command to specify how many copies
of each backup piece should be created on the specified device type for the specified
type of file. This type of backup is known as a duplexed backup set. The CONFIGURE
settings for duplexing only affect backups of data files, control files, and archived logs
into backup sets, and do not affect image copies.
Note:

A control file autobackup is never duplexed.

RMAN can duplex backups to either disk or tape, but cannot duplex backups to tape
and disk simultaneously. When backing up to tape, ensure that the number of copies
does not exceed the number of available tape devices. The following examples show
possible duplexing configurations:
# Makes 2 disk copies of each data file and control file backup set
# (autobackups excluded)
CONFIGURE DATAFILE BACKUP COPIES FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK TO 2;
# Makes 3 copies of every archived redo log backup to tape
CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG BACKUP COPIES FOR DEVICE TYPE sbt TO 3;

To return a BACKUP COPIES configuration to its default value, run the same CONFIGURE
command with the CLEAR option, as in the following example:
CONFIGURE DATAFILE BACKUP COPIES FOR DEVICE TYPE sbt CLEAR;

By default, CONFIGURE ... BACKUP COPIES is set to 1 for each device type.
If you do not want to create a persistent copies
configuration, then you can specify copies with the BACKUP COPIES
and the SET BACKUP COPIES commands.
Note:

See Also:
■

■

■
■

■

"Multiple Copies of RMAN Backups" on page 8-10 for an
overview of duplexed backups
"Duplexing Backup Sets" on page 10-6 to learn how to create
duplexed backups
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for BACKUP syntax
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for CONFIGURE
syntax
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for SET syntax

Configuring Tablespaces for Exclusion from Whole Database Backups
Sometimes you may want to omit a specified tablespace from part of the regular
backup schedule. Here are some possible scenarios to consider:
■

A tablespace is easy to rebuild, so it is more cost-effective to rebuild it than back it
up every day.

Configuring the RMAN Environment: Advanced Topics 6-5

Configuring Advanced Backup Options

■
■

A tablespace contains temporary or test data that you do not need to back up.
A tablespace does not change often and therefore should be backed up on a
different schedule from other backups.

You can run CONFIGURE EXCLUDE FOR TABLESPACE to exclude the specified tablespace
from the BACKUP DATABASE command. The exclusion condition applies to any data files
that you add to this tablespace in the future.
For example, you can exclude testing tablespaces cwmlite and example from whole
database backups as follows:
CONFIGURE EXCLUDE FOR TABLESPACE cwmlite;
CONFIGURE EXCLUDE FOR TABLESPACE example;

If you run the following command, then RMAN backs up all tablespaces in the
database except cwmlite and example:
BACKUP DATABASE;

You can still back up the configured tablespaces by explicitly specifying them in a
BACKUP command or by specifying the NOEXCLUDE option on a BACKUP DATABASE
command. For example, you can enter one of the following commands:
BACKUP DATABASE NOEXCLUDE; #backs up database, including cwmlite and example
BACKUP TABLESPACE cwmlite, example; # backs up only cwmlite and example

You can disable the exclusion feature for cwmlite and example as follows:
CONFIGURE EXCLUDE FOR TABLESPACE cwmlite CLEAR;
CONFIGURE EXCLUDE FOR TABLESPACE example CLEAR;

RMAN includes these tablespaces in future whole database backups.
See Also:
■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for BACKUP and
CONFIGURE syntax

Configuring Compression Options
RMAN supports precompression processing and binary compression of backup sets.

Precompression Block Processing
Better backup compression ratios are achieved by consolidating the free space in each
data block, and setting that free space to binary zeroes. This precompression
processing stage has the most benefit for data blocks that have been the subject of
many deletes and inserts operations. Conversely, it has no effect on data blocks that
are still in their initial loaded state.
The OPTIMIZE FOR LOAD option controls precompression processing. By specifying the
default, OPTIMIZE FOR LOAD TRUE, you ensure that RMAN optimizes CPU usage and
avoids precompression block processing. By specifying OPTIMIZE FOR LOAD FALSE,
RMAN uses additional CPU resources to perform precompression block processing.
See Also:
■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for CONFIGURE and
SET syntax

6-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring Advanced Backup Options

Basic Compression Option
You can configure the basic compression algorithm, which does not require the
Advanced Compression Option, with the following syntax:
Example 6–2 Configuring Basic Compression for Backup
CONFIGURE COMPRESSION ALGORITHM 'BASIC';

Advanced Compression Option
If you have enabled the Oracle Database 11g Release 2 Advanced Compression Option,
you can choose from the following compression levels:
Compression Level

Performance Benefits and Trade-Offs

HIGH

Best suited for backups over slower networks
where the limiting factor is network speed.

MEDIUM

Recommended for most environments. Good
combination of compression ratios and speed.

LOW

Least effect on backup throughput.

The compression ratio generally increases from low to high, with a trade-off of
potentially consuming more CPU resources.
Because the performance of the various compression levels depends on the nature of
the data in the database, network configuration, system resources and the type of
computer system and its capabilities, Oracle cannot document universally applicable
performance statistics. Which level is best for your environment depends on how
balanced your system is regarding bandwidth into the CPU and the actual speed of the
CPU. It is highly recommended that you run tests with the different compression
levels on the data in your environment. Choosing a compression level based on your
environment, network traffic characteristics (workload), and data set is the only way
to ensure that the backup set compression level can satisfy your organization's
performance requirements and applicable service level agreements.
Note:
■

■

If you are backing up to tape and your tape device performs its
own compression, then you should not use both RMAN
backup set compression and the media manager vendor's
compression. See the discussion of tuning RMAN tape backup
performance in Chapter 22, "Tuning RMAN Performance".
Restoring a compressed backup is performed inline, and does
not require decompression.

Configuring Backup Encryption
For improved security, you can configure backup encryption for RMAN backup sets.
Encrypted backups cannot be read if they are obtained by unauthorized users. This
feature requires the Enterprise Edition of the database.

About Backup Encryption
The V$RMAN_ENCRYPTION_ALGORITHMS view contains a list of encryption algorithms
supported by RMAN. If no encryption algorithm is specified, then the default

Configuring the RMAN Environment: Advanced Topics 6-7

Configuring Advanced Backup Options

encryption algorithm is 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). RMAN
encryption requires the COMPATIBLE initialization parameter at a target database to be
at least 10.2.0.
RMAN offers the following encryption modes:
■

Transparent Encryption of Backups
This is the default mode and uses the Oracle wallet. A wallet is a
password-protected container used to store authentication and signing credentials,
including private keys, certificates, and trusted certificates needed by SSL.

■

Password Encryption of Backups
This mode uses only password protection. You must provide a password when
creating and restoring encrypted backups.

■

Dual Mode Encryption of Backups
This mode requires either the wallet or a password.
Wallet-based encryption is more secure than password-based
encryption because no passwords are involved. You should use
password-based encryption only when it is absolutely necessary
because your backups must be transportable.

Note:

Encrypted backups are decrypted automatically during restore and recovery, if the
required decryption keys are available. Each backup set gets a separate key. The key is
stored in encrypted form in the backup piece. The backup is decrypted with keys
obtained with a user-supplied password or the Oracle wallet.
To create encrypted backups on disk with RMAN, the database must use the
Advanced Security Option. The Oracle Secure Backup SBT is the only supported
interface for making encrypted RMAN backups directly to tape. RMAN issues an
ORA-19916 error if you attempt to create encrypted RMAN backups using an SBT
library other than Oracle Secure Backup. The Advanced Security Option is not
required when making encrypted backups using the Oracle Secure Backup SBT.
When you use the BACKUP BACKUPSET command with encrypted backup sets, the
backup sets are backed up in encrypted form. Because BACKUP BACKUPSET copies an
encrypted backup set to disk or tape, no decryption key is needed during BACKUP
BACKUPSET. The data is never decrypted during any part of the operation. The BACKUP
BACKUPSET command can neither encrypt nor decrypt backup sets.
See Also: Oracle Database Advanced Security Administrator's Guide for
details about configuring the Oracle wallet

Transparent Encryption of Backups Transparent encryption can create and restore
encrypted backups with no DBA intervention, as long as the required Oracle key
management infrastructure is available. Transparent encryption is best suited for
day-to-day backup operations, where backups are restored to the same database from
which they were created. Transparent encryption is the default for RMAN encryption.
When you use transparent encryption, you must first configure an Oracle wallet for
each database, as described in Oracle Database Advanced Security Administrator's Guide.
Transparent backup encryption supports both the encrypted and autologin forms of
the Oracle wallet. When you use the Oracle wallet, the wallet must be opened before
you can perform backup encryption. When you use the autologin wallet, encrypted

6-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring Advanced Backup Options

backup operations can be done at any time, because the autologin wallet is always
open.
If you use an autologin wallet, do not back it up along with
your encrypted backup data, because users can read the encrypted
backups if they obtain both the backups and the autologin wallet. It is
safe to back up the Oracle wallet because that form of the wallet
cannot be used without the wallet password.

Caution:

After the Oracle wallet is configured, encrypted backups can be created and restored
with no further DBA intervention. If some columns in the database are encrypted with
transparent data encryption, and if those columns are backed up using backup
encryption, then those columns are encrypted a second time during the backup. When
the backup sets are decrypted during a restore operation, the encrypted columns are
returned to their original encrypted form.
Because the Oracle key management infrastructure archives all previous master keys
in the Oracle wallet, changing or resetting the current database master key does not
affect your ability to restore encrypted backups performed with an older master key.
You can reset the database master key at any time. RMAN can restore all encrypted
backups that were ever created by this database.
Caution: If you lose your Oracle wallet, then you cannot restore any
transparently encrypted backups.

Password Encryption of Backups Password encryption requires that the DBA provide a
password when creating and restoring encrypted backups. Restoring a
password-encrypted backup requires the same password that was used to create the
backup.
Password encryption is useful for backups that are restored at remote locations, but
which must remain secure in transit. Password encryption cannot be persistently
configured. You do not need to configure an Oracle wallet if password encryption is
used exclusively.
Caution: If you forget or lose the password that you used to encrypt
a password-encrypted backup, then you cannot restore the backup.

To use password encryption, use the SET ENCRYPTION ON IDENTIFIED BY password ONLY
command in your RMAN scripts.
Dual Mode Encryption of Backups Dual-mode encrypted backups can be restored either
transparently or by specifying a password. Dual-mode encrypted backups are useful
when you create backups that are normally restored on site using the Oracle wallet,
but which occasionally must be restored offsite, where the Oracle wallet is not
available.
When restoring a dual-mode encrypted backup, you can use either the Oracle wallet
or a password for decryption.

Configuring the RMAN Environment: Advanced Topics 6-9

Configuring Advanced Backup Options

Caution: If you forget or lose the password that you used to encrypt
a dual-mode encrypted backup and you also lose your Oracle wallet,
then you cannot restore the backup.

To create dual-mode encrypted backup sets, specify the SET ENCRYPTION ON IDENTIFIED
BY password command in your RMAN scripts.

Configuring RMAN Backup Encryption Modes
You can use the CONFIGURE command to persistently configure transparent encryption
of backups. You can use the command to specify the following:
■

Whether to use transparent encryptions for backups of all database files

■

Whether to use transparent encryptions for backups of specific tablespaces

■

Which algorithm to use for encrypting backups

You can also use the SET ENCRYPTION command to perform the following actions:
■

■

Override the encryption settings specified by the CONFIGURE ENCRYPTION
command. For example, you can use SET ENCRYPTION OFF to create an unencrypted
backup, even though a database is configured for encrypted backups.
Set a password for backup encryption, persisting until the RMAN client exits.
Because of the sensitive nature of passwords, RMAN does not permit
configuration of passwords that persist across RMAN sessions.

Using or not using persistent configuration settings controls whether archived redo
log backups are encrypted. Backup sets containing archived redo log files are
encrypted if any of the following are true:
■
■

SET ENCRYPTION ON is in effect when the archive log backup is being created.
Encryption is configured for backups of the whole database or at least one
tablespace.

This behavior ensures that the redo associated with any encrypted backup of a data
file is also encrypted.
To configure the environment so that all RMAN backups are encrypted:
1. Set up the Oracle wallet as explained in Oracle Database Advanced Security
Administrator's Guide.
2.

Issue the following RMAN command:
CONFIGURE ENCRYPTION FOR DATABASE ON;

At this stage, all RMAN backup sets created by this database use transparent
encryption by default.
You can explicitly override the persistent encryption configuration for an RMAN
session with the following command:
SET ENCRYPTION ON;

The encryption setting remains in effect until you issue the SET ENCRYPTION OFF
command during an RMAN session, or change the persistent setting again with the
following command:
CONFIGURE ENCRYPTION FOR DATABASE OFF;

6-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring the Snapshot Control File Location

Configuring the Backup Encryption Algorithm
You can use the CONFIGURE command to persistently configure the default algorithm to
use for encryption when writing backup sets. Possible values are listed in V$RMAN_
ENCRYPTION_ALGORITHMS. The default algorithm is AES 128-bit.
To configure the default backup encryption algorithm:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Ensure that the target database is mounted or open.

3.

Execute the CONFIGURE ENCRYPTION ALGORITHM command, specifying a valid value
from V$RMAN_ENCRYPTION_ALGORITHMS.ALGORITHM_NAME.
The following example configures the algorithm to AES 256-bit encryption:
CONFIGURE ENCRYPTION ALGORITHM TO 'AES256';

Configuring Auxiliary Instance Data File Names
Assume that you are performing tablespace point-in-time recovery (TSPITR) or
performing data transfer with RMAN. In this case, you may want to set the names of
data files in the auxiliary instance before starting the TSPITR or database duplication.
The command is as follows, where datafileSpec identifies some data file by its
original name or data file number, and filename is the new path for the specified file:
CONFIGURE AUXNAME FOR datafileSpec TO 'filename';

For example, you might configure a new auxiliary name for data file 2 as follows:
CONFIGURE AUXNAME FOR DATAFILE 2 TO '/newdisk/datafiles/df2.df';

As with other settings, the CONFIGURE command setting persists across RMAN sessions
until cleared with CONFIGURE ... CLEAR, as shown in the following example:
CONFIGURE AUXNAME FOR DATAFILE 2 CLEAR;

If you are performing TSPITR or running the DUPLICATE command, then by using
CONFIGURE AUXNAME you can preconfigure the file names for use on the auxiliary
database without manually specifying the auxiliary file names during the procedure.
When renaming files with the DUPLICATE command, CONFIGURE AUXNAME is an
alternative to SET NEWNAME command. The difference is that after you set the AUXNAME
the first time, you do not need to reset the file name when you issue another
DUPLICATE command; the AUXNAME setting remains in effect until you issue CONFIGURE
AUXNAME ... CLEAR. In contrast, you must reissue the SET NEWNAME command every
time you rename files.
See Chapter 21, "Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR)," for
more details on using CONFIGURE AUXNAME with TSPITR, and Chapter 24, "Duplicating a
Database," for more details on using CONFIGURE AUXNAME in performing database
duplication.

Configuring the Snapshot Control File Location
When RMAN must resynchronize the recovery catalog with a read-consistent version
of the control file, it creates a temporary snapshot control file. RMAN needs a
snapshot control file when resynchronizing with the recovery catalog or when making
a backup of the current control file.

Configuring the RMAN Environment: Advanced Topics 6-11

Configuring RMAN for Use with a Shared Server

The default location for the snapshot control file is platform-specific and depends on
the Oracle home of each target database. For example, the default file name on some
Linux platforms is $ORACLE_HOME/dbs/snapcf_@.f. If a fast recovery area is
configured for a target database, then the default location for the snapshot control file
is not the fast recovery area.

Viewing the Configured Location of the Snapshot Control File
You can see the current snapshot location by running the SHOW command. This
example shows a snapshot location that is determined by the default rule:
RMAN> SHOW SNAPSHOT CONTROLFILE NAME;
CONFIGURE SNAPSHOT CONTROLFILE NAME TO '/oracle/dbs/snapcf_trgt.f'; # default

This example shows a snapshot control file that has a nondefault file name:
RMAN> SHOW SNAPSHOT CONTROLFILE NAME;
CONFIGURE SNAPSHOT CONTROLFILE NAME TO '/oracle/oradata/trgt/snap_trgt.ctl';

Setting the Location of the Snapshot Control File
Use the CONFIGURE SNAPSHOT CONTROLFILE NAME TO 'filename' command to change
the name of the snapshot control file. Subsequent snapshot control files that RMAN
creates use the specified file name.
For example, start RMAN and then enter:
CONFIGURE SNAPSHOT CONTROLFILE NAME TO '/oracle/oradata/trgt/snap_trgt.ctl';

You can also set the snapshot control file name to a raw device.
To reset the snapshot control file location to the default, run the CONFIGURE SNAPSHOT
CONTROLFILE NAME CLEAR command.
See Also:
■
■

"Resynchronizing the Recovery Catalog" on page 13-22
Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment
Guide for details about handling snapshot control files in Oracle
RAC configurations

Configuring RMAN for Use with a Shared Server
RMAN cannot connect to a target database through a shared server dispatcher. RMAN
requires a dedicated server process. If your target database is configured for a shared
server, then you must modify your Oracle Net configuration to provide dedicated
server processes for RMAN connections.
To ensure that RMAN does not connect to a dispatcher when a target database is
configured for a shared server, the net service name used by RMAN must include
(SERVER=DEDICATED) in the CONNECT_DATA attribute of the connect string.
Oracle Net configuration varies greatly from system to system. The following
procedure illustrates only one method. This scenario assumes that the following
service name in tnsnames.ora file connects to a target database using the shared
server architecture, where inst1 is a value of the SERVICE_NAMES initialization
parameter:
inst1_shs =
(DESCRIPTION=

6-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Configuring RMAN for Use with a Shared Server

(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=inst1_host)(port=1521))
(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=inst1)(SERVER=shared))
)

To use RMAN with a shared server:
1. Create a net service name in the tnsnames.ora file that connects to the nonshared
SID. For example, enter:
inst1_ded =
(DESCRIPTION=
(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=inst1_host)(port=1521))
(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=inst1)(SERVER=dedicated))
)
2.

Start SQL*Plus and then connect using both the shared server and dedicated
server service names to confirm the mode of each session.
For example, connect with SYSDBA privileges to inst1_ded and then execute the
following SELECT statement (sample output included):
SQL> SELECT SERVER
2 FROM
V$SESSION
3 WHERE SID = (SELECT DISTINCT SID FROM V$MYSTAT);
SERVER
--------DEDICATED
1 row selected.

To connect to a shared server session, you connect with SYSDBA privileges to
inst1_shs and then execute the following SELECT statement (sample output
included):
SQL> SELECT SERVER
2 FROM
V$SESSION
3 WHERE SID = (SELECT DISTINCT SID FROM V$MYSTAT);
SERVER
--------SHARED
1 row selected.
3.

Start RMAN and connect to the target database using the dedicated service name.
Optionally, connect to a recovery catalog. For example, enter:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET SYS@inst1_ded
target database Password: password
connected to target database: INST1 (DBID=39525561)
RMAN> CONNECT CATALOG rman@catdb

See Also: Your platform-specific Oracle documentation and your
Oracle Database Net Services Reference for a complete description of
Oracle Net connect string syntax

Configuring the RMAN Environment: Advanced Topics 6-13

Enabling Lost Write Detection

Enabling Lost Write Detection
A data block lost write occurs when an I/O subsystem acknowledges the completion
of the block write, but the write did not occur in the persistent storage. On a
subsequent block read, the I/O subsystem returns the stale version of the data block,
which might be used to update other blocks of the database, thereby corrupting it.
You can set the DB_LOST_WRITE_PROTECT initialization parameter to TYPICAL or FULL so
that a database records buffer cache block reads in the redo log. The default setting is
NONE. When the parameter is set to TYPICAL, the instance logs buffer cache reads for
read/write tablespaces in the redo log, but not read-only tablespaces. When set to
FULL, the instance also records reads for read-only tablespaces. The performance
overhead for TYPICAL mode is approximately 5 to 10% and potentially higher for FULL
mode.
Lost write detection is most effective when used with Data Guard. In this case, you set
DB_LOST_WRITE_PROTECT in both primary and standby databases. When a standby
database applies redo during managed recovery, it reads the corresponding blocks and
compares the SCNs with the SCNs in the redo log. If the block SCN on the primary
database is lower than on the standby database, then it detects a lost write on the
primary database and throws an external error (ORA-752). If the SCN is higher, it
detects a lost write on the standby database and throws an internal error (ORA-600
[3020]). In either case, the standby database writes the reason for the failure in the
alert log and trace file.
To repair a lost write on a primary database, you must initiate failover to the standby
database. To repair a lost write on a standby database, you must re-create the entire
standby database or restore a backup of only the affected files.
Enabling lost write detection is also useful when you are not using Data Guard. In this
case, you can encounter a lost write in two ways: during normal database operation or
during media recovery. In the first case, there is no direct way to detect the error.
Indirect symptoms such as inconsistent tables cannot be unambiguously traced to the
lost write. If you retained a backup made before the suspected lost write, however, then
you can restore this backup to an alternative location and recover it. To diagnose the
problem, recover the database or tablespace to the SCN of the stale block read, which
then generates the lost write error (ORA-752).
If a lost write error is encountered during media recovery, the only response is to open
the database with the RESETLOGS option. The database is in a consistent state, but all
data after the RESETLOGS SCN is lost. If you recover a backup made after database
creation, you have no guarantee that other stale blocks have not corrupted the
database. This possibility exists because the restored backup may have been made
after an earlier lost write. To guarantee that no lost writes have corrupted the database,
you must perform media recovery from database creation, which is not a practical
strategy for most database environments.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how to use
a standby database for lost write detection and repair
Oracle Database Reference to learn about the DB_LOST_WRITE_
PROTECT initialization parameter

6-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

7
Using Flashback Database and Restore Points
7

This chapter explains Flashback Database, restore points. This chapter discusses
configuring, monitoring, and maintaining these features as part of an overall data
protection strategy.
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Understanding Flashback Database, Restore Points and Guaranteed Restore Points

■

Logging for Flashback Database and Guaranteed Restore Points

■

Prerequisites for Flashback Database and Guaranteed Restore Points

■

Using Normal and Guaranteed Restore Points

■

Using Flashback Database
See Also: Detailed information on recovery scenarios that use
Flashback Database and normal and guaranteed restore points can be
found in Chapter 18, "Performing Flashback and Database
Point-in-Time Recovery".

Understanding Flashback Database, Restore Points and Guaranteed
Restore Points
Oracle Flashback Database and restore points are related data protection features that
enable you to rewind data back in time to correct any problems caused by logical data
corruption or user errors within a designated time window. These features provide a
more efficient alternative to point-in-time recovery and does not require a backup of
the database to be restored first. The effects are similar to database point-in-time
recovery (DBPITR). Flashback Database and restore points are not only effective in
traditional database recovery situations but can also be useful during database
upgrades, application deployments and testing scenarios when test databases must be
quickly created and re-created. Flashback Database also provides an efficient
alternative to rebuilding a failed primary database after a Data Guard failover.
See Also:

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration

Restore points provide capabilities related to Flashback Database and other media
recovery operations. In particular, a guaranteed restore point created at a system
change number (SCN) ensures that you can use Flashback Database to rewind the
database to this SCN. You can use restore points and Flashback Database
independently or together.

Using Flashback Database and Restore Points

7-1

Understanding Flashback Database, Restore Points and Guaranteed Restore Points

Flashback Database is accessible through the RMAN command FLASHBACK DATABASE or
the SQL statement FLASHBACK DATABASE. You can use either command to quickly
recover the database from logical data corruption or user errors. The following
examples return the database to a specified SCN or restore point:
FLASHBACK DATABASE TO RESTORE POINT 'before_upgrade';
FLASHBACK DATABASE TO SCN 202381;

Flashback Database
Flashback Database is accessible through the RMAN command and SQL statement
FLASHBACK DATABASE. You can use either command to quickly recover the database
from logical data corruptions or user errors.
Flashback Database is similar to conventional point-in-time recovery in its effects. It
enables you to return a database to its state at a time in the recent past. Flashback
Database is much faster than point-in-time recovery because it does not require
restoring datafiles from backup and requires applying fewer changes from the
archived redo logs.
You can use Flashback Database to reverse most unwanted changes to a database if the
data files are intact. You can return a database to its state in a previous incarnation,
and undo the effects of an ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS statement. "Rewinding a
Database with Flashback Database" on page 18-11 explains how to use the FLASHBACK
DATABASE command to reverse database changes.
Flashback Database uses its own logging mechanism, creating flashback logs and
storing them in the fast recovery area. You can only use Flashback Database if
flashback logs are available. To take advantage of this feature, you must set up your
database in advance to create flashback logs.
To enable Flashback Database, you configure a fast recovery area and set a flashback
retention target. This retention target specifies how far back you can rewind a
database with Flashback Database.
From that time onwards, at regular intervals, the database copies images of each
altered block in every data file into the flashback logs. These block images can later be
reused to reconstruct the data file contents for any moment at which logs were
captured.
When you use Flashback Database to rewind a database to a past target time, the
command determines which blocks changed after the target time and restores them
from the flashback logs. The database restores the version of each block that is
immediately before the target time. The database then uses redo logs to reapply
changes that were made after these blocks were written to the flashback logs.
Redo logs on disk or tape must be available for the entire time period spanned by the
flashback logs. For example, if the flashback retention target is 1 week, then you must
ensure that online and archived redo logs that contain all changes for the past week
are accessible. In practice, redo logs are typically needed much longer than the
flashback retention target to support point-in-time recovery.

Flashback Database Window
The range of SCNs for which there is currently enough flashback log data to support
the FLASHBACK DATABASE command is called the flashback database window. The
flashback database window cannot extend further back than the earliest SCN in the
available flashback logs.

7-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Understanding Flashback Database, Restore Points and Guaranteed Restore Points

Some database operations, such as dropping a tablespace or
shrinking a data file, cannot be reversed with Flashback Database. See
"Limitations of Flashback Database" on page 7-3 for details.

Note:

You cannot back up flashback logs to locations outside the fast recovery area. To
increase the likelihood that enough flashback logs are retained to meet the flashback
database window, you can increase the space in your fast recovery area (see
" Initialization Parameters for the Fast Recovery Area" on page 5-17).
If the fast recovery area is not large enough to hold the flashback logs and files such as
archived redo logs and other backups needed for the retention policy, then the
database may delete flashback logs from the earliest SCNs forward to make room for
other files. Consequently, the flashback database window can be shorter than the
flashback retention target, depending on the size of the fast recovery area, other
backups that must be retained, and how much flashback logging data is needed. The
flashback retention target is a target, not a guarantee that Flashback Database is
available.
If you cannot use FLASHBACK DATABASE because the flashback database window is not
long enough, then you can use database point-in-time recovery (DBPITR) in most
cases to achieve a similar result. Guaranteed restore points are the only way to ensure
that you can use Flashback Database to return to a specific point in time or guarantee
the size of the flashback window.
See Also:
■

■

"Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database" on page 18-11 to
learn about Flashback Database
"Performing Database Point-in-Time Recovery" on page 18-15 to
learn about DBPITR

Limitations of Flashback Database
Because Flashback Database works by undoing changes to the data files that exist at
the moment when you run the command, it has the following limitations:
■

■

■

■

■

Flashback Database can only undo changes to a data file made by Oracle Database.
It cannot be used to repair media failures, or to recover from accidental deletion of
data files.
You cannot use Flashback Database to undo a shrink data file operation. However,
you can take the shrunken file offline, flash back the rest of the database, and then
later restore and recover the shrunken data file.
You cannot use Flashback Database alone to retrieve a dropped data file. If you
flash back a database to a time when a dropped data file existed in the database,
only the data file entry is added to the control file. You can only recover the
dropped data file by using RMAN to fully restore and recover the data file.
If the database control file is restored from backup or re-created, all accumulated
flashback log information is discarded. You cannot use FLASHBACK DATABASE to
return to a point in time before the restore or re-creation of a control file.
When using Flashback Database with a target time at which a NOLOGGING operation
was in progress, block corruption is likely in the database objects and datafiles
affected by the NOLOGGING operation. For example, if you perform a direct-path
INSERT operation in NOLOGGING mode, and that operation runs from 9:00 to 9:15 on

Using Flashback Database and Restore Points

7-3

Understanding Flashback Database, Restore Points and Guaranteed Restore Points

April 3, 2005, and you later use Flashback Database to return to the target time
09:07 on that date, the objects and datafiles updated by the direct-path INSERT may
be left with block corruption after the Flashback Database operation completes.
If possible, avoid using Flashback Database with a target time or SCN that
coincides with a NOLOGGING operation. Also, perform a full or incremental backup
of the affected data files immediately after any NOLOGGING operation to ensure
recoverability to points in time after the operation. If you expect to use Flashback
Database to return to a point in time during an operation such as a direct-path
INSERT, consider performing the operation in LOGGING mode.
LOGGING_CLAUSE in Oracle Database SQL Reference for more
information about operations that support NOLOGGING mode.

See Also:

Normal Restore Points
Creating a normal restore point assigns a restore point name to an SCN or specific
point in time. Thus, a restore point functions as a bookmark or alias for this SCN.
Before performing any operation that you may have to reverse, you can create a
normal restore point. The control file stores the name of the restore point and the SCN.
If you use flashback features or point-in-time recovery, then you can use the name of
the restore point instead of a time or SCN. The following commands support this use
of restore points:
■

The RECOVER DATABASE and FLASHBACK DATABASE commands in RMAN

■

The FLASHBACK TABLE statement in SQL

Creating a normal restore point eliminates manually recording an SCN in advance or
determine the correct SCN after the fact by using features such as Flashback Query.
Normal restore points are lightweight. The control file can maintain a record of
thousands of normal restore points with no significant effect on database performance.
Normal restore points eventually age out of the control file if not manually deleted, so
they require no ongoing maintenance.
See Also: Oracle Database Advanced Application Developer's Guide to
learn how to use Flashback Query

Guaranteed Restore Points
Like a normal restore point, a guaranteed restore point serves as an alias for an SCN
in recovery operations. A principal difference is that guaranteed restore points never
age out of the control file and must be explicitly dropped. In general, you can use a
guaranteed restore point as an alias for an SCN with any command that works with a
normal restore point. Except as noted, the information about where and how to use
normal restore points applies to guaranteed restore points as well.
A guaranteed restore point ensures that you can use Flashback Database to rewind a
database to its state at the restore point SCN, even if the generation of flashback logs
is disabled. If flashback logging is enabled, then a guaranteed restore point enforces
the retention of flashback logs required for Flashback Database to any SCN after the
earliest guaranteed restore point. Thus, if flashback logging is enabled, you can rewind
the database to any SCN in the continuum rather than to a single SCN only.

7-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Logging for Flashback Database and Guaranteed Restore Points

If flashback logging is disabled, then you cannot FLASHBACK
DATABASE directly to SCNs between the guaranteed restore points and
the current time. You can, however, flashback to the guaranteed
restore point first and then recover to SCNs between the guaranteed
restore point and current time.
Caution:

If the recovery area has enough disk space to store the needed logs, then you can use a
guaranteed restore point to rewind a whole database to a known good state days or
weeks ago. As with Flashback Database, even the effects of NOLOGGING operations like
direct load inserts can be reversed with guaranteed restore points.
Limitations that apply to Flashback Database also apply to
guaranteed restore points. For example, shrinking a data file or
dropping a tablespace can prevent flashing back the affected data files
to the guaranteed restore point. See "Limitations of Flashback
Database" on page 7-3 for details. In addition, when there are
guaranteed restore points in the database, the database compatibility
parameter cannot be set to a higher database version. An attempt to
do so results in an error. This restriction exists because flashback
database is currently unable to reverse the effects of increasing the
database version with the compatibility initialization parameter.

Note:

Guaranteed Restore Points versus Storage Snapshots
In practice, guaranteed restore points provide a useful alternative to storage snapshots.
Storage snapshots are often used to protect a database before risky operations such as
large-scale database updates or application patches or upgrades. Rather than creating
a snapshot or duplicate database to test the operation, you can create a guaranteed
restore point on a primary or physical standby database. You can then perform the
risky operation with the certainty that the required flashback logs are retained.

Logging for Flashback Database and Guaranteed Restore Points
Logging for Flashback Database and guaranteed restore points involves capturing
images of data file blocks before changes are applied. The FLASHBACK DATABASE
command can use these images to return the data files to their previous state.
The chief differences between normal flashback logging and logging for guaranteed
restore points are related to when blocks are logged and whether the logs can be
deleted in response to space pressure in the fast recovery area. These differences affect
space usage for logs and database performance.
Your recoverability goals partially determine whether to enable logging for flashback
database, or use guaranteed restore points, or both. The implications in performance
and in space usage for these features, separately and when used together, should also
factor into your decision.

Guaranteed Restore Points and Fast Recovery Area Space Usage
The following rules govern creating, retaining, overwriting and deleting of flashback
logs in the fast recovery area:
■

If the fast recovery area has enough space, then a flashback log is created
whenever necessary to satisfy the flashback retention target.

Using Flashback Database and Restore Points

7-5

Logging for Flashback Database and Guaranteed Restore Points

■

■

If a flashback log is old enough that it is no longer needed to satisfy the flashback
retention target, then a flashback log is reused.
If the database must create a flashback log and the fast recovery area is full or
there is no disk space, then the oldest flashback log is reused instead.
Reusing the oldest flashback log shortens the flashback
database window. If enough flashback logs are reused due to a lack of
disk space, then the flashback retention target may not be satisfied.

Note:

■

If the fast recovery area is full, then an archived redo log that is reclaimable
according to the fast recovery area rules may be automatically deleted by the fast
recovery area to make space for other files. In this case, any flashback logs that
would require the use of that redo log file for the use of FLASHBACK DATABASE are
also deleted.
Note: According to fast recovery area rules, a file is reclaimable
when one of the following criteria is true:
■

■

■

The file is reported as obsolete and not needed by the flashback
database. For example, the file is outside the DB_FLASHBACK_
RETENTION_TARGET parameters.
The file is backed up to tape.

No file in the fast recovery area is eligible for deletion if it is required to satisfy a
guaranteed restore point. However, archived redo logs required to satisfy a
guaranteed restore point may be deleted after they are backed up to disk or tape.
When you use the RMAN FLASHBACK DATABASE command, if the archived redo logs
required to satisfy a specified guaranteed restore point are not available in the fast
recovery area, then they are restored from the backups.
Retention of flashback logs and other files required to satisfy the guaranteed
restore point, in addition to files required to satisfy the backup retention policy,
can cause the fast recovery area to fill completely. Consult "Responding to a Full
Fast Recovery Area" on page 12-8 if your fast recovery area becomes full.

When you create a guaranteed restore point, with or without enabling full flashback
database logging, you must monitor the space available in your fast recovery area.
"Managing Space for Flashback Logs in the Fast Recovery Area" on page 12-7 explains
how to monitor fast recovery area disk space usage.
Caution: If no files are eligible for deletion from the fast recovery
area because of the requirements imposed by your retention policy
and the guaranteed restore point, then the database performs as if it
has encountered a disk full condition. In many circumstances, this
causes your database to halt. See "Responding to a Full Fast Recovery
Area" on page 12-8.

Logging for Guaranteed Restore Points with Flashback Logging Disabled
Assume that you create a guaranteed restore point when logging for Flashback
Database is disabled. In this case, the first time a data file block is modified after the
time of the guaranteed restore point, the database stores an image of the block before

7-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Prerequisites for Flashback Database and Guaranteed Restore Points

the modification in the flashback logs. Thus, the flashback logs preserve the contents
of every changed data block at the time that the guaranteed restore point was created.
Later modifications to the same block do not cause the contents to be logged again
unless another guaranteed restore point was created after the block was last modified
or a subsequent flashback database operation has restored the original contents of the
block. When you use Flashback Database to restore a database multiple times to the
same restore point, it is common practise to drop and recreate the guaranteed restore
point each time. This deletes the old flashback logs and also ensures that the space
quota for the fast recovery area is not exceeded.
This method of logging has the following important consequences:
■

■

FLASHBACK DATABASE can re-create the data file contents at the time of a guaranteed
restore point by using the block images.
For workloads that repeatedly modify the same data, disk space usage can be less
than normal flashback logging. Less space is needed because each changed block
is only logged once. Applications with low volume inserts may benefit from this
disk space saving. This advantage is less likely for applications with high volume
inserts or large batch inserts. The performance overhead of logging for a
guaranteed restore point without flashback database logging enabled can also be
lower.

Assume that your primary goal is the ability to return your database to the time at
which the guaranteed restore point was created. In this case, it is usually more efficient
to turn off flashback logging and use only guaranteed restore points. For example,
suppose that you are performing an application upgrade on a database host over a
weekend. You could create a guaranteed restore point at the start of the upgrade. If the
upgrade fails, then reverse the changes with the FLASHBACK DATABASE command.

Logging for Flashback Database with Guaranteed Restore Points Defined
If you enable Flashback Database and define one or more guaranteed restore points,
then the database performs normal flashback logging. In this case, the recovery area
retains the flashback logs required to flash back to any arbitrary time between the
present and the earliest currently defined guaranteed restore point. Flashback logs are
not deleted in response to space pressure if they are required to satisfy the guarantee.
Flashback logging causes some performance overhead. Depending upon the pattern of
activity on your database, it can also cause significant space pressure in the fast
recovery area. Thus, you should monitor space used in the fast recovery area.

Prerequisites for Flashback Database and Guaranteed Restore Points
To ensure successful operation of Flashback Database and guaranteed restore points,
you must first set several key database options.
Flashback Database
Configure the following database settings before enabling Flashback Database:
■

■

■

Your database must be running in ARCHIVELOG mode, because archived logs are
used in the Flashback Database operation.
You must have a fast recovery area enabled, because flashback logs can only be
stored in the fast recovery area.
For Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) databases, the fast recovery
area must be in a clustered file system or in ASM.

Using Flashback Database and Restore Points

7-7

Using Normal and Guaranteed Restore Points

Guaranteed Restore Points
To use guaranteed restore points, the database must satisfy the following additional
prerequisite: the COMPATIBLE initialization parameter must be set to 10.2.0 or greater
There are no special prerequisites to set before using normal
restore points.

Note:

Using Normal and Guaranteed Restore Points
This section describes the various commands and monitoring capabilities you use with
normal and guaranteed restore points.

Creating Normal and Guaranteed Restore Points
To create normal or guaranteed restore points, use the CREATE RESTORE POINT SQL
statement, providing a name for the restore point and specifying whether it is to be a
guaranteed restore point or a normal one (the default).
To create a restore point:
1. Connect SQL*Plus to a target database.
See Also: Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for using SQL*Plus
to connect to a database
2.

Ensure that the database is open or mounted. If the database is mounted, then it
must have been shut down cleanly (unless it is a physical standby database).

3.

Run the CREATE RESTORE POINT statement.
The following example shows how to create a normal restore point in SQL*Plus:
SQL> CREATE RESTORE POINT before_upgrade;

This example shows how to create a guaranteed restore point:
SQL> CREATE RESTORE POINT before_upgrade GUARANTEE FLASHBACK DATABASE;

See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for reference information
about the SQL CREATE RESTORE POINT statement
"Listing Restore Points" on page 7-8 to learn how to list restore
point
"Dropping Restore Points" on page 7-9 to learn how to delete
restore points

Listing Restore Points
You can use the LIST command to list either a specific restore point or all restore points
known to the RMAN repository. The variations of the command are as follows:
LIST RESTORE POINT restore_point_name;
LIST RESTORE POINT ALL;

RMAN indicates the SCN and time of the restore point, the type of restore point, and
the name of the restore point. The following example shows sample output:

7-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Using Normal and Guaranteed Restore Points

RMAN> LIST RESTORE POINT ALL;
using target database control file instead of recovery catalog
SCN
RSP Time Type
Time
Name
---------------- --------- ---------- --------- ---341859
28-JUL-06
28-JUL-06 NORMAL_RS
343690
28-JUL-06 GUARANTEED 28-JUL-06 GUARANTEED_RS

To see a list of all currently defined restore points (normal and guaranteed), use the
V$RESTORE_POINT control file view with the following query:
SQL> SELECT NAME, SCN, TIME, DATABASE_INCARNATION#,
GUARANTEE_FLASHBACK_DATABASE,STORAGE_SIZE
FROM V$RESTORE_POINT;

The output from the view:
■
■

Name of each restore point (guaranteed and normal)
SCN

■

Time and database incarnation number when the restore points were created

■

Type of restore point (normal or guaranteed)

■

Amount of space in the fast recovery area being used to support information
needed for Flashback Database operations for that restore point

For normal restore points, STORAGE_SIZE is zero. For guaranteed restore points,
STORAGE_SIZE indicates the amount of disk space in the fast recovery area used to
retain logs required to guarantee FLASHBACK DATABASE to that restore point.
See Also:
■

Oracle Database Reference for information about V$RESTORE_POINT

■

"Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database" on page 18-11

Dropping Restore Points
When you are satisfied that you do not need an existing restore point, or when you
want to create a restore point with the name of an existing restore point, you can drop
the restore point, using the DROP RESTORE POINT SQL*Plus statement. For example:
SQL> DROP RESTORE POINT before_app_upgrade;
Restore point dropped.

The same statement is used to drop both normal and guaranteed restore points.
Normal restore points eventually age out of the control file,
even if not explicitly dropped. The rules governing retention of restore
points in the control file are:

Note:

■

■

The most recent 2048 restore points are always kept in the control
file, regardless of their age.
Any restore point more recent than the value of CONTROL_FILE_
RECORD_KEEP_TIME is retained, regardless of how many restore
points are defined.

Normal restore points that do not meet either of these conditions may
age out of the control file.

Using Flashback Database and Restore Points

7-9

Using Flashback Database

Guaranteed restore points never age out of the control file. They remain until they are
explicitly dropped.
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for reference
information about the SQL DROP RESTORE POINT statement

See also:

Using Flashback Database
This section describes the basic commands for Flashback Database. It also lists
guidelines to ensure optimal performance of Flashback Database.

Enabling Flashback Database
Follow these are the steps to enable Flashback Database.
To enable flashback logging:
1. Ensure the database instance is open or mounted. If the instance is mounted, then
the database must be shut down cleanly unless it is a physical standby database.
Other Oracle RAC instances can be in any mode.
2.

Optionally, set the DB_FLASHBACK_RETENTION_TARGET to the length of the desired
flashback window in minutes:
ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_FLASHBACK_RETENTION_TARGET=4320; # 3 days

By default DB_FLASHBACK_RETENTION_TARGET is set to 1 day (1440 minutes).
3.

Enable the Flashback Database feature for the whole database:
ALTER DATABASE FLASHBACK ON;

4.

Optionally, disable flashback logging for specific tablespaces.
By default, flashback logs are generated for all permanent tablespaces. You can
reduce overhead by disabling flashback logging for specific tablespaces as in the
following example:
ALTER TABLESPACE tbs_3 FLASHBACK OFF;

You can re-enable flashback logging for a tablespace later with this command:
ALTER TABLESPACE tbs_3 FLASHBACK ON;

If you disable Flashback Database for a tablespace, then you must take its datafiles
offline before running FLASHBACK DATABASE.
When you enable Flashback Database while the database is open, there is a very small
chance the command may not be able to obtain the memory it needs. If the command
fails because of that reason, retry the command after a while or retry after a shutdown
and restart of the instance.
When you enable Flashback Database on a physical standby database, you can flash
back a standby database. Flashback Database of standby databases has some
applications in the Data Guard environment. See Oracle Data Guard Concepts and
Administration for details.

Disabling Flashback Database Logging
On a database instances that is either in mount or open state, issue the following
command:

7-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Using Flashback Database

ALTER DATABASE FLASHBACK OFF;

Configuring the Environment for Optimal Flashback Database Performance
Maintaining flashback logs imposes comparatively limited overhead on an database
instance. Changed blocks are written from memory to the flashback logs at relatively
infrequent, regular intervals, to limit processing and I/O overhead.
To achieve good performance for large production databases with Flashback Database
enabled, Oracle recommends the following:
■

Use a fast file system for your fast recovery area, preferably without operating
system file caching.
Files that the database creates in the fast recovery area, including flashback logs,
are typically large. Operating system file caching is typically not effective for these
files, and may actually add CPU overhead for reading from and writing to these
files. Thus, it is recommended to use a file system that avoids operating system file
caching, such as ASM.

■

Configure enough disk spindles for the file system that holds the fast recovery
area.
For large production databases, multiple disk spindles may be needed to support
the required disk throughput for the database to write the flashback logs
effectively.

■

If the storage system used to hold the fast recovery area does not have nonvolatile
RAM, then try to configure the file system on striped storage volumes.
Use a relatively small stripe size such as 128 KB. This technique enables each write
to the flashback logs to be spread across multiple spindles, improving
performance.

■

For large databases, set the initialization parameter LOG_BUFFER to at least 8 MB.

The overhead of logging for Flashback Database depends on the mixture of reads and
writes in the database workload. When you have a write-intensive workload, the
Flashback Database logging overhead is high since it must log all those database
changes. Queries do not change data and thus do not contribute to logging activity for
Flashback Database.

Monitoring the Effect of Flashback Database on Performance
The Automatic Workload Repository (AWR) automates database statistics gathering
by collecting, processing, and maintaining performance statistics for database problem
detection and self-tuning. There are several data analysis methods for monitoring the
Flashback Database workload on your system. For example, you can compare AWR
reports from before and after the Flashback Database was turned on. You can also
review AWR snapshots to pinpoint system usage caused by flashback logging. For
example, if flashback buf free by RVWR is the top wait event, then you know that
Oracle Database cannot write flashback logs very quickly. Therefore, you might want
to tune the file system and storage used by the fast recovery area, possibly using a
technique described in "Configuring the Environment for Optimal Flashback Database
Performance" on page 7-11.
The V$FLASHBACK_DATABASE_STAT view shows the bytes of flashback data logged by
the database. Each row in the view shows the statistics accumulated (typically over the
course of an hour). The FLASHBACK_DATA and REDO_DATA columns describe bytes of
flashback data and redo data written respectively during the time interval, while the

Using Flashback Database and Restore Points 7-11

Using Flashback Database

DB_DATA column describes bytes of data blocks read and written. The columns
FLASHBACK_DATA and REDO_DATA correspond to sequential writes, whereas DB_DATA
column corresponds to random reads and writes.
Because of the difference between sequential I/O and random I/O, a better indication
of I/O overhead is the number of I/O operations issued for flashback logs. The
V$SYSSTAT statistics shown in Table 7–1 can tell you the number of I/O operations that
your instance has issued for various purposes.
Table 7–1

V$SYSSTAT Statistics

Column Name

Column Meaning

Physical write I/O request

The number of write operations issued for writing data blocks

Physical read I/O request

The number of read operations issued for reading data blocks

Redo writes

The number of write operations issued for writing to the redo
log

Flashback log writes

The number of write operations issued for writing to flashback
logs

Flashback log write bytes

Total size in bytes of flashback database data written from this
instance

See Also:
■

■
■

Oracle Database Reference for more details on columns in the
V$SYSSTAT view
Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide to learn about AWR
Oracle Database 2 Day + Performance Tuning Guide for more
information about AWR reports

Flashback Writer (RVWR) Behavior with I/O Errors
When flashback is enabled or when there are guaranteed restore points, the
background process RVWR writes flashback data to flashback database logs in the fast
recovery area. If RVWR encounters an I/O error, then the following behavior is
expected:
■

■

If there are any guaranteed restore points defined, then the instance fails when
RVWR encounters I/O errors.
If no guaranteed restore points are defined, then the instance remains unaffected
when RVWR encounters I/O errors. Note the following cases:
–

On a primary database, Oracle Database automatically disables Flashback
Database while the database is open. All existing transactions and queries
proceed unaffected. This behavior is expected for both single-instance and
Oracle RAC databases.

–

On a physical or logical standby, RVWR appears to have stopped responding,
retrying the I/O periodically. This may eventually cause the logical standby or
the managed recovery of the physical standby to suspend. (Oracle Database
does not cause the standby instance to fail because it does not want to cause
the primary database to fail in maximum protection mode.) To resolve the
issue, you can issue either a SHUTDOWN ABORT or an ALTER DATABASE FLASHBACK
OFF command.

7-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Part III
Part III

Backing Up and Archiving Data

The chapters in this part describe how to use the RMAN utility to perform advanced
backup and recovery operations, and explain RMAN performance tuning and
troubleshooting.
This part contains these chapters:
■

Chapter 8, "RMAN Backup Concepts"

■

Chapter 9, "Backing Up the Database"

■

Chapter 10, "Backing Up the Database: Advanced Topics"

8
8

RMAN Backup Concepts

This chapter describes the general concepts that you must understand to make any
type of RMAN backup. This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Consistent and Inconsistent RMAN Backups

■

Online Backups and Backup Mode

■

Backup Sets

■

Image Copies

■

Multiple Copies of RMAN Backups

■

Control File and Server Parameter File Autobackups

■

Incremental Backups

■

Backup Retention Policies

Consistent and Inconsistent RMAN Backups
The RMAN command for making backups is BACKUP. The RMAN BACKUP command
supports backing up the following types of files:
■

Datafiles and control files

■

Server parameter file

■

Archived redo logs

■

RMAN backups

Although the database depends on other types of files, such as network configuration
files, password files, and the contents of the Oracle home, you cannot back up these
files with RMAN. Likewise, some features of Oracle Database, such as external tables,
may depend upon files other than the datafiles, control files, and redo log. RMAN
cannot back up these files. Use some non-RMAN backup solution for any files not in
the preceding list.
When you execute the BACKUP command in RMAN, the output is always either one or
more backup sets or one or more image copies. A backup set is an RMAN-specific
proprietary format, whereas an image copy is a bit-for-bit copy of a file. By default,
RMAN creates backup sets.

Consistent Backups
You can use the BACKUP command to make consistent and inconsistent backups of the
database. A consistent backup occurs when the database is in a consistent state. A

RMAN Backup Concepts 8-1

Online Backups and Backup Mode

database is in a consistent state after being shut down with the SHUTDOWN NORMAL,
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE, or SHUTDOWN TRANSACTIONAL commands. A consistent shutdown
guarantees that all redo has been applied to the datafiles. If you mount the database
and make a backup at this point, then you can restore the database backup later and
open it without performing media recovery.

Inconsistent Backups
Any database backup that is not consistent is an inconsistent backup. A backup made
when the database is open is inconsistent, as is a backup made after an instance failure
or SHUTDOWN ABORT command. When a database is restored from an inconsistent
backup, Oracle Database must perform media recovery before the database can be
opened, applying any pending changes from the redo logs.
RMAN does not permit you to make inconsistent backups
when the database is in NOARCHIVELOG mode. If you employ
user-managed backup techniques for a NOARCHIVELOG database, then
you must not make inconsistent backups of this database.
Note:

If the database runs in ARCHIVELOG mode, and you back up the archived redo logs and
datafiles, inconsistent backups can be the foundation for a sound backup and recovery
strategy. Inconsistent backups offer superior availability because you do not have to
shut down the database to make backups that fully protect the database.

Online Backups and Backup Mode
When performing a user-managed backup of an online tablespace or database, an
operating system utility can back up a data file at the same time that the database
writer (DBWR) is updating the file. It is possible for the utility to read a block in a
half-updated state, so that the block that is copied to the backup media is updated in
its first half, while the second half contains older data. This type of logical corruption
is known as a fractured block, that is, a block that is not consistent with an SCN. If this
backup must be restored later, and if the block requires recovery, then recovery fails
because the block is not usable.
When performing a user-managed online backup, you must place your datafiles into
backup mode with the ALTER DATABASE or ALTER TABLESPACE statement with the
BEGIN BACKUP clause. When a tablespace is in backup mode, the database writes the
before image for an entire block to the redo stream before modifying a block. The
database also records changes to the block in the online redo log. Backup mode also
freezes the data file checkpoint until the file is removed from backup mode. Oracle
Database performs this safeguard because it cannot guarantee that a third-party
backup tool copies the file header before copying the data blocks.
Unlike user-managed tools, RMAN does not require extra logging or backup mode
because it knows the format of data blocks. RMAN is guaranteed not to back up
fractured blocks. During an RMAN backup, a database server session reads each data
block and checks whether it is fractured by comparing the block header and footer. If a
block is fractured, then the session rereads the block. If the same fracture is found, then
the block is considered permanently corrupt. Also, RMAN does not need to freeze the
data file header checkpoint because it knows the order in which the blocks are read,
which enables it to capture a known good checkpoint for the file.

8-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backup Sets

See Also: "Making User-Managed Backups of Online Tablespaces
and Data Files" on page 28-5 to learn how to back up online
tablespaces when not using RMAN

Backup Sets
When you execute the BACKUP command in RMAN, you create one or more backup
sets or image copies. By default, RMAN creates backup sets regardless of whether the
destination is disk or a media manager.
Data file backup sets are typically smaller than data file image
copies and take less time to write.

Note:

This section contains the following topics:
■

Backup Sets and Backup Pieces

■

Block Compression for Backup Sets

■

Binary Compression for Backup Sets

■

Backup Undo

■

Encryption for Backup Sets

■

Filenames for Backup Pieces

■

Number and Size of Backup Pieces

■

Number and Size of Backup Sets

■

Multiplexed Backup Sets

■

Proxy Copies

Backup Sets and Backup Pieces
RMAN can store backup data in a logical structure called a backup set, which is the
smallest unit of an RMAN backup. A backup set contains the data from one or more
datafiles, archived redo logs, control files, or server parameter file. Backup sets, which
are only created and accessed through RMAN, are the only form in which RMAN can
write backups to media managers such as tape drives and tape libraries.
A backup set contains one or more binary files in an RMAN-specific format. Each of
these files is known as a backup piece. A backup set can contain multiple datafiles.
For example, you can back up 10 datafiles into a single backup set consisting of a
single backup piece. In this case, RMAN creates one backup piece as output. The
backup set contains only this backup piece.
If you specify the SECTION SIZE parameter on the BACKUP command, then RMAN
produces a multisection backup. This is a backup of a single large file, produced by
multiple channels in parallel, each of which produces one backup piece. Each backup
piece contains one file section of the file being backed up.
For non-multisection backups, RMAN only records backup sets in the repository that
complete successfully. There is no such thing as a partial backup set. This differs from
an unsuccessful multisection backup, where it is possible for RMAN metadata to
contain a record for a partial backup set. In the latter case, you must use the DELETE
command to delete the partial backup set.

RMAN Backup Concepts 8-3

Backup Sets

RMAN never considers partial backups as candidates for
restore and recovery.

Note:

See Also:

Chapter 9, "Backing Up the Database"

Block Compression for Backup Sets
RMAN uses two types of block compression when creating backup sets:
■

■

Unused Block Compression (Supports disk backup and Oracle Secure Backup tape
backup)
Null Block Compression (Supports all backups)

Although it is referred to as block compression, it might be helpful to think of block
compression as block skipping. Rather than compressing the data in the blocks, RMAN
completely eliminates the blocks from the backup. RMAN reads blocks from a data file
and writes them to a backup set. If unused block compression is enabled, RMAN reads
only those blocks of the data file in an extent that currently belongs to a database
segment. Unused block compression can only be employed when backing up
tablespaces whose space is locally managed. When not employing unused block
compression, RMAN reads every block of the data file. Before RMAN writes a block to
the backup set, it applies the null block test, and if the block has never been used, it
does not write that block to the backup set.

Unused Block Compression
During unused block compression, RMAN does not check each block. Instead,
RMAN reads the bitmaps that indicate what blocks are currently allocated and then
only reads the blocks that are currently allocated.
Unused block compression is turned on automatically when all of the following five
conditions are true:
■

The COMPATIBLE initialization parameter is set to 10.2 or higher.

■

There are currently no guaranteed restore points defined for the database.

■

The data file is locally managed.

■

■

The data file is being backed up to a backup set as part of a full backup or a level 0
incremental backup.
The backup set is created on disk, or Oracle Secure Backup is the media manager.

Null Block Compression
During null block compression, RMAN checks every block to see if it has ever
contained data. Blocks that have never contained data are not backed up. Blocks that
have contained data, either currently or in the past, are backed up.

Binary Compression for Backup Sets
RMAN supports binary compression of backup sets. Binary compression is only
enabled when you specify AS COMPRESSED BACKUPSET in the BACKUP command, or
one-time with the CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE  BACKUP TYPE TO
COMPRESSED BACKUPSET command.
You have two binary compression options:

8-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backup Sets

■

■

You can use the BASIC compression algorithm, which does not require the
Advanced Compression Option. This setting offers a compression ratio
comparable to MEDIUM, at the expense of additional CPU consumption.
If you have enabled the Oracle Database 11g Release 2 Advanced Compression
Option, you can choose from the compression levels outlined in "Advanced
Compression Option" on page 6-7.
See Also:
■
■

"Configuring Compression Options" on page 6-6
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn about BACKUP
AS BACKUPSET and CONFIGURE COMPRESSION ALGORITHM

Backup Undo
In backup undo optimization, RMAN excludes undo not needed for recovery of a
backup, that is, for transactions that have been committed. Backup undo optimization
works for level 0 and full disk backups and Oracle Secure Backup (OSB) tape backups.
Unlike backup optimization, backup undo optimization is not configurable.

Encryption for Backup Sets
RMAN supports backup encryption for backup sets. You can use wallet-based
transparent encryption, password-based encryption, or both. You can use the
CONFIGURE ENCRYPTION command to configure persistent transparent encryption. Use
the SET ENCRYPTION command at the RMAN session level to specify password-based
encryption.
Wallet-based encryption is more secure than password-based
encryption because no passwords are involved. You should use
password-based encryption only when it is absolutely necessary
because your backups must be transportable.

Note:

To create encrypted backups on disk with RMAN, the database must use the
Advanced Security Option. For encrypted RMAN backups directly to tape, the Oracle
Secure Backup SBT is the only supported interface.
See Also:
■

"Configuring Backup Encryption" on page 6-7

■

"Encrypting RMAN Backups" on page 10-10

Filenames for Backup Pieces
You can either let RMAN determine a unique name for backup pieces or use the
FORMAT clause to specify a name. If you do not specify the FORMAT parameter, then
RMAN automatically generates a unique file name with the %U substitution variable in
the default backup location.
An example of RMAN generating an SBT backup piece name by %U is:
2i1nk47_1_1

An example of a non- Oracle Managed File (OMF) backup piece on disk is:

RMAN Backup Concepts 8-5

Backup Sets

/backups/TEST/2i1nk47_1_1

The FORMAT clause supports substitution variables other than %U for generating unique
file names. For example, you can use %d to generate the name of the database, %I for
the DBID, %t for the time stamp, and so on.
You can specify up to four FORMAT parameters. If you specify multiple FORMAT
parameters, then RMAN uses the multiple FORMAT parameters only when you specify
multiple copies. You can create multiple copies by using the BACKUP ... COPIES, SET
BACKUP COPIES, or CONFIGURE ... BACKUP COPIES commands.
If you use a media manager, then check your vendor
documentation for restrictions on FORMAT, such as the size of the
name, the naming conventions, and so on.

Note:

See Also:
■
■

"Specifying a Format for RMAN Backups" on page 9-3
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for descriptions of
the FORMAT clause and the substitution variables

Number and Size of Backup Pieces
By default a backup set contains one backup piece. To restrict the size of each backup
piece, specify the MAXPIECESIZE option of the CONFIGURE CHANNEL or ALLOCATE
CHANNEL commands. This option limits backup piece size to the specified number of
bytes. If the total size of the backup set is greater than the specified backup piece size,
then RMAN creates multiple physical pieces to hold the backup set contents.
You can use this option for media managers that cannot manage a backup piece that
spans multiple tapes. For example, if a tape can hold 10 GB, but the backup set being
created must hold 80 GB of data, then you must instruct RMAN to create backup
pieces of 10 GB, small enough to fit on the tapes used with the media manager. In this
case, the backup set media consists of eight tapes. Media managers supporting SBT 2.0
can return a value to RMAN indicating the largest supported backup piece size, which
RMAN uses in planning backup activities.
If you specify the SECTION SIZE parameter on the BACKUP command, then RMAN can
create a multisection backup. In this case, a single backup set can contain multiple
backup pieces, each containing a file section. The purpose of multisection backups is
to enable multiple channels to back up a large file in parallel.
See Also:
■
■

■

"Configuring the Maximum Size of Backup Pieces" on page 6-4
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for ALLOCATE
CHANNEL syntax
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for CONFIGURE
syntax

Number and Size of Backup Sets
You use the backupSpec clause of the BACKUP command to specify the objects to be
backed up. Each backupSpec clause produces at least one backup set.

8-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backup Sets

The total number and size of backup sets depends mostly on an internal RMAN
algorithm. However, you can influence RMAN behavior with the MAXSETSIZE
parameter in the CONFIGURE or BACKUP command. By limiting the size of the backup
set, the parameter indirectly limits the number of files in the set and can possibly force
RMAN to create additional backup sets. Also, you can specify BACKUP ...
FILESPERSET to specify the maximum number of files in each backup set.
See Also:

"About Backup Set Size" on page 10-1

■

Chapter 22, "Tuning RMAN Performance" to learn about
RMAN buffer management

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn the syntax
for the backupSpec clause

■

Multiplexed Backup Sets
When creating backup sets, RMAN can simultaneously read multiple files from disk
and then write their blocks into the same backup set. For example, RMAN can read
from two datafiles simultaneously, and then combine the blocks from these datafiles
into a single backup piece. The combination of blocks from multiple files is called
backup multiplexing. Image copies, by contrast, are never multiplexed.
If RMAN creates a multisection backup of a data file, then the
data file is not multiplexed with any other data file or file section.

Note:

As Figure 8–1 illustrates, RMAN can back up three datafiles into a backup set that
contains only one backup piece. This backup piece contains the intermingled data
blocks of the three input datafiles.
Figure 8–1 Data File Multiplexing
File 1

File 2

File 3

Server session

1

2
3

1
2

3

1
2

3
1

Backup set

RMAN multiplexing is determined by several factors. For example, the FILESPERSET
parameter of the BACKUP command determines how many datafiles to put in each

RMAN Backup Concepts 8-7

Backup Sets

backup set. The MAXOPENFILES parameter of ALLOCATE CHANNEL or CONFIGURE CHANNEL
defines how many datafiles RMAN can read from simultaneously. The basic
multiplexing algorithm is as follows:
■

Number of files in each backup set
This number is the minimum of the FILESPERSET setting and the number of files
read by each channel. The FILESPERSET default is 64.

■

The level of multiplexing
This is the number of input files simultaneously read and then written into the
same backup piece. The level of multiplexing is the minimum of MAXOPENFILES
and the number of files in each backup set. The MAXOPENFILES default is 8.

Suppose that you back up 12 datafiles with one channel when FILEPERSET is set to 4.
The level of multiplexing is the lesser of this number and 8. Thus, the channel
simultaneously writes blocks from 4 datafiles into each backup piece.
Now suppose that you back up 50 datafiles with one channel. The number of files in
each backup set is 50. The level of multiplexing is the lesser of this number and 8.
Thus, the channel simultaneously writes blocks from 8 datafiles into each backup
piece.
RMAN multiplexing of backup sets is different from media manager multiplexing.
One type of media manager multiplexing occurs when the media manager writes the
concurrent output from multiple RMAN channels to a single sequential device.
Another type occurs when a backup mixes database files and non-database files on the
same tape.
Caution: Oracle recommends that you never use media manager
multiplexing for RMAN backups.

See Also:
■

■

"Allocation of Input Disk Buffers" on page 22-3 to learn how
multiplexing affects allocation of disk buffers during backups
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for BACKUP syntax

Proxy Copies
During a proxy copy, RMAN turns over control of the data transfer to a media
manager that supports this feature. Proxy copy can only be used with media managers
that support it and cannot be used with channels of type DISK. The PROXY option of the
BACKUP command specifies that a backup should be a proxy copy.
For each file that you attempt to back up with the BACKUP PROXY command, RMAN
queries the media manager to determine whether it can perform a proxy copy. If the
media manager cannot proxy copy the file, then RMAN backs up the file as if the
PROXY option had not been used. (Use the PROXY ONLY option to force RMAN to fail if a
proxy copy cannot be performed.)
Control files are never backed up with proxy copy. If the PROXY option is specified on
an operation backing up a control file, then it is silently ignored for the purposes of
backing up the control file.

8-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Image Copies

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the views
V$PROXY_DATAFILE and V$PROXY_ARCHIVEDLOG
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for the BACKUP
command and the PROXY option

Image Copies
An image copy is an exact copy of a single data file, archived redo log file, or control
file. Image copies are not stored in an RMAN-specific format. They are identical to the
results of copying a file with operating system commands. RMAN can use image
copies during RMAN restore and recover operations, and you can also use image
copies with non-RMAN restore and recovery techniques.

RMAN-Created Image Copies
To create image copies and have them recorded in the RMAN repository, you run the
RMAN BACKUP AS COPY command. Alternatively, you can configure the default backup
type for disk as image copies. A database server session is used to create the copy. The
server session also performs actions such as validating the blocks in the file and
recording the image copy in the RMAN repository.
As with backup pieces, FORMAT variables are used to specify the names of image copies.
The default format %U, which was explained in "Filenames for Backup Pieces" on
page 8-5, is defined differently for image copies. The following example shows the
name for data file 2 generated by %U:
/d1/oracle/work/orcva/RDBMS/datafile/o1_mf_sysaux_2qylngm3_.dbf

When creating image copies, you can also name the output copies with the DB_FILE_
NAME_CONVERT parameter of the BACKUP command. This parameter works identically to
the DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter. Pairs of file name prefixes are
provided to change the names of the output files. If a file is not converted by any of the
pairs, then RMAN uses the FORMAT specification: if no FORMAT is specified, then RMAN
uses the default format %U.
Example 8–1 copies the datafiles whose file name is prefixed with
/maindisk/oradata/users so that they are prefixed with /backups/users_ts.
Example 8–1 Specifying Filenames with DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT
BACKUP AS COPY
DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT ('/maindisk/oradata/users',
'/backups/users_ts')
TABLESPACE users;

If you run a RESTORE command, then by default RMAN restores a data file or control
file to its original location by copying an image copy backup to that location. Image
copies are chosen over backup sets because of the extra overhead of reading through
an entire backup set in search of files to be restored.
If you must restore and recover a current data file, and if you have an image copy
available on disk, then you do not need to have RMAN copy the image copy back to
its old location. Instead, you can use the image copy in place as a replacement for the
data file to be restored. "Performing Complete Recovery After Switching to a Copy" on
page 17-16 explains how to perform this task.

RMAN Backup Concepts 8-9

Multiple Copies of RMAN Backups

See Also:
■

■

■

"Configuring the Default Type for Backups: Backup Sets or
Copies" on page 5-4 to learn how to make either backup sets or
image copies the default type of RMAN backups
"Specifying Backup Set or Copy for an RMAN Backup to Disk" on
page 9-3
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn about the
meaning of %U for image copies

User-Managed Image Copies
RMAN can use image copies created by mechanisms outside of RMAN, such as native
operating system file copy commands or third-party utilities that leave image copies of
files on disk. This type of copy is known as a user-managed backup or operating
system backup.
You can use the CATALOG command to inspect an existing image copy and enter its
metadata into the RMAN repository. However, the CATALOG command does not do the
following:
■

Read all blocks in the data file copy to ensure there are no corruptions

■

Guarantee that the image copy was correctly made in backup mode

After you catalog these files, you can use them with the RESTORE or SWITCH commands
just as you can for RMAN-generated image copies.
Some sites store their datafiles on mirrored disk volumes, which permit the creation of
image copies by breaking a mirror. After you have broken the mirror, you can notify
RMAN of the existence of a new user-managed copy, thus making it eligible for a
backup. You must notify RMAN when the copy is no longer available by using the
CHANGE ... UNCATALOG command.
See Also:
■
■

Chapter 28, "Making User-Managed Database Backups"
"Adding Backup Records to the RMAN Repository" on
page 12-14 to learn how to catalog data file and archived log
image copies

■

"Making Split Mirror Backups with RMAN" on page 10-8

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for CHANGE syntax

Multiple Copies of RMAN Backups
In RMAN, you can make multiple, identical copies of backups in the following ways:
■

■

Duplex backups with the BACKUP ... COPIES command, in which case RMAN
creates multiple copies of each backup set
Back up your files as backup sets or image copies, and then back up the backup
sets or image copies with the RMAN BACKUP BACKUPSET or BACKUP COPY OF
commands

8-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Multiple Copies of RMAN Backups

Duplexed Backup Sets
When backing up datafiles, archived redo log files, server parameter files, and control
files into backup pieces, RMAN can create a duplexed backup set, producing up to
four identical copies of each backup piece in the backup set on different backup
destinations with one BACKUP command. Duplexing is not supported for backup
operations that produce image copies.
You can use the COPIES parameter in the CONFIGURE, SET, or BACKUP commands to
specify duplexing of backup sets when using the BACKUP command. RMAN can duplex
backups to either disk or tape, but cannot duplex backups to tape and disk
simultaneously. When backing up to tape, ensure that the number of copies does not
exceed the number of available tape devices.
The FORMAT parameter of the BACKUP command specifies the destinations for duplexed
backups. The following example creates three copies of the backup of data file 7:
BACKUP DEVICE TYPE DISK COPIES 3 DATAFILE 7
FORMAT '/disk1/%U','?/oradata/%U','?/%U';

RMAN places the first copy of each backup piece in /disk1, the second in ?/oradata,
and the third in the Oracle home. RMAN does not produce three backup sets, each
with a different unique backup set key. Rather, RMAN produces one backup set with a
unique key, and generates three identical copies of each backup piece in the set.
See Also:
■

"Configuring Backup Duplexing" on page 6-5

■

"Duplexing Backup Sets" on page 10-6

■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for CONFIGURE
syntax
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for SET syntax

Backups of Backups
You can use the BACKUP command to back up existing backup sets and image copies.

Backups of Backup Sets
The RMAN BACKUP BACKUPSET command backs up backup sets that were created on
disk. The command is a useful way to spread backups among multiple media.
If RMAN discovers that one copy of a backup set is corrupted or missing, then it
searches for other copies of the same backup set. This behavior is similar to the
behavior of RMAN when backing up archived redo logs that exist in multiple
archiving destinations.
Example 8–2 shows how you might run the BACKUP command weekly as part of the
production backup schedule. In this way, you ensure that all your backups exist on
both disk and tape.
Example 8–2 Backing Up Backup Sets to Tape
BACKUP DEVICE TYPE DISK AS BACKUPSET
DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;
BACKUP
DEVICE TYPE sbt
BACKUPSET ALL; # copies backup sets on disk to tape

RMAN Backup Concepts 8-11

Control File and Server Parameter File Autobackups

Backups to sbt that use automatic channels require that you
first run the CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE sbt command.

Note:

You can also use BACKUP BACKUPSET to manage backup space allocation. Example 8–3
backs up backup sets that were created more than a week ago from disk to tape, and
then deletes them from disk.
Example 8–3 Managing Space Allocation
BACKUP
DEVICE TYPE sbt
BACKUPSET COMPLETED BEFORE 'SYSDATE-7'
DELETE INPUT;

DELETE INPUT here is equivalent to DELETE ALL INPUT: RMAN deletes all existing copies
of the backup set. If you duplexed a backup to four locations, then RMAN deletes all
four copies of the pieces in the backup set.
See Also:

"Backing Up RMAN Backups" on page 9-26

Backups of Image Copies
You can use the BACKUP COPY OF command to back up existing image copies of
database files either as backup sets or as image copies. When using this command, an
image copy of every data file specified in the command must exist. If there are
multiple copies of a data file, then the latest one is used. If you specify a tablespace or
the whole database, then RMAN issues an error if there are datafiles in the database or
tablespace for which there are no image copy backups.

Control File and Server Parameter File Autobackups
Having recent backups of your control file and server parameter file is extremely
valuable in many recovery situations. To ensure that you have backups of these files,
the database supports control file and server parameter file autobackups. The
autobackup occurs independently of any backup of the current control file explicitly
requested as part of your BACKUP command.
With a control file autobackup, RMAN can recover the database even if the current
control file, recovery catalog, and server parameter file are inaccessible. Because the
path used to store the autobackup follows a well-known format, RMAN can search for
and restore the server parameter file from that autobackup. After you have started the
instance with the restored server parameter file, RMAN can restore the control file
from the autobackup. After you mount the control file, use the RMAN repository in
the mounted control file to restore the datafiles.

When RMAN Performs Control File Autobackups
If CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP is ON, then RMAN automatically backs up the
control file and the current server parameter file (if used to start up the database) at
the end of a successful BACKUP command. If the database runs in ARCHIVELOG level,
RMAN makes control file autobackups when a structural change to the database
affects the contents of the control file.

8-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Incremental Backups

Beginning with Oracle Database Release 11g Release 2, RMAN
takes only one control file autobackup when multiple structural
changes contained in a script (for example, adding tablespaces,
altering the state of a tablespace or data file, adding a new online redo
log, renaming a file, and so on) have been applied.

Note:

How RMAN Performs Control File Autobackups
The first channel allocated during the backup job creates the autobackup and places it
into its own backup set. For autobackups after database structural changes, the server
process associated with the structural change makes the backup.
If a server parameter file is in use by the database, then RMAN backs it up in the same
backup set as the control file autobackup. After the autobackup completes, the
database writes a message containing the complete path of the backup piece and the
device type to the alert log located in the Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR).
Note:

Control file autobackups are never duplexed.

The control file autobackup file name has a default format of %F for all device types, so
that RMAN can determine the file location and restore it without a repository. You can
specify a different format with the CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT
command, but all autobackup formats must include the %F variable. If you do not use
the default format, then during disaster recovery you must specify the format that was
used to generate the autobackups. Otherwise, RMAN cannot restore the autobackup.
See Also:
■

■

■
■

"Configuring Control File and Server Parameter File
Autobackups" on page 5-7
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for CONFIGURE
syntax
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for BACKUP syntax
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn about the
substitution variable %F

Incremental Backups
By default, RMAN makes full backups. A full backup of a data file includes every
allocated block in the file being backed up. A full backup of a data file can be an image
copy, in which case every data block is backed up. It can also be stored in a backup set,
in which case data file blocks not in use may be skipped.
A full backup is the default type of RMAN backup. A full backup has no effect on
subsequent incremental backups and is not considered a part of an incremental
backup strategy. Image copies are always full backups because they include every
data block in a data file. A backup set is by default a full backup because it can
potentially include every data block in a data file, although unused block
compression means that blocks never used are excluded and, in some cases, currently
unused blocks are excluded (see "Block Compression for Backup Sets" on page 8-4).

RMAN Backup Concepts 8-13

Incremental Backups

In contrast to a full backup, an incremental backup copies only those data blocks that
have changed since a previous backup. You can use RMAN to create incremental
backups of datafiles, tablespaces, or the whole database. A full backup cannot be part
of an incremental backup strategy; that is, it cannot be the parent for a subsequent
incremental backup.

Multilevel Incremental Backups
RMAN can create multilevel incremental backups. Each incremental level is denoted
by a value of 0 or 1. A level 0 incremental backup, which is the base for subsequent
incremental backups, copies all blocks containing data. You can create a level 0
database backup as backup sets or image copies.
The only difference between a level 0 incremental backup and a full backup is that a
full backup is never included in an incremental strategy. Thus, an incremental level 0
backup is a full backup that happens to be the parent of incremental backups whose
level is greater than 0.
A level 1 incremental backup can be either of the following types:
■

■

A differential incremental backup, which backs up all blocks changed after the
most recent incremental backup at level 1 or 0
A cumulative incremental backup, which backs up all blocks changed after the
most recent incremental backup at level 0

Incremental backups are differential by default.
Cumulative backups are preferable to differential backups
when recovery time is more important than disk space, because
fewer incremental backups must be applied during recovery.

Note:

The size of the backup file depends solely upon the number of blocks modified, the
incremental backup level, and the type of incremental backup (differential or
cumulative).

Differential Incremental Backups
In a differential level 1 backup, RMAN backs up all blocks that have changed since the
most recent incremental backup at level 1 (cumulative or differential) or level 0. For
example, in a differential level 1 backup, RMAN determines which level 1 backup
occurred most recently and backs up all blocks modified after that backup. If no level 1
is available, then RMAN copies all blocks changed since the base level 0 backup.
If no level 0 backup is available in either the current or parent incarnation, then the
behavior varies with the compatibility mode setting. If compatibility is >=10.0.0,
RMAN copies all blocks that have been changed since the file was created. Otherwise,
RMAN generates a level 0 backup.

8-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Incremental Backups

Figure 8–2 Differential Incremental Backups

Backup
level

0

Day

Sun

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

Mon Tues

Wed

Thur

Fri

Sat

Sun

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

Mon Tues

Wed

Thur

Fri

Sat

Sun

In the example shown in Figure 8–2, the following activity occurs each week:
■

Sunday
An incremental level 0 backup backs up all blocks that have ever been in use in
this database.

■

Monday through Saturday
On each day from Monday through Saturday, a differential incremental level 1
backup backs up all blocks that have changed since the most recent incremental
backup at level 1 or 0. The Monday backup copies blocks changed since Sunday
level 0 backup, the Tuesday backup copies blocks changed since the Monday level
1 backup, and so forth.

Cumulative Incremental Backups
In a cumulative level 1 backup, RMAN backs up all blocks used since the most recent
level 0 incremental backup in either the current or parent incarnation. Cumulative
incremental backups reduce the work needed for a restore operation by ensuring that
you only need one incremental backup from any particular level. Cumulative backups
require more space and time than differential backups because they duplicate the work
done by previous backups at the same level.
In the example shown in Figure 8–3, the following occurs each week:
■

Sunday
An incremental level 0 backup backs up all blocks that have ever been in use in
this database.

■

Monday - Saturday
A cumulative incremental level 1 backup copies all blocks changed since the most
recent level 0 backup. Because the most recent level 0 backup was created on

RMAN Backup Concepts 8-15

Incremental Backups

Sunday, the level 1 backup on each day Monday through Saturday backs up all
blocks changed since the Sunday backup.
See Also: "Making and Updating Incremental Backups" on
page 9-14
Figure 8–3 Cumulative Incremental Backups

Backup
level

0

Day

Sun

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

Mon Tues

Wed

Thur

Fri

Sat

Sun

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

Mon Tues

Wed

Thur

Fri

Sat

Sun

Block Change Tracking
The block change tracking feature for incremental backups improves incremental
backup performance by recording changed blocks in each data file in a block change
tracking file. This file is a small binary file stored in the database area. RMAN tracks
changed blocks as redo is generated.
If block change tracking is enabled, then RMAN uses the change tracking file to
identify changed blocks for incremental backups, thus avoiding the need to scan every
block in the data file. RMAN only uses block change tracking when the incremental
level is greater than 0, because a level 0 incremental backup includes all blocks.
See Also: "Using Block Change Tracking to Improve Incremental
Backup Performance" on page 9-20

Incremental Backup Algorithm
The following concepts are essential for understanding the algorithm that RMAN uses
to make incremental backups:
■

Checkpoint SCN
Every data file has a data file checkpoint SCN, which you can view in
V$DATAFILE.CHECKPOINT_CHANGE#. All changes with an SCN lower than this SCN
are guaranteed to be in the file. When a level 0 incremental backup is restored, the
restored data file contains the checkpoint SCN that it had when the level 0 was
created. When a level 1 incremental backup is applied to a file, the checkpoint SCN

8-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backup Retention Policies

of the file is advanced to the checkpoint SCN that the file had when the
incremental level 1 backup was created.
■

Incremental start SCN
This SCN applies only to level 1 incremental backups. All blocks whose SCN is
greater than or equal to the incremental start SCN are included in the backup.
Blocks whose SCN is lower than the incremental start SCN are not included in the
backup. The incremental start SCN is most often the checkpoint SCN of the parent
of the level 1 backup.

■

Block SCN
Every data block in a data file records the SCN at which the most recent change
was made to the block.

When RMAN makes a level 1 incremental backup of a file, RMAN reads the file,
examines the SCN of every block, and backs up blocks whose SCN is greater than or
equal to the incremental start SCN for this backup. If the backup is differential, then
the incremental start SCN is the checkpoint SCN of the most recent level 1 backup. If
the backup is cumulative, then the incremental start SCN is the checkpoint SCN of the
most recent level 0 backup.
When block change tracking is enabled, RMAN uses bitmaps to avoid reading blocks
that have not changed during the range from incremental start SCN to checkpoint
SCN. RMAN still examines every block that is read and uses the SCN in the block to
decide which blocks to include in the backup.
One consequence of the incremental backup algorithm is that RMAN applies all blocks
containing changed data during recovery, even if the change is to an object created
with the NOLOGGING option. Thus, if you restore a backup made before NOLOGGING
changes were made, then incremental backups are the only way to recover these
changes.
Oracle Database Concepts for more information about
NOLOGGING mode
See Also:

Recovery with Incremental Backups
During media recovery, RMAN examines the restored files to determine whether it
can recover them with an incremental backup. If it has a choice, then RMAN always
chooses incremental backups over archived redo logs because applying changes at a
block level is faster than applying redo.
RMAN does not need to restore a base incremental backup of a data file to apply
incremental backups to the data file during recovery. For example, you can restore
data file image copies and recover them with incremental backups.
See Also: "Selection of Incremental Backups and Archived Redo
Logs" on page 14-5

Backup Retention Policies
You can use the CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY command to create a persistent and
automatic backup retention policy. When a backup retention policy is in effect,
RMAN considers a backup of datafiles or control files as an obsolete backup, that is,
no longer needed for recovery, according to criteria specified in the CONFIGURE
command. You can use the REPORT OBSOLETE command to view obsolete files and the
DELETE OBSOLETE command to delete them.

RMAN Backup Concepts 8-17

Backup Retention Policies

As you produce backups over time, older backups become obsolete as they are no
longer needed to satisfy the retention policy. RMAN can identify the obsolete files for
you, but it does not automatically delete them. You must use the DELETE OBSOLETE
command to delete files that are no longer needed to satisfy the retention policy.
If a fast recovery area is configured, then the database automatically deletes files that
are either obsolete or backed up to tape when more recovery area space is needed for
new files. The disk quota rules are distinct from the retention policy rules, but the
database never deletes files in violation of the retention policy to satisfy the disk quota.
Refer to "Responding to a Full Fast Recovery Area" on page 12-8.
A backup is obsolete when REPORT OBSOLETE or DELETE OBSOLETE determines, based on
the user-defined retention policy, that it is not needed for recovery. A backup is
considered an expired backup only when RMAN performs a crosscheck and cannot
find the file. In short, obsolete means a file is not needed, whereas expired means it is not
found.
A backup retention policy applies only to full or level 0 data file and control file
backups. For data file copies and proxy copies, if RMAN determines that the copy or
proxy copy is not needed, then the copy or proxy copy can be deleted. For data file
backup sets, RMAN cannot delete the backup set until all data file backups within the
backup set are obsolete.
The retention policy is not responsible for deleting or rendering obsolete archived redo
logs and incremental level 1 backups. Rather, these files become obsolete when no full
backups exist that need them. Besides affecting full or level 0 data file and control file
backups, the retention policy affects archived redo logs and level 1 incremental
backups. First, RMAN decides which data file and control file backups are obsolete.
Then, RMAN considers as obsolete all archived logs and incremental level 1 backups
that are not needed to recover the oldest data file or control file backup that must be
retained.
RMAN cannot implement an automatic retention policy if
backups are deleted by non-RMAN techniques, for example,
through the media manager's tape retention policy. The media
manager should never expire a tape until all RMAN backups on
that tape have been removed from the media manager's catalog.

Note:

There are two mutually exclusive options for implementing a retention policy:
redundancy and recovery window.

Recovery Window
A recovery window is a period of time that begins with the current time and extends
backward in time to the point of recoverability. The point of recoverability is the
earliest time for a hypothetical point-in-time recovery, that is, the earliest point to
which you can recover following a media failure. For example, if you implement a
recovery window of 1 week, then RMAN retains full backups and required
incremental backups and archived logs so that the database can be recovered up to 7
days in the past. You implement this retention policy as follows:
CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO RECOVERY WINDOW OF 7 DAYS;

This command ensures that for each data file, one backup that is older than the point
of recoverability is retained. For example, if the recovery window is 7, then there must
always exist one backup of each data file that satisfies the following condition:

8-18 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backup Retention Policies

SYSDATE - BACKUP CHECKPOINT TIME >= 7

All backups older than the most recent backup that satisfied this condition are
obsolete.
Assume the retention policy illustrated in Figure 8–4. The retention policy has the
following aspects:
■

The recovery window is 7 days.

■

Database backups are scheduled every two weeks on these days:

■

–

January 1

–

January 15

–

January 29

–

February 12

The database runs in ARCHIVELOG mode, and archived logs are saved on disk only
as long as needed for the retention policy.

Figure 8–4 Recovery Window, Part 1
Recovery Window = 7

Log 100

Log 250

Backup

Jan 1

Log 500

Log 750

Log 850

Backup

Jan 7

Backup

Jan 14

Jan 21

Jan 16
Point of
Recoverability

Jan 28

Jan 23
Current
Time

As illustrated in Figure 8–4, the current time is January 23 and the point of
recoverability is January 16. Hence, the January 14 backup is needed for recovery, and
so are the archived logs from log sequence 500 through 850. The logs before 500 and
the January 1 backup are obsolete because they are not needed for recovery to a point
within the window.
Assume the same scenario a week later, as depicted in Figure 8–5.

RMAN Backup Concepts 8-19

Backup Retention Policies

Figure 8–5 Recovery Window, Part 2
Recovery Window = 7

Log 100

Log 250

Backup

Jan 1

Log 500

Log 750

Backup

Jan 7

Jan 14

Log 1000

Log 1150

Backup

Jan 21

Jan 28

Jan 23
Point of
Recoverability

Feb 4

Jan 30
Current
Time

In this scenario, the current time is January 30 and the point of recoverability is
January 23. Note how the January 14 backup is not obsolete even though a more recent
backup (January 28) exists in the recovery window. This situation occurs because
restoring the January 28 backup does not enable you to recover to the earliest time in
the window, January 23. To ensure recoverability to any point in the window, you
must save the January 14 backup and all archived logs from sequence 500 to 1150.
See Also: "Configuring a Recovery Window-Based Retention Policy"
on page 5-23

Backup Redundancy
In some cases using a recovery window can complicate disk space planning because
the number of backups that must be retained is not constant and depends on the
backup schedule. In contrast, a redundancy-based retention policy specifies how many
backups of each data file must be retained. For example, you can configure a
redundancy of 2 as follows:
CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO REDUNDANCY 2;

The default retention policy is configured to REDUNDANCY 1.
See Also: "Configuring a Redundancy-Based Retention Policy" on
page 5-22

Batch Deletes of Obsolete Backups
You can run the REPORT OBSOLETE command to determine which backups are currently
obsolete according to the retention policy. A companion command, DELETE OBSOLETE,
deletes all files that are obsolete according to the retention policy. You can run DELETE
OBSOLETE periodically to minimize space wasted by storing obsolete backups. For
example, you can run DELETE OBSOLETE in a weekly script.
You can also override the configured retention policy by specifying the REDUNDANCY or
RECOVERY WINDOW options on the REPORT or DELETE commands. Using DELETE OBSOLETE

8-20 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backup Retention Policies

with a recovery window shorter than the configured recovery window effectively
reduces the window of recoverability. For example, if the configured window is 14
days, but you execute DELETE OBSOLETE RECOVERY WINDOW OF 7 DAYS, then you no
longer have the ability to recover to a time between 7 and 14 days ago.
See Also:
■

Chapter 11, "Reporting on RMAN Operations"to learn how to
generate reports and delete backups

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for DELETE syntax

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for REPORT syntax

Backup Retention Policy and Fast Recovery Area Deletion Rules
The RMAN status OBSOLETE is always determined in reference to a retention policy.
For example, if a database backup is considered OBSOLETE in the RMAN repository, it
is because it is either not needed for recovery to a point within the recovery window,
or it is redundant.
If you configure a fast recovery area, then the database uses an internal algorithm to
select files in the fast recovery area that are no longer needed to meet the configured
retention policy. These backups have status OBSOLETE and are eligible for deletion to
satisfy the disk quota rules. The retention policy is never violated when determining
which files to delete from the fast recovery area to satisfy the disk quota rules.
There is one important difference between the fast recovery area rules for OBSOLETE
status and the disk quota rules for deletion eligibility. Assume that archived logs 1000
through 2000, which are on disk, are needed for the current recovery window and so
are not obsolete. If you back up these logs to tape, then the retention policy considers
the disk logs as required, that is, not obsolete. Nevertheless, the fast recovery area disk
quota algorithm considers the logs on disk as eligible for deletion because they have
been backed up to tape. The logs on disk do not have OBSOLETE status in the repository,
but they are eligible for deletion by the fast recovery area.

RMAN Backup Concepts 8-21

Backup Retention Policies

8-22 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

9
9

Backing Up the Database

This chapter explains how to perform the most basic backup tasks and implement
backup strategies using RMAN. This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Overview of RMAN Backups

■

Specifying Backup Output Options

■

Backing Up Database Files with RMAN

■

Backing Up Archived Redo Logs with RMAN

■

Making and Updating Incremental Backups

■

Making Database Backups for Long-Term Storage

■

Backing Up RMAN Backups
See Also:
■

■

Chapter 10, "Backing Up the Database: Advanced Topics" to learn
about more advanced topics such as backup optimization,
duplexing, backup encryption, and restartable backups
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how to
perform RMAN backup and recovery in a Data Guard
environment

Overview of RMAN Backups
This section provides an overview of RMAN backups.

Purpose of RMAN Backups
The primary purpose of RMAN backups is to protect your data. If a media failure or
disaster occurs, then you can restore your backups and recover lost changes.
You can also make backups to preserve data for long-time archival, as explained in
"Making Database Backups for Long-Term Storage" on page 9-23, and to transfer data,
as explained in the chapters included in Part VII, "Transferring Data with RMAN".

Basic Concepts of RMAN Backups
As explained in Chapter 8, "RMAN Backup Concepts", you can back up all or part of
your database with the BACKUP command from within the RMAN client. Many of the
techniques described in this chapter are also used in the Oracle suggested backup
strategy provided by Enterprise Manager and described in Oracle Database 2 Day DBA.

Backing Up the Database 9-1

Specifying Backup Output Options

In many cases, after your database has been configured in accordance with your
backup strategy, you can back up the database by entering the following command at
the RMAN prompt:
RMAN> BACKUP DATABASE;

RMAN uses the configured settings, the records of previous backups, and the control
file record of the database structure to determine an efficient set of steps for the
backup. RMAN then performs these steps.
As explained in "RMAN File Management in a Data Guard Environment" on page 3-8,
you can run RMAN backups at any database in a Data Guard environment. Any
backup of any database in the environment is usable for recovery of any other
database if the backup is accessible. You can offload all backups of database files,
including control file backups, to a physical standby database and thereby avoid
consuming resources on the primary database.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn about the
BACKUP command
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how to back
up a standby database with RMAN

Specifying Backup Output Options
If you specify only the minimum required options for an RMAN command such as
BACKUP DATABASE, then RMAN determines the destination device, locations for backup
output, and a backup tag automatically based on your configured environment and
built-in RMAN defaults.
You can also provide arguments to BACKUP to override these defaults. The most typical
options are described in the following sections:
■

Specifying the Device Type for an RMAN Backup

■

Specifying Backup Set or Copy for an RMAN Backup to Disk

■

Specifying a Format for RMAN Backups

■

Specifying Tags for an RMAN Backup

■

Making Compressed Backups
See Also: Chapter 10, "Backing Up the Database: Advanced Topics"
to learn about advanced backup options such as duplexing and
restarting backups

Specifying the Device Type for an RMAN Backup
The BACKUP command takes a DEVICE TYPE clause that specifies whether to back up to
disk or tape device. Example 9–1 illustrates a backup to disk.
Example 9–1 Specifying Device Type DISK
BACKUP DATABASE
DEVICE TYPE DISK;

When you run BACKUP without a DEVICE TYPE clause, RMAN stores the backup on the
configured default device (disk or SBT). You set the default device with the CONFIGURE

9-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Specifying Backup Output Options

DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE command described in "Configuring the Default Device for
Backups: Disk or SBT" on page 5-3.

Specifying Backup Set or Copy for an RMAN Backup to Disk
RMAN can create backups on disk as image copies or as backup sets. "Configuring the
Default Type for Backups: Backup Sets or Copies" on page 5-4 explains how to
configure the default disk device. You can override this default with the AS COPY or AS
BACKUPSET clauses. To back up to disk as image copies, use BACKUP AS COPY as shown in
Example 9–2.
Example 9–2 Making Image Copies
BACKUP AS COPY
DEVICE TYPE DISK
DATABASE;

To back up your data into backup sets, use the AS BACKUPSET clause. You can allow
backup sets to be created on the configured default device, or direct them specifically
to disk or tape, as shownExample 9–3.
Example 9–3 Making Backup Sets
BACKUP AS BACKUPSET
DATABASE;
BACKUP AS BACKUPSET
DEVICE TYPE DISK
DATABASE;
BACKUP AS BACKUPSET
DEVICE TYPE SBT
DATABASE;

Specifying a Format for RMAN Backups
RMAN provides a range of options to name the files generated by the BACKUP
command. RMAN uses the following set of rules to determine the format of the output
files, which are listed in order of precedence:
1.

If a FORMAT parameter is specified on the BACKUP command, then this setting
controls the generated file name.
For example, you can direct the output to a specific location, as shown in the
following command:
BACKUP DATABASE
FORMAT "/disk1/backup_%U";

# specifies a location on the file system

In this case, backups are stored with generated unique file names with the prefix
/disk1/backup_. The %U substitution variable, used to generate a unique string at
this point in the file name, is required.
You can also use the FORMAT parameter to name an ASM disk group as the backup
destination, as shown in the following example:
BACKUP DATABASE
FORMAT '+dgroup1';

# specifies an ASM disk group

Backing Up the Database 9-3

Specifying Backup Output Options

No %U is required in this case because Automatic Storage Management (ASM)
generates unique file names as needed. However, you can specify %U if desired.
Note: If you specify FORMAT when a fast recovery area is enabled,
then RMAN obeys the FORMAT setting. If no location is specified in the
FORMAT clause, then RMAN creates the backup in a platform-specific
location.
2.

If a FORMAT setting is configured for the specific channel used for the backup, then
this setting controls the generated file name.

3.

If a FORMAT setting is configured for the device type used for the backup, then this
setting controls the generated file name.

4.

If a fast recovery area is enabled during a disk backup, and if FORMAT is not
specified, then RMAN creates the backup with an automatically generated name
in the fast recovery area.

5.

If none of the other conditions in this list apply, then the default location and file
name format of the backup are platform-specific.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn
about the FORMAT clause, and the installation guides in the Oracle
Database documentation library to learn about the default file
locations for your platform

Specifying Multiple Formats for Disk Backups
Typically, you do not need to specify a format when backing up to tape because the
default %U variable generates a unique file name for tape backups. When backing up to
disk, however, you can specify a format to spread the backup across several drives for
improved performance. In this case, allocate one DISK channel for each disk drive and
specify the format string on the ALLOCATE CHANNEL command so that the file names are
on different disks. For example, issue the following command:
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL disk1 DEVICE TYPE DISK FORMAT '/disk1/%d_backups/%U';
ALLOCATE CHANNEL disk2 DEVICE TYPE DISK FORMAT '/disk2/%d_backups/%U';
ALLOCATE CHANNEL disk3 DEVICE TYPE DISK FORMAT '/disk3/%d_backups/%U';
BACKUP AS COPY DATABASE;
}

You can distribute backups in this manner by default in the future, by configuring
channels as follows:
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE
BACKUP AS

DEVICE TYPE DISK PARALLELISM 3;
DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE TO DISK;
CHANNEL 1 DEVICE TYPE DISK FORMAT '/disk1/%d_backups/%U';
CHANNEL 2 DEVICE TYPE DISK FORMAT '/disk2/%d_backups/%U';
CHANNEL 3 DEVICE TYPE DISK FORMAT '/disk3/%d_backups/%U';
COPY DATABASE;

Specifying Tags for an RMAN Backup
RMAN attaches a character string called a tag to every backup it creates, as a way of
identifying the backup. You can either accept the default tag or specify your own with
the TAG parameter of the BACKUP command.

9-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Specifying Backup Output Options

About Backup Tags
User-specified tags are a useful way to indicate the purpose or usage of different
classes of backups or copies. You can tag backup sets, proxy copies, data file copies, or
control file copies. For example, you can tag data file copies that you intend to use in a
SWITCH command as for_switch_only and file copies that should be used only for a
RESTORE command as for_restore_only.
Tags do not need to be unique, so multiple backup sets or image copies can have the
same tag, for example, weekly_backup. Assume that you specify that a data file should
be restored from backups that have a specific tag. If multiple backups of the requested
file has the desired tag, then RMAN restores the most recent backup that has the
desired tag, within any constraints on the RESTORE command.
In practice, tags are often used to distinguish a series of backups created as part of a
single strategy, such as an incremental backup strategy. For example, you might create
a weekly incremental backups with a tag like BACKUP TAG weekly_incremental. Many
forms of the BACKUP command let you associate a tag with a backup, and many
RESTORE and RECOVER commands let you specify a tag to restrict which backups to use
in the RESTORE or RECOVER operation.
If you do not explicitly specify a tag with the TAG parameter of the BACKUP command,
then RMAN implicitly creates a default tag for backups (except for control file
autobackups). The format of the tag is TAGYYYYMMDDTHHMMSS, where YYYY is the year, MM
is the month, DD is the day, HH is the hour (in 24-hour format), MM is the minutes, and SS
is the seconds. For example, a backup of data file 1 may get the tag
TAG20070208T133437. The date and time refer to when RMAN started the backup in
the time zone of the instance performing the backup. If multiple backup sets are
created by one BACKUP command, then each backup piece has the same default tag.
Tags are stored in uppercase, regardless of the case used when entering them. The
maximum length of a backup tag is 30 bytes. Tags cannot use operating system
environment variables or use special formats such as %T or %D.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for the
default format description in BACKUP ... TAG

Specifying Tags for Backup Sets and Image Copies
The characters in a tag must be limited to the characters that are legal in file names on
the target database file system. For example, Automatic Storage Management (ASM)
does not support the use of the hyphen (-) in the file names it uses internally, so a tag
including a hyphen (such as weekly-incr) is not a legal tag name for backups in ASM
disk groups.
When you tag a backup set, the tag is an attribute of each backup piece in a given copy
of a backup set. If you create a multiplexed backup set, then each copy of the backup
set is assigned the same tag. Example 9–4 creates one backup set with the tag
MONDAYBKP.
Example 9–4 Applying a Tag to a Backup Set
BACKUP AS BACKUPSET
COPIES 1
DATAFILE 7
TAG mondaybkp;

When you specify a tag for image copies, the tag applies to each individual copy.
Example 9–5 shows that copies of data files in tablespaces users and tools are
assigned the tag MONDAYCPY.
Backing Up the Database 9-5

Backing Up Database Files with RMAN

Example 9–5 Applying Tags to Image Copies
BACKUP AS COPY
TABLESPACE users, tools
TAG mondaycpy;

You can use FROM TAG to copy an image copy with a specific tag, and then use TAG to
assign the output copy a different tag. Example 9–6 creates new copies of all image
copies of the database that have the tag full_cold_copy and gives the new copies the
tag new_full_cold_copy.
Example 9–6 Assigning Tags to Output Copies
BACKUP AS COPY
COPY OF DATABASE
FROM TAG full_cold_copy
TAG new_full_cold_copy;

Making Compressed Backups
For any use of the BACKUP command that creates backup sets, you can take advantage
of RMAN support for binary compression of backup sets. Specify the AS COMPRESSED
BACKUPSET option to the BACKUP command.
RMAN compresses the backup set contents before writing them to disk. The details of
which binary compression level is used are automatically recorded in the backup set.
There is no need to explicitly mention the type of compression used or how to
decompress the backup set in the recovery operation.
Example 9–7 backs up the entire database and archived logs to the configured default
backup destination (disk or tape), producing compressed backup sets.
Example 9–7 Making Compressed Backups
BACKUP
AS COMPRESSED BACKUPSET
DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;

Binary compression creates some performance overhead during backup and restore
operations. Binary compression consumes CPU resources, so compressed backups
should not be scheduled when CPU usage is high. However, the following
circumstances may warrant paying the performance penalty:
■

■

■

You are using disk-based backups when disk space in your fast recovery area or
other disk-based backup destination is limited.
You are performing your backups to some device over a network when reduced
network bandwidth is more important than CPU usage.
You are using some archival backup media such as CD or DVD, where reducing
backup sizes saves on media costs and archival storage.
See Also: For performance details regarding backup sets, consult the
"Binary Compression for Backup Sets" on page 8-4 and the AS
COMPRESSED BACKUPSET option of the BACKUP command in Oracle
Database Backup and Recovery Reference.

Backing Up Database Files with RMAN
This section contains the following topics:

9-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backing Up Database Files with RMAN

■

Backing Up a Whole Database with RMAN

■

Backing Up Tablespaces and Datafiles with RMAN

■

Backing Up Control Files with RMAN

■

Backing Up Server Parameter Files with RMAN

■

Backing Up a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode

Backing Up a Whole Database with RMAN
You can perform a whole database backup with the database mounted or open. To
perform a whole database backup, from the RMAN prompt, use the BACKUP DATABASE
command.
You may want to exclude specified tablespaces from a whole database backup. As
explained in "Configuring Tablespaces for Exclusion from Whole Database Backups"
on page 6-5, you can persistently skip tablespaces across RMAN sessions by executing
the CONFIGURE EXCLUDE command for each tablespace that you always want to skip.
You can override the configured setting with BACKUP ... NOEXCLUDE.
To back up the database:
Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).

1.
2.

Ensure the database is mounted or open.

3.

Issue the BACKUP DATABASE command at the RMAN prompt.
The simplest form of the command requires no options or parameters:
BACKUP DATABASE;

For a list of what files are backed up (datafiles, control file, server parameter file)
see the BACKUP command keyword DATABASE in Oracle Database Backup and Recovery
Reference.
The following example backs up the database, switches the online redo logs, and
includes archived logs in the backup:
BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;

By archiving the logs immediately after the backup, you ensure that you have a
full set of archived logs through the time of the backup. In this way, you guarantee
that you can perform media recovery after restoring this backup.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn about the
BACKUP command and Oracle Database Backup and Recovery
Reference to learn about the CONNECT command
"Skipping Offline, Read-Only, and Inaccessible Files" on page 10-6
to learn how to use BACKUP ... SKIP to skip inaccessible data files
or data files that are in offline or read-only tablespaces

Backing Up Tablespaces and Datafiles with RMAN
You can back up one or more tablespaces with the BACKUP TABLESPACE command or
one or more datafiles with the BACKUP DATAFILE command. When you specify
tablespaces, RMAN translates the tablespace name internally into a list of datafiles.
The database can be mounted or open. Tablespaces can be read/write or read-only.

Backing Up the Database 9-7

Backing Up Database Files with RMAN

Transportable tablespaces do not have to be in read/write
mode for backup as in previous releases.

Note:

RMAN automatically backs up the control file and the server parameter file (if the
instance was started with a server parameter file) when data file 1 is included in the
backup. If control file autobackup is enabled, then RMAN writes the current control
file and server parameter file to a separate autobackup piece. Otherwise, RMAN
includes these files in the backup set that contains data file 1.
To back up tablespaces or datafiles:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).
2.

If the database instance is not started, then either mount or open the database.

3.

Run the BACKUP TABLESPACE command or BACKUP DATAFILE command at the
RMAN prompt.
The following example backs up the users and tools tablespaces to tape:
BACKUP
DEVICE TYPE sbt
TABLESPACE users, tools;

The following example uses an SBT channel to back up data files 1 through 4 and a
data file copy stored at /tmp/system01.dbf to tape:
BACKUP
DEVICE TYPE sbt
DATAFILE 1,2,3,4
DATAFILECOPY '/tmp/system01.dbf';

Backing Up Control Files with RMAN
You can back up the control file when the database is mounted or open. RMAN uses a
snapshot control file to ensure a read-consistent version. If the CONFIGURE
CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP command is set to ON (by default it is OFF), then RMAN
automatically backs up the control file and server parameter file after every backup
and after database structural changes. The control file autobackup contains metadata
about the previous backup, which is crucial for disaster recovery.
You can restore a backup of a control file made on one Data
Guard database to any other database in the environment. Primary
and standby control file backups are interchangeable. See Oracle Data
Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how to use RMAN to
restore files on a standby database.

Note:

If the autobackup feature is not set, then you must manually back up the control file in
one of the following ways:
■
■

■

Run BACKUP CURRENT CONTROLFILE .
Include a backup of the control file within any backup by using the INCLUDE
CURRENT CONTROLFILE option of the BACKUP command.
Back up data file 1, because RMAN automatically includes the control file and
server parameter file in backups of data file 1.

9-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backing Up Database Files with RMAN

If the control file block size is not equal to the block size for
data file 1, then the control file cannot be written into the same backup
set as the data file. RMAN writes the control file into a backup set by
itself if the block size is different. The V$CONTROLFILE.BLOCK_SIZE
column indicates the control file block size, whereas the DB_BLOCK_
SIZE initialization parameter indicates the block size of data file 1.

Note:

Making a Manual Backup of the Control File
A manual backup of the control file is different from a control file autobackup. RMAN
makes a control file autobackup after the files specified in the BACKUP command are
backed up. Thus, the autobackup—unlike a manual control file backup—contains
metadata about the backup that just completed. Also, RMAN can automatically restore
autobackups without the use of a recovery catalog.
To make a manual backup, you can either specify INCLUDE CURRENT CONTROLFILE when
backing up other files or specify BACKUP CURRENT CONTROLFILE. You can also back up
control files copies on disk by specifying the CONTROLFILECOPY parameter.
To manually back up the control file:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Ensure the target database is mounted or open.

3.

Execute the BACKUP command with the desired control file clause.
The following example backs up tablespace users to tape and includes the current
control file in the backup:
BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt
TABLESPACE users
INCLUDE CURRENT CONTROLFILE;

The following example backs up the current control file to the default disk device:
BACKUP AS COPY
CURRENT CONTROLFILE
FORMAT '/tmp/control01.ctl';

The following example backs up the control file copy created in the previous
example to tape:
BACKUP AS COPY
CURRENT CONTROLFILE
FORMAT '/tmp/control01.ctl';
BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt
CONTROLFILECOPY '/tmp/control01.ctl';

If the control file autobackup feature is enabled, then RMAN makes two control
file backups in these examples: the explicit backup of the files specified in the
BACKUP command and the control file and server parameter file autobackup.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn
about the CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP command

Backing Up Server Parameter Files with RMAN
As explained in "Backing Up Control Files with RMAN" on page 9-8, RMAN
automatically backs up the current server parameter file in certain cases. The BACKUP

Backing Up the Database 9-9

Backing Up Archived Redo Logs with RMAN

SPFILE command backs up the parameter file explicitly. The server parameter file that
is backed up is the one currently in use by the instance.
To back up the server parameter file:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Ensure the target database is mounted or open.
The database must have been started with a server parameter file. If the instance is
started with a client-side initialization parameter file, then RMAN issues an error
if you execute BACKUP ... SPFILE.

3.

Execute the BACKUP ... SPFILE command.
The following example backs up the server parameter file to tape:
BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt SPFILE;

Backing Up a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode
You can only backup a database in NOARCHIVELOG mode when the database is closed
and in a consistent state. The script shown in Example 9–8 puts the database into the
correct mode for a consistent, whole database backup and then backs up the database.
The script assumes that control file autobackup is enabled for the database.
Example 9–8 Backing Up a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
# Start up the database in case it suffered instance failure or was
# closed with SHUTDOWN ABORT before starting this script.
STARTUP FORCE DBA;
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
STARTUP MOUNT;
# this example uses automatic channels to make the backup
BACKUP
INCREMENTAL LEVEL 0
MAXSETSIZE 10M
DATABASE
TAG 'BACKUP_1';
# Now that the backup is complete, open the database.
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

You can skip tablespaces, such as read-only tablespaces, but any skipped tablespace
that has not been offline or read-only since its last backup is lost if the database has to
be restored from a backup.

Backing Up Archived Redo Logs with RMAN
Archived redo logs are the key to successful media recovery. You should back them up
regularly.

About Backups of Archived Redo Logs
Several features of RMAN backups are specific to archived redo logs. For example,
you can use BACKUP ... DELETE to delete one or all copies of archived redo logs from
disk after backing them up to backup sets.

9-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backing Up Archived Redo Logs with RMAN

Archived Redo Log Failover
Even if your redo logs are being archived to multiple destinations and you use RMAN
to back up archived redo logs, RMAN selects only one copy of the archived redo log
file to include in the backup set. Because logs with the same log sequence number are
identical, RMAN does not need to include more than one log copy.
The archived redo log failover feature enables RMAN to complete a backup even
when some archiving destinations are missing logs or contain logs with corrupt
blocks. If at least one log corresponding to a given log sequence and thread is available
in the fast recovery area or any of the archiving destinations, then RMAN tries to back
it up. If RMAN finds a corrupt block in a log file during backup, it searches other
destinations for a copy of that log without corrupt blocks.
For example, assume that you archive logs 121 through 124 to two destinations:
/arch1 and /arch2. Table 9–1 shows the archived redo log records in the control file.
Table 9–1

Sample Archived Redo Log Records

Sequence

Filename in /arch1

Filename in /arch2

121

/arch1/archive1_121.arc

/arch2/archive1_121.arc

122

/arch1/archive1_122.arc

/arch2/archive1_122.arc

123

/arch1/archive1_123.arc

/arch2/archive1_123.arc

124

/arch1/archive1_124.arc

/arch2/archive1_124.arc

However, unknown to RMAN, a user deletes logs 122 and 124 from the /arch1
directory. Afterward, you run the following backup:
BACKUP ARCHIVELOG
FROM SEQUENCE 121
UNTIL SEQUENCE 125;

With failover, RMAN completes the backup, using logs 122 and 124 in /arch2.

Online Redo Log Switching
Another important RMAN feature is automatic online redo log switching. To make an
open database backup of archived redo logs that includes the most recent online redo
log, you can execute the BACKUP command with any of the following clauses:
■

PLUS ARCHIVELOG

■

ARCHIVELOG ALL

■

ARCHIVELOG FROM ...

Before beginning the backup, RMAN switches out of the current redo log group, and
archives all online redo logs that have not yet been archived, up to and including the
redo log group that was current when the command was issued. This feature ensures
that the backup contains all redo generated before the start of the command.
An effective way of backing up archived redo logs is the BACKUP ... PLUS ARCHIVELOG
command, which causes RMAN to do the following:
1.

Runs the ALTER SYSTEM ARCHIVE LOG CURRENT statement.

2.

Runs BACKUP ARCHIVELOG ALL. If backup optimization is enabled, then RMAN
skips logs that it has already backed up to the specified device.

3.

Backs up the rest of the files specified in the BACKUP command.

Backing Up the Database 9-11

Backing Up Archived Redo Logs with RMAN

4.

Runs the ALTER SYSTEM ARCHIVE LOG CURRENT statement.

5.

Backs up any remaining archived logs generated during the backup. If backup
optimization is not enabled, then RMAN backs up the logs generated in Step 1
plus all the logs generated during the backup.

The preceding steps guarantee that data file backups taken during the command are
recoverable to a consistent state. Also, unless the online redo log is archived at the end
of the backup, DUPLICATE is not possible with the backup.

Backing Up Archived Redo Log Files
To back up archived logs, use the BACKUP ARCHIVELOG command. If backup
optimization is enabled, then RMAN skips backups of archived logs that have already
been backed up to the specified device.
To back up archived redo log files:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Ensure that the target database is mounted or open.

3.

Execute the BACKUP ARCHIVELOG or BACKUP ... PLUS ARCHIVELOG command.
The following example backs up the database and all archived redo logs:
BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;

The following example uses a configured disk or SBT channel to back up one copy
of each log sequence number for all archived redo logs:
BACKUP ARCHIVELOG ALL;

You can also specify a range of archived redo logs by time, SCN, or log sequence
number, as in the following example:
BACKUP ARCHIVELOG
FROM TIME 'SYSDATE-30'
UNTIL TIME 'SYSDATE-7';

Backing Up Only Archived Redo Logs That Need Backups
You can indicate that RMAN should automatically skip backups of archived redo logs
in the following ways:
■

Configure backup optimization.
As explained in "Backup Optimization and the CONFIGURE command" on
page 5-24, if you enable backup optimization, then the BACKUP ARCHIVELOG
command skips backing up files when an identical archived log has already been
backed up to the specified device type. An archived log is considered identical to
another when it has the same DBID, thread, sequence number, and RESETLOGS
SCN and time.

■

Configure an archived redo log deletion policy.
As explained in "Configuring an Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy" on
page 5-27, if the deletion policy is configured with the BACKED UP integer TIMES
clause, then a BACKUP ARCHIVELOG command copies the logs unless integer
backups already exist on the specified device type. If integer backups of the logs
exist, then the BACKUP ARCHIVELOG command skips the logs.

9-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backing Up Archived Redo Logs with RMAN

The BACKUP ... NOT BACKED UP integer TIMES command specifies that RMAN
should back up only those archived log files that have not been backed up at least
integer times to the specified device. To determine the number of backups for a file,
RMAN only considers backups created on the same device type as the current backup.
The BACKED UP clause is a convenient way to back up archived logs to a specified
device type. For example, you can specify that RMAN should keep two copies of each
archived redo log on tape and skip additional backups.
To back up archived redo logs that need backups:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Ensure that the target database is mounted or open.

3.

Ensure that appropriate channels are configured for the backup.

4.

Execute the BACKUP ARCHIVELOG command with the NOT BACKED UP clause.
BACKUP ARCHIVELOG ALL NOT BACKED UP 2 TIMES;

"Using Backup Optimization to Skip Files" on page 10-3
for scenarios using NOT BACKED UP

See Also:

Deleting Archived Redo Logs After Backups
The BACKUP ARCHIVELOG ... DELETE INPUT command deletes archived log files after
they are backed up. This command eliminates the separate step of manually deleting
archived redo logs.
With DELETE INPUT, RMAN deletes only the specific copy of the archived log chosen
for the backup set. With DELETE ALL INPUT, RMAN deletes each backed-up archived
redo log file from all log archiving destinations.
As explained in "Configuring an Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy" on page 5-27, the
BACKUP ... DELETE INPUT and DELETE ARCHIVELOG commands obey the archived
redo log deletion policy for logs in all archiving locations. For example, if you specify
that logs should only be deleted when backed up at least twice to tape, then BACKUP
... DELETE honors this policy.
For the following procedure, assume that you archive to /arc_dest1, /arc_dest2, and
the fast recovery area.
To delete archived redo logs after a backup:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Ensure that the target database is mounted or open.

3.

Run the BACKUP command with the DELETE INPUT clause.
Assume that you run the following BACKUP command:
BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt
ARCHIVELOG ALL
DELETE ALL INPUT;

In this case, RMAN backs up only one copy of each log sequence number in these
archiving locations. RMAN deletes all copies of any log that it backed up from
both the fast recovery area and the other archiving destinations.
If you had specified DELETE INPUT rather than DELETE ALL INPUT, then RMAN
would have only deleted the specific archived redo log files that it backed up. For

Backing Up the Database 9-13

Making and Updating Incremental Backups

example, RMAN would delete the logs in /arc_dest1 if these files were used as
the source of the backup, but leave the contents of the /arc_dest2 intact.
See Also:
■

■

■

■

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn about
archived redo log management with standby databases
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn about the
CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY command
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn about the
DELETE ARCHIVELOG command
"Deleting RMAN Backups and Archived Redo Logs" on
page 12-17

Making and Updating Incremental Backups
As explained in "Incremental Backups" on page 8-13, an incremental backup copies
only data file blocks that have changed since a specified previous backup. An
incremental backups is either a cumulative incremental backup or differential
incremental backup.
Although the content of the backups is the same, BACKUP DATABASE and BACKUP
INCREMENTAL LEVEL 0 DATABASE are different. A full backup is not usable as part of an
incremental strategy, whereas a level 0 incremental backup is the basis of an
incremental strategy. No RMAN command can change a full backup into a level 0
incremental backup.
As with full backups, RMAN can make incremental backups of an ARCHIVELOG mode
database that is open. If the database is in NOARCHIVELOG mode, then RMAN can make
incremental backups only after a consistent shutdown.

Purpose of Incremental Backups
The primary reasons for making incremental backups part of your strategy are:
■

■

■
■

■

Faster daily backups if block change tracking is enabled (see "Using Block Change
Tracking to Improve Incremental Backup Performance" on page 9-20)
Ability to roll forward data file image copies, thereby reducing recovery time and
avoiding repeated full backups.
Less bandwidth consumption when backing up over a network.
Improved performance when the aggregate tape bandwidth for tape write I/Os is
much less than the aggregate disk bandwidth for disk read I/Os.
Possibility of recovering changes to objects created with the NOLOGGING option.
For example, direct load inserts do not create redo log entries, so their changes
cannot be reproduced with media recovery. Direct load inserts do change data
blocks, however, and these blocks are captured by incremental backups.

■

Synchronize a physical standby database with the primary database. You can use
the RMAN BACKUP INCREMENTAL FROM SCN command to create a backup on the
primary database that starts at the current SCN of the standby database, which
you can then use to roll forward the standby database. See Oracle Data Guard
Concepts and Administration to learn how to apply incremental backups to a
standby database.

9-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making and Updating Incremental Backups

See Also: Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for more
information about NOLOGGING mode

Planning an Incremental Backup Strategy
Choose a backup strategy according to an acceptable MTTR (mean time to recover).
For example, you can implement a three-level backup scheme so that a level 0 backup
is taken monthly, a cumulative level 1 is taken weekly, and a differential level 1 is
taken daily. In this strategy, you never have to apply more than a day of redo for
complete recovery.
When deciding how often to take level 0 backups, a general rule is to take a new level
0 backup whenever 20% or more of the data has changed. If the rate of change to your
database is predictable, then you can observe the size of your incremental backups to
determine when a new level 0 backup is appropriate. The following SQL query
determines the number of blocks written to an incremental level 1 backup of each data
file with at least 20% of its blocks backed up:
SELECT

FILE#, INCREMENTAL_LEVEL, COMPLETION_TIME,
BLOCKS, DATAFILE_BLOCKS
FROM
V$BACKUP_DATAFILE
WHERE
INCREMENTAL_LEVEL > 0
AND
BLOCKS / DATAFILE_BLOCKS > .2
ORDER BY COMPLETION_TIME;

Compare the number of blocks in level 1 backups to a level 0 backup. For example, if
you create only level 1 cumulative backups, then take a new level 0 backup when the
most recent level 1 backup is about half of the size of the level 0 backup.
An effective way to conserve disk space is to make incremental backups to disk, and
then offload the backups to tape with the BACKUP AS BACKUPSET command. Incremental
backups are generally smaller than full backups, which limits the space required to
store them until they are moved to tape. When the incremental backups on disk are
backed up to tape, the tape is more likely to stream because all blocks of the
incremental backup are copied to tape. There is no possibility of delay due to time
required for RMAN to locate changed blocks in the datafiles.
Another strategy is to use incrementally updated backups as explained in
"Incrementally Updating Backups" on page 9-16. In this strategy, you create an image
copy of each data file, then periodically roll forward this copy by making and then
applying a level 1 incremental backup. In this way you avoid the overhead of making
repeated full image copies of your data files, but enjoy all of the advantages.
In a Data Guard environment, you can offload incremental backups to a physical
standby database. Incremental backups of a standby and primary database are
interchangeable. Thus, you can apply an incremental backup of a standby database to
a primary database, or apply an incremental backup of a primary database to a
standby database.
See Also: Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how
to back up a standby database with RMAN. In particular, consult
Chapter 9, "Managing Physical and Snapshot Standby Databases"

Making Incremental Backups
After starting RMAN, run the BACKUP INCREMENTAL command at the RMAN prompt.
By default incremental backups are differential.

Backing Up the Database 9-15

Making and Updating Incremental Backups

To make an incremental backup:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and a recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Ensure that the target database is mounted or open.

3.

Execute the BACKUP INCREMENTAL command with the desired options.
Use the LEVEL parameter to indicate the incremental level. The following example
makes a level 0 incremental database backup.
BACKUP
INCREMENTAL LEVEL 0
DATABASE;

The following example makes a differential incremental backup at level 1 of the
SYSTEM and tools tablespaces. It only backs up those data blocks changed since
the most recent level 1 or level 0 backup.
BACKUP
INCREMENTAL LEVEL 1
TABLESPACE SYSTEM, tools;

The following example makes a cumulative incremental backup at level 1 of the
tablespace users, backing up all blocks changed since the most recent level 0
backup.
BACKUP
INCREMENTAL LEVEL 1 CUMULATIVE
TABLESPACE users;

Making Incremental Backups of a VSS Snapshot
You can use the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) with the Oracle VSS writer to
make a shadow copy or snapshot of files in a database. You must use a third-party
backup program other than RMAN to make VSS snapshots with the Oracle VSS writer.
In this case, the fast recovery area automates management of files that are backed up
in a VSS snapshot and deletes them as needed.
You can use the BACKUP INCREMENTAL LEVEL 1 ... FROM SCN command in RMAN to
create incremental backups in the fast recovery area. Thus, you can use this command
to create an incremental level 1 backup of a VSS shadow copy. RMAN can apply
incremental backups during recovery transparently.
See Also: Oracle Database Platform Guide for Microsoft Windows to
learn how to make VSS backups with RMAN

Incrementally Updating Backups
By incrementally updating backups, you can avoid the overhead of making full image
copy backups of datafiles, while also minimizing time required for media recovery of
your database. For example, if you run a daily backup script, then you never have
more than 1 day of redo to apply for media recovery.
To incrementally update data file backups:
1. Create a full image copy backup of a data file with a specified tag.
2.

At regular intervals (such as daily), make a level 1 differential incremental backup
of the data file and use the same tag as the base data file copy.

3.

Apply the incremental backup to the most recent backup with the same tag.

9-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making and Updating Incremental Backups

This technique rolls forward the backup to the time when the level 1 incremental
backup was made. RMAN can restore this incrementally updated backup and apply
changes from the redo log. The result is the same as restoring a data file backup taken
at the SCN of the most recently applied incremental level 1 backup.
If you run RECOVER COPY daily without specifying an UNTIL
TIME, then a continuously updated image copy cannot satisfy a
recovery window of more than a day. The incrementally updated
backup feature is an optimization for fast media recovery.
Note:

Incrementally Updating Backups: Basic Example
To create incremental backups for use in an incrementally updated backups strategy,
use the BACKUP ... FOR RECOVER OF COPY WITH TAG form of the BACKUP command. The
command is best understood in a sample script that implements the strategy.
The script in Example 9–9, run regularly, is all that is required to implement a strategy
based on incrementally updated backups.
Example 9–9 Basic Incremental Update Script
RUN
{
RECOVER COPY OF DATABASE
WITH TAG 'incr_update';
BACKUP
INCREMENTAL LEVEL 1
FOR RECOVER OF COPY WITH TAG 'incr_update'
DATABASE;
}

To understand the script and the strategy, you must understand the effects of these
two commands when no data file copies or incremental backups exist. Note two
important features:
■

■

The BACKUP command in Example 9–9 does not always create a level 1 incremental
backup.
The RECOVER command in Example 9–9 causes RMAN to apply any available
incremental level 1 backups with the specified tag to a set of data file copies with
the same tag.

Table 9–2 shows the effect of the script when it is run once per day starting Monday.

Backing Up the Database 9-17

Making and Updating Incremental Backups

Table 9–2

Effect of Basic Script When Run Daily

Command

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday Onward

RECOVER

Because no incremental
backup or data file copy
exists, the command
generates a message (but
not an error). That is, the
command has no effect.

A database copy now
exists, but no incremental
level 1 backup exists with
which to recover it. Thus,
the RECOVER command has
no effect.

The level 1 incremental
backup made on Tuesday
is applied to the database
copy, bringing the copy up
to the checkpoint SCN of
the level 1 incremental
backup.

The level 1 incremental
backup made yesterday is
applied to the database
copy, bringing the copy
up to the checkpoint SCN
of the level 1 incremental
backup.

BACKUP

No level 0 image copy
exists, so the command
creates an image copy of
the database and applies
the tag incr_update. This
copy is needed to begin
the cycle of incremental
updates.

The command makes an
incremental level 1 backup
and assigns it the tag
incr_update. This backup
contains blocks that
changed between Monday
and Tuesday.

The command makes an
incremental level 1 backup
and assigns it the tag incr_
update. This backup
contains blocks that
changed between Tuesday
and Wednesday.

The command makes an
incremental level 1
backup and assigns it the
tag incr_update. This
backup contains blocks
that changed between
now and the most recent
backup with the tag incr_
update.

Note: If the script sets
DEVICE TYPE sbt, then the
first run creates the copy
on disk, not on tape.
Subsequent runs make
level 1 backups on tape.

Note the following additional details about Example 9–9:
■

■

Each time a data file is added to the database, an image copy of the new data file is
created the next time the script runs. The next run makes the first level 1
incremental for the added data file. On all subsequent runs the new data file is
processed like any other data file.
You must use tags to identify the data file copies and incremental backups in this
strategy so that they do not interfere with other backup strategies. If you use
multiple incremental backup strategies, then RMAN cannot unambiguously create
incremental level 1 backups unless you tag level 0 backups.
The incremental level 1 backups to apply to those image copies are selected based
upon the tag of the image copy datafiles and the available incremental level 1
backups. The tag is essential in the selection of the incremental level backups.

■

After the third run of the script, the following files would be available for a
point-in-time recovery:
–

An image copy of the database, as of the checkpoint SCN of the preceding run
of the script, 24 hours earlier

–

An incremental backup for the changes after the checkpoint SCN of the
preceding run

–

Archived redo logs including all changes between the checkpoint SCN of the
image copy and the current time

If you must restore and recover your database during the following 24 hours, then
you can restore the data files from the incrementally updated data file copies. You
can then apply changes from the most recent incremental level 1 and the redo logs
to reach the desired SCN. At most, you have 24 hours of redo to apply, which
limits how long point-in-time recovery takes to finish.
Oracle Database 2 Day DBA to see how this technique is
used in the Oracle backup strategy with Enterprise Manager

See Also:

9-18 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making and Updating Incremental Backups

Incrementally Updated Backups: Advanced Example
You can extend the basic script in Example 9–9 to provide fast recoverability to a
window greater than 24 hours. Example 9–10 shows how to maintain a window of
seven days by specifying the beginning time of your window of recoverability in the
RECOVER command.
Example 9–10

Advanced Incremental Update Script

RUN
{
RECOVER COPY OF DATABASE
WITH TAG 'incr_update'
UNTIL TIME 'SYSDATE - 7';
BACKUP
INCREMENTAL LEVEL 1
FOR RECOVER OF COPY WITH TAG 'incr_update'
DATABASE;
}

Table 9–3 shows the effect of the script when it is run once per day starting Monday,
January 1.
Table 9–3

Effect of Advanced Script When Run Daily

Command

Monday 1/1

Tuesday 1/2 - Monday 1/8

Tuesday 1/9

Wednesday 1/10 Onward

RECOVER

Because no incremental
backup or data file copy
exists, the command
generates a message (but
not an error). That is, the
command has no effect.

A database copy exists,
but SYSDATE-7 specifies a
time before the base copy
was created. For example,
on Wednesday SYSDATE-7
specifies the Wednesday
before Monday 1/1. Thus,
the RECOVER command has
no effect.

SYSDATE-7 now specifies a
date after the base copy
was created. The database
copy made on Monday 1/1
is updated with the
incremental backup made
on Tuesday 1/2, bringing
the copy up to the
checkpoint SCN of the
level 1 incremental backup.

The database copy is
updated with the
incremental backup made
7 days ago, bringing the
copy up to the checkpoint
SCN of the level 1
incremental backup.

BACKUP

No level 0 image copy
exists, so the command
creates an image copy of
the database and applies
the tag incr_update. This
copy is needed to begin
the cycle of incremental
updates.

The command makes an
incremental level 1 backup
and assigns it the tag
incr_update. This backup
contains blocks that
changed between
yesterday and today.

The command makes an
incremental level 1 backup
and assigns it the tag incr_
update. This backup
contains blocks that
changed between Monday
1/8 and Tuesday 1/9.

The command makes an
incremental level 1
backup and assigns it the
tag incr_update. This
backup contains blocks
that changed between
yesterday and today.

Note: If the script sets
DEVICE TYPE sbt, then the
first run creates the copy
on disk, not on tape.
Subsequent runs make
level 1 backups on tape.

As with the basic script in Example 9–9, you have fast recoverability to any point in
time between the SCN of the data file copies and the present. RMAN can use both
block changes from the incremental backups and individual changes from the redo
logs. Because you have the daily level 1 incremental backups, you never need to apply
more than 1 day of redo.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn
about the RECOVER command

Backing Up the Database 9-19

Making and Updating Incremental Backups

Using Block Change Tracking to Improve Incremental Backup Performance
The block change tracking feature for incremental backups improves backup
performance by recording changed blocks for each data file.

About Block Change Tracking
If block change tracking is enabled on a primary or standby database, then RMAN
uses a block change tracking file to identify changed blocks for incremental backups.
By reading this small bitmap file to determine which blocks changed, RMAN avoids
having to scan every block in the data file that it is backing up.
Block change tracking is disabled by default. Nevertheless, the benefits of avoiding full
data file scans during backup are considerable, especially if only a small percentage of
data blocks are changed between backups. If your backup strategy involves
incremental backups, then block change tracking is recommended. Block change
tracking does not change the commands used to perform incremental backups. The
change tracking file requires no maintenance after initial configuration.
You can only enable block change tracking at a physical standby database if a license
for the Oracle Active Data Guard option is enabled.
Space Management in the Block Change Tracking File The change tracking file maintains
bitmaps that mark changes in the datafiles between backups. The database performs a
bitmap switch before each backup. Oracle Database automatically manages space in
the change tracking file to retain block change data that covers the eight most recent
backups. After the maximum of eight bitmaps is reached, the oldest bitmap is
overwritten by the bitmap that tracks the current changes.
The first level 0 incremental backup scans the entire data file. Subsequent incremental
backups use the block change tracking file to scan only the blocks that have been
marked as changed since the last backup. An incremental backup can be optimized
only when it is based on a parent backup that was made after the start of the oldest
bitmap in the block change tracking file.
Consider the eight-bitmap limit when developing your incremental backup strategy.
For example, if you make a level 0 database backup followed by seven differential
incremental backups, then the block change tracking file now includes eight bitmaps.
If you then make a cumulative level 1 incremental backup, then RMAN cannot
optimize the backup, because the bitmap corresponding to the parent level 0 backup is
overwritten with the bitmap that tracks the current changes.
Location of the Block Change Tracking File One block change tracking file is created for the
whole database. By default, the change tracking file is created as an Oracle managed
file in the destination specified by the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization parameter.
You can also place the change tracking file in any location that you choose, by
specifying its name when enabling block change tracking. Oracle recommends against
using a raw device (that is, a disk without a file system) as a change tracking file.
In an Oracle RAC environment, the change tracking file must
be located on shared storage accessible from all nodes in the cluster.

Note:

RMAN does not support backup and recovery of the change tracking file. The
database resets the change tracking file when it determines that the change tracking
file is invalid. If you restore and recover the whole database or a subset, then the
database resets the block change tracking file and starts tracking changes again. After

9-20 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making and Updating Incremental Backups

you make a level 0 incremental backup, the next incremental backup can use change
tracking data.
Size of the Block Change Tracking File The size of the block change tracking file is
proportional to the size of the database and the number of enabled threads of redo.
The size of the block change tracking file can increase and decrease as the database
changes. The size is not related to the frequency of updates to the database.
Typically, the space required for block change tracking for a single instance is
approximately 1/30,000 the size of the data blocks to be tracked. For an Oracle RAC
environment, it is 1/30,000 of the size of the database, times the number of enabled
threads.
The following factors that may cause the file to be larger than this estimate suggests:
■

■

To avoid the overhead of allocating space as your database grows, the block
change tracking file size starts at 10 megabytes. New space is allocated in 10 MB
increments. Thus, for any database up to approximately 300 gigabytes, the file size
is no smaller than 10 MB, for up to approximately 600 gigabytes the file size is no
smaller than 20 megabytes, and so on.
For each data file, a minimum of 320 kilobytes of space is allocated in the block
change tracking file, regardless of the size of the data file. Thus, if you have a large
number of relatively small data files, the change tracking file is larger than for
databases with a smaller number of larger data files containing the same data.

Enabling and Disabling Block Change Tracking
You can enable block change tracking when the database is either open or mounted.
This section assumes that you intend to create the block change tracking file as an
Oracle Managed File in the database area, which is where the database maintains
active database files such as data files, control files, and online redo log files. See
"Overview of the Fast Recovery Area" on page 5-14 to learn about the database area
and fast recovery area.
To enable block change tracking:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to a target database with administrator privileges.
2.

Ensure that the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization parameter is set.
SHOW PARAMETER DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST

If the parameter is not set, and if the database is open, then you can set the
parameter with the following form of the ALTER SYSTEM statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SET
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST = '/disk1/bct/'
SCOPE=BOTH SID='*';
3.

Enable block change tracking.
Execute the following ALTER DATABASE statement:
ALTER DATABASE ENABLE BLOCK CHANGE TRACKING;

You can also create the change tracking file in a location that you choose yourself
by using the following form of SQL statement:
ALTER DATABASE ENABLE BLOCK CHANGE TRACKING
USING FILE '/mydir/rman_change_track.f' REUSE;

Backing Up the Database 9-21

Making and Updating Incremental Backups

The REUSE option tells Oracle Database to overwrite any existing block change
tracking file with the specified name.

Disabling Block Change Tracking
This section assumes that the block change tracking feature is currently enabled. When
you disable block change tracking, the database removes the block change tracking file
from the operating system.
To disable block change tracking:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to a target database with administrator privileges.
2.

Ensure that the target database is mounted or open.

3.

Disable block change tracking.
Execute the following ALTER DATABASE statement:
ALTER DATABASE DISABLE BLOCK CHANGE TRACKING;

Checking Whether Change Tracking is Enabled
You can query the V$BLOCK_CHANGE_TRACKING view to determine whether change
tracking is enabled, and if it is, the file name of the block change tracking file.
To determine whether change tracking is enabled:
Enter the following query in SQL*Plus (sample output included):
COL STATUS
FORMAT A8
COL FILENAME FORMAT A60
SELECT STATUS, FILENAME
FROM
V$BLOCK_CHANGE_TRACKING;
STATUS
FILENAME
-------- -----------------------------------------------------------ENABLED /disk1/bct/RDBMS/changetracking/o1_mf_2f71np5j_.chg

Changing the Location of the Block Change Tracking File
To move the change tracking file, use the ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE statement. The
database must be mounted. The statement updates the control file to refer to the new
location and preserves the contents of the change tracking file. If you cannot shut
down the database, then you can disable and enable block change tracking. In this
case, you lose the contents of the existing block change tracking file.
To change the location of the change tracking file:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to a target database.
2.

If necessary, determine the current name of the change tracking file:
SQL> SELECT FILENAME FROM V$BLOCK_CHANGE_TRACKING;

3.

If possible, shut down the database. For example:
SQL> SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE

If you shut down the database, then skip to the next step. If you choose not to shut
down the database, then execute the following SQL statements and skip all
remaining steps:

9-22 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making Database Backups for Long-Term Storage

SQL> ALTER DATABASE DISABLE BLOCK CHANGE TRACKING;
SQL> ALTER DATABASE ENABLE BLOCK CHANGE TRACKING USING FILE 'new_location';

In this case you lose the contents of the block change tracking file. Until the next
time you complete a level 0 incremental backup, RMAN must scan the entire file.
4.

Using host operating system commands, move the change tracking file to its new
location.

5.

Mount the database and move the change tracking file to a location that has more
space. For example:
ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE
'/disk1/bct/RDBMS/changetracking/o1_mf_2f71np5j_.chg' TO
'/disk2/bct/RDBMS/changetracking/o1_mf_2f71np5j_.chg';

This statement changes the location of the change tracking file while preserving its
contents.
6.

Open the database:
SQL> ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference to learn about the
ALTER DATABASE statement and the ALTER SYSTEM statement
See Also:

Making Database Backups for Long-Term Storage
This section explains the basic concepts and tasks involved in making backups for
long-term storage.

Purpose of Archival Backups
You can use BACKUP ... KEEP to create a backup that is both all-inclusive and exempt
from the backup retention policy. The backup is all-inclusive because every file
needed to restore and recover the database is backed up to a single disk or tape
location. The KEEP option also specifies that the backup should be exempt from the
retention policy either forever or for a specified period of time. The general name for a
backup created with BACKUP ... KEEP is an archival backup.
As explained in "Data Preservation" on page 1-3, one purpose of a backup and
recovery strategy is to preserve data. You can use BACKUP ... KEEP to retain a
database backup for longer than the time dictated by the retention policy. For example,
you can back up the database on the first day of every year to satisfy a regulatory
requirement and store the media offsite. Years after you make the archival backup, you
could restore and recover it to query the data as it appeared at the time of the backup.
Another purpose of an archival backup is to create a backup to restore for testing
purposes and then delete. For example, you can back up the database, restore the
database in a test environment, and then discard the archival backup after the test
database is operational. A related purpose is to create a self-contained backup that you
can delete after transferring it to another user or host. For example, another user might
want a copy of the database for reporting or testing.

Basic Concepts of Archival Backups
You can exempt a backup from the retention policy by using the KEEP option with the
BACKUP command. You can also use the KEEP and NOKEEP options of the CHANGE

Backing Up the Database 9-23

Making Database Backups for Long-Term Storage

command to change the status of an existing backup. Backups with KEEP attributes are
valid backups that can be recovered like any other backups.
You can specify an end date for an archival backup with the KEEP UNTIL TIME clause,
or specify that the backup should be kept FOREVER. If you specify UNTIL, then RMAN
marks the backup as obsolete when the UNTIL time has passed, regardless of any
configured retention policy. For example, if you specify KEEP UNTIL TIME
'01-JAN-08', then the backup is obsolete one second after midnight on January 1. If
you specify an UNTIL TIME of 9:00 p.m, then the backup is obsolete at 9:01 p.m.
When you specify KEEP on the BACKUP command, RMAN generates multiple backup
sets. Note the following characteristics of the BACKUP ... KEEP command:
■

■

■

■

It automatically backs up the data files, control file (even if the control file
autobackup is disabled), and the server parameter file.
It automatically generates an archived redo log backup to ensure that the database
backup can be recovered to a consistent state.
If the FORMAT, POOL, or TAG parameters are specified, then they are used for all
backups. For this reason, the FORMAT string must allow for the creation of multiple
backup pieces. Specifying the %U substitution variable is the easiest way to meet
this requirement.
It supports an optional RESTORE POINT clause that creates a normal restore point,
which is a label for an SCN to which the backup must be recovered to be made
consistent. The SCN is captured just after the data file backups complete. RMAN
resynchronizes restore points with the recovery catalog and maintains the restore
points as long as the backup exists. "Listing Restore Points" on page 7-8 explains
how to display restore points.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for CHANGE
syntax and Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for BACKUP
... KEEP syntax

Making an Archival Backup for Long-Term Storage
Typically, you make an archival backup to tape. Because your data protection backups
are most likely to be on a set of tapes that remain accessible and are recycled, it is
advisable to earmark a set of tapes for the archival backup. You can write the archival
backup to this special set of tapes and then place them in offsite storage.
You can vary the procedure for creating an archival backup by creating a stored script
or shell script that updates dynamically. When you run the script, you can
dynamically set the name of the restore point, backup format, and so on.
See Also:
■

■

"Backup-Based Duplication Without a Target Connection:
Example" on page 24-15 to learn the recommended technique for
restoring an archival backup
"Using Substitution Variables in Command Files" on page 4-4 and
"Creating and Executing Dynamic Stored Scripts" on page 13-18 to
learn how to make archival backups with RMAN command files.

Making an Archival Backup
This scenario makes a long-term archival backup with a backup tag of QUARTERLY and
assigns it to a special family of Oracle Secure Backup tapes reserved for long-term
storage. Note the following features of this example:
9-24 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making Database Backups for Long-Term Storage

■

■

The FOREVER keyword indicates that this backup is never eligible for deletion by
the backup retention policy.
The BACKUP command creates the restore point named FY06Q4 to match the SCN at
which point this backup is consistent.

To make a long-term archival backup:
Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog.

1.

The target database can be open or mounted. A recovery catalog is required for
KEEP FOREVER, but is not required for any other KEEP option.
2.

Run BACKUP ... KEEP to make the backup.
The following example generates a data file and archived log backup and creates a
normal restore point. The specified restore point must not already exist.
The log backup contains just those archived logs needed to restore this backup to a
consistent state. The database performs a online redo log switch to archive the
redo that is in the current online logs and is necessary to make this new backup
consistent. The control file autobackup has a copy of the restore point, so it can be
referenced as soon as the control file is restored.
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1
DEVICE TYPE sbt
PARMS 'ENV=(OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=archival_backup)';
BACKUP DATABASE
TAG quarterly
KEEP FOREVER
RESTORE POINT FY06Q4;
}

The following variation keeps the backup for 365 days instead of keeping it
forever. After a year has passed, the backup becomes obsolete regardless of the
backup retention policy settings.
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE sbt
PARMS 'ENV=(OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=archival_backup)';
BACKUP DATABASE
TAG quarterly
KEEP UNTIL TIME 'SYSDATE+365'
RESTORE POINT FY06Q4;
}

"Understanding Flashback Database, Restore Points and
Guaranteed Restore Points" on page 7-1 to learn about restore points

See Also:

Making a Temporary Archival Backup
One purpose of an archival backup is for creating a test database. The technique for
making a test database is essentially the same as the technique described in "Making
an Archival Backup for Long-Term Storage" on page 9-24. The difference is that you
intend to delete the backup soon after creating it.
You can specify the temporary status of the backup with the BACKUP ... KEEP UNTIL
parameter. Assume that you want to make a backup and then restore it to a new host
the same day. In this case, you can specify KEEP UNTIL TIME SYSDATE+1 to indicate that
Backing Up the Database 9-25

Backing Up RMAN Backups

RMAN should override the retention policy for this backup for only one day. After one
day, the backup becomes obsolete, regardless of any configured backup retention
policy.
The command in Example 9–11 makes an archival backup on a temporary disk with
the tag TESTDB. The example creates a normal restore point, which is a label for the
time to which the backup should be recovered. RMAN only backs up the archived
redo logs if the database is open during the backup. Archived logs are not needed for
offline backups and so are not backed up.
Example 9–11

Creating a Temporary Archival Backup

BACKUP DATABASE
FORMAT '/disk1/oraclebck/%U'
TAG TESTDB
KEEP UNTIL TIME 'SYSDATE+1'
RESTORE POINT TESTDB06;

The recommended technique for restoring an archival backup is to use the DUPLICATE
command. Refer to "Backup-Based Duplication Without a Target Connection:
Example" on page 24-15.

Backing Up RMAN Backups
This section explains how to back up backup sets and image copies.

About Backups of Backups
You can use the BACKUP BACKUPSET command to back up backup sets produced by
other backup jobs. You can also use BACKUP RECOVERY AREA to back up recovery files
created in the current and all previous fast recovery area destinations. Recovery files
are full and incremental backup sets, control file autobackups, data file copies, and
archived redo logs. SBT and disk backups are supported for BACKUP RECOVERY AREA.
For disk backups of the recovery files, you must use the TO DESTINATION option.
The preceding commands are especially useful in the following scenarios:
■
■

Ensuring that all backups exist both on disk and on tape.
Moving backups from disk to tape and then freeing space on disk. This task is
especially important when the database uses a fast recovery area so that the space
can be reused as needed.

You can also use the BACKUP COPY OF command to back up image copies of datafiles,
control files, and archived redo logs. The output of this command can be either backup
sets or image copies, so you can generate backup sets from image copies. This form of
backup is used to back up a database backup created as image copies on disk to tape.

Multiple Copies of Backup Sets
BACKUP BACKUPSET creates additional copies of backup pieces in a backup set, but does
not create a new backup set. Thus, BACKUP BACKUPSET is similar to using the DUPLEX or
MAXCOPIES option of BACKUP (see "Duplexing Backup Sets" on page 10-6). The extra
copy of a backup set created by BACKUP BACKUPSET is not a new backup set, just as
copies of a backup set produced by other forms of the BACKUP command are not
separate backup sets.

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Effect of a Backup Retention Policy on Backups of Backups
For a backup retention policy based on redundancy, a backup set is counted as one
instance of a backup. This statement is true even if there are multiple copies of the
backup pieces that form the backup set, such as when a backup set has been backed up
from disk to tape.
For a recovery window retention policy, either all of the copies of a backup set are
obsolete, or none of them are. This point is easiest to grasp when viewing the output of
the LIST and REPORT commands.
To view the effect of a backup retention policy on backups of backups:
1. Back up a data file.
The following example backs up data file 5:
BACKUP AS BACKUPSET DATAFILE 5;
2.

Run the LIST command for the data file backup from Step 1.
For example, run the following command (sample output included).
LIST BACKUP OF DATAFILE 5 SUMMARY;
List of Backups
===============
Key
TY LV S
------- -- -- 18
B F A
TAG20070804T160

3.

Device Type Completion Time #Pieces #Copies Compressed Tag
----------- --------------- ------- ------- ---------- --DISK
04-AUG-07
1
1
NO
134

Use the backup set key from the previous step to back up the backup set.
For example, enter the following command:
BACKUP BACKUPSET 18;

4.

Run the same LIST command that you ran in Step 2.
For example, run the following command (sample output included).
LIST BACKUP OF DATAFILE 5 SUMMARY;
List of Backups
===============
Key
TY LV S
------- -- -- 18
B F A
TAG20070804T160

Device Type Completion Time #Pieces #Copies Compressed Tag
----------- --------------- ------- ------- ---------- --DISK
04-AUG-07
1
2
NO
134

Only one backup set is shown in this output, but there are now two copies of it.
5.

Generate a report to see the effect of these copies under a redundancy-based
backup retention policy.
For example, issue the following command:
REPORT OBSOLETE REDUNDANCY 1;

None of the copies is reported as obsolete because both copies of the backup set
have the same values for set_stamp and set_count.
6.

Generate a report to see the effect of these copies under a recovery window-based
backup retention policy.

Backing Up the Database 9-27

Backing Up RMAN Backups

For example, issue the following command:
REPORT OBSOLETE RECOVERY WINDOW 1 DAY;

None of the copies of the backup set is reported as obsolete or based on the
CHECKPOINT_CHANGE# of this backup set, for the current time and the availability of
other backups.
See Also:
■
■

"Configuring a Redundancy-Based Retention Policy" on page 5-22
Chapter 11, "Reporting on RMAN Operations" to learn how to use
the LIST and REPORT commands

Backing Up Backup Sets with RMAN
This section explains how to use the BACKUP BACKUPSET command to copy backup sets
from disk to tape. The procedure assumes that you have configured an SBT device as
your default device.
To back up backup sets from disk to tape:
1. If you are backing up a subset of available backup sets, then execute the LIST
BACKUPSET command to obtain their primary keys.
The following example lists the backup sets in summary form:
RMAN> LIST BACKUPSET SUMMARY;
List of Backups
===============
Key TY LV S Device Type
--- -- -- - ----------1
B F A DISK
2
B F A DISK
3
B F A DISK

Completion Time
--------------28-MAY-07
29-MAY-07
30-MAY-07

#Pieces
------1
1
1

#Copies
------1
1
1

Comp
---NO
NO
NO

Tag
--TAG20070528T132432
TAG20070529T132433
TAG20070530T132434

The following example lists details about backup set 3:
RMAN> LIST BACKUPSET 3;
List of Backup Sets
===================
BS Key Type LV Size
Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time
------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ --------------3
Full
8.33M
DISK
00:00:01
30-MAY-07
BP Key: 3
Status: AVAILABLE Compressed: NO Tag: TAG20070530T132434
Piece Name: /disk1/oracle/dbs/c-35764265-20070530-02
Control File Included: Ckp SCN: 397221
Ckp time: 30-MAY-07
SPFILE Included: Modification time: 30-MAY-07
SPFILE db_unique_name: PROD
2.

Execute the BACKUP BACKUPSET command.
The following example backs up all disk backup sets to tape and then deletes the
input disk backups:
BACKUP BACKUPSET ALL
DELETE INPUT;

9-28 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Backing Up RMAN Backups

The following example backs up only the backup sets with the primary key 1 and
2 to tape and then deletes the input disk backups:
BACKUP BACKUPSET 1,2
DELETE INPUT;
3.

Optionally, execute the LIST command to see a listing of backup sets and pieces.
The output lists all copies, including backup piece copies created by BACKUP
BACKUPSET.

Backing Up Image Copy Backups with RMAN
This section explains how to use the BACKUP command to back up image copies to tape.
It is assumed that you have configured an SBT device as your default device.
When backing up image copies that have multiple copies of the datafiles, specifying
tags for the backups makes it easier to identify the input image copy. All image copies
of datafiles have tags. The tag of an image copy is inherited by default when the image
copy is backed up as a new image copy.
To back up image copies from disk to tape:
1. Issue the BACKUP ... COPY OF or BACKUP DATAFILECOPY command.
The following example backs up data file copies that have the tag DBCopy:
BACKUP DATAFILE COPY FROM TAG monDBCopy;

The following example backs up the latest image copies of a database to tape,
assigns the tag QUARTERLY_BACKUP, and deletes the input disk backups:
BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt
TAG "quarterly_backup"
COPY OF DATABASE
DELETE INPUT;
2.

Optionally, issue the LIST command to see a listing of backup sets. The output lists
all copies, including backup piece copies created by the BACKUP BACKUPSET
command.

Backing Up the Database 9-29

Backing Up RMAN Backups

9-30 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

10
10

Backing Up the Database: Advanced Topics
This chapter explains advanced RMAN backup procedures. This chapter contains the
following topics:
■

Limiting the Size of RMAN Backup Sets

■

Using Backup Optimization to Skip Files

■

Skipping Offline, Read-Only, and Inaccessible Files

■

Duplexing Backup Sets

■

Making Split Mirror Backups with RMAN

■

Encrypting RMAN Backups

■

Restarting RMAN Backups

■

Managing Backup Windows
See Also: Chapter 9, "Backing Up the Database" for basic backup
procedures

Limiting the Size of RMAN Backup Sets
As explained in "Configuring the Maximum Size of Backup Sets" on page 6-4, you can
use the CONFIGURE command to create persistent settings that govern backup set size.
This control is helpful when backing up very large files. If you do not have a backup
set size persistently configured, then you can also use the BACKUP ... MAXSETSIZE
command to limit the size of backup sets.
You can use the CONFIGURE command, but not the BACKUP command, to set a limit for
the size of individual backup pieces. This control is especially useful when you use a
media manager that has restrictions on the sizes of files, or when you must back up
very large files. See "Configuring the Maximum Size of Backup Pieces" on page 6-4 for
more information.

About Backup Set Size
The MAXSETSIZE parameter of the BACKUP command specifies a maximum size for a
backup set in units of bytes (default), kilobytes, megabytes, or gigabytes. Thus, to limit
a backup set to 305 MB, specify MAXSETSIZE 305M. RMAN attempts to limit all backup
sets to this size.
You can use BACKUP ... MAXSETSIZE to limit the size of backup sets so that the
database is divided among multiple backup sets. If the backup fails partway through,
then you can use the restartable backup feature to back up only those files that were
not backed up during the previous attempt. See "Restarting RMAN Backups" on
Backing Up the Database: Advanced Topics 10-1

Limiting the Size of RMAN Backup Sets

page 10-12 to learn how to restart RMAN backups.
In some cases the MAXSETSIZE value may be too small to contain the largest file that
you are backing up. When determining whether MAXSETSIZE is too small, RMAN uses
the size of the original data file rather than the file size after compression. RMAN
displays an error stack such as the following:
RMAN-00571:
RMAN-00569:
RMAN-00571:
RMAN-03002:
RMAN-06182:

===========================================================
=============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
===========================================================
failure of backup command at 11/03/06 14:40:33
archive log larger than MAXSETSIZE: thread 1 seq 1
/oracle/oradata/trgt/arch/archive1_1.dbf

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn
about the CONFIGURE MAXSETSIZE command

Limiting the Size of Backup Sets with BACKUP ... MAXSETSIZE
Backup piece size is an issue in those situations where it exceeds the maximum file
size of the file system or media management software. Use the MAXSETSIZE parameter
of the CONFIGURE CHANNEL or ALLOCATE CHANNEL command to limit the size of backup
pieces.
To limit the size of backup sets:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Execute the BACKUP command with the MAXSETSIZE parameter.
The following example backs up archived logs to tape, limiting the size of each
backup set to 100 MB:
BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt
MAXSETSIZE 100M
ARCHIVELOG ALL;

Dividing the Backup of a Large Data File into Sections
If you specify the SECTION SIZE parameter on the BACKUP command, then RMAN
creates a backup set in which each backup piece contains the blocks from one file
section. A file section is a contiguous range of blocks in a file. This type of backup is
called a multisection backup.
Note:

You cannot specify SECTION SIZE with MAXPIECESIZE.

The purpose of multisection backups is to enable RMAN channels to back up a single
large file in parallel. RMAN divides the work among multiple channels, with each
channel backing up one file section in a file. Backing up a file in separate sections can
improve the performance of backups of large datafiles.
If a multisection backup completes successfully, then none of the backup sets
generated during the backup contain a partial data file. If a multisection backup is
unsuccessful, then it is possible for the RMAN metadata to contain a record for a
partial backup set. RMAN does not consider partial backups for restore and recovery.
You must use the DELETE command to delete the partial backup set.
If you specify a section size that is larger than the size of the file, then RMAN does not
use multisection backup for the file. If you specify a small section size that would

10-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Using Backup Optimization to Skip Files

produce more than 256 sections, then RMAN increases the section size to a value that
results in exactly 256 sections.
To make a multisection backup:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

If necessary, configure channel parallelism so that RMAN can make the backup
parallel.

3.

Execute BACKUP with the SECTION SIZE parameter.
For example, suppose that the users tablespace contains a single data file of 900
MB. Also assume that three SBT channels are configured, with the parallelism
setting for the SBT device set to 3. You can break up the data file in this tablespace
into file sections as shown in the following example:
BACKUP
SECTION SIZE 300M
TABLESPACE users;

In this example, each of the three SBT channels backs up a 300 MB file section of
the users data file.
See Also: "Make Parallel the Validation of a Data File" on page 16-5
to learn how to validate sections of a large data file

Using Backup Optimization to Skip Files
As explained in "Backup Optimization and the CONFIGURE command" on page 5-24,
you run the CONFIGURE BACKUP OPTIMIZATION command to enable backup
optimization. When certain criteria are met, RMAN skips backups of files that are
identical to files that are already backed up.
For the following scenarios, assume that you configure backup optimization and a
retention policy as shown in the following example.
Example 10–1

Configuring Backup Optimization

CONFIGURE DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE TO sbt;
CONFIGURE BACKUP OPTIMIZATION ON;
CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO RECOVERY WINDOW OF 4 DAYS;

With RMAN configured as shown in Example 10–1, you run the following command
every night to back up the database to tape:
BACKUP DATABASE;

Because backup optimization is configured, RMAN skips backups of offline and
read-only data files only if the most recent backups were made on or after the earliest
point in the recovery window. RMAN does not skip backups when the most recent
backups are older than the window. For example, optimization ensures you do not end
up with a new backup of a read-only data file every night, so long as one backup set
containing this file exists within the recovery window.

Backing Up the Database: Advanced Topics 10-3

Using Backup Optimization to Skip Files

See Also:
■

■

"Backup Optimization for SBT Backups with Recovery Window
Retention Policy" on page 5-25 for a scenario involving backup
optimization and recovery windows
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for a detailed
description of criteria used by CONFIGURE BACKUP OPTIMIZATION
to determine whether a file is identical and can potentially be
skipped

Optimizing a Daily Archived Log Backup to a Single Tape: Scenario
Assume that you want to back up all the archived logs every night, but you do not
want to have multiple copies of each log sequence number. With RMAN configured as
shown in Example 10–1, you run the following command in a script nightly at 1 a.m.:
BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt
ARCHIVELOG ALL;

RMAN skips all logs except those produced in the last 24 hours. In this way, you keep
only one copy of each archived log on tape.

Optimizing a Daily Archived Log Backup to Multiple Media Families: Scenario
In Oracle Secure Backup, a media family is a named group of volumes with a set of
shared, user-defined attributes. In this scenario, you back up logs that are not on tape
to one media family, then back up the same logs to a second media family. Finally, you
delete old logs.
With RMAN configured as shown in Example 10–2, run the following script at the
same time every night to back up the logs generated during the previous day to two
separate media families.
Example 10–2

Backing Up Archived Redo Logs to Multiple Media Families

# The following command backs up just the logs that are not on tape. The
# first copies are saved to the tapes from the media family "log_family1".
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE sbt
PARMS 'ENV=(OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=log_family1)';
BACKUP ARCHIVELOG ALL;
}
# Make one more copy of the archived logs and save them to tapes from a
# different media family
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c2 DEVICE TYPE sbt
PARMS 'ENV=(OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=log_family2)';
BACKUP ARCHIVELOG
NOT BACKED UP 2 TIMES;
}

If your goal is to delete logs from disk that have been backed up two times to SBT,
then the simplest way to achieve the goal is with an archived redo log deletion policy.
The following one-time configuration specifies that archived redo logs are eligible for
deletion from disk if two archived log backups exist on tape:
CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY

10-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Using Backup Optimization to Skip Files

TO BACKED UP 2 TIMES TO DEVICE TYPE sbt;

After running the script in Example 10–2, you can delete unneeded logs by executing
DELETE ARCHIVELOG ALL.

Creating a Weekly Secondary Backup of Archived Logs: Example
Assume a more sophisticated scenario in which your goal is to back up the archived
logs to tape every day. You are worried about tape failure, however, so you want to
ensure that you have more than one copy of each log sequence number on an separate
tape before you perform your weekly deletion of logs from disk. This scenario
assumes that the database is not using a fast recovery area.
First, perform a one-time configuration as follows:
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE

BACKUP OPTIMIZATION ON;
DEVICE TYPE sbt PARALLELISM 1;
default DEVICE TYPE TO sbt;
CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE sbt PARMS 'ENV=(OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=first_copy);

Because you have optimization enabled, you can run the following command every
evening to back up all archived logs to the first_copy media family that have not
been backed up:
BACKUP ARCHIVELOG ALL TAG first_copy;

Every Friday evening you create an additional backup of all archived logs in a
different media family. At the end of the backup, you want to delete all archived logs
that have at least two copies on tape. So you run the following script:
RUN
{
# manually allocate a channel, to specify that the backup run by this
# channel should go to both media families "first_copy" and "second_copy"
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE sbt
PARMS 'ENV=(OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=second_copy)';
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c2 DEVICE TYPE sbt
PARMS 'ENV=(OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=first_copy)';
BACKUP
CHANNEL c1
ARCHIVELOG
UNTIL TIME 'SYSDATE'
NOT BACKED UP 2 TIMES # back up only logs without 2 backups on tape
TAG SECOND_COPY;
BACKUP
CHANNEL c2
ARCHIVELOG
UNTIL TIME 'SYSDATE'
NOT BACKED UP 2 TIMES # back up only logs without 2 backups on tape
TAG FIRST_COPY;
}
# now delete from disk all logs that have been backed up to tape at least twice
DELETE
ARCHIVELOG ALL
BACKED UP 2 TIMES TO DEVICE TYPE sbt;

The following table explains the effects of the daily and weekly backup scripts.

Backing Up the Database: Advanced Topics 10-5

Skipping Offline, Read-Only, and Inaccessible Files

Table 10–1

Effects of Daily and Weekly Scripts

Script

Tape Contents After Script

Disk Contents After Script

Daily

Archived logs that have not yet been backed up
are now in media family first_copy.

All archived logs created since the last DELETE
command are still on disk.

Weekly

Archived logs that have fewer than two
backups on tape are now in media families
first_copy and second_copy.

All archived logs that have been backed up at least
twice to tape are deleted.

After the weekly backup, you can send the tape from the media family second_copy to
offsite storage. You should use this tape backup only if the primary tape from pool
first_copy is damaged. Because the secondary tape is offsite, you do not want RMAN
to use it for recovery, so you can mark the backup as unavailable:
CHANGE BACKUP OF ARCHIVELOG TAG SECOND_COPY UNAVAILABLE;

See Also:
■

■

Chapter 12, "Maintaining RMAN Backups and
Repository Records" to learn how to change the status of and
delete backups
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn about the
CHANGE and DELETE commands

Skipping Offline, Read-Only, and Inaccessible Files
By default, the BACKUP command terminates when it cannot access a data file. You can
specify parameters to prevent termination, as listed in Table 10–2.
Table 10–2

BACKUP ... SKIP Options

If you specify . . .

Then RMAN skips . . .

SKIP INACCESSIBLE

Data files that RMAN cannot read.

SKIP OFFLINE

Offline data files. Some offline data files can still be read because they
exist on disk. Others have been deleted or moved and so cannot be
read, making them inaccessible.

SKIP READONLY

Datafiles in read-only tablespaces.

The following example uses an automatic channel to back up the database, and skips
all datafiles that might cause the backup job to terminate.
Example 10–3
BACKUP
SKIP
SKIP
SKIP

Skipping Files During an RMAN Backup

DATABASE
INACCESSIBLE
READONLY
OFFLINE;

Duplexing Backup Sets
RMAN can make up to four copies of a backup set simultaneously, each an exact
duplicate of the others. A copy of a duplexed backup set is a copy of each backup
piece in the backup set, with each copy getting a unique copy number (for example,
0tcm8u2s_1_1 and 0tcm8u2s_1_2). It is not possible to duplex backup sets to the fast
recovery area.

10-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Duplexing Backup Sets

You can use BACKUP ... COPIES or CONFIGURE ... BACKUP COPIES to duplex backup
sets. RMAN can duplex backups to either disk or tape, but cannot duplex backups to
tape and disk simultaneously. For DISK channels, specify multiple values in the FORMAT
option to direct the multiple copies to different physical disks. For SBT channels, if
you use a media manager that supports Version 2 of the SBT API, then the media
manager automatically writes each copy to a separate medium (for example, a
separate tape). When backing up to tape, ensure that the number of copies does not
exceed the number of available tape devices.
Duplexing applies only to backup sets, not image copies. It is an error to specify the
BACKUP... COPIES when creating image copy backups, and the CONFIGURE... BACKUP
COPIES setting is ignored for image copy backups.
See Also: "Multiple Copies of RMAN Backups" on page 8-10 for a
conceptual overview of RMAN backup copies

Duplexing Backup Sets with CONFIGURE BACKUP COPIES
As explained in "Configuring Backup Duplexing" on page 6-5, the CONFIGURE ...
BACKUP COPIES command specifies the number of identical backup sets to create on the
specified device type. This setting applies to all backup sets except control file
autobackups (because the autobackup of a control file always produces one copy) and
backup sets when backed up with the BACKUP BACKUPSET command.
To duplex a backup with CONFIGURE ... BACKUP COPIES:
1. Configure the number of copies on the desired device type for datafiles and
archived redo logs on the desired device types.
By default, CONFIGURE ... BACKUP COPIES is set to 1 for each device type. The
following example configures duplexing for datafiles and archived logs on tape
and also duplexing for datafiles (but not archived redo logs) on disk:
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE
2.

DEVICE TYPE sbt PARALLELISM 1;
DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE TO sbt;
CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE DISK FORMAT '/disk1/%U', '/disk2/%U';
DATAFILE BACKUP COPIES FOR DEVICE TYPE sbt TO 2;
ARCHIVELOG BACKUP COPIES FOR DEVICE TYPE sbt TO 2;
DATAFILE BACKUP COPIES FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK TO 2;

Execute the BACKUP command.
The following command backs up the database and archived logs to tape, making
two copies of each data file and archived log:
BACKUP AS BACKUPSET DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;

Because of the configured formats for the disk channel, the following command
backs up the database to disk, placing one copy of the backup sets produced in the
/disk1 directory and the other in the /disk2 directory:
BACKUP DEVICE TYPE DISK AS BACKUPSET DATABASE;

If the FORMAT clause were not configured on CONFIGURE CHANNNEL, then you specify
FORMAT on the BACKUP command itself. For example, you issue the following
command:
BACKUP AS BACKUPSET DATABASE
FORMAT '/disk1/%U',
'/disk2/%U';

Backing Up the Database: Advanced Topics 10-7

Making Split Mirror Backups with RMAN

3.

Issue a LIST BACKUP command to see a listing of backup sets and pieces.
For example, enter the following command:
LIST BACKUP SUMMARY;

The #Copies column shows the number of backup sets, which may have been
produced by duplexing or by multiple backup commands.
See Also: "Configuring Backup Duplexing" on page 6-5 to learn
about the CONFIGURE BACKUP COPIES command, and "Configuring the
Environment for RMAN Backups" on page 5-1 to learn about basic
backup configuration options

Duplexing Backup Sets with BACKUP ... COPIES
The COPIES option of the BACKUP command overrides every other COPIES or DUPLEX
setting to control duplexing of backup sets.
To duplex a backup with BACKUP ... COPIES:
1. Specify the number of identical copies with the COPIES option of the BACKUP
command. For example, run the following to make three copies of each backup set
in the default DISK location:
BACKUP AS BACKUPSET DEVICE TYPE DISK
COPIES 3
INCREMENTAL LEVEL 0
DATABASE;

Because you specified COPIES in the BACKUP command, RMAN makes three
backup sets of each data file regardless of the CONFIGURE DATAFILE COPIES setting.
2.

Issue a LIST BACKUP command to see a listing of backup sets and pieces (the
#Copies column shows the number of copies, which may have been produced
through duplexing or through multiple invocations of the BACKUP command). For
example, enter:
LIST BACKUP SUMMARY;

Making Split Mirror Backups with RMAN
Many sites keep a backup of the database stored on disk in case a media failure occurs
on the primary database or an incorrect user action requires point-in-time recovery. A
data file backup on disk simplifies the restore step of recovery, making recovery much
quicker and more reliable.
Caution: Never make backups, split mirror or otherwise, of online
redo logs. Restoring online redo log backups can create two
archived logs with the same sequence number but different
contents. Also, it is best to use the BACKUP CONTROLFILE command
rather than a split mirror to make control file backups.

One way of creating a data file backup on disk is to use disk mirroring. For example,
the operating system can maintain three identical copies of each file in the database. In
this configuration, you can split off a mirrored copy of the database to use as a backup.

10-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making Split Mirror Backups with RMAN

RMAN does not automate the splitting of mirrors, but can make use of split mirrors in
backup and recovery. For example, RMAN can treat a split mirror of a data file as a
data file copy, and can also back up this copy to disk or tape. The procedure in this
section explains how to make a split mirror backup with the ALTER SYSTEM
SUSPEND/RESUME functionality.
Some mirroring technology does not require Oracle Database to suspend all I/O
before a mirror can be separated and used as a backup. Refer to your storage manager,
volume manager, or file system documentation for information about whether you
must suspend I/O from the database instance.
To make a split mirror backup of a tablespace by using SUSPEND/RESUME:
Start RMAN and then place the tablespaces to back up into backup mode with the
ALTER TABLESPACE ... BEGIN BACKUP statement. (To place all tablespaces in
backup mode, you can the ALTER DATABASE BEGIN BACKUP instead.)

1.

For example, to place tablespace users in backup mode, you connect RMAN to a
target database and run the following SQL command:
SQL 'ALTER TABLESPACE users BEGIN BACKUP';
2.

Suspend I/O if your mirroring software or hardware requires it. For example,
enter the following command in RMAN:
SQL 'ALTER SYSTEM SUSPEND';

3.

Split the mirrors for the underlying datafiles contained in these tablespaces.

4.

Take the database out of the suspended state. For example, enter the following
command in RMAN:
SQL 'ALTER SYSTEM RESUME';

5.

Take the tablespaces out of backup mode. For example, enter:
SQL 'ALTER TABLESPACE users END BACKUP';

You can also use ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP to take all tablespaces out of backup
mode.
6.

Catalog the user-managed mirror copies as data file copies with the CATALOG
command. For example, enter:
CATALOG DATAFILECOPY '/dk2/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf'; # catalog split mirror

7.

Back up the data file copies. For example, run the BACKUP DATAFILECOPY command
at the prompt:
BACKUP DATAFILECOPY '/dk2/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf';

8.

When you are ready to resilver a split mirror, first use the CHANGE ... UNCATALOG
command to uncatalog the data file copies you cataloged in Step 6. For example,
enter:
CHANGE DATAFILECOPY '/dk2/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf' UNCATALOG;

9.

Resilver the split mirror for the affected datafiles.

Backing Up the Database: Advanced Topics 10-9

Encrypting RMAN Backups

See Also:
■

■

■

"Making User-Managed Backups in SUSPEND Mode" on
page 28-11
Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for more information
about the SUSPEND/RESUME feature
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the ALTER SYSTEM
SUSPEND syntax

Encrypting RMAN Backups
As explained in "Configuring Backup Encryption" on page 6-7, you can protect RMAN
backup sets with backup encryption. Encrypted backups cannot be read if they are
obtained by unauthorized users. The RMAN backup encryption feature requires the
Enterprise Edition of the database.

About RMAN Backup Encryption Settings
Backup encryption is performed based on the encryption settings specified with the
following commands:
■

CONFIGURE ENCRYPTION
You can use this command to persistently configure transparent encryption. You
cannot persistently configure dual mode or password mode encryption.

■

SET ENCRYPTION
You can use this command to configure dual mode or password mode encryption
at the RMAN session level.
Wallet-based encryption is more secure than password-based
encryption because no passwords are involved. You should use
password-based encryption only when absolutely necessary because
your backups must be transportable.

Note:

The database uses a new encryption key for every encrypted backup. The backup
encryption key is then encrypted with either the password, the database master key, or
both, depending on the chosen encryption mode. Individual backup encryption keys
or passwords are never stored in clear text.
A single restore operation can process backups encrypted in different modes. For each
backup piece that it restores, RMAN checks whether it is encrypted. Transparently
encrypted backups need no intervention if the Oracle wallet is open and available.
If password encryption is detected, then RMAN searches for a matching key in the list
of passwords entered in the SET DECRYPTION command. If RMAN finds a usable key,
then the restore operation proceeds. Otherwise, RMAN searches for a key in the Oracle
wallet. If RMAN finds a usable key, then the restore operation proceeds; otherwise,
RMAN signals an error that the backup piece cannot be decrypted.
If RMAN restores a set of backups created with different
passwords, then all required passwords must be included with SET
DECRYPTION.
Note:

10-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Encrypting RMAN Backups

RMAN encryption is a CPU-intensive operation and can affect backup performance.
The actual amount of CPU utilization during encryption depends on whether both
input and output devices for disk and SBT produce and consume data faster than the
CPU can encrypt it. Here are a few guidelines for managing and trying to maximize
CPU performance:
■

■

Because encrypted backups consume more CPU resources than unencrypted
backups, you can improve performance of encrypted backups to disk by using
more RMAN channels. A general rule is to use the same number of channels as the
number of CPU cores in your system. For example, use two channels for a
dual-core processor.
If both the disk subsystem and SBT-subsystem are fast, you can expect very high
CPU utilization. You may want to consider slowing the rate of the backup by
setting the RMAN READRATE parameter. For example, you can set an upper limit
for block reads so that RMAN does not consume excessive disk bandwidth and
thereby degrade online performance.
See Also:
■

■

■

"Performing Complete Database Recovery" on page 17-10 to learn
how to restore password-encrypted backups
"Determining the Encryption Status of Backup Pieces" on
page 11-15
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn about the
ENCRYPTION and DECRYPTION options of the SET command

Making Transparent-Mode Encrypted Backups
If you have configured transparent encryption with the CONFIGURE command as
explained in "Configuring RMAN Backup Encryption Modes" on page 6-10, then no
additional commands are required to make encrypted backups. Make RMAN backups
as normal.

Making Password-Mode Encrypted Backups
You can set an encryption password in an RMAN session by executing the SET
ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD command. If transparent encryption is configured, then
specify the ONLY keyword to indicate that the backups should be protected with a
password and not with the configured transparent encryption.
Note: Create a password that is secure. See Oracle Database Security
Guide for more information.

To make password-mode encrypted backups:
Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).

1.
2.

Execute the SET ENCRYPTION ON IDENTIFIED BY password ONLY command.
The following example sets the encryption password for all tablespaces (where
password is a placeholder for the actual password that you enter) in the backup and
specifies ONLY to indicate that the encryption is password-only:
SET ENCRYPTION IDENTIFIED BY password ONLY ON FOR ALL TABLESPACES;

3.

Back up the database.

Backing Up the Database: Advanced Topics

10-11

Restarting RMAN Backups

For example, enter the following command:
BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;

Making Dual-Mode Encrypted Backups
Use the SET ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD command at the RMAN prompt to make
password-protected backups. If transparent encryption is configured, then omit the
ONLY keyword to indicate that the backups should be protected with a password and
also with the configured transparent encryption.
Note: Create a password that is secure. See Oracle Database Security
Guide for more information.

To make dual-mode encrypted backups:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Execute the SET ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD command, making sure to omit the
ONLY keyword.
The following example sets the encryption password for all tablespaces (where
password is a placeholder for the actual password that you enter) in the backup and
omits ONLY to indicate dual-mode encryption:
SET ENCRYPTION IDENTIFIED BY password ON FOR ALL TABLESPACES;

3.

Back up the database.
For example, enter the following command:
BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;

Restarting RMAN Backups
With the restartable backup feature, RMAN backs up only those files that were not
backed up after a specified date.

About Restartable Backups
The minimum unit of restartability is a data file. However, if a backup set contains one
backup piece, and if this piece contains blocks from multiple data files, then the unit of
restartability is the backup piece. The unit of restartability for image copies is a data
file.
The benefit of restartable backups is that if the backup generates multiple backup sets,
then the backup sets that completed successfully do not have to be rerun. However, if
the entire database is written into one backup set, and if the backup fails halfway
through, then the entire backup has to be restarted.
Any I/O errors that RMAN encounters when reading files or writing to the backup
pieces or image copies cause RMAN to terminate the backup job in progress. For
example, if RMAN tries to back up a data file but the data file is not on disk, then
RMAN terminates the backup. If multiple channels are being used or redundant
copies of backups are being created, however, then RMAN may be able to continue the
backup without user intervention.

10-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Managing Backup Windows

RMAN can back up only those files that have not been backed up since a specified
date. Use this feature after a backup fails to back up the parts of the database missed
by the failed backup.
You can restart a backup by specifying the SINCE TIME clause on the BACKUP command.
If the SINCE TIME is later than the completion time, then RMAN backs up the file. If
you use BACKUP DATABASE NOT BACKED UP without the SINCE TIME parameter, then
RMAN only backs up files that have never been backed up.
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for BACKUP
... NOT BACKED UP syntax

See Also:

Restarting a Backup After It Partially Completes
Use the SINCE TIME parameter of the BACKUP command to specify a date after which a
new backup is required. If the SINCE TIME is later than the completion time, then
RMAN backs up the file. If you use BACKUP DATABASE NOT BACKED UP without the
SINCE TIME parameter, then RMAN only backs up files that have never been backed
up.
To only back up files that were not backed up after a specified date:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Execute the BACKUP ... NOT BACKED UP SINCE TIME command.
Specify a valid date in the SINCE TIME parameter. The following example uses the
default configured channel to back up all database files and archived redo logs
that have not been backed up in the last two weeks:
BACKUP
NOT BACKED UP SINCE TIME 'SYSDATE-14'
DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for an
example of how to use the BACKUP command to restart a backup that
did not complete

Managing Backup Windows
This section explains how to use backup windows to set limits for the time span in
which a backup job can complete.

About Backup Windows
A backup window is a period of time during which a backup must complete. For
example, you may want to restrict your database backups to a window of time when
user activity on your system is low, such as between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.
RMAN backs up the least recently backed up files first. By default, RMAN backs up
the files at the maximum possible speed. Specifying a window does not mean that
RMAN backs up data faster than normal to ensure that the backup completes before
the window ends.
By default, if the backup is not complete within the DURATION time, then RMAN
interrupts the backup and reports an error. If the BACKUP command is in a RUN
command, then the RUN command terminates. Any completed backup sets are retained
and can be used in restore operations, even if the entire backup is not complete. Thus,
if you retry a job that was interrupted when the available duration expired, each

Backing Up the Database: Advanced Topics

10-13

Managing Backup Windows

successive attempt covers more of the files needing backup. Any incomplete backup
sets are discarded.

Specifying a Backup Duration
Use the DURATION parameter of the BACKUP command to specify how long a given
backup job is allowed to run.
To specify a backup duration:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Execute the BACKUP DURATION command.
For example, run the following command at 2:00 a.m. to specify that the backup
should run until 6:00 a.m.:
BACKUP
DURATION 4:00
TABLESPACE users;

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for the syntax
of the BACKUP command

See Also:

Permitting Partial Backups in a Backup Window
When you specify PARTIAL, RMAN does not report an error when a backup is
interrupted because of the end of the backup window. Instead, RMAN displays a
message showing which files are not backed up. If the BACKUP command is part of a
RUN block, then the remaining commands in the RUN block continue to execute.
If you specify FILESPERSET 1, then RMAN puts each file into its own backup set.
When a backup is interrupted at the end of the backup window, only the backup of the
file currently being backed up is lost. All backup sets completed during the window
are saved, minimizing the lost work caused by the end of the backup window.
To prevent RMAN from issuing an error when a backup partially completes:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Execute the BACKUP DURATION command with the PARTIAL option.
For example, you run the following command at 2:00 a.m. to specify that the
backup should run until 6:00 a.m. and that each data file should be in a separate
backup set:
BACKUP
DURATION 4:00 PARTIAL
TABLESPACE users
FILESPERSET 1;

Minimizing Backup Load and Duration
When using DURATION you can run the backup with the maximum possible
performance, or run as slowly as possible while still finishing within the allotted time,
to minimize the performance impact of backup tasks. To maximize performance, use
the MINIMIZE TIME option with DURATION, as shown in Example 10–4.
Example 10–4

Using MINIMIZE TIME with BACKUP DURATION

BACKUP
DURATION 4:00 PARTIAL
10-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Managing Backup Windows

MINIMIZE TIME
DATABASE
FILESPERSET 1;

To extend the backup to use the full time available, use the MINIMIZE LOAD option, as
in Example 10–5.
Example 10–5

Using MINIMIZE LOAD with BACKUP DURATION

BACKUP
DURATION 4:00 PARTIAL
MINIMIZE LOAD
DATABASE
FILESPERSET 1;

In Example 10–5, RMAN monitors the progress of the running backup, and
periodically estimates how long the backup takes to complete at its present rate. If
RMAN estimates that the backup will finish before the end of the backup window,
then it slows down the rate of backup so that the full available duration is used. This
reduces the overhead on the database associated with the backup.
Note these issues when using DURATION and MINIMIZE LOAD with a tape backup:
■

■

Efficient backup to tape requires tape streaming. If you use MINIMIZE LOAD, then
RMAN may reduce the rate of backup to the point where tape streaming is not
optimal.
RMAN holds the tape resource for the entire duration of the backup window. This
prevents the use of the tape resource for any other purpose during the backup
window.

Because of these concerns, it is not recommended that you use MINIMIZE LOAD when
backing up to tape.
See Also: "Media Manager Component of the Write Phase for SBT"
on page 22-8 for more details on efficient tape handling

Backing Up the Database: Advanced Topics

10-15

Managing Backup Windows

10-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Part IV
Part IV

Managing RMAN Backups

The following chapters describe how to manage RMAN backups. This part of the book
contains these chapters:
■

Chapter 11, "Reporting on RMAN Operations"

■

Chapter 12, "Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records"

■

Chapter 13, "Managing a Recovery Catalog"

11
Reporting on RMAN Operations
11

This chapter describes how to report on RMAN operations. This chapter contains the
following topics:
■

Overview of RMAN Reporting

■

Listing Backups and Recovery-Related Objects

■

Reporting on Backups and Database Schema

■

Using V$ Views to Query Backup Metadata

■

Querying Recovery Catalog Views

Overview of RMAN Reporting
This section explains the purpose and basic concepts of RMAN reporting.

Purpose of RMAN Reporting
As part of your backup and recovery strategy, you should periodically run reports that
indicate what you have backed up. You should determine which datafiles need
backups or which files have not been backed up recently. Also, you can preview which
backups RMAN would need to restore if a problem were to occur.
Another important aspect of backup and recovery is monitoring space usage. If you
back up to disk, then it is possible for the disk to fill, which can create performance
problems or even cause the database to halt. You can use RMAN to determine whether
a backup is an obsolete backup and can therefore be deleted.
You may also need to obtain historical information about RMAN jobs. For example,
you may want to know how many backup jobs have been issued, the status of each
backup job (for example, whether it failed or completed), when a job started and
finished, and what type of backup was performed.

Basic Concepts of RMAN Reporting
RMAN always stores its RMAN repository of metadata in the control file of each
target database on which it performs operations. For example, suppose that you use
RMAN to back up the prod1 and prod2 databases. RMAN stores the metadata for
backups of prod1 in the control file of prod1, and the metadata for backups of prod2 in
the control file of prod2.
Optionally, you can use RMAN with a recovery catalog. In this case, RMAN maintains
an additional repository of metadata in a set of tables in a separate recovery catalog
database. For example, you could create a recovery catalog in prod3. You can register

Reporting on RMAN Operations 11-1

Overview of RMAN Reporting

multiple target databases in this recovery catalog. For example, if you register prod1
and prod2 in the recovery catalog stored in prod3, then RMAN stores metadata about
its backups of prod1 and prod2 in the recovery catalog schema.
You can access metadata from the RMAN repository in several different ways:
■

The RMAN LIST and REPORT commands provide extensive information about
available backups and how they can be used to restore and recover your database.
The LIST command is described in "Listing Backups and Recovery-Related
Objects" on page 11-3 and REPORT is described in "Reporting on Backups and
Database Schema" on page 11-9.

■

When the database is open, several V$ views provide direct access to RMAN
repository records in the control file of each target database.
Some V$ views such as V$DATAFILE_HEADER, V$PROCESS, and V$SESSION contain
information not found in the recovery catalog views. The V$ views are
documented in Oracle Database Reference.

■

If your database is registered in a recovery catalog, then RC_ views provide direct
access to the RMAN repository data stored in the recovery catalog.
The RC_ views mostly correspond to the V$ views. The RC_ views are documented
in Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference.

■

The RESTORE ... PREVIEW and RESTORE ... VALIDATE HEADER commands list the
backups that RMAN can restore to the specified time.
RESTORE ... PREVIEW queries the metadata but does not read the backup files.
The RESTORE ... VALIDATE HEADER command performs the same work, but in
addition to listing the files needed for restore and recovery operations, the
command validates the backup file headers to determine whether the files on disk
or in the media management catalog correspond to the metadata in the RMAN
repository. These commands are documented in "Previewing Backups Used in
Restore Operations" on page 17-5.

As explained in Chapter 12, "Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records,"
the RMAN repository can sometimes fail to reflect the reality on disk and tape. For
example, a user may delete a backup with an operating system utility, so that the
RMAN repository incorrectly reports the backup as available.
You can use commands such as CHANGE, CROSSCHECK, and DELETE to update the RMAN
repository to reflect the actual state of available backups. Otherwise, the output of the
commands and views may be misleading, which means that RMAN may not be able
to find the backups to restore and recover your database.
See Also:
■

"Crosschecking the RMAN Repository" on page 12-10 to learn
how to keep the RMAN repository current

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for LIST syntax

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for REPORT syntax

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for RESTORE syntax

Reporting in a Data Guard Environment
As explained in "RMAN File Management in a Data Guard Environment" on page 3-8,
every backup is associated with the primary or standby database that created it. For

11-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Listing Backups and Recovery-Related Objects

example, if you backed up the database with the DB_UNIQUE_NAME of standby1, then
the standby1 database is associated with this backup.
In a Data Guard environment, you can use the LIST, REPORT, and SHOW commands just
as you can when not using Data Guard. You can run these commands with the FOR
DB_UNIQUE_NAME clause to show the backups associated with a specified database. For
example, the following command lists archived redo logs associated only with
sfstandby:
LIST ARCHIVELOG ALL FOR DB_UNIQUE_NAME sfstandby;

If you use the LIST, REPORT, and SHOW commands in a Data Guard environment without
specifying the FOR DB_UNIQUE_NAME clause, then RMAN shows the files that are
accessible to the target database. "Association of Backups in a Data Guard
Environment" on page 3-8 explains when backups are considered accessible to RMAN.
In a Data Guard environment, you must use RMAN with a recovery catalog. RMAN
stores the metadata for all backup and recovery files in the Data Guard environment in
the recovery catalog. When running the RMAN reporting commands, you can either
connect RMAN as TARGET to a mounted or open database, or identify the database
with the SET DBID command.
See Also: Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to report on
RMAN operations in a Data Guard environment

Listing Backups and Recovery-Related Objects
The LIST command uses the information in the RMAN repository to provide lists of
backups and other objects relating to backup and recovery. This section contains the
following topics:
■

About the LIST Command

■

Listing All Backups and Copies

■

Listing Selected Backups and Copies

■

Listing Database Incarnations

About the LIST Command
The primary purpose of the LIST command is to list backup and copies. For example,
you can list:
■

Backups and proxy copies of a database, tablespace, data file, archived redo log, or
control file

■

Backups that have expired

■

Backups restricted by time, path name, device type, tag, or recoverability

■

Archived redo log files and disk copies

Besides backups and copies, RMAN can list other types of data. Table 11–1
summarizes several useful objects that you can list.

Reporting on RMAN Operations 11-3

Listing Backups and Recovery-Related Objects

Table 11–1

LIST Objects

Contents of List

Command

Description

Backup sets and proxy
copies

LIST BACKUP

You can list all backup sets, copies, and proxy copies of a
database, tablespace, data file, archived redo log, control file, or
server parameter file.

Image copies

LIST COPY

You can list data file copies and archived redo log files. By
default, LIST COPY displays copies of all database files and
archived redo logs. Both usable and unusable image copies are
included in the output, even those that cannot be restored or
are expired or unavailable.

Archived redo log files

LIST ARCHIVELOG

You can list archive redo log files. You can list all archive log
redo log files or specify individual archive log files through
SCN, time, or sequence number ranges. If you specify a range
you can further restrict the list returned by specifying an
incarnation number.

Database incarnations

LIST INCARNATION

You can list all incarnations of a database. A new database
incarnation is created when you open with the RESETLOGS
option.

Databases in a Data
Guard environment

LIST DB_UNIQUE_NAME A database in a Data Guard environment is distinguished by its
DB_UNIQUE_NAME initialization parameter setting. You can list all
databases that have the same DBID.

Backups and copies for
a primary or standby
database in a Data
Guard environment

LIST ... FOR DB_
UNIQUE_NAME

Restore points

LIST RESTORE POINT

You can list restore points known to the RMAN repository.

Names of stored scripts

LIST SCRIPT NAMES

You can list the names of recovery catalog scripts created with
the CREATE SCRIPT or REPLACE SCRIPT command. A recovery
catalog is required.

Failures for use with
Data Recovery Advisor

LIST FAILURE

A failure is a persistent data corruption mapped to a repair
option. Chapter 15, "Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with
Data Recovery Advisor" explains how to use LIST FAILURE
with the ADVISE and REPAIR commands.

You can list all backups and copies for a specified database in a
Data Guard environment or for all databases in the
environment.
RMAN restricts the output to files or objects associated
exclusively with the database with the specified DB_UNIQUE_
NAME. For example, you can use LIST with FOR DB_UNIQUE_NAME
to display the list of archived redo log files associated with a
particular standby or primary database. Objects that are not
owned by any database (SITE_KEY column in the recovery
catalog view is null) are not listed.

The LIST command supports several options that control how output is displayed.
Table 11–2 summarizes the most common LIST options.
Table 11–2

Most Common LIST Options

LIST Option

Description

LIST EXPIRED

Lists backups or copies that are recorded in the RMAN repository but that were not
present at the expected location on disk or tape during the most recent crosscheck. Such
backups may have been deleted outside of RMAN.

LIST ... BY FILE

Lists backups of each data file, archived redo log file, control file, and server parameter
file. Each row describes a backup of a file.

LIST ... SUMMARY

Provides a one-line summary of each backup.

11-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Listing Backups and Recovery-Related Objects

The LIST objects and options are not exhausted by the contents of the preceding tables.
For example, you can list backups restricted by time, path name, device type, tag, or
recoverability.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for a
complete description of the LIST command

Listing All Backups and Copies
Specify the desired objects with the listObjList or recordSpec clause (refer to Oracle
Database Backup and Recovery Reference). If you do not specify an object, then RMAN
displays copies of all database files and archived redo log files.
By default, RMAN serially lists each backup or proxy copy and then identifies the files
included in the backup. You can also list backups by file.
By default, RMAN lists in verbose mode, which means that it provides extensive,
multiline information. You can also list backups in a summary mode if the verbose
mode generates too much output.
To list backups and copies:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

To view a summary report of all backups and copies, execute the LIST command
with the SUMMARY option.
The following command prints a summary of all RMAN backups:
LIST BACKUP SUMMARY;

Sample output follows:
List of Backups
===============
Key
TY LV S Device Type
------- -- -- - ----------1
B A A SBT_TAPE
TAG20071021T094505
2
B F A SBT_TAPE
TAG20071021T094513
3
B A A SBT_TAPE
TAG20071021T094624
4
B F A SBT_TAPE
TAG20071021T094639
5
B F A DISK
TAG20071104T195949
3.

Completion Time #Pieces #Copies Compressed Tag
--------------- ------- ------- ---------- --21-OCT-07
1
1
NO
21-OCT-07

1

1

NO

21-OCT-07

1

1

NO

21-OCT-07

1

1

NO

04-NOV-07

1

1

YES

To view verbose output for backups and copies, execute the LIST command
without the SUMMARY option.
The following commands list RMAN backups and copies with the default verbose
output:
LIST BACKUP;
LIST COPY;

Sample output for LIST BACKUP and LIST COPY follows:
List of Backup Sets
===================
BS Key

Size

Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time

Reporting on RMAN Operations 11-5

Listing Backups and Recovery-Related Objects

------- ---------- ----------- ------------ --------------7
136M
DISK
00:00:20
04-NOV-06
BP Key: 7
Status: AVAILABLE Compressed: NO Tag: TAG20071104T200759
Piece Name: /d2/RDBMS/backupset/2007_11_04/o1_mf_annnn_
TAG20071104T200759_ztjxx3k8_.bkp
List
Thrd
---1
1
1

of Archived Logs in backup set 7
Seq
Low SCN
Low Time Next SCN
------- ---------- --------- ---------1
173832
21-OCT-06 174750
2
174750
21-OCT-06 174755
3
174755
21-OCT-06 174758

Next Time
--------21-OCT-06
21-OCT-06
21-OCT-06

BS Key Type LV Size
Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time
------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ --------------8
Full
2M
DISK
00:00:01
04-NOV-06
BP Key: 8
Status: AVAILABLE Compressed: NO Tag: TAG20071104T200829
Piece Name: /disk1/oracle/dbs/c-774627068-20071104-01
Controlfile Included: Ckp SCN: 631510
Ckp time: 04-NOV-06
SPFILE Included: Modification time: 21-OCT-06
List of Datafile Copies
=======================
Key
File S Completion Time Ckp SCN
Ckp Time
------- ---- - --------------- ---------- --------------1
7
A 11-OCT-06
360072
11-OCT-06
Name: /work/orcva/RDBMS/datafile/o1_mf_tbs_2_2lv7bf82_.dbf
Tag: DF7COPY
2

8
A 11-OCT-06
360244
11-OCT-06
Name: /work/orcva/RDBMS/datafile/o1_mf_tbs_2_2lv7qmcj_.dbf
Tag: TAG20071011T184835

List of Control File Copies
===========================
Key
S Completion Time Ckp SCN
Ckp Time
------- - --------------- ---------- --------------3
A 11-OCT-06
360380
11-OCT-06
Name: /d2/RDBMS/controlfile/o1_mf_TAG20071011T185335_2lv80zqd_.ctl
Tag: TAG20071011T185335
List of Archived Log Copies for database with db_unique_name RDBMS
=====================================================================
Key
Thrd Seq
S Low Time
------- ---- ------- - --------1
1
1
A 11-OCT-06
Name: /work/arc_dest/arcr_1_1_603561743.arc

4.

2

1
2
A 11-OCT-06
Name: /work/arc_dest/arcr_1_2_603561743.arc

3

1
3
A 11-OCT-06
Name: /work/arc_dest/arcr_1_3_603561743.arc

To list backups by file, execute LIST with the BY FILE option, specifying the desired
objects to list and options. For example, you can enter:
LIST BACKUP BY FILE;

11-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Listing Backups and Recovery-Related Objects

Sample output follows:
List of Datafile Backups
========================
File Key
TY LV
---- ------- - -1
5
B F
TAG20071104T195949
2
B F
TAG20071021T094513
2
5
B F
TAG20071104T195949
2
B F
TAG20071021T094513

S Ckp SCN
Ckp Time #Pieces #Copies Compressed Tag
- ---------- --------- ------- ------- ---------- --A 631092
04-NOV-06 1
1
YES
A 175337

21-OCT-06 1

1

NO

A 631092

04-NOV-06 1

1

YES

A 175337

21-OCT-06 1

1

NO

... some rows omitted
List of Archived Log Backups
============================
Thrd Seq
Low SCN
Low Time BS Key
---- ------- ---------- --------- ------1
1
173832
21-OCT-06 7
TAG20071104T200759
1
TAG20071021T094505
1
2
174750
21-OCT-06 7
TAG20071104T200759
1
TAG20071021T094505
... some rows omitted
1
38
575472
03-NOV-06 7
TAG20071104T200759
1
39
617944
04-NOV-06 7
TAG20071104T200759

List of Controlfile Backups
===========================
CF Ckp SCN Ckp Time BS Key
---------- --------- ------631510
04-NOV-06 8
631205
04-NOV-06 6
List of SPFILE Backups
======================
Modification Time BS Key
----------------- ------21-OCT-06
8
21-OCT-06
6

S
A
A

S
A
A

#Pieces
------1
1

#Pieces
------1
1

S #Pieces #Copies Compressed Tag
- ------- ------- ---------- --A 1
1
NO
A 1

1

NO

A 1

1

NO

A 1

1

NO

A 1

1

NO

A 1

1

NO

#Copies
------1
1

#Copies
------1
1

Compressed
---------NO
NO

Compressed
---------NO
NO

Tag
--TAG20071104T200829
TAG20071104T200432

Tag
--TAG20071104T200829
TAG20071104T200432

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for an
explanation of the various column headings in the LIST output

Listing Selected Backups and Copies
You can specify several different conditions to narrow your LIST output.

Reporting on RMAN Operations 11-7

Listing Backups and Recovery-Related Objects

To list selected backups and copies:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Run LIST COPY or LIST BACKUP with the listObjList or recordSpec clause. For
example, enter any of the following commands:
# lists backups of all files in database
LIST BACKUP OF DATABASE;
# lists copy of specified datafile
LIST COPY OF DATAFILE 'ora_home/oradata/trgt/system01.dbf';
# lists specified backup set
LIST BACKUPSET 213;
# lists datafile copy
LIST DATAFILECOPY '/tmp/tools01.dbf';

You can also restrict the search by specifying the maintQualifier or RECOVERABLE
clause. For example, enter any of the following commands:
# specify a backup set by tag
LIST BACKUPSET TAG 'weekly_full_db_backup';
# specify a backup or copy by device type
LIST COPY OF DATAFILE 'ora_home/oradata/trgt/system01.dbf' DEVICE TYPE sbt;
# specify a backup by directory or path
LIST BACKUP LIKE '/tmp/%';
# specify a backup or copy by a range of completion dates
LIST COPY OF DATAFILE 2 COMPLETED BETWEEN '10-DEC-2002' AND '17-DEC-2002';
# specify logs backed up at least twice to tape
LIST ARCHIVELOG ALL BACKED UP 2 TIMES TO DEVICE TYPE sbt;
3.

Examine the output.
The output depends upon the options that you pass to the LIST command. For
example, the following lists copies of data file 1 contained in backup sets.
RMAN> LIST BACKUP OF DATAFILE 1;
List of Backup Sets
===================
BS Key Type LV Size
Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time
------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ --------------2
Full
230M
SBT_TAPE
00:00:49
21-OCT-06
BP Key: 2
Status: AVAILABLE Compressed: NO Tag: TAG20071021T094513
Handle: 02f4eatc_1_1
Media: /smrdir
List of Datafiles in backup set 2
File LV Type Ckp SCN
Ckp Time Name
---- -- ---- ---------- --------- ---1
Full 175337
21-OCT-06 /oracle/dbs/tbs_01.f
BS Key Type LV Size
Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time
------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ --------------5
Full
233M
DISK
00:04:30
04-NOV-06
BP Key: 5
Status: AVAILABLE Compressed: NO Tag: TAG20071104T195949
Piece Name: /disk1/2007_11_04/o1_mf_nnndf_TAG20071104T195949_ztjxfvgz_
.bkp
List of Datafiles in backup set 5
File LV Type Ckp SCN
Ckp Time Name
---- -- ---- ---------- --------- ---1
Full 631092
04-NOV-06 /oracle/dbs/tbs_01.f

11-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Reporting on Backups and Database Schema

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for listObjList
and recordSpec syntax
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for an explanation
of the columns in the LIST output

Listing Database Incarnations
Each time an OPEN RESETLOGS operation is performed on a database, this operation
creates a new incarnation of the database. Database incarnations and their effect on
database recovery are explained in "Database Incarnations" on page 14-6.
When performing incremental backups, RMAN can use a backup from a previous
incarnation or the current incarnation as a basis for subsequent incremental backups.
When performing restore and recovery operations, RMAN can use backups from a
previous incarnation just as it would use backups from the current incarnation, if all
archived logs are available.
To list database incarnations:
1.

Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).

2.

Run the LIST INCARNATION command, as shown in the following example:
LIST INCARNATION;

If you are using a recovery catalog, and if you register multiple target databases in
the same catalog, then you can distinguish them by using the OF DATABASE option:
LIST INCARNATION OF DATABASE prod3;

See Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for an explanation of the various
column headings in the LIST output). Sample output follows:
RMAN> LIST INCARNATION OF DATABASE trgt;
List of
DB Key
------1
2

Database Incarnations
Inc Key DB Name DB ID
------- -------- ---------------1
RDBMS
774627068
2
RDBMS
774627068

STATUS
-----PARENT
CURRENT

Reset SCN
---------1
173832

Reset Time
---------21-OCT-06
21-OCT-06

The preceding output indicates that a RESETLOGS operation was performed on
database trgt at SCN 164378, resulting in a new incarnation. The incarnation is
distinguished by incarnation key (represented in the Inc Key column).

Reporting on Backups and Database Schema
The RMAN REPORT command analyzes the available backups and your database. This
section contains the following topics:
■

About Reports of RMAN Backups

■

Reporting on Files Needing a Backup Under a Retention Policy

■

Reporting on Datafiles Affected by Unrecoverable Operations

■

Reporting on Obsolete Backups

■

Reporting on the Database Schema

Reporting on RMAN Operations 11-9

Reporting on Backups and Database Schema

About Reports of RMAN Backups
You can use the REPORT command to answer important questions, such as:
■

Which files need a backup?

■

Which files have had unrecoverable operations performed on them?

■

Which backups are obsolete and can be deleted?

■

■

What was the physical schema of the target database or a database in the Data
Guard environment at some previous time?
Which files have not been backed up recently?

Reports enable you to confirm that your backup and recovery strategy is in fact
meeting your requirements for database recoverability. The two major forms of REPORT
used to determine whether your database is recoverable are:
■

REPORT NEED BACKUP
Reports which database files must be backed up to meet a configured or specified
retention policy

■

REPORT UNRECOVERABLE
Reports which database files require backup because they have been affected by
some NOLOGGING operation such as a direct-path INSERT

The RMAN repository contains other information that you can access with the REPORT
command. Table 11–3 summarizes the REPORT options.
Table 11–3

REPORT Options

Contents of Report

Command

Description

Obsolete backups

REPORT OBSOLETE

Full backups, data file copies, and archived
redo logs recorded in the RMAN repository
that can be deleted because they are no
longer needed

Database schema

REPORT SCHEMA

The names of all datafiles (permanent and
temporary) and tablespaces for the target
database at the specified point in time. If
you use RMAN in a Data Guard
environment, then you can report the
schema for a specified DB_UNIQUE_NAME.

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for a
description of the REPORT command

Reporting on Files Needing a Backup Under a Retention Policy
Use the REPORT NEED BACKUP command to determine which database files need backup
under a specific retention policy.
With no arguments, REPORT NEED BACKUP reports which objects need backup under the
currently configured retention policy. The output for a configured retention policy of
REDUNDANCY 1 is similar to this example:
RMAN> REPORT NEED BACKUP;
RMAN retention policy will be applied to the command
RMAN retention policy is set to redundancy 1
Report of files with less than 1 redundant backups

11-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Reporting on Backups and Database Schema

File #bkps Name
---- ----- ----------------------------------------------------2
0
/oracle/oradata/trgt/undotbs01.dbf

If you disable the retention policy using CONFIGURE
RETENTION POLICY TO NONE, then REPORT NEED BACKUP returns an
error message, because without a retention policy, RMAN cannot
determine which files must be backed up.
Note:

Using RMAN REPORT NEED BACKUP with Different Retention Policies
You can specify different criteria for REPORT NEED BACKUP, using one of the following
forms of the command:
■

REPORT NEED BACKUP RECOVERY WINDOW OF n DAYS
Displays objects requiring backup to satisfy a recovery window-based retention
policy

■

REPORT NEED BACKUP REDUNDANCY n
Displays objects requiring backup to satisfy a redundancy-based retention policy

■

REPORT NEED BACKUP DAYS n
Displays files that require more than n days' worth of archived redo log files for
recovery

■

REPORT NEED BACKUP INCREMENTAL n
Displays files that require application of more than n incremental backups for
recovery

Using RMAN REPORT NEED BACKUP with Tablespaces and Datafiles
The REPORT NEED BACKUP command can check the entire database, skip specified
tablespaces, or check only specific tablespaces or datafiles against different retention
policies, as shown in the following examples:
REPORT
REPORT
REPORT
REPORT

NEED
NEED
NEED
NEED

BACKUP
BACKUP
BACKUP
BACKUP

RECOVERY WINDOW OF 2 DAYS DATABASE SKIP TABLESPACE TBS_2;
REDUNDANCY 2 DATAFILE 1;
TABLESPACE TBS_3; # uses configured retention policy
INCREMENTAL 2; # checks entire database

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for all
possible options for REPORT NEED BACKUP and an explanation of the
various column headings in the output

Using REPORT NEED BACKUP with Backups on Tape or Disk Only
You can limit the backups tested by the REPORT NEED BACKUP command to disk-based
or tape-based backups only, as shown in these examples:
REPORT NEED BACKUP RECOVERY WINDOW OF 2 DAYS DATABASE DEVICE TYPE sbt;
REPORT NEED BACKUP DEVICE TYPE DISK;
REPORT NEED BACKUP TABLESPACE TBS_3 DEVICE TYPE sbt;

Reporting on Datafiles Affected by Unrecoverable Operations
When a data file has been changed by an unrecoverable operation, such as a direct
load insert, normal media recovery cannot be used to recover the file, because an
Reporting on RMAN Operations

11-11

Reporting on Backups and Database Schema

unrecoverable operation does not generate redo. You must perform either a full or
incremental backup of affected data files after such operations, to ensure that data
blocks affected by the unrecoverable operation can be recovered using RMAN.
To identify datafiles affected by an unrecoverable operation:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Execute the REPORT UNRECOVERABLE command.
The following example includes sample output:
RMAN> REPORT UNRECOVERABLE;
Report of files that need backup due to unrecoverable operations
File Type of Backup Required Name
---- ----------------------- ----------------------------------1
full
/oracle/oradata/trgt/system01.dbf

Reporting on Obsolete Backups
You can report backup sets, backup pieces, and data file copies that are obsolete that is,
not needed to meet a specified retention policy by specifying the OBSOLETE keyword.
To report obsolete backups:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Execute the CROSSCHECK command to update the status of backups in the
repository compared to their status on disk.
In the simplest case, you could crosscheck all backups on disk, tape or both, using
any one of the following commands:
CROSSCHECK BACKUP DEVICE TYPE DISK;
CROSSCHECK BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt;
CROSSCHECK BACKUP; # crosschecks all backups on all devices

See Chapter 12, "Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records" for more
details on how to update the RMAN repository record to contain the actual set of
available backups.
3.

Run REPORT OBSOLETE to identify which backups are obsolete because they are no
longer needed for recovery.
If you do not specify any other options, then REPORT OBSOLETE displays the
backups that are obsolete according to the current retention policy, as shown in the
following example:
RMAN> REPORT OBSOLETE;
Datafile Copy
Datafile Copy
Datafile Copy
Backup Set
Backup Piece
.
.
.

44
45
46
26
26

08-FEB-06
08-FEB-06
08-FEB-06
08-FEB-06
08-FEB-06

/backup/ora_df549738566_s70_s1
/backup/ora_df549738567_s71_s1
/backup/ora_df549738568_s72_s1
/backup/ora_df549738682_s76_s1

You can also check which backups are obsolete under different recovery
window-based or redundancy-based retention policies, by using REPORT OBSOLETE
with RECOVERY WINDOW and REDUNDANCY options, as shown in these examples:
11-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Reporting on Backups and Database Schema

REPORT OBSOLETE RECOVERY WINDOW OF 3 DAYS;
REPORT OBSOLETE REDUNDANCY 1;

See Also:
■

■

"Configuring the Backup Retention Policy" on page 5-22 for a
conceptual overview of RMAN backup retention policy
"Deleting Expired RMAN Backups and Copies" on page 12-21
for information about deleting RMAN backups and deleting
records of RMAN backups from the RMAN repository

Reporting on the Database Schema
The REPORT SCHEMA command lists and displays information about the database files,
tablespaces, and so on. See Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for a
description of the REPORT SCHEMA output.
If you do not specify FOR DB_UNIQUE_NAME with REPORT SCHEMA, then a recovery
catalog connection is optional, but a target database connection is required. In a Data
Guard environment, you can specify REPORT SCHEMA FOR DB_UNIQUE_NAME to report
the schema for a database in the environment. In this case, an RMAN connection to a
target database is not required. You can connect RMAN to the recovery catalog and set
the DBID instead.
To report on the database schema:
1. Start RMAN and connect to the desired databases.
2.

If you did not connect RMAN to a target database in the previous step, and you
intend to specify the FOR DB_UNIQUE_NAME clause on REPORT SCHEMA, then set the
database DBID. For example, enter the following command:
RMAN> SET DBID 28014364;

3.

Run the REPORT SCHEMA command as shown in the following example:
RMAN> REPORT SCHEMA;
Report of database schema for database with db_unique_name DGRDBMS
List of Permanent Datafiles
===========================
File Size(MB) Tablespace
---- -------- -------------------1
450
SYSTEM
2
141
SYSAUX
3
50
UD1
4
50
TBS_11
5
50
TBS_11

RB segs
------YES
NO
YES
NO
NO

Datafile Name
-----------------------/disk1/oracle/dbs/t_db1.f
/disk1/oracle/dbs/t_ax1.f
/disk1/oracle/dbs/t_undo1.f
/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_111.f
/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_112.f

List of Temporary Files
=======================
File Size(MB) Tablespace
Maxsize(MB) Tempfile Name
---- -------- -------------------- ----------- -------------------1
40
TEMP
32767
/disk1/oracle/dbs/t_tmp1.f

If you use a recovery catalog, then you can use the atClause to specify a past time,
SCN, or log sequence number, as shown in these examples of the command:
RMAN> REPORT SCHEMA AT TIME 'SYSDATE-14';
RMAN> REPORT SCHEMA AT SCN 1000;

# schema 14 days ago
# schema at scn 1000

Reporting on RMAN Operations

11-13

Using V$ Views to Query Backup Metadata

RMAN> REPORT SCHEMA AT SEQUENCE 100 THREAD 1; # schema at sequence 100
RMAN> REPORT SCHEMA FOR DB_UNIQUE_NAME standby1; # schema for database standby1

Using V$ Views to Query Backup Metadata
In some cases, V$ views supply information that is not available through use of the
LIST and REPORT commands. This section describes cases in which V$ views are
particularly useful.

Querying Details of Past and Current RMAN Jobs
An RMAN job is the set of commands executed within an RMAN session. Thus, one
RMAN job can contain multiple commands. For example, you may execute two
separate BACKUP commands and a RECOVER COPY command in a single session. An
RMAN backup job is the set of BACKUP commands executed in one RMAN job. For
example, a BACKUP DATABASE and BACKUP ARCHIVELOG ALL command executed in the
same RMAN job constitute a single RMAN backup job.
The views V$RMAN_BACKUP_JOB_DETAILS and V$RMAN_BACKUP_SUBJOB_DETAILS and
their corresponding recovery catalog versions provide details of RMAN backup jobs.
For example, the views show how long a backup took, how many backup jobs have
been issued, the status of each backup job (for example, whether it failed or
completed), when a job started and finished, and what type of backup was performed.
The SESSION_KEY column is the unique key for the RMAN session in which the backup
job occurred.
RMAN backups often write less than they read. Because of RMAN compression, the
OUTPUT_BYTES_PER_SEC column cannot be used as the measurement of backup speed.
The appropriate column to measure backup speed is INPUT_BYTES_PER_SEC. The ratio
between read and written data is described in the COMPRESSION_RATIO column.
To query details about past and current RMAN jobs:
1. Connect SQL*Plus to the database whose backup history you intend to query.
2.

Query the V$RMAN_BACKUP_JOB_DETAILS view for information about the backup
type, status, and start and end time.
The following query shows the backup job history ordered by session key, which
is the primary key for the RMAN session:
COL STATUS FORMAT a9
COL hrs
FORMAT 999.99
SELECT SESSION_KEY, INPUT_TYPE, STATUS,
TO_CHAR(START_TIME,'mm/dd/yy hh24:mi') start_time,
TO_CHAR(END_TIME,'mm/dd/yy hh24:mi')
end_time,
ELAPSED_SECONDS/3600
hrs
FROM V$RMAN_BACKUP_JOB_DETAILS
ORDER BY SESSION_KEY;

The following sample output shows the backup job history:
SESSION_KEY
----------9
16
113
3.

INPUT_TYPE
------------DATAFILE FULL
DB FULL
ARCHIVELOG

STATUS
--------COMPLETED
COMPLETED
COMPLETED

START_TIME
-------------04/18/07 18:14
04/18/07 18:20
04/23/07 16:04

END_TIME
HRS
-------------- ------04/18/07 18:15
.02
04/18/07 18:22
.03
04/23/07 16:05
.01

Query the V$RMAN_BACKUP_JOB_DETAILS view for the rate of backup jobs in an
RMAN session.

11-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Using V$ Views to Query Backup Metadata

The following query shows the backup job speed ordered by session key, which is
the primary key for the RMAN session. The columns IN_SEC and OUT_SEC display
the data input and output per second.
COL in_sec FORMAT a10
COL out_sec FORMAT a10
COL TIME_TAKEN_DISPLAY FORMAT a10
SELECT SESSION_KEY,
OPTIMIZED,
COMPRESSION_RATIO,
INPUT_BYTES_PER_SEC_DISPLAY in_sec,
OUTPUT_BYTES_PER_SEC_DISPLAY out_sec,
TIME_TAKEN_DISPLAY
FROM
V$RMAN_BACKUP_JOB_DETAILS
ORDER BY SESSION_KEY;

The following sample output shows the speed of the backup jobs:
SESSION_KEY
----------9
16
113
4.

OPT COMPRESSION_RATIO IN_SEC
OUT_SEC
--- ----------------- ---------- ---------NO
1
8.24M
8.24M
NO
1.32732239
6.77M
5.10M
NO
1
2.99M
2.99M

TIME_TAKEN
---------00:01:14
00:01:45
00:00:44

Query the V$RMAN_BACKUP_JOB_DETAILS view for the size of the backups in an
RMAN session.
If you run BACKUP DATABASE, then V$RMAN_BACKUP_JOB_DETAILS.OUTPUT_BYTES
shows the total size of backup sets written by the backup job for the database that
you are backing up. To view backup set sizes for all registered databases, query
V$RMAN_BACKUP_JOB_DETAILS.
The following query shows the backup job size and throughput ordered by session
key, which is the primary key for the RMAN session. The columns IN_SIZE and
OUT_SIZE display the data input and output per second.
COL in_size FORMAT a10
COL out_size FORMAT a10
SELECT SESSION_KEY,
INPUT_TYPE,
COMPRESSION_RATIO,
INPUT_BYTES_DISPLAY in_size,
OUTPUT_BYTES_DISPLAY out_size
FROM
V$RMAN_BACKUP_JOB_DETAILS
ORDER BY SESSION_KEY;

The following sample output shows the size of the backup jobs:
SESSION_KEY
----------10
17

INPUT_TYPE
COMPRESSION_RATIO IN_SIZE
OUT_SIZE
------------- ----------------- ---------- ---------DATAFILE FULL
1
602.50M
602.58M
DB FULL
1.13736669
634.80M
558.13M

Oracle Database Reference to learn about the V$RMAN_
BACKUP_JOB_DETAILS view

See Also:

Determining the Encryption Status of Backup Pieces
The ENCRYPTED column of the V$BACKUP_PIECE and V$RMAN_BACKUP_PIECE views
indicates whether a backup piece is encrypted (YES) or unencrypted (NO). For example,

Reporting on RMAN Operations

11-15

Querying Recovery Catalog Views

you can run the following query in SQL*Plus to determine which backup pieces are
encrypted:
COL
COL
COL
COL
COL

BS_REC
BP_REC
MB
ENCRYPTED
TAG

FORMAT
FORMAT
FORMAT
FORMAT
FORMAT

99999
99999
9999999
A7
A25

SELECT S.RECID AS "BS_REC", P.RECID AS "BP_REC", P.ENCRYPTED,
P.TAG, P.HANDLE AS "MEDIA_HANDLE"
FROM
V$BACKUP_PIECE P, V$BACKUP_SET S
WHERE P.SET_STAMP = S.SET_STAMP
AND
P.SET_COUNT = S.SET_COUNT;

The following sample output shows that the backups are encrypted:
BS_REC BP_REC ENCRYPT TAG
------ ------ ------- ------------------------MEDIA_HANDLE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------1
1 YES
TAG20070711T140124
/disk1/c-39525561-20070711-00
2
2 YES
TAG20070711T140128
/disk1/c-39525561-20070711-01
3
3 YES
TAG20070711T140130
/disk1/c-39525561-20070711-02

See Also:

Oracle Database Reference to learn about the V$BACKUP_

PIECE view

Querying Recovery Catalog Views
The LIST, REPORT, and SHOW commands provide the easiest means of accessing the data
in the control file and the recovery catalog. Nevertheless, you can sometimes also
obtain useful information from the recovery catalog views, which reside in the
recovery catalog schema and use the RC_ prefix.

About Recovery Catalog Views
RMAN obtains backup and recovery metadata from a target database control file and
stores it in the tables of the recovery catalog. The recovery catalog views are derived
from these tables. The recovery catalog views are not normalized or optimized for user
queries.
In general, the recovery catalog views are not as user-friendly as the RMAN reporting
commands. For example, when you start RMAN and connect to a target database, you
obtain the information for this target database only when you issue LIST, REPORT, and
SHOW commands. If you have 10 different target databases registered in the same
recovery catalog, then any query of the catalog views shows the metadata for all
incarnations of all 10 databases. You often must perform complex selects and joins
among the views to extract usable information about a database incarnation.
Most of the catalog views have a corresponding V$ view in the database. For example,
RC_BACKUP_PIECE corresponds to V$BACKUP_PIECE. The primary difference between the
recovery catalog view and corresponding V$ view is that each recovery catalog view

11-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Querying Recovery Catalog Views

contains metadata about all the target databases registered in the recovery catalog. The
V$ view contains information only about itself.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for a
description of recovery catalog views

Unique Identifiers for Registered Databases
Most recovery catalog views contain the columns DB_KEY and DBINC_KEY. Each
database registered in the recovery catalog can be uniquely identified by either the
primary key, which is the DB_KEY column value, or the DBID, which is the 32-bit unique
database identifier. Each incarnation of a database is uniquely identified by the DBINC_
KEY column.
You can use DB_KEY and DBINC_KEY to retrieve the records of a specific incarnation of a
target database. Then, you can perform joins with most of the other catalog views to
isolate records belonging to this incarnation.
An important difference between catalog and V$ views is that a different system of
unique identifiers is used for backup and recovery files. For example, many V$ views
such as V$ARCHIVED_LOG use the RECID and STAMP columns to form a concatenated
primary key. The corresponding recovery catalog view uses a derived value as its
primary keys and stores this value in a single column. For example, the primary key in
RC_ARCHIVED_LOG is the AL_KEY column. The AL_KEY column value is the primary key
that RMAN displays in the LIST command output.

Unique Identifiers in a Data Guard Environment
Special considerations apply when querying the recovery catalog in a Data Guard
environment. In a Data Guard environment, multiple databases share the same DBID.
Several views contain a DB_UNIQUE_NAME column, which indicates the DB_UNIQUE_NAME
of the database incarnation to which the record belongs. All databases in a Data Guard
environment share the same DBID but have different DB_UNIQUE_NAME values.
The value of DB_UNIQUE_NAME is null when the database name is not known to the
catalog, as for Oracle9i databases that are registered in a recovery catalog. Also, the
column value is null when a database is upgraded to Oracle Database 11g but the
recovery catalog schema has not reconciled the database names for all files.
In the recovery catalog views, the primary database and its associated standby
databases share the same DB_KEY. However, every database in a Data Guard
environment has a unique RC_SITE.SITE_KEY value. For example, a primary database
prod and its standby database standby1 might both have the DB_KEY value of 1,
whereas the SITE_KEY of prod is 3 and the SITE_KEY of standby1 is 30.
Some recovery catalog views do not have a DB_UNIQUE_NAME column, but include a
SITE_KEY column. You can use the SITE_KEY column to join with RC_SITE.SITE_KEY to
determine the DB_UNIQUE_NAME of the database associated with a file. As explained in
"RMAN File Management in a Data Guard Environment" on page 3-8, every file in a
Data Guard environment is associated with the primary or standby database that
created it.
See Also: Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how
to report on and manage files in a Data Guard environment

Querying Catalog Views for the Target DB_KEY or DBID Values
The DB_KEY value, which is the primary key for a registered database, is used only in
the recovery catalog. The easiest way is to obtain the DB_KEY is to use the DBID of the

Reporting on RMAN Operations

11-17

Querying Recovery Catalog Views

target database, which is displayed whenever you connect RMAN to a database as
TARGET. The DBID distinguishes databases registered in the RMAN recovery catalog.
Assume that you want to obtain information about a database registered in the
recovery catalog.
To query the catalog for information about the current incarnation of a database:
Determine the DBID for the database whose records you want to view.

1.

You can obtain the DBID by looking at the output displayed when RMAN
connects to the database, querying V$RMAN_OUTPUT, or querying a V$DATABASE
view. The following example connects SQL*Plus to the desired database and
queries the DBID:
SQL> CONNECT / AS SYSDBA
SQL> SELECT DBID
2 FROM
V$DATABASE;
DBID
--------598368217
2.

Start SQL*Plus and connect to the recovery catalog database as the owner of the
recovery catalog.

3.

Obtain the database key for the database whose DBID you obtained in Step 1.
To obtain the DB_KEY for a database run the following query, where dbid_of_
target is the DBID obtained in Step 1:
SELECT DB_KEY
FROM
RC_DATABASE
WHERE DBID = dbid_of_target;

4.

Query the records for the current incarnation of the database whose DBID you
obtained in Step 1.
To obtain information about the current incarnation of a target database, specify
the target database DB_KEY value and perform a join with the RC_DATABASE_
INCARNATION view. Use a WHERE condition to specify that the CURRENT_INCARNATION
column value is set to YES. For example, to obtain information about backup sets
in the current incarnation of a target database with the DB_KEY value of 1, query as
follows:
SELECT
FROM
WHERE
AND
AND

BS_KEY, BACKUP_TYPE, COMPLETION_TIME
RC_DATABASE_INCARNATION i, RC_BACKUP_SET b
i.DB_KEY = 1
i.DB_KEY = b.DB_KEY
i.CURRENT_INCARNATION = 'YES';

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for details about the
RC_DATABASE_INCARNATION view
"Database Incarnations" on page 14-6

Querying RC_BACKUP_FILES
You can query the view RC_BACKUP_FILES for information about all backups of any
database registered in the recovery catalog. Before querying RC_BACKUP_FILES,

11-18 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Querying Recovery Catalog Views

however, you must call the DBMS_RCVMAN.SETDATABASE procedure. Specify the DBID of
a database registered in the recovery catalog, as shown in the following example:
SQL> CALL DBMS_RCVMAN.SETDATABASE(null,null,null,2283997583);

The fourth parameter must be the DBID of a database registered in the recovery
catalog. The other parameters must all be NULL.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for details about the
RC_BACKUP_FILES view
"Determining the DBID of the Database" on page 17-5 for
techniques for determining the DBID of a database

Reporting on RMAN Operations

11-19

Querying Recovery Catalog Views

11-20 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

12
12

Maintaining RMAN Backups and
Repository Records

This chapter describes how to manage the RMAN repository records and RMAN
backups and copies. This chapter also explains maintenance tasks related to the fast
recovery area. This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Overview of RMAN Backup and Repository Maintenance

■

Maintaining the Control File Repository

■

Maintaining the Fast Recovery Area

■

Updating the RMAN Repository

■

Deleting RMAN Backups and Archived Redo Logs

■

Dropping a Database
See Also: Chapter 13, "Managing a Recovery Catalog" for RMAN
maintenance issues that are specific to a recovery catalog

Overview of RMAN Backup and Repository Maintenance
This section explains the purpose and basic concepts of RMAN repository
maintenance.

Purpose of Backup and Repository Maintenance
The recommended maintenance strategy is to configure a fast recovery area, a backup
retention policy, and an archived redo log deletion policy. In this case, the database
automatically maintains and deletes backups and archived redo logs as needed.
However, manual maintenance of database backups and archived redo logs is
sometimes necessary.
Managing RMAN backups involves the following related tasks:
■

Managing the database backups that are stored on disk or tape

■

Managing the records of those backups in the RMAN repository

An important part of RMAN maintenance is deleting backups that are no longer
needed. If you configure a fast recovery area, then the database automatically deletes
unneeded files in this area automatically; even so, you may want to delete backups
and copies from tape. You may even need to delete an entire database. You can use an
RMAN command to perform these tasks.

Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records

12-1

Overview of RMAN Backup and Repository Maintenance

The fast recovery area may require occasional maintenance. For example, the fast
recovery area may become full, in which case you can add space to it. Alternatively,
you may want to change the location of the recovery area.
It is possible for the RMAN repository to fail to reflect the true state of files on disk or
tape. For example, a user may delete a backup from disk with an operating system
utility. In this case, the RMAN repository shows that the file exists when it does not. In
a similar situation, a tape containing RMAN backups may be corrupted. You can use
RMAN maintenance commands to update the repository with accurate information.

Basic Concepts of Backup and Repository Maintenance
The RMAN maintenance commands are summarized as follows:
■

■

■

■

The CATALOG command enables you to add records about RMAN and
user-managed backups that are currently not recorded in the RMAN repository, or
to remove records for backups that are recorded.
The CHANGE command enables you to update the status of records in the RMAN
repository.
The CROSSCHECK command enables you to synchronize the logical backup records
with the physical reality of files in backup storage.
The DELETE command enables you to delete backups from the operating system.

Maintenance Commands and RMAN Repository Metadata
RMAN always stores its metadata in the control file of each target database on which it
performs operations. If you register a target database in the recovery catalog, then
RMAN stores the metadata for this target database in the recovery catalog. All of the
RMAN maintenance commands work with or without a recovery catalog.
See Also:

"Maintaining a Recovery Catalog" on page 13-21

Maintenance Commands in a Data Guard Environment
The database in a Data Guard environment that creates a backup or copy is associated
with the file. For example, if RMAN is connected to target database standby1 and
backs it up, then this backup is associated with standby1.
If backups are accessible to RMAN according to the criteria specified in "RMAN File
Management in a Data Guard Environment" on page 3-8, you can use RMAN
maintenance commands such as CHANGE, DELETE, and CROSSCHECK for backups when
connected to any primary or standby database.
Crosschecks in a Data Guard Environment For a crosscheck, RMAN can only update the
status of a file from AVAILABLE to EXPIRED when connected to the database associated
with the file. Thus, if RMAN crosschecks a file and does not find it, and if the file is
associated with a database to which it is not connected as TARGET, then RMAN
prompts you to perform the crosscheck when connected to the target database
associated with the file. RMAN performs a crosscheck when you run the CROSSCHECK
or CHANGE ... AVAILABLE command.
Deletion in a Data Guard Environment RMAN can delete files when connected to any
database. If RMAN is not connected as TARGET to the database associated with a file,
and if RMAN cannot delete a file successfully, then RMAN prompts you to connect as
TARGET to the database associated with the file. You must then use DELETE ... FORCE
to delete the file metadata.

12-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Maintaining the Control File Repository

Updates to RMAN Metadata in a Data Guard Environment If a maintenance command
changes RMAN metadata only, then you can connect RMAN as TARGET to any
database in the Data Guard environment. Commands that change only metadata
include:
■

CHANGE ... UNAVAILABLE or CHANGE ... UNCATALOG

■

CHANGE ... KEEP or CHANGE ... NOKEEP

■

CHANGE ... RESET DB_UNIQUE_NAME

By default, the CHANGE command only operates on files that are accessible according to
the rules specified in "Accessibility of Backups in a Data Guard Environment" on
page 3-8. However, you can change the status of files associated with a database other
than the target database by using the FOR DB_UNIQUE_NAME option.
Files Not Associated with a Database In some cases the DB_UNIQUE_NAME may not be
known for a specific file. For example, the value of DB_UNIQUE_NAME is null when the
database name is not known to the recovery catalog, as for Oracle9i databases that are
registered in a recovery catalog. Also, rows can have a DB_UNIQUE_NAME of null
because a database has been upgraded to the current version, but the recovery catalog
schema has not reconciled the DB_UNIQUE_NAME values for all files. By default, RMAN
associates files whose SITE_KEY is null with the database to which RMAN is
connected as TARGET. A backup remains associated with a database unless you
explicitly use the CHANGE ... RESET DB_UNIQUE_NAME to associate the backup with a
different database.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how to use
RMAN to back up and restore files in a Data Guard environment
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for descriptions of
the RMAN maintenance commands

Maintaining the Control File Repository
RMAN is designed to work without a recovery catalog. If you choose not to use a
recovery catalog, however, then the control file of each target database is the exclusive
repository for RMAN metadata. You should know how information is stored in the
control file and ensure that your backup and recovery strategy protects the control file.
See Also: Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for an overview of
the control file and more details about managing control files

About Control File Records
The control file contains two types of records: circular reuse records and noncircular
reuse records.
Circular reuse records contain noncritical information that is eligible to be overwritten
if needed. These records contain information that is continually generated by the
database. When all available record slots are full, the database either expands the
control file to make room for a new record or overwrites the oldest record. The
CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME initialization parameter specifies the minimum age
in days of a record before it can be reused.
Noncircular reuse records contain critical information that does not change often and
cannot be overwritten. Some examples of information in noncircular reuse records
include datafiles, online redo log files, and redo threads.
Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records

12-3

Maintaining the Control File Repository

As you make backups of a target database, the database records these backups in the
control file. To prevent the control file from growing too large because of the addition
of new records, records can be reused if they are older than a threshold that you
specify. The CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME initialization parameter determines the
minimum age in days of a record before it can be overwritten:
CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME = integer

For example, if the parameter value is 14, then any record of age 14 days or older is a
candidate for reuse. Information in an overwritten record is lost. The oldest record
available for reuse is used first.
When the database must add new RMAN repository records to the control file, but no
record is older than the threshold, the database attempts to expand the size of the
control file. If the underlying operating system prevents the expansion of the control
file (due to a disk full condition, for instance), then the database overwrites the oldest
record in the control file.
The database records the overwrite in the alert log located in the Automatic
Diagnostic Repository (ADR). For each record that it overwrites, the database records
an entry in the alert log similar to the following:
kccwnc: following control file record written over:
RECID #72 Recno 72 Record timestamp
07/28/06 22:15:21
Thread=1 Seq#=3460
Backup set key: stamp=372031415, count=17
Low scn: 0x0000.3af33f36
07/27/06 21:00:08
Next scn: 0x0000.3af3871b
07/27/06 23:23:54
Resetlogs scn and time
scn: 0x0000.00000001

Fast Recovery Area and Control File Records
When a control file record containing information about a file created in the fast
recovery area is about to be reused, the database attempts to delete the file from the
fast recovery area when the file is eligible for deletion. Otherwise, the database
expands the size of the control file section containing the record for this file. The
database logs the expansion in the alert log with a message like this example, where
nnnn is the number of the control file record type:
kccwnc: trying to expand control file section nnnn for Oracle Managed Files

If the control file is at the maximum size supported under the host operating system,
then the database cannot expand the control file. In such a situation, this warning
appears in the alert log:
WARNING: Oracle Managed File filename is unknown to control file. This is the
result of limitation in control file size that could not keep all recovery area
files.

The preceding message means that the control file cannot hold a record of all fast
recovery area files needed to satisfy the configured retention policy. The next section
explains how to respond to this situation.
Oracle Database Reference for information about the
CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME initialization parameter
See Also:

12-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Maintaining the Control File Repository

Preventing the Loss of Control File Records
The best way to prevent the loss of RMAN metadata because of overwritten control
file records is to use a recovery catalog. If you cannot use a recovery catalog, then you
can take the following measures:
■

Set the CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME value to slightly longer than the oldest
file that you must keep. For example, if you back up the whole database once a
week, then you must keep every backup for at least 7 days. Set CONTROL_FILE_
RECORD_KEEP_TIME to a value such as 10 or 14. The default value of CONTROL_FILE_
RECORD_KEEP_TIME is 7 days.
Caution: Regardless of whether you use a recovery catalog, never
use RMAN when CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME is set to 0. If
you do, then you may lose backup records.

■

■

Store the control file in a file system rather than on a raw device so that it can
expand.
Monitor the alert log to ensure that Oracle Database is not overwriting control file
records. The alert log is located in the Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR).

If you use a fast recovery area, then follow these guidelines to avoid a situation in
which the control file cannot hold a record of all fast recovery area files needed to
satisfy the backup retention policy:
■

If the block size of the control file is not at its maximum, then use a larger block
size, preferably 32 kilobytes.
To achieve this aim, you must set the SYSTEM tablespace block size to be greater
than or equal to the control file block size, and re-create the control file after
changing DB_BLOCK_SIZE. The files in the fast recovery area are recataloged, but
the records for files on tape are lost.

■

Make the files in the fast recovery area eligible for deletion by backing them up to
tertiary storage such as tape.
For example, you can use BACKUP RECOVERY AREA to specifically back up files in
the fast recovery area to a media manager.

■

If the backup retention policy is keeping backups and archived logs longer than
your business requirements, then you can make more files in the fast recovery area
eligible for deletion by changing the retention policy to a shorter recovery window
or lower degree of redundancy.

Protecting the Control File
If you are not using a recovery catalog to store RMAN metadata, then it is doubly
important that you protect each target database control file. You can use the following
strategy to protect the control file.
To protect the control file:
1. Create redundant copies of control files through multiplexing or operating system
mirroring.
In this way, the database can survive the loss of a subset of the control files
without requiring you to restore a control file from backup. Oracle recommends
that you use a minimum of two multiplexed or mirrored control files on separate
disks.
Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records

12-5

Maintaining the Fast Recovery Area

2.

Configure the control file autobackup feature.
In this case, RMAN automatically backs up the control file when you run certain
RMAN commands. If a control file autobackup is available, RMAN can restore the
server parameter and backup control file, and mount the database. After the
control file is mounted, you can restore the remainder of the database.

3.

Keep a record of the database DBID.
If you lose the control files, then you can use the DBID to recover the database.
See Also:
■

■

"Backing Up Control Files with RMAN" on page 9-8 to learn
about manual and automatic control file backups
"Control File and Server Parameter File Autobackups" on
page 8-12

Maintaining the Fast Recovery Area
Although the fast recovery area is largely self-managing, some situations may require
database administration intervention.

Deletion Rules for the Fast Recovery Area
"Overview of the Fast Recovery Area" on page 5-14 explains the contents of the fast
recovery area and the difference between permanent and transient files. Review this
section before proceeding. The following rules govern when files become eligible for
deletion from the recovery area:
■

Permanent files are never eligible for deletion.

■

Files that are obsolete under the retention policy are eligible for deletion.
"Configuring the Backup Retention Policy" on page 5-22 explains how to configure
the retention policy.

■
■

Transient files that have been copied to tape are eligible for deletion.
Archived redo logs are not eligible for deletion until all the consumers of the logs
have satisfied their requirements.
"Configuring an Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy" on page 5-27 explains how to
configure an archived redo log deletion policy that determines when logs are
eligible to be deleted. Consumers of logs can include RMAN, standby databases,
Oracle Streams databases, and the Flashback Database feature. See Oracle Data
Guard Concepts and Administration to learn about archived redo log management in
a Data Guard environment.

■

Foreign archived logs that have been mined by a LogMiner session on a logical
standby database are eligible for deletion. Because it is generated from a different
database than the current database, a foreign archived redo log has a different
DBID than the current archived redo logs.

The safe and reliable way to control deletion of from the fast recovery area is to
configure your retention policy ( on page 5-22) and archived log deletion policy (see
"Configuring an Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy" on page 5-27). To increase the
likelihood that files moved to tape are retained on disk, increase the fast recovery area
quota.

12-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Maintaining the Fast Recovery Area

Monitoring Fast Recovery Area Space Usage
You can use the V$RECOVERY_FILE_DEST and V$RECOVERY_AREA_USAGE views to
determine whether you have allocated enough space for your fast recovery area.
Query the V$RECOVERY_FILE_DEST view to discover the current location, disk quota,
space in use, space reclaimable by deleting files, and total number of files in the fast
recovery area. For example, enter the query shown in Example 12–1 (sample output
included). The space columns specify the amount in bytes.
Example 12–1

Fast Recovery Area Space Consumption

SELECT * FROM V$RECOVERY_FILE_DEST;
NAME
-------------/mydisk/rcva

SPACE_LIMIT SPACE_USED SPACE_RECLAIMABLE NUMBER_OF_FILES
----------- ---------- ----------------- --------------5368709120 109240320
256000
28

Query the V$RECOVERY_AREA_USAGE view to discover the percentage of the total disk
quota used by different types of files. Also, you can determine how much space for
each type of file can be reclaimed by deleting files that are obsolete, redundant, or
backed up to tape. For example, enter the following query (sample output included):
SELECT * FROM

V$RECOVERY_AREA_USAGE;

FILE_TYPE
PERCENT_SPACE_USED PERCENT_SPACE_RECLAIMABLE NUMBER_OF_FILES
------------ ------------------ ------------------------- --------------CONTROLFILE
0
0
0
ONLINELOG
2
0
22
ARCHIVELOG
4.05
2.01
31
BACKUPPIECE
3.94
3.86
8
IMAGECOPY
15.64
10.43
66
FLASHBACKLOG
.08
0
1

When guaranteed restore points are defined on your database, you should monitor the
amount of space used in your fast recovery area for files required to meet the
guarantee. Use the query for viewing guaranteed restore points in "Listing Restore
Points" on page 7-8 and see the STORAGE_SIZE column to determine the space required
for files related to each guaranteed restore point.
Oracle Database Reference for more details on the
V$RECOVERY_FILE_DEST and V$RECOVERY_AREA_USAGE views
See Also:

Managing Space for Flashback Logs in the Fast Recovery Area
"Logging for Flashback Database with Guaranteed Restore Points Defined" on page 7-7
explains the rules for flashback log deletion. You cannot manage the flashback logs in
the fast recovery area directly other than by setting the flashback retention target or
using guaranteed restore points. Nevertheless, you can manage fast recovery area
space as a whole to maximize the space available for retention of flashback logs. In this
way you increase the likelihood of achieving the flashback target.
To make space for flashback logs, back up the other contents of your fast recovery area
to tape with commands such as BACKUP RECOVERY AREA, BACKUP BACKUPSET, and so on.
Oracle Database automatically removes obsolete files from the fast recovery area. If
offloading backups to tape still does not create enough space to satisfy the backup
retention policy and flashback retention target, then allocate more space in the fast
recovery area.

Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records

12-7

Maintaining the Fast Recovery Area

You cannot back up flashback logs. Thus, the BACKUP RECOVERY
AREA operation does not include the flashback logs when backing up
the fast recovery area contents to tape.
Note:

Responding to a Full Fast Recovery Area
If the RMAN retention policy requires keeping a set of backups larger than the fast
recovery area disk quota, or if the retention policy is set to NONE, then the fast recovery
area can fill completely with no reclaimable space.
The database issues a warning alert when reclaimable space is less than 15% and a
critical alert when reclaimable space is less than 3%. To warn the DBA of this
condition, an entry is added to the alert log and to the DBA_OUTSTANDING_ALERTS table
(used by Enterprise Manager). Nevertheless, the database continues to consume space
in the fast recovery area until there is no reclaimable space left.
When the recovery area is completely full, the error displayed is as follows, where
nnnnn is the number of bytes required and mmmmm is the disk quota:
ORA-19809: limit exceeded for recovery files
ORA-19804: cannot reclaim nnnnn bytes disk space from mmmmm limit

You have several choices for how to resolve a full fast recovery area when no files are
eligible for deletion:
■

■

Make more disk space available and increase DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE to
reflect the additional space.
Move backups from the fast recovery area to tertiary storage such as tape.
One convenient way to back up all of your recovery area files to tape at once is the
BACKUP RECOVERY AREA command. After you transfer backups from the recovery
area to tape, you can delete files from the fast recovery area (see "Deleting RMAN
Backups and Archived Redo Logs" on page 12-17). Flashback logs cannot be
backed up outside the recovery area and are not backed up by BACKUP RECOVERY
AREA.

■

Run DELETE for any files that have been removed with an operating system utility.
If you use host operating system commands to delete files, then the database is not
aware of the resulting free space. You can run the RMAN CROSSCHECK command to
have RMAN recheck the contents of the fast recovery area and identify expired
files, and then use the DELETE EXPIRED command to delete every expired backup
from the RMAN repository.

■

Ensure that your guaranteed restore points are necessary. If not, delete them as
described in "Dropping Restore Points" on page 7-9.
Flashback logs that are not needed for a guaranteed restore point are deleted
automatically to gain space for other files in the fast recovery area. A guaranteed
restore point forces the retention of flashback logs required to perform Flashback
Database to the restore point SCN.

■

Review your backup retention policy and, if using Data Guard, your archived redo
log deletion policy.
See Also: Chapter 9, "Backing Up the Database" to decide on a
retention policy, and Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration
for more information about archived log deletion policy with Data
Guard

12-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Updating the RMAN Repository

Changing the Fast Recovery Area to a New Location
If you must move the fast recovery area of your database to a new location, then
follow this procedure:
1.

Start a SQL*Plus on the target database and change the DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST
initialization parameter. For example, enter the following command to set the
destination to the ASM disk group disk1:
ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST='+disk1' SCOPE=BOTH SID='*';

After you change this parameter, all new fast recovery area files are created in the
new location.
2.

Either leave or move the permanent files, flashback logs, and transient files in the
old flash recovery location.
If you leave the existing files in the flash recovery, then the database deletes the
transient files from the old fast recovery area as they become eligible for deletion.
If you must move the old files to the new fast recovery area, then see the Oracle
Database Storage Administrator's Guide. The procedure for moving database files
into and out of an ASM disk group with RMAN works when moving files into and
out of a fast recovery area.

Disabling the Fast Recovery Area
Before disabling the fast recovery area, you must first drop all guaranteed restore
points and then turn off Flashback Database. Once these prerequisites have been met,
you can disable the fast recovery area by setting the DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST
initialization parameter to a null string. For example, use the following SQL statement
to change the parameter on a running database:
ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST='' SCOPE=BOTH SID='*';

The database no longer provides the space management features of the fast recovery
area for the files stored in the old DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST location. The files are still
known to the RMAN repository, however, and available for backup and restore
activities.

Responding to an Instance Crash During File Creation
As a rule, the fast recovery area is self-maintaining. When an instance crashes during
the creation of a file in the fast recovery area, however, the database may leave the file
in the fast recovery area. When this situation occurs, the alert log contains the
following error, where location is the location of the fast recovery area:
ORA-19816: WARNING: Files may exist in location that are not known to database.

In such a situation, use the RMAN command CATALOG RECOVERY AREA to recatalog any
such files. If the file header of the file in question is corrupted, then delete the file
manually with an operating system utility.

Updating the RMAN Repository
This section explains how to ensure that the RMAN repository accurately reflects the
reality of the RMAN-related files stored on disk and tape. Several situations can cause
a discrepancy between the repository and the files that it records, including tape or
disk failures and user-managed copies or deletions of RMAN-related files.

Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records

12-9

Updating the RMAN Repository

This section contains the following topics:
■

Crosschecking the RMAN Repository

■

Changing the Repository Status of Backups and Copies

■

Adding Backup Records to the RMAN Repository

■

Removing Records from the RMAN Repository

Crosschecking the RMAN Repository
To ensure that data about backups in the recovery catalog or control file is
synchronized with corresponding data on disk or in the media management catalog,
perform a crosscheck. The CROSSCHECK command operates only on files that are
currently recorded in the RMAN repository.
If you use a fast recovery area, backup retention policy, and archived redo log deletion
policy, then you should not need to perform crosschecks very often. If you delete files
by means other than RMAN, then you should perform a crosscheck periodically to
ensure that the repository data stays current.

About RMAN Crosschecks
Crosschecks update outdated RMAN repository information about backups whose
repository records do not match their physical status. For example, if a user removes
archived logs from disk with an operating system command, the repository still
indicates that the logs are on disk, when in fact they are not.
Figure 12–1 illustrates a crosscheck of a media manager. RMAN queries the RMAN
repository for the names and locations of the four backup sets to be checked. RMAN
sends this information to the target database server, which queries the media
management software about the backups. The media management software then
checks its media catalog and reports back to the server that backup set 3 is missing.
RMAN updates the status of backup set 3 to EXPIRED in the repository. The record for
backup set 3 is deleted once you run DELETE EXPIRED.
Figure 12–1 Crosschecking a Media Manager

Recovery Manager

Oracle Server

Media manager

Recovery
Catalog
Control
file

Backup
set 1

Backup
set 2

Backup
set 3

Backup
set 4

Media Management
Library

Crosschecks are useful because they can do the following:
■

■

Update outdated information about backups that disappeared from disk or tape or
became corrupted
Update the repository if you delete archived redo logs or other files with operating
system commands

12-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Updating the RMAN Repository

Use the crosscheck feature to check the status of a backup on disk or tape. If the
backup is on disk, then CROSSCHECK checks whether the header of the file is valid. If a
backup is on tape, then the command checks that the backups exist in the media
management software catalog.
Backup pieces and image copies can have the status AVAILABLE, EXPIRED, or
UNAVAILABLE. You can view the status of backups by running the RMAN LIST
command or by querying V$BACKUP_FILES or recovery catalog views such as RC_
DATAFILE_COPY or RC_ARCHIVED_LOG. A crosscheck updates the RMAN repository so
that all of these techniques provide accurate information. RMAN updates each backup
in the RMAN repository to status EXPIRED if the backup is no longer available. If a new
crosscheck determines that an expired backup is available again, then RMAN updates
its status to AVAILABLE.
Note: The CROSSCHECK command does not delete operating system
files or remove repository records. You must use the DELETE
command for these operations.

You can issue the DELETE EXPIRED command to delete all expired backups. RMAN
removes the record for the expired file from the repository. If for some reason the file
still exists on the media, then RMAN issues warnings and lists the mismatched objects
that cannot be deleted.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for CROSSCHECK
syntax and a description of the possible status values
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for DELETE syntax

Crosschecking All Backups and Copies
After connecting to the target database and recovery catalog (if you use one), run
CROSSCHECK commands as needed to verify the status and availability of backups
known to RMAN.
You can configure or manually allocate multiple channels before issuing CROSSCHECK or
DELETE commands. RMAN searches for each backup on all channels that have the
same device type as the channel used to create the backup. The multichannel feature is
primarily intended for use when crosschecking or deleting backups on both disk and
tape within a single command. For example, assume that you have an SBT channel
configured as follows:
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE sbt PARALLELISM 1;
CONFIGURE DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE sbt;

In this case you can run the following commands to crosscheck both disk and SBT:
CROSSCHECK BACKUP;
CROSSCHECK COPY;

RMAN uses both the SBT channel and the preconfigured disk channel to perform the
crosscheck. Sample output follows:
allocated channel: ORA_SBT_TAPE_1
channel ORA_SBT_TAPE_1: sid=12 devtype=SBT_TAPE
channel ORA_SBT_TAPE_1: WARNING: Oracle Test Disk API
using channel ORA_DISK_1
crosschecked backup piece: found to be 'AVAILABLE'

Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records

12-11

Updating the RMAN Repository

backup piece
crosschecked
backup piece
crosschecked
backup piece
.
.
.

handle=/oracle/dbs/16c5esv4_1_1 recid=36 stamp=408384484
backup piece: found to be 'AVAILABLE'
handle=/oracle/dbs/c-674966176-20000915-01 recid=37 stamp=408384496
backup piece: found to be 'AVAILABLE'
handle=12c5erb2_1_1 recid=32 stamp=408382820

If you do not have an automatic SBT channel configured, then you can manually
allocate maintenance channels on disk and tape.
ALLOCATE CHANNEL FOR MAINTENANCE DEVICE TYPE sbt;
CROSSCHECK BACKUP;
CROSSCHECK COPY;

You do not have to manually allocate a disk channel because RMAN uses the
preconfigured disk channel.

Crosschecking Specific Backup Sets and Copies
You can use the LIST command to report your backups and then use the CROSSCHECK
command to check that specific backups described in the LIST output still exist. The
DELETE EXPIRED command deletes repository records for backups that fail the
crosscheck.
To crosscheck specified backups:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Run a LIST command to identify the backups to be checked.
For example, run the following command:
LIST BACKUP;

3.

# lists all backup sets, proxy copies, and image copies

Crosscheck the desired backups or copies.
The following sample commands illustrate different types of crosschecks:
CROSSCHECK BACKUP; # checks backup sets, proxy copies, and image copies
CROSSCHECK COPY OF DATABASE;
CROSSCHECK BACKUPSET 1338, 1339, 1340;
CROSSCHECK BACKUPPIECE TAG 'nightly_backup';
CROSSCHECK BACKUP OF ARCHIVELOG ALL SPFILE;
CROSSCHECK BACKUP OF DATAFILE "?/oradata/trgt/system01.dbf"
COMPLETED AFTER 'SYSDATE-14';
CROSSCHECK CONTROLFILECOPY '/tmp/control01.ctl';
CROSSCHECK DATAFILECOPY 113, 114, 115;
CROSSCHECK PROXY 789;

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for more
details on using CROSSCHECK to check backups of specific files

Changing the Repository Status of Backups and Copies
This section explains how to change the repository records for backups and copies.
You can change the status of a backup if it becomes temporarily available or
unavailable. For example, if a mounted disk undergoes maintenance, then you can
update the records for backups on the disk to status UNAVAILABLE.

12-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Updating the RMAN Repository

Updating a Backup to Status AVAILABLE or UNAVAILABLE
Run the CHANGE ... UNAVAILABLE command when a backup cannot be found or has
migrated offsite. RMAN does not use files with status UNAVAILABLE in RESTORE or
RECOVER commands. If the file is later found or returns to the main site, then you can
update its status again by issuing CHANGE ... AVAILABLE. The files in the fast recovery
area cannot be marked as UNAVAILABLE.
To update the status of a file in the repository to UNAVAILABLE or AVAILABLE:
1. Issue a LIST command to determine the availability status of RMAN backups. For
example, issue the following command to list all backups:
LIST BACKUP;
2.

Run CHANGE with the UNAVAILABLE or AVAILABLE keyword to update its status in
the RMAN repository.
The following examples illustrate forms of the CHANGE command:
CHANGE
CHANGE
CHANGE
CHANGE
CHANGE
CHANGE
CHANGE

DATAFILECOPY '/tmp/control01.ctl' UNAVAILABLE;
COPY OF ARCHIVELOG SEQUENCE BETWEEN 1000 AND 1012 UNAVAILABLE;
BACKUPSET 12 UNAVAILABLE;
BACKUP OF SPFILE TAG "TAG20020208T154556" UNAVAILABLE;
DATAFILECOPY '/tmp/system01.dbf' AVAILABLE;
BACKUPSET 12 AVAILABLE;
BACKUP OF SPFILE TAG "TAG20020208T154556" AVAILABLE;

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for CHANGE
command syntax

Changing the Status of an Archival Backup
As explained in "Making Database Backups for Long-Term Storage" on page 9-23, you
can designate backups as exempt from the retention policy. This technique is useful for
archiving backups to comply with business requirements. An archival backup is still a
fully valid backup, however, and can be restored just as any other RMAN backup.
The KEEP FOREVER clause requires the use of a recovery
catalog, because the control file cannot contain an infinitely large
set of RMAN repository data.

Note:

You can use the CHANGE command to alter the KEEP status of an existing backup. For
example, you may decide that you no longer want to keep a long-term backup. The
same options available for BACKUP ... KEEP are available with CHANGE ... KEEP.
You cannot set KEEP attributes for backup sets or files stored in the fast recovery area.
To alter the KEEP status of an archival backup:
1. Issue a LIST command to list the backups. For example, issue the following
command to list all backups:
LIST BACKUP;
2.

Issue a CHANGE ... KEEP command to define a different retention period for this
backup, or a CHANGE ... NOKEEP command to let the retention policy apply to this
file.
This example allows a backup set to be subject to the backup retention policy:

Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records

12-13

Updating the RMAN Repository

CHANGE BACKUPSET 231 NOKEEP;

This example makes a data file copy exempt from the retention policy for 180
days:
CHANGE DATAFILECOPY '/tmp/system01.dbf' KEEP UNTIL TIME 'SYSDATE+180';

Adding Backup Records to the RMAN Repository
You can use the CATALOG command to make RMAN aware of the existence of archived
logs not recorded in the repository or copies of database files that are created through
means other than RMAN. This section contains the following topics:
■

About Cataloging Operations

■

Cataloging User-Managed Data File Copies

■

Cataloging Backup Pieces

■

Cataloging All Files in a Disk Location

About Cataloging Operations
The target database control file keeps records of all archived redo logs generated by
the target database and all RMAN backups. The purpose of the CATALOG command is
to add metadata to the repository when it does not have a record of files for RMAN.
Run the RMAN CATALOG command when:
■

■

■

■

You use an operating system utility to make copies of datafiles, archived logs, or
backup pieces. In this case, the repository has no record of them.
You perform recovery with a backup control file and you change the archiving
destination or format during recovery. In this situation, the repository does not
have information about archived logs needed for recovery, and you must catalog
these logs.
You want to catalog data file copy as a level 0 backup, thus enabling you to
perform an incremental backup later by using the data file copy as the base of an
incremental backup strategy.
You want to catalog user-managed copies of Oracle7 database files created before
you migrated to a higher release, or of Oracle8 and higher database files created
before you started to use RMAN. These data file copies enable you to recover the
database if it fails after migration but before you have a chance to take a backup of
the migrated database.

Whenever you make a user-managed copy, for example, by using the UNIX cp
command to copy a data file, be sure to catalog it. When making user-managed copies,
you can use the ALTER TABLESPACE ... BEGIN/END BACKUP statement to make data file
copies off an online tablespace. Although RMAN does not create such data file copies,
you can use the CATALOG command to add them to the recovery catalog so that RMAN
is aware of them.
For a user-managed copy to be cataloged, it must be:
■

Accessible on disk

■

A complete image copy of a single file

■

Either a data file copy, control file copy, archived redo log copy, or backup piece
copy

12-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Updating the RMAN Repository

For example, if you store datafiles on mirrored disk drives, then you can create a
user-managed copy by breaking the mirror. In this scenario, use the CATALOG command
to notify RMAN of the existence of the user-managed copy after breaking the mirror.
Before reforming the mirror, run a CHANGE ... UNCATALOG command to notify RMAN
that the file copy no longer exists.

Cataloging User-Managed Data File Copies
Use the CATALOG command to propagate information about user-managed copies to the
RMAN repository. After the files are cataloged, you can run the LIST command or
query V$BACKUP_FILES view to confirm the information is contained in the RMAN
repository.
To create and catalog a user-managed copy of a data file:
1. Make a data file copy with an operating system utility. ALTER TABLESPACE
BEGIN/END BACKUP is necessary if the database is open and the data files are online
while the backup is in progress. This example backs up an online data file, using
the SQL*Plus HOST command to issue an operating system command.
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE users BEGIN BACKUP;
SQL> host cp $ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf /tmp/users01.dbf;
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE users END BACKUP;
2.

Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).

3.

Run the CATALOG command.
For example, enter the following command to catalog a user-managed data file
copy:
CATALOG DATAFILECOPY '/tmp/users01.dbf';

If you try to catalog a data file copy from a database other than the connected
target database, then RMAN issues an error such as the following:
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03009: failure of catalog command on default channel at 08/29/2007
14:44:34
ORA-19563: datafile copy header validation failed for file /tmp/tools01.dbf

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
CATALOG command syntax
See Also:

Cataloging Backup Pieces
You can catalog backup pieces on disk. This technique is useful if you use an operating
system utility to copy backup pieces from one location to another on the same host, or
from one host to another. You can even catalog a backup piece from a prior
incarnation of the database. RMAN can determine whether that backup piece can be
used during a subsequent restore and recovery operation.
To catalog a backup piece:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Catalog the file names of the backup pieces.
For example, enter the following command:
CATALOG BACKUPPIECE '/disk2/09dtq55d_1_2', '/disk2/0bdtqdou_1_1';

Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records

12-15

Updating the RMAN Repository

3.

Optionally, run a LIST command or query V$ views to verify your changes.
Views include V$BACKUP_PIECE, V$BACKUP_SET, V$BACKUP_DATAFILE, V$BACKUP_
REDOLOG, and V$BACKUP_SPFILE. The following query shows the names of backup
pieces:
SELECT HANDLE
FROM
V$BACKUP_PIECE;

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
CATALOG BACKUPPIECE restrictions
See Also:

Cataloging All Files in a Disk Location
If you use Automatic Storage Management (ASM), an Oracle Managed Files
framework, or the fast recovery area, then you may want to recatalog files that are
known to the disk management system but are no longer listed in the RMAN
repository. This situation can occur when the intended mechanism for tracking file
names fails due to media failure, software bug, or user error.
The CATALOG START WITH command enables you to search through all files in an ASM
disk group, Oracle Managed Files location, or traditional file system directory and
investigate those that are not recorded in the RMAN repository. If the command can
catalog a file, then it does so. If it cannot catalog the file, then it makes its best guess
about the contents of the skipped file.
The CATALOG RECOVERY AREA command enables you to catalog all files in the recovery
area. Typically, you would not need to run this command manually because RMAN
automatically runs it when it is needed, for example, when you restore or create a
control file. You can run this command when files are copied into the fast recovery
area by operating system utilities.
To catalog all files in a disk location:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Run the CATALOG command, specifying the disk location whose files you want to
catalog.
For example, enter the following commands:
CATALOG START WITH '+disk'; # catalog all files from an ASM disk group
CATALOG START WITH '/fs1/datafiles/'; # catalog all files in directory

Note:

Wildcard characters are not legal in the START WITH clause.

You can use the CATALOG RECOVERY AREA command to catalog all files in the
recovery area. During this operation, any files in the recovery area not listed in the
RMAN repository are added. For example:
CATALOG RECOVERY AREA;
3.

Run a LIST command to verify that the files were cataloged.

Removing Records from the RMAN Repository
This section explains how to remove records for files from the RMAN repository.

12-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Deleting RMAN Backups and Archived Redo Logs

About Uncataloging Operations
Run the CHANGE ... UNCATALOG command to perform the following actions on RMAN
repository records:
■

Update a backup record in the control file repository to status DELETED

■

Delete a specific backup record from the recovery catalog (if you use one)

RMAN does not change the specified physical files: it only alters the repository records
for these files.
You can use this command when you have deleted a backup through a means other
than RMAN. For example, if you delete archived redo logs with an operating system
utility, then remove the record for this log from the repository by issuing a CHANGE
ARCHIVELOG ... UNCATALOG command.

Removing Records for Files Deleted with Operating System Utilities
In some circumstances, users may have removed backups or archived redo logs with
operating system utilities. Unless you run CROSSCHECK, RMAN does not know about
the deletion. You can use the CHANGE ... UNCATALOG command to update the RMAN
repository for the absent files.
To remove the catalog record for a backup or archived redo log:
Run a CHANGE ... UNCATALOG command for the backups that you deleted from the
operating system with operating system commands. This example deletes
repository references to disk copies of the control file and data file 1:

1.

CHANGE CONTROLFILECOPY '/tmp/control01.ctl' UNCATALOG;
CHANGE DATAFILECOPY '/tmp/system01.dbf' UNCATALOG;
2.

Optionally, view the relevant recovery catalog view, for example, RC_DATAFILE_
COPY or RC_CONTROLFILE_COPY, to confirm that a given record was removed. This
query confirms that the record of copy 4833 was removed:
SELECT CDF_KEY, STATUS
FROM RC_DATAFILE_COPY
WHERE CDF_KEY = 4833;
CDF_KEY
STATUS
---------- -----0 rows selected.

Deleting RMAN Backups and Archived Redo Logs
You can use the RMAN DELETE command to delete archived redo logs and RMAN
backups. For backups on disk, deleting backups physically removes the backup file
from disk. For backups on SBT devices, the RMAN DELETE command instructs the
media manager to delete the backup pieces or proxy copies on tape. In either case,
RMAN updates the RMAN repository to reflect the deletion.

Overview of RMAN Deletion
Every RMAN backup produces a corresponding record in the RMAN repository. This
record is stored in the control file. If a recovery catalog is used, then the record can also
be found in the recovery catalog after the recovery catalog is resynchronized from the
control file. For example, if you generate a full database backup set, then you can view
the record for this backup set in V$BACKUP_SET. If you use a recovery catalog, then you
can also access the record in the RC_BACKUP_SET catalog view.
Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records

12-17

Deleting RMAN Backups and Archived Redo Logs

The V$ control file views and recovery catalog views differ in the way that they store
information, and this affects how RMAN handles repository records. The recovery
catalog RMAN repository is stored in actual database tables, while the control file
version of the repository is stored in an internal structure in the control file.
When you use an RMAN command to delete a backup or archived redo log file,
RMAN does the following:
■

Removes the physical file from the operating system (if the file is still present)

■

Updates the file records in the control file to status DELETED

■

Removes the file records from the recovery catalog tables (if RMAN is connected
to a recovery catalog)

Because of the way that control file data is stored, RMAN cannot remove the record
from the control file, only update it to DELETED status. Because the recovery catalog
tables are ordinary database tables, however, RMAN deletes rows from them in the
same way that rows are deleted from any table.

RMAN Deletion Commands
Table 12–1 describes the RMAN commands that can delete backups.
Table 12–1

RMAN Deletion Commands

Command

Purpose

DELETE

To delete backups, update the control file records to status DELETED, and remove their
records from the recovery catalog (if a recovery catalog is used).
You can specify that DELETE should remove backups that are EXPIRED or OBSOLETE. If you
run DELETE EXPIRED on a backup that exists, then RMAN issues a warning and does not
delete the backup. If you use the DELETE command with the optional FORCE keyword, then
RMAN deletes the specified backups, but ignores any I/O errors, including those that
occur when a backup is missing from disk or tape. It then updates the RMAN repository
to reflect the fact that the backup is deleted, regardless of whether RMAN was able to
delete the file or whether the file was missing.
RMAN uses all configured channels to perform the deletion. If you use DELETE for files on
devices that are not configured for automatic channels, then you must first use ALLOCATE
CHANNEL FOR MAINTENANCE command. For example, if you made a backup with the SBT
channel, but only a disk channel is configured, then you must manually allocate an SBT
channel for DELETE. An automatic or manually allocated maintenance channel is required
when you use DELETE command on a disk-only file.
To back up archived logs, data file copies, or backup sets, then delete the input files from
the operating system after the successful completion of the backup. RMAN also deletes
and updates repository records for the deleted input files.

BACKUP ... DELETE
[ALL] INPUT

If you specify DELETE INPUT (without ALL), then RMAN deletes only the specific files that
it backs up. If you specify ALL INPUT, then RMAN deletes all copies of the files recorded
in the RMAN repository.
CHANGE ... UNCATALOG

To delete recovery catalog records for specified backups and change their control file
records to status DELETED. The CHANGE ... UNCATALOG command only changes the RMAN
repository record of backups, and does not actually delete backups.

The RMAN repository record for an object can sometimes fail to reflect the physical
status of the object. For example, you back up an archived redo log to disk and then
use an operating system utility to delete it. If you run DELETE without first running
CROSSCHECK, then the repository erroneously lists the log as AVAILABLE. See Oracle
Database Backup and Recovery Reference for a description of DELETE behavior when
mismatches occur between the RMAN repository and physical media.

12-18 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Deleting RMAN Backups and Archived Redo Logs

If you run RMAN interactively, then RMAN asks for confirmation before deleting any
files. You can suppress these confirmations by using the NOPROMPT keyword with any
form of the BACKUP command:
DELETE NOPROMPT ARCHIVELOG ALL;

Deletion of Archived Redo Logs
As explained in "Basic Concepts of Backup and Repository Maintenance" on page 12-2,
the recommended maintenance strategy is to configure a fast recovery area, a backup
retention policy, and an archived redo log deletion policy. By default, the archived
redo logs deletion policy is configured to NONE. In this case, the fast recovery area
considers the logs eligible for deletion if they have been backed up at least once to disk
or tape or the logs are obsolete according to the backup retention policy.
Archived redo logs can be deleted automatically by the database or by any of the
user-initiated RMAN commands listed in Table 12–1. For logs in the recovery area, the
database retains them as long as possible and automatically deletes eligible logs when
disk space is required. You can delete eligible logs from any location, inside or outside
the recovery area, with BACKUP ... DELETE INPUT or DELETE ARCHIVELOG. Both of
these commands obey the archive redo log deletion policy when the policy is any
setting other than NONE. You can override the archived redo log deletion policy settings
by using the FORCE option in the DELETE command.
See Also:
■
■

"Configuring an Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy" on page 5-27
The CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY entry in Oracle
Database Backup and Recovery Reference for detailed information
about policy options

Deleting All Backups and Copies
In some circumstances, you may need to delete all backup sets, proxy copies, and
image copies associated with a database. For example, you no longer need a database
and want to remove all related files from the system. An image copy is a file generated
with BACKUP AS COPY command, a log archived by the database, or a file cataloged
with the CATALOG command.
To delete all backups and copies:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

If necessary, allocate maintenance channels for the devices containing the backups
to be deleted.
As explained in Table 12–1, RMAN uses all configured channels to perform the
deletion. If channels are configured, then you do not need to manually allocate
maintenance channels.

3.

Crosscheck the backups and copies to ensure that the logical records are
synchronized with the physical media.
CROSSCHECK BACKUP;
CROSSCHECK COPY;

4.

Delete the backups and copies.
For example, enter the following commands and then enter YES when prompted:
DELETE BACKUP;

Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records

12-19

Deleting RMAN Backups and Archived Redo Logs

DELETE COPY;

If disk and tape channels are configured, then RMAN uses both the configured
SBT channel and the preconfigured disk channel when deleting. RMAN prompts
you for confirmation before deleting any files.

Deleting Specified Backups and Copies
You can use both the DELETE and BACKUP ... DELETE commands to delete specific
backups and copies. The BACKUP ... DELETE command backs up the files first,
typically to tape, and then deletes the input files afterward.
The DELETE command supports a wide range of options to identify objects to delete.
For complete information about these options, see Oracle Database Backup and Recovery
Reference. When deleting archived redo logs, RMAN uses the configured settings to
determine whether a log can be deleted (see "Configuring an Archived Redo Log
Deletion Policy" on page 5-27).
To delete specified backups and copies:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

If necessary, allocate maintenance channels for the devices containing the backups
to be deleted.
As explained in Table 12–1, RMAN uses all configured channels to perform the
deletion. If channels are configured, then you do not need to manually allocate
maintenance channels.

3.

Delete the specified backups and copies.
The following examples show many of the common ways to specify backups and
archived logs to delete with the DELETE command:
■

Deleting backups using primary keys from LIST output:
DELETE BACKUPPIECE 101;

■

Deleting backups by file name on disk:
DELETE CONTROLFILECOPY '/tmp/control01.ctl';

■

Deleting archived redo logs:
DELETE NOPROMPT ARCHIVELOG UNTIL SEQUENCE 300;

■

Deleting backups based on tags:
DELETE BACKUP TAG 'before_upgrade';

■

Delete backups based on the objects backed up and the media or disk location
where the backup is stored:
DELETE BACKUP OF TABLESPACE users DEVICE TYPE sbt; # delete only from tape
DELETE COPY OF CONTROLFILE LIKE '/tmp/%';

■

Delete backups and archived redo logs from disk based on whether they are
backed up on tape:
DELETE ARCHIVELOG ALL
BACKED UP 3 TIMES TO sbt;

12-20 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Deleting RMAN Backups and Archived Redo Logs

Deleting Specified Files with BACKUP ... DELETE
You can use BACKUP ... DELETE to back up archived redo logs, data file copies, or
backup sets and then delete the input files after successfully backing them up.
Specifying the DELETE INPUT option is equivalent to issuing the DELETE command for
the input files. As explained in "Configuring an Archived Redo Log Deletion Policy"
on page 5-27, RMAN uses the configured settings to determine whether an archived
redo log can be deleted.
The ALL option in the DELETE ALL INPUT clause applies only to archived redo logs. If
you run BACKUP ... DELETE ALL INPUT, then the command deletes all copies of
corresponding archived redo logs or data file copies that match the selection criteria in
the BACKUP command.

Deleting Expired RMAN Backups and Copies
If you run CROSSCHECK, and if RMAN cannot locate the files, then it updates their
records in the RMAN repository to EXPIRED status. You can then use the DELETE
EXPIRED command to remove records of expired backups and copies from the RMAN
repository.
The DELETE EXPIRED command issues warnings if any files marked as EXPIRED
actually exist. In rare cases, the repository can mark a file as EXPIRED even though it
exists. For example, a directory containing a file is corrupted at the time of the
crosscheck, but is later repaired, or the media manager was not configured properly
and reported some backups as not existing when they really existed.
To delete expired repository records:
If you have not performed a crosscheck recently, then issue a CROSSCHECK
command. For example, issue:

1.

CROSSCHECK BACKUP;
2.

Delete the expired backups. For example, issue:
DELETE EXPIRED BACKUP;

Deleting Obsolete RMAN Backups Based on Retention Policies
The RMAN DELETE command supports an OBSOLETE option, which deletes backups
that are no longer needed to satisfy specified recoverability requirements. You can
delete files that are obsolete according to the configured default retention policy, or
another retention policy that you specify as an option to the DELETE OBSOLETE
command. As with other forms of the DELETE command, the files deleted are removed
from backup media, deleted from the recovery catalog, and marked as DELETED in the
control file.
If you specify the DELETE OBSOLETE command with no arguments, then RMAN deletes
all obsolete backups defined by the configured retention policy. For example:
DELETE OBSOLETE;

DELETE OBSOLETE Behavior When KEEP UNTIL TIME Expires
If the KEEP UNTIL TIME period has not expired for an archival backup, RMAN does not
consider the backup as obsolete. As soon as the KEEP UNTIL period expires, however,
the backup is immediately considered to be obsolete, regardless of any configured
backup retention policy. Thus, DELETE OBSOLETE deletes any backup created with
BACKUP ... KEEP UNTIL TIME if the KEEP time has expired.

Maintaining RMAN Backups and Repository Records

12-21

Dropping a Database

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
keepOption syntax
See Also:

Dropping a Database
To remove a database from the operating system, you can use the DROP DATABASE
command in RMAN. RMAN removes the server parameter file (if one is used for the
database), all datafiles, online redo logs, and control files belonging to the target
database.
DROP DATABASE requires that RMAN be connected to the target database, and that the
target database be mounted. The command does not require connection to the
recovery catalog. If RMAN is connected to the recovery catalog, and if you specify the
option INCLUDE COPIES AND BACKUPS, then RMAN also unregisters the database.
To delete a database:
Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).

1.
2.

Catalog all backups that are associated with the database. For example, the
following commands catalog files in the fast recovery area, and then in a
secondary archiving destination:
CATALOG START WITH '+disk1';
# all files from recovery area on ASM disk
CATALOG START WITH '/arch_dest2'; # all files from second archiving location

3.

Delete all backups and copies associated with the database. For example:
DELETE BACKUPSET; # deletes all backups
DELETE COPY; # deletes all image copies (including archived logs)

4.

Remove the database from the operating system.
The following command deletes the database and automatically unregisters it
from the recovery catalog (if used). RMAN prompts for confirmation.
DROP DATABASE;

See Also:
■

■

"Dropping a Database with SQL*Plus" on page 30-16 to learn
how to use the SQL DROP DATABASE statement
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for the RMAN
DROP DATABASE command syntax

12-22 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

13
13

Managing a Recovery Catalog

This chapter explains how to manage an RMAN recovery catalog. The catalog is a
database schema that contains the RMAN repository data for one or more target
databases. This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Overview of the Recovery Catalog

■

Creating a Recovery Catalog

■

Registering a Database in the Recovery Catalog

■

Cataloging Backups in the Recovery Catalog

■

Creating and Managing Virtual Private Catalogs

■

Protecting the Recovery Catalog

■

Managing Stored Scripts

■

Maintaining a Recovery Catalog

■

Dropping a Recovery Catalog
See Also:
■

■

Chapter 12, "Maintaining RMAN Backups and
Repository Records"to learn how to manage the RMAN
repository as stored in the control file, without a recovery
catalog
The compatibility matrix in Oracle Database Backup and Recovery
Reference for descriptions of supported interoperability
scenarios

Overview of the Recovery Catalog
This section explains the basic concepts related to managing a recovery catalog.

Purpose of the Recovery Catalog
A recovery catalog is a database schema used by RMAN to store metadata about one
or more Oracle databases. Typically, you store the catalog in a dedicated database. A
recovery catalog provides the following benefits:
■

A recovery catalog creates redundancy for the RMAN repository stored in the
control file of each target database. The recovery catalog serves as a secondary
metadata repository. If the target control file and all backups are lost, then the
RMAN metadata still exists in the recovery catalog.

Managing a Recovery Catalog

13-1

Overview of the Recovery Catalog

■

■

A recovery catalog centralizes metadata for all your target databases. Storing the
metadata in a single place makes reporting and administration tasks easier to
perform.
A recovery catalog can store metadata history much longer than the control file.
This capability is useful if you must do a recovery that goes further back in time
than the history in the control file. The added complexity of managing a recovery
catalog database can be offset by the convenience of having the extended backup
history available.

Some RMAN features function only when you use a recovery catalog. For example,
you can store RMAN scripts in a recovery catalog. The chief advantage of a stored
script is that it is available to any RMAN client that can connect to the target database
and recovery catalog. Command files are only available if the RMAN client has access
to the file system on which they are stored.
A recovery catalog is required when you use RMAN in a Data Guard environment. By
storing backup metadata for all primary and standby databases, the catalog enables
you to offload backup tasks to one standby database while enabling you to restore
backups on other databases in the environment.

Basic Concepts for the Recovery Catalog
The recovery catalog contains metadata about RMAN operations for each registered
target database. When RMAN is connected to a recovery catalog, RMAN obtains its
metadata exclusively from the catalog. The catalog includes the following types of
metadata:
■

Data file and archived redo log backup sets and backup pieces

■

Data file copies

■

Archived redo logs and their copies

■

Database structure (tablespaces and datafiles)

■

Stored scripts, which are named user-created sequences of RMAN commands

■

Persistent RMAN configuration settings

Database Registration
The process of enrolling of a database in a recovery catalog for RMAN use is called
registration. The recommended practice is to register every target database in your
environment in a single recovery catalog. For example, you can register databases
prod1, prod2, and prod3 in a single catalog owned by catowner in the database catdb.
See Also:

"Registering a Database in the Recovery Catalog" on

page 13-7

Centralization of Metadata in a Base Recovery Catalog
The owner of a centralized recovery catalog, which is also called the base recovery
catalog, can grant or revoke restricted access to the catalog to other database users.
Each restricted user has full read/write access to his own metadata, which is called a
virtual private catalog. The RMAN metadata is stored in the schema of the virtual
private catalog owner. The owner of the base recovery catalog determines which
objects each virtual private catalog user can access.
You can use a recovery catalog in an environment in which you use or have used
different versions of Oracle Database. As a result, your environment can have different

13-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Overview of the Recovery Catalog

versions of the RMAN client, recovery catalog database, recovery catalog schema, and
target database. "Importing and Moving a Recovery Catalog" on page 13-31 explains
how to merge multiple recovery catalog schemas into one.
See Also: "Creating and Managing Virtual Private Catalogs" on
page 13-9

Recovery Catalog Resynchronization
For RMAN operations such as backup, restore, and crosscheck, RMAN always first
updates the control file and then propagates the metadata to the recovery catalog. This
flow of metadata from the mounted control file to the recovery catalog, which is
known as recovery catalog resynchronization, ensures that the metadata that RMAN
obtains from the control file is current.
See Also:

"Resynchronizing the Recovery Catalog" on page 13-22

Stored Scripts
You can use a stored script as an alternative to a command file for managing
frequently used sequences of RMAN commands. The script is stored in the recovery
catalog rather than on the file system.
A local stored script is associated with the target database to which RMAN is
connected when the script is created, and can only be executed when you are
connected to this target database. A global stored script can be run against any
database registered in the recovery catalog. A virtual private catalog user has
read-only access to global scripts. Creating or updating global scripts must be done
while connected to the base recovery catalog.
See Also:

"Managing Stored Scripts" on page 13-15

Recovery Catalog in a Data Guard Environment
As explained in "RMAN in a Data Guard Environment" on page 3-7, you must use a
recovery catalog to manage RMAN metadata for all physical databases, both primary
and standby databases, in the Data Guard environment. RMAN uses the recovery
catalog as the single source of truth for the Data Guard environment.
RMAN can use the recovery catalog to update a primary or standby control file in a
reverse resynchronization. In this case, the metadata flows from the catalog to the
control file rather than the other way around. RMAN automatically performs
resynchronizations in most situations in which they are needed. Thus, you should not
need to use the RESYNC command to manually resynchronize very often.
See Also: Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how
to configure the RMAN environment for use with a standby database

Basic Steps of Managing a Recovery Catalog
The basic steps for setting up a recovery catalog for use by RMAN are as follows:
1.

Create the recovery catalog.
"Creating a Recovery Catalog" on page 13-4 explains how to perform this task.

2.

Register your target databases in the recovery catalog.
This step enables RMAN to store metadata for the target databases in the recovery
catalog. "Registering a Database in the Recovery Catalog" on page 13-7 explains
this task.
Managing a Recovery Catalog

13-3

Creating a Recovery Catalog

3.

If needed, catalog any older backups whose records are no longer stored in the
target control file.
"Cataloging Backups in the Recovery Catalog" on page 13-9 explains how to
perform this task.

4.

If needed, create virtual private catalogs for specific users and determine the
metadata to which they are permitted access.
"Creating and Managing Virtual Private Catalogs" on page 13-9 explains how to
perform this task.

5.

Protect the recovery catalog by including it in your backup and recovery strategy.
"Protecting the Recovery Catalog" on page 13-13 explains how to back up and
recover the catalog and increase its availability.

The remainder of the chapter explains how to manage the recovery catalog after it is
operational. You can perform the following tasks:
■

■

■

"Managing Stored Scripts" on page 13-15 explains how to store RMAN scripts in
the recovery catalog and manage them.
Chapter 11, "Reporting on RMAN Operations" explains how to report on RMAN
operations. You can use the LIST and REPORT commands with or without a
recovery catalog. "Querying Recovery Catalog Views" on page 11-16 explains how
to report on RMAN operations with fixed views in the recovery catalog.
"Maintaining a Recovery Catalog" on page 13-21 explains a variety of tasks for
ongoing recovery catalog maintenance, including how to import one recovery
catalog into another recovery catalog.

If you no longer want to maintain a recovery catalog, then see "Dropping a Recovery
Catalog" on page 13-33.

Creating a Recovery Catalog
This section explains the phases of recovery catalog creation. This section contains the
following topics:
■

Configuring the Recovery Catalog Database

■

Creating the Recovery Catalog Schema Owner

■

Executing the CREATE CATALOG Command

Configuring the Recovery Catalog Database
When you use a recovery catalog, RMAN requires that you maintain a recovery
catalog schema. The recovery catalog is stored in the default tablespace of the schema.
The SYS user cannot be the owner of the recovery catalog.
Decide which database you will use to install the recovery catalog schema, and also
how you will back up this database. Also, decide whether to operate the catalog
database in ARCHIVELOG mode, which is recommended.
Do not use the target database to be backed up as the database
for the recovery catalog. The recovery catalog must be protected if the
target database is lost.

Note:

13-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Creating a Recovery Catalog

Planning the Size of the Recovery Catalog Schema
You must allocate space to be used by the catalog schema. The size of the recovery
catalog schema depends upon the number of databases monitored by the catalog. The
schema also grows as the number of archived redo log files and backups for each
database increases. Finally, if you use RMAN stored scripts stored in the catalog, some
space must be allocated for those scripts.
For example, assume that the trgt database has 100 files, and that you back up the
database once a day, producing 50 backup sets containing 1 backup piece each. If you
assume that each row in the backup piece table uses the maximum amount of space,
then one daily backup consumes less than 170 kilobytes in the recovery catalog. So, if
you back up once a day for a year, then the total storage in this period is about 62
megabytes. Assume approximately the same amount for archived logs. Thus, the
worst case is about 120 megabytes for a year for metadata storage. For a more typical
case in which only a portion of the backup piece row space is used, 15 MB for each
year is realistic.
If you plan to register multiple databases in your recovery catalog, then remember to
add up the space required for each one based on the previous calculation to arrive at a
total size for the default tablespace of the recovery catalog schema.

Allocating Disk Space for the Recovery Catalog Database
If you are creating your recovery catalog in an existing database, then add enough
room to hold the default tablespace for the recovery catalog schema. If you are creating
a new database to hold your recovery catalog, then in addition to the space for the
recovery catalog schema itself, allow space for other files in the recovery catalog
database:
■

SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces

■

Temporary tablespaces

■

Undo tablespaces

■

Online redo log files

Most of the space used in the recovery catalog database is devoted to supporting
tablespaces, for example, the SYSTEM, temporary, and undo tablespaces. Table 13–1
describes typical space requirements.
Table 13–1

Typical Recovery Catalog Space Requirements for 1 Year

Type of Space

Space Requirement

SYSTEM tablespace

90 MB

Temp tablespace

5 MB

Rollback or undo tablespace

5 MB

Recovery catalog tablespace

15 MB for each database registered in the recovery catalog

Online redo logs

1 MB each (three groups, each with two members)

Caution: Ensure that the recovery catalog and target databases do
not reside on the same disk. If both your recovery catalog and your
target database suffer hard disk failure, then your recovery process
is much more difficult. If possible, take other measures as well to
eliminate common points of failure between your recovery catalog
database and the databases that you are backing up.

Managing a Recovery Catalog

13-5

Creating a Recovery Catalog

Creating the Recovery Catalog Schema Owner
After choosing the recovery catalog database and creating the necessary space, you are
ready to create the owner of the recovery catalog and grant this user necessary
privileges. Assume the following background information for the instructions in the
following sections:
■
■

■

User SYS has SYSDBA privileges on the recovery catalog database catdb.
A tablespace called tools in the recovery catalog database catdb stores the
recovery catalog. If you use an RMAN reserved word as a tablespace name, you
must enclose it in quotes and put it in uppercase. (See Oracle Database Backup and
Recovery Reference for a list of RMAN reserved words.)
A tablespace called temp exists in the recovery catalog database.

To create the recovery catalog schema in the recovery catalog database:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect with administrator privileges to the database
containing the recovery catalog. In this example, the database is catdb.
2.

Create a user and schema for the recovery catalog. For example, you could enter
the following SQL statement (replacing password with a user-defined password):
CREATE USER rman IDENTIFIED BY password
TEMPORARY TABLESPACE temp
DEFAULT TABLESPACE tools
QUOTA UNLIMITED ON tools;

Note: Create a password that is secure. See Oracle Database Security
Guide for more information.
3.

Grant the RECOVERY_CATALOG_OWNER role to the schema owner. This role provides
the user with all privileges required to maintain and query the recovery catalog.
GRANT RECOVERY_CATALOG_OWNER TO rman;

Executing the CREATE CATALOG Command
After creating the catalog owner, create the catalog tables with the RMAN CREATE
CATALOG command. The command creates the catalog in the default tablespace of the
catalog owner.
To create the recovery catalog:
1. Start RMAN and connect to the database that will contain the catalog. Connect to
the database as the recovery catalog owner.
2.

Run the CREATE CATALOG command to create the catalog. The creation of the catalog
can take several minutes. If the catalog tablespace is this user's default tablespace,
then you can run the following command:
RMAN> CREATE CATALOG;

You can specify the tablespace name for the catalog in the CREATE CATALOG
command. For example:
RMAN> CREATE CATALOG TABLESPACE cat_tbs;

13-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Registering a Database in the Recovery Catalog

Note: If the tablespace name that you want to use for the recovery
catalog is an RMAN reserved word, then it must be uppercase and
enclosed in quotes. For example:
CREATE CATALOG TABLESPACE 'CATALOG';

3.

You can check the results by using SQL*Plus to query the recovery catalog to see
which tables were created:
SQL> SELECT TABLE_NAME FROM USER_TABLES;

See Also: Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the SQL
syntax for the GRANT and CREATE USER statements, and Oracle
Database Backup and Recovery Reference for CREATE CATALOG
command syntax

Registering a Database in the Recovery Catalog
This section describes how to maintain target database records in the recovery catalog.
It contains the following sections:
■

About Registration of a Database in the Recovery Catalog

■

Registering a Database with the REGISTER DATABASE Command

About Registration of a Database in the Recovery Catalog
The process of enrolling of a target database in a recovery catalog is called
registration. If a target database is not registered in the recovery catalog, then RMAN
cannot use the catalog to store metadata for operations on this database. You can still
perform RMAN operations on an unregistered database: RMAN always stores its
metadata in the control file of the target database.
If you are not using the recovery catalog in a Data Guard environment, then use the
REGISTER command to register each database. Each database must have a unique
DBID. If you use the RMAN DUPLICATE command or the CREATE DATABASE statement
in SQL, then the database is assigned a unique DBID automatically. If you create a
database by other means, then the copied database may have the same DBID as its
source database. You can change the DBID with the DBNEWID utility so that you can
register the source and copy databases in the same catalog.
You can use the UNREGISTER command to unregister a database from the recovery
catalog.

About Standby Database Registration
In a Data Guard environment, the primary and standby databases share the same
DBID and database name. To be eligible for registration in the recovery catalog, each
database in the Data Guard environment must have different DB_UNIQUE_NAME values.
The DB_UNIQUE_NAME parameter for a database is set in its initialization parameter file.
If you use RMAN in a Data Guard environment, then you can use the REGISTER
DATABASE command only for the primary database. You can use the following
techniques to register a standby database in the recovery catalog:
■

When you connect to a standby database as TARGET, RMAN automatically registers
the database in the recovery catalog.

Managing a Recovery Catalog

13-7

Registering a Database in the Recovery Catalog

■

When you run the CONFIGURE DB_UNIQUE_NAME command for a standby database
that is not known to the recovery catalog, RMAN automatically registers this
standby database if its primary database is registered.
See Also:
■

■

■

■

"Unregistering a Target Database from the Recovery Catalog"
on page 13-26
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for DUPLICATE
command syntax
Oracle Database Utilities to learn how to use the DBNEWID utility
to change the DBID
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn about
using RMAN in a Data Guard environment

Registering a Database with the REGISTER DATABASE Command
The first step in using a recovery catalog with a target database is registering the target
database in the recovery catalog. If you use the catalog in a Data Guard environment,
then you can only register the primary database in this way.
Use the following procedure:
1.

Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog. The recovery
catalog database must be open.
For example, issue the following command to connect to the catalog database with
the net service name catdb as user rman (who owns the catalog schema):
% rman TARGET / CATALOG rman@catdb

2.

If the target database is not mounted, then mount or open it:
STARTUP MOUNT;

3.

Register the target database in the connected recovery catalog:
REGISTER DATABASE;

RMAN creates rows in the catalog tables to contain information about the target
database, then copies all pertinent data about the target database from the control
file into the catalog, synchronizing the catalog with the control file.
4.

Verify that the registration was successful by running REPORT SCHEMA:
REPORT SCHEMA;
Report of database schema
File Size(MB)
Tablespace
RB segs
---- ---------- ---------------- ------1
307200 SYSTEM
NO
2
20480 UNDOTBS
YES
3
10240 CWMLITE
NO
4
10240 DRSYS
NO
5
10240 EXAMPLE
NO
6
10240 INDX
NO
7
10240 TOOLS
NO
8
10240 USERS
NO

13-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Datafile Name
------------------/oracle/oradata/trgt/system01.dbf
/oracle/oradata/trgt/undotbs01.dbf
/oracle/oradata/trgt/cwmlite01.dbf
/oracle/oradata/trgt/drsys01.dbf
/oracle/oradata/trgt/example01.dbf
/oracle/oradata/trgt/indx01.dbf
/oracle/oradata/trgt/tools01.dbf
/oracle/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf

Creating and Managing Virtual Private Catalogs

Cataloging Backups in the Recovery Catalog
If you have data file copies, backup pieces, or archived logs on disk, then you can
catalog them in the recovery catalog with the CATALOG command. When using a
recovery catalog, cataloging older backups that have aged out of the control file lets
RMAN use the older backups during restore operations. The following commands
illustrate this technique:
CATALOG DATAFILECOPY '/disk1/old_datafiles/01_01_2003/users01.dbf';
CATALOG ARCHIVELOG '/disk1/arch_logs/archive1_731.dbf',
'/disk1/arch_logs/archive1_732.dbf';
CATALOG BACKUPPIECE '/disk1/backups/backup_820.bkp';

You can also catalog multiple backup files in a directory at once by using the CATALOG
START WITH command, as shown in the following example:
CATALOG START WITH '/disk1/backups/';

RMAN lists the files to be added to the RMAN repository and prompts for
confirmation before adding the backups. Be careful when creating your prefix with
CATALOG START WITH. RMAN scans all paths for all files on disk that begin with the
specified prefix. The prefix is not just a directory name. Using the wrong prefix can
cause the cataloging of the wrong set of files.
For example, assume that a group of directories /disk1/backups,
/disk1/backups-year2003, /disk1/backupsets, and /disk1/backupsets/test and so
on, all contain backup files. The following command catalogs all files in all of these
directories, because /disk1/backups is a prefix for the paths for all of these directories:
CATALOG START WITH '/disk1/backups';

To catalog only backups in the /disk1/backups directory, the correct command would
be as follows:
CATALOG START WITH '/disk1/backups/';

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for REGISTER
syntax
Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for issues relating to database
migration

Creating and Managing Virtual Private Catalogs
About Virtual Private Catalogs
By default, all of the users of an RMAN recovery catalog have full privileges to insert,
update, and delete any metadata in the catalog. For example, if the administrators of
two unrelated databases share the same recovery catalog, each administrator could,
whether inadvertently or maliciously, destroy catalog data for the other's database. In
many enterprises, this situation is tolerated because the same people manage many
different databases and also manage the recovery catalog. But in other enterprises
where clear separation of duty exists between administrators of various databases, and
between the DBA and the administrator of the recovery catalog, you may desire to
restrict each database administrator to modify only backup metadata belonging to
those databases that they are responsible for, while still keeping the benefits of a
Managing a Recovery Catalog

13-9

Creating and Managing Virtual Private Catalogs

single, centrally-managed, RMAN recovery catalog. This goal can be achieved by
implementing virtual private catalogs.
Every 11g recovery catalog supports virtual private catalogs, but they are not used
unless explicitly created. There is no restriction to the number of virtual private
catalogs that can created beneath one recovery catalog. Each virtual private catalog is
owned by a database schema user which is different than the user who owns the
recovery catalog.
After creating one or more virtual private catalogs, using the directions that follow, the
administrator for the recovery catalog grants each virtual private catalog the privilege
to use that catalog for one or more databases that are currently registered in the
recovery catalog. The administrator of the recovery catalog can also grant the privilege
to register new databases while using a virtual private catalog.
Every virtual private catalog has access to all global stored
scripts and those non-global stored scripts that belong to those
databases for which this virtual private catalog has privileges. Virtual
private catalogs cannot access non-global stored scripts that belong to
databases that they do not have privileges for, and they cannot create
global stored scripts.

Note:

The basic steps for creating a virtual private catalog are as follows:
1.

Create the database user who will own the virtual private catalog (if this user does
not exist) and grant this user access privileges.
This task is described in "Creating and Granting Privileges to a Virtual Private
Catalog Owner" on page 13-10.

2.

Create the virtual private catalog.
This task is described in "Creating a Virtual Private Catalog" on page 13-11.

After the virtual private catalog is created, you can revoke catalog access privileges as
necessary. This task is described in "Revoking Privileges from a Virtual Private Catalog
Owner" on page 13-12. "Dropping a Virtual Private Catalog" on page 13-12 explains
how to drop a virtual private catalog.
If the recovery catalog is a virtual private catalog, then the RMAN client connecting to
it must be at patch level 10.1.0.6 or 10.2.0.3. Oracle9i RMAN clients cannot connect to a
virtual private catalog. This version restriction does not affect RMAN client
connections to an Oracle Database 11g base recovery catalog, even if it has some
virtual private catalog users.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for details
about RMAN version compatibility

Creating and Granting Privileges to a Virtual Private Catalog Owner
This section assumes that you created the base recovery catalog.
Assume that the following databases are registered in the base recovery catalog: prod1,
prod2, and prod3. The database user who owns the base recovery catalog is catowner.
You want to create database user vpc1 and grant this user access privileges only to
prod1 and prod2. By default, a virtual private catalog owner has no access to the base
recovery catalog.

13-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Creating and Managing Virtual Private Catalogs

To create and grant privileges to a virtual private catalog owner:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the recovery catalog database with administrator
privileges.
2.

If the user that will own the virtual private catalog does not exist, then create the
user.
For example, if you want to create database user vpc1 to own the catalog, then you
could execute the following command (replacing password with a user-defined
password):
SQL> CREATE USER vpc1 IDENTIFIED BY password
2 DEFAULT TABLESPACE vpcusers
3 QUOTA UNLIMITED ON vpcusers;

Note: Create a password that is secure. See Oracle Database Security
Guide for more information.
3.

Grant the RECOVERY_CATALOG_OWNER role to the database user that will own the
virtual private catalog, and then exit SQL*Plus.
The following example grants the role to user vpc1:
SQL> GRANT recovery_catalog_owner TO vpc1;
SQL> EXIT;

4.

Start RMAN and connect to the recovery catalog database as the base recovery
catalog owner (not the virtual private catalog owner).
The following example connects to the base recovery catalog as catowner:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT CATALOG catowner@catdb;
recovery catalog database Password: password
connected to recovery catalog database

5.

Grant desired privileges to the virtual private catalog owner.
The following example gives user vpc1 access to the metadata for prod1 and prod2
(but not prod3):
RMAN> GRANT CATALOG FOR DATABASE prod1 TO vpc1;
RMAN> GRANT CATALOG FOR DATABASE prod2 TO vpc1;

You can also use a DBID rather than a database name. The virtual private catalog
user does not have access to the metadata for any other databases registered in the
recovery catalog.
You can also grant the user the ability to register new target databases in the
recovery catalog. For example:
RMAN> GRANT REGISTER DATABASE TO vpc1;

Creating a Virtual Private Catalog
This section assumes that the virtual private catalog owner has been given the
RECOVERY_CATALOG_OWNER database role. Also, the base recovery catalog owner used
the GRANT command to give the virtual private catalog owner access to metadata in the
base recovery catalog.

Managing a Recovery Catalog 13-11

Creating and Managing Virtual Private Catalogs

To create a virtual private catalog:
1. Start RMAN and connect to the recovery catalog database as the virtual private
catalog owner (not the base recovery catalog owner).
The following example connects to the recovery catalog as vpc1:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT CATALOG vpc1@catdb;
2.

Create the virtual private catalog.
The following command creates the virtual private catalog:
RMAN> CREATE VIRTUAL CATALOG;

3.

If you intend to use a 10.2 or earlier release of RMAN with this virtual private
catalog, then execute the following PL/SQL procedure (where base_catalog_owner
is the database user who owns the base recovery catalog):
SQL> EXECUTE base_catalog_owner.DBMS_RCVCAT.CREATE_VIRTUAL_CATALOG;

Revoking Privileges from a Virtual Private Catalog Owner
This section assumes that you have created a virtual private catalog.
Assume that two databases are registered in the base recovery catalog: prod1 and
prod2. As owner of the base recovery catalog, you have granted the vpc1 user access
privileges to prod1. You have also granted this user the right to register databases in
his virtual private catalog. Now you want to revoke privileges from vpc1.
To revoke privileges from a virtual private catalog owner:
1. Start RMAN and connect to the recovery catalog database as the recovery catalog
owner (not the virtual private catalog owner).
The following example connects to the recovery catalog as catowner:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT CATALOG catowner@catdb;
2.

Revoke specified privileges from the virtual private catalog owner.
The following command revokes access to the metadata for prod1 from virtual
private catalog owner vpc1:
REVOKE CATALOG FOR DATABASE prod1 FROM vpc1;

You can also specify a DBID rather than a database name. The catalog vpc1 retains
all other granted catalog privileges.
You can also revoke the privilege to register new target databases in the recovery
catalog. For example:
REVOKE REGISTER DATABASE FROM vpc1;

Dropping a Virtual Private Catalog
This section assumes that you have created a virtual private catalog and now want to
drop it. When you drop a virtual private catalog, you do not remove the base recovery
catalog itself, but only drop the synonyms and views that refer to the base recovery
catalog.

13-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Protecting the Recovery Catalog

To drop a virtual private catalog:
1. Start RMAN and connect to the recovery catalog database as the virtual private
catalog owner (not the base recovery catalog owner).
The following example connects to the recovery catalog as user vpc1:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT CATALOG vpc1@catdb;
2.

Drop the catalog.
If you are using an Oracle Database 11g or later RMAN executable, then drop the
virtual private catalog with the DROP CATALOG command:
RMAN> DROP CATALOG;

If you are using an Oracle Database 10g or earlier RMAN executable, then you
cannot use the DROP CATALOG command. Instead, connect SQL*Plus to the catalog
database as the virtual private catalog user, then execute the following PL/SQL
procedure (where base_catalog_owner is the database user who owns the base
recovery catalog):
SQL> EXECUTE base_catalog_owner.DBMS_RCVCAT.DELETE_VIRTUAL_CATALOG;

Protecting the Recovery Catalog
Include the recovery catalog database in your backup and recovery strategy. If you do
not back up the recovery catalog and a disk failure occurs that destroys the recovery
catalog database, then you may lose the metadata in the catalog. Without the recovery
catalog contents, recovery of your other databases is likely to be more difficult.

Backing Up the Recovery Catalog
A single recovery catalog can store metadata for multiple target databases.
Consequently, loss of the recovery catalog can be disastrous. You should back up the
recovery catalog frequently. This section provides general guidelines for developing a
strategy for protecting the recovery catalog.

Backing Up the Recovery Catalog Frequently
The recovery catalog database is a database like any other, and is also a key part of
your backup and recovery strategy. Protect the recovery catalog as you would protect
any other part of your database, by backing it up. The backup strategy for your
recovery catalog database should be part of your overall backup and recovery strategy.
Back up the recovery catalog with the same frequency that you back up a target
database. For example, if you make a weekly whole database backup of a target
database, then back up the recovery catalog after the backup of the target database.
This backup of the recovery catalog can help you in a disaster recovery scenario. Even
if you must restore the recovery catalog database with a control file autobackup, you
can use the full record of backups in your restored recovery catalog database to restore
the target database.

Choosing the Appropriate Technique for Physical Backups
When backing up the recovery catalog database, you can use RMAN to make the
backups. As illustrated in Figure 13–1, start RMAN with the NOCATALOG option so that
the repository for RMAN is the control file in the catalog database.

Managing a Recovery Catalog 13-13

Protecting the Recovery Catalog

Figure 13–1 Using the Control File as the Repository for Backups of the Recovery
Catalog

Back up using
RMAN

Target
database

Store metadata about
backups of target

Catalog
database
catalog

Store metadata
about backups
of catalog

Control
file

Back up
using RMAN
Control file
autobackup

Follow these guidelines when developing an RMAN backup strategy for the recovery
catalog database:
■

Run the recovery catalog database in ARCHIVELOG mode so that you can do
point-in-time recovery if needed.

■

Set the retention policy to a REDUNDANCY value greater than 1.

■

Back up the database to two separate media (for example, disk and tape).

■

Run BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG at regular intervals, to a media manager if
available, or just to disk.

■

Do not use another recovery catalog as the repository for the backups.

■

Configure the control file autobackup feature to ON.

With this strategy, the control file autobackup feature ensures that the recovery catalog
database can always be recovered, so long as the control file autobackup is available.
See Also: "Performing Disaster Recovery" on page 20-8 for more
information for recovery with a control file autobackup

Separating the Recovery Catalog from the Target Database
A recovery catalog is only effective when separated from the data that it is designed to
protect. Thus, you should never store a recovery catalog containing the RMAN
repository for a database in the same database as the target database. Also, do not
store the catalog database on the same disks as the target database.
To illustrate why data separation is advised, assume that you store the catalog for
database prod1 in prod1. If prod1 suffers a total media failure, and if the recovery
catalog for prod1 is also stored in prod1, then if you lose the database you also lose the
recovery catalog. At this point the only option is to restore an autobackup of the
control file for prod1 and use it to restore and recover the database without the benefit
of any information stored in the recovery catalog.
13-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Managing Stored Scripts

Exporting the Recovery Catalog Data for Logical Backups
Logical backups of the RMAN recovery catalog created with the Data Pump Export
utility can be a useful supplement for physical backups. If a recovery catalog database
is damaged, you can use Data Pump Import to quickly reimport the exported recovery
catalog data into another database and rebuild the catalog.

Recovering the Recovery Catalog
Restoring and recovering the recovery catalog database is much like restoring and
recovering any other database with RMAN. You can restore the control file and server
parameter file for the recovery catalog database from an autobackup, then restore and
perform complete recovery on the rest of the database. If you are in a situation where
you are using multiple recovery catalogs, then you can also use another recovery
catalog to record metadata about backups of this recovery catalog database.
If recovery of the recovery catalog database through the normal Oracle recovery
procedures is not possible, then you must re-create the catalog. Examples of this
worst-case scenario include:
■
■

A recovery catalog database that has never been backed up
A recovery catalog database that has been backed up, but cannot be recovered
because the data file backups or archived logs are not available

You have the following options for partially re-creating the contents of the missing
recovery catalog:
■

■

Use the RESYNC CATALOG command to update the recovery catalog with any RMAN
repository information from the control file of the target database or a control file
copy. Any metadata from control file records that aged out of the control file is
lost.
Issue CATALOG START WITH... commands to recatalog any available backups.

To minimize the likelihood of this worst-case scenario, your backup strategy should at
least include backing up the recovery catalog. This technique is described in "Backing
Up the Recovery Catalog" on page 13-13.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for information
about the CATALOG command
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for information
about the CROSSCHECK command

Managing Stored Scripts
As explained in "About Stored Scripts" on page 13-15, you can store scripts in the
recovery catalog. This section explains how to create and manage stored scripts.

About Stored Scripts
You can use a stored script as an alternative to a command file for managing
frequently used sequences of RMAN commands. The script is stored in the recovery
catalog rather than on the file system.
Stored scripts can be local or global. A local script is associated with the target
database to which RMAN is connected when the script is created, and can only be
executed when you are connected to that target database. A global stored script can be

Managing a Recovery Catalog 13-15

Managing Stored Scripts

run against any database registered in the recovery catalog, if the RMAN client is
connected to the recovery catalog and a target database.
The commands allowable within the brackets of the CREATE SCRIPT command are the
same commands supported within a RUN block. Any command that is legal within a
RUN command is permitted in the stored script. The following commands are not legal
within stored scripts: RUN, @, and @@.
When specifying a script name, RMAN permits but generally does not require that
you use quotes around the name of a stored script. If the name begins with a digit or is
an RMAN reserved word, however, then you must put quotes around the name to use
it as a stored script name. Consider avoiding stored script names that begin with
nonalphabetic characters or that are the same as RMAN reserved words.
Consider using a naming convention to avoid confusion between global and local
stored scripts. For the EXECUTE SCRIPT, DELETE SCRIPT and PRINT SCRIPT commands,
if the script name passed as an argument is not the name of a script defined for the
connected target instance, then RMAN looks for a global script by the same name. For
example, if the global script global_backup is in the recovery catalog, but no local
stored script global_backup is defined for the target database, then the following
command deletes the global script:
DELETE SCRIPT global_backup;

To use commands related to stored scripts, even global scripts, you must be connected
to both a recovery catalog and a target database instance.

Creating Stored Scripts
You can use the CREATE SCRIPT command to create a stored script. If GLOBAL is
specified, then a global script with this name must not exist in the recovery catalog. If
GLOBAL is not specified, then a local script must not exist with the same name for the
same target database. You can also use the REPLACE SCRIPT to create a script or update
an existing script.
To create a stored script:
Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).

1.
2.

Run the CREATE SCRIPT command.
The following example illustrates creation of a local script:
CREATE SCRIPT full_backup
{
BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;
DELETE OBSOLETE;
}

For a global script, the syntax is similar:
CREATE GLOBAL SCRIPT global_full_backup
{
BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;
DELETE OBSOLETE;
}

Optionally, you can provide a COMMENT with descriptive information:
CREATE GLOBAL SCRIPT global_full_backup
COMMENT 'use only with ARCHIVELOG mode databases'
{

13-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Managing Stored Scripts

BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;
DELETE OBSOLETE;
}

You can also create a script by reading its contents from a text file. The file must
begin with a left brace ({) character, contain a series of commands valid within a
RUN block, and end with a right brace (}) character. Otherwise, a syntax error is
signalled, just as if the commands were entered at the keyboard.
CREATE SCRIPT full_backup
FROM FILE '/tmp/my_script_file.txt';
3.

Examine the output.
If no errors are displayed, then RMAN successfully created the script and stored in
the recovery catalog.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for the list
of RMAN reserved words

Replacing Stored Scripts
To update stored scripts, use the REPLACE SCRIPT command. If you are replacing a local
script, then you must be connected to the target database that you connected to when
you created the script. If the script does not exist, then RMAN creates it.
To replace a stored script:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

Execute REPLACE SCRIPT.
This following example updates the script full_backup with new contents:
REPLACE SCRIPT full_backup
{
BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;
}

You can update global scripts by specifying the GLOBAL keyword as follows:
REPLACE GLOBAL SCRIPT global_full_backup
COMMENT 'A script for full backup to be used with any database'
{
BACKUP AS BACKUPSET DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;
}

As with CREATE SCRIPT, you can update a local or global stored script from a text
file with the following form of the command:
REPLACE GLOBAL SCRIPT global_full_backup
FROM FILE '/tmp/my_script_file.txt';

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
REPLACE SCRIPT command syntax
See Also:

Executing Stored Scripts
Use the EXECUTE SCRIPT command to run a stored script. If GLOBAL is specified, then a
global script with this name must exist in the recovery catalog; otherwise, RMAN
returns error RMAN-06004. If GLOBAL is not specified, then RMAN searches for a local
stored script defined for the current target database. If no local script with this name is
Managing a Recovery Catalog 13-17

Managing Stored Scripts

found, then RMAN searches for a global script by the same name and executes it if one
is found.
To execute a stored script:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).
2.

If needed, use SHOW to examine your configured channels.
Your script uses the automatic channels configured at the time you execute the
script. Use ALLOCATE CHANNEL commands in the script if you must override the
configured channels. Because of the RUN block, if an RMAN command in the script
fails, subsequent RMAN commands in the script do not execute.

3.

Run EXECUTE SCRIPT. This command requires a RUN block, as shown in the
following example:
RUN
{
EXECUTE SCRIPT full_backup;
}

The preceding command invokes a local script if one exists with the name
specified. If no local script is found, but there is a global script with the name
specified, then RMAN executes the global script.
You can also use EXECUTE GLOBAL SCRIPT to control which script is invoked if a
local and a global script have the same name. If there is no local script called
global_full_backup, the following two commands have the same effect:
RUN
{
EXECUTE GLOBAL SCRIPT global_full_backup;
}
RUN
{
EXECUTE SCRIPT global_full_backup;
}

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
EXECUTE SCRIPT command syntax
See Also:

Creating and Executing Dynamic Stored Scripts
You can specify substitution variables in the CREATE SCRIPT command. When you start
RMAN on the command line, the USING clause specifies one or more values for use in
substitution variables in a command file. As in SQL*Plus, &1 indicates where to place
the first value, &2 indicates where to place the second value, and so on.
To create and use a dynamic stored script:
1. Create a command file that contains a CREATE SCRIPT statement with substitution
variables for values that must be dynamically updated.
The following example uses substitution variables for the name of the tape set, for
a string in the FORMAT specification, and for the name of the restore point.
CREATE SCRIPT quarterly
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1
DEVICE TYPE sbt

13-18 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Managing Stored Scripts

PARMS 'ENV=(OB_MEDIA_FAMILY=&1)';
BACKUP
TAG &2
FORMAT '/disk2/bck/&1%U.bck'
KEEP FOREVER
RESTORE POINT &3
DATABASE;
}
2.

Connect RMAN to a target database (which must be mounted or open) and
recovery catalog, specifying the initial values for the recovery catalog script.
For example, enter the following command:
% rman TARGET / CATALOG rman@catdb USING arc_backup bck0906 FY06Q3

A recovery catalog is required for KEEP FOREVER, but is not required for any other
KEEP option.
3.

Run the command file created in the first step to create the stored script.
For example, run the /tmp/catscript.rman command file as follows:
RMAN> @/tmp/catscript.rman

This step creates but does not execute the stored script.
4.

Every quarter, execute the stored script, passing values for the substitution
variables.
The following example executes the recovery catalog script named quarterly. The
example specifies arc_backup as the name of the media family (set of tapes),
bck1206 as part of the FORMAT string and FY06Q4 as the name of the restore point.
RUN
{
EXECUTE SCRIPT quarterly
USING arc_backup
bck1206
FY06Q4;
}

See Also: "Making Database Backups for Long-Term Storage" on
page 9-23

Printing Stored Scripts
The PRINT SCRIPT command displays a stored script or writes it out to a file.
To print stored scripts:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog.
2.

Run the PRINT SCRIPT command as follows:
PRINT SCRIPT full_backup;

To send the contents of a script to a file, use this form of the command:
PRINT SCRIPT full_backup
TO FILE '/tmp/my_script_file.txt';

For global scripts, the analogous syntax would be as follows:

Managing a Recovery Catalog 13-19

Managing Stored Scripts

PRINT GLOBAL SCRIPT global_full_backup;
PRINT GLOBAL SCRIPT global_full_backup
TO FILE '/tmp/my_script_file.txt';

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for PRINT
SCRIPT command syntax

See Also:

Listing Stored Script Names
Use the LIST ... SCRIPT NAMES command to display the names of scripts defined in
the recovery catalog. LIST GLOBAL SCRIPT NAMES and LIST ALL SCRIPT NAMES are the
only commands that work when RMAN is connected to a recovery catalog without
connecting to a target instance; the other forms of the LIST ... SCRIPT NAMES
command require a recovery catalog connection.
To list stored script names:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog.
2.

Run the LIST ... SCRIPT NAMES command.
For example, run the following command to list the names of all global and local
scripts that can be executed for the currently connected target database:
LIST SCRIPT NAMES;

The following example lists only global script names:
LIST GLOBAL SCRIPT NAMES;

To list the names of all scripts stored in the current recovery catalog, including
global scripts and local scripts for all target databases registered in the recovery
catalog, use the following form of the command:
LIST ALL SCRIPT NAMES;

For each script listed, the output indicates which target database the script is
defined for (or whether a script is global).
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for LIST
SCRIPT NAMES command syntax and output format
See Also:

Deleting Stored Scripts
Use the DELETE GLOBAL SCRIPT command to delete a stored script from the recovery
catalog.
To delete a stored script:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog.
2.

Enter the DELETE SCRIPT command.
If you use DELETE SCRIPT without GLOBAL, and there is no stored script for the
target database with the specified name, then RMAN looks for a global stored
script by the specified name and deletes the global script if it exists. For example,
suppose you enter the following command:
DELETE SCRIPT 'global_full_backup';

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Maintaining a Recovery Catalog

In this case, RMAN looks for a script global_full_backup defined for the
connected target database, and if it did not find one, it searches the global scripts
for a script called global_full_backup and delete that script.
To delete a global stored script, use DELETE GLOBAL SCRIPT:
DELETE GLOBAL SCRIPT 'global_full_backup';

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for DELETE
SCRIPT command syntax

See Also:

Executing a Stored Script at RMAN Startup
To run the RMAN client and start a stored script in the recovery catalog on startup, use
the SCRIPT argument when starting the RMAN client. For example, you could enter
the following command to execute script /tmp/fbkp.cmd:
% rman TARGET / CATALOG rman@catdb SCRIPT '/tmp/fbkp.cmd';

You must connect to a recovery catalog, which contains the stored script, and target
database, to which the script applies, when starting the RMAN client.
If local and global stored scripts are defined with the same name, then RMAN always
executes the local script.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for full
RMAN client command line syntax

Maintaining a Recovery Catalog
This section describes various management and maintenance tasks. This section
contains the following topics:
■

About Recovery Catalog Maintenance

■

Resynchronizing the Recovery Catalog

■

Updating the Recovery Catalog After Changing a DB_UNIQUE_NAME

■

Unregistering a Target Database from the Recovery Catalog

■

Resetting the Database Incarnation in the Recovery Catalog

■

Upgrading the Recovery Catalog

■

Importing and Moving a Recovery Catalog

About Recovery Catalog Maintenance
After you have created a recovery catalog and registered your target databases, you
must maintain this catalog. For example, you must run the RMAN maintenance
commands, which are explained in Chapter 12, "Maintaining RMAN Backups and
Repository Records", to update backup records and to delete backups that are no
longer needed. You must perform this type of maintenance regardless of whether you
use RMAN with a recovery catalog. Other types of maintenance, such as upgrading a
recovery catalog schema, are specific to use of RMAN with a recovery catalog.
If you use a recovery catalog in a Data Guard environment, then special considerations
apply for backups and database files recorded in the catalog. See "RMAN File
Management in a Data Guard Environment" on page 3-8 for an explanation of when

Managing a Recovery Catalog 13-21

Maintaining a Recovery Catalog

backups are accessible to RMAN and how RMAN maintenance commands work with
accessible backups.

Resynchronizing the Recovery Catalog
When RMAN performs a resynchronization, it compares the recovery catalog to either
the current or backup control file of the target database and updates the catalog with
metadata that is missing or changed. Most RMAN commands perform a
resynchronization automatically when the target control file is mounted and the
catalog is available. In a Data Guard environment, RMAN can perform a reverse
resynchronization to update a database control file with metadata from the catalog.

About Resynchronization of the Recovery Catalog
Resynchronization of the recovery catalog ensures that the metadata that RMAN
obtains from the control file stays current. Resynchronizations can be full or partial.
In a partial resynchronization, RMAN reads the current control file of the target
database to update changed metadata about new backups, new archived redo logs,
and so on. RMAN does not resynchronize metadata about the database physical
schema.
In a full resynchronization, RMAN updates all changed records, including those for
the database schema. RMAN performs a full resynchronization after structural
changes to database (adding or dropping database files, creating new incarnation, and
so on) or after changes to the RMAN persistent configuration.
RMAN creates a snapshot control file, which is a temporary backup control file, when
it performs a full resynchronization. The database ensures that only one RMAN
session accesses a snapshot control file at any point in time. RMAN creates the
snapshot control file in an operating system-specific location on the target database
host. You can specify the name and location of the snapshot control file, as explained
in "Configuring the Snapshot Control File Location" on page 6-11.
This snapshot control file ensures that RMAN has a consistent view of the control file.
Because the control file is intended for short-term use, it is not registered in the
catalog. RMAN records the control file checkpoint in the recovery catalog to indicate
the currency of the catalog.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for more
information about the RESYNC command

Recovery Catalog Resynchronization in a Data Guard Environment RMAN only automatically
resynchronizes the recovery catalog with a database when connected to this database
as TARGET. Thus, RMAN does not automatically resynchronize every database in a
Data Guard environment when connected as TARGET to one database in the
environment. You can use the RESYNC CATALOG FROM DB_UNIQUE_NAME command to
manually resynchronize the recovery catalog with a database in the Data Guard
environment.
For an example of a manual resynchronization, assume that RMAN is connected as
TARGET to production database prod, and that you have used CONFIGURE to create a
configuration for dgprod3. If you run RESYNC CATALOG FROM DB_UNIQUE_NAME
dgprod3, then RMAN resynchronizes the recovery catalog with the dgprod3 control
file. In this case RMAN performs both a normal resynchronization, in which metadata
flows from the dgprod3 control file to the catalog, and a reverse resynchronization. In
a reverse resynchronization, RMAN uses the persistent configurations in the recovery
catalog to update the dgprod3 control file.

13-22 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Maintaining a Recovery Catalog

See Also:

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration

Deciding When to Resynchronize the Recovery Catalog
RMAN automatically resynchronizes the recovery catalog when RMAN is connected
to a target database and recovery catalog and you have executed RMAN commands.
Thus, you should not need to manually run the RESYNC CATALOG command very often.
The following sections describe situations requiring a manual catalog
resynchronization.
Resynchronizing After the Recovery Catalog is Unavailable If the recovery catalog is
unavailable when you issue RMAN commands that cause a partial resynchronization,
then open the catalog database later and resynchronize it manually with the RESYNC
CATALOG command.
For example, the target database may be in New York while the recovery catalog
database is in Japan. You may not want to make daily backups of the target database
in CATALOG mode, to avoid depending on the availability of a geographically distant
database. In such a case you could connect to the catalog as often as feasible and run
the RESYNC CATALOG command.
Resynchronizing in ARCHIVELOG Mode When You Back Up Infrequently Assume that a target
database runs in ARCHIVELOG mode. Also assume that you do the following:
■

■

Back up the database infrequently (for example, hundreds of redo logs are
archived between database backups)
Generate a high number of log switches every day (for example, 1000 switches
between catalog resynchronizations)

In this case, you may want to manually resynchronize the recovery catalog regularly
because the recovery catalog is not updated automatically when a redo log switch
occurs or when a redo log is archived. The database stores metadata about redo log
switches and archived redo logs only in the control file. You must periodically
resynchronize to propagate this information into the recovery catalog.
How frequently you must resynchronize the recovery catalog depends on the rate at
which the database archives redo logs. The cost of the operation is proportional to the
number of records in the control file that have been inserted or changed since the
previous resynchronization. If no records have been inserted or changed, then the cost
of resynchronization is very low; if many records have been inserted or changed, then
the resynchronization is more time-consuming.
Resynchronizing After Configuring a Standby Database You can create or change an RMAN
configuration for a standby database even when not connected to this database as
TARGET. You perform this task with the CONFIGURE DB_UNIQUE_NAME or CONFIGURE ...
FOR DB_UNIQUE_NAME command. As explained in "Manually Resynchronizing the
Recovery Catalog" on page 13-24, you can resynchronize the standby database
manually to update the control file of the standby database.
Resynchronizing the Recovery Catalog Before Control File Records Age Out Your goal is to
ensure that the metadata in the recovery catalog is current. Because the recovery
catalog obtains its metadata from the target control file, the currency of the data in the
catalog depends on the currency of the data in the control file. You must make sure
that the backup metadata in the control file is recorded in the catalog before it is
overwritten with new records.
The CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME initialization parameter determines the
minimum number of days that records are retained in the control file before they are
Managing a Recovery Catalog 13-23

Maintaining a Recovery Catalog

candidates for being overwritten. Thus, you must ensure that you resynchronize the
recovery catalog with the control file records before these records are erased. You
should perform either of the following actions at intervals less than the CONTROL_FILE_
RECORD_KEEP_TIME setting:
■

■

Make a backup, thereby performing an implicit resynchronization of the recovery
catalog
Manually resynchronize the recovery catalog with the RESYNC CATALOG command

Make sure that CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME is longer than the interval between
backups or resynchronizations. Otherwise, control file records could be reused before
they are propagated to the recovery catalog. An extra week is a safe margin in most
circumstances.
Never set CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME to 0. If you
do, then backup records may be overwritten in the control file
before RMAN can add them to the catalog.

Caution:

One problem can arise if the control file becomes too large. The size of the target
database control file grows depending on the number of:
■

Backups that you perform

■

Archived redo logs that the database generates

■

Days that this information is stored in the control file

If the control file grows so large that it can no longer expand because it has reached
either the maximum number of blocks or the maximum number of records, then the
database may overwrite the oldest records even if their age is less than the CONTROL_
FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME setting. In this case, the database writes a message to the alert
log. If you discover that this situation occurs frequently, then reducing the value of
CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME and increase the frequency of resynchronizations.
See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME parameter
Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for more detailed
information on other aspects of control file management
"Preventing the Loss of Control File Records" on page 12-5 to
learn how to monitor the overwriting of control file records

Manually Resynchronizing the Recovery Catalog
Use RESYNC CATALOG to force a full resynchronization of the recovery catalog with a
target database control file. You can specify a database unique name with RESYNC FROM
DB_UNIQUE_NAME or ALL, depending on whether you want to resynchronize a specific
database or all databases in the Data Guard environment. Typically, you would
perform this operation after you have run the CONFIGURE command for a standby
database, but have not yet connected to this standby database.
1.

Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog.

2.

Mount or open the target database:
STARTUP MOUNT;

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Maintaining a Recovery Catalog

3.

Resynchronize the recovery catalog.
Run the RESYNC CATALOG command at the RMAN prompt as follows:
RESYNC CATALOG;

The following example resynchronizes the control file of standby1:
RESYNC CATALOG FROM DB_UNIQUE_NAME standby1;

The following variation resynchronizes the control files for all databases in the
Data Guard environment:
RESYNC CATALOG FROM DB_UNIQUE_NAME ALL;

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for RESYNC
CATALOG command syntax
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how to
configure the RMAN environment for use with a standby
database

Updating the Recovery Catalog After Changing a DB_UNIQUE_NAME
You may decide to change the DB_UNIQUE_NAME of a database in a Data Guard
environment. In this case, you can run the CHANGE DB_UNIQUE_NAME command to
associate the metadata stored in recovery catalog for the old DB_UNIQUE_NAME to the
new DB_UNIQUE_NAME. The CHANGE DB_UNIQUE_NAME command does not actually
change the DB_UNIQUE_NAME of the database itself. Instead, it updates the catalog
metadata for the database whose unique name has been or will be changed.
The following procedure assumes that the DB_UNIQUE_NAME of the primary database is
prodny, and that you have changed the DB_UNIQUE_NAME of a standby database from
prodsf1 to prodsf2. You can use the same procedure after changing the DB_UNIQUE_
NAME of a primary database, except in Step 1 connect RMAN as TARGET to a standby
database instead of a primary database.
To update the recovery catalog after a DB_UNIQUE_NAME is changed:
1. Connect RMAN to the primary database as TARGET and also to the recovery catalog.
For example, enter the following commands:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT CATALOG catowner@catdb
recovery catalog database Password: password
connected to recovery catalog database
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET SYS@prodny
target database Password: password
connected to target database: PRODNY (DBID=39525561)
2.

List the DB_UNQUE_NAME values known to the recovery catalog.
Run the following LIST command:
RMAN> LIST DB_UNIQUE_NAME OF DATABASE;

3.

Change the DB_UNIQUE_NAME in the RMAN metadata.

Managing a Recovery Catalog 13-25

Maintaining a Recovery Catalog

The following example changes the database unique name from standby database
prodsf1 to prodsf2:
RMAN> CHANGE DB_UNIQUE_NAME FROM prodsf1 TO prodsf2;

Unregistering a Target Database from the Recovery Catalog
You can use the UNREGISTER DATABASE command to unregister a database from the
recovery catalog. When a database is unregistered from the recovery catalog, all
RMAN repository records in the recovery catalog are lost. The database can be
registered again, but the recovery catalog records for that database are then based on
the contents of the control file at the time of reregistration. Records older than the
CONTROLFILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME setting in the target database control file are lost.
Stored scripts, which are not stored in the control file, are also lost.

Unregistering a Target Database When Not in a Data Guard Environment
This scenario assumes that you are not using the recovery catalog to store metadata for
primary and standby databases.
To unregister a database:
1. Start RMAN and connect as TARGET to the database to unregister. Also connect to
the recovery catalog.
It is not necessary to connect to the target database, but if you do not, then you
must specify the name of the target database in the UNREGISTER command. If
multiple databases have the same name in the recovery catalog, then you must
create a RUN block around the command and use SET DBID to set the DBID for the
database.
2.

Make a note of the DBID as displayed by RMAN at startup.
For example, RMAN outputs a line of the following form when it connects to a
target database that is open:
connected to target database: PROD (DBID=39525561)

3.

As a precaution, it may be useful to list all of the backups recorded in the recovery
catalog using LIST BACKUP SUMMARY and LIST COPY SUMMARY. This way, you can
recatalog backups not known to the control file if you later decide to reregister the
database.

4.

If your intention is to actually delete all backups of the database completely, then
run DELETE statements to delete all existing backups. Do not delete all backups if
your intention is only to remove the database from the recovery catalog and rely
on the control file to store the RMAN metadata for this database.
The following commands illustrate how to delete backups:
DELETE BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt;
DELETE BACKUP DEVICE TYPE DISK;
DELETE COPY;

RMAN lists the backups that it intends to delete and prompts for confirmation
before deleting them.
5.

Run the UNREGISTER DATABASE command. For example:
UNREGISTER DATABASE;

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Maintaining a Recovery Catalog

RMAN displays the database name and DBID, and prompts you for a
confirmation:
database name is "RDBMS" and DBID is 931696259
Do you really want to unregister the database (enter YES or NO)? yes

When the process is complete, RMAN outputs the following message:
database unregistered from the recovery catalog

Unregistering a Standby Database
The UNREGISTER command supports a DB_UNIQUE_NAME clause for use in a Data Guard
environment. You can use this clause to remove metadata for a specific database.
The recovery catalog associates a backup with a particular database. When you
unregister a database, RMAN updates the database name for these backup files to
null. Thus, the backups are still recorded but have no owner. You can execute the
CHANGE ... RESET DB_UNIQUE_NAME command to associate ownership of the currently
ownerless backups to a different database. If you specify INCLUDING BACKUPS on the
UNREGISTER command, then RMAN removes the backup metadata for the unregistered
database as well.
In this scenario, assume that primary database lnx3 has an associated standby
database standby. You want to unregister the standby database.
To unregister a standby database:
Start RMAN and connect as TARGET to the primary database. Also, connect RMAN
to a recovery catalog.

1.

For example, enter the following commands:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET SYS@lnx3
target database Password: password
connected to target database: LNX3 (DBID=781317675)
RMAN> CONNECT CATALOG rman@catdb
2.

List the database unique names.
For example, execute the LIST DB_UNIQUE_NAME command as follows:
RMAN> LIST DB_UNIQUE_NAME OF DATABASE;
List of
DB Key
------1
1

3.

Databases
DB Name DB ID
------- ----------------LNX3
781317675
LNX3
781317675

Database Role
--------------STANDBY
PRIMARY

Db_unique_name
-----------------STANDBY
LNX3

Run the UNREGISTER DB_UNIQUE_NAME command.
For example, execute the UNREGISTER command as follows to unregister database
standby:
RMAN> UNREGISTER DB_UNIQUE_NAME standby;

RMAN displays the database name and DBID, and prompts you for a
confirmation:

Managing a Recovery Catalog 13-27

Maintaining a Recovery Catalog

database db_unique_name is "standby", db_name is "LNX3" and DBID is 781317675
Do you really want to unregister the database (enter YES or NO)? yes

When the process is complete, RMAN outputs the following message:
database with db_unique_name standby unregistered from the recovery catalog

Resetting the Database Incarnation in the Recovery Catalog
As explained in "Database Incarnations" on page 14-6, you create an incarnation of the
database when you open the database with the RESETLOGS option. You can access a
record of the new incarnation in the V$DATABASE_INCARNATION view.
If you open the database with the RESETLOGS option, then a new database incarnation
record is automatically created in the recovery catalog. The database also implicitly
and automatically issues a RESET DATABASE command, which specifies that this new
incarnation of the database is the current incarnation. All subsequent backups and log
archiving done by the target database is associated with the new database incarnation.
Whenever RMAN returns the database to an SCN before the current RESETLOGS SCN,
using either RESTORE and RECOVER or FLASHBACK DATABASE, the RESET DATABASE TO
INCARNATION command is required. However, you do not need to execute RESET
DATABASE TO INCARNATION explicitly in the following scenarios because RMAN runs
the command implicitly with Flashback.
■

■

You use FLASHBACK DATABASE to rewind the database to an SCN in the direct
ancestral path (see "Database Incarnations" on page 14-6 for an explanation of the
direct ancestral path).
You use FLASHBACK DATABASE to rewind the database to a restore point.

The following procedure explains how to reset the database incarnation when
recovering through a RESETLOGS.
To reset the recovery catalog to an older incarnation for media recovery:
Determine the incarnation key of the desired database incarnation. Obtain the
incarnation key value by issuing a LIST command:

1.

LIST INCARNATION OF DATABASE trgt;
List of
DB Key
------1
1

Database Incarnations
Inc Key
DB Name
DB ID
-----------------2
TRGT
1224038686
582
TRGT
1224038686

STATUS
------PARENT
CURRENT

Reset SCN
---------1
59727

Reset Time
---------02-JUL-02
10-JUL-02

The incarnation key is listed in the Inc Key column.
2.

Reset the database to the old incarnation. For example, enter:
RESET DATABASE TO INCARNATION 2;

3.

If the control file of the previous incarnation is available and mounted, then skip
to Step 6 of this procedure. Otherwise, shut down the database and start it without
mounting. For example:
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE
STARTUP NOMOUNT

13-28 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Maintaining a Recovery Catalog

4.

Restore a control file from the old incarnation. If you have a control file tagged,
then specify the tag. Otherwise, you can run the SET UNTIL command, as in this
example:
RUN
{
SET UNTIL 'SYSDATE-45';
RESTORE CONTROLFILE; # only if current control file is not available
}

5.

Mount the restored control file:
ALTER DATABASE MOUNT;

6.

Run RESTORE and RECOVER commands to restore and recover the database files
from the prior incarnation, then open the database with the RESETLOGS option. For
example, enter:
RESTORE DATABASE;
RECOVER DATABASE;
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for RESET
DATABASE syntax, Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
LIST syntax
See Also:

Upgrading the Recovery Catalog
This section explains what a recovery catalog upgrade is and when you must do it.

About Recovery Catalog Upgrades
If you use a version of the recovery catalog schema that is older than that required by
the RMAN client, then you must upgrade it. The compatibility matrix in Oracle
Database Backup and Recovery Reference explains which schema versions are compatible
with which versions of RMAN. For example, you must upgrade the catalog if you use
an Oracle Database 11g RMAN client with a release 10.2 version of the recovery
catalog schema.
The Oracle Database 10gR1 version of the recovery catalog schema requires the CREATE
TYPE privilege. If you created the recovery catalog owner in a release before 10gR1, and
if you granted the RECOVERY_CATALOG_OWNER role when it did not include the CREATE
TYPE privilege, then you must grant CREATE TYPE to this user explicitly before
upgrading the catalog.
You receive an error when issuing UPGRADE CATALOG if the recovery catalog is at a
version greater than that required by the RMAN client. RMAN permits the UPGRADE
CATALOG command to be run if the recovery catalog is current and does not require
upgrading, however, so that you can re-create packages at any time if necessary. Check
the message log for error messages generated during the upgrade.
Special Considerations in a Data Guard Environment Assume that you upgrade the recovery
catalog schema to Oracle Database 11g in a Data Guard environment. When RMAN
connects to a standby database, it automatically registers the new database
information and resynchronizes to obtain the file names from the control file.
During the resynchronization, RMAN associates the names with the target database
name. Because the recovery catalog contains historical metadata, some records in the
catalog are not known to the control file. For example, the standby1 control file does
not know about all backups made on primary1. The database unique names for these
Managing a Recovery Catalog 13-29

Maintaining a Recovery Catalog

old records is null. As explained in "About Recovery Catalog Maintenance" on
page 13-21, you can use CROSSCHECK to fix these records.

Determining the Schema Version of the Recovery Catalog
The schema version of the recovery catalog is stored in the recovery catalog itself. The
information is important in case you maintain multiple databases of different versions
in your production system, and must determine whether the catalog schema version is
usable with a specific target database version.
To determine the schema version of the recovery catalog:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the recovery catalog database as the catalog owner.
2.

Query the RCVER table to obtain the schema version, as in the following example
(sample output included):
SELECT *
FROM
rcver;
VERSION
-----------10.02.00

If the table displays multiple rows, then the highest version in the RCVER table is the
current catalog schema version. The table stores only the major version numbers and
not the patch numbers. For example, assume that the rcver table displays the
following rows:
VERSION
-----------08.01.07
09.00.01
10.02.00

These rows indicate that the catalog was created with a release 8.1.7 executable, then
upgraded to release 9.0.1, and finally upgraded to release 10.2.0. The current version of
the catalog schema is 10.2.0.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for the
complete set of compatibility rules governing the RMAN
environment

Using the UPGRADE CATALOG Command
This scenario assumes that you are upgrading a recovery catalog schema to the current
version.
To upgrade the recovery catalog:
1. If you created the recovery catalog owner in a release before 10gR1, and if the
RECOVERY_CATALOG_OWNER role did not include the CREATE TYPE privilege, then
grant it.
For example, start SQL*Plus and connect to the recovery catalog database with
administrator privileges. You can then execute the following GRANT statement:
SQL> GRANT CREATE TYPE TO rman;
SQL> EXIT;
2.

Start RMAN and connect RMAN to the recovery catalog database.

13-30 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Maintaining a Recovery Catalog

3.

Run the UPGRADE CATALOG command:
RMAN> UPGRADE CATALOG;
recovery catalog owner is rman
enter UPGRADE CATALOG command again to confirm catalog upgrade

4.

Run the UPDATE CATALOG command again to confirm:
RMAN> UPGRADE CATALOG;
recovery catalog upgraded to version 11.01.00
DBMS_RCVMAN package upgraded to version 11.01.00
DBMS_RCVCAT package upgraded to version 11.01.00

See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for UPGRADE
CATALOG command syntax
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for information
about recovery catalog compatibility
Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for complete compatibility and
migration information

Importing and Moving a Recovery Catalog
You can use the IMPORT CATALOG command in RMAN to merge one recovery catalog
schema into another. This command is useful in the following situations:
■

■

You have multiple recovery catalog schemas for different versions of the database.
You want to merge all existing schemas into one without losing backup metadata.
You want to move a recovery catalog from one database to another database.

About Recovery Catalog Imports
When using IMPORT CATALOG, the source catalog schema is the catalog schema that
you want to import into a different schema. The destination catalog schema is the
catalog schema into which you intend to import the source catalog schema.
By default, RMAN imports metadata from all target databases registered in the source
recovery catalog. Optionally, you can specify the list of database IDs to be imported
from the source catalog schema.
By default, RMAN unregisters the imported databases from the source catalog schema
after a successful import. To indicate whether the unregister was successful, RMAN
prints messages before and after unregistering the merged databases. You can also
specify the NO UNREGISTER option to specify that the databases should not be
unregistered from the destination catalog.
A stored script is either global or local. It is possible for global scripts, but not local
scripts, to have name conflicts during import because the destination schema contains
the script name. In this case, RMAN renames the global script name to COPY OF
script_name. For example, RMAN renames bp_cmd to COPY OF bp_cmd.
If the renamed global script is still not unique, then RMAN renames it to COPY(2) OF
script_name. If this script name also exists, then RMAN renames the script to COPY(3)
OF script_name. RMAN continues the COPY(n) OF pattern until the script is uniquely
named.

Managing a Recovery Catalog 13-31

Maintaining a Recovery Catalog

Prerequisites for Importing a Recovery Catalog
As shown in compatibility matrix in Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference, a
target database, recovery catalog database, and recovery catalog schema can be at
different database versions. The recommended practice is to import all existing
recovery catalogs into a single recovery catalog at the latest version of the recovery
catalog schema. "Determining the Schema Version of the Recovery Catalog" on
page 13-30 explains how to determine the catalog version. Check the compatibility
matrix to determine which schema versions are compatible in your environment.
When using IMPORT CATALOG, the version of the source recovery catalog schema must
be equal to the current version of the RMAN executable with which you run the
command. If the source catalog schema is a lower version, then upgrade it to the
current version before importing the schema. "Upgrading the Recovery Catalog" on
page 13-29 explains how to upgrade. If the source recovery catalog schema is a higher
version, then retry the import with a higher version RMAN executable.
No database can be registered in both the source and destination catalog schema. If a
database is currently registered in both catalog schemas, then unregister the database
from source catalog schema before performing the import.

Importing a Recovery Catalog
When importing one recovery catalog into another, no connection to a target database
is necessary. RMAN only needs connectivity to the source and destination catalogs.
In this example, database srcdb contains a 10.2 recovery catalog schema owned by
user 102cat, while database destdb contains an 11.1 recovery catalog schema owned
by user 111cat.
To import a recovery catalog:
1. Start RMAN and connect as CATALOG to the destination recovery catalog schema.
For example:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT CATALOG 111cat@destdb;
2.

Import the source recovery catalog schema, specifying the connection string for
the source catalog.
For example, enter the following command to import the catalog owned by 102cat
on database srcdb:
IMPORT CATALOG 102cat@srcdb;

A variation is to import metadata for a subset of the target databases registered in
the source catalog. You can specify the databases by DBID or database name, as
shown in the following examples:
IMPORT CATALOG 102cat@srcdb DBID=1423241, 1423242;
IMPORT CATALOG 102cat@srcdb DB_NAME=prod3, prod4;
3.

Optionally, connect to a target database to check that the metadata was
successfully imported. For example, the following commands connect to database
prod1 as TARGET and list all backups for this database:
LIST BACKUP;

13-32 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Dropping a Recovery Catalog

Moving a Recovery Catalog
The procedure for moving a recovery catalog from one database to another is a
variation of the procedure for importing a catalog. In this scenario, the source database
is the database containing the existing recovery catalog, while the destination database
will contain the moved recovery catalog.
To move a recovery catalog from the source database to the destination database:
1.

Create a recovery catalog on the destination database, but do not register any
databases in the new catalog.
"Creating a Recovery Catalog" on page 13-4 explains how to perform this task.

2.

Import the source catalog into the catalog created in the preceding step.
"Importing a Recovery Catalog" on page 13-32 explains how to perform this task.

Dropping a Recovery Catalog
The DROP CATALOG command removes those objects that were created by the CREATE
CATALOG command. If the user who owns the recovery catalog also owns objects that
were not created by CREATE CATALOG, then the DROP CATALOG command does not
remove these objects.
If you drop a recovery catalog, and if you have no backups of the recovery catalog
schema, then backups of all target databases registered in this catalog may become
unusable. However, the control file of every target database still retains a record of
recent backups of this database.
The DROP CATALOG command is not appropriate for unregistering a single database
from a recovery catalog that has multiple target databases registered. Dropping the
recovery catalog deletes the recovery catalog record of backups for all target databases
registered in the catalog.
To drop a recovery catalog schema:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog. Connect to the
recovery catalog as the owner of the catalog schema to be dropped.
The following example connects to a recovery catalog as user catowner:
% rman TARGET / CATALOG catowner@catdb
2.

Run the DROP CATALOG command:
DROP CATALOG;
recovery catalog owner is catowner
enter DROP CATALOG command again to confirm catalog removal

3.

Run the DROP CATALOG command again to confirm:
DROP CATALOG;

Even after you drop the recovery catalog, the control file
still contains records about the backups. To purge RMAN
repository records from the control file, re-create the control file.

Note:

Managing a Recovery Catalog 13-33

Dropping a Recovery Catalog

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for DROP
CATALOG command syntax, and "Unregistering a Target Database
from the Recovery Catalog" on page 13-26 to learn how to
unregister a database from the catalog
See Also:

13-34 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Part V
Part V

Diagnosing and Responding to Failures
The following chapters describe how to diagnose and respond to media failures and
data corruptions. This part of the book contains the following chapters:
■

Chapter 14, "RMAN Data Repair Concepts"

■

Chapter 15, "Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor"

■

Chapter 16, "Validating Database Files and Backups"

■

Chapter 17, "Performing Complete Database Recovery"

■

Chapter 18, "Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery"

■

Chapter 19, "Performing Block Media Recovery"

■

Chapter 20, "Performing RMAN Recovery: Advanced Scenarios"

■

Chapter 21, "Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR)"

14
14

RMAN Data Repair Concepts

This chapter describes the general concepts that you must understand to perform data
repair. This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Overview of RMAN Data Repair

■

RMAN Restore Operations

■

RMAN Media Recovery

Overview of RMAN Data Repair
As explained in "Data Protection" on page 1-2, a principal purpose of a backup and
recovery strategy is data protection. The key to an effective, efficient strategy is to
understand the basic options of data repair.

Problems Requiring Data Repair
While several problems can halt the normal operation of an Oracle database or affect
database I/O operations, only the following typically require DBA intervention and
data repair: user errors, application errors, and media failures.

User Errors
User errors occur when, either due to an error in application logic or a manual
mistake, data in your database is changed or deleted incorrectly. For example, a user
logs in to the wrong database and drops a database table. User errors are estimated to
be the greatest single cause of database downtime.

Application Errors
Sometimes a software malfunction can corrupt data blocks. In a physical corruption,
which is also called a media corruption, the database does not recognize the block.

Media Failures
A media failure occurs when a problem external to the database prevents it from
reading from or writing to a file during normal operations. Typical media failures
include disk failures and the deletion of database files. Media failures are less common
than user or application errors, but your backup and recovery strategy should prepare
for them.

RMAN Data Repair Concepts 14-1

Overview of RMAN Data Repair

RMAN Data Repair Techniques
Depending on the situations you anticipate, consider incorporating each of the
following options into your strategy for responding to data loss, and then set up your
database to make these options possible.
■

Data Recovery Advisor
This Oracle Database infrastructure can diagnose failures, advise you on how to
respond to them, and repair the failures automatically.
"Overview of Data Recovery Advisor" on page 15-1 explains the basic concepts of
Data Recovery Advisor.

■

logical flashback features
This subset of Oracle Flashback Technology features enables you to view or
rewind individual database objects or transactions to a past time. These features
do not require use of RMAN.
"Overview of Oracle Flashback Technology and Database Point-in-Time Recovery"
on page 18-1 explains the basic concepts of the logical flashback features and
provides pointers where appropriate.

■

Oracle Flashback Database
Flashback Database is a block-level recovery mechanism that is similar to media
recovery, but is generally faster and does not require a backup to be restored. You
can return your whole database to a previous state without restoring old copies of
your data files from backup, as long as you have enabled flashback logging in
advance. You must have a fast recovery area configured for logging for flashback
database or guaranteed restore points.
"Basic Concepts of Point-in-Time Recovery and Flashback Features" on page 18-1
explains the basic concepts of Flashback Database.

■

data file media recovery
This form of media recovery enables you to restore data file backups and apply
archived redo logs or incremental backups to recover lost changes. You can either
recover a whole database or a subset of the database. Data file media recovery is
the most general-purpose form of recovery and can protect against both physical
and logical failures.
The general concepts of data file media recovery are explained in this chapter. The
techniques are described in Chapter 17, "Performing Complete Database
Recovery" and "Performing Database Point-in-Time Recovery" on page 18-15.

■

block media recovery
This form of media recovery enables you to recover individual blocks within a
data file rather than the whole data file.
"Overview of Block Media Recovery" on page 19-1 explains the basic concepts of
block media recovery.

■

tablespace point-in-time recovery (TSPITR)
This is a specialized form of point-in-time recovery in which you recover one or
more tablespaces to a time earlier than the rest of the database.
"Overview of RMAN TSPITR" on page 21-1 explains the basic concepts of TSPITR.

14-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

RMAN Restore Operations

In general, the concepts required to use the preceding repair techniques are explained
along with the techniques. This chapter explains concepts that are common to several
RMAN data repair solutions.

RMAN Restore Operations
In an RMAN restore operation, you select files to be restored and then run the RESTORE
command. Typically, you restore files in preparation for media recovery. You can
restore the following types of files:
■

Database (all datafiles)

■

Tablespaces

■

Control files

■

Archived redo logs

■

Server parameter files

You can specify either the default location or a new location for restored datafiles and
control files. If you restore to the default location, then RMAN overwrites any files
with the same name that currently exist in this location. Alternatively, you can use the
SET NEWNAME command to specify new locations for restored datafiles. You can then run
a SWITCH command to update the control file to indicate that the restored files in their
new locations are now the current datafiles.
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
RESTORE syntax and prerequisites, Oracle Database Backup and
Recovery Reference for SET NEWNAME syntax, and Oracle Database
Backup and Recovery Reference for SWITCH syntax
See Also:

Backup Selection
RMAN uses the records of available backup sets or image copies in the RMAN
repository to select the best available backups for use in the restore operation. The
most recent backup available, or the most recent backup satisfying any UNTIL clause
specified in the RESTORE command, is the preferred choice. If two backups are from the
same point in time, then RMAN prefers image copies over backup sets because RMAN
can restore more quickly from image copies than from backup sets (especially those
stored on tape).
All specifications of the RESTORE command must be satisfied before RMAN restores a
backup. Unless limited by the DEVICE TYPE clause, the RESTORE command searches for
backups on all device types of configured channels. If no available backup in the
repository satisfies all the specified criteria, then RMAN returns an error indicating
that the file cannot be restored.
If you use only manually allocated channels, then a backup job may fail if there is no
usable backup on the media for which you allocated channels. Configuring automatic
channels makes it more likely that RMAN can find and restore a backup that satisfies
the specified criteria.
If backup sets are protected with backup encryption, then RMAN automatically
decrypts them when their contents are restored. Transparently encrypted backups
require no intervention to restore, as long as the Oracle wallet is open and available.
Password-encrypted backups require the correct password to be entered before they
can be restored.
See Also:

"Configuring Advanced Channel Options" on page 6-1
RMAN Data Repair Concepts 14-3

RMAN Restore Operations

Restore Failover
RMAN automatically uses restore failover to skip corrupted or inaccessible backups
and look for usable backups. When a backup is not found, or contains corrupt data,
RMAN automatically looks for another backup from which to restore the desired files.
RMAN generates messages that indicate the type of failover that it is performing. For
example, when RMAN fails over to another backup of the same file, it generates a
message similar to the following:
failover to piece handle=/u01/backup/db_1 tag=BACKUP_031009

If no usable copies are available, then RMAN searches for previous backups. The
message generated is similar to the following example:
ORA-19624: operation failed, retry possible
ORA-19505: failed to identify file "/u01/backup/db_1"
ORA-27037: unable to obtain file status
SVR4 Error: 2: No such file or directory
Additional information: 3
failover to previous backup

RMAN performs restore failover repeatedly until it has exhausted all possible
backups. If all of the backups are unusable or no backups exists, then RMAN attempts
to re-create the data file. Restore failover is also used when there are errors restoring
archived redo logs during RECOVER, RECOVER ... BLOCK, and FLASHBACK DATABASE
commands.

About RMAN Restore Operations and ASM
When Automatic Storage Management (ASM) disk groups are used, an RMAN restore
operation creates new copies of data files only if the full name of a data file, including
the incarnation, does not match with the name of an existing data file. A fully qualified
ASM file name is of the form
+diskgroup/dbname/filetype/filetypetag.file.incarnation. When you first
restore the control file and then restore the other database files, the names of the data
files in the control file may not match with the names of the existing data files and
therefore the data files are recreated.
Use one of the following methods to ensure that existing data files are not recreated
during a restore or duplicate operation:
■

■

■

In the control file, use alias names for each data file. The alias must not include the
ASM incarnation number.
After restoring the control file and before restoring the other database files, use the
CATALOG command to ensure that the existing data files are cataloged in the
restored control file. Next, use the SWITCH command to make the restored control
file point to the existing data files.
Use SET NEWNAME to rename the data files before restoring the data files and after
restoring the control file.

Restore Optimization
RMAN uses restore optimization to avoid restoring data files from backup when
possible. If a data file is present in the correct location and its header contains the
expected information, then RMAN does not restore the data file from backup.

14-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

RMAN Media Recovery

Note: Restore optimization only checks the data file header. It
does not the scan the data file body for corrupted blocks.

You can use the FORCE option of the RESTORE command to override this behavior and
restore the requested files unconditionally.
Restore optimization is particularly useful when an operation that restores several
data files is interrupted. For example, assume that a full database restore encounters a
power failure after all except one data file have been restored. If you run the same
RESTORE command again, then RMAN only restores the single data file that was not
restored during the previous attempt.
Restore optimization is also used when duplicating a database. If a data file at the
duplicate is in the correct place with the correct header contents, then the data file is
not duplicated. Unlike RESTORE, DUPLICATE does not support a FORCE option. To force
RMAN to duplicate a data file that is skipped due to restore optimization, delete the
data file from the duplicate before running the DUPLICATE command.
See Also: Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and
Deployment Guide for description of RESTORE behavior in an Oracle
RAC configuration

RMAN Media Recovery
In media recovery, RMAN applies changes to restored data to roll forward this data in
time. RMAN can perform either data file media recovery or block media recovery.
Data file media recovery is the application of redo logs or incremental backups to a
restored data file to update it to the current time or some other specified time. As
explained in Oracle Database Concepts, you can use RMAN to perform complete
recovery, database point-in-time recovery (DBPITR), or tablespace point-in-time
recovery (TSPITR). You can use the RESTORE command to restore backups of lost and
damaged data files or control files and the RECOVER command to perform media
recovery.
Block media recovery is the recovery of individual data blocks rather than entire data
files. This section explains data file media recovery only. Block media recovery, which
is a specialized form of media recovery, is explained in "Overview of Block Media
Recovery" on page 19-1.

Selection of Incremental Backups and Archived Redo Logs
RMAN automates media recovery. RMAN automatically restores and applies both
incremental backups and archived redo logs in whatever combination is most efficient.
If the RMAN repository indicates that no copies of a required log sequence number
exist on disk, then it automatically restores the required log from backup. By default,
RMAN restores the archived logs to the fast recovery area, if an archiving destination
is set to USE_DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST. Otherwise, RMAN restores the logs to the first
local archiving destination specified in the initialization parameter file.
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
CROSSCHECK syntax
See Also:

RMAN Data Repair Concepts 14-5

RMAN Media Recovery

Database Incarnations
A database incarnation is created whenever you open the database with the
RESETLOGS option. After complete recovery, you can resume normal operations
without an OPEN RESETLOGS. After a DBPITR or recovery with a backup control file,
however, you must open the database with the RESETLOGS option, thereby creating a
new incarnation of the database. The database requires a new incarnation to avoid
confusion when two different redo streams have the same SCNs, but occurred at
different times. If you apply the wrong redo to your database, then you corrupt it.
The existence of multiple incarnations of a single database determines how RMAN
treats backups that are not in the current incarnation path. Usually, the current
database incarnation is the correct one to use. Nevertheless, in some cases resetting the
database to a previous incarnation is the best approach. For example, you may be
dissatisfied with the results of a point-in-time recovery that you have performed and
want to return the database to a time before the RESETLOGS. An understanding of
database incarnations is helpful to prepare for such situations.

OPEN RESETLOGS Operations
When you open the database with the RESETLOGS option, the database performs the
following actions:
■

Archives the current online redo logs (if they are accessible) and then erases the
contents of the online redo logs and resets the log sequence number to 1.
For example, if the current online redo logs are sequence 1000 and 1001 when you
open RESETLOGS, then the database archives logs 1000 and 1001 and then resets the
online redo logs to sequence 1 and 2.

■
■

Creates the online redo log files if they do not currently exist.
Initializes redo thread records and online redo log records in the control file to the
beginning of the new database incarnation.
More specifically, the database sets the redo thread status to closed, sets the
current thread sequence in the redo thread records to 1, sets the thread checkpoint
of each redo thread to the beginning of log sequence 1, chooses one redo log from
each thread and initialize its sequence to 1, and so on.

■

Updates all current datafiles and online redo logs and all subsequent archived
redo logs with a new RESETLOGS SCN and time stamp.

Because the database does not apply an archived redo log to a data file unless the
RESETLOGS SCN and time stamps match, the RESETLOGS requirement prevents you from
corrupting data files with archived logs that are not from direct parent incarnations of
the current incarnation. The relationship among incarnations is explained more fully
in the following section.
In previous releases, it was recommended that you back up the database immediately
after the OPEN RESETLOGS. Because you can now easily recover a pre-RESETLOGS backup
like any other backup, making a new database backup is optional. To perform
recovery through RESETLOGS you must have all archived logs generated after the most
recent backup and at least one control file (current, backup, or created).

Relationship Among Database Incarnations
Database incarnations can stand in the following relationships to each other:
■

The current incarnation is the one in which the database is currently operating.

14-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

RMAN Media Recovery

■

■

■

The incarnation from which the current incarnation branched following an OPEN
RESETLOGS operation is the parent incarnation of the current incarnation.
The parent of the parent incarnation is an ancestor incarnation. Any parent of an
ancestor incarnation is also an ancestor of the current incarnation.
The direct ancestral path of the current incarnation begins with the earliest
incarnation and includes only the branches to an ancestor of the current
incarnation, the parent incarnation, or the current incarnation.

An incarnation number is used to uniquely tag and identify a stream of redo.
Figure 14–1 illustrates a database that goes through several incarnations, each with a
different incarnation number.

SCN 3000

SC

N

20

00

SC

N

30
00

Figure 14–1 Database Incarnation History

In

ca

rn

at

io

n

2

Incarnation 3

SCN 1000

SCN 1

SCN 2000
Incarnation 1
Direct Ancestral Path

Incarnation 1 of the database starts at SCN 1 and continues through SCN 1000 to SCN
2000. Suppose that at SCN 2000 in incarnation 1, you perform a point-in-time recovery
back to SCN 1000, and then open the database with the RESETLOGS option. Incarnation
2 now begins at SCN 1000 and continues to SCN 3000. In this example, incarnation 1 is
the parent of incarnation 2.
Suppose that at SCN 3000 in incarnation 2, you perform a point-in-time recovery to
SCN 2000 and open the database with the RESETLOGS option. In this case, incarnation 2
is the parent of incarnation 3. Incarnation 1 is an ancestor of incarnation 3.
When DBPITR or Flashback Database has occurred in database, an SCN can refer to
multiple points in time, depending on which incarnation is current. For example, SCN
1500 in Figure 14–1 could refer to an SCN in incarnation 1 or 2.
You can use the RESET DATABASE TO INCARNATION command to specify that SCNs are to
be interpreted in the frame of reference of a specific database incarnation. The RESET
DATABASE TO INCARNATION command is required when you use FLASHBACK, RESTORE,
or RECOVER to return to an SCN in a noncurrent database incarnation. However,
RMAN executes the RESET DATABASE TO INCARNATION command implicitly with

RMAN Data Repair Concepts 14-7

RMAN Media Recovery

Flashback, as explained in "Resetting the Database Incarnation in the Recovery
Catalog" on page 13-28.
See Also:
■

■

"Recovering the Database to an Ancestor Incarnation" on
page 18-20
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for details about the
RESET DATABASE command

Orphaned Backups
When a database goes through multiple incarnations, some backups can become
orphaned backups. Orphaned backups are backups created during incarnations of the
database that are not in the direct ancestral path.
Assume the scenario shown in Figure 14–1 on page 14-7. If incarnation 3 is the current
incarnation, then the following backups are orphaned:
■

All backups from incarnation 1 after SCN 1000

■

All backups from incarnation 2 after SCN 2000

In contrast, the following backups are not orphaned because they are in the direct
ancestral path:
■

All backups from incarnation 1 before SCN 1000

■

All backups from incarnation 2 before SCN 2000

■

All backups from incarnation 3

You can use orphaned backups when you intend to restore the database to an SCN not
in the direct ancestral path. RMAN can restore backups from parent and ancestor
incarnations and recover to the current time, even across OPEN RESETLOGS operations,
as long as a continuous path of archived logs exists from the earliest backups to the
point to which you want to recover. If you restore a control file from an incarnation in
which the changes represented in the backups had not been abandoned, then RMAN
can also restore and recover orphaned backups.

14-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

15
15

Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data
Recovery Advisor
This chapter explains how to use the Data Recovery Advisor tool in RMAN to
diagnose and repair database failures. This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Overview of Data Recovery Advisor

■

Listing Failures

■

Checking for Block Corruptions by Validating the Database

■

Determining Repair Options

■

Repairing Failures

■

Changing Failure Status and Priority

Overview of Data Recovery Advisor
This section explains the purpose and basic concepts of the Data Recovery Advisor.

Purpose of Data Recovery Advisor
Data Recovery Advisor is an Oracle Database tool that automatically diagnoses data
failures, determines and presents appropriate repair options, and executes repairs at
the user's request. In this context, a data failure is a corruption or loss of persistent
data on disk. By providing a centralized tool for automated data repair, Data Recovery
Advisor improves the manageability and reliability of an Oracle database and thus
helps reduce the MTTR.
Diagnosing a data failure and devising an optimal strategy for repair requires a high
degree of training and experience. Data Recovery Advisor provides the following
advantages over traditional repair techniques:
■

■

■

Data Recovery Advisor can potentially detect, analyze, and repair data failures
before a database process discovers the corruption and signals an error. Early
warnings help limit damage caused by corruption.
Manually assessing symptoms of data failures and correlating them into a problem
statement can be complex, error-prone, and time-consuming. Data Recovery
Advisor automatically diagnoses failures, assesses their impact, and reports these
findings to the user.
Traditionally, users must manually determine repair options along with the repair
impact. If multiple failures are present, then users must determine the right
sequence of repair execution and try to consolidate repairs. In contrast, Data

Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor

15-1

Overview of Data Recovery Advisor

Recovery Advisor automatically determines the best repair options and runs
checks to make sure that these options are feasible in your environment.
■

Execution of a data repair can be complex and error-prone. If you choose an
automated repair option, then Data Recovery Advisor executes the repair and
verifies its success.

Basic Concepts of Data Recovery Advisor
This section explains the concepts that you must familiarize yourself with before using
Data Recovery Advisor.

User Interfaces to Data Recovery Advisor
Data Recovery Advisor has both a command-line and GUI interface. The GUI interface
is available in Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control and Grid Control. You can
click Perform Recovery in the Availability tab of the Database Home page to navigate
to the page shown in Figure 15–1.
Figure 15–1 Data Recovery Advisor

In the RMAN command-line interface, the Data Recovery Advisor commands are LIST
FAILURE, ADVISE FAILURE, REPAIR FAILURE, and CHANGE FAILURE.
A failure is detected either automatically by the database or through a manual check
such as the VALIDATE command. You can use the LIST FAILURE command to view
problem statements for failures and the effect of these failures on database operations.
Each failure is uniquely identified by a failure number. In the same RMAN session,
you can then use the ADVISE FAILURE command to view repair options, which
typically include both automated and manual options.
After executing ADVISE FAILURE, you can either repair failures manually or run the
REPAIR FAILURE command to repair the failures automatically. A repair is an action
that fixes one or more failures. Examples of repairs include block media recovery,
data file media recovery, and Oracle Flashback Database. When you choose an
automated repair option, Data Recovery Advisor verifies the repair success and closes
the relevant repaired failures.
Oracle Database 2 Day DBA to learn how to perform
backup and recovery with Enterprise Manager

See Also:

15-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Overview of Data Recovery Advisor

Data Integrity Checks
A checker is a diagnostic operation or procedure registered with the Health Monitor to
assess the health of the database or its components. The health assessment is known as
a data integrity check and can be invoked reactively or proactively.
Failures are normally detected reactively. A database operation involving corrupted
data results in an error, which automatically invokes a data integrity check that
searches the database for failures related to the error. If failures are diagnosed, then
they are recorded in the Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR), which is a
directory structure stored outside of the database. You can use Data Recovery Advisor
to generate repair advice and repair failures only after failures have been detected by
the database and stored in ADR.
You can also invoke a data integrity check proactively. You can execute the check
through the Health Monitor, which detects and stores failures in the same way as
when the checks are invoked reactively. You can also check for block corruption with
the VALIDATE and BACKUP VALIDATE commands, as explained in "Checking for Block
Corruptions by Validating the Database" on page 15-8.
See Also: Oracle Database Administrator's Guide to learn how to use
the Health Monitor

Failures
A failure is a persistent data corruption that is detected by a data integrity check. A
failure can manifest itself as observable symptoms such as error messages and alerts,
but a failure is different from a symptom because it represents a diagnosed problem.
After a problem is diagnosed by the database as a failure, you can obtain information
about the failure and potentially repair it with Data Recovery Advisor.
Because failure information is not stored in the database itself, the database does not
need to be open or mounted for you to access it. You can view failures when the
database is started in NOMOUNT mode. Thus, the availability of the control file and
recovery catalog does not affect the ability to view detected failures, although it may
affect the feasibility of some repairs.
Data Recovery Advisor can diagnose failures such as the following:
■

■

■
■

Components such as datafiles and control files that are not accessible because they
do not exist, do not have the correct access permissions, have been taken offline,
and so on
Physical corruptions such as block checksum failures and invalid block header
field values
Inconsistencies such as a data file that is older than other database files
I/O failures such as hardware errors, operating system driver failures, and
exceeding operating system resource limits (for example, the number of open files)

The Data Recovery Advisor may detect or handle some logical corruptions. In general,
corruptions of this type require help from Oracle Support Services.
Failure Status Every failure has a failure status: OPEN or CLOSED. The status of a failure is
OPEN until the appropriate repair action is invoked. The status changes to CLOSED after
the failure is repaired.
Every time you execute LIST FAILURE, Data Recovery Advisor revalidates all open
failures and closes failures that no longer exist. Thus, if you fixed some failures as part
of a separate procedure, or if the failures were transient problems that disappeared by
themselves, running LIST FAILURE automatically closes them.
Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor

15-3

Overview of Data Recovery Advisor

You can use CHANGE FAILURE to change the status of an open failure to CLOSED if you
have fixed it manually. However, it makes sense to use CHANGE FAILURE ... CLOSED
only if for some reason the failure was not closed automatically. If a failure still exists
when you use CHANGE to close it manually, then Data Recover Advisor re-creates it
with a different failure ID when the appropriate data integrity check is executed.
Failure Priority Every failure has a failure priority: CRITICAL, HIGH, or LOW. Data
Recovery Advisor only assigns CRITICAL or HIGH priority to diagnosed failures.
Failures with CRITICAL priority require immediate attention because they make the
whole database unavailable. For example, a disk containing a current control file may
fail. Failures with HIGH priority make a database partly unavailable or unrecoverable
and usually have to be repaired quickly. Examples include block corruptions and
missing archived redo logs.
If a failure was assigned a HIGH priority, but the failure has little impact on database
availability and recoverability, then you can downgrade the priority to LOW. A LOW
priority indicates that a failure can be ignored until more important failures are fixed.
By default LIST FAILURE displays only failures with CRITICAL and HIGH priority. You
can use the CHANGE command to change the status for LOW and HIGH failures, but you
cannot change the status of CRITICAL failures. The main reason for changing a priority
to LOW is to reduce the LIST FAILURE output. If a failure cannot be revalidated at this
time (for example, because of another failure), then LIST FAILURE shows the failure as
open.
Failure Grouping For clarity, Data Recovery Advisor groups related failures together. For
example, if 20 different blocks in a file are corrupted, then these failures are grouped
under a single parent failure. By default, Data Recovery Advisor lists information
about the group of failures, although you can specify the DETAIL option to list
information about the individual subfailures.
A subfailure has the same format as a failure. You can get advice on a subfailure and
repair it separately or in combination with any other failure.

Manual Actions and Automatic Repair Options
The ADVISE FAILURE command can present both manual and automatic repair options.
Data Recovery Advisor categorizes manual actions as either mandatory or optional.
In some cases, the only possible actions are manual. Suppose that no backups exist for
a lost control file. In this case, the manual action is to execute the CREATE CONTROLFILE
statement. Data Recovery Advisor presents this manual action as mandatory because
no automatic repair is available. In contrast, suppose that RMAN backups exist for a
missing data file. In this case, the REPAIR FAILURE command can perform the repair
automatically by restoring and recovering the data file. An optional manual action
would be to restore the data file if it was unintentionally renamed or moved. Data
Recovery Advisor suggests optional manual actions if they might prevent a more
extreme form of repair such as data file restore and recovery.
In contrast to manual actions, automated repairs can be performed by Data Recovery
Advisor. The ADVISE FAILURE command presents an option ID for each automated
repair option and summarizes the action.
Data Recovery Advisor performs feasibility checks before recommending an
automated repair. For example, Data Recovery Advisor checks that all backups and
archived redo logs needed for media recovery are present and consistent. Data
Recovery Advisor may need specific backups and archived redo logs. If the files
needed for recovery are not available, then recovery is not possible.

15-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Overview of Data Recovery Advisor

For performance reasons, Data Recovery Advisor does not
exhaustively check every byte in every file. Thus, a feasible repair may
still fail because of a corrupted backup or archived redo log file.

Note:

Consolidated Repairs When possible, Data Recovery Advisor consolidates repairs to fix
multiple failures into a single repair. A consolidated repair may contain multiple steps.
Sometimes a consolidated repair is not possible, as when one failure prevents the
creation of repairs for other failures. For example, the feasibility of a data file repair
cannot be determined when the control file is missing. In such cases, Data Recovery
Advisor generates a repair option for failures that can be repaired and prints a
message stating that some selected failures cannot be repaired at this time. After
executing the proposed repair, you can repeat the LIST, ADVISE, and REPAIR sequence
to repair remaining failures.
Repair Scripts Whenever Data Recovery Advisor generates an automated repair option,
it creates a script that explains which commands RMAN intends to use to repair the
failure. Data Recovery Advisor prints the location of this script, which is a text file
residing on the operating system. Example 15–1 shows a sample repair script, which
shows how Data Recovery Advisor plans to repair the loss of data file 27.
Example 15–1

Sample Repair Script

# restore and recover data file
sql 'alter database datafile 27 offline';
restore datafile 27;
recover datafile 27;
sql 'alter database datafile 27 online';

If you do not want Data Recovery Advisor to automatically repair the failure, then you
can copy the script, edit it, and execute it manually.

Supported Database Configurations
In the current release, Data Recovery Advisor only supports single-instance databases.
Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) databases are not supported.
If a data failure occurs that brings down all Oracle RAC instances, then you can mount
the database in single-instance mode and use Data Recovery Advisor to detect and
repair control file, SYSTEM data file, and data dictionary failures. You can also invoke
data recovery checks proactively to test other database components for data failures.
This approach does not detect data failures that are local to other cluster instances, for
example, an inaccessible data file.
In a Data Guard environment, Data Recovery Advisor cannot do the following:
■

■

Use files transferred from a physical standby database to repair failures on a
primary database
Diagnose and repair failures on a standby database

However, if the primary database is unavailable, then Data Recovery Advisor may
recommend a failover to a standby database. After the failover you can repair the old
primary database. If you are using Enterprise Manager Grid Control in a Data Guard
configuration, then you can initiate a failover through the Data Recovery Advisor
recommendations page.

Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor

15-5

Listing Failures

See Also: Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn how
to use RMAN in a Data Guard configuration

Basic Steps of Diagnosing and Repairing Failures
The Data Recovery Advisor workflow begins when you either suspect or discover a
failure. You can discover failures in many ways, including error messages, alerts, trace
files, and failed data integrity checks. As explained in "Data Integrity Checks" on
page 15-3, the database can automatically diagnose failures when errors occur.
The basic process for responding to failures is to start an RMAN session and perform
all of the following steps in the same session:
1.

List failures by running the LIST FAILURE command.
This task is explained in "Listing Failures" on page 15-6.

2.

If you suspect that failures exist that have not been automatically diagnosed by the
database, then run VALIDATE DATABASE to check for corrupt blocks and missing
files.
If VALIDATE detects a problem, then RMAN triggers execution of a failure
assessment. If a failure is detected, then RMAN logs it into the Automated
Diagnostic Repository, where is can be accessed by Data Recovery Advisor.
This task is explained in "Checking for Block Corruptions by Validating the
Database" on page 15-8.

3.

Determine repair options by running the ADVISE FAILURE command.
This task is explained in "Determining Repair Options" on page 15-10.

4.

Choose a repair option. You can repair the failures manually or run the REPAIR
FAILURE command to fix them automatically.
This task is explained in "Repairing Failures" on page 15-12.

5.

Return to the first step to confirm that all failures were repaired or determine
which failures remain.

Performing the steps for diagnosing and repairing failures in an order that is different
from the one listed in this section may result in errors.
If appropriate, you can use CHANGE FAILURE command at any time in the Data
Recovery Advisor workflow to change the priority of a failure from LOW to HIGH or
HIGH to LOW, or close a failure that has been fixed manually. This task is explained in
"Changing Failure Status and Priority" on page 15-14.

Listing Failures
If you suspect or know that one or more database failures have occurred, then use
LIST FAILURE to obtain information about them. You can list all or a subset of failures
and restrict output in various ways. Failures are uniquely identified by failure
numbers. These numbers are not consecutive, so gaps between failure numbers have
no significance.
The LIST FAILURE command does not execute data integrity checks to diagnose new
failures; rather, it lists the results of previously executed assessments. Thus, repeatedly
executing LIST FAILURE reveals new failures only if the database automatically
diagnosed them in response to errors that occurred in between command executions.
However, executing LIST FAILURE causes Data Recovery Advisor to revalidate all
existing failures. If a user fixed failures manually, or if transient failures disappeared,
15-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Listing Failures

then Data Recovery Advisor removes these failures from the LIST FAILURE output. If a
failure cannot be revalidated at this moment (for example, because of another failure),
LIST FAILURE shows the failure as open.

Listing All Failures
The easiest way to determine problems that your database is encountering is to use the
LIST FAILURE command.
To list all failures:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database. The target database instance must
be started.
2.

Execute the LIST FAILURE command.
The following example reports all failures known to Data Recovery Advisor (the
output has been reformatted to fit on the page).
RMAN> LIST FAILURE;
List of Database Failures
=========================
Failure ID Priority Status
Time Detected
---------- -------- --------- ------------142
HIGH
OPEN
23-APR-07
are missing
101
HIGH
OPEN
23-APR-07
'/disk1/oradata/prod/system01.dbf' contains

Summary
------One or more non-system datafiles
Datafile 1:
one or more corrupt blocks

In this example, RMAN reports two different failures: a group of missing data files
and a data file with corrupt blocks. The output indicates the unique identifier for
each failure (142 and 101), the priority, status, and detection time.
3.

Optionally, execute LIST FAILURE ... DETAIL to list failures individually.
As explained in "Failure Grouping" on page 15-4, Data Recovery Advisor
consolidates failures when possible. Specify the DETAIL option to list failures
individually. For example, if multiple block corruptions exist in a file, then
specifying the DETAIL option would list each of the block corruptions. The
following example lists detailed information about failure 101.
RMAN> LIST FAILURE 101 DETAIL;
List of Database Failures
=========================
Failure ID Priority Status
Time Detected Summary
---------- -------- --------- ------------- ------101
HIGH
OPEN
23-APR-07
Datafile 1:
'/disk1/oradata/prod/system01.dbf' contains one or more corrupt blocks
List of child failures for parent failure ID 101
Failure ID Priority Status
Time Detected Summary
---------- -------- --------- ------------- ------104
HIGH
OPEN
23-APR-07
Block 56416 in datafile 1:
'/disk1/oradata/prod/system01.dbf' is media corrupt
Impact: Object BLKTEST owned by SYS might be unavailable

4.

Proceed to "Determining Repair Options" on page 15-10 to determine how to
repair the failures displayed by the LIST FAILURE command.

Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor

15-7

Checking for Block Corruptions by Validating the Database

Listing a Subset of Failures
Besides providing more verbose output, LIST FAILURE also enables you to restrict
output. For example, you can execute LIST FAILURE with the CRITICAL, HIGH, LOW, or
CLOSED options to list only failures with a particular status or priority. You can also
exclude specified failures from the output by specifying EXCLUDE FAILURE.
To list a subset of failures:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database. The target database instance must
be started.
2.

Execute LIST FAILURE with the desired options.
The following examples illustrate some LIST FAILURE commands:
LIST FAILURE LOW;
LIST FAILURE CLOSED;
LIST FAILURE EXCLUDE FAILURE 234234;

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn
about the LIST FAILURE command

Checking for Block Corruptions by Validating the Database
As explained in "Data Integrity Checks" on page 15-3, the database invokes data
integrity checks reactively when a user transaction is trying to access corrupted data.
In some cases, latent failures can go undetected. For example, when a data block
corruption error occurs, the database reactively execute a data integrity check that
validates the block on which the error occurred and other blocks in its immediate
vicinity. However, blocks outside of the vicinity may be corrupted. Also, corrupted
blocks that are never read by the database are never detected by a reactive data
integrity check.
One effective way to execute a data integrity check proactively is to run the VALIDATE
or BACKUP VALIDATE commands in RMAN. These commands can check datafiles and
control files for physical and logical corruption. If RMAN discovers block corruptions,
then it logs them into the Automatic Diagnostic Repository and creates one or more
failures. You can then use Data Recovery Advisor to list information about the failures
and repair them.
To validate the database:
Start RMAN and connect to a target database. The target database must be
mounted.

1.
2.

Validate the desired database files.
The following example uses VALIDATE DATABASE to check for physical and logical
corruption in the whole database (partial sample output included). Because
"Listing Failures" on page 15-6 indicates that some data files are missing, the SKIP
INACCESSIBLE clause is specified. The output shows that the system01.dbf
database file has one newly corrupt block (Blocks Failing) and no blocks
previously marked corrupt by the database (Marked Corrupt).
RMAN> VALIDATE CHECK LOGICAL SKIP INACCESSIBLE DATABASE;
Starting validate at 23-APR-07
allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: SID=103 device type=DISK
could not access datafile 28

15-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Checking for Block Corruptions by Validating the Database

skipping inaccessible file 28
RMAN-06060: WARNING: skipping datafile compromises tablespace USERS
recoverability
RMAN-06060: WARNING: skipping datafile compromises tablespace USERS
recoverability
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting validation of datafile
channel ORA_DISK_1: specifying datafile(s) for validation
input datafile file number=00001 name=/disk1/oradata/prod/system01.dbf
input datafile file number=00002 name=/disk1/oradata/prod/sysaux01.dbf
input datafile file number=00022 name=/disk1/oradata/prod/undotbs01.dbf
input datafile file number=00023 name=/disk1/oradata/prod/cwmlite01.dbf
input datafile file number=00024 name=/disk1/oradata/prod/drsys01.dbf
input datafile file number=00025 name=/disk1/oradata/prod/example01.dbf
input datafile file number=00026 name=/disk1/oradata/prod/indx01.dbf
input datafile file number=00027 name=/disk1/oradata/prod/tools01.dbf
channel ORA_DISK_1: validation complete, elapsed time: 00:00:25
List of Datafiles
=================
File Status Marked Corrupt Empty Blocks Blocks Examined High SCN
---- ------ -------------- ------------ --------------- ---------1
FAILED 0
3536
57600
637711
File Name: /disk1/oradata/prod/system01.dbf
Block Type Blocks Failing Blocks Processed
---------- -------------- ---------------Data
1
41876
Index
0
7721
Other
0
4467
.
.
.
File Status Marked Corrupt Empty Blocks Blocks Examined High SCN
---- ------ -------------- ------------ --------------- ---------27
OK
0
1272
1280
400914
File Name: /disk1/oradata/prod/tools01.dbf
Block Type Blocks Failing Blocks Processed
---------- -------------- ---------------Data
0
0
Index
0
0
Other
0
8
validate found one or more corrupt blocks
See trace file /disk1/oracle/log/diag/rdbms/prod/prod/trace/prod_ora_2596.trc
for details
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting validation of datafile
channel ORA_DISK_1: specifying datafile(s) for validation
including current control file for validation
including current SPFILE in backup set
channel ORA_DISK_1: validation complete, elapsed time: 00:00:01
List of Control File and SPFILE
===============================
File Type
Status Blocks Failing Blocks Examined
------------ ------ -------------- --------------SPFILE
OK
0
2
Control File OK
0
512
Finished validate at 23-APR-07

Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor

15-9

Determining Repair Options

See Also:
■
■

■

Chapter 16, "Validating Database Files and Backups"
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn about the
VALIDATE command
Oracle Database Administrator's Guide to learn about how Oracle
Database manages diagnostic data

Determining Repair Options
Use the ADVISE FAILURE command to display repair options after running LIST
FAILURE in an RMAN session. This command prints a summary of the failures and
implicitly closes all open failures that are repaired.
Where appropriate, the ADVISE FAILURE command presents a list of manual and
automated repair options. Manual options, which are categorized as either mandatory
or optional, appear first. In some cases, an optional manual fix can avoid more extreme
actions such as restoring and recovering datafiles. As a rule, use the repair technique
that has the least effect on the database and the least possibility for error.

Determining Repair Options for All Failures
If one or more failures exist, then you should typically use LIST FAILURE to show
information about the failures and then use ADVISE FAILURE in the same RMAN
session to obtain a report of your repair options.
To determine repair options for all failures:
1. List failures as described in "Listing All Failures" on page 15-7.
2.

In the same RMAN session, execute ADVISE FAILURE.
The following example requests repair options for all failures known to Data
Recovery Advisor and includes sample output (reformatted to fit the page).
RMAN> ADVISE FAILURE;
List of Database Failures
=========================
Failure ID Priority Status
Time Detected Summary
---------- -------- --------- ------------- ------142
HIGH
OPEN
23-APR-07
One or more non-system datafiles
are missing
101
HIGH
OPEN
23-APR-07
Datafile 1:
'/disk1/oradata/prod/system01.dbf' contains one or more corrupt blocks
analyzing automatic repair options; this may take some time
using channel ORA_DISK_1
analyzing automatic repair options complete
Mandatory Manual Actions
========================
no manual actions available
Optional Manual Actions
=======================
1. If file /disk1/oradata/prod/users01.dbf was unintentionally renamed or
moved, restore it

15-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Determining Repair Options

Automated Repair Options
========================
Option Repair Description
------ -----------------1
Restore and recover datafile 28; Perform block media recovery of
block 56416 in file 1
Strategy: The repair includes complete media recovery with no data loss
Repair script: /disk1/oracle/log/diag/rdbms/prod/prod/hm/reco_660500184.hm

In the preceding example, ADVISE FAILURE reports two failures: a missing data file
and a data file with corrupt blocks. The command does not list mandatory manual
actions, but it suggests making sure that the missing data file was not accidentally
renamed or removed. The automated repair option involves block media recovery
and restoring and recovering the missing data file. ADVISE FAILURE lists the
location of the repair script.
The following variation of the same example shows the output when the RMAN
backups or archived redo logs needed for the automated repair are not available.
The command ADVISE FAILURE now shows mandatory manual actions.
RMAN> ADVISE FAILURE;
List of Database Failures
=========================
Failure ID Priority Status
Time Detected Summary
---------- -------- --------- ------------- ------142
HIGH
OPEN
23-APR-07
One or more non-system datafiles
are missing
101
HIGH
OPEN
23-APR-07
Datafile 1:
'/disk1/oradata/prod/system01.dbf' contains one or more corrupt blocks
analyzing automatic repair options; this may take some time
allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: SID=103 device type=DISK
analyzing automatic repair options complete
Mandatory Manual Actions
========================
1. If file /disk1/oradata/prod/users01.dbf was unintentionally renamed or
moved, restore it
2. Contact Oracle Support Services if the preceding recommendations cannot be
used, or if they do not fix the failures selected for repair
Optional Manual Actions
=======================
no manual actions available
Automated Repair Options
========================
Option Repair Description
------ -----------------1
Perform block media recovery of block 56416 in file 1
Strategy: The repair includes complete media recovery with no data loss
Repair script: /disk1/oracle/log/diag/rdbms/prod/prod/hm/reco_1863891774.hm
3.

Proceed to "Repairing Failures" on page 15-12 to determine how to repair the
failures shown in the LIST FAILURE output.

Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor 15-11

Repairing Failures

Determining Repair Options for a Subset of Failures
You can also request repair options for specific failures. You can specify failures by
status (CRITICAL, HIGH, or LOW) or by failure number. You can also use EXCLUDE
FAILURE to exclude one or more failures from the report.
To determine repair options for a subset of failures:
1. List failures as described in "Listing All Failures" on page 15-7.
2.

In the same RMAN session, execute ADVISE FAILURE with the desired options.
The following example requests repair options for failure 101 only.
RMAN> ADVISE FAILURE 101;
List of Database Failures
=========================
Failure ID Priority Status
Time Detected
---------- -------- --------- ------------101
HIGH
OPEN
23-APR-07
'/disk1/oradata/prod/system01.dbf' contains

Summary
------Datafile 1:
one or more corrupt blocks

analyzing automatic repair options; this may take some time
using channel ORA_DISK_1
analyzing automatic repair options complete
Mandatory Manual Actions
========================
no manual actions available
Optional Manual Actions
=======================
no manual actions available
Automated Repair Options
========================
Option Repair Description
------ -----------------1
Perform block media recovery of block 56416 in file 1
Strategy: The repair includes complete media recovery with no data loss
Repair script: /disk1/oracle/log/diag/rdbms/prod/prod/hm/reco_708819503.hm
3.

Proceed to "Repairing Failures" on page 15-12 to determine how to repair the
failures displayed by the LIST FAILURE command.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn
about the ADVISE FAILURE command

Repairing Failures
This section explains how to use Data Recovery Advisor to repair failures
automatically.

About Repairing Failures
If ADVISE FAILURE suggests manual repairs, then try these first. If manual repairs are
not possible, or if they do not repair all failures, then you can use REPAIR FAILURE to

15-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Repairing Failures

automatically fix failures suggested in the most recent ADVISE FAILURE command in
your current RMAN session.
By default, REPAIR FAILURE prompts for confirmation before it begins executing. You
can suppress the confirmation prompt by specifying the NOPROMPT option. After it
starts executing, the command indicates the current phase of repair. Depending on the
circumstances, RMAN may prompt for a response. After executing a repair, RMAN
reevaluates all existing failures on the chance that they may have been fixed during
this repair.
Before performing a repair, it is typically advisable to preview it by specifying the
PREVIEW option. RMAN does not make any repairs and generates a script with all
repair actions and comments. If you do not specify a particular repair option, then
RMAN uses the first repair option of the most recent ADVISE FAILURE command in the
current session. By default the repair script is displayed to standard output. You can
use the SPOOL command to write the script to an editable file.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn about the
REPAIR FAILURE command
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn about the
SPOOL command

Repairing a Failure
By default the script is displayed to standard output. You can use the SPOOL command
to write the script to an editable file.
To repair a failure:
List failures as described in "Listing All Failures" on page 15-7.

1.
2.

Display repair options as described in "Determining Repair Options" on
page 15-10.

3.

Optionally, execute REPAIR FAILURE PREVIEW.
The following example previews the first repair options displayed by the previous
ADVISE FAILURE command in the RMAN session.
RMAN> REPAIR FAILURE PREVIEW;
Strategy: The repair includes complete media recovery with no data loss
Repair script: /disk1/oracle/log/diag/rdbms/prod/prod/hm/reco_475549922.hm
contents of repair script:
# restore and recover data file
sql 'alter database datafile 28 offline';
restore datafile 28;
recover datafile 28;
sql 'alter database datafile 28 online';
# block media recovery
recover datafile 1 block 56416;

4.

Execute REPAIR FAILURE.
The following repair restores and recovers one data file and performs block media
recovery on one corrupt block. RMAN prompts for confirmation that it should
perform the repair. The user-entered text is in bold.
RMAN> REPAIR FAILURE;

Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor 15-13

Changing Failure Status and Priority

Strategy: The repair includes complete media recovery with no data loss
Repair script: /disk1/oracle/log/diag/rdbms/prod/prod/hm/reco_475549922.hm
contents of repair script:
# restore and recover data file
sql 'alter database datafile 28 offline';
restore datafile 28;
recover datafile 28;
sql 'alter database datafile 28 online';
# block media recovery
recover datafile 1 block 56416;
Do you really want to execute the above repair (enter YES or NO)? YES
executing repair script
sql statement: alter database datafile 28 offline
Starting restore at 23-APR-07
using channel ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting datafile backup set restore
channel ORA_DISK_1: specifying datafile(s) to restore from backup set
channel ORA_DISK_1: restoring datafile 00028 to /disk1/oradata/prod/users01.dbf
channel ORA_DISK_1: reading from backup piece /disk2/PROD/backupset/2007_04_
18/o1_mf_nnndf_TAG20070418T182042_32fjzd3z_.bkp
channel ORA_DISK_1: piece handle=/disk2/PROD/backupset/2007_04_18/o1_mf_nnndf_
TAG20070418T182042_32fjzd3z_.bkp tag=TAG20070418T182042
channel ORA_DISK_1: restored backup piece 1
channel ORA_DISK_1: restore complete, elapsed time: 00:00:03
Finished restore at 23-APR-07
Starting recover at 23-APR-07
using channel ORA_DISK_1
starting media recovery
media recovery complete, elapsed time: 00:00:01
Finished recover at 23-APR-07
sql statement: alter database datafile 28 online
Starting recover at 23-APR-07
using channel ORA_DISK_1
searching flashback logs for block images until SCN 429690
finished flashback log search, restored 1 blocks
starting media recovery
media recovery complete, elapsed time: 00:00:03
Finished recover at 23-APR-07
repair failure complete
5.

Optionally, execute LIST FAILURE to confirm

Changing Failure Status and Priority
In some situations, you may want to use the CHANGE FAILURE command to alter the
status or priority of a failure. For example, if a block corruption has HIGH priority, you
may want to change it to LOW temporarily if the block is in a little-used tablespace.

15-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Changing Failure Status and Priority

If you repair a failure by a means other than the REPAIR FAILURE command, then Data
Recovery Advisor closes it implicitly the next time you execute LIST FAILURE. For this
reason, you do not normally need to execute the CHANGE FAILURE ... CLOSED
command. You should need to use this command only if the automatic failure
revalidation fails, but you believe the failure no longer exists. If you use CHANGE
FAILURE to close a failure that still exists, then Data Recovery Advisor re-creates it with
a different failure ID when the appropriate data integrity check is executed.
Typically, you specify the failures by failure number. You can also change failures in
bulk by specifying ALL, CRITICAL, HIGH, or LOW. You can change a failure to CLOSED or
to PRIORITY HIGH or PRIORITY LOW.
To change the status or priority of a failure:
List failures as described in "Listing All Failures" on page 15-7.

1.

The following example lists one failure involving corrupt data blocks.
RMAN> LIST FAILURE;
List of Database Failures
=========================
Failure ID Priority Status
Time Detected Summary
---------- -------- --------- ------------- ------142
HIGH
OPEN
23-APR-07
One or more non-system datafiles
are missing
101
HIGH
OPEN
23-APR-07
Datafile 25:
'/disk1/oradata/prod/example01.dbf' contains one or more corrupt blocks
2.

Execute CHANGE FAILURE with the desired options.
The following example changes the priority of a block corruption failure from HIGH
to LOW.
RMAN> CHANGE FAILURE 101 PRIORITY LOW;
List of Database Failures
=========================
Failure ID Priority Status
Time Detected Summary
---------- -------- --------- ------------- ------101
HIGH
OPEN
23-APR-07
Datafile 25:
'/disk1/oradata/prod/example01.dbf' contains one or more corrupt blocks
Do you really want to change the above failures (enter YES or NO)? YES
changed 1 failures to LOW priority

3.

Optionally, execute LIST FAILURE ALL to view the change.
If you execute LIST FAILURE without ALL, then the command lists failures with
LOW priority only if no CRITICAL or HIGH priority failures exist.
RMAN> LIST FAILURE ALL;
List of Database Failures
=========================
Failure ID Priority Status
Time Detected Summary
---------- -------- --------- ------------- ------142
HIGH
OPEN
23-APR-07
One or more non-system datafiles
are missing

Diagnosing and Repairing Failures with Data Recovery Advisor 15-15

Changing Failure Status and Priority

101
LOW
OPEN
23-APR-07
Datafile 25:
'/disk1/oradata/prod/example01.dbf' contains one or more corrupt blocks

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn
about the CHANGE command

15-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

16
Validating Database Files and Backups
16

This chapter explains how to check the integrity of database files and backups. This
chapter contains the following topics:
■

Overview of RMAN Validation

■

Checking for Block Corruption with the VALIDATE Command

■

Validating Database Files with BACKUP VALIDATE

■

Validating Backups Before Restoring Them

Overview of RMAN Validation
This section explains the basic concepts and tasks involved in RMAN validation.

Purpose of RMAN Validation
The main purpose of RMAN validation is to check for corrupt blocks and missing
files. You can also use RMAN to determine whether backups can be restored. You can
use the following RMAN commands to perform validation:
■

VALIDATE

■

BACKUP ... VALIDATE

■

RESTORE ... VALIDATE
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for VALIDATE
syntax
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for RESTORE ...
VALIDATE syntax

Basic Concepts of RMAN Validation
The database prevents operations that result in unusable backup files or corrupted
restored datafiles. The database automatically does the following:
■

Blocks access to datafiles while they are being restored or recovered

■

Permits only one restore operation for each data file at a time

■

Ensures that incremental backups are applied in the correct order

■

Stores information in backup files to allow detection of corruption

Validating Database Files and Backups 16-1

Overview of RMAN Validation

■

Checks a block every time it is read or written in an attempt to report a corruption
as soon as it has been detected

Checksums and Corrupt Blocks
A corrupt block is a block that has been changed so that it differs from what Oracle
Database expects to find. Block corruptions can be caused by various failures
including, but not limited to the following:
■

Faulty disks and disk controllers

■

Faulty memory

■

Oracle Database software defects

DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM is a database initialization parameter that controls the writing of
checksums for the blocks in datafiles and online redo log files in the database (not
backups). If DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM is typical, then the database computes a checksum
for each block during normal operations and stores it in the header of the block before
writing it to disk. When the database reads the block from disk later, it recomputes the
checksum and compares it to the stored value. If the values do not match, then the
block is corrupt.
By default, the BACKUP command computes a checksum for each block and stores it in
the backup. The BACKUP command ignores the values of DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM because
this initialization parameter applies to datafiles in the database, not backups.

Physical and Logical Block Corruption
In a physical corruption, which is also called a media corruption, the database does
not recognize the block at all: the checksum is invalid, the block contains all zeros, or
the header and footer of the block do not match.
By default, the BACKUP command computes a checksum for
each block and stores it in the backup. If you specify the NOCHECKSUM
option, then RMAN does not perform a checksum of the blocks when
creating the backup.
Note:

In a logical corruption, the contents of the block are logically inconsistent. Examples of
logical corruption include corruption of a row piece or index entry. If RMAN detects
logical corruption, then it logs the block in the alert log and server session trace file.
By default, RMAN does not check for logical corruption. If you specify CHECK LOGICAL
on the BACKUP command, however, then RMAN tests data and index blocks for logical
corruption, such as corruption of a row piece or index entry, and log them in the alert
log located in the Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR). If you use RMAN with
the following configuration when backing up or restoring files, then it detects all types
of block corruption that are possible to detect:
■

■

■

In the initialization parameter file of a database, set DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM=typical
so that the database calculates data file checksums automatically (not for backups,
but for data files in use by the database)
Do not precede the BACKUP command with SET MAXCORRUPT so that RMAN does
not tolerate any unmarked block corruptions.
In a BACKUP command, do not specify the NOCHECKSUM option so that RMAN
calculates a checksum when writing backups

16-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Overview of RMAN Validation

■

In BACKUP and RESTORE commands, specify the CHECK LOGICAL option so that
RMAN checks for logical and physical corruption

Limits for Corrupt Blocks in RMAN Backups
You can use the SET MAXCORRUPT command to set the total number of unmarked
corruptions permitted in a file for RMAN backups. The default is zero, meaning that
RMAN does not tolerate unmarked corrupt blocks of any kind.
If the MAXCORRUPT limit is exceeded when RMAN encounters an unmarked corrupt
block during a backup, then RMAN terminates the backup. Otherwise, RMAN writes
the newly detected corrupt block to the backup with a special header indicating that
the block is marked corrupt. You can use the VALIDATE command to determine which
blocks are already marked as corrupt and to find any previously unmarked corrupt
blocks.
Because RMAN allows previously marked corrupt blocks in a backup, and because
RMAN can be instructed to allow previously unmarked corrupt blocks to be marked
as corrupt in the backup (when MAXCORRUPT is used), it is possible to restore a data file
that has several blocks marked as corrupt. If you backup this restored data file
(assuming no new corruptions have happened), even without MAXCORRUPT setting, then
the backup succeeds. This is because the previously marked corruptions do not stop
RMAN from completing the backup.
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for SET
MAXCORRUPT syntax
See Also:

Detection of Block Corruption
Oracle Database supports different techniques for detecting, repairing, and monitoring
block corruption. The technique depends on whether the corruption is interblock
corruption or intrablock corruption. In intrablock corruption, the corruption occurs
within the block itself. This corruption can be either physical or logical. In an
interblock corruption, the corruption occurs between blocks and can only be logical.
For example, the V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION view records intrablock corruptions,
while the Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR) tracks all types of corruptions.
Table 16–1 summarizes how the database treats different types of block corruption.
Table 16–1

Detection, Repair, and Monitoring of Block Corruption

Response

Intrablock Corruption

Interblock Corruption

Detection

All database utilities detect intrablock corruption, including
RMAN (for example, the BACKUP command) and the
DBVERIFY utility. If a database process can encounter the
ORA-1578 error, then it can detect the corruption and monitor
it.

Only DBVERIFY and the ANALYZE
statement detect interblock
corruption.

Tracking

The V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION view displays blocks
marked corrupt by Oracle Database components such as
RMAN commands, ANALYZE, dbv, SQL queries, and so on.
Any process that encounters an intrablock corruption
records the block corruption in this view and in ADR.

The database monitors this type of
block corruption in ADR.

Validating Database Files and Backups 16-3

Checking for Block Corruption with the VALIDATE Command

Table 16–1 (Cont.) Detection, Repair, and Monitoring of Block Corruption
Response

Intrablock Corruption

Interblock Corruption

Repair

Repair techniques include block media recovery, restoring
data files, recovering with incremental backups, and block
newing. Block media recovery can repair physical
corruptions, but not logical corruptions.

You must fix interblock corruption
with manual techniques such as
dropping an object, rebuilding an
index, and so on.

Any RMAN command that fixes or detects that a block is
repaired updates V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION. For
example, RMAN updates the repository at end of successful
block media recovery. If a BACKUP, RESTORE, or VALIDATE
command detects that a block is no longer corrupted, then it
removes the repaired block from the view.

See Also:
■

Chapter 17, "Performing Complete Database Recovery"

■

Chapter 19, "Performing Block Media Recovery"

■

Oracle Database Administrator's Guide to learn about ADR

Checking for Block Corruption with the VALIDATE Command
You can use the VALIDATE command to manually check for physical and logical
corruptions in database files. This command performs the same types of checks as
BACKUP VALIDATE, but VALIDATE can check a larger selection of objects. For example,
you can validate individual blocks with the VALIDATE DATAFILE ... BLOCK command.
When validating whole files, RMAN checks every block of the input files. If the
backup validation discovers previously unmarked corrupt blocks, then RMAN
updates the V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION view with rows describing the
corruptions.
Use VALIDATE BACKUPSET when you suspect that one or more backup pieces in a
backup set are missing or have been damaged. This command checks every block in a
backup set to ensure that the backup can be restored. If RMAN finds block corruption,
then it issues an error and terminates the validation. The command VALIDATE
BACKUPSET enables you to choose which backups to check, whereas the VALIDATE
option of the RESTORE command lets RMAN choose.
To use VALIDATE to check database files and backups:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database.
2.

Execute the VALIDATE command with the desired options.
For example, to validate all datafiles and control files (and the server parameter
file if one is in use), execute the following command at the RMAN prompt:
RMAN> VALIDATE DATABASE;

Alternatively, you can validate a particular backup set by using the form of the
command shown in the following example (sample output included).
RMAN> VALIDATE BACKUPSET 22;
Starting validate at 17-AUG-06
using channel ORA_DISK_1
allocated channel: ORA_SBT_TAPE_1
channel ORA_SBT_TAPE_1: SID=89 device type=SBT_TAPE

16-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Checking for Block Corruption with the VALIDATE Command

channel ORA_SBT_TAPE_1: Oracle Secure Backup
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting validation of datafile backup set
channel ORA_DISK_1: reading from backup piece
/disk1/oracle/work/orcva/RDBMS/backupset/2007_08_16/o1_mf_nnndf_
TAG20070816T153034_2g774bt2_.bkp
channel ORA_DISK_1: piece handle=/disk1/oracle/work/orcva/RDBMS/backupset/2007_
08_16/o1_mf_nnndf_TAG20070816T153034_2g774bt2_.bkp tag=TAG20070816T153034
channel ORA_DISK_1: restored backup piece 1
channel ORA_DISK_1: validation complete, elapsed time: 00:00:01
Finished validate at 17-AUG-06

The following example illustrates how you can check individual data blocks
within a data file for corruption.
RMAN> VALIDATE DATAFILE 1 BLOCK 10;
Starting validate at 17-AUG-06
using channel ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting validation of datafile
channel ORA_DISK_1: specifying datafile(s) for validation
input datafile file number=00001 name=/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_01.f
channel ORA_DISK_1: validation complete, elapsed time: 00:00:01
List of Datafiles
=================
File Status Marked Corrupt Empty Blocks Blocks Examined High SCN
---- ------ -------------- ------------ --------------- ---------1
OK
0
2
127
481907
File Name: /disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_01.f
Block Type Blocks Failing Blocks Processed
---------- -------------- ---------------Data
0
36
Index
0
31
Other
0
58
Finished validate at 17-AUG-06

Make Parallel the Validation of a Data File
If you must validate a large data file, then RMAN can make the work parallel by
dividing the file into sections and processing each file section in parallel. If multiple
channels are configured or allocated, and if you want the channels to make parallel the
validation, then specify the SECTION SIZE parameter of the VALIDATE command.
If you specify a section size that is larger than the size of the file, then RMAN does not
create file sections. If you specify a small section size that would produce more than
256 sections, then RMAN increases the section size to a value that results in exactly 256
sections.
To make parallel the validation of a data file:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database. The target database must be
mounted or open.
2.

Run VALIDATE with the SECTION SIZE parameter.
The following example allocates two channels and validates a large data file. The
section size is 1200 MB.
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE DISK;
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c2 DEVICE TYPE DISK;

Validating Database Files and Backups 16-5

Validating Database Files with BACKUP VALIDATE

VALIDATE DATAFILE 1 SECTION SIZE 1200M;
}

See Also:
■

■

"Dividing the Backup of a Large Data File into Sections" on
page 10-2
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn about the
VALIDATE command

Validating Database Files with BACKUP VALIDATE
You can use the BACKUP VALIDATE command to do the following:
■

Check datafiles for physical and logical block corruption

■

Confirm that all database files exist and are in the correct locations

When you run BACKUP VALIDATE, RMAN reads the files to be backed up in their
entirety, as it would during a real backup. RMAN does not, however, actually produce
any backup sets or image copies.
You cannot use the BACKUPSET, MAXCORRUPT, or PROXY parameters with BACKUP
VALIDATE. To validate specific backup sets, run the VALIDATE command.
To validate files with the BACKUP VALIDATE command:
Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog (if used).

1.
2.

Run the BACKUP VALIDATE command.
For example, you can validate that all database files and archived logs can be
backed up by running a command as shown in the following example. This
command checks for physical corruptions only.
BACKUP VALIDATE
DATABASE
ARCHIVELOG ALL;

To check for logical corruptions in addition to physical corruptions, run the
following variation of the preceding command:
BACKUP VALIDATE
CHECK LOGICAL
DATABASE
ARCHIVELOG ALL;

In the preceding examples, the RMAN client displays the same output that it
would if it were really backing up the files. If RMAN cannot back up one or more
of the files, then it issues an error message. For example, RMAN may show output
similar to the following:
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03002: failure of backup command at 08/29/2007 14:33:47
ORA-19625: error identifying file /oracle/oradata/trgt/arch/archive1_6.dbf
ORA-27037: unable to obtain file status
SVR4 Error: 2: No such file or directory
Additional information: 3

16-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Validating Backups Before Restoring Them

See Also:
■
■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for BACKUP syntax
Chapter 19, "Performing Block Media Recovery"to learn how to
repair corrupt blocks discovered by BACKUP VALIDATE

Validating Backups Before Restoring Them
You can run RESTORE ... VALIDATE to test whether RMAN can restore a specific file or
set of files from a backup. RMAN chooses which backups to use.
The database must be mounted or open for this command. You do not have to take
datafiles offline when validating the restore of datafiles, because validation of backups
of the datafiles only reads the backups and does not affect the production datafiles.
When validating files on disk or tape, RMAN reads all blocks in the backup piece or
image copy. RMAN also validates offsite backups. The validation is identical to a real
restore operation except that RMAN does not write output files.
As an additional test measure, you can perform a trial
recovery with the RECOVER ... TEST command. A trial recovery
applies redo in a way similar to normal recovery, but it is in memory
only and it rolls back its changes after the trial.
Note:

To validate backups with the RESTORE command:
1. Run the RESTORE command with the VALIDATE option.
This following example illustrates validating the restore of the database and all
archived redo logs:
RESTORE DATABASE VALIDATE;
RESTORE ARCHIVELOG ALL VALIDATE;

If you do not see an RMAN error stack, then skip the subsequent steps. The lack of
error messages means that RMAN had confirmed that it can use these backups
successfully during a real restore and recovery.
2.

If you see error messages in the output and the RMAN-06026 message, then
investigate the cause of the problem. If possible, correct the problem that is
preventing RMAN from validating the backups and retry the validation.
The following error means that RMAN cannot restore one or more of the specified
files from your available backups:
RMAN-06026: some targets not found - aborting restore

The following sample output shows that RMAN encountered a problem reading
the specified backup:
RMAN-03009: failure of restore command on c1 channel at 12-DEC-06 23:22:30
ORA-19505: failed to identify file "oracle/dbs/1fafv9gl_1_1"
ORA-27037: unable to obtain file status
SVR4 Error: 2: No such file or directory
Additional information: 3

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn
about the RESTORE ... VALIDATE command

Validating Database Files and Backups 16-7

Validating Backups Before Restoring Them

16-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

17
Performing Complete Database Recovery
17

This chapter explains how to use RMAN to return your database to normal operation
after the loss of one or more data files. This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Overview of Complete Database Recovery

■

Preparing for Complete Database Recovery

■

Performing Complete Database Recovery

Overview of Complete Database Recovery
This section explains the purpose of complete restore and recovery of the database and
specifies the scope of the chapter.

Purpose of Complete Database Recovery
This chapter assumes that some or all of your data files are lost or damaged. Typically,
this situation is caused by a media failure or accidental deletion. Your goal is to return
the database to normal operation by restoring the damaged files from RMAN backups
and recovering all database changes.

Scope of This Chapter
This chapter explains how to use complete recovery to fix the most common database
problems. This chapter makes the following assumptions:
■

You have lost some or all data files and your goal is to recover all changes, but you
have not lost all current control files or an entire online redo log group.
Chapter 18, "Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery"
explains how to recover some but not all database changes. Chapter 30,
"Performing User-Managed Recovery: Advanced Scenarios" explains how to
respond when some but not all current control files or members of an online redo
log group are lost. "Performing Recovery with a Backup Control File" on page 20-4
explains how to recover the database when all control files are lost.

■

Your database is using the current server parameter file.
To restore a backup server parameter file, see "Restoring the Server Parameter File"
on page 20-2.

■

You have the complete set of archived redo logs and incremental backups needed
for recovery of your data file backups. Every data file either has a backup, or a
complete set of online and archived redo logs goes back to the creation of a data
file with no backup.

Performing Complete Database Recovery 17-1

Preparing for Complete Database Recovery

RMAN can handle lost data files without user intervention during restore and
recovery. When a data file is lost, the possible cases can be classified as follows:

■

–

The control file knows about the data file, that is, you backed up the control
file after data file creation, but the data file itself is not backed up. If the data
file record is in the control file, then RESTORE creates the data file in the original
location or in a user-specified location. The RECOVER command can then apply
the necessary logs to the data file.

–

The control file does not have the data file record, that is, you did not back up
the control file after data file creation. During recovery, the database detects
the missing data file and reports it to RMAN, which creates a new data file
and continues recovery by applying the remaining logs. If the data file was
created in a parent incarnation, then it is created during the restore or recovery
phase as appropriate.

You are not restoring and recovering an encrypted tablespace.
If you perform media recovery on an encrypted tablespace, then the Oracle wallet
must be open when performing media recovery of this tablespace. See Oracle
Database Administrator's Guide to learn about encrypted tablespaces.

■

Your database runs in a single-instance configuration.
While RMAN can restore and recover databases in Oracle RAC and Data Guard
configurations, these scenarios are beyond the scope of this manual.

■

You are using the RMAN client rather than Oracle Enterprise Manager.
Enterprise Manager provides access to RMAN through a set of wizards. These
wizards lead you through a variety of recovery procedures based on an analysis of
your database, your available backups, and your data recovery objectives.
By using Enterprise Manager, you can perform the simpler restore and recovery
scenarios outlined in this chapter. You can also use more sophisticated restore and
recovery techniques such as point-in-time recovery and database flashback, which
allow for efficient repair of media failures and user errors. Typically, using
Enterprise Manager is simpler than using the RMAN command-line client directly.
See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment
Guide for more information about using RMAN with Oracle
RAC
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for more
information about using RMAN with Data Guard
Oracle Database 2 Day DBA for more details on the restore and
recovery features of Enterprise Manager

Preparing for Complete Database Recovery
While RMAN simplifies most database restore and recovery tasks, you must still plan
your database restore and recovery strategy based on which database files have been
lost and your recovery goal. This section contains the following topics:
■

Identifying the Database Files to Restore or Recover

■

Determining the DBID of the Database

■

Previewing Backups Used in Restore Operations

17-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Preparing for Complete Database Recovery

■

Validating Backups Before Restoring Them

■

Restoring Archived Redo Logs Needed for Recovery

Identifying the Database Files to Restore or Recover
The techniques for determining which files require restore or recovery depend upon
the type of file that is lost.

Identifying a Lost Control File
It is usually obvious when the control file of your database is lost. The database shuts
down immediately when any of the multiplexed control files becomes inaccessible.
Also, the database reports an error if you try to start it without a valid control file at
each location specified in the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter.
Loss of some but not all copies of your control file does not require you to restore a
control file from backup. If at least one control file remains intact, then you can either
copy an intact copy of the control file over the damaged or missing control file, or
update the initialization parameter file so that it does not refer to the damaged or
missing control file. After the CONTROL_FILES parameter references only present, intact
copies of the control file, you can restart your database.
If you restore the control file from backup, then you must perform media recovery of
the whole database and then open it with the OPEN RESETLOGS option, even if no data
files must be restored. This technique is described in "Performing Recovery with a
Backup Control File" on page 20-4.

Identifying Datafiles Requiring Media Recovery
When and how to recover depends on the state of the database and the location of its
data files.
Identifying Datafiles with RMAN An easy technique for determining which data files are
missing is to run a VALIDATE DATABASE command, which attempts to read all specified
data files. For example, start the RMAN client and run the following commands to
validate the database (sample output included).
Example 17–1

BACKUP VALIDATE DATABASE

RMAN> VALIDATE DATABASE;
Starting validate at 20-OCT-06
allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: SID=90 device type=DISK
could not read file header for datafile 7 error reason 4
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03002: failure of backup command at 10/20/2007 13:05:43
RMAN-06056: could not access datafile 7

The output in Example 17–1 indicates that data file 7 is inaccessible. You can then run
the REPORT SCHEMA command to obtain the tablespace name and file name for data file
7 as follows (sample output included):
RMAN> REPORT SCHEMA;
Report of database schema for database with db_unique_name RDBMS

Performing Complete Database Recovery 17-3

Preparing for Complete Database Recovery

List of Permanent Datafiles
===========================
File Size(MB) Tablespace
---- -------- -------------------1
450
SYSTEM
2
86
SYSAUX
3
15
UD1
4
2
SYSTEM
5
2
TBS_1
6
2
TBS_1
7
2
TBS_2

RB segs
------***
***
***
***
***
***
***

Datafile Name
-----------------------+DATAFILE/tbs_01.f
+DATAFILE/tbs_ax1.f
+DATAFILE/tbs_undo1.f
+DATAFILE/tbs_02.f
+DATAFILE/tbs_11.f
+DATAFILE/tbs_12.f
+DATAFILE/tbs_21.f

List of Temporary Files
=======================
File Size(MB) Tablespace
Maxsize(MB) Tempfile Name
---- -------- -------------------- ----------- -------------------1
40
TEMP
32767
+DATAFILE/tbs_tmp1.f

Identifying Datafiles with SQL Although VALIDATE DATABASE is a good technique for
determining whether files are inaccessible, you may want to use SQL queries to obtain
more detailed information.
To determine whether data files require media recovery:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the target database instance with administrator
privileges.
2.

Determine the status of the database by executing the following SQL query:
SELECT STATUS FROM V$INSTANCE;

If the status is OPEN, then the database is open. Nevertheless, some data files may
require media recovery.
3.

Query V$DATAFILE_HEADER to determine the status of your data files. Run the
following SQL statements to check the data file headers:
SELECT
FROM
WHERE
OR

FILE#, STATUS, ERROR, RECOVER, TABLESPACE_NAME, NAME
V$DATAFILE_HEADER
RECOVER = 'YES'
(RECOVER IS NULL AND ERROR IS NOT NULL);

Each row returned represents a data file that either requires media recovery or has
an error requiring a restore. Check the RECOVER and ERROR columns. RECOVER
indicates whether a file needs media recovery, and ERROR indicates whether there
was an error reading and validating the data file header.
If ERROR is not NULL, then the data file header cannot be read and validated. Check
for a temporary hardware or operating system problem causing the error. If there
is no such problem, you must restore the file or switch to a copy.
If the ERROR column is NULL and the RECOVER column is YES, then the file requires
media recovery (and may also require a restore from backup).

Because V$DATAFILE_HEADER only reads the header block of
each data file, it does not detect all problems that require the data
file to be restored. For example, this view cannot tell whether a data
file contains corrupt data blocks.

Note:

17-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Preparing for Complete Database Recovery

4.

Optionally, query V$RECOVER_FILE to list data files requiring recovery by data file
number with their status and error information. For example, execute the
following query:
SELECT FILE#, ERROR, ONLINE_STATUS, CHANGE#, TIME
FROM
V$RECOVER_FILE;

Note: You cannot use V$RECOVER_FILE with a control file restored
from backup or a control file that was re-created after the time of
the media failure affecting the data files. A restored or re-created
control file does not contain the information needed to update
V$RECOVER_FILE accurately.

To find data file and tablespace names, you can also perform useful joins using the
data file number and the V$DATAFILE and V$TABLESPACE views. For example:
SELECT r.FILE# AS df#, d.NAME AS df_name, t.NAME AS tbsp_name,
d.STATUS, r.ERROR, r.CHANGE#, r.TIME
FROM V$RECOVER_FILE r, V$DATAFILE d, V$TABLESPACE t
WHERE t.TS# = d.TS#
AND d.FILE# = r.FILE#;

The ERROR column identifies the problem for each file requiring recovery.
See Also:

Oracle Database Reference for information about the V$

views

Determining the DBID of the Database
In situations requiring the recovery of your server parameter file or control file from
autobackup, you must know the DBID. You should record the DBID along with other
basic information about your database.
If you do not have a record of the DBID of your database, then you can find it in the
following places without opening your database:
■

■

The DBID is used in forming the file name for the control file autobackup. Locate
this file, and then refer to "Configuring the Control File Autobackup Format" on
page 5-7 to determine where the DBID appears in the file name.
If you have any text files that preserve the output from an RMAN session, then the
DBID is displayed by the RMAN client when it starts up and connects to your
database. Typical output follows:
% rman TARGET /
Recovery Manager: Release 11.1.0.6.0 - Production on Wed Jul 11 17:51:30 2007
Copyright (c) 1982, 2007, Oracle.

All rights reserved.

connected to target database: PROD (DBID=36508508)

Previewing Backups Used in Restore Operations
You can apply RESTORE ... PREVIEW to any RESTORE operation to create a detailed list
of every backup to be used in the requested RESTORE operation, and the necessary
target SCN for recovery after the RESTORE operation is complete. This command
Performing Complete Database Recovery 17-5

Preparing for Complete Database Recovery

accesses the RMAN repository to query the backup metadata, but does not actually
read the backup files to ensure that they can be restored.
As an alternative to RESTORE ... PREVIEW, you can use the RESTORE ... VALIDATE
HEADER command. In addition to listing the files needed for restore and recovery, the
RESTORE ... VALIDATE HEADER command validates the backup file headers to
determine whether the files on disk or in the media management catalog correspond
to the metadata in the RMAN repository.
When planning your restore and recovery operation, use RESTORE ... PREVIEW or
RESTORE ... VALIDATE HEADER to ensure that all required backups are available or to
identify situations in which you may want to direct RMAN to use or avoid specific
backups.
To preview backups to be used in a restore operation:
1. Run a RESTORE command with the PREVIEW option.
For example, run one of the following commands:
RESTORE DATABASE PREVIEW;
RESTORE ARCHIVELOG FROM TIME 'SYSDATE-7' PREVIEW;

If the report produced by RESTORE ... PREVIEW provides too much information,
then specify the SUMMARY option as shown in the following example:
RESTORE DATABASE PREVIEW SUMMARY;

If satisfied with the output, then stop here. If the output indicates that RMAN will
request a backup from a tape that you know is temporarily unavailable, then
continue with this procedure. If the output indicates that a backup is stored offsite,
then skip to "Recalling Offsite Backups" on page 17-6.
2.

If needed, use the CHANGE command to set the backup status of any temporarily
unavailable backups to UNAVAILABLE.
"Updating a Backup to Status AVAILABLE or UNAVAILABLE" on page 12-13
explains how to perform this task.

3.

Optionally, run RESTORE ... PREVIEW again to confirm that the restore does not
attempt to use unavailable backups.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for details on
interpreting RESTORE ... PREVIEW output, which is in the same format
as the output of the LIST command

Recalling Offsite Backups
Some media managers provide status information to RMAN about which backups are
offsite. An offsite backup is stored in a remote location, such as a secure storage
facility, and cannot be restored unless the media manager retrieves the media.
Offsite backups are marked as AVAILABLE in the RMAN repository even though the
media must be retrieved from storage before the backup can be restored. If RMAN
attempts to restore a offsite backup, then the restore job fails.
You can use RESTORE ... PREVIEW to identify offsite backups. The command output
indicates whether backups are stored offsite, as shown by the text at the end of the
sample output in Example 17–2.

17-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Preparing for Complete Database Recovery

Example 17–2

RESTORE ... PREVIEW Output

List of Backup Sets
===================

BS Key Size
Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time
------- ---------- ----------- ------------ --------------9
2.25M
SBT_TAPE
00:00:00
21-MAY-07
BP Key: 9
Status: AVAILABLE Compressed: NO Tag: TAG20070521T144258
Handle: 0aii9k7i_1_1
Media: 0aii9k7i_1_1
List
Thrd
---1
1
1
1
1
1

of Archived Logs in backup set 9
Seq
Low SCN
Low Time Next SCN
------- ---------- --------- ---------1
392314
21-MAY-07 392541
2
392541
21-MAY-07 392545
3
392545
21-MAY-07 392548
4
392548
21-MAY-07 395066
5
395066
21-MAY-07 395095
6
395095
21-MAY-07 395355

Next Time
--------21-MAY-07
21-MAY-07
21-MAY-07
21-MAY-07
21-MAY-07
21-MAY-07

List of remote backup files
============================
Handle: aii9k7i_1_1
Media: 0aii9k7i_1_1
validation succeeded for backup piece
Finished restore at 21-MAY-07
released channel: dev1

You can use RESTORE ... PREVIEW RECALL to instruct the media manager to make
offsite backups available.
To recall offsite backups:
1. If backups are stored offsite, then execute a RESTORE ... PREVIEW command with
the RECALL option.
The following example initiates recall for the offsite archived log backups shown
in Example 17–2 (sample output included):
RESTORE ARCHIVELOG ALL PREVIEW RECALL;

The following sample output indicates that RMAN initiated a recall:
List of Backup Sets
===================

BS Key Size
Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time
------- ---------- ----------- ------------ --------------9
2.25M
SBT_TAPE
00:00:00
21-MAY-07
BP Key: 9
Status: AVAILABLE Compressed: NO Tag: TAG20070521T144258
Handle: VAULT0aii9k7i_1_1
Media: /tmp,VAULT0aii9k7i_1_1
List
Thrd
---1
1
1
1
1

of Archived Logs in backup set 9
Seq
Low SCN
Low Time Next SCN
------- ---------- --------- ---------1
392314
21-MAY-07 392541
2
392541
21-MAY-07 392545
3
392545
21-MAY-07 392548
4
392548
21-MAY-07 395066
5
395066
21-MAY-07 395095

Next Time
--------21-MAY-07
21-MAY-07
21-MAY-07
21-MAY-07
21-MAY-07

Performing Complete Database Recovery 17-7

Preparing for Complete Database Recovery

1

6

395095

21-MAY-07 395355

21-MAY-07

Initiated recall for the following list of remote backup files
==========================================================
Handle: VAULT0aii9k7i_1_1
Media: /tmp,VAULT0aii9k7i_1_1
validation succeeded for backup piece
Finished restore at 21-MAY-07
released channel: dev1
2.

Run the RESTORE ... PREVIEW command. If necessary, return to the previous step
until no backups needed for the restore are reported as offsite.

Validating Backups Before Restoring Them
While the procedures in "Previewing Backups Used in Restore Operations" on
page 17-5 indicate which backups will be restored, they do not verify that the backups
are actually usable. You can run RMAN commands to test the availability of usable
backups for any RESTORE operation, or test the contents of a specific backup for use in
RESTORE operations. The contents of the backups are actually read and checked for
corruption. You have the following validation options:
■

■

RESTORE ... VALIDATE tests whether RMAN can restore a specific object from a
backup. RMAN chooses which backups to use.
VALIDATE BACKUPSET tests the validity of a backup set that you specify.
See Also:

Chapter 16, "Validating Database Files and Backups"

Restoring Archived Redo Logs Needed for Recovery
RMAN restores archived redo log files from backup automatically as needed to
perform recovery. You can also restore archived redo logs manually to save the time
needed to restore these files later during the RECOVER command, or if you want to store
the restored archived redo log files in some new location. RMAN also gives you the
flexibility of restoring all archive redo log files, the current ones or archive redo log
files from a specified previous incarnation of the database.
By default, RMAN restores archived redo logs with names constructed using the LOG_
ARCHIVE_FORMAT and the highest LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameters of the target
database. These parameters are combined in a platform-specific fashion to form the
name of the restored archived log.

Restoring Archived Redo Logs to a New Location
You can override the default location for restored archived redo logs with the SET
ARCHIVELOG DESTINATION command. This command manually stages archived logs to
different locations while a database restore is occurring. During recovery, RMAN
knows where to find the newly restored archived logs; it does not require them to be in
the location specified in the initialization parameter file.
To restore archived redo logs to a new location:
1.

Start RMAN and connect to a target database.

2.

Ensure that the database is mounted or open.

3.

Perform the following operations within a RUN command:
a.

Specify the new location for the restored archived redo logs using SET
ARCHIVELOG DESTINATION.

17-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Preparing for Complete Database Recovery

b.

Either explicitly restore the archived redo logs or execute commands that
automatically restore the logs.

The following sample RUN command explicitly restores all backup archived logs to
a new location:
RUN
{
SET ARCHIVELOG DESTINATION TO '/oracle/temp_restore';
RESTORE ARCHIVELOG ALL;
# restore and recover datafiles as needed
.
.
.
}

The following example sets the archived log destination and then uses RECOVER
DATABASE to restore archived logs from this destination automatically:
RUN
{
SET ARCHIVELOG DESTINATION TO '/oracle/temp_restore';
RESTORE DATABASE;
RECOVER DATABASE; # restores and recovers logs automatically
}

Restoring Archived Redo Logs to Multiple Locations
You can specify restore destinations for archived logs multiple times in one RUN
block, to distribute restored logs among several destinations. (You cannot, however
specify multiple destinations simultaneously to produce multiple copies of the same
log during the restore operation.) You can use this feature to manage disk space used
to contain the restored logs.
This example restores 300 archived redo logs from backup, distributing them across
the directories /fs1/tmp, /fs2/tmp, and /fs3/tmp:
RUN
{
# Set a new location for logs 1 through 100.
SET ARCHIVELOG DESTINATION TO '/fs1/tmp';
RESTORE ARCHIVELOG FROM SEQUENCE 1 UNTIL SEQUENCE 100;
# Set a new location for logs 101 through 200.
SET ARCHIVELOG DESTINATION TO '/fs2/tmp';
RESTORE ARCHIVELOG FROM SEQUENCE 101 UNTIL SEQUENCE 200;
# Set a new location for logs 201 through 300.
SET ARCHIVELOG DESTINATION TO '/fs3/tmp';
RESTORE ARCHIVELOG FROM SEQUENCE 201 UNTIL SEQUENCE 300;
# restore and recover datafiles as needed
.
.
.
}

When you issue a RECOVER command, RMAN finds the needed restored archived logs
automatically across the destinations to which they were restored, and applies them to
the data files.

Performing Complete Database Recovery 17-9

Performing Complete Database Recovery

Performing Complete Database Recovery
This section assumes that you have already performed the tasks in "Preparing for
Complete Database Recovery" on page 17-2. This section describes the basic outline of
complete database recovery, which is intended to encompass a wide range of different
scenarios.

About Complete Database Recovery
You use the RESTORE and RECOVER commands to restore and recover the database.
During the recovery, RMAN automatically restores backups of any needed archived
redo logs. If backups are stored on a media manager, then channels must be
configured in advance or a RUN block with ALLOCATE CHANNEL commands must be used
to enable access to backups stored there.
If RMAN restores archived redo logs to the fast recovery area during a recovery, then it
automatically deletes the restored logs after applying them to the data files. Otherwise,
you can use the DELETE ARCHIVELOG command to delete restored archived redo logs
from disk when they are no longer needed for recovery. For example, you can enter the
following command:
RECOVER DATABASE DELETE ARCHIVELOG;

Restoring Datafiles to a Nondefault Location
If you cannot restore data files to their default locations, then you must update the
control file to reflect the new locations of the data files. Use the RMAN SET NEWNAME
command within a RUN command to specify the new file name. Afterward, use a
SWITCH command, which is equivalent to using the SQL statement ALTER DATABASE
RENAME FILE, to update the names of the data files in the control file. SWITCH DATAFILE
ALL updates the control file to reflect the new names for all data files for which a SET
NEWNAME has been issued in a RUN command.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for SWITCH
syntax

Decryption of Backups
If RMAN is restoring encrypted backups, then RMAN automatically decrypts backup
sets when their contents are restored. Transparently encrypted backups require no
intervention to restore, as long as the Oracle wallet is open and available.
Password-encrypted backups require the correct password to be entered before they
can be restored. You must enter the encryption password with the SET DECRYPTION
command. If restoring from a group of backups that were created with different
passwords, then specify all of the required passwords on the SET DECRYPTION
command. RMAN automatically uses the correct password with each backup set.
See Also:
■

■

"Configuring Backup Encryption" on page 6-7 to learn how to
configure transparent backup encryption
"Encrypting RMAN Backups" on page 10-10 to learn how to create
encrypted backups

Performing Complete Recovery of the Whole Database
This scenario assumes that database trgt has lost most or all of its data files. It also
assumes that the database uses a fast recovery area.
17-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Complete Database Recovery

After restore and recovery of a whole database, when the database is open, missing
temporary tablespaces that were recorded in the control file are re-created with their
previous creation size, AUTOEXTEND, and MAXSIZE attributes. Only temporary
tablespaces that are missing are re-created. If a temp file exists at the location recorded
in the RMAN repository but has an invalid header, then RMAN does not re-create the
temp file.
If the temp files were created as Oracle managed files, then they are re-created in the
current DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST location. Otherwise, they are re-created at their previous
locations. If RMAN cannot re-create the file due to an I/O error or some other cause,
then the error is reported in the alert log and the database open operation continues.
To restore and recover the whole database:
Start RMAN and connect to a target database.

1.

For example, enter the following command:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET /

RMAN displays the database status when it connects: not started, not mounted,
not open (when the database is mounted but not open), or none (when the
database is open).
2.

If the database is not mounted, then mount but do not open the database.
For example, enter the following command:
STARTUP MOUNT;

3.

Use the SHOW command to see which channels are preconfigured.
For example, enter the following command (sample output is included):
SHOW ALL;

RMAN configuration parameters for database with db_unique_name PROD1 are:
.
.
.
CONFIGURE DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE TO DISK; # default
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE DISK PARALLELISM 1 BACKUP TYPE TO BACKUPSET; # default
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE SBT_TAPE PARALLELISM 1 BACKUP TYPE TO BACKUPSET; #
default
CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' PARMS "SBT_
LIBRARY=/usr/local/oracle/backup/lib/libobk.so";

If the necessary devices and channels are already configured, then no action is
necessary. Otherwise, you can use the CONFIGURE command to configure automatic
channels, or include ALLOCATE CHANNEL commands within a RUN block.
4.

If restoring password-protected encrypted backups, then specify the password.
Use the SET DECRYPTION IDENTIFIED BY command to specify a password for
password-protected backups, as shown in the following example (where password
represents the actual password that you enter):
SET DECRYPTION IDENTIFIED BY password;

Performing Complete Database Recovery

17-11

Performing Complete Database Recovery

If you created backups with different passwords, then you can run the SET
DECRYPTION IDENTIFIED BY password command multiple times, specifying all of
the possible passwords that might be required to restore the backups.
5.

Restore and recover the database. Do one of the following:
■

If you are restoring all data files to their original locations, then execute
RESTORE DATABASE and RECOVER DATABASE sequentially at the RMAN prompt.
For example, enter the following commands if automatic channels are
configured (sample output included):
RMAN> RESTORE DATABASE;
Starting restore at 20-JUN-06
allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: SID=35 device type=DISK
allocated channel: ORA_SBT_TAPE_1
channel ORA_SBT_TAPE_1: SID=34 device type=SBT_TAPE
channel ORA_SBT_TAPE_1: Oracle Secure Backup
channel ORA_DISK_1:
channel ORA_DISK_1:
channel ORA_DISK_1:
channel ORA_DISK_1:
.
.
.
Finished restore at

starting datafile backup set restore
specifying datafile(s) to restore from backup set
restoring datafile 00001 to /disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_01.f
restoring datafile 00002 to /disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_ax1.f

20-JUN-06

RMAN> RECOVER DATABASE;
Starting recover at 20-JUN-06
using channel ORA_DISK_1
allocated channel: ORA_SBT_TAPE_1
channel ORA_SBT_TAPE_1: SID=34 device type=SBT_TAPE
channel ORA_SBT_TAPE_1: Oracle Secure Backup
starting media recovery
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting archived log restore to default destination
channel ORA_DISK_1: restoring archived log
archived log thread=1 sequence=5
channel ORA_DISK_1: restoring archived log
archived log thread=1 sequence=6
.
.
.
channel ORA_DISK_1: reading from backup piece
/disk1/oracle/work/orcva/TKRM/backupset/2007_06_20/o1_mf_annnn_
TAG20070620T113128_29jhr197_.bkp
channel ORA_DISK_1: piece
handle=/disk1/oracle/work/orcva/TKRM/backupset/2007_06_20/o1_mf_annnn_
TAG20070620T113128_29jhr197_.bkp tag=TAG20070620T113128
channel ORA_DISK_1: restored backup piece 1
channel ORA_DISK_1: restore complete, elapsed time: 00:00:02
archived log file name=/disk1/oracle/work/orcva/TKRM/archivelog/2007_06_
20/o1_mf_1_5_29jhv47k_.arc thread=1 sequence=5
channel default: deleting archived log(s)
.
.

17-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Complete Database Recovery

.
media recovery complete, elapsed time: 00:00:15
Finished recover at 20-JUN-06

If you manually allocate channels, then you must issue the RESTORE and
RECOVER commands together within a RUN block as shown in the following
example:
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE sbt;
RESTORE DATABASE;
RECOVER DATABASE;
}
■

If you are restoring some data files to new locations, then execute RESTORE
DATABASE and RECOVER DATABASE sequentially in a RUN command. Use the SET
NEWNAME to rename data files, as described in "Restoring Datafiles to a
Nondefault Location" on page 17-10.
The following example restores the database, specifying new names for three
of the data files, and then recovers the database:
RUN
{
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 2 TO '/disk2/df2.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 3 TO '/disk2/df3.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 4 TO '/disk2/df4.dbf';
RESTORE DATABASE;
SWITCH DATAFILE ALL;
RECOVER DATABASE;
}

6.

Examine the output to see if media recovery was successful. If so, open the
database.
For example, enter the following command:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

Performing Complete Recovery of a Tablespace
In the basic scenario, the database is open, and some but not all of the data files are
damaged. You want to restore and recover the damaged tablespace while leaving the
database open so that the rest of the database remains available. This scenario assumes
that database trgt has lost tablespace users.
To restore and recover a tablespace:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database.
2.

If the database is open, then take the data file requiring recovery offline.
For example, enter the following command to take users offline:
SQL "ALTER TABLESPACE users OFFLINE IMMEDIATE";

3.

Use the SHOW command to see which channels are preconfigured.
For example, enter the following command (sample output is included):
SHOW ALL;

Performing Complete Database Recovery

17-13

Performing Complete Database Recovery

RMAN configuration parameters for database with db_unique_name PROD1 are:
.
.
.
CONFIGURE DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE TO DISK; # default
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE DISK PARALLELISM 1 BACKUP TYPE TO BACKUPSET; # default
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE SBT_TAPE PARALLELISM 1 BACKUP TYPE TO BACKUPSET; #
default
CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' PARMS "SBT_
LIBRARY=/usr/local/oracle/backup/lib/libobk.so";

If the necessary devices and channels are already configured, then no action is
necessary. Otherwise, you can use the CONFIGURE command to configure automatic
channels, or include ALLOCATE CHANNEL commands within a RUN block.
4.

If restoring password-protected encrypted backups, then specify the password.
Use the SET DECRYPTION IDENTIFIED BY command to specify a password for
password-protected backups, as shown in the following example (where password
represents the actual password that you enter):
SET DECRYPTION IDENTIFIED BY password;

5.

Restore and recover the tablespace. Do one of the following:
■

If you are restoring data files to their original locations, then run the RESTORE
TABLESPACE and RECOVER TABLESPACE commands at the RMAN prompt.
For example, enter the following command if automatic channels are
configured (sample output included):
RMAN> RESTORE TABLESPACE users;
Starting restore at 20-JUN-06
allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: SID=37 device type=DISK
allocated channel: ORA_SBT_TAPE_1
channel ORA_SBT_TAPE_1: SID=38 device type=SBT_TAPE
channel ORA_SBT_TAPE_1: Oracle Secure Backup
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting datafile backup set restore
channel ORA_DISK_1: specifying datafile(s) to restore from backup set
channel ORA_DISK_1: restoring datafile 00012 to /disk1/oracle/dbs/users01.f
channel ORA_DISK_1: restoring datafile 00013 to /disk1/oracle/dbs/users02.f
channel ORA_DISK_1: restoring datafile 00021 to /disk1/oracle/dbs/users03.f
channel ORA_DISK_1: reading from backup piece
/disk1/oracle/work/orcva/TKRM/backupset/2007_06_20/o1_mf_nnndf_
TAG20070620T105435_29jflwor_.bkp
channel ORA_DISK_1: piece
handle=/disk1/oracle/work/orcva/TKRM/backupset/2007_06_20/o1_mf_nnndf_
TAG20070620T105435_29jflwor_.bkp tag=TAG20070620T105435
channel ORA_DISK_1: restored backup piece 1
channel ORA_DISK_1: restore complete, elapsed time: 00:00:01
Finished restore at 20-JUN-06
RMAN> RECOVER TABLESPACE users;
Starting recover at 20-JUN-06
using channel ORA_DISK_1
using channel ORA_SBT_TAPE_1
starting media recovery

17-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Complete Database Recovery

archived log for thread 1 with sequence 27 is already on disk as file
/disk1/oracle/work/orcva/TKRM/archivelog/2007_06_20/o1_mf_1_27_29jjmtc9_
.arc
archived log for thread 1 with sequence 28 is already on disk as file
/disk1/oracle/work/orcva/TKRM/archivelog/2007_06_20/o1_mf_1_28_29jjnc5x_
.arc
.
.
.
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting archived log restore to default destination
channel ORA_DISK_1: restoring archived log
archived log thread=1 sequence=5
channel ORA_DISK_1: restoring archived log
archived log thread=1 sequence=6
channel ORA_DISK_1: restoring archived log
archived log thread=1 sequence=7
.
.
.
channel ORA_DISK_1: reading from backup piece
/disk1/oracle/work/orcva/TKRM/backupset/2007_06_20/o1_mf_annnn_
TAG20070620T113128_29jhr197_.bkp
channel ORA_DISK_1: piece
handle=/disk1/oracle/work/orcva/TKRM/backupset/2007_06_20/o1_mf_annnn_
TAG20070620T113128_29jhr197_.bkp tag=TAG20070620T113128
channel ORA_DISK_1: restored backup piece 1
channel ORA_DISK_1: restore complete, elapsed time: 00:00:02
archived log file name=/disk1/oracle/work/orcva/TKRM/archivelog/2007_06_
20/o1_mf_1_5_29jkdvjq_.arc thread=1 sequence=5
channel default: deleting archived log(s)
archived log file name=/disk1/oracle/work/orcva/TKRM/archivelog/2007_06_
20/o1_mf_1_5_29jkdvjq_.arc RECID=91 STAMP=593611179
archived log file name=/disk1/oracle/work/orcva/TKRM/archivelog/2007_06_
20/o1_mf_1_6_29jkdvbz_.arc thread=1 sequence=6
channel default: deleting archived log(s)
.
.
.
media recovery complete, elapsed time: 00:00:01
Finished recover at 20-JUN-06
■

If you are restoring some data files to new locations, then execute RESTORE
TABLESPACE and RECOVER TABLESPACE in a RUN command. Use the SET NEWNAME
to rename data files, as described in "Restoring Datafiles to a Nondefault
Location" on page 17-10.
The following example restores the data files in tablespaces users to a new
location, then performs recovery. Assume that the old data files were stored in
the /disk1 path and the new ones are stored in the /disk2 path.
RUN
{
# specify the new location for each datafile
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE '/disk1/oracle/dbs/users01.f' TO
'/disk2/users01.f';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE '/disk1/oracle/dbs/users02.f' TO
'/disk2/users02.f';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE '/disk1/oracle/dbs/users03.f' TO
'/disk2/users03.f';
RESTORE TABLESPACE users;
Performing Complete Database Recovery

17-15

Performing Complete Database Recovery

SWITCH DATAFILE ALL;
# update control file with new file names
RECOVER TABLESPACE users;
}
6.

Examine the output to see if recovery was successful. If so, bring the recovered
tablespace back online.
For example, enter the following command:
SQL "ALTER TABLESPACE users ONLINE";

Performing Complete Recovery After Switching to a Copy
If you have image copies of the inaccessible data files in the fast recovery area, then
you can use the SWITCH DATAFILE ... TO COPY command to point the control file at
the data file copy and then use RECOVER to recover lost changes. You can also use the
SWITCH DATABASE TO COPY command to point the control file at a copy of the
whole database. Because you do not need to restore backups, this recovery technique
takes less time than traditional restore and recovery.
A SWITCH TABLESPACE ... TO COPY command is also
supported for cases when all data files in a tablespace are lost and
copies of all data files exist. The same restriction exists for SWITCH
DATABASE TO COPY.

Note:

Switching to a Data File Copy
In the basic scenario, the database is open, and some but not all of the data files are
damaged. During the course of the day, a data file goes missing due to storage failure.
You must repair this file, but cannot afford the time to do a restore and recovery from a
backup. You decide to use a recent image copy backup as the new file, thus
eliminating restore time. This scenario assumes that database trgt has lost data file 4.
To switch to a data file copy and perform recovery:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database.
2.

If the database is open, then take the tablespace requiring recovery offline.
Enter the following command to take data file 4 offline:
SQL "ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE 4 OFFLINE";

3.

Switch the offline data file to the latest copy.
Enter the following command to point the control file to the latest image copy of
data file 4:
SWITCH DATAFILE 4 TO COPY;

4.

Recover the data file with the RECOVER DATAFILE command.
Enter the following command:
RECOVER DATAFILE 4;

RMAN automatically restores archived redo logs and incremental backups.
Because the database uses a fast recovery area, RMAN automatically deletes them
after they have been applied.

17-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Complete Database Recovery

5.

Examine the output to see if recovery was successful. If so, bring the recovered
data file back online.
Enter the following command to bring data file 4 online:
SQL "ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE 4 ONLINE";

Switching to a Database Copy
In this scenario, the database is shut down, and all of the data files are damaged. You
have image copies of all the damaged data files. You decide to use the existing image
copies as the new data files, thus eliminating restore time.
To switch to a database copy and perform recovery:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database.
2.

Mount the database.

3.

Switch the database to the latest copy.
Enter the following command to point the control file to the latest image copy of
the database:
SWITCH DATABASE TO COPY;

4.

Recover the database with the RECOVER DATABASE command.
Enter the following command:
RECOVER DATABASE;

RMAN automatically restores archived redo logs and incremental backups.
Because the database uses a fast recovery area, RMAN automatically deletes them
after they have been applied.
5.

Examine the output to see if recovery was successful. If so, open the database.
Enter the following command to open the database:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

Performing Complete Database Recovery

17-17

Performing Complete Database Recovery

17-18 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

18
18

Performing Flashback and Database
Point-in-Time Recovery

This chapter explains how to investigate unwanted database changes, and select and
perform an appropriate recovery strategy based upon Oracle Flashback Technology
and database backups. It includes the following topics:
■

Overview of Oracle Flashback Technology and Database Point-in-Time Recovery

■

Rewinding a Table with Flashback Table

■

Rewinding a DROP TABLE Operation with Flashback Drop

■

Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database

■

Performing Database Point-in-Time Recovery

■

Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery Scenarios

Overview of Oracle Flashback Technology and Database Point-in-Time
Recovery
This section explains the purpose and basic concepts of Flashback Technology and
database point-in-time recovery.

Purpose of Flashback and Database Point-in-Time-Recovery
Typically, the following situations call for flashback features or point-in-time recovery:
■

■
■

A user error or corruption removes needed data or introduces corrupted data. For
example, a user or DBA might erroneously delete or update the contents of one or
more tables, drop database objects that are still needed during an update to an
application, or run a large batch update that fails midway.
A database upgrade fails or an upgrade script goes awry.
A complete database recovery after a media failure cannot succeed because you do
not have all of the needed redo logs or incremental backups.

In either situation, you can use point-in-time recovery or flashback features to return
the database or database object to its state at a previous point in time.

Basic Concepts of Point-in-Time Recovery and Flashback Features
The most basic solution to unwanted database changes is RMAN database
point-in-time recovery (DBPITR). DBPITR is sometimes called incomplete recovery
because it does not use all of the available redo or completely recover all changes to

Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery 18-1

Overview of Oracle Flashback Technology and Database Point-in-Time Recovery

your database. In this case, you restore a whole database backup and then apply redo
logs or incremental backups to re-create all changes up to a point in time before the
unwanted change.
If unwanted database changes are extensive but confined to specific tablespaces, then
you can use tablespace point-in-time recovery (TSPITR) to return these tablespaces to
an earlier SCN while the unaffected tablespaces remain available. RMAN TSPITR is an
advanced technique described in Chapter 21, "Performing RMAN Tablespace
Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR)".
Oracle Database also provides a set of features collectively known as Flashback
Technology that supports viewing past states of data, and winding and rewinding
data back and forth in time, without requiring the restore of the database from backup.
Depending on the changes to your database, Flashback Technology can often reverse
the unwanted changes more quickly and with less impact on database availability.

Basic Concepts of Database Point-in-Time Recovery
DBPITR works at the physical level to return the data files to their state at a target time
in the past. In an RMAN DBPITR operation, you specify a target SCN, log sequence,
restore point, or time. RMAN restores the database from backups created before the
target time, and then applies incremental backups and logs to re-create all changes
between the time of the data file backups and the end point of recovery. When the end
point is specified as an SCN, the database applies the redo logs and stops at the end of
each redo thread or the specified SCN, whichever occurs first. When the end point is
specified as a time, the database internally determines a suitable SCN for the specified
time and then recovers to this SCN.
If your backup strategy is properly designed and your database is running in
ARCHIVELOG mode, then DBPITR is an option in nearly all circumstances. RMAN
simplifies DBPITR in comparison to the user-managed DBPITR described in
"Performing Incomplete Database Recovery" on page 29-13. Given a target SCN, data
files are restored from backup and recovered efficiently with no intervention from the
user. Nevertheless, RMAN DBPITR has the following disadvantages:
■

You cannot return selected objects to their earlier state, only the entire database.

■

Your entire database is unavailable during the DBPITR.

■

DBPITR can be time-consuming because RMAN must restore all data files. Also,
RMAN may need to restore redo logs and incremental backups to recover the data
files. If backups are on tape, then this process can take even longer.

Basic Concepts of Flashback Technology
The flashback features of Oracle are more efficient than media recovery in most
circumstances in which they are available. You can use them to investigate past states
of the database.
Physical Flashback Features Useful in Backup and Recovery Oracle Flashback Database,
which is explained in "Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database" on page 18-11,
is the most efficient alternative to DBPITR. Unlike the other flashback features, it
operates at a physical level and reverts the current data files to their contents at a past
time. The result is like the result of a DBPITR, including the OPEN RESETLOGS, but
Flashback Database is typically faster because it does not require you to restore data
files and requires only limited application of redo compared to media recovery.
As explained in "Configuring the Fast Recovery Area" on page 5-14, a fast recovery
area is required for Flashback Database. To enable logging for Flashback Database, you

18-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Overview of Oracle Flashback Technology and Database Point-in-Time Recovery

must set the DB_FLASHBACK_RETENTION_TARGET initialization parameter and issue the
ALTER DATABASE FLASHBACK ON statement.
During normal operation, the database periodically writes old images of data file
blocks to the flashback logs. Flashback logs are written sequentially and often in bulk.
In some respects, flashback logging is like a continuous backup. The database
automatically creates, deletes, and resizes flashback logs in the recovery area.
Flashback logs are not archived. You need only be aware of flashback logs for
monitoring performance and determining disk space allocation for the recovery area.
When you perform a Flashback Database operation, the database uses flashback logs
to access past versions of data blocks and also uses some data in the archived redo
logs. Consequently, you cannot enable Flashback Database after a failure is discovered
and then use Flashback Database to rewind through this failure. You can use the
related capability of guaranteed restore points to protect the contents of your database
at a fixed point in time, such as immediately before a risky database change.
Logical Flashback Features Useful in Backup and Recovery The remaining flashback features
operate at the logical level. The logical features documented in this chapter are as
follows:
■

Flashback Table
You can recover a table or set of tables to a specified point in time in the past
without taking any part of the database offline. In many cases, Flashback Table
eliminates the need to perform more complicated point-in-time recovery
operations. Flashback Table restores tables while automatically maintaining
associated attributes such as current indexes, triggers and constraints, and not
requiring you to find and restore application-specific properties.
"Rewinding a Table with Flashback Table" on page 18-4 explains how to use this
feature.

■

Flashback Drop
You can reverse the effects of a DROP TABLE statement.
"Rewinding a DROP TABLE Operation with Flashback Drop" on page 18-7
explains how to use this feature.
Because the logical flashback features have uses not specific to
backup and recovery, some documentation for them is located
elsewhere in the documentation set.

Note:

All logical flashback features except Flashback Drop rely on undo data. Used
primarily for providing read consistency for SQL queries and rolling back transactions,
undo records contain the information required to reconstruct data as it existed at a past
time and examine the record of changes since that past time.
Flashback Drop relies on a mechanism called the recycle bin, which the database uses
to manage dropped database objects until the space they occupied is needed for new
data. There is no fixed amount of space allocated to the recycle bin, and no guarantee
about how long dropped objects remain in the recycle bin. Depending on system
activity, a dropped object may remain in the recycle bin for seconds or for months.

Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery 18-3

Rewinding a Table with Flashback Table

See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database Concepts and Oracle Database Administrator's
Guide for more information about undo data and automatic
undo management
Oracle Database Advanced Application Developer's Guide to learn
how to use the logical flashback features
"Understanding Flashback Database, Restore Points and
Guaranteed Restore Points" on page 7-1 for more information
on setting up your database to use Flashback Database, and on
the related restore points feature

Rewinding a Table with Flashback Table
Flashback Table uses information in the undo tablespace rather than restored backups
to retrieve the table. When a Flashback Table operation occurs, new rows are deleted
and old rows are reinserted. The rest of your database remains available while the
flashback of the table is being performed.
See Also: Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for more information
on Automatic Undo Management

Prerequisites of Flashback Table
To use the Flashback Table feature on one or more tables, use the FLASHBACK TABLE SQL
statement with a target time or SCN.
You must have the following privileges to use the Flashback Table feature:
■

■
■

You must have been granted the FLASHBACK ANY TABLE system privilege or you
must have the FLASHBACK object privilege on the table.
You must have SELECT, INSERT, DELETE, and ALTER privileges on the table.
To flash back a table to a restore point, you must have the SELECT ANY DICTIONARY
or FLASHBACK ANY TABLE system privilege or the SELECT_CATALOG_ROLE role.

For an object to be eligible to be flashed back, the following prerequisites must be met:
■

■

The object must not be included the following categories: tables that are part of a
cluster, materialized views, Advanced Queuing (AQ) tables, static data dictionary
tables, system tables, remote tables, object tables, nested tables, or individual table
partitions or subpartitions.
The structure of the table must not have been changed between the current time
and the target flash back time.
The following DDL operations change the structure of a table: upgrading, moving,
or truncating a table; adding a constraint to a table, adding a table to a cluster;
modifying or dropping a column; adding, dropping, merging, splitting,
coalescing, or truncating a partition or subpartition (except adding a range
partition).

■

Row movement must be enabled on the table, which indicates that rowids will
change after the flashback occurs.
This restriction exists because if rowids before the flashback were stored by the
application, then there is no guarantee that the rowids correspond to the same
rows after the flashback. If your application depends on rowids, then you cannot
use Flashback Table.

18-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Rewinding a Table with Flashback Table

■

The undo data in the undo tablespace must extend far enough back in time to
satisfy the flashback target time or SCN.
The point to which you can perform Flashback Table is determined by the undo
retention period, which is the minimal time for which undo data is kept before
being recycled, and tablespace characteristics. The undo data contains information
about data blocks before they were changed. The flashback operation uses undo to
re-create the original data.
To ensure that the undo information is retained for Flashback Table operations,
Oracle suggests setting the UNDO_RETENTION parameter to 86400 seconds (24 hours)
or greater for the undo tablespace.
Note: FLASHBACK TABLE ... TO BEFORE DROP is a use of the Flashback
Drop feature, not Flashback Table, and therefore is not subject to these
prerequisites. See "Rewinding a DROP TABLE Operation with
Flashback Drop" on page 18-7 for more information.

Performing a Flashback Table Operation
In this scenario, assume that you want to perform a flashback of the hr.temp_
employees table after a user made some incorrect updates.
The perform a flashback of temp_employees:
1. Connect SQL*Plus to the target database and identify the current SCN.
You cannot roll back a FLASHBACK TABLE statement, but you can issue another
FLASHBACK TABLE statement and specify a time just before the current time.
Therefore, it is advisable to record the current SCN. You can obtain it by querying
V$DATABASE as follows:
SELECT CURRENT_SCN
FROM
V$DATABASE;
2.

Identify the time, SCN, or restore point to which you want to return the table.
If you have created restore points, then you can list available restore points by
executing the following query:
SELECT NAME, SCN, TIME
FROM
V$RESTORE_POINT;

3.

Ensure that enough undo data exists to rewind the table to the specified target.
If the UNDO_RETENTION intialization parameter is set, and the undo retention
guarantee is on, then you can use the following query to determine how long
undo data is being retained:
SELECT NAME, VALUE/60 MINUTES_RETAINED
FROM
V$PARAMETER
WHERE NAME = 'undo_retention';

4.

Ensure that row movement is enabled for all objects that you are rewinding with
Flashback Table.
You can enable row movement for a table with the following SQL statement,
where table is the name of the table that you are rewinding:
ALTER TABLE table ENABLE ROW MOVEMENT;

Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery 18-5

Rewinding a Table with Flashback Table

5.

Determine whether the table that you intend to flash back has dependencies on
other tables. If dependencies exist, then decide whether to flash back these tables
as well.
You can issue the following SQL query to determine the dependencies, where
schema_name is the schema for the table to be flashed back and table_name is the
name of the table:
SELECT
FROM
WHERE
AND
AND
AND
AND

6.

other.owner, other.table_name
sys.all_constraints this, sys.all_constraints other
this.owner = schema_name
this.table_name = table_name
this.r_owner = other.owner
this.r_constraint_name = other.constraint_name
this.constraint_type='R';

Execute a FLASHBACK TABLE statement for the objects that you want to flash back.
The following SQL statement returns the hr.temp_employees table to the restore
point named temp_employees_update:
FLASHBACK TABLE hr.temp_employees
TO RESTORE POINT temp_employees_update;

The following SQL statement rewinds the hr.temp_employees table to its state
when the database was at the time specified by the SCN:
FLASHBACK TABLE hr.temp_employees
TO SCN 123456;

As shown in the following example, you can also specify the target point in time
with TO_TIMESTAMP:
FLASHBACK TABLE hr.temp_employees
TO TIMESTAMP TO_TIMESTAMP('2007-10-17 09:30:00', 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MI:SS');

The mapping of timestamps to SCNs is not always exact.
When using timestamps with the FLASHBACK TABLE statement, the time
to which the table is flashed back can vary by up to approximately
three seconds of the time specified for TO_TIMESTAMP. If an exact point
in time is required, then use an SCN rather than a time.
Note:

7.

Optionally, query the table to check the data.

Keeping Triggers Enabled During Flashback Table
By default, the database disables triggers on the affected table before performing a
FLASHBACK TABLE operation. After the operation, the database returns the triggers to
the state they were in before the operation (enabled or disabled). To keep triggers
enabled during the flashback of the table, add an ENABLE TRIGGERS clause to the
FLASHBACK TABLE statement in Step 6 on page 18-6.
For example, assume that at 17:00 an HR administrator discovers that an employee is
missing from the hr.temp_employees table. This employee was included in the table at
14:00, the last time the report was run. Therefore, someone accidentally deleted the
record for this employee between 14:00 and 17:00. She uses Flashback Table to return
the table to its state at 14:00, respecting any triggers set on the hr.temp_employees
table, by using the SQL statement in the following example:
FLASHBACK TABLE temp_employees

18-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Rewinding a DROP TABLE Operation with Flashback Drop

TO TIMESTAMP TO_TIMESTAMP('2005-03-03 14:00:00' , 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MI:SS')
ENABLE TRIGGERS;

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Administrator's Guide to learn how to recover
tables with the Flashback Table feature
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for a simple Flashback
Table scenario

Rewinding a DROP TABLE Operation with Flashback Drop
This section explains how to retrieve objects from the recycle bin with the FLASHBACK
TABLE ... TO BEFORE DROP statement.

About Flashback Drop
Flashback Drop reverses the effects of a DROP TABLE operation. Flashback Drop is
faster than other recovery mechanisms that can be used in this situation, such as
point-in-time recovery, and does not lead to downtime or loss of recent transactions.
When you drop a table, the database does not immediately remove the space
associated with the table. Instead, the table is renamed and, along with any associated
objects, placed in the recycle bin. System-generated recycle bin object names are
unique. You can query objects in the recycle bin, just as you can query other objects.
A flashback operation retrieves the table from the recycle bin. When retrieving
dropped tables, you can specify either the original user-specified name of the table or
the system-generated name.
When you drop a table, the table and all of its dependent objects go into the recycle bin
together. Likewise, when you perform Flashback Drop, the objects are generally all
retrieved together. When you restore a table from the recycle bin, dependent objects
such as indexes do not get their original names back; they retain their
system-generated recycle bin names. Oracle Database retrieves all indexes defined on
the table except for bitmap join indexes, and all triggers and constraints defined on the
table except for referential integrity constraints that reference other tables.
Some dependent objects such as indexes may have been reclaimed because of space
pressure. In such cases, the reclaimed dependent objects are not retrievable from the
recycle bin.

Prerequisites of Flashback Drop
The following list summarizes the user privileges required for the operations related to
Flashback Drop and the recycle bin:
■

DROP
Any user with drop privileges over an object can drop the object, placing it in the
recycle bin.

■

FLASHBACK TABLE ... TO BEFORE DROP
Privileges for this statement are tied to the privileges for DROP. That is, any user
who can drop an object can perform Flashback Drop to retrieve the dropped object
from the recycle bin.

■

PURGE

Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery 18-7

Rewinding a DROP TABLE Operation with Flashback Drop

Privileges for a purge of the recycle bin are tied to the DROP privileges. Any user
having DROP TABLE or DROP ANY TABLE privileges can purge the objects from the
recycle bin.
■

SELECT for objects in the Recycle Bin
Users must have SELECT and FLASHBACK privileges over an object in the recycle bin
to query the object in the recycle bin. Any users who had the SELECT privilege over
an object before it was dropped continue to have the SELECT privilege over the
object in the recycle bin. Users must have FLASHBACK privilege to query any object
in the recycle bin because these are objects from a past state of the database.

Objects must meet the following prerequisites to be eligible for retrieval from the
recycle bin:
■

■

■
■

The recycle bin is only available for non-system, locally managed tablespaces. If a
table is in a non-system, locally managed tablespace, but one or more of its
dependent segments (objects) is in a dictionary-managed tablespace, then these
objects are protected by the recycle bin.
Tables that have Fine-Grained Auditing (FGA) and Virtual Private Database (VPD)
policies defined over them are not protected by the recycle bin.
Partitioned index-organized tables are not protected by the recycle bin.
The table must not have been purged, either by a user or by Oracle Database
because of a space reclamation operation.

Performing a Flashback Drop Operation
Use the FLASHBACK TABLE ... TO BEFORE DROP statement to recover objects from the
recycle bin. You can specify either the name of the table in the recycle bin or the
original table name.
This section assumes a scenario in which you drop the wrong table. Many times you
have been asked to drop tables in the test databases, but in this case you accidentally
connect to the production database instead and drop hr.employee_demo. You decide to
use FLASHBACK TABLE to retrieve the dropped object.
To retrieve a dropped table:
1. Connect SQL*Plus to the target database and obtain the name of the dropped table
in the recycle bin.
You can use the SQL*Plus command SHOW RECYCLEBIN as follows:
SHOW RECYCLEBIN;
ORIGINAL NAME
RECYCLEBIN NAME
TYPE
DROP TIME
---------------- --------------------------------- ------------ ------------EMPLOYEE_DEMO
BIN$gk3lsj/3akk5hg3j2lkl5j3d==$0 TABLE
2005-04-11:17:08:54

The ORIGINAL NAME column shows the original name of the object, while the
RECYCLEBIN NAME column shows the name of the object as it exists in the bin.
Alternatively, you can query USER_RECYCLEBIN or DBA_RECYCLEBIN to obtain the
table name. The following example queries the views to determine the original
names of dropped objects:
SELECT object_name AS recycle_name, original_name, type
FROM
recyclebin;
RECYCLE_NAME

18-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

ORIGINAL_NAME

TYPE

Rewinding a DROP TABLE Operation with Flashback Drop

-------------------------------BIN$gk3lsj/3akk5hg3j2lkl5j3d==$0
BIN$JKS983293M1dsab4gsz/I249==$0

--------------------EMPLOYEE_DEMO
I_EMP_DEMO

---------TABLE
INDEX

If you plan to manually restore original names for dependent objects, then ensure
that you make note of each dependent object's system-generated recycle bin name
before you restore the table.
Note:

Object views such as DBA_TABLES do not display the recycle bin

objects.
2.

Optionally, query the table in the recycle bin.
You must use the recycle bin name of the object in your query rather than the
object's original name. The following example queries the table with the recycle
bin name of BIN$KSD8DB9L345KLA==$0:
SELECT *
FROM
"BIN$gk3lsj/3akk5hg3j2lkl5j3d==$0";

Quotes are required because of the special characters in the recycle bin name.
If you have the necessary privileges, then you can also use
Flashback Query on tables in the recycle bin, but only by using the
recycle bin name rather than the original table name. You cannot use
DML or DDL statements on objects in the recycle bin.

Note:

3.

Retrieve the dropped table.
Use the FLASHBACK TABLE ... TO BEFORE DROP statement. The following example
restores the BIN$gk3lsj/3akk5hg3j2lkl5j3d==$0 table, changes its name back to
hr.employee_demo, and purges its entry from the recycle bin:
FLASHBACK TABLE "BIN$gk3lsj/3akk5hg3j2lkl5j3d==$0" TO BEFORE DROP;

The table name is enclosed in quotes because of the possibility of special
characters appearing in the recycle bin object names.
Alternatively, you can use the original name of the table:
FLASHBACK TABLE HR.EMPLOYEE_DEMO TO BEFORE DROP;

You can also assign a new name to the restored table by specifying the RENAME TO
clause. For example:
FLASHBACK TABLE "BIN$KSD8DB9L345KLA==$0" TO BEFORE DROP
RENAME TO hr.emp_demo;
4.

Optionally, verify that all dependent objects retained their system-generated
recycle bin names.
The following query determines the names of the indexes of the retrieved
hr.employee_demo table:
SELECT INDEX_NAME
FROM
USER_INDEXES
WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'EMPLOYEE_DEMO';
INDEX_NAME

Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery 18-9

Rewinding a DROP TABLE Operation with Flashback Drop

-----------------------------BIN$JKS983293M1dsab4gsz/I249==$0
5.

Optionally, rename the retrieved indexes to their original names.
The following statement renames the index to its original name of i_emp_demo:
ALTER INDEX "BIN$JKS983293M1dsab4gsz/I249==$0" RENAME TO I_EMP_DEMO;

6.

If the retrieved table had referential constraints before it was placed in the recycle
bin, then re-create them.
This step must be performed manually because the recycle bin does not preserve
referential constraints on a table.

Retrieving Objects When Multiple Objects Share the Same Original Name
You can create, and then drop, several objects with the same original name. All the
dropped objects are stored in the recycle bin. For example, consider the SQL
statements in the following example.
Example 18–1

Dropping Multiple Objects with the Same Name

CREATE TABLE temp_employees ( ...columns ); # temp_employees version 1
DROP TABLE temp_employees;
CREATE TABLE temp_employees ( ...columns ); # temp_employees version 2
DROP TABLE temp_employees;
CREATE TABLE temp_employees ( ...columns ); # temp_employees version 3
DROP TABLE temp_employees;

In Example 18–1, each table temp_employees is assigned a unique name in the recycle
bin when it is dropped. You can use a FLASHBACK TABLE ... TO BEFORE DROP
statement with the original name of the table, as shown in this example:
FLASHBACK TABLE temp_employees TO BEFORE DROP;

The most recently dropped table with this original name is retrieved from the recycle
bin, with its original name. Example 18–2 shows the retrieval from the recycle bin of all
three dropped temp_employees tables from the previous example, with each assigned
a new name.
Example 18–2

Renaming Dropped Tables

FLASHBACK TABLE temp_employees TO BEFORE DROP
RENAME TO temp_employees_VERSION_3;
FLASHBACK TABLE temp_employees TO BEFORE DROP
RENAME TO temp_employees_VERSION_2;
FLASHBACK TABLE temp_employees TO BEFORE DROP
RENAME TO temp_employees_VERSION_1;

Because the original name in FLASHBACK TABLE refers to the most recently dropped
table with this name, the last table dropped is the first retrieved.
You can also retrieve any table from the recycle bin, regardless of any collisions among
original names, by using the unique recycle bin name of the table. For example,
assume that you query the recycle bin as follows (sample output included):
SELECT object_name, original_name, createtime
FROM
recyclebin;

18-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database

OBJECT_NAME
-----------------------------BIN$yrMKlZaLMhfgNAgAIMenRA==$0
BIN$yrMKlZaVMhfgNAgAIMenRA==$0
BIN$yrMKlZaQMhfgNAgAIMenRA==$0

ORIGINAL_NAME
--------------TEMP_EMPLOYEES
TEMP_EMPLOYEES
TEMP_EMPLOYEES

CREATETIME
------------------2007-02-05:21:05:52
2007-02-05:21:25:13
2007-02-05:22:05:53

You can use the following command to retrieve the middle table:
FLASHBACK TABLE BIN$yrMKlZaVMhfgNAgAIMenRA==$0 TO BEFORE DROP;

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Administrator's Guide to learn how to use
Flashback Drop and manage the recycle bin
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for information about
the FLASHBACK TABLE statement

Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database
This section explains the most common scenario for using Flashback Database to
reverse unwanted changes to your database.

Prerequisites of Flashback Database
To use the FLASHBACK DATABASE command to return your database contents to points in
time within the flashback window, your database must be configured for flashback
logging as described in "Understanding Flashback Database, Restore Points and
Guaranteed Restore Points" on page 7-1. To return the database to a guaranteed restore
point, you must have defined a guaranteed restore point as described in "Using
Normal and Guaranteed Restore Points" on page 7-8.
Flashback Database works by undoing changes to the data files that exist at the
moment that you run the command. Note the following important prerequisites:
■

■

■

■

No current data files are lost or damaged. You can only use FLASHBACK DATABASE
to rewind changes to a data file made by an Oracle database, not to repair media
failures.
You are not trying to recover from accidental deletion of data files, undo a shrink
data file operation, or undo a change to the database name.
You are not trying to use FLASHBACK DATABASE to return to a point in time before
the restore or re-creation of a control file. If the database control file is restored
from backup or re-created, then all accumulated flashback log information is
discarded.
You are not trying to use FLASHBACK DATABASE to undo a compatibility change.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for a
complete list of command prerequisites and usage notes for FLASHBACK
DATABASE

Performing a Flashback Database Operation
This section presents a basic technique for performing a flashback of the database,
specifying the desired target point in time with a time expression, the name of a
normal or guaranteed restore point, or an SCN.
This scenario assumes that you are rewinding the database to a point in time within
the current database incarnation. To return the database to the point in time
Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery

18-11

Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database

immediately before the most recent OPEN RESETLOGS, see "Rewinding an OPEN
RESETLOGS Operation with Flashback Database" on page 18-17.
By default, an SCN used in a FLASHBACK DATABASE command refers to an SCN in the
direct ancestral path of the database incarnations. As explained in "Database
Incarnations" on page 14-6, an incarnation is in this path if it was not abandoned after
the database was previously opened with the RESETLOGS option. To retrieve changes
in abandoned incarnations, see "Rewinding the Database to an SCN in an Abandoned
Incarnation Branch" on page 18-19.
To perform a Flashback Database operation:
Connect SQL*Plus to the target database and determine the desired SCN, restore
point, or point in time for the FLASHBACK DATABASE command.

1.

Obtain the earliest SCN in the flashback database window as follows:
SELECT OLDEST_FLASHBACK_SCN, OLDEST_FLASHBACK_TIME
FROM
V$FLASHBACK_DATABASE_LOG;

The most recent SCN that can be reached with Flashback Database is the current
SCN of the database. The following query returns the current SCN:
SELECT CURRENT_SCN
FROM
V$DATABASE;

You can query available guaranteed restore points as follows (sample output
included):
SELECT NAME, SCN, TIME, DATABASE_INCARNATION#,
GUARANTEE_FLASHBACK_DATABASE
FROM
V$RESTORE_POINT
WHERE GUARANTEE_FLASHBACK_DATABASE='YES';
NAME
SCN TIME
DATABASE_INCARNATION# GUA
--------------- ---------- --------------------- --------------------- --BEFORE_CHANGES
5753126 04-MAR-05 12.39.45 AM
2 YES

If the flashback window does not extend far enough back into
the past to reach the desired target time, and if you do not have a
guaranteed restore point at the desired time, then you can achieve
similar results by using database point-in-time recovery, as described
in "Performing Database Point-in-Time Recovery" on page 18-15.

Note:

2.

Shut down the database consistently, ensure that it is not opened by any instance,
and then mount it:
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
STARTUP MOUNT;

3.

Repeat the query in Step 1 of this procedure.
Some flashback logging data is generated when the database is shut down. If
flashback logs were deleted due to space pressure in the fast recovery area, then
your target SCN may not be reachable.

18-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database

If you run FLASHBACK DATABASE when your target SCN is
outside the flashback window, then FLASHBACK DATABASE fails with an
ORA-38729 error. In this case your database does not change.
Note:

4.

Start RMAN and connect to the target database.

5.

Run the SHOW command to see which channels are preconfigured.
During the flashback operation, RMAN may need to restore archived redo logs
from backup. Enter the following command to see whether channels are
configured (sample output is included):
SHOW ALL;
RMAN configuration parameters for database with db_unique_name PROD1 are:
.
.
.
CONFIGURE DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE TO DISK; # default
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE DISK PARALLELISM 1 BACKUP TYPE TO BACKUPSET; # default
CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE SBT_TAPE PARALLELISM 1 BACKUP TYPE TO BACKUPSET; #
default
CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' PARMS "SBT_
LIBRARY=/usr/local/oracle/backup/lib/libobk.so";

If the necessary devices and channels are already configured, then no action is
necessary. Otherwise, use the CONFIGURE command to configure automatic
channels, or include ALLOCATE CHANNEL commands within a RUN block.
6.

Run the RMAN FLASHBACK DATABASE command.
You can specify the target time by using one of the forms of the command shown
in the following examples:
FLASHBACK DATABASE TO SCN 46963;
FLASHBACK DATABASE
TO RESTORE POINT BEFORE_CHANGES;
FLASHBACK DATABASE TO TIME
"TO_DATE('09/20/05','MM/DD/YY')";

When the FLASHBACK DATABASE command completes, the database is left mounted
and recovered to the specified target time.
7.

Open the database read-only in SQL*Plus and run some queries to verify the
database contents.
Open the database read-only as follows:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN READ ONLY;

If you are satisfied with the state of the database, then end the procedure with Step
8. If you are not satisfied with the state of the database, skip to Step 9.
8.

If satisfied with the results, then perform either of the following mutually
exclusive actions:
■

Make the database available for updates by opening the database with the
RESETLOGS option. If the database is currently open read-only, then execute the
following commands in SQL*Plus:

Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery

18-13

Rewinding a Database with Flashback Database

SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE
STARTUP MOUNT
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

Note: After you perform this OPEN RESETLOGS operation, all changes
to the database after the target SCN for FLASHBACK DATABASE are
abandoned. Nevertheless, you can use the technique in "Rewinding
the Database to an SCN in an Abandoned Incarnation Branch" on
page 18-19 to return the database to that range of SCNs while they
remain in the flashback window.

■

Use Oracle Data Pump Export to make a logical backup of the objects whose
state was corrupted. Afterward, use RMAN to recover the database to the
present time:
RECOVER DATABASE;

This step undoes the effect of the Flashback Database by re-applying all
changes in the redo logs to the database, returning it to the most recent SCN.
After re-opening the database read/write, you can import the exported objects
with the Data Pump Import utility. See Oracle Database Utilities to learn how to
use Data Pump.
9.

If you find that you used the wrong restore point, time, or SCN for the flashback,
then mount the database and perform one of the following mutually exclusive
options:
■

If your chosen target time was not far enough in the past, then use another
FLASHBACK DATABASE command to rewind the database further back in time:
FLASHBACK DATABASE TO SCN 42963;

■

#earlier than current SCN

If you chose a target SCN that is too far in the past, then use RECOVER DATABASE
UNTIL to wind the database forward in time to the desired SCN:
RECOVER DATABASE UNTIL SCN 56963; #later than current SCN

■

If you want to completely undo the effect of the FLASHBACK DATABASE
command, then you can perform complete recovery of the database by using
the RECOVER DATABASE command without an UNTIL clause or SET UNTIL
command:
RECOVER DATABASE;

The RECOVER DATABASE command reapplies all changes to the database,
returning it to the most recent SCN.

Monitoring Flashback Database
When you use Flashback Database to rewind a database to a past target time,
Flashback Database determines which blocks changed after the target time and
restores them from the flashback logs. This is called the restore phase. After this phase
completes, Flashback Database then uses redo logs to reapply changes that were made
after these blocks were written to the flashback logs. This is called the recovery phase.
The progress of Flashback Database during the restore phase can be monitored by
querying the V$SESSION_LONGOPS view. The opname is Flashback Database. Under the
column TOTALWORK is the number of megabytes of flashback logs that must be read.
18-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Database Point-in-Time Recovery

The column SOFAR in Example 18-3 lists the number of megabytes that have been
currently read.
Example 18–3

Tracking Flashback Database Progress - Restore Phase

SQL> select sofar, totalwork, units from v$session_longops where opname =
'Flashback Database';
SOFAR
----17

TOTALWORK UNITS
---------- -------------------------------60 Megabytes

The progress of Flashback Database during the recovery phase can be monitored by
querying the view V$RECOVERY_PROGRESS.
The Oracle Database Reference for information on the view
V$RECOVERY_PROGRESS.
See Also:

Performing Database Point-in-Time Recovery
RMAN DBPITR restores the database from backups before the target time for recovery,
then uses incremental backups and redo to roll the database forward to the target time.
You can recover to an SCN, time, log sequence number, or restore point. Oracle
recommends that you create restore points at important times to make point-in-time
recovery more manageable if it ever becomes necessary.
Oracle recommends that you perform Flashback Database rather than database
point-in-time recovery if possible. Media recovery with backups should be the last
option when flashback technologies cannot be used to undo the most recent changes.

Prerequisites of Database Point-in-Time Recovery
The prerequisites for database point-in-time recovery are as follows:
■
■

Your database must be running in ARCHIVELOG mode.
You must have backups of all data files from before the target SCN for DBPITR
and archived logs for the period between the SCN of the backups and the target
SCN.

For a complete account of command prerequisites and usage notes, refer to the
RECOVER entry in Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference.

Performing Database Point-in-Time Recovery
This section explains the basic steps of DBPITR. The procedure makes the following
assumptions:
■

■

■

You are performing DBPITR within the current database incarnation. If your
target time is not in the current incarnation, then see "Recovering the Database to
an Ancestor Incarnation" on page 18-20 for more information on DBPITR to
ancestor incarnations.
The control file is current. If you need to restore a backup control file, then see
"Performing Recovery with a Backup Control File" on page 20-4.
Your database is using the current server parameter file. If you must restore a
backup server parameter file, then see "Restoring the Server Parameter File" on
page 20-2.

Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery

18-15

Performing Database Point-in-Time Recovery

When performing DBPITR, you can avoid errors by using the SET UNTIL command to
set the target time at the beginning of the procedure, rather than specifying the UNTIL
clause on the RESTORE and RECOVER commands individually. This ensures that the data
files restored from backup have timestamps early enough to be used in the subsequent
RECOVER operation.
To perform DBPITR:
1. Determine the time, SCN, restore point, or log sequence that should end recovery.
You can use the Flashback Query features to help you identify when the logical
corruption occurred. If you have a flashback data archive enabled for a table, then
you can query data that existed far in the past.
You can also use the alert log to try to determine the time of the event from which
you must recover.
Alternatively, you can use a SQL query to determine the log sequence number that
contains the target SCN and then recover through this log. For example, run the
following query to list the logs in the current database incarnation (sample output
included):
SELECT RECID, STAMP, THREAD#, SEQUENCE#, FIRST_CHANGE#
FIRST_TIME, NEXT_CHANGE#
FROM
V$ARCHIVED_LOG
WHERE RESETLOGS_CHANGE# =
( SELECT RESETLOGS_CHANGE#
FROM
V$DATABASE_INCARNATION
WHERE STATUS = 'CURRENT');
RECID
STAMP
THREAD#
SEQUENCE# FIRST_CHAN FIRST_TIM NEXT_CHANG
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- --------- ---------1 344890611
1
1
20037 24-SEP-05
20043
2 344890615
1
2
20043 24-SEP-05
20045
3 344890618
1
3
20045 24-SEP-05
20046

For example, if you discover that a user accidentally dropped a tablespace at 9:02
a.m., then you can recover to 9 a.m., just before the drop occurred. You lose all
changes to the database made after this time.
2.

If you are using a target time expression instead of a target SCN, then make sure
the time format environment variables are appropriate before invoking RMAN.
The following are sample Globalization Support settings:
NLS_LANG = american_america.us7ascii
NLS_DATE_FORMAT="Mon DD YYYY HH24:MI:SS"

3.

Connect RMAN to the target database and, if applicable, the recovery catalog
database. Bring the database to a mounted state:
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
STARTUP MOUNT;

4.

Perform the following operations within a RUN block:
a.

Use SET UNTIL to specify the target time, restore point, SCN, or log sequence
number for DBPITR. If specifying a time, then use the date format specified in
the NLS_LANG and NLS_DATE_FORMAT environment variables.

b.

If automatic channels are not configured, then manually allocate disk and tape
channels as needed.

18-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery Scenarios

c.

Restore and recover the database.

The following example performs DBPITR on the target database until SCN 1000:
RUN
{
SET UNTIL SCN 1000;
RESTORE DATABASE;
RECOVER DATABASE;
}

As shown in the following examples, you can also use time expressions, restore
points, or log sequence numbers to specify the SET UNTIL time:
SET UNTIL TIME 'Nov 15 2004 09:00:00';
SET UNTIL SEQUENCE 9923;
SET UNTIL RESTORE POINT before_update;

If the operation completes without errors, then DBPITR has succeeded.
5.

Perform either of the following mutually exclusive actions:
■

Open your database for read/write, abandoning all changes after the target
SCN. In this case, you must shut down the database, mount it, and then
execute the following command:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

The OPEN RESETLOGS operation fails if a data file is offline unless the data file
went offline normally or is read-only. You can bring files in read-only or offline
normal tablespaces online after the RESETLOGS because they do not need any
redo.
■

Export one or more objects from your database with Data Pump Export. You
can then recover the database to the current point in time and re-import the
exported objects, thus returning these objects to their state before the
unwanted change without abandoning all other changes.

Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery Scenarios
This section describes variations on the basic scenarios described in "Rewinding a
Database with Flashback Database" on page 18-11 and "Performing Database
Point-in-Time Recovery" on page 18-15.

Rewinding an OPEN RESETLOGS Operation with Flashback Database
The procedure for using Flashback Database to reverse an unwanted ALTER DATABASE
OPEN RESETLOGS statement is similar to the general case described in "Performing a
Flashback Database Operation" on page 18-11. Rather than specifying a particular SCN
or point in time for the FLASHBACK DATABASE command, however, you use FLASHBACK
DATABASE TO BEFORE RESETLOGS.
To undo an OPEN RESETLOGS operation:
1. Connect SQL*Plus to the target database and verify that the beginning of the
flashback window is earlier than the time of the most recent OPEN RESETLOGS.
Run the following queries:
SELECT RESETLOGS_CHANGE#
FROM
V$DATABASE;

Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery

18-17

Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery Scenarios

SELECT OLDEST_FLASHBACK_SCN
FROM
V$FLASHBACK_DATABASE_LOG;

If V$DATABASE.RESETLOGS_CHANGE# is greater than V$FLASHBACK_DATABASE_
LOG.OLDEST_FLASHBACK_SCN, then you can use Flashback Database to reverse the
OPEN RESETLOGS.
2.

Shut down the database, mount it, and recheck the flashback window. If the
resetlogs SCN is still within the flashback window, then proceed to the next step.

3.

Connect RMAN to the target database and perform a flashback to the SCN
immediately before the RESETLOGS.
Use the following form of the FLASHBACK DATABASE command:
FLASHBACK DATABASE TO BEFORE RESETLOGS;

As with other uses of FLASHBACK DATABASE, if the target SCN is before the
beginning of the flashback database window, an error is returned and the database
is not modified. If the command completes successfully, then the database is left
mounted and recovered to the most recent SCN before the OPEN RESETLOGS in the
previous incarnation.
4.

Open the database read-only in SQL*Plus and perform queries as needed to
ensure that the effects of the logical corruption have been reversed.
Open the database read-only as follows:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN READ ONLY;

5.

To make the database available for updates again, shut down the database, mount
it, and then execute the following command:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

Undoing an OPEN RESETLOGS on Standby Databases with Flashback Database
Flashback Database across OPEN RESETLOGS may be used to perform the following
functions in a Data Guard environment:
■

Flashback to undo logical standby switchovers
In this case, the database reverts to its role (primary or standby) at the target time
for the Flashback Database operation.

■

Undo of a physical standby activation
You can temporarily activate a physical standby database, use it for testing or
reporting purposes, and then use Flashback Database to return it to its role as a
physical standby.

■

Ongoing use of a standby database for testing
The use of Flashback Database means that you do are not require the use of
storage snapshots.
See Also: Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for details
on these advanced applications of Flashback Database with Data
Guard

18-18 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery Scenarios

Rewinding the Database to an SCN in an Abandoned Incarnation Branch
The effect of Flashback Database or DBPITR followed by an OPEN RESETLOGS is to
return the database to a previous SCN, and to abandon changes after this point.
Therefore, some SCNs after that point can refer either to changes that were abandoned
or changes in the current history of the database. In this way, a target SCN specified in
FLASHBACK DATABASE can be ambiguous.
Unlike SCNs, time expressions and restore points are not ambiguous. A time
expression is always associated with the incarnation that was current at that time. A
restore point is always associated with the current incarnation when it was created.
This is true even for times and restore points that correspond to abandoned database
incarnations. The database incarnation is automatically reset to the incarnation that
was current at the specified time or when the restore point was created.
You may want to use Flashback Database to rewind the database to an SCN in the
parent incarnation that is later than the SCN of the OPEN RESETLOGS at which the
current incarnation path branched from the old incarnation. Figure 14–1, "Database
Incarnation History" on page 14-7 shows how SCNs can be generated in an incarnation
branch even after an OPEN RESETLOGS creates a new incarnation. As shown in the
diagram, the database could be at SCN 3000 in incarnation 3 when you must return to
the abandoned SCN 1500 in incarnation 1.
If the SCN to which you are rewinding is in the direct ancestral path, or if you are
rewinding the database to a restore point, then an explicit RESET DATABASE is not
necessary for Flashback Database. However, an explicit RESET DATABASE TO
INCARNATION command is required when using FLASHBACK DATABASE to rewind the
database to an SCN in an abandoned database incarnation.
To rewind the database to an SCN in an abandoned incarnation branch:
1. Use SQL*Plus to connect to the target database and verify that the flashback logs
contain enough information to flash back to the SCN.
For example, execute the following query:
SELECT OLDEST_FLASHBACK_SCN
FROM
V$FLASHBACK_DATABASE_LOG;
2.

Determine the target incarnation number for the Flashback Database operation,
that is, the incarnation key for the parent incarnation.
For example, execute the following query:
SELECT PRIOR_INCARNATION#
FROM
V$DATABASE_INCARNATION
WHERE STATUS = 'CURRENT';

3.

Start RMAN and connect to the target database.

4.

Shut down the database, and then mount it as follows:
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
STARTUP MOUNT;

5.

Set the database incarnation to the parent incarnation.
For example, use the following command to return to incarnation 1:
RESET DATABASE TO INCARNATION 1;

6.

Run the FLASHBACK DATABASE command, specifying the target SCN.

Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery

18-19

Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery Scenarios

For example, use the following command to rewind the database to SCN 1500:
FLASHBACK DATABASE TO SCN 1500;
7.

Open the database read-only in SQL*Plus and perform queries as needed to
ensure that the effects of the logical corruption have been reversed.
Open the database read-only as follows:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN READ ONLY;

8.

To make the database available for updates again, shut down the database, mount
it, and then execute the following command:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

See Also:
■

■

"Database Incarnations" on page 14-6 for useful background
information about database incarnations, abandoned changes, and
the effects of ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for details about the
RESET DATABASE command

Recovering the Database to an Ancestor Incarnation
The procedure for DBPITR within the current incarnation is different from DBPITR to
an SCN in a noncurrent incarnation. In the latter case, you must explicitly execute the
RESET DATABASE to reset the database to the incarnation that was current at the target
SCN. Also, you must restore a control file from the database incarnation containing the
target SCN.
When RMAN is connected to a recovery catalog, a RESTORE CONTROLFILE command
only searches the current database incarnation for the closest time specified in the
UNTIL clause. To restore a control file from a noncurrent incarnation, you must execute
LIST INCARNATION to identify the target database incarnation and specify this
incarnation in the RESET DATABASE TO INCARNATION command.
When RMAN is connected to a recovery catalog, you cannot execute the RESET
DATABASE TO INCARNATION command before the database is mounted. Thus, you must
execute SET UNTIL, restore the control file from autobackup, and then mount it.
Assume the following situation:
■

RMAN is connected to a recovery catalog.

■

You have a backup of target database trgt from October 2, 2007.

■

DBPITR was performed on this database on October 10, 2007 to correct an earlier
error. The OPEN RESETLOGS operation at the end of that DBPITR started a new
incarnation.

On October 25, you discover that you need crucial data that was dropped from the
database at 8:00 a.m. on October 8, 2007. This time is before the beginning of the
current incarnation.
To perform DBPITR to a noncurrent incarnation:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog.
2.

Determine which database incarnation was current at the time of the backup.

18-20 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery Scenarios

Use LIST INCARNATION to find the primary key of the incarnation that was current
at the target time:
LIST INCARNATION OF DATABASE trgt;
List of
DB Key
------1
1

Database Incarnations
Inc Key
DB Name
DB ID
-----------------2
TRGT
1224038686
582
TRGT
1224038686

STATUS
------PARENT
CURRENT

Reset SCN
---------1
59727

Reset Time
---------02-OCT-06
10-OCT-06

Look at the Reset SCN and Reset Time columns to identify the correct incarnation,
and note the incarnation key in the Inc Key column. In this example, the backup
was made 2 October 2007. In this case, the incarnation key value is 2.
3.

Make sure the database is started but not mounted.
STARTUP FORCE NOMOUNT

4.

Reset the target database to the incarnation obtained in Step 2.
In this example, specify the incarnation current at the time of the backup of 2
October. Use the value from the Inc Key column to identify the incarnation.
RESET DATABASE TO INCARNATION 2;

5.

Restore and recover the database, performing the following actions in the RUN
command:
■

Set the end time for recovery to the time just before the loss of the data.

■

Allocate any channels required that are not already configured.

■

Restore the control file from the October 2 backup and mount it.

■

Restore the data files and recover the database. Use the RECOVER DATABASE ...
UNTIL command to perform DBPITR, bringing the database to the target time
of 7:55 a.m. on October 8, just before the data was lost.

The following example shows all of the steps required in this case:
RUN
{
SET UNTIL TIME 'Oct 8 2007 07:55:00';
RESTORE CONTROLFILE;
# without recovery catalog, use RESTORE CONTROLFILE FROM AUTOBACKUP
ALTER DATABASE MOUNT;
RESTORE DATABASE;
RECOVER DATABASE;
}
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for details
about the RESET DATABASE command

Performing Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery

18-21

Flashback and Database Point-in-Time Recovery Scenarios

18-22 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

19
19

Performing Block Media Recovery

This chapter explains how to restore and recover individual data blocks within a data
file. This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Overview of Block Media Recovery

■

Prerequisites for Block Media Recovery

■

Recovering Individual Blocks

■

Recovering All Blocks in V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION
See Also:
■
■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for RECOVER syntax
Oracle Database Reference for details about the V$DATABASE_
BLOCK_CORRUPTION view

Overview of Block Media Recovery
This section explains the purpose and basic concepts of block media recovery.

Purpose of Block Media Recovery
You can use block media recovery to recover one or more corrupt data blocks within a
data file. Block media recovery provides the following advantages over data file
media recovery:
■

■

Lowers the mean time to recover (MTTR) because only blocks needing recovery
are restored and recovered
Enables affected data files to remain online during recovery
Without block media recovery, if even a single block is corrupt, then you must take
the data file offline and restore a backup of the data file. You must apply all redo
generated for the data file after the backup was created. The entire file is
unavailable until media recovery completes. With block media recovery, only the
blocks actually being recovered are unavailable during the recovery.

Block media recovery is most useful for physical corruption problems that involve a
small, well-known number of blocks. Block-level data loss usually results from
intermittent, random I/O errors that do not cause widespread data loss, and memory
corruptions that are written to disk. Block media recovery is not intended for cases
where the extent of data loss or corruption is unknown and the entire data file requires
recovery. In such cases, data file media recovery is the best solution.

Performing Block Media Recovery 19-1

Overview of Block Media Recovery

Basic Concepts of Block Media Recovery
Usually, the database marks a block as media corrupt and then writes it to disk when
the corruption is first encountered. No subsequent read of the block is successful until
the block is recovered. You can perform block recovery only on blocks that are marked
corrupt or that fail a corruption check.
If the database on which the corruption occurs is associated with a real-time query
physical standby database, then the database automatically attempts to perform block
media recovery. The primary database searches for good copies of blocks on the
standby database and, if they are found, repairs the blocks with no impact to the query
that encountered the corrupt block. The Oracle Database physical block corruption
message (ORA-1578) is displayed only if the database cannot repair the corruption.
Whenever block corruption has been automatically detected, you can perform block
media recovery manually with the RECOVER ... BLOCK command. By default, RMAN
first searches for good blocks in the real-time query physical standby database, then
flashback logs and then blocks in full or level 0 incremental backups.
For block media recovery to work automatically, the physical
standby database must be in real-time query mode. An Oracle Active
Data Guard license is required.

Note:

If a corrupt data block is discovered on a real-time query physical standby database,
the server attempts to repair the corruption by obtaining a copy of the block from the
primary database. The repair is performed in the background, enabling subsequent
queries to succeed if the repair is successful. Automatic block repair is attempted if the
following database initialization parameters are configured on the standby database as
described:
■

The LOG_ARCHIVE_CONFIG parameter is configured with a DG_CONFIG list and a
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameter is configured for the primary database with the
DB_UNIQUE_NAME attribute
or

■

The FAL_SERVER parameter is configured and its value contains an Oracle Net
service name for the primary database

If a corrupt block is detected during validation, such as by the
RMAN VALIDATE command, then recovery is not initiated
automatically.

Note:

See Also:
■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for RECOVER ...
BLOCK syntax
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn about the
real-time query option for standby databases

Identification of Corrupt Blocks
The V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION view displays blocks marked corrupt by database
components such as RMAN, ANALYZE, dbv, and SQL queries. The following types of
corruption result in the addition of rows to this view:

19-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Overview of Block Media Recovery

■

Physical corruption (sometimes called media corruption)
The database does not recognize the block: the checksum is invalid, the block
contains all zeros, or the block header is corrupt.
Physical corruption checking is enabled by default. You can turn off checksum
checking by specifying the NOCHECKSUM option of the BACKUP command, but other
physical consistency checks, such as checks of the block headers and footers,
cannot be disabled.

■

Logical corruption
The block has a valid checksum, the header and footer match, and so on, but the
contents are logically inconsistent. Block media recovery may not be able to repair
all logical block corruptions. In these cases, alternate recovery methods, such as
tablespace point-in-time recovery, or dropping and re-creating the affected objects,
may repair the corruption.
Logical corruption checking is disabled by default. You can turn it on by
specifying the CHECK LOGICAL option of the BACKUP, RESTORE, RECOVER, and
VALIDATE commands.

The database can detect some corruptions by validating relationships between blocks
and segments, but cannot detect them by a check of an individual block. The
V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION view does not record at this level of granularity.

Missing Redo During Block Recovery
Like data file media recovery, block media recovery cannot generally survive a missing
or inaccessible archived log, although it attempts restore failover when looking for
usable copies of archived redo log files, as described in "Restore Failover" on
page 14-4. Also, block media recovery cannot survive physical redo corruptions that
result in checksum failure. However, block media recovery can survive gaps in the
redo stream if the missing or corrupt redo records do not affect the blocks being
recovered. Whereas data file recovery requires an unbroken series of redo changes
from the beginning of recovery to the end, block media recovery only requires an
unbroken set of redo changes for the blocks being recovered.
Each block is recovered independently during block media
recovery, so recovery may be successful for a subset of blocks.

Note:

When RMAN first detects missing or corrupt redo records during block media
recovery, it does not immediately signal an error because the block undergoing
recovery may create one later in the redo stream. When a block is re-created, all
previous redo for that block becomes irrelevant because the redo applies to an old
incarnation of the block. For example, the database creates a new a block when users
drop or truncate a table and then use the block for other data.
Assume that media recovery is performed on block 13 as depicted in Figure 19–1.

Performing Block Media Recovery 19-3

Prerequisites for Block Media Recovery

Figure 19–1 Performing RMAN Media Recovery
Change 100

Change 120

Change 140

Change 160

Redo
application
Block 13 is
restored in
datafile 4

Missing redo
for block 13

Block 13 is
newed

Last change
for block 13

After block recovery begins, RMAN discovers that change 120 is missing from the redo
stream, either because the log block is corrupt or because the log cannot be found.
RMAN continues recovery assuming that block 13 will be re-created later in the redo
stream. Assume that in change 140 a user drops the table employees stored in block 13,
allocates a new table in this block, and inserts data into the new table. At this point, the
database formats block 13 as a new block. Recovery can now proceed with this block
even though some redo preceding the recreation operation was missing.

Prerequisites for Block Media Recovery
The following prerequisites apply to the RECOVER ... BLOCK command:
■

■

■

The target database must run in ARCHIVELOG mode and be open or mounted with a
current control file.
If the target database is a standby database, then it must be in a consistent state,
recovery cannot be in session, and the backup must be older than the corrupted
file.
The backups of the data files containing the corrupt blocks must be full or level 0
backups and not proxy copies.
If only proxy copy backups exist, then you can restore them to a nondefault
location on disk, in which case RMAN considers them data file copies and
searches them for blocks during block media recovery.

■

RMAN can use only archived redo logs for the recovery.
RMAN cannot use level 1 incremental backups. Block media recovery cannot
survive a missing or inaccessible archived redo log, although it can sometimes
survive missing redo records.

■

Flashback Database must be enabled on the target database for RMAN to search
the flashback logs for good copies of corrupt blocks.
If flashback logging is enabled and contains older, uncorrupted versions of the
corrupt blocks, then RMAN can use these blocks, possibly speeding up the
recovery.

■

The target database must be associated with a real-time query physical standby
database for RMAN to search the database for good copies of corrupt blocks.

Recovering Individual Blocks
Typically, block corruption is reported in the following locations:
■

Results of the LIST FAILURE, VALIDATE, or BACKUP ... VALIDATE command

■

The V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION view

19-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Recovering All Blocks in V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION

■

Error messages in standard output

■

The alert log

■

User trace files

■

Results of the SQL commands ANALYZE TABLE and ANALYZE INDEX

■

Results of the DBVERIFY utility

■

Third-party media management output

For example, you may discover the following messages in a user trace file:
ORA-01578:
ORA-01110:
ORA-01578:
ORA-01110:

ORACLE data block corrupted (file # 7, block # 3)
data file 7: '/oracle/oradata/trgt/tools01.dbf'
ORACLE data block corrupted (file # 2, block # 235)
data file 2: '/oracle/oradata/trgt/undotbs01.dbf'

In the following procedure, you identify the blocks that require recovery and then use
any available backup to restore and recover these blocks.
To recover specific data blocks:
1. Obtain the data file numbers and block numbers of the corrupted blocks.
The easiest way to locate trace files and the alert log is to connect SQL*Plus to the
target database and execute the following query:
SELECT NAME, VALUE
FROM
V$DIAG_INFO;
2.

Start RMAN and connect to the target database, which must be mounted or open.

3.

Run the SHOW ALL command to confirm that the appropriate channels are
preconfigured.

4.

Run the RECOVER ... BLOCK command at the RMAN prompt, specifying the file
and block numbers for the corrupted blocks.
The following example recovers two blocks.
RECOVER
DATAFILE 8 BLOCK 13
DATAFILE 2 BLOCK 19;

You can also specify various options to control RMAN behavior. The following
example indicates that only backups with the tag mondayam are used when
searching for blocks. You could use the FROM BACKUPSET option to restrict the type
of backup that RMAN searches, or the EXCLUDE FLASHBACK LOG option to restrict
RMAN from searching the flashback logs.
RECOVER
DATAFILE 8 BLOCK 13
DATAFILE 2 BLOCK 199
FROM TAG mondayam;

Recovering All Blocks in V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION
In this scenario, RMAN automatically recovers all blocks listed in the V$DATABASE_
BLOCK_CORRUPTION view.
To recover all blocks logged in V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the target database.
Performing Block Media Recovery 19-5

Recovering All Blocks in V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION

2.

Query V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION to determine whether corrupt blocks exist.
For example, execute the following statement:
SQL> SELECT * FROM V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION;

3.

Start RMAN and connect to the target database.

4.

Recover all blocks marked corrupt in V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION.
The following command repairs all physically corrupted blocks recorded in the
view:
RMAN> RECOVER CORRUPTION LIST;

After the blocks are recovered, the database removes them from V$DATABASE_
BLOCK_CORRUPTION.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference to learn
about the RECOVER ... BLOCK command

19-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

20
20

Performing RMAN Recovery: Advanced
Scenarios
The preceding chapters in Part V, "Diagnosing and Responding to Failures" cover the
most basic recovery scenarios and are intended to be as generic as possible. The
scenarios in this chapter are less common or are more complicated than the basic
scenarios.
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Recovering a NOARCHIVELOG Database with Incremental Backups

■

Restoring the Server Parameter File

■

Performing Recovery with a Backup Control File

■

Performing Disaster Recovery

■

Restoring a Database on a New Host

Recovering a NOARCHIVELOG Database with Incremental Backups
Restoring a database running in NOARCHIVELOG mode is similar to restoring a database
in ARCHIVELOG mode. The main differences are:
■

■

Only consistent backups can be used in restoring a database in NOARCHIVELOG
mode.
Media recovery is not possible because no archived redo logs exist.

You can perform limited recovery of changes to a database running in NOARCHIVELOG
mode by applying incremental backups. The incremental backups must be consistent,
like all backups of a database run in NOARCHIVELOG mode, so you cannot make backups
of the database when it is open.
When you are recovering a NOARCHIVELOG database, specify the NOREDO option on the
RECOVER command to indicate that RMAN should not attempt to apply archived redo
logs. Otherwise, RMAN returns an error.
To recover a NOARCHIVELOG database with incremental backups:
1. After connecting to the target database and the recovery catalog, place the
database in a mounted state:
STARTUP FORCE MOUNT
2.

Restore and recover the database.
For example, you can perform incomplete recovery with the following commands:

Performing RMAN Recovery: Advanced Scenarios 20-1

Restoring the Server Parameter File

RESTORE DATABASE
FROM TAG "consistent_whole_backup";
RECOVER DATABASE NOREDO;
3.

Open the database with the RESETLOGS option.
For example, enter the following command:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

Restoring the Server Parameter File
If you lose the server parameter file, then RMAN can restore it to its default location or
to a location of your choice. Unlike the loss of the control file, the loss of the server
parameter file does not cause the instance to immediately stop. The instance may
continue operating, although you must shut it down and restart it after restoring the
server parameter file.
Note the following considerations when restoring the server parameter file:
■

■

■

If the instance is already started with the server parameter file, then you cannot
overwrite the existing server parameter file.
When the instance is started with a client-side initialization parameter file, RMAN
restores the server parameter file to the default location if the TO clause is not used
in the restore command. The default location is platform-specific, for example,
?/dbs/spfile.ora on Linux.
A recovery catalog simplifies the recovery procedure because you can avoid
recording and remembering the DBID. This procedure assumes that you are not
using a recovery catalog.

To restore the server parameter file from autobackup:
Start RMAN and do one of the following:

1.

■

■

2.

If the database instance is started at the time of the loss of the server parameter
file, then connect to the target database.
If the database instance is not started when the server parameter file is lost,
and if you are not using a recovery catalog, then run the SET DBID command
to set the DBID of the target database. See "Determining the DBID of the
Database" on page 17-5 for details on determining the DBID.

Shut down the database instance and restart it without mounting the database.
When the server parameter file is not available, RMAN starts the instance with a
dummy parameter file. For example, enter the following command:
STARTUP FORCE NOMOUNT;

3.

Execute a RUN command to restore the server parameter file.
Depending on the situation, you may need to execute multiple commands in the
RUN command. Note the following considerations:
■

■

If restoring from tape, then use ALLOCATE CHANNEL to allocate an SBT channel
manually. If restoring from disk, then RMAN uses the default disk channel.
If the autobackups were not produced with the default format (%F), then use
the SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FOR DEVICE TYPE command to specify the
format in effect when the autobackup was performed.

20-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Restoring the Server Parameter File

■

■

■

■

If the most recent autobackup was not created today, then use SET UNTIL to
specify the date from which to start the search.
If RMAN is not connected to a recovery catalog, then use SET DBID to set the
DBID for the target database.
To restore the server parameter file to a nondefault location, specify the TO
clause or TO PFILE clause on the RESTORE SPFILE command.
If you know that RMAN never produces more than n autobackups each day,
then you can set the RESTORE SPFILE FROM AUTOBACKUP ... MAXSEQ
parameter to n to reduce the search time. MAXSEQ is set to 255 by default, and
RESTORE counts backward from MAXSEQ to find the last backup of the day. To
terminate the restore operation if you do not find the autobackup in the
current day (or specified day), set MAXDAYS 1 on the RESTORE command.

The following example illustrates a RUN command that restores a server parameter
file from an autobackup on tape:
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE sbt PARMS ...;
SET UNTIL TIME 'SYSDATE-7';
SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT
FOR DEVICE TYPE sbt TO '/disk1/control_files/autobackup_%F';
SET DBID 123456789;
RESTORE SPFILE
TO '/tmp/spfileTEMP.ora'
FROM AUTOBACKUP MAXDAYS 10;
}
4.

Restart the database instance with the restored file.
If you are restarting RMAN with a server parameter file in a nondefault location,
then create an initialization parameter file with the line SPFILE=new_location,
where new_location is the path name of the restored server parameter file. Then,
restart the instance with the client-side initialization parameter file.
For example, create a file /tmp/init.ora which contains the single line:
SPFILE=/tmp/spfileTEMP.ora

You can use the following RMAN command to restart the instance with the
restored server parameter file:
STARTUP FORCE PFILE=/tmp/init.ora;

Restoring the Server Parameter File from a Control File Autobackup
If you have configured control file autobackups, then the server parameter file is
backed up with the control file whenever an autobackup is taken.
To restore the server parameter file from the control file autobackup, you must first set
the DBID for your database and then use the RESTORE SPFILE FROM AUTOBACKUP
command. If the autobackup is in a nondefault format, then first use the SET
CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT command to specify the format.
Example 20–1 sets the DBID and restores the server parameter file from a control file
autobackup in a nondefault location.

Performing RMAN Recovery: Advanced Scenarios 20-3

Performing Recovery with a Backup Control File

Example 20–1

Restoring the Server Parameter File from a Control File Autobackup

SET DBID 320066378;
RUN
{
SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT
FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK TO 'autobackup_format';
RESTORE SPFILE FROM AUTOBACKUP;
}

RMAN uses the autobackup format and DBID to hunt for control file autobackups. If a
control file autobackup is found, then RMAN restores the server parameter file from
that backup to its default location.
To learn how to determine the correct value for autobackup_format, see the
description of CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT in the entry for the
CONFIGURE command in Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference.
See Also: "Determining the DBID of the Database" on page 17-5 for
details on how to determine the DBID

Creating an Initialization Parameter File with RMAN
You can also restore the server parameter file as a client-side initialization parameter
file with the TO PFILE 'filename' clause. The file name that you specify should be on a
file system accessible from the host where the RMAN client is running. This file need
not be accessible directly from the host running the instance.
The following RMAN command creates an initialization parameter file named
/tmp/initTEMP.ora on the system running the RMAN client:
RESTORE SPFILE TO PFILE '/tmp/initTEMP.ora';

To restart the instance with the initialization parameter file, use the following
command, again running RMAN on the same client host:
STARTUP FORCE PFILE='/tmp/initTEMP.ora';

Performing Recovery with a Backup Control File
This section explains what to do when all current control files are lost and you must
restore a backup control file.

About Recovery with a Backup Control File
If all copies of the current control file are lost or damaged, then you must restore and
mount a backup control file. You must then run the RECOVER command, even if no data
files have been restored, and open the database with the RESETLOGS option. If some
copies of the current control file are usable, however, then you can follow the
procedure in "Responding to the Loss of a Subset of the Current Control Files" on
page 30-1 and avoid the recovery and RESETLOGS operation.
During recovery, RMAN automatically searches for online and archived logs that are
not recorded in the RMAN repository and catalogs any that it finds. RMAN attempts
to find a valid archived redo log in any current archiving destination with the current
log format. The current format is specified in the initialization parameter file used to
start the instance (or all instances in an Oracle RAC configuration). Similarly, RMAN
attempts to find the online redo logs by using the file names listed in the control file.

20-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Recovery with a Backup Control File

If you changed the archiving destination or format during recovery, or if you added
new online log members after the backup of the control file, then RMAN may not be
able to automatically catalog a needed online or archived log. Whenever RMAN
cannot find online redo logs and you did not specify an UNTIL time, RMAN reports
errors similar to the following:
RMAN-00571:
RMAN-00569:
RMAN-00571:
RMAN-03002:
RMAN-06054:

===========================================================
=============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
===========================================================
failure of recover command at 08/29/2007 14:23:09
media recovery requesting unknown log: thread 1 scn 86945

In this case, you must use the CATALOG command to manually add the required redo
logs to the repository so that recovery can proceed.
See Also: The discussion of RESTORE CONTROLFILE in Oracle Database
Backup and Recovery Reference for more details about restrictions on
using RESTORE CONTROLFILE in different scenarios (such as when
using a recovery catalog, or restoring from a specific backup)

Control File Locations
When you are restoring the control file, the default destination is all of the locations
defined in the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter. If you do not set the CONTROL_
FILES initialization parameter, then the database uses the same rules to determine the
destination for the restored control file that it uses when creating a control file if the
CONTROL_FILES parameter is not set. These rules are described in Oracle Database SQL
Language Reference in the description of the CREATE CONTROLFILE statement.
One way to restore the control file to one or more new locations is to change the
CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter, and then use the RESTORE CONTROLFILE
command with no arguments to restore the control file to the default locations. For
example, if you are restoring your control file after a disk failure made some but not all
CONTROL_FILES locations unusable, you can change CONTROL_FILES to replace
references to the failed disk with path names pointing to another disk, and then run
RESTORE CONTROLFILE with no arguments.
You can also restore the control file to any location that you choose other than the
CONTROL_FILES locations, by using the form RESTORE CONTROLFILE TO 'filename':
RESTORE CONTROLFILE TO '/tmp/my_controlfile';

You can perform this operation with the database in NOMOUNT, MOUNT, or OPEN states,
because you are not overwriting any of the control files currently in use. Any existing
file named 'filename' is overwritten. After restoring the control file to a new location,
you can then update the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter to include the new
location.
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
RESTORE CONTROLFILE syntax
See Also:

Recovery With and Without a Recovery Catalog
When RMAN is connected to a recovery catalog, the recovery procedure with a
backup control file is identical to recovery with a current control file. The RMAN
metadata missing from the backup control file is available from the recovery catalog.
The only exception is if the database name is not unique in the catalog, in which case
you must use SET DBID command before restoring the control file.

Performing RMAN Recovery: Advanced Scenarios 20-5

Performing Recovery with a Backup Control File

If you are not using a recovery catalog, then you must restore your control file from an
autobackup. To restore the control file from autobackup, the database must be in a
NOMOUNT state. As shown in Example 20–2, you must first set the DBID for your
database, and then use the RESTORE CONTROLFILE FROM AUTOBACKUP command.
Example 20–2

Setting the DBID and Restoring the Control File from Autobackup

SET DBID 320066378;
RUN
{
SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT
FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK TO 'autobackup_format';
RESTORE CONTROLFILE FROM AUTOBACKUP;
}

RMAN uses the autobackup format and DBID to determine where to hunt for the
control file autobackup. If one is found, RMAN restores the control file to all control
file locations listed in the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter.
See Also:
■

■

The description of CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT
in the entry for CONFIGURE in Oracle Database Backup and Recovery
Reference to learn how to determine the correct value for the
autobackup format.
See "Determining the DBID of the Database" on page 17-5 to learn
how to determine your DBID.

Recovery When Using a Fast Recovery Area
The commands for restoring a control file are the same whether or not the database
uses a fast recovery area. If the database uses a recovery area, then RMAN updates a
control file restored from backup by crosschecking all disk-based backups and image
copies recorded in the control file. RMAN catalogs any backups in the recovery area
that are not recorded. As a result, the restored control file has a complete and accurate
record of all backups in the recovery area and any other backups known to the control
file at the time of the backup.
RMAN does not automatically crosscheck tape backups after restoring a control file. If
you are using tape backups, then you can restore and mount the control file, and
optionally crosscheck the backups on tape, as shown in the following example:
CROSSCHECK BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt;

Performing Recovery with a Backup Control File and No Recovery Catalog
This section assumes that you have RMAN backups of the control file, but do not use a
recovery catalog. It also assumes that you enabled the control file autobackup feature
for the target database and can restore an autobackup of the control file.
Because the autobackup uses a well-known format, RMAN can restore it even though
it does not have a repository available that lists the available backups. You can restore
the autobackup to the default or a new location. RMAN replicates the control file to all
CONTROL_FILES locations automatically.

20-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Recovery with a Backup Control File

If you know the backup piece name that contains the
control file (for example, from the media manager or because the
piece is on disk), then you can specify the piece name using the
RESTORE CONTROLFILE FROM 'filename' command. The database
records the location of every autobackup in the alert log.
Note:

Because you are not connected to a recovery catalog, the RMAN repository contains
only information about available backups at the time of the control file backup. If you
know the location of other usable backup sets or image copies, then add them to the
control file RMAN repository with the CATALOG command.
To recover the database with a control file autobackup in NOCATALOG mode:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database.
2.

Start the target database instance without mounting the database. For example:
STARTUP NOMOUNT;

3.

Set the database identifier for the target database with the SET DBID command.
RMAN displays the DBID whenever you connect to a target database. You can
also obtain it by inspecting saved RMAN log files, querying the catalog, or looking
at the file names of control file autobackup. For example, run:
SET DBID 676549873;

4.

Write an RMAN command file to restore the autobackup control file and perform
recovery.
The command file should contain the following steps:
a.

Optionally, specify the most recent backup time stamp that RMAN can use
when searching for a control file autobackup to restore.

b.

If you know that a different control file autobackup format was in effect when
the control file autobackup was created, then specify a nondefault format for
the restore of the control file.

c.

If an SBT channel created the control file autobackup, then allocate one or
more SBT channels. Because no recovery catalog is available, you cannot use
preconfigured channels.

d.

Restore the autobackup of the control file, optionally setting the maximum
number of days backward that RMAN can search and the initial sequence
number that it should use in its search for the first day.

e.

If you know that the control file contained information about configured
channels that are useful in the rest of the restore process, then you can exit
RMAN to clear manually allocated channels from Step c.
If you restart the RMAN client and mount the database, then these configured
channels are available for your use. If you do not care about using configured
channels from your control file, then you can simply mount the database.

f.

This step depends on whether the online redo logs are available. The option
OPEN RESETLOGS is always required after recovery with a backup control file,
regardless of whether logs are available.

Performing RMAN Recovery: Advanced Scenarios 20-7

Performing Disaster Recovery

If the online redo logs are usable, then RMAN can find and apply these logs.
Perform a complete restore and recovery as described in "Performing
Complete Database Recovery" on page 17-10.
If the online redo logs are unusable, then perform DBPITR as described in
"Performing Database Point-in-Time Recovery" on page 18-15. An UNTIL
clause is required to specify a target time, SCN, or log sequence number for
the recovery before the first SCN of the online redo logs (otherwise, RMAN
issues the RMAN-6054 error).
When you perform DBPITR with a backup control file, before opening the
database with RESETLOGS, you can open the database read-only using
SQL*Plus and run queries as needed to verify that the effects of the logical
corruption have been reversed. If you are satisfied with the results, then you
can open the database with RESETLOGS.
When specifying log sequences, if the last created archived
redo log has sequence n, then specify UNTIL SEQUENCE n+1 so that
RMAN applies n and then stops.
Note:

In the following example, the online redo log files have been lost, and the most
recent archived redo log sequence number is 13243. This example shows how to
restore the control file autobackup and recover through the latest log.
RUN
{
# Optionally, set upper limit for eligible time stamps of control file
# backups
# SET UNTIL TIME '09/10/2007 13:45:00';
# Specify a nondefault autobackup format only if required
# SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK
#
TO '?/oradata/%F.bck';
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE sbt PARMS '...'; # allocate manually
RESTORE CONTROLFILE FROM AUTOBACKUP
MAXSEQ 100
# start at sequence 100 and count down
MAXDAYS 180;
# start at UNTIL TIME and search back 6 months
ALTER DATABASE MOUNT DATABASE;
}
# Now use automatic channels configured in restored control file
RESTORE DATABASE UNTIL SEQUENCE 13244;
RECOVER DATABASE UNTIL SEQUENCE 13244;
5.

If recovery was successful, then open the database and reset the online logs:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

Performing Disaster Recovery
Disaster recovery includes the restoration and recovery of the target database after the
loss of the entire target database, the recovery catalog database, all current control
files, all online redo log files, and all parameter files.

Prerequisites of Disaster Recovery
To perform a disaster recovery, you must have the following:
■

Backups of all data files

20-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Disaster Recovery

■

All archived redo logs generated after the creation time of the oldest backup that
you intend to restore

■

At least one control file autobackup

■

A record of the DBID of the database

Recovering the Database After a Disaster
The procedure for disaster recovery is similar to the procedure for recovering the
database with a backup control file in NOCATALOG mode. If you are restoring the
database to a new host, then you should also review the considerations described in
"Restoring a Database on a New Host" on page 20-11.
This scenario assumes that the Linux server on which your database was running has
been damaged beyond repair. Fortunately, you backed up the database to Oracle
Secure Backup and have the tapes available. The scenario assumes the following:
■
■

■

■

Oracle Database is already installed on the new host.
You are restoring the database to a new Linux host with the same directory
structure as the old host.
You have one tape drive containing backups of all the data files and archived redo
logs through log 1124, and autobackups of the control file and server parameter
file.
You do not use a recovery catalog with the database.

To recover the database on the new host:
If possible, restore or re-create all relevant network files such as tnsnames.ora and
listener.ora and a password file.

1.
2.

Start RMAN and connect to the target database instance.
At this stage, no initialization parameter file exists. If you have set ORACLE_SID and
ORACLE_HOME, then you can use operating system authentication to connect as
SYSDBA. For example, start RMAN as follows:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET /

3.

Specify the DBID for the target database with the SET DBID command, as described
in "Restoring the Server Parameter File" on page 20-2.
For example, enter the following command:
SET DBID 676549873;

4.

Run the STARTUP NOMOUNT command.
When the server parameter file is not available, RMAN attempts to start the
instance with a dummy server parameter file.

5.

Allocate a channel to the media manager and then restore the server parameter file
from autobackup.
For example, enter the following command to restore the server parameter file
from Oracle Secure Backup:
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE sbt;
RESTORE SPFILE FROM AUTOBACKUP;
Performing RMAN Recovery: Advanced Scenarios 20-9

Performing Disaster Recovery

}
6.

Restart the instance with the restored server parameter file.
STARTUP FORCE NOMOUNT;

7.

Write a command file to perform the restore and recovery operation, and then
execute the command file. The command file should do the following:
a.

Allocate a channel to the media manager.

b.

Restore a control file autobackup (see "Performing Recovery with a Backup
Control File and No Recovery Catalog" on page 20-6).

c.

Mount the restored control file.

d.

Catalog any backups not recorded in the repository with the CATALOG
command.

e.

Restore the data files to their original locations. If volume names have
changed, then run SET NEWNAME commands before the restore operation and
perform a switch after the restore operation to update the control file with the
new locations for the data files, as shown in the following example.

f.

Recover the data files. RMAN stops recovery when it reaches the log sequence
number specified.

RMAN> RUN
{
# Manually allocate a channel to the media manager
ALLOCATE CHANNEL t1 DEVICE TYPE sbt;
# Restore autobackup of the control file. This example assumes that you have
# accepted the default format for the autobackup name.
RESTORE CONTROLFILE FROM AUTOBACKUP;
# The set until command is used in case the database
# structure has changed in the most recent backups, and you want to
# recover to that point in time. In this way RMAN restores the database
# to the same structure that the database had at the specified time.
ALTER DATABASE MOUNT;
SET UNTIL SEQUENCE 1124 THREAD 1;
RESTORE DATABASE;
RECOVER DATABASE;
}

The following example of the RUN command shows the same scenario except with
new file names for the restored data files:
RMAN> RUN
{
# If you must restore the files to new locations,
# use SET NEWNAME commands:
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 1 TO '/dev/vgd_1_0/rlvt5_500M_1';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 2 TO '/dev/vgd_1_0/rlvt5_500M_2';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 3 TO '/dev/vgd_1_0/rlvt5_500M_3';
ALLOCATE CHANNEL t1 DEVICE TYPE sbt;
RESTORE CONTROLFILE FROM AUTOBACKUP;
ALTER DATABASE MOUNT;
SET UNTIL SEQUENCE 124 THREAD 1;
RESTORE DATABASE;
SWITCH DATAFILE ALL; # Update control file with new location of data files.
RECOVER DATABASE;
}

20-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Restoring a Database on a New Host

8.

If recovery was successful, then open the database and reset the online logs:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

Restoring a Database on a New Host
If your goal is to perform a test run of your disaster recovery procedures, or to
permanently move a database to a new host, then you can use the procedure in this
section. This procedure uses the RESTORE and RECOVER commands.
If you use the procedure in this section, then the DBID for the restored database equals
the DBID for the original database. Do not register a test database created in this way
in the same recovery catalog as the source database. Because the DBID of the two
databases is the same, the metadata for the test database can interfere with RMAN's
ability to restore and recover the source database.
If your goal is to create a new copy of your target database for ongoing use on a new
host, then use the RMAN DUPLICATE command instead of this procedure. The
DUPLICATE command assigns a new DBID to the database it creates, enabling it to be
registered in the same recovery catalog as the original database.
See Also: "Overview of RMAN Database Duplication" on page 24-1
to learn how to duplicate a database

Preparing to Restore a Database on a New Host
To prepare for the restoration of the database to a new host, take the following steps:
■

■

■

Record the DBID for your source database. If you do not know the DBID for your
database, then see "Determining the DBID of the Database" on page 17-5 to learn
how to determine the DBID.
Make the source database initialization parameter file accessible on the new host.
Copy the file from the old host to a new host by using an operating system utility.
If you perform a test restore operation only, then ensure that RMAN is not
connected to the recovery catalog. Otherwise, RMAN records metadata about the
restored data files in the recovery catalog. This metadata interferes with future
attempts to restore and recover the primary database.
If you must use a recovery catalog because the control file is not large enough to
contain the RMAN repository data on all of the backups that you must restore,
then use Oracle Data Pump to export the catalog and import it into a different
schema or database. Afterward, use the copied recovery catalog for the test
restore. Otherwise, the recovery catalog considers the restored database as the
current target database.

■

■

Ensure that backups used for the restore operation are accessible on the restore
host. For example, if the backups were made with a media manager, then verify
that the tape device is connected to the new host. If you are using disk copies, then
use the procedure in the following section.
If you are performing a trial restore of the production database, then perform
either of the following actions before restoring the database in the test
environment:
–

If the test database uses a fast recovery area that is physically different from the
recovery area used by the production database, then set DB_RECOVERY_FILE_
DEST in the test database instance to the new location.

Performing RMAN Recovery: Advanced Scenarios

20-11

Restoring a Database on a New Host

–

If the test database uses a fast recovery area that is physically the same as the
recovery area used by the production database, then set DB_UNIQUE_NAME in the
test database instance to a different name from the production database.

If you do not perform either of the preceding actions, then RMAN assumes that
you are restoring the production database and deletes flashback logs from the fast
recovery area because they are considered unusable.

Restoring Disk Backups to a New Host
To move the database to a new host by using data file copies or backup sets on disk,
you must transfer the files manually to the new host. This example assumes that
RMAN is using a recovery catalog.
To restore backup files to a new host:
1. Start RMAN and connect to a target database and recovery catalog.
2.

Run a LIST command to see a listing of backups of the data file and control file
autobackups.
For example, enter the following command to view data file copies:
LIST COPY;

For example, enter the following command to view control file backups:
LIST BACKUP OF CONTROLFILE;

The piece name of the autobackup must use the %F substitution variable, so the
autobackup piece name includes the string c-IIIIIIIIII-YYYYMMDD-QQ, where
IIIIIIIIII stands for the DBID, YYYYMMDD is a time stamp in the Gregorian
calendar of the day the backup is generated, and QQ is the sequence in
hexadecimal.
3.

Copy the backups to the new host with an operating system utility.
Enter a command such as the following to copy all data file copies to the
?/oradata/trgt directory on the new host:
% cp -r /disk1/*dbf /net/new_host/oracle/oradata/trgt

Enter a command such as the following to copy the autobackup backup piece to
the /tmp directory on the new host:
% cp -r /disk1/auto_bkp_loc/c-1618370911-20070208-00 /net/new_host/tmp

As explained in "Restoring the Server Parameter File from a Control File
Autobackup" on page 20-3, you must use the SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP
FORMAT command when restoring an autobackup from a nondefault location.

Testing the Restore of a Database on a New Host
This scenario assumes that you want to test whether you can restore your database to
a new host. In this scenario, you have two networked Linux hosts, hosta and hostb. A
target database named trgta is on hosta and is registered in recovery catalog catdb.
You want to test the restore and recovery of trgta on hostb, while keeping database
trgta up and running on hosta.
Now, assume that the directory structure of hostb is different from hosta. The target
database is located in /net/hosta/dev3/oracle/dbs, but you want to restore the
database to /net/hostb/oracle/oradata/test. You have tape backups of data files,

20-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Restoring a Database on a New Host

control files, archived redo logs, and the server parameter file on a media manager
accessible by both hosts. The ORACLE_SID for the trgta database is trgta and does not
change for the restored database.
Caution: If you are restoring the database for test purposes, then
never connect RMAN to the test database and the recovery catalog.

To restore the database on a new host:
1. Ensure that the backups of the target database are accessible on the new host.
To test disaster recovery, you must have a recoverable backup of the target
database. When preparing your disaster recovery strategy, ensure that the backups
of the data files, control files, and server parameter file are restorable on hostb.
Thus, you must configure the media management software so that hostb is a
media manager client and can read the backup sets created on hosta. Consult the
media management vendor for support on this issue.
2.

Configure the ORACLE_SID on hostb.
This scenario assumes that you want to start the RMAN client on hostb and
authenticate yourself through the operating system. However, you must be
connected to hostb either locally or through a net service name.
After logging in to hostb with administrator privileges, edit the /etc/group file so
that you are included in the DBA group:
dba:*:614:

Set the ORACLE_SID environment variable on hostb to the same value used on
hosta:
% setenv ORACLE_SID trgta
3.

Start RMAN on hostb and connect to the target database without connecting to the
recovery catalog.
For example, enter the following command:
% rman NOCATALOG
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET /

4.

Set the DBID and start the database instance without mounting the database.
For example, run SET DBID to set the DBID, then run STARTUP NOMOUNT:
SET DBID 1340752057;
STARTUP NOMOUNT

RMAN fails to find the server parameter file, which has not yet been restored, but
starts the instance with a "dummy" file. Sample output follows:
startup failed: ORA-01078: failure in processing system parameters
LRM-00109: could not open parameter file '/net/hostb/oracle/dbs/inittrgta.ora'
trying to start the Oracle instance without parameter files ...
Oracle instance started
5.

Restore and edit the server parameter file.
Because you enabled the control file autobackup feature when making your
backups, the server parameter file is included in the backup. If you are restoring

Performing RMAN Recovery: Advanced Scenarios

20-13

Restoring a Database on a New Host

an autobackup that has a nondefault format, then use the SET CONTROLFILE
AUTOBACKUP FORMAT command to indicate the format.
Allocate a channel to the media manager, then restore the server parameter file as
a client-side parameter file and use the SET command to indicate the location of
the autobackup (in this example, the autobackup is in /tmp):
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE sbt PARMS '...';
SET CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK TO '/tmp/%F';
RESTORE SPFILE
TO PFILE '?/oradata/test/inittrgta.ora'
FROM AUTOBACKUP;
SHUTDOWN ABORT;
}
6.

Edit the restored initialization parameter file.
Change any location-specific parameters, for example, those ending in _DEST, to
reflect the new directory structure. For example, edit the following parameters:
- IFILE
- LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1
- CONTROL_FILES

7.

Restart the instance with the edited initialization parameter file.
For example, enter the following command:
STARTUP FORCE NOMOUNT PFILE='?/oradata/test/inittrgta.ora';

8.

Restore the control file from an autobackup and then mount the database.
For example, enter the following command:
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE sbt PARMS '...';
RESTORE CONTROLFILE FROM AUTOBACKUP;
ALTER DATABASE MOUNT;
}

RMAN restores the control file to whatever locations you specified in the CONTROL_
FILES initialization parameter.
9.

Catalog the data file copies that you copied in "Restoring Disk Backups to a New
Host" on page 20-12, using their new file names or CATALOG START WITH (if you
know all the files are in directories with a common prefix easily addressed with a
CATALOG START WITH command). For example, run:
CATALOG START WITH '/oracle/oradata/trgt/';

If you want to specify files individually, then you can execute a CATALOG command
as follows:
CATALOG DATAFILECOPY
'/oracle/oradata/trgt/system01.dbf', '/oracle/oradata/trgt/undotbs01.dbf',
'/oracle/oradata/trgt/cwmlite01.dbf', '/oracle/oradata/trgt/drsys01.dbf',
'/oracle/oradata/trgt/example01.dbf', '/oracle/oradata/trgt/indx01.dbf',
'/oracle/oradata/trgt/tools01.dbf', '/oracle/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf';

20-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Restoring a Database on a New Host

10. Start a SQL*Plus session on the new database and query the database file names

recorded in the control file.
Because the control file is from the trgta database, the recorded file names use the
original hosta file names. You can query V$ views to obtain this information. Run
the following query in SQL*Plus:
COLUMN NAME FORMAT a60
SPOOL LOG '/tmp/db_filenames.out'
SELECT FILE# AS "File/Grp#", NAME
FROM
V$DATAFILE
UNION
SELECT GROUP#,MEMBER
FROM
V$LOGFILE;
SPOOL OFF
EXIT
11. Write the RMAN restore and recovery script. The script must include the

following steps:
a.

For each data file on the destination host that is restored to a different path
than it had on the source host, use a SET NEWNAME command to specify the new
path on the destination host. If the file systems on the destination system are
set up to have the same paths as the source host, then do not use SET NEWNAME
for those files restored to the same path as on the source host.

b.

For each online redo log that is to be created at a different location than it had
on the source host, use SQL ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE commands to specify
the path name on the destination host. If the file systems on the destination
system are set up to have the same paths as the source host, then do not use
ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE for those files restored to the same path as on
the source host.

c.

Perform a SET UNTIL operation to limit recovery to the end of the archived
redo logs. The recovery stops with an error if no SET UNTIL command is
specified.

d.

Restore and recover the database.

e.

Run the SWITCH DATAFILE ALL command so that the control file recognizes the
new path names as the official new names of the data files.

Example 20–3 shows the RMAN script reco_test.rman that can perform the
restore and recovery operation.
Example 20–3

Restoring a Database on a New Host

RUN
{
# allocate a channel to the tape device
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE sbt PARMS '...';
# rename the data files and online redo logs
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 1 TO '?/oradata/test/system01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 2 TO '?/oradata/test/undotbs01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 3 TO '?/oradata/test/cwmlite01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 4 TO '?/oradata/test/drsys01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 5 TO '?/oradata/test/example01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 6 TO '?/oradata/test/indx01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 7 TO '?/oradata/test/tools01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 8 TO '?/oradata/test/users01.dbf';
SQL "ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE ''/dev3/oracle/dbs/redo01.log''

Performing RMAN Recovery: Advanced Scenarios

20-15

Restoring a Database on a New Host

TO ''?/oradata/test/redo01.log'' ";
SQL "ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE ''/dev3/oracle/dbs/redo02.log''
TO ''?/oradata/test/redo02.log'' ";
# Do a SET UNTIL to prevent recovery of the online logs
SET UNTIL SCN 123456;
# restore the database and switch the data file names
RESTORE DATABASE;
SWITCH DATAFILE ALL;
# recover the database
RECOVER DATABASE;
}
EXIT
12. Execute the script created in the previous step.

For example, start RMAN to connect to the target database and run the @
command:
% rman TARGET / NOCATALOG
RMAN> @reco_test.rman
13. Open the restored database with the RESETLOGS option.

From the RMAN prompt, open the database with the RESETLOGS option:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

Caution: When you re-open your database in the next step, do not
connect to the recovery catalog. Otherwise, the new database
incarnation created is registered automatically in the recovery
catalog, and the file names of the production database are replaced
by the new file names specified in the script.
14. Optionally, delete the test database with all of its files.

Note: If you used an ASM disk group, then the DROP DATABASE
command is the only way to safely remove the files of the test
database. If you restored to non-ASM storage then you can also use
operating system commands to remove the database.

Use the DROP DATABASE command to delete all files associated with the database
automatically. The following example deletes the database files:
STARTUP FORCE NOMOUNT PFILE='?/oradata/test/inittrgta.ora';
DROP DATABASE;

Because you did not perform the restore and recovery operation when connected
to the recovery catalog, the recovery catalog contains no records for any of the
restored files or the procedures performed during the test. Likewise, the control
file of the trgta database is completely unaffected by the test.

20-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

21
Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time
Recovery (TSPITR)
12

This chapter explains how to perform RMAN tablespace point-in-time recovery. This
chapter contains the following sections:
■

Overview of RMAN TSPITR

■

TSPITR Restrictions, Special Cases, and Limitations

■

Planning and Preparing for TSPITR

■

Running RMAN TSPITR:

■

–

Performing Fully Automated RMAN TSPITR

–

Overriding Defaults for RMAN TSPITR with an RMAN-Managed Auxiliary
Instance

–

Performing RMAN TSPITR Using Your Own Auxiliary Instance

Troubleshooting RMAN TSPITR

Overview of RMAN TSPITR
To use RMAN tablespace point-in-time recovery (TSPITR) effectively, it is helpful to
understand what types of problems it can resolve, its components, what RMAN does
during TSPITR, and the various limitations and restrictions on when and how it can be
run. This section explains the basic concepts, preparatory tasks, and modes of running
RMAN TSPITR.

Purpose of RMAN TSPITR
Recovery Manager (RMAN) TSPITR enables quick recovery of one or more
tablespaces in a database to an earlier time without affecting the rest of the tablespaces
and objects in the database.
RMAN TSPITR is most useful for the following situations:
■

■

To recover a logical database to a point different from the rest of the physical
database, when multiple logical databases exist in separate tablespaces of one
physical database. For example, you maintain logical databases in the orders and
personnel tablespaces. An incorrect batch job or data manipulation language
(DML) statement corrupts the data in only one tablespace.
To recover data lost after data definition language (DDL) operations that change
the structure of tables. You cannot use Flashback Table to rewind a table to before
the point of a structural change such as a truncate table operation.

Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR) 21-1

Overview of RMAN TSPITR

■

To recover a table after it has been dropped with the PURGE option.

■

To recover from the logical corruption of a table.

■

To recover dropped tablespaces. In fact, RMAN can perform TSPITR on dropped
tablespaces even when a recovery catalog is not used.

You can also use Flashback Database to rewind data, but you must rewind the entire
database rather than just a subset. Also, unlike TSPITR, the Flashback Database feature
necessitates the overhead of maintaining flashback logs. The point in time to which
you can flash back the database is more limited than the TSPITR window, which
extends back to your earliest recoverable backup.

Basic Concepts of RMAN TSPITR
The following sections explain RMAN TSPITR fundamentals:
■

Common Terms

■

Modes of RMAN TSPITR

■

How RMAN TSPITR Works With an RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance

Common Terms
Table 21–1 defines some common entities that are used by RMAN TSPITR.
Table 21–1

RMAN TSPITR Entities

Name

Explanation

Target instance

Contains the tablespace to be recovered to the target time

Target time

Point in time or SCN of the tablespace after TSPITR completes

Auxiliary instance

A database instance used in the recovery process to perform the
work of recovery. The auxiliary instance has other files
associated with it. See auxiliary set for a complete list.

Auxiliary destination

An optional disk location that RMAN uses to temporarily store
the auxiliary set files. The auxiliary destination is used only with
an RMAN-managed auxiliary instance. Specifying an auxiliary
destination with a user-managed auxiliary instance results in an
error.
All references to auxiliary destination in this chapter assume use
of an RMAN-managed auxiliary instance.

Recovery set

21-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Data files in the tablespaces that you intend to recover

Overview of RMAN TSPITR

Table 21–1 (Cont.) RMAN TSPITR Entities
Name

Explanation

Auxiliary set

Data files required for TSPITR that are not part of the recovery
set. The auxiliary set typically includes:
■
■

The SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces.
Data files containing rollback or undo segments from the
target database instance.

■

Temporary tablespaces.

■

Control file from source database.

■

■

Archived redo logs that must be restored to recover the
auxiliary instance to specified point in time.
Online redo logs of the auxiliary instance. These are not the
same logs as the online redo logs from the source database.
They are created when the auxiliary instance is opened with
the RESETLOGS option.

The auxiliary set does not include the parameter file, password
file, or associated network files.

Modes of RMAN TSPITR
You start RMAN TSPITR with the RMAN RECOVER TABLESPACE command. You have
several options for running RMAN TSPITR. The difference between the various modes
of operation corresponds to how much automation versus customization you require
in your environment.
There are three ways to run the utility:
■

Fully Automated (the default)
In this mode, RMAN manages the entire TSPITR process including the auxiliary
instance. You specify the tablespaces of the recovery set, an auxiliary destination,
the target time, and you allow RMAN to manage all other aspects of TSPITR.
The default mode is recommended unless you specifically need more control over
the location of recovery set files after TSPITR, auxiliary set files during TSPITR,
channel settings and parameters or some other aspect of your auxiliary instance.
For more information, see "Performing Fully Automated RMAN TSPITR" on
page 9.

■

Automated: RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance with User Settings
You can override some defaults of RMAN TSPITR while still using an
RMAN-managed auxiliary instance and destination. This variation of the default
mode enables you to benefit from some built-in management that RMAN TSITR
provides while being able to specify:
■

Location of auxiliary set or recovery set files

■

Initialization parameters

For more information, see "Overriding Defaults for RMAN TSPITR with an
RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance" on page 10.
■

Non-Automated: TSPITR and User-Managed Auxiliary Instance
This mode of RMAN TSPITR requires you to set up and manage all aspects of the
auxiliary instance and some aspects of the TSPITR process. This mode may be
appropriate if, for example, you must allocate a different number of channels or
change the channel parameters for your user-managed auxiliary instance.

Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR) 21-3

Overview of RMAN TSPITR

For more information, see "Performing RMAN TSPITR Using Your Own Auxiliary
Instance" on page 21-19.

How RMAN TSPITR Works With an RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance
Having selected tablespaces from the recovery set, an auxiliary destination and a
target time, you are now ready to perform Fully Automated RMAN TSPITR (default).
The automated mode of RMAN TSPITR shares many of these high-level processing
steps.
RMAN TSPITR automatically performs the following actions:
1.

If the tablespaces in the recovery set have not been dropped, checks to see if they
are self-contained by executing the DBMS_TTS.TRANSPORT_SET_CHECK for the
recovery set tablespaces and then checking that the view TRANSPORT_SET_
VIOLATIONS is empty. If the query returns rows, RMAN stops TSPITR processing.
You must resolve any tablespace containment violations before TSPITR can
proceed. Example 21–1 shows you how to set up and run the query before
invoking RMAN TSPITR.

2.

Checks to see if a connection to a user-managed auxiliary instance was provided.
If it is, then RMAN TSPITR uses it. If not, RMAN TSPITR creates the auxiliary
instance, starts it, and connects to it.

3.

Takes the tablespaces to be recovered offline in the target database, if the
tablespaces in the recovery set have not been dropped.

4.

Restores a backup control file from a point in time before the target time to the
auxiliary instance.

5.

Restores the data files from the recovery set and the auxiliary set to the auxiliary
instance.
Files are restored either in the:
■

Locations that you specify for each file

■

Original location of the file (for recovery set data files)

■

Auxiliary destination (if you used the AUXILIARY DESTINATION argument of
RECOVER TABLESPACE and an RMAN-managed auxiliary instance)

6.

Recovers the restored data files in the auxiliary instance to the specified time.

7.

Opens the auxiliary database with the RESETLOGS option.

8.

Makes the recovery set tablespaces read-only in the auxiliary instance.

9.

Exports the recovery set tablespaces from the auxiliary instance using the Data
Pump utility to produce a transportable tablespace dump file.

10. Shuts down the auxiliary instance.
11. Drops the recovery set tablespaces from the target.
12. Data Pump utility reads the transportable tablespace dump file and plugs the

recovery set tablespaces into the target.
13. Makes the tablespaces that were put in the target database read/write and

immediately takes them offline.
14. Deletes all auxiliary set files.

At this point, RMAN TSPITR has finished. The recovery set data files are returned to
their contents at the specified point in time, and belong to the target database.

21-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

TSPITR Restrictions, Special Cases, and Limitations

The recovery set tablespaces are left offline for you to back up and then bring back
online. These last steps follow Oracle's recommendation and best practice of backing
up recovered tablespaces as soon as TSPITR completes.

TSPITR Restrictions, Special Cases, and Limitations
Some database problems cannot be resolved with TSPITR. The following list explains
when you cannot perform TSPITR:
■
■

If there are no archived redo logs or if the database runs in NOARCHIVELOG mode.
If TSPITR is used to recover a renamed tablespace to a point in time before it was
renamed, you must use the previous name of the tablespace to perform the
recovery operation.
In this case when TSPITR completes, the target database contains two copies of the
same tablespace, the original tablespace with the new name and the TSPITR
tablespace with the old name. If this is not your goal, then you can drop the new
tablespace with the new name.

■

■

■
■

If constraints for the tables in tablespace tbs1 are contained in tablespace tbs2,
then you cannot recover tbs1 without also recovering tbs2.
If a table and its indexes are stored in different tablespaces, then the indexes must
be dropped before performing TSPITR.
You cannot use TSPITR to recover the current default tablespace.
You cannot use TSPITR to recover tablespaces containing any of the following
objects:
–

Objects with underlying objects (such as materialized views) or contained
objects (such as partitioned tables) unless all of the underlying or contained
objects are in the recovery set. Additionally, if the partitions of a partitioned
table are stored in different tablespaces, then you must either drop the table
before performing TSPITR or move all the partitions to the same tablespace
before performing TSPITR.

–

Undo or rollback segments

–

Oracle8-compatible advanced queues with multiple recipients

–

Objects owned by the user SYS. Examples of these types of objects are:
PL/SQL, Java classes, callout programs, views, synonyms, users, privileges,
dimensions, directories, and sequences.

Limitations of TSPITR
After TSPITR completes, RMAN recovers the data files in the recovery set to the target
time. Note the following special cases:
■

■

■

TSPITR does not recover query optimizer statistics for recovered objects.You must
gather new statistics after TSPITR completes.
If you run TSPITR on a tablespace and bring the tablespace online at time t, then
backups of the tablespace created before time t are no longer usable for recovery
with a current control file. You cannot use the current control file to recover the
database to any time less than or equal to t.
If one or more data files in the recovery set have Oracle Managed File (OMF)
names and the compatibility in the target database is set to version 10.1 or earlier,
RMAN cannot reuse the data file. This restriction is true even if no SET NEWNAME
Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR) 21-5

Planning and Preparing for TSPITR

command is provided for the data file. A new OMF name is created for the
recovery set data file. This action temporarily doubles the space requirements for
the data file. This is because DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST has two copies of the data file
(the original data file and the one used by TSPITR) until the tablespace is dropped
in the target and the original data file is deleted.
RMAN uses the transportable tablespaces functionality to perform TSPITR. Therefore,
any limitations on transportable tablespaces are also applicable to TSPITR.
See Also: Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for information
about limitations on transportable tablespaces

Special Considerations When Not Using a Recovery Catalog
You should be aware of following precautions:
■

■

■

Because RMAN has no historical record of the undo in the control file, RMAN
assumes that the current set of tablespaces with rollback or undo segments were
the same set present at the time when recovery was performed. If the tablespace
set has changed since that time, then the current rollback or undo segments were
the same segments present at the time to which recovery is performed. If the undo
segments have changed since that time, then you can use UNDO TABLESPACE to
indicate the correct set of tablespaces with undo at the point in time where the
tablespaces are being recovered.
TSPITR to a time that is too old may not succeed if Oracle Database has reused the
control file records for needed backups. (In planning your database, set the
CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME initialization parameter to a value large enough
to ensure that control file records needed for TSPITR are kept.)
To rerun TSPITR when you are not using a recovery catalog, you must first drop
the tablespace to be used by TSPITR from the target database.

Planning and Preparing for TSPITR
This section assumes that you have read "TSPITR Restrictions, Special Cases, and
Limitations" on page 21-5. You must complete the following steps when preparing for
TSPITR:
■

Step 1: Select the Right Target Time for TSPITR

■

Step 2: Determine the Recovery Set

■

Step 3: Identify and Preserve Objects That Are Lost After TSPITR

Step 1: Select the Right Target Time for TSPITR
It is extremely important that you choose the right target time or SCN for your
TSPITR. As noted in "TSPITR Restrictions, Special Cases, and Limitations" on
page 21-5, after you bring a tablespace online after TSPITR, you cannot use any
backup from a time earlier than the moment you brought the tablespace online.
If you have a recovery catalog, then you can perform repeated TSPITR operations to
different target times because the catalog contains tablespace history information. If
RMAN uses only a control file, however, repeated TSPITR is only possible after
dropping the tablespace because the control file does not have the tablespace history.
In this case, RMAN only knows about the current set of tablespaces. The tablespace on
which TSPITR was performed has a creation time equal to the time it was brought
online.

21-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Planning and Preparing for TSPITR

To investigate past states of your data to identify the target time for TSPITR, you can
use Flashback Query, Oracle Transaction Query, and Flashback Version Query to find
the point in time when unwanted database changes occurred.
See Also: Oracle Database Advanced Application Developer's Guide for
more information on Flashback Query, Flashback Transaction Query,
and Flashback Version Query

Step 2: Determine the Recovery Set
Initially, your recovery set includes the data files for the tablespaces that you intend to
recover. However, if objects in the tablespaces that you need have relationships (such
as constraints) to objects in other tablespaces, then you must account for these
relationships before you can perform TSPITR. You have the following choices when
faced with such a relationship:
■

Add the tablespace including the related objects to your recovery set

■

Remove the relationship

■

Suspend the relationship for the duration of TSPITR

Identify and Resolve Dependencies on the Primary Database
RMAN TSPITR requires that the tablespace be self-contained and that no SYS -owned
objects reside in the tablespace. You can use the DBMS_TTS.TRANSPORT_SET_CHECK
procedure to locate objects outside the tablespace and identify relationships between
objects that span the recovery set boundaries. If the TRANSPORT_SET_VIOLATIONS view
returns rows, you must investigate and correct the problem according to the choices
mentioned earlier in this step.
If one or more of the tablespaces in the recovery set have been
dropped, RMAN TSPITR cannot run the procedure DBMS_
TTS.TRANSPORT_SET_CHECK. In this case, DBMS_TTS.TRANSPORT_SET_
CHECK is run when the Data Pump export of the auxiliary instance
occurs. Just like RMAN TSPITR, the export operation fails if it
encounters any tablespaces that are not self-contained.

Note:

Record all actions performed during this step so that you can re-create any suspended
or removed relationships after completing TSPITR. Proceed with TSPITR only when
the TRANSPORT_SET_VIOLATIONS view is empty for the tablespaces in the recovery set.
The query in Example 21–1 illustrates how to use the DBMS_TTS.TRANSPORT_SET_CHECK
procedure for an initial recovery set consisting of tablespaces tools and users. It
queries the transportable tablespace violations table to manage any dependencies. No
rows are returned from this query when all dependencies are managed.
Example 21–1
Tablespaces

Querying DBMS_TTS.TRANSPORT_SET_CHECK for a Subset of

BEGIN
DBMS_TTS.TRANSPORT_SET_CHECK('USERS,TOOLS', TRUE,TRUE);
END;
/
SELECT * FROM TRANSPORT_SET_VIOLATIONS;

Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR) 21-7

Planning and Preparing for TSPITR

See Also: Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for
more information about the DBMS_TTS.TRANSPORT_SET_CHECK
procedure and corresponding view

Step 3: Identify and Preserve Objects That Are Lost After TSPITR
When you perform RMAN TSPITR on a tablespace, objects created after the target
recovery time are lost. You can preserve such objects after they are identified by
exporting them before TSPITR with the Data Pump Export utility and reimporting
them afterward with Data Pump Import.
To determine which objects are lost in TSPITR, query the TS_PITR_OBJECTS_TO_BE_
DROPPED view on the primary database. Table 21–2 describes the contents of the view.
Table 21–2

TS_PITR_OBJECTS_TO_BE_DROPPED View

Column Name

Meaning

OWNER

Owner of the object to be dropped

NAME

The name of the object that is lost by undergoing TSPITR

CREATION_TIME

Creation time stamp for the object

TABLESPACE_NAME

Name of the tablespace containing the object

Filter the view for objects whose CREATION_TIME is after the target time for TSPITR.
For example, with a recovery set consisting of users and tools, and a recovery point
in time of November 2, 2007, 7:03:11 am, issue the statement shown in Example 21–2.
Example 21–2

Querying TS_PITR_OBJECTS_TO_BE_DROPPED

SELECT OWNER, NAME, TABLESPACE_NAME,
TO_CHAR(CREATION_TIME, 'YYYY-MM-DD:HH24:MI:SS')
FROM TS_PITR_OBJECTS_TO_BE_DROPPED
WHERE TABLESPACE_NAME IN ('USERS','TOOLS')
AND CREATION_TIME > TO_DATE('02-NOV-07:07:03:11','YY-MON-DD:HH24:MI:SS')
ORDER BY TABLESPACE_NAME, CREATION_TIME;

The TO_CHAR and TO_DATE functions are used to avoid issues with different national
date formats. Of course, you can use local date formats in your own work.
Alternatively, if you have the SCN of the tablespaces, you can use conversion functions
to determine the time stamp associated with the SCN and the objects that are dropped.
For example, if the SCN to recover tablespaces users and tools is 1645870, use the
statement outlined in Example 21–3 to determine the objects that are dropped.
Example 21–3

Using SCN and TS_PITR_OBJECTS_TO_BE_DROPPED

SELECT OWNER, NAME, TABLESPACE_NAME,
TO_CHAR(CREATION_TIME,'YYYY-MM-DD:HH24:MI:SS')
FROM TS_PITR_OBJECTS_TO_BE_DROPPED
WHERE TABLESPACE_NAME IN ('USERS','TOOLS')
AND CREATION_TIME > TO_DATE(TO_CHAR(SCN_TO_TIMESTAMP(1645870),
'MM/DD/YYYY HH24:MI:SS'),
'MM/DD/YYYY HH24:MI:SS')
ORDER BY TABLESPACE_NAME, CREATION_TIME;

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
TS_PITR_OBJECTS_TO_BE_DROPPED view
See Also:

21-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Fully Automated RMAN TSPITR

Performing Fully Automated RMAN TSPITR
In the default mode, RMAN bases as much of the configuration for TSPITR as possible
on the target database. During TSPITR, the recovery set data files are written in their
current locations on the target database (For OMF files, see "Limitations of TSPITR" on
page 21-5). The same channel configurations for the target database are used on the
auxiliary instance when restoring files from backup. Auxiliary set data files and other
auxiliary instance files, however, are stored in the auxiliary destination.
Use the AUXILIARY DESTINATION parameter to set a location for RMAN to use for the
auxiliary set data files. The auxiliary destination must be a location on disk with
enough space to hold auxiliary set data files. Even if you use other techniques to
rename some or all of the auxiliary set data files, specifying an AUXILIARY
DESTINATION parameter provides a default location for auxiliary set data files for
which names are not specified. TSPITR does not fail if you inadvertently omit some
names of the auxiliary set data files.
To perform fully automated RMAN TSPITR, the user performing TSPITR should be
able to connect as SYSDBA using operating system authentication.
To perform fully automated RMAN TSPITR:
1. Review the information in "TSPITR Restrictions, Special Cases, and Limitations"
on page 21-5.
2.

Perform the tasks in "Planning and Preparing for TSPITR" on page 21-6.

3.

Start an RMAN session on the target database and, if applicable, connect to a
recovery catalog.
Do not connect to an auxiliary instance when starting the
RMAN client for automated TSPITR. If RMAN is connected to an
auxiliary instance when you run RECOVER TABLESPACE, then RMAN
assumes that you are trying to manage your own auxiliary instance,
as described in "Performing RMAN TSPITR Using Your Own
Auxiliary Instance" on page 21-19, and tries to use the connected
auxiliary for TSPITR.
Note:

4.

Configure any channels required for TSPITR on the target instance.
The auxiliary instance uses the same channel configuration as the target instance
when performing TSPITR.

5.

Run the RECOVER TABLESPACE command, specifying both the UNTIL clause and the
AUXILIARY DESTINATION parameter.
Example 21–4 returns the users and tools tablespaces to the end of log sequence
number 1299, and stores the auxiliary set files in the /disk1/auxdest directory.

Example 21–4

Performing TSPITR on Two Tablespaces

RECOVER TABLESPACE users, tools
UNTIL LOGSEQ 1300 THREAD 1
AUXILIARY DESTINATION '/disk1/auxdest';

The next step depends on the results of the RECOVER command:
■

If no error occurs during TSPITR, then proceed to Step 6.

Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR) 21-9

Overriding Defaults for RMAN TSPITR with an RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance

The tablespaces are taken offline by RMAN, restored from backup and
recovered to the desired point in time on the auxiliary instance, and then
reimported to the target database. The tablespaces are left offline. All auxiliary
set data files and other auxiliary instance files are cleaned up from the
auxiliary destination.
■

6.

If an error occurs during TSPITR, then proceed to "Troubleshooting RMAN
TSPITR" on page 21-24.

If TSPITR completes successfully, then back up the recovered tablespaces before
bringing them online.
For example, enter the following command:
BACKUP TABLESPACE users, tools;

After you perform TSPITR on a tablespace, you can no longer use previous
backups of that tablespace once TSPITR successfully completes. If you use the
recovered tablespaces without taking a backup, then you run your database
without a usable backup of these tablespaces.
7.

Bring the tablespaces back online.
For example, enter the following command:
RMAN> SQL "ALTER TABLESPACE users, tools ONLINE";

Your recovered tablespaces are now ready for use.

Overriding Defaults for RMAN TSPITR with an RMAN-Managed Auxiliary
Instance
You can customize the following aspects of RMAN TSPITR while still mostly
following the procedure described in "Performing Fully Automated RMAN TSPITR"
on page 21-9:
■

Rename or relocate your recovery set data files so that the data files making up the
recovered tablespaces are not stored in the original locations after TSPITR. This
may be necessary if the disk that originally contained the tablespace is not usable.
This task is described in "Renaming TSPITR Recovery Set Data Files with SET
NEWNAME" on page 21-11.

■

Specify a location other than the auxiliary destination for some or all auxiliary set
data files. You might choose this option if no single location on disk has enough
space for all auxiliary set files.
This task is described in "Naming TSPITR Auxiliary Set Data Files" on page 21-11.

■

Rename files in an Oracle Managed Files format.
This task is described in "Considerations When Renaming OMF Auxiliary Set Files
in TSPITR" on page 21-12.

■

Set up image copy backups of your auxiliary set data files in advance to avoid
having to restore data files during TSPITR.
This task is described in "Using Image Copies for Faster RMAN TSPITR
Performance" on page 21-15.

■

Customize initialization parameters for your RMAN-managed auxiliary instance.

21-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Overriding Defaults for RMAN TSPITR with an RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance

This task is described in "Customizing Initialization Parameters for the Automatic
Auxiliary Instance in TSPITR" on page 21-17.

Renaming TSPITR Recovery Set Data Files with SET NEWNAME
You may not want the recovery set data files restored and recovered in their original
locations. The SET NEWNAME command enables you to specify a new destination. When
you specify a new destination for the recovery set, RMAN does not remove the
original data files of the tablespaces.
To specify new recovery set file names, create a RUN block and use SET NEWNAME
commands within it. Be sure to assign names that do not conflict with each other or
with the names of your current data files. Example 21–5 illustrates the basic technique.
Example 21–5

Renaming Recovery Set Files

RUN
{
.
.
.
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 'ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf'
TO '/newfs/users01.dbf';
...other SET NEWNAME commands...
RECOVER TABLESPACE users, tools UNTIL SEQUENCE 1300 THREAD 1;
}

In this example, RMAN takes the following actions:
Restores each specified data file to the new location during TSPITR.

■

Uses the image copy if one exists at the specified location and its checkpoint is
before the specified point in time. If this criteria is not met, then RMAN overwrites
the image copy.

■

Plugs the newly recovered data file into the target control file.

■

RMAN does not detect conflicts between names set with SET NEWNAME and current
data file names on the target database until the actual recovery. If RMAN detects a
conflict, then TSPITR fails and RMAN reports an error. The valid data file is not
overwritten.

Naming TSPITR Auxiliary Set Data Files
Unlike recovery set data files, which are usually stored in their original locations,
auxiliary set data files must not overwrite the corresponding original files in the target
database. If you do not specify an auxiliary set file location that is different from its
original location, then TSPITR fails. The failure occurs when RMAN attempts to
overwrite the corresponding file in the original database and discovers the file in use.
The simplest way to provide locations for auxiliary set data files is to specify an
auxiliary destination for TSPITR. However, RMAN supports the following alternatives
for controlling the location of auxiliary set data files, which are listed in order of
precedence shown in Table 21–3.
Table 21–3

Order of Precedence for Naming Files

Order

Technique

Section

1

SET NEWNAME

"Using SET NEWNAME to Name Auxiliary Set Data
Files" on page 21-13

Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR)

21-11

Overriding Defaults for RMAN TSPITR with an RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance

Table 21–3 (Cont.) Order of Precedence for Naming Files
Order

Technique

Section

2

CONFIGURE AUXNAME

"Using SET NEWNAME and CONFIGURE
AUXNAME with Auxiliary Set Image Copies" on
page 21-16

3

DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT

"Using DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT to Name
Auxiliary Set Data Files" on page 21-14. If the target
database uses OMF names for auxiliary set, then you
cannot use DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT. See
"Considerations When Renaming OMF Auxiliary Set
Files in TSPITR" on page 21-12.

4

AUXILIARY DESTINATION
argument to RECOVER
TABLESPACE when using an
RMAN-managed auxiliary
instance

Settings higher on the list override settings lower on the list in situations where both
have been applied. For example, you might run RECOVER TABLESPACE... AUXILIARY
DESTINATION on a target database when some auxiliary set data files have auxiliary
names configured with CONFIGURE AUXNAME.
Even if you intend to use either of the preceding techniques to provide locations for
specific files, Oracle recommends that you provide an AUXILIARY DESTINATION
argument to RECOVER TABLESPACE when using an RMAN-managed auxiliary instance.
If you overlook renaming some auxiliary set data files, then TSPITR still succeeds. Any
files not otherwise renamed are placed in the auxiliary destination.
Note: You can view any current CONFIGURE AUXNAME settings by
running the SHOW AUXNAME command, which is described in Oracle
Database Backup and Recovery Reference.

Considerations When Renaming OMF Auxiliary Set Files in TSPITR
Auxiliary set data files can have Oracle Managed Files (OMF) in the target and can use
Automatic Storage Management (ASM) or non-ASM storage. TSPITR performs name
conversion differently when the DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter is set
and the OMF files are in ASM or non-ASM storage.
Using ASM Storage For Oracle Managed Files (OMF) that use ASM storage, the
database converts only disk group names as in: +DISK1 to +DISK2.
You can use DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT and LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization
parameters for the auxiliary instance to specify the conversion of the disk group.
RMAN uses the pattern to convert the ASM disk group name and generates a valid
OMF file name in the converted disk group. The following command demonstrates
this point:
LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT='+onlinelogs','+tmpasm'

If the DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT and LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT parameters change a
substring other than the disk group name, the conversion is ignored and the resulting
disk group name is used, for example:
DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT='+DATAFILE/prod','+DATAFILE/tspitr'

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Overriding Defaults for RMAN TSPITR with an RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance

The preceding command results in an invalid ASM OMF file name and the change is
ignored. Instead, the files are created in disk group name +DATAFILE and the
following message is issued:
WARNING: DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT resulted in invalid ASM names; names changed to disk
group only

If auxiliary set data files are stored in ASM disk groups, then you can use the SET
NEWNAME command to redirect individual files to a specific disk group accessible from
the auxiliary instance (and allow the database to generate the file name within the disk
group). Example 21–6 shows how to do this.
Example 21–6

Redirecting ASM files

RUN
{
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 1 TO "+DISK2";
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 2 TO "+DISK3";
RECOVER TABLESPACE users, tools
UNTIL LOGSEQ 1300 THREAD 1
AUXILIARY DESTINATION '/disk1/auxdest';
}

Using Non-ASM Storage The initialization parameters DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT and LOG_
FILE_NAME_CONVERT cannot be used to rename OMF (non-ASM) file names for the
auxiliary instance because this method generates invalid OMF file names. If you must
control the generation of new OMF file names that do not use ASM storage, you must
rename them using one of the following alternate techniques. The various naming
options are listed in order from most recommended to least recommended.
1.

Use an auxiliary destination, as described in "Performing Fully Automated RMAN
TSPITR" on page 21-9.

2.

Specify locations for new OMF files with one or more of the OMF initialization
parameters for the auxiliary instance so that all of the necessary OMF files are
handled:
■
■

DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST for the auxiliary set data files
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n with DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST for the online redo
logs of the auxiliary instance if the online logs are not created in the DB_
CREATE_FILE_DEST

Using SET NEWNAME to Name Auxiliary Set Data Files
To specify a new name for an auxiliary set data file, you can enclose RECOVER
TABLESPACE in a RUN command and use a SET NEWNAME command within the RUN block
to rename the file. Example 21–7 illustrates the basic technique.
Example 21–7

Renaming Auxiliary Set Oracle Managed Files (OMF) in TSPITR

RUN
{
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE '?/oradata/prod/system01.dbf'
TO '/disk1/auxdest/system01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE '?/oradata/prod/sysaux01.dbf'
TO '/disk1/auxdest/sysaux01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE '?/oradata/prod/undotbs01.dbf'
TO '/disk1/auxdest/undotbs01.dbf';
RECOVER TABLESPACE users, tools
UNTIL LOGSEQ 1300 THREAD 1

Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR)

21-13

Overriding Defaults for RMAN TSPITR with an RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance

AUXILIARY DESTINATION '/disk1/auxdest';
}

The result depends on whether /disk1/auxdest/system01.dbf exists when RECOVER
TABLESPACE is executed. If ?/oradata/system01.dbf exists at the specified location and
was created at an SCN before the UNTIL time for TSPITR, then the DATAFILECOPY is
used and the restore operation is not necessary. For more information, see "Using SET
NEWNAME and CONFIGURE AUXNAME with Auxiliary Set Image Copies" on
page 21-16. Otherwise, RMAN restores the auxiliary set data file to the NEWNAME
instead of the default location. If your intention is to control where the auxiliary set
data files are stored, then ensure that no file is stored at the location specified by SET
NEWNAME before performing TSPITR.

Using DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT to Name Auxiliary Set Data Files
Assume that you do not want to use an auxiliary destination for all of your auxiliary
set data files, but you also do not want to name every file individually. In this case,
you can include a DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter in the initialization
parameter file used by the auxiliary instance. You can use this technique only in the
following circumstances:
One of the following situations exists:
■

■

- You create your own initialization parameter file for an automatically managed
auxiliary instance, as described in "Customizing Initialization Parameters for the
Automatic Auxiliary Instance in TSPITR" on page 21-17
- You create your own auxiliary instance, as described in "Performing RMAN
TSPITR Using Your Own Auxiliary Instance" on page 21-19

The DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter in the auxiliary instance specifies
how to derive names for files in the auxiliary instance from the original names of the
corresponding files in the target database instance. The parameter consists of a list of
pairs of strings. For any file name that contains the first string of a pair as a substring,
the name of the corresponding file in the auxiliary instance is generated by
substituting the second string of the pair into the original file name.
For example, assume that the target instance contains the following files:
■

?/oradata/trgt/system01.dbf of the SYSTEM tablespace

■

?/oradata/trgt/sysaux01.dbf of the SYSAUX tablespace

■

?/oradata/trgt/undotbs01.dbf of the undotbs tablespace

To place the corresponding files of the auxiliary instance in /bigtmp, you would add
the following line to the auxiliary instance parameter file:
DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT=('?/oradata/trgt', '/bigtmp')

New file names for the corresponding auxiliary instance files would be
/bigtmp/trgt/system01.dbf, /bigtmp/trgt/sysaux01.dbf, and
/bigtmp/trgt/undotbs01.dbf.
The most important point to remember is that DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT must be present
in the auxiliary instance parameter file. If the auxiliary instance was manually created,
then add DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT to the auxiliary instance parameter file.
You can still rename individual auxiliary set data files with the SET NEWNAME or
CONFIGURE AUXNAME command. Also, files that do not match the patterns provided in
DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT are not renamed. When using RMAN-managed auxiliary
instance, you can use the AUXILIARY DESTINATION parameter of RECOVER TABLESPACE

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Overriding Defaults for RMAN TSPITR with an RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance

command to ensure that all auxiliary set data files are sent to some destination. If none
of the renaming methods used provide a new name for a file at the auxiliary instance,
then TSPITR fails.
Renaming Temp Files During TSPITR Temp files are considered part of the auxiliary set for
your database. When the auxiliary instance is instantiated, RMAN re-creates the
temporary tablespaces of the target database and generates their names using the
regular rules for the auxiliary data file names.
To rename temp files, you can use one of the following:
■
■

■

SET NEWNAME FOR TEMPFILE command
DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter of the auxiliary instance. See the
previous example. If the temporary files have non-ASM Oracle Managed File
names, you cannot use this parameter option. See "Considerations When
Renaming OMF Auxiliary Set Files in TSPITR" on page 21-12.
AUXILIARY DESTINATION clause of the RECOVER command when using an
RMAN-managed auxiliary instance

Using Image Copies for Faster RMAN TSPITR Performance
You can enhance TSPITR performance by redirecting RMAN to use existing image
copies of the recovery set and auxiliary set data files. In this case, RMAN does not
need to restore the data files from backup. You can use the following techniques to tell
RMAN about the possible existence of an image copy of a data file:
■
■

Use the CONFIGURE AUXNAME command with image copies of auxiliary set data files
Use the SET NEWNAME command with image copies of recovery set data files or
auxiliary set data files

In general, if a suitable image copy is available in the specified location, then RMAN
uses the image copy to perform TSPITR, and the data file copy is uncataloged from the
target control file.

Using SET NEWNAME with Recovery Set Image Copies
During TSPITR, RMAN looks in the specified NEWNAME location for the data file.
RMAN checks whether an image copy backup of the data file exists with a data file
checkpoint SCN early enough that it can be recovered to the target time. If RMAN
finds a usable image copy, then RMAN uses it in TSPITR. Otherwise, RMAN restores
the data file to the NEWNAME location. Any file in the location specified by the NEWNAME is
overwritten. The specified NEWNAME becomes the name of the data file in the target
database once TSPITR completes. Example 21–8 illustrates this technique.
Example 21–8

Using SET NEWNAME

RUN
{
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 'ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf'
TO '/newfs/users1.dbf';
...other RMAN commands, if any...
RECOVER TABLESPACE users, tools UNTIL SEQUENCE 1300 THREAD 1;
}

Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR)

21-15

Overriding Defaults for RMAN TSPITR with an RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance

Using SET NEWNAME and CONFIGURE AUXNAME with Auxiliary Set Image Copies
The CONFIGURE AUXNAME command sets a persistent alternative location for an
auxiliary set data file image copy, whereas the SET NEWNAME command sets an
alternative location for the duration of a RUN command.
Assume that you use SET NEWNAME or CONFIGURE AUXNAME to specify a new location for
an auxiliary set data file. Also assume that there is an image copy at that location with
an SCN that can be used in TSPITR. In this case, RMAN uses the image copy. If there is
no usable image copy at that location, however, then RMAN restores a usable copy
from backup. (If an image copy is present but the SCN is after the target time for
TSPITR, then the data file is overwritten by the restored file.)
As with all auxiliary set files, the file is deleted after TSPITR. This behavior occurs
regardless of whether it was an image copy created before TSPITR or restored by
RMAN during TSPITR.
The primary use of CONFIGURE AUXNAME is to make TSPITR faster by eliminating
restore times. If you anticipate performing TSPITR, then you can include in your
backup routine the maintenance of a set of image copies of the auxiliary set data files,
and update these periodically to the earliest point to which you expect to perform
TSPITR. The recommended usage model is:
1.

Configure the AUXNAME for the files once, when setting up this strategy.

2.

Perform BACKUP AS COPY DATAFILE n FORMAT auxname regularly to maintain the
updated image copy. For better performance, use an incrementally updated
backup strategy to keep the image copies up-to-date without performing full
backups of the data files.

3.

When TSPITR is needed, specify a target time after the last update of the image
copy.

Performing TSPITR with CONFIGURE AUXNAME and Image Copies: Scenario
Assume that you have enough disk space to save image copies of your entire database
for use in TSPITR. In preparation for the possibility of TSPITR, you do the following:
■

Configure an AUXNAME for each data file in the auxiliary set by using a command of
the following form:
CONFIGURE AUXNAME FOR DATAFILE n TO auxname_n;

■

Take an image copy of the auxiliary set every Sunday by using a command of the
following form:
BACKUP AS COPY DATAFILE n FORMAT auxname_n

If the image copies are all in the same location on disk, and if they are named
similarly to the original data files, then you can avoid performing backups of
every data file. Instead, you can use the FORMAT or DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT options
of the BACKUP command and use BACKUP AS COPY DATABASE. For example, if the
configured auxiliary names are a translation of the location maindisk to auxdisk,
then you use the following command:
BACKUP AS COPY
DATABASE
DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT (maindisk, auxdisk);

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Overriding Defaults for RMAN TSPITR with an RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance

Because Oracle managed file names cannot generally be
translated using a simple substitution, you cannot typically use DB_
FILE_NAME_CONVERT to generate names for image copies stored in
OMF.
Note:

After these steps, you are prepared for TSPITR without restoring the auxiliary set from
backup. For example, if an erroneous batch job, started on November 15, 2007, at
19:00:00, incorrectly updates the tables in the tablespace parts, you use the following
command to perform TSPITR on tablespace parts:
RECOVER TABLESPACE parts UNTIL TIME 'November 15 2007, 19:00:00';

Because AUXNAME locations are configured and refer to data file copies from an SCN
before the TSPITR target time, the auxiliary set is not restored from backup. Instead,
the data file copies are used in recovery, which reduces the restore overhead.
You can also prevent the recovery set from being restored. You must take frequent
image copies of the tablespaces and use SET NEWNAME to specify the location of these
copies. This method ensures that the recovery set is not restored, and the tablespace
changes location after TSPITR successfully completes.

Customizing Initialization Parameters for the Automatic Auxiliary Instance in TSPITR
The automatic auxiliary instance uses a set of default initialization parameters as
shown in Table 21–4. It also looks for additional initialization parameters to
complement the default parameters in a location that is operating system-dependent.
For example, in UNIX this location is: ?/rdbms/admin/params_auxinst.ora. RMAN
always looks for this additional parameter file for an RMAN-automatic auxiliary
instance when performing TSPITR. If the file is not found, then RMAN does not
generate an error. Instead, RMAN uses the default parameters in Table 21–4 for the
RMAN-managed automatic auxiliary instance.
Table 21–4

Default Initialization Parameters for the RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance

Initialization Parameter

Value

DB_NAME

Same as DB_NAME of the source database

COMPATIBLE

Same as the COMPATIBLE setting of the target database

DB_UNIQUE_NAME

RMAN auto-generated unique value based on DB_NAME

DB_BLOCK_SIZE

Same as the DB_BLOCK_SIZE of the target database

DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST

Auxiliary destination (only if the AUXILIARY DESTINATION
argument is specified when using an RMAN-managed auxiliary
instance). RMAN creates Oracle Managed Files for the auxiliary
set files in this location.

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1

Auxiliary destination (only if the AUXILIARY DESTINATION clause
is specified when using an RMAN-managed auxiliary instance).
Archived logs needed for recovery are restored to this location.

SGA_TARGET

280M

DB_FILES

Same as DB_FILES of the target database

PROCESSES

50

Usually it is not necessary to alter or add to the values of these initialization
parameters, especially if you provide an AUXILIARY DESTINATION clause to the RECOVER

Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR)

21-17

Overriding Defaults for RMAN TSPITR with an RMAN-Managed Auxiliary Instance

TABLESPACE command when using a RMAN-managed auxiliary instance. If you
override an initialization parameter in Table 21–4 with an inappropriate value, then
TSPITR may fail due to problems with the auxiliary instance. Nevertheless, you can
add other parameters besides these basic parameters if needed. For example, you can
use DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT to specify the names of the data files in the auxiliary and
recovery sets.
To override or specify parameters for the automatic auxiliary instance, you can do
either of the following:
■

■

- Place the initialization parameters in the operating system specific default
auxiliary parameter file name. For example, in UNIX, the file name is
?/rdbms/admin/params_auxinst.ora.
Perform these steps:
1.

Place the initialization parameters in a file.

2.

Specify the location of this file with the SET AUXILIARY INSTANCE PARAMETER
FILE command before executing TSPITR.

Regardless of the method that you choose, the parameters that you specify take
precedence over defaults and can override the value of an AUXILIARY DESTINATION
clause.

Specifying the Auxiliary Instance Control File Location in TSPITR
If you use an initialization parameter file, then you can specify your own location for
the control file of your auxiliary instance. Set the CONTROL_FILES initialization
parameter to specify a location for the control files.
If you do not explicitly specify a control file location, and if you use the AUXILIARY
DESTINATION clause, then RMAN locates the control file in the auxiliary destination. If
you do not use the AUXILIARY DESTINATION clause, then the auxiliary instance control
files are stored in an operating system-specific location.
No matter where you store your auxiliary instance control file, it is removed at the end
of the TSPITR operation. Because control files are relatively small, RMAN seldom
encounters a problem creating an auxiliary control file. If there is not enough space to
create the control file, however, then TSPITR fails.

Specifying the Auxiliary Instance Archived Logs in TSPITR
To perform recovery on the auxiliary and recovery sets after restoring them at the
auxiliary instance, RMAN may need to restore archived logs. When an auxiliary
destination is being used, the archived logs are restored to that location. In the absence
of an auxiliary destination and any other initialization parameters, the archived logs
are restored to an operating system specific location. For details, consult your
operating system specific documentation. You can use the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1
initialization parameter to specify an alternative location where the archived logs are
restored.

Specifying the Auxiliary Instance Online Log Location in TSPITR
If you specify the LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter in your auxiliary
instance parameter file and the parameter successfully converts the names of the
online redo logs of the target, then this parameter determines the online redo log
location. The same restrictions that apply to OMF data files, apply to OMF online redo
logs. For more information, see "Considerations When Renaming OMF Auxiliary Set
Files in TSPITR" on page 21-12. If RMAN is managing the auxiliary instance and an

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Performing RMAN TSPITR Using Your Own Auxiliary Instance

auxiliary destination is specified, RMAN creates the online redo log in the auxiliary
destination.
Alternatively, you can use DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST or DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST and DB_
CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_1 to specify the location where the auxiliary instance redo logs are
created. If you choose the latter option, you must use DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_1 with
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST.
TSPITR fails to create the online redo logs if you do not specify a location for them by
using one of the following:
■

LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT

■

DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST

■

DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST and DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_1

■

AUXILIARY DESTINATION

Performing RMAN TSPITR Using Your Own Auxiliary Instance
Although Oracle recommends that you let RMAN manage all aspects of the auxiliary
instance, there may be times when you must create and manage your own auxiliary
instance. If you select this mode, you are responsible for setting up, starting, stopping
and cleaning up the auxiliary instance used in TSPITR.
One reason that you might want to create your own instance is to exercise control of
channels used in TSPITR. The automatic auxiliary instance uses the configured
channels of the target database as the basis for the channels to configure on the
auxiliary instance and to use during the restore operation. You may need different
channel settings and may not want to use the CONFIGURE command to change the
settings on the target database. In this case, you can operate your own auxiliary
instance. By connecting to the auxiliary instance before invoking RECOVER, a run block
can provide specific channel allocations using the ALLOCATE AUXILIARY CHANNEL
command.

Preparing Your Own Auxiliary Instance for RMAN TSPITR
Creating an Oracle instance suitable for use as an auxiliary instance requires that you
complete all of the following steps:
■

Step 1: Create an Oracle Password File for the Auxiliary Instance

■

Step 2: Create an Initialization Parameter File for the Auxiliary Instance

■

Step 3: Check Oracle Net Connectivity to the Auxiliary Instance

Step 1: Create an Oracle Password File for the Auxiliary Instance
For instructions on how to create and maintain Oracle password files, refer to Oracle
Database Administrator's Guide.

Step 2: Create an Initialization Parameter File for the Auxiliary Instance
Use a text editor to create an initialization parameter file for the auxiliary instance on
the target database host. For this example, assume that your parameter file is placed at
/tmp/initAux.ora. Set the parameters described in Table 21–5.
For TSPITR, the target and auxiliary database instances must
be on the same host.

Note:

Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR)

21-19

Performing RMAN TSPITR Using Your Own Auxiliary Instance

Table 21–5

Initialization Parameters in a User-Managed Auxiliary Instance

Parameter

Mandatory?

Value

DB_NAME

YES

The same name as the target database

DB_UNIQUE_NAME

YES

A value different from any database in the same Oracle home.
For simplicity, specify _dbname. For example, if the target
database name is trgt, then specify _trgt.

REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE

YES

Set to EXCLUSIVE when connecting to the auxiliary instance
with a password file. Otherwise, set to NONE.

COMPATIBLE

YES

The same value as the parameter in the target database

DB_BLOCK_SIZE

YES

If this initialization parameter is set in the target database,
then it must be set to the same value in the auxiliary instance.

LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT

NO

Patterns to generate file names for the online redo logs of the
auxiliary database based on the online redo log names of the
target database. Query V$LOGFILE.MEMBERto obtain target
instance online redo log file names, and ensure that the
conversion pattern matches the format of the file name shown
in the view.
Note: Some platforms do not support ending patterns in a
forward or backward slash (\ or /).
See Also: "Specifying the Auxiliary Instance Online Log
Location in TSPITR" on page 21-18 for restrictions on possible
values for LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT with OMF file names and
"Considerations When Renaming OMF Auxiliary Set Files in
TSPITR" on page 21-12

DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT

NO

Patterns to convert file names for the data files of the auxiliary
database. You can use this parameter to generate file names
for those files that you did not name with SET NEWNAME or
CONFIGURE AUXNAME. Obtain the data file names by querying
V$DATAFILE.NAME, and ensure that the conversion pattern
matches the format of the file name displayed in the view.
Note: Some platforms do not support ending patterns in a
forward or backward slash (\ or /).
See Also: "Using DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT to Name
Auxiliary Set Data Files" on page 21-14 and "Considerations
When Renaming OMF Auxiliary Set Files in TSPITR" on
page 21-12.

DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST

NO

Use it to specify a location for all auxiliary set files.

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n

NO

Use it to specify where archived logs required for recover are
created.

DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_n

NO

Use it with DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST to specify a different
location where online redo logs are created.

CONTROL_FILES

NO

Filenames that do not conflict with the control file names of
the target instance (or any other existing file).

SGA_TARGET

NO
(Recommended)

280M

STREAMS_POOL_SIZE

NO

If SGA_TARGET is set

YES

If SGA_TARGET is not set

Set other parameters as needed, including the parameters to specify how much
memory the auxiliary instance uses.

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Performing RMAN TSPITR Using Your Own Auxiliary Instance

The following example shows possible initialization parameter settings for an
auxiliary instance for TSPITR:
DB_NAME=trgt
DB_UNIQUE_NAME=_trgt
CONTROL_FILES=/tmp/control01.ctl
DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT=('/oracle/oradata/trgt/','/tmp/')
LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT=('/oracle/oradata/trgt/redo','/tmp/redo')
REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE=exclusive
COMPATIBLE =11.0.0
DB_BLOCK_SIZE=8192

Note: After setting these initialization parameters, ensure that you
do not overwrite the initialization settings for the production files
at the target database.

Step 3: Check Oracle Net Connectivity to the Auxiliary Instance
The auxiliary instance must have a valid net service name. Before proceeding, use
SQL*Plus to ensure that you can establish a SYSDBA connection to the auxiliary
instance.
See Also: Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for
more information about Oracle Net

Preparing RMAN Commands for TSPITR with Your Own Auxiliary Instance
If you run your own auxiliary instance, then it is possible for the sequence of
commands required for TSPITR to be long. This situation can occur when you allocate
a complex channel configuration for restoring from backup and you are not using DB_
CREATE_FILE_DEST to determine file naming of auxiliary set files.
You may want to store the series of commands for TSPITR in an RMAN command file.
Review the command file carefully to catch any errors. To read the command file into
RMAN, use the @ command (or the CMDFILE command-line argument when starting
RMAN).
The following example runs the command file named /tmp/tspitr.rman:
@/tmp/tspitr.rman;

See Also:

"Using Command Files with RMAN" on page 4-3

Planning Channels for TSPITR with Your Own Auxiliary Instance
When you run your own auxiliary instance, the default behavior is to use the
automatic channel configuration of the target instance. If you decide to allocate your
own channels with a different configuration (changing the number of channels or
channel parameters), you can include ALLOCATE AUXILIARY CHANNEL commands in a
RUN block along with the RECOVER TABLESPACE command for TSPITR. Plan out these
commands, if necessary, and add them to the sequence of commands you run for
TSPITR.
See Also: "Performing TSPITR with Your Own Auxiliary Instance:
Scenario" on page 21-23 to learn how to include channel allocation in
your TSPITR script

Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR)

21-21

Performing RMAN TSPITR Using Your Own Auxiliary Instance

Planning Data File Names with Your Own Auxiliary Instance: SET NEWNAME
You may want to use SET NEWNAME commands to refer to existing image copies of
auxiliary set files to improve TSPITR performance, or to assign new names to the
recovery set files for after TSPITR. Plan these commands, if necessary, and add them to
the sequence of commands that you run for TSPITR. For more information, see
"Renaming TSPITR Recovery Set Data Files with SET NEWNAME" on page 21-11.

Executing TSPITR with Your Own Auxiliary Instance
With the preparations complete and your TSPITR commands completely planned, you
are now ready to perform TSPITR. The following steps are required:
■

Step 1: Start the Auxiliary Instance in NOMOUNT Mode

■

Step 2: Connect the RMAN Client to Target and Auxiliary Instances

■

Step 3: Execute the RECOVER TABLESPACE Command

Step 1: Start the Auxiliary Instance in NOMOUNT Mode
Before beginning RMAN TSPITR, start SQL*Plus and connect to the auxiliary instance
with SYSOPER privileges.
Start the auxiliary instance in NOMOUNT mode, specifying a parameter file if necessary.
For example, enter the following SQL*Plus command:
SQL> STARTUP NOMOUNT PFILE='/tmp/initAux.ora'

Remember that if you specify PFILE, then the path for the PFILE is a client-side path on
the host from which you run SQL*Plus.
Because the auxiliary instance does not yet have a control file, you can only start the
instance in NOMOUNT mode. Do not create a control file or try to mount or open the
auxiliary instance for TSPITR.

Step 2: Connect the RMAN Client to Target and Auxiliary Instances
Start RMAN and connect to the target database and the manually created auxiliary
instance.
$rman target dba/dbapwd AUXILIARY aux/auxpwd@aux

Step 3: Execute the RECOVER TABLESPACE Command
In the simplest case, execute the RECOVER TABLESPACE... UNTIL command at the
RMAN prompt:
RECOVER TABLESPACE ts1, ts2... UNTIL TIME 'time';

If you want to use the ALLOCATE AUXILIARY CHANNEL or SET NEWNAME commands, then
include these commands before the RECOVER TABLESPACE command within a RUN
command. The following example illustrates this technique:
RUN
{
ALLOCATE AUXILIARY CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE DISK;
ALLOCATE AUXILIARY CHANNEL c2 DEVICE TYPE sbt;
# and so on...
RECOVER TABLESPACE ts1, ts2 UNTIL TIME 'time';
}

21-22 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing RMAN TSPITR Using Your Own Auxiliary Instance

Performing TSPITR with Your Own Auxiliary Instance: Scenario
This scenario shows the execution of a RECOVER TABLESPACE... UNTIL operation. This
scenario illustrates the following features of RMAN TSPITR:
■

Managing your own auxiliary instance

■

Configuring channels for restore of backups from disk and SBT devices

■

■

Using recoverable image copies for some auxiliary set data files using SET
NEWNAME
Specifying new names for recovery set data files using SET NEWNAME

To use TSPITR with your own auxiliary instance:
1.

Prepare the auxiliary instance as described in "Preparing Your Own Auxiliary
Instance for RMAN TSPITR" on page 21-19. Specify a password for the auxiliary
instance in the password file, and set up the auxiliary instance parameter file
/bigtmp/init_tspitr_prod.ora with the following settings:
DB_NAME=PROD
DB_UNIQUE_NAME=tspitr_PROD
CONTROL_FILES=/bigtmp/tspitr_cntrl.dbf
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST=/bigtmp
COMPATIBLE=11.0.0
BLOCK_SIZE=8192
REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORD=exclusive

2.

Create service name pitprod for the auxiliary instance, and check for connectivity.

3.

Using SQL*Plus, connect to the auxiliary instance with SYSOPER privileges. Start
the instance in NOMOUNT mode:
SQL> STARTUP NOMOUNT PFILE=/bigtmp/init_tspitr_prod.ora

4.

Start RMAN and connect to the target and auxiliary database instances.
rman target / auxiliary sys/syspwd@pitprod

5.

Enter the following commands in a RUN block to set up and execute TSPITR:
RUN
{
# Specify NEWNAME for recovery set data files
SET NEWNAME FOR TABLESPACE clients
TO '?/oradata/prod/rec/%b';
# Specify NEWNAMES for some auxiliary set
# data files that have a valid image copy to avoid restores:
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE '?/oradata/prod/system01.dbf'
TO '/backups/prod/system01_monday_noon.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE '?/oradata/prod/system02.dbf'
TO '/backups/prod/system02_monday_noon.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE '?/oradata/prod/sysaux01.dbf'
TO '/backups/prod/sysaux01_monday_noon.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE '?/oradata/prod/undo01.dbf'
TO '/backups/prod/undo01_monday_noon.dbf';
# Specify the types of channels to use
ALLOCATE AUXILIARY CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE DISK;
ALLOCATE AUXILIARY CHANNEL t1 DEVICE TYPE sbt;
# Recover the clients tablespace to 24 hours ago:
RECOVER TABLESPACE clients UNTIL TIME 'sysdate-1';

Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR)

21-23

Troubleshooting RMAN TSPITR

}

Consider storing this command sequence in a command file and executing the
command file.
If the TSPITR operation is successful, then the results are:
■

■

■

The recovery set data files are registered in the target database control file under
the names specified with SET NEWNAME, with their contents as of the time specified
time for TSPITR.
The auxiliary files are removed by RMAN, including the control files, online logs,
and auxiliary set data files of the auxiliary instance.
The auxiliary instance is shut down.

If the TSPITR operation fails, the auxiliary set files are removed and the auxiliary
instance is shut down. The recovery set files are left in the specified location and in an
unresolved state from the failed TSPITR run.

Troubleshooting RMAN TSPITR
A variety of problems can cause RMAN TSPITR to fail. This section lists possible areas
to check and fix:
■
■

■

Filename conflicts
Mismatched or incorrect TSPITR target times for sets of tablespaces and undo
segments
Management issues with auxiliary instances not created by RMAN

Troubleshooting Filename Conflicts
Name conflicts can occur between files already in the target database, file names
assigned by the SET NEWNAME or CONFIGURE AUXNAME commands, and file names
generated by the effect of the DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT parameter.
Suppose that SET NEWNAME, CONFIGURE AUXNAME, and DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT cause
multiple files in the auxiliary or recovery sets to have the same name. In this case,
RMAN reports an error during TSPITR. To correct the problem, use different values
for these parameters.

Troubleshooting the Identification of Tablespaces with Undo Segments
During TSPITR, RMAN needs information about which tablespaces had undo
segments at the TSPITR target time. This information is usually available in the
recovery catalog, if one is used.
If there is no recovery catalog or if the information is not found in the recovery catalog,
RMAN assumes that the set of tablespaces with undo segments at the target time is the
same as the set of tablespaces with undo segments at the present time. If this
assumption is not correct, then TSPITR fails with an error. In this case, use the UNDO
TABLESPACE clause to provide a list of tablespaces with undo segments at the target
time.

Troubleshooting the Restart of a Manual Auxiliary Instance After TSPITR Failure
If you are managing your own auxiliary instance and TSPITR fails, do not attempt to
rerun TSPITR without resolving the errors and following this approach:

21-24 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Troubleshooting RMAN TSPITR

1.

Identify and fix the problems that prevented TSPITR from a successful run.

2.

Start the auxiliary instance in NOMOUNT.

3.

Run TSPITR again.

Performing RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR)

21-25

Troubleshooting RMAN TSPITR

21-26 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Part VI
Part VI

Tuning and Troubleshooting

The following chapters describe how to tune and troubleshoot RMAN operations. This
part of the book contains these chapters:
■

Chapter 22, "Tuning RMAN Performance"

■

Chapter 23, "Troubleshooting RMAN Operations"

22
2

Tuning RMAN Performance

This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Purpose of RMAN Performance Tuning

■

Basic Concepts of RMAN Performance Tuning

■

Using V$ Views to Diagnose RMAN Performance Problems

■

Tuning RMAN Backup Performance

Purpose of RMAN Performance Tuning
An RMAN backup or restore job can be divided into separate phases or components.
The slowest of these phases in any RMAN job is called the bottleneck. The purpose of
RMAN tuning is to identify the bottlenecks for a given job and use RMAN commands,
initialization parameters, or adjustments to physical media to improve performance.

Basic Concepts of RMAN Performance Tuning
Tuning RMAN performance requires a detailed understanding of how RMAN creates
a backup. As explained in "RMAN Channels" on page 3-3, the work of a backup is
performed by one or more channels. A channel represents a stream of bytes to a
storage device.
For the purposes of illustration, you can think of the byte stream as passing from the
input buffers in memory through the CPU to the output buffers, and from there to the
storage device. To direct a backup to two tape devices, you allocate two tape channels
so that each byte stream goes to a different device.
The work of each channel, whether of type disk or System Backup Tape (SBT), is
subdivided into the following distinct phases:
1.

Read Phase
A channel reads blocks from disk into input I/O buffers.

2.

Copy Phase
A channel copies blocks from input buffers to output buffers and performs
additional processing on the blocks.

3.

Write Phase
A channel writes the blocks from output buffers to storage media. The write phase
can take either of the following mutually exclusive forms, depending on the type
of backup media:

Tuning RMAN Performance

22-1

Basic Concepts of RMAN Performance Tuning

■

Write Phase for System Backup Tape (SBT)

■

Write Phase for Disk

Figure 22–1 depicts two channels backing up data stored on three disks. Each channel
reads the data into the input buffers, processes the data while copying it from the
input to the output buffers, and the writes the data from the output buffers to disk.
Figure 22–1 Phases of a Multichannel Backup to Disk

Disk
Subsystem

Disk
Subsystem

Disk
Subsystem

Read
Input
buffers
Channel
1
Copy

CPU

Channel
2

Output
buffers

Write

Disk
Subsystem

Disk
Subsystem

Figure 22–2 also depicts two channels backing up data stored on three disks, but one
disk is mounted remotely over the network. Each channel reads the data into the input
buffers, processes the data while copying it from the input buffers to the output
buffers, and then writes the data from the output buffers to tape. Channel 1 writes the
data to a locally attached tape drive, whereas channel 2 sends the data over the
network to a remote media server.

22-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Basic Concepts of RMAN Performance Tuning

Figure 22–2 Phases of a Multichannel Backup to Tape

Disk
Subsystem

Disk
Subsystem

Disk
Subsystem

NFS
Read
Input
buffers
Channel
1

Copy

Channel
2
CPU
Output
buffers

Write

MML

Local

TCP/IP
Media
Server

Media

Media

When restoring data, a channel performs these steps in reverse order and reverses the
reading and writing operations. The following sections explain RMAN tuning
concepts in terms of a backup.

Read Phase
This section explains factors that affect performance when an RMAN channel is
reading data from disk:
■

Allocation of Input Disk Buffers

■

Synchronous and Asynchronous Disk I/O

■

Disk I/O Slaves

■

RATE Channel Parameter

Allocation of Input Disk Buffers
During a backup, an RMAN channel reads the blocks from the input files into I/O disk
buffers. The database files on the disk subsystem can be managed by either Automatic
Storage Management (ASM) or an alternative volume manager or file system. The
considerations for backup tuning change depending on whether you manage database
files with ASM.

Tuning RMAN Performance

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Basic Concepts of RMAN Performance Tuning

The allocation of the input buffers depends on how the files are multiplexed. Backup
multiplexing is RMAN's ability to read several files in a backup simultaneously from
different sources and then write them to a single backup piece. The level of
multiplexing, which is the number of input files simultaneously read and then written
into the same backup piece, is determined by the algorithm described in "Multiplexed
Backup Sets" on page 8-7. Review this section before proceeding.
When an RMAN channel backs up files from disk, it uses the rules described in
Table 22–1 to determine how large to make the input disk buffers.
Table 22–1

Data File Read Buffer Sizing Algorithm

Level of Multiplexing

Input Disk Buffer Size

Less than or equal to 4

The RMAN channel allocates 16 buffers of size 1 megabyte (MB)
so that the total buffer size for all the input files is 16 MB.

Greater than 4 but less
than or equal to 8

The RMAN channel allocates a variable number of disk buffers of
size 512 kilobytes (KB) so that the total buffer size for all the
input files is less than 16 MB.

Greater than 8

The RMAN channel allocates 4 disk buffers of 128 KB for each
file, so that the total buffer size for each input file is 512 KB.

In the example shown in Figure 22–3, one channel is backing up four data files.
MAXOPENFILES is set to 4 and FILESPERSET is set to 4. Thus, the level of multiplexing is
4. So, the total size of the buffers for each data file is 4 MB. The combined size of all the
buffers is 16 MB.
Figure 22–3 Disk Buffer Allocation

Datafiles

Input disk
buffers

Tape drive

Datafile 1
1 MB

1 MB

1 MB

1 MB

Datafile 2
Channel
FILESPERSET = 4
MAXOPENFILES = 4
Datafile 3

Datafile 4

SGA if BACKUP_DISK_IO_SLAVES = 0
or
PGA if BACKUP_DISK_IO_SLAVES = 0

If a channel is backing up files stored in ASM, then the number of input disk buffers
equals the number of physical disks in the ASM disk group. For example, if a data file
is stored in an ASM disk group that contains 16 physical disks, then the channel
allocates 16 input buffers for the data file backup.
22-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Basic Concepts of RMAN Performance Tuning

If a channel is restoring a backup from disk, then 4 buffers are allocated. The size of the
buffers is dependent on the operating system.

Synchronous and Asynchronous Disk I/O
When a channel reads from or writes to disk, the I/O is either synchronous I/O or
asynchronous I/O. When the disk I/O is synchronous, a server process can perform
only one task at a time. When the disk I/O is asynchronous, a server process can begin
an I/O operation and then perform other work while waiting for the I/O to complete.
RMAN can also begin multiple I/O operations before waiting for the first to complete.
When reading from an ASM disk group, you should use asynchronous disk I/O if
possible. Also, if a channel reads from a raw device managed with a volume manager,
then asynchronous disk I/O also works well. Some operating systems support native
asynchronous disk I/O. The database takes advantage of this feature if it is available.

Disk I/O Slaves
On operating systems that do not support native asynchronous I/O, the database can
simulate it with special I/O slave processes. These processes are dedicated to
performing I/O on behalf of another process.
You can control disk I/O slaves by setting the DBWR_IO_SLAVES initialization
parameter, which is not dynamic. The parameter specifies the number of I/O server
processes used by the database writer process (DBWR). By default, the value is 0 and
I/O server processes are not used. If asynchronous I/O is disabled, then RMAN
allocates four backup disk I/O slaves for any nonzero value of DBWR_IO_SLAVES.
When attempting to get shared buffers for I/O slaves, the database does the following:
■

■

■

If the LARGE_POOL_SIZE initialization parameter is set, and if the DBWR_IO_SLAVES
parameter is set to a nonzero value, then the database attempts to get memory
from the large pool. If this value is not large enough, then an error is recorded in
the alert log, the database does not try to get buffers from the shared pool, and
asynchronous I/O is not used.
If the LARGE_POOL_SIZE initialization parameter is not set or is set to zero, then the
database attempts to get memory from the shared pool.
If the database cannot get enough memory, then it obtains I/O buffer memory
from the Program Global Area (PGA) and writes a message to the alert.log file
indicating that synchronous I/O is used for this backup.

The memory from the large pool is used for many features, including the shared
server, parallel query, and RMAN I/O slave buffers. Configuring the large pool
prevents RMAN from competing with other subsystems for the same memory.
Requests for contiguous memory allocations from the shared pool are usually small
(under 5 KB). However, a request for a large contiguous memory allocation can either
fail or require significant memory housekeeping to release the required amount of
contiguous memory. Although the shared pool may be unable to satisfy this memory
request, the large pool can do so. The large pool does not have a least recently used
(LRU) list; the database does not attempt to age memory out of the large pool.

RATE Channel Parameter
In the ALLOCATE and CONFIGURE CHANNEL commands, the RATE parameter specifies the
bytes per second that are read on a channel. You can use this parameter to set an upper
limit for bytes read so that RMAN does not consume excessive disk bandwidth and
degrade online performance. Essentially, RATE serves as a backup throttle. For

Tuning RMAN Performance

22-5

Basic Concepts of RMAN Performance Tuning

example, if you set RATE 1500K, and if each disk drive delivers 3 megabytes per
second, then the channel leaves some disk bandwidth available to the online system.

Copy Phase
In this phase, a channel copies blocks from the input buffers to the output buffers and
performs additional processing. For example, if a channel reads data from disk and
backs up to tape, then the channel copies the data from the disk buffers to the output
tape buffers.
The copy phase involves the following types of processing:
■

Validation

■

Compression

■

Encryption

When performing validation of the blocks, RMAN checks them for corruption.
Validation is explained in Chapter 16, "Validating Database Files and Backups"
Typically, this processing is not CPU-intensive.
When performing binary compression, RMAN applies a compression algorithm to the
data in backup sets. Binary compression can be CPU-intensive. You can choose which
compression algorithm RMAN uses for backups. The basic compression level for
RMAN has a good compression ratio for most scenarios. If you have the Advanced
Compression Option enabled, there are several different levels to choose from that
provide trade-offs between compression ratios and required CPU resources. Binary
compression is explained in "Binary Compression for Backup Sets" on page 8-4 and in
"Making Compressed Backups" on page 9-6.
When performing backup encryption, RMAN encrypts backup sets by using an
algorithm listed in V$RMAN_ENCRYPTION_ALGORITHMS. RMAN offers three modes of
encryption: transparent, password-protected, and dual-mode. Backup encryption is
explained in "Encrypting RMAN Backups" on page 10-10. Backup encryption can be
CPU-intensive.

Write Phase for System Backup Tape (SBT)
When backing up to SBT, RMAN gives the media manager a stream of bytes and
associates a unique name with this stream. All details of how and where that stream is
stored are handled entirely by the media manager. Thus, a backup to tape involves the
interaction of both RMAN and the media manager.

RMAN Component of the Write Phase for SBT
The RMAN-specific factors affecting the SBT write phase are analogous to the factors
affecting disk reads. In both cases, the buffer allocation, slave processes, and
synchronous or asynchronous I/O affect performance.
Allocation of Tape Buffers If you back up to or restore from an SBT device, then by
default the database allocates four buffers for each channel for the tape writers (or
reads if restoring data as shown in Table 22–4). The size of the tape I/O buffers is
platform-dependent. You can change this value with the PARMS and BLKSIZE
parameters of the ALLOCATE CHANNEL or CONFIGURE CHANNEL command.

22-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Basic Concepts of RMAN Performance Tuning

Figure 22–4 Allocation of Tape Buffers
Output tape
buffers
256

256

256

256

Tape drive

Channel

SGA if BACKUP_TAPE_IO_SLAVES = TRUE
or
PGA if BACKUP_TAPE_IO_SLAVES = FALSE

Tape I/O Slaves RMAN allocates the tape buffers in the System Global Area (SGA) or
the Program Global Area (PGA), depending on whether I/O slaves are used. If you set
the initialization parameter BACKUP_TAPE_IO_SLAVES=true, then RMAN allocates tape
buffers from the SGA. Tape devices can only be accessed by one process at a time, so
RMAN starts as many slaves as necessary for the number of tape devices. If the LARGE_
POOL_SIZE initialization parameter is also set, then RMAN allocates buffers from the
large pool. If you set BACKUP_TAPE_IO_SLAVES=false, then RMAN allocates the buffers
from the PGA.
If you use I/O slaves, then set the LARGE_POOL_SIZE initialization parameter to
dedicate SGA memory to holding these large memory allocations. This parameter
prevents RMAN I/O buffers from competing with the library cache for SGA memory.
If I/O slaves for tape I/O were requested but there is not enough space in the SGA for
them, slaves are not used, and a message appears in the alert log.
The parameter BACKUP_TAPE_IO_SLAVES specifies whether RMAN uses slave processes
rather than the number of slave processes. Tape devices can only be accessed by one
process at a time, and RMAN uses the number of slaves necessary for the number of
tape devices.
Synchronous and Asynchronous I/O When an SBT channel reads or writes data to tape,
the I/O is always synchronous. For tape I/O, each channel allocated (whether
manually or automatically) corresponds to a server process, called here a channel
process.
Table 22–5 shows synchronous I/O in a backup to tape.
Figure 22–5 Synchronous Tape I/O
1 Channel process
composes tape
buffer

2 Channel process runs media
manager code to internalize
buffer for writing

Tape Buffers

Channel
process

1010101

4 Channel Process
composes next
buffer

1010101
Media
Manager
Media Manger
code returns 3
after writing

The following steps occur:

Tuning RMAN Performance

22-7

Basic Concepts of RMAN Performance Tuning

1.

The channel process composes a tape buffer.

2.

The channel process executes media manager code that processes the tape buffer
and internalizes it for further processing and storage by the media manager.

3.

The media manager code returns a message to the server process stating that it has
completed writing.

4.

The channel process can initiate a new task.

Table 22–6 shows asynchronous I/O in a tape backup. Asynchronous I/O to tape is
simulated by using tape slaves. In this case, each allocated channel corresponds to a
server process, which in the explanation that follows is identified as a channel process.
For each channel process, one tape slave is started (or more than one, if multiple copies
exist).
Figure 22–6 Asynchronous Tape I/O
Channel
process

3
3

Channel
process
prepares
more
tape
buffers
while
step 2
runs

1
Channel process
prepares tape
buffer
1010101
2

1010101

1010101

Tape slave returns
4 from media
manger, requests
next buffer

2
Tape
Slave

2

Media
Manager

2
Tape Slave internalizes
and writes tape buffer

The following steps occur:
1.

A channel process writes blocks to a tape buffer.

2.

The channel process sends a message to the tape slave process to process the tape
buffer. The tape slave process executes media manager code that processes the
tape buffer and internalizes it so that the media manager can process it.

3.

While the tape slave process is writing, the channel process is free to read data
from the data files and prepare more output buffers.

4.

After the tape slave channel returns from the media manager code, it requests a
new tape buffer, which usually is ready. Thus waiting time for the channel process
is reduced, and the backup is completed faster.

Media Manager Component of the Write Phase for SBT
The following factors affect the speed of the backup to tape:
■

Network Throughput

■

Native Transfer Rate

■

Tape Compression

■

Tape Streaming

■

Physical Tape Block Size

22-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Basic Concepts of RMAN Performance Tuning

Network Throughput If the tape device is remote, then the media manager must transfer
data over the network. For example, an administrative domain in Oracle Secure
Backup can contain multiple networked client hosts, media servers, and tape devices.
If the database is on one host, but the output tape drive is attached to a different host,
then Oracle Secure Backup manages the data transfer over the network. The network
throughput is the upper limit for backup performance.
Native Transfer Rate The tape native transfer rate is the speed of writing to a tape
without compression. This speed represents the upper limit of the backup rate. The
upper limit of your backup performance should be the aggregate transfer rate of all of
your tape drives. If your backup is already performing at that rate, and if it is not
using an excessive amount of CPU, then RMAN performance tuning does not help.
Tape Compression The level of tape compression is very important for backup
performance. If the tape has good compression, then the sustained backup rate is
faster. For example, if the compression ratio is 2:1 and native transfer rate of the tape
drive is 6 megabytes per second, then the resulting backup speed is 12 megabytes per
second. In this case, RMAN must be able to read disks with a throughput of more than
12 megabytes per second or the disk becomes the bottleneck for the backup.
You should not use both tape compression provided by the
media manager and binary compression provided by RMAN. If the
media manager compression is efficient, then it is usually the better
choice. Using RMAN-compressed backup sets can be an effective
alternative to reduce bandwidth used to move uncompressed
backup sets over a network to the media manager, if the CPU
overhead required to compress the data in RMAN is acceptable.

Note:

Tape Streaming Tape streaming during write operations has a major effect on tape
backup performance. Many tape drives are fixed-speed, streaming tape drives.
Because such drives can write data at only one speed, when they run out of data to
write to tape, the tape must slow and stop. Typically, when the drive's buffer empties,
the tape is moving so quickly that it actually overshoots; to continue writing, the drive
must rewind the tape to locate the point where it stopped writing. Multiple speed tape
drives are now available that alleviate this problem.
Physical Tape Block Size The physical tape block size can affect backup performance.
The block size is the amount of data written by media management software to a tape
in one write operation. In general, the larger the tape block size, the faster the backup.
The physical tape block size is not controlled by RMAN or Oracle database, but by
media management software. See your media management software's documentation
for details.

Write Phase for Disk
The principal factor affecting the write phase for disk is the buffer size. When the
output of the backup resides on disk, each channel allocates four output buffers of 1
MB each. The disk channel writes the blocks to the disk subsystem. When restoring
files, the read phase is similar to the write phase when backing up files, except the
blocks move in the opposite direction.
If RMAN reads from a disk asynchronously, then it writes to the disk asynchronously.
When writing to disk, you can make use of disk I/O slaves just as when reading from
disk.

Tuning RMAN Performance

22-9

Using V$ Views to Diagnose RMAN Performance Problems

If RMAN is backing up files to a disk-based output destination striped over multiple
disks, then you can allocate multiple channels. The number of channels is limited only
to the number of disks over which the destination is striped. ASM is one example of a
destination striped over multiple disks.

Using V$ Views to Diagnose RMAN Performance Problems
Typically, you begin the tuning process by using V$ views to determine where RMAN
backup and restore operations are encountering problems.

Monitoring RMAN Job Progress with V$SESSION_LONGOPS
You can monitor the progress of backups and restore jobs by querying the view
V$SESSION_LONGOPS. RMAN uses two types of rows in V$SESSION_LONGOPS: detail rows
and aggregate rows.
Detail rows describe the files being processed by one job step, whereas aggregate rows
describe the files processed by all job steps in an RMAN command. A job step is the
creation or restoration of one backup set or data file copy. Detail rows are updated
with every buffer that is read or written during the backup step, so their granularity of
update is small. Aggregate rows are updated when each job step completes, so their
granularity of update is large.
Table 22–2 describes the columns in V$SESSION_LONGOPS that are most relevant for
RMAN. Typically, you view the detail rows rather than the aggregate rows to
determine the progress of each backup set.
Table 22–2

Columns of V$SESSION_LONGOPS Relevant for RMAN

Column

Description for Detail Rows

SID

The server session ID corresponding to an RMAN channel

SERIAL#

The server session serial number. This value changes each time a server
session is reused.

OPNAME

A text description of the row. Examples of details rows include RMAN:
datafile copy, RMAN: full datafile backup, and RMAN: full datafile
restore.
Note: RMAN: aggregate input and RMAN: aggregate output are the only
aggregate rows.

CONTEXT

For backup output rows, this value is 2. For all other rows except proxy
copy (which does not update this column), the value is 1.

SOFAR

The meaning of this column depends on the type of operation described by
this row:
■
■

■

■

■

For image copies, the number of blocks that have been read
For backup input rows, the number of blocks that have been read from
the files being backed up
For backup output rows, the number of blocks that have been written
to the backup piece
For restores, the number of blocks that have been processed to the files
that are being restored in this one job step
For proxy copies, the number of files that have been copied

22-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Using V$ Views to Diagnose RMAN Performance Problems

Table 22–2 (Cont.) Columns of V$SESSION_LONGOPS Relevant for RMAN
Column

Description for Detail Rows

TOTALWORK

The meaning of this column depends on the type of operation described by
this row:
■
■

■

■

■

For image copies, the total number of blocks in the file.
For backup input rows, the total number of blocks to be read from all
files processed in this job step.
For backup output rows, the value is 0 because RMAN does not know
how many blocks that it will write into any backup piece.
For restores, the total number of blocks in all files restored in this job
step.
For proxy copies, the total number of files to be copied in this job step.

Each server session performing a backup or restore job reports its progress compared
to the total work required for a job step. For example, if you restore the database with
two channels, and each channel has two backup sets to restore (a total of four sets),
then each server session reports its progress through a single backup set. When a set is
completely restored, RMAN begins reporting progress on the next set to restore.
To monitor RMAN job progress:
1. Before starting the RMAN job, create a script file (called, for this example,
longops) containing the following SQL statement:
SELECT SID, SERIAL#, CONTEXT, SOFAR, TOTALWORK,
ROUND(SOFAR/TOTALWORK*100,2) "%_COMPLETE"
FROM
V$SESSION_LONGOPS
WHERE OPNAME LIKE 'RMAN%'
AND
OPNAME NOT LIKE '%aggregate%'
AND
TOTALWORK != 0
AND
SOFAR <> TOTALWORK;
2.

Start RMAN and connect to the target database and recovery catalog (if used).

3.

Start an RMAN job. For example, enter:
RMAN> RESTORE DATABASE;

4.

While the RMAN job is running, start SQL*Plus and connect to the target
database, and execute the longops script to check the progress of the RMAN job. If
you repeat the query while the RMAN job progresses, then you see output such as
the following:
SQL> @longops
SID
SERIAL#
CONTEXT
SOFAR TOTALWORK %_COMPLETE
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------8
19
1
10377
36617
28.34
SQL> @longops
SID
SERIAL#
CONTEXT
SOFAR TOTALWORK % COMPLETE
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------8
19
1
21513
36617
58.75
SQL> @longops
SID
SERIAL#
CONTEXT
SOFAR TOTALWORK % COMPLETE
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------8
19
1
29641
36617
80.95

Tuning RMAN Performance 22-11

Using V$ Views to Diagnose RMAN Performance Problems

SQL> @longops
SID
SERIAL#
CONTEXT
SOFAR TOTALWORK % COMPLETE
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------8
19
1
35849
36617
97.9
SQL> @longops
no rows selected
5.

If you run the longops script at intervals of 2 minutes or more and the %_COMPLETE
column does not increase, then RMAN is encountering a problem. See "Monitoring
RMAN Interaction with the Media Manager" on page 23-7 to obtain more
information.

If you frequently monitor the execution of long-running tasks, then you could create a
shell script or batch file under your host operating system that runs SQL*Plus to
execute this query repeatedly.

Identifying Bottlenecks with V$BACKUP_SYNC_IO and V$BACKUP_ASYNC_IO
You can use the V$BACKUP_SYNC_IO and V$BACKUP_ASYNC_IO views to determine the
source of backup or restore bottlenecks and to see detailed progress of backup jobs.
V$BACKUP_SYNC_IO contains rows when the I/O is synchronous to the process (or
thread on some platforms) performing the backup. V$BACKUP_ASYNC_IO contains rows
when the I/O is asynchronous. Asynchronous I/O is obtained either with I/O
processes or because it is supported by the underlying operating system.
The results of a backup or restore job remain in memory until the database instance
shuts down. Thus, you can query the views after the job completes.
To determine whether the tape is streaming when the I/O is synchronous:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the target database.
2.

Query the EFFECTIVE_BYTES_PER_SECOND column in the V$BACKUP_SYNC_IO or
V$BACKUP_ASYNC_IO view.
If EFFECTIVE_BYTES_PER_SECOND is less than the raw capacity of the hardware,
then the tape is not streaming. If EFFECTIVE_BYTES_PER_SECOND is greater than the
raw capacity of the hardware, the tape may or may not be streaming. Compression
may cause the EFFECTIVE_BYTES_PER_SECOND to be greater than the speed of real
I/O.
See Also: Oracle Database Reference for more information about
these views

Identifying Bottlenecks with Synchronous I/O
With synchronous I/O, it is difficult to identify specific bottlenecks because all
synchronous I/O is a bottleneck to the process. The only way to tune synchronous I/O
is to compare the rate (in bytes per second) with the device's maximum throughput
rate. If the rate is lower than the rate that the device specifies, then consider tuning this
aspect of the backup and restore process.
To determine the rate of synchronous I/O:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the target database.
2.

Query the DISCRETE_BYTES_PER_SECOND column in the V$BACKUP_SYNC_IO view to
display the I/O rate.

22-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Tuning RMAN Backup Performance

If you see data in V$BACKUP_SYNC_IO, then the problem is that you have not
enabled asynchronous I/O or you are not using disk I/O slaves.

Identifying Bottlenecks with Asynchronous I/O
Long waits are the number of times the backup or restore process told the operating
system to wait until an I/O was complete. Short waits are the number of times the
backup or restore process made an operating system call to poll for I/O completion in
a nonblocking mode. Ready indicates the number of times when I/O was already
ready for use, so there was no need to make an operating system call to poll for I/O
completion.
To determine the rate of asynchronous I/O:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the target database.
2.

Query the LONG_WAITS and IO_COUNT columns in the V$BACKUP_SYNC_IO view to
display the I/O rate.
The simplest way to identify the bottleneck is to find the data file that has the
largest ratio for LONG_WAITS divided by IO_COUNT. For example, you can use the
following query:
SELECT
FROM
WHERE
ORDER BY

LONG_WAITS/IO_COUNT, FILENAME
V$BACKUP_ASYNC_IO
LONG_WAITS/IO_COUNT > 0
LONG_WAITS/IO_COUNT DESC;

If you have synchronous I/O but you have set BACKUP_
DISK_IO_SLAVES, then the I/O is displayed in V$BACKUP_ASYNC_IO.

Note:

Oracle Database Reference for descriptions of the
V$BACKUP_SYNC_IO and V$BACKUP_ASYNC_IO views
See Also:

Tuning RMAN Backup Performance
Many factors can affect backup performance. Often, finding the solution to a slow
backup is a process of trial and error. To obtain the best performance for a backup,
follow the steps in this section in sequential order.
This section contains the following steps:
■

Step 1: Remove the RATE Parameter from Channel Settings

■

Step 2: If You Use Synchronous Disk I/O, Set DBWR_IO_SLAVES

■

Step 3: If You Fail to Allocate Shared Memory, Set LARGE_POOL_SIZE

■

Step 4: Tune the Read, Write, and Copy Phases

Step 1: Remove the RATE Parameter from Channel Settings
As explained in "RATE Channel Parameter" on page 22-5, the RATE parameter on a
channel is intended to reduce, rather than increase, backup throughput so that more
disk bandwidth is available for other database operations. If the backup is not
streaming to tape, then confirm that the RATE parameter is not set.
To remove the RATE parameter:
1. Examine your backup script.
Tuning RMAN Performance 22-13

Tuning RMAN Backup Performance

2.

Do one of the following:
■

■

If the backup is in a RUN command, then remove the RATE parameter, if it is
specified, from the ALLOCATE command. Skip the remaining steps.
If the backup is not in a RUN command, then start RMAN, connect to the target
database, and proceed to the next step.

3.

Execute the SHOW ALL command to show the currently configured settings.

4.

Remove the RATE parameter, if it is set, from the CONFIGURE CHANNEL command.

Step 2: If You Use Synchronous Disk I/O, Set DBWR_IO_SLAVES
As explained in "Synchronous and Asynchronous Disk I/O" on page 22-5, some
operating systems support native asynchronous I/O. If and only if your disk does not
support asynchronous I/O, then set DBWR_IO_SLAVES. Any nonzero value for DBWR_IO_
SLAVES causes a fixed number of disk I/O slaves to be used for backup and restore,
which simulates asynchronous I/O.
To enable disk I/O slaves:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the target database.
2.

Shut down the database.

3.

Set DBWR_IO_SLAVES initialization parameter to a nonzero value.
Setting DBWR_IO_SLAVES enables the database writer processes to use slaves. Thus,
you may need to increase the value of the PROCESSES initialization parameter.

4.

Restart the database.

5.

Restart the RMAN backup.

Step 3: If You Fail to Allocate Shared Memory, Set LARGE_POOL_SIZE
Set the LARGE_POOL_SIZE initialization parameter if the database reports an error in the
alert log stating that it does not have enough memory and that it cannot start I/O
slaves. The message should resemble the following:
ksfqxcre: failure to allocate shared memory means sync I/O will be used whenever
async I/O to file not supported natively

The large pool is used for RMAN and for other purposes, so its total size should
accommodate all uses. This is especially true if DBWR_IO_SLAVES has been set and the
DBWR process needs buffers.
To set the large pool size:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the target database.
2.

Optionally, query V$SGASTAT.POOL to determine in which pool (shared pool or
large pool) the memory for an object resides.

3.

Set the LARGE_POOL_SIZE initialization parameter in the target database.
You can execute an ALTER SYSTEM SET statement to set the parameter dynamically.
The formula for setting LARGE_POOL_SIZE is as follows:
LARGE_POOL_SIZE =

4.

number_of_allocated_channels *
(16 MB + ( 4 * size_of_tape_buffer ) )

Restart the RMAN backup.

22-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Tuning RMAN Backup Performance

See Also: Oracle Database Concepts for more information about the
large pool, and Oracle Database Reference for complete information
about initialization parameters

Step 4: Tune the Read, Write, and Copy Phases
There are several tasks that you can perform to identify and remedy bottlenecks that
affect backup performance.

Using Backup Validation To Distinguish Between Read and Write Bottlenecks
One reliable way to determine whether the output device or input disk I/O is the
bottleneck in a given backup job is to compare the time required to run backup tasks
with the time required to run BACKUP VALIDATE of the same tasks. BACKUP VALIDATE of
a backup performs the same disk reads as a real backup but performs no I/O to an
output device.
To compare backup and validation times:
1. Ensure your NLS environment date format variable is set to show the time. For
example, set the NLS variables as follows:
setenv NLS_LANG AMERICAN_AMERICA.WE8DEC;
setenv NLS_DATE_FORMAT "MM/DD/YYYY HH24:MI:SS"
2.

Edit your backup script to use the BACKUP VALIDATE command instead of the
BACKUP command.

3.

Run the backup script.

4.

Examine the RMAN output and calculate the difference between the times
displayed in the Starting backup at and Finished backup at messages.

5.

Edit the backup script to use the BACKUP command instead of the BACKUP VALIDATE
command.

6.

Run the backup script.

7.

Examine the RMAN output and calculate the difference between the times
displayed in the Starting backup at and Finished backup at messages.

8.

Compare the backup times for the validation and real backup.
If the time for the BACKUP VALIDATE to tape is about the same as the time for a real
backup to tape, then reading from disk is the likely bottleneck. See "Tuning the
Read Phase" on page 22-15.
If the time for the BACKUP VALIDATE to tape is significantly less than the time for a
real backup to tape, then writing to the output device is the likely bottleneck. See
"Tuning the Copy and Write Phases" on page 22-16.

Tuning the Read Phase
RMAN may not be able to send data blocks to the output device fast enough to keep it
occupied. For example, during an incremental backup, RMAN only backs up blocks
changed since a previous data file backup as part of the same strategy. If you do not
turn on block change tracking, then RMAN must scan whole data files for changed
blocks, and fill output buffers as it finds such blocks. If few blocks changed, and if
RMAN is making an SBT backup, then RMAN may not fill output buffers fast enough
to keep the tape drive streaming.

Tuning RMAN Performance 22-15

Tuning RMAN Backup Performance

You can improve backup performance by adjusting the level of multiplexing, which is
number of input files simultaneously read and then written into the same RMAN
backup piece. The level of multiplexing is the minimum of the MAXOPENFILES setting
on the channel and the number of input files placed in each backup set. The following
table makes recommendations for adjusting the level of multiplexing.
Table 22–3

Adjusting the Level of Multiplexing

ASM

Striped Disk

Recommendation

No

Yes

Increase the level of multiplexing. Determine which is the
minimum, MAXOPENFILES or the number of files in each backup
set, and then increase this value.
In this way, you increase the rate at which RMAN fills tape
buffers, which makes it more likely that buffers are sent to the
media manager fast enough to maintain streaming.

No

No

Increase the MAXOPENFILES setting on the channel.

Yes

Not
applicable

Set the MAXOPENFILES parameter on the channel to 1 or 2.

See Also:
■

■

"Multiplexed Backup Sets" on page 8-7 to learn how the
MAXOPENFILES and FILESPERSET settings affect the level of
multiplexing
"Incremental Backups" on page 8-13 for a conceptual overview

Tuning the Copy and Write Phases
If the read phase is performing well, then the copy or write phases are probably the
bottleneck. In particular, if RMAN is sending data blocks to the tape drive fast enough
to support streaming, but the tape is not streaming, then the SBT write phase is the
bottleneck. Try to improve performance as follows:
■

If the backup is a full backup, then consider using incremental backups.
Incremental level 1 backups write only the changed blocks from data files to tape,
so that any bottleneck on writing to tape has less impact on your overall backup
strategy. In particular, if tape drives are not locally attached to the node of the
database being backed up, then incremental backups can be faster. See "Making
and Updating Incremental Backups" on page 9-14.

■

If the backup uses the basic compression algorithm, then consider using an
Advanced Compression Option.
See "Configuring Compression Options" on page 6-6 or "Binary Compression for
Backup Sets" on page 8-4.

■

■

If the database host uses multiple CPUs, and if the backup uses binary
compression, then increase the number of channels.
If the backup is encrypted, then change the encryption algorithm to AES128.
The AES128 algorithm is the least CPU-intensive algorithm. See "Configuring the
Backup Encryption Algorithm" on page 6-11.

■

If RMAN is backing up to tape, then try the following adjustments:
–

Adjust the size of the tape I/O buffers.

22-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Tuning RMAN Backup Performance

Use the PARMS and BLKSIZE parameters of the ALLOCATE CHANNEL or CONFIGURE
CHANNEL command to set the size. The size of the tape I/O buffers is
platform-dependent. The BLKSIZE setting overrides the default.
–

Adjust settings in the media management software.
Some media manager settings, including the tape block size, may affect
backup performance.

■

If RMAN is backing up files to ASM, then increase the number of channels.
For example, if RMAN is backing up the database to a single disk group with 16
physical disks, then allocate or configure at least 4 disk channels, up to a
maximum of 16.

Tuning RMAN Performance 22-17

Tuning RMAN Backup Performance

22-18 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

23
Troubleshooting RMAN Operations
23

This chapter describes how to troubleshoot Recovery Manager. This chapter contains
the following topics:
■

Interpreting RMAN Message Output

■

Using V$ Views for RMAN Troubleshooting

■

Testing the Media Management API

■

Terminating an RMAN Command

Interpreting RMAN Message Output
Recovery Manager provides detailed error messages that can aid in troubleshooting
problems. Also, Oracle Database and the third-party media vendors generate useful
debugging output of their own. The following discussion explains how to identify and
interpret the different errors that you may encounter.

Identifying Types of Message Output
Output that is useful for troubleshooting failed or unresponsive RMAN jobs is located
in several different places, as explained in Table 23–1.

Table 23–1

Types of Message Output

Type of Output

Produced By

Location

Description

RMAN messages

RMAN

Completed job information is in
V$RMAN_STATUS and RC_RMAN_
STATUS. Current job information
is in V$RMAN_OUTPUT.

Contains actions relevant to the RMAN job and error
messages generated by RMAN, the database server,
and the media vendor. RMAN error messages have
an RMAN- prefix. Normal action descriptions do not
have a prefix.

When running RMAN from the
command line, you can direct
output to the following places:
■
■

■

alert_SID.log

Oracle Database

You can execute the following PL/SQL to remove all
entries from V$RMAN_STATUS:

Standard output

SYS.DBMS_BACKUP_RESTORE.resetCfileSection(28);

A log file specified by LOG
on the command line or the
SPOOL LOG command

The preceding function removes all job-related
entries. No rows are visible until new backup jobs are
shown in V$RMAN_BACKUP_JOB_DETAILS.

A file created by redirecting
RMAN output (for example,
in UNIX, using the'>'
operator)

The alert subdirectory of the
Automatic Diagnostic
Repository (ADR) home

Contains a chronological log of errors, initialization
parameter settings, and administration operations.
Records values for overwritten control file records.

Troubleshooting RMAN Operations

23-1

Interpreting RMAN Message Output

Table 23–1 (Cont.) Types of Message Output
Type of Output

Produced By

Location

Description

Oracle trace file

Oracle Database

The trace subdirectory of the
ADR home

Contains detailed output generated by Oracle
Database processes. This file is created when an
ORA-600 or ORA-3113 error message occurs, whenever
RMAN cannot allocate a channel, and when the
database fails to load the media management library.

sbtio.log

Third-party
media
management
software

The trace subdirectory of the
ADR home

Contains vendor-specific information written by the
media management software. This log does not
contain Oracle Database or RMAN errors.

Media manager
log file

Third-party
media
management
software

The file names for any media
manager logs other than
sbtio.log are determined by the
media management software.

Contains information about the functioning of the
media management device

Recognizing RMAN Error Message Stacks
RMAN reports errors as they occur. If an error is not retrievable, that is, if RMAN
cannot perform failover to another channel to complete a particular job step, then
RMAN also reports a summary of the errors after all job sets complete. This feature is
known as deferred error reporting.
One way to determine whether RMAN encountered an error is to examine its return
code, as described in "Identifying RMAN Return Codes" on page 23-7. A second way
is to search the RMAN output for the string RMAN-00569, which is the message number
for the error stack banner. All RMAN errors are preceded by this error message. If you
do not see an RMAN-00569 message in the output, then there are no errors.
Example 23–1 shows a syntax error.
Example 23–1

RMAN Syntax Error

RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00558: error encountered while parsing input commands
RMAN-01005: syntax error: found ")": expecting one of: "archivelog, backup,
backupset, controlfilecopy, current, database, datafile, datafilecopy, (, plus, ;,
tablespace"
RMAN-01007: at line 1 column 18 file: standard input

Identifying Error Codes
Typically, you find the following types of error codes in RMAN message stacks:
■

Errors prefixed with RMAN-

■

Errors prefixed with ORA-

■

Errors preceded by the line Additional information:
See Also: Oracle Database Error Messages for explanations of RMAN
and ORA error codes

RMAN Error Message Numbers
Table 23–2 indicates the error ranges for common RMAN error messages, all of which
are described in Oracle Database Error Messages.

23-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Interpreting RMAN Message Output

Table 23–2

RMAN Error Message Ranges

Error Range

Cause

0550-0999

Command-line interpreter

1000-1999

Keyword analyzer

2000-2999

Syntax analyzer

3000-3999

Main layer

4000-4999

Services layer

5000-5499

Compilation of RESTORE or RECOVER command

5500-5999

Compilation of DUPLICATE command

6000-6999

General compilation

7000-7999

General execution

8000-8999

PL/SQL programs

9000-9999

Low-level keyword analyzer

10000-10999

Server-side execution

11000-11999

Interphase errors between PL/SQL and RMAN

12000-12999

Recovery catalog packages

ORA-19511: Media Manager Errors
If a media manager error occurs, ORA-19511 is signaled, and the media manager is
expected to provide RMAN a descriptive error. RMAN displays the error passed back
to it by the media manager. For example, you might see this:
ORA-19511: Error received from media manager layer, error text:
sbtpvt_open_input: file .* does not exist or cannot be accessed, errno = 2

The message from the media manager should provide you with enough information to
let you fix the root problem. If it does not, you should refer to the documentation for
your media manager or contact your media management vendor support
representative for further information. ORA-19511 errors originate with the media
manager, not with Oracle Database. The database just passes the message on from the
media manager. The cause can be addressed only by the media management vendor.
If you are still using an SBT 1.1-compliant media management layer, you may see
some additional error message text. Output from an SBT 1.1-compliant media
management layer is similar to the following:
ORA-19507: failed to retrieve sequential file, handle="c-140148591-20031014-06",
parms=""
ORA-27007: failed to open file
Additional information: 7000
Additional information: 2
ORA-19511: Error received from media manager layer, error text:
SBT error = 7000, errno = 0, sbtopen: backup file not found

The "Additional information" provided uses error codes specific to SBT 1.1. The values
displayed correspond to the media manager message numbers and error text listed in
Table 23–3. RMAN again signals the error, as an ORA-19511 Error received from
media manager layer error, and a general error message related to the error code
returned from the media manager and including the SBT 1.1 error number is then
displayed.

Troubleshooting RMAN Operations

23-3

Interpreting RMAN Message Output

The SBT 1.1 error messages are listed here for your reference. Table 23–3 lists media
manager message numbers and their corresponding error text. In the error codes, O/S
stands for operating system. The errors marked with an asterisk (*) are internal and
should not typically be seen during normal operation.
Table 23–3

Media Manager Error Message Ranges

Cause

No.

Message

sbtopen

7000

Backup file not found (only returned for read)

7001

File exists (only returned for write)

7002*

Bad mode specified

7003

Invalid block size specified

7004

No tape device found

7005

Device found, but busy; try again later

7006

Tape volume not found

7007

Tape volume is in-use

7008

I/O Error

7009

Can't connect with Media Manager

7010

Permission denied

7011

O/S error for example malloc, fork error

7012*

Invalid argument(s) to sbtopen

7020*

Invalid file handle or file not open

7021*

Invalid flags to sbtclose

7022

I/O error

7023

O/S error

7024*

Invalid argument(s) to sbtclose

7025

Can't connect with Media Manager

7040*

Invalid file handle or file not open

7041

End of volume reached

7042

I/O error

7043

O/S error

7044*

Invalid argument(s) to sbtwrite

sbtclose

sbtwrite

sbtread

sbtremove

7060*

Invalid file handle or file not open

7061

EOF encountered

7062

End of volume reached

7063

I/O error

7064

O/S error

7065*

Invalid argument(s) to sbtread

7080

Backup file not found

7081

Backup file in use

7082

I/O Error

7083

Can't connect with Media Manager

7084

Permission denied

7085

O/S error

7086*

Invalid argument(s) to sbtremove

23-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Interpreting RMAN Message Output

Table 23–3 (Cont.) Media Manager Error Message Ranges
Cause

No.

Message

sbtinfo

7090

Backup file not found

7091

I/O Error

7092

Can't connect with Media Manager

7093

Permission denied

7094

O/S error

7095*

Invalid argument(s) to sbtinfo

7110*

Invalid argument(s) to sbtinit

7111

O/S error

sbtinit

Interpreting RMAN Error Stacks
Sometimes you may find it difficult to identify the useful messages in the RMAN error
stack. Note the following tips and suggestions:
■

■

■

■

Read the messages from the bottom up, because this is the order in which RMAN
issues the messages. The last one or two errors displayed in the stack are often the
most informative.
When you are using an SBT 1.1 media management layer and you are presented
with SBT 1.1 style error messages containing the "Additional information:"
numeric error codes, look for the ORA-19511 message that follows for the text of
error messages passed back to RMAN by the media manager. These should
identify the real failure in the media management layer.
Look for the RMAN-03002 or RMAN-03009 message (RMAN-03009 is the same as
RMAN-03002 but includes the channel ID), immediately following the error banner.
These messages indicate which command failed. Syntax errors generate
RMAN-00558.
Identify the basic type of error according to the error range chart in Table 23–2 and
then refer to Oracle Database Error Messages for information about the most
important messages.

Interpreting RMAN Errors: Example
You attempt a backup of tablespace users and receive the following message:
Starting backup at 29-AUG-02
using channel ORA_DISK_1
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03002: failure of backup command at 08/29/2002 15:14:03
RMAN-20202: tablespace not found in the recovery catalog
RMAN-06019: could not translate tablespace name "USESR"

The RMAN-03002 error indicates that the BACKUP command failed. You read the last two
messages in the stack first and immediately see the problem: no tablespace usesr
appears in the recovery catalog because you mistyped the name.

Interpreting Server Errors: Example
Assume that you attempt to recover a tablespace and receive the following errors:
RMAN> RECOVER TABLESPACE users;

Troubleshooting RMAN Operations

23-5

Interpreting RMAN Message Output

Starting recover at 29-AUG-07
using channel ORA_DISK_1
starting media recovery
media recovery failed
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03002: failure of recover command at 08/29/2007 15:18:43
RMAN-11003: failure during parse/execution of SQL statement: alter database
recover if needed tablespace USERS
ORA-00283: recovery session canceled due to errors
ORA-01124: cannot recover data file 8 - file is in use or recovery
ORA-01110: data file 8: '/oracle/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf'

As suggested, you start reading from the bottom up. The ORA-01110 message explains
there was a problem with the recovery of data file users01.dbf. The second error
indicates that the database cannot recover the data file because it is in use or already
being recovered. The remaining RMAN errors indicate that the recovery session was
canceled due to the server errors. Hence, you conclude that because you were not
already recovering this data file, the problem must be that the data file is online and
you must take it offline and restore a backup.

Interpreting SBT 2.0 Media Management Errors: Example
Assume that you use a tape drive and see the following output during a backup job:
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
ORA-19624: operation failed, retry possible
ORA-19507: failed to retrieve sequential file, handle="/tmp/mydir", parms=""
ORA-27029: skgfrtrv: sbtrestore returned error
ORA-19511: Error received from media manager layer, error text:
sbtpvt_open_input:file /tmp/mydir does not exist or cannot be accessed, errno=2

The error text displayed following the ORA-19511 error is generated by the media
manager and describes the real source of the failure. See the media manager
documentation to interpret this error.

Interpreting SBT 1.1 Media Management Errors: Example
Assume that you use a tape drive and see the following output during a backup job:
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03009: failure of backup command on c1 channel at 09/04/2007 13:18:19
ORA-19506: failed to create sequential file, name="07d36ecp_1_1", parms=""
ORA-27007: failed to open file
SVR4 Error: 2: No such file or directory
Additional information: 7005
Additional information: 1
ORA-19511: Error received from media manager layer, error text:
SBT error = 7005, errno = 2, sbtopen: system error

The main information of interest returned by SBT 1.1 media managers is the error code
in the "Additional information" line:
Additional information: 7005

23-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Using V$ Views for RMAN Troubleshooting

Referring to Table 23–3, you discover that error 7005 means that the media
management device is busy. So, the media management software is not able to write to
the device because it is in use or there is a problem with it.
The sbtio.log contains information written by the media
management software, not Oracle Database. Thus, you must consult
your media vendor documentation to interpret the error codes and
messages. If no information is written to the sbtio.log, then
contact your media manager support to ask whether they are
writing error messages in some other location, or whether there are
steps you must take to have the media manager errors appear in
sbtio.log.
Note:

Identifying RMAN Return Codes
One way to determine whether RMAN encountered an error is to examine its return
code or exit status. The RMAN client returns 0 to the shell from which it was invoked
if no errors occurred, and a nonzero error value otherwise.
How you access this return code depends upon the environment from which you
invoked the RMAN client. For example, if you run UNIX with the C shell, then, when
RMAN completes, the return code is placed in a shell variable called $status. The
method of returning exit status is a detail specific to the host operating system rather
than the RMAN client.

Using V$ Views for RMAN Troubleshooting
When LIST, REPORT, and SHOW do not provide all the information that you need for
RMAN operations, some V$ views can provide more details.
Sometimes it is useful to identify exactly what a server session performing a backup
and recovery job is doing. The views described in Table 23–4 are useful for obtaining
information about RMAN jobs.
Table 23–4

Useful V$ Views for Troubleshooting

View

Description

V$PROCESS

Identifies currently active processes

V$SESSION

Identifies currently active sessions. Use this view to determine which
database server sessions correspond to which RMAN allocated
channels.

V$SESSION_WAIT

Lists the events or resources for which sessions are waiting

You can use the preceding views to perform the following tasks:
■

Monitoring RMAN Interaction with the Media Manager

■

Correlating Server Sessions with RMAN Channels

Monitoring RMAN Interaction with the Media Manager
You can use the event names in the dynamic performance event views to monitor
RMAN calls to the media management API. The event names have one-to-one
correspondence with SBT functions, as shown in the following examples:

Troubleshooting RMAN Operations

23-7

Using V$ Views for RMAN Troubleshooting

Backup:
Backup:
Backup:
Backup:
Backup:
Backup:
.
.
.

MML
MML
MML
MML
MML
MML

v1
v1
v1
v1
v1
v1

open backup piece
read backup piece
write backup piece
query backup piece
delete backup piece
close backup piece

To obtain the complete list of SBT events, you can use the following query:
SELECT NAME
FROM
V$EVENT_NAME
WHERE NAME LIKE '%MML%';

Before making a call to any of functions in the media management API, the server
adds a row in V$SESSION_WAIT, with the STATE column including the string WAITING.
The V$SESSION_WAIT.SECONDS_IN_WAIT column shows the number of seconds that the
server has been waiting for this call to return. After an SBT function is returned from
the media manager, this row disappears.
A row in V$SESSION_WAIT corresponding to an SBT event name does not indicate a
problem, because the server updates these rows at run time. The rows appear and
disappear as calls are made and returned. However, if the SECONDS_IN_WAIT column is
high, then the media manager may be suspended.
To monitor the SBT events, you can run the following SQL query:
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN

EVENT FORMAT a17
SECONDS_IN_WAIT FORMAT 999
STATE FORMAT a15
CLIENT_INFO FORMAT a30

SELECT p.SPID, s.EVENT, s.SECONDS_IN_WAIT AS SEC_WAIT,
sw.STATE, s.CLIENT_INFO
FROM
V$SESSION_WAIT sw, V$SESSION s, V$PROCESS p
WHERE sw.EVENT LIKE '%MML%'
AND
s.SID=sw.SID
AND
s.PADDR=p.ADDR;

Examine the SQL output to determine which SBT functions are waiting. For example,
the following output indicates that RMAN has been waiting for the sbtbackup
function to return for 10 minutes:
SPID EVENT
SEC_WAIT
STATE
CLIENT_INFO
---- ----------------- ---------- --------------- -----------------------------8642 Backup: MML creat 600
WAITING
rman channel=ORA_SBT_TAPE_1

Note: The V$SESSION_WAIT view shows only database events, not
media manager events.

Oracle Database Reference for descriptions of the
V$SESSION_WAIT view.
See Also:

Correlating Server Sessions with RMAN Channels
To identify which server sessions correspond to which RMAN channels, you can query
V$SESSION and V$PROCESS. The SPID column of V$PROCESS identifies the operating
system ID number for the process or thread. For example, on UNIX the SPID column
23-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Using V$ Views for RMAN Troubleshooting

shows the process ID, whereas on Windows the SPID column shows the thread ID. You
have two basic methods for obtaining this information, depending on whether you
have multiple RMAN sessions active concurrently.

Matching Server Sessions with Channels When One RMAN Session Is Active
When only one RMAN session is active, the easiest method for determining the server
session ID for an RMAN channel is to execute the following query on the target
database while the RMAN job is executing:
COLUMN CLIENT_INFO FORMAT a30
COLUMN SID FORMAT 999
COLUMN SPID FORMAT 9999
SELECT
FROM
WHERE
AND

s.SID, p.SPID, s.CLIENT_INFO
V$PROCESS p, V$SESSION s
p.ADDR = s.PADDR
CLIENT_INFO LIKE 'rman%';

The following shows sample output:
SID SPID
CLIENT_INFO
---- ------------ -----------------------------14 8374
rman channel=ORA_SBT_TAPE_1

If you set an ID using the RMAN SET COMMAND ID command instead of using the
system-generated default ID, then search for that value in the CLIENT_INFO column
instead of 'rman%'.

Matching Server Sessions with Channels in Multiple RMAN Sessions
If more than one RMAN session is active, then it is possible for the V$SESSION.CLIENT_
INFO column to yield the same information for a channel in each session. For example:
SID
---14
9

SPID
-----------8374
8642

CLIENT_INFO
-----------------------------rman channel=ORA_SBT_TAPE_1
rman channel=ORA_SBT_TAPE_1

In this case, you have the following methods for determining which channel
corresponds to which SID value.
Obtaining the Channel ID from the RMAN Output In this method, you must first obtain the
sid values from the RMAN output and then use these values in your SQL query.
To correlate a process with a channel during a backup:
1.

In an active session, run the RMAN job as usual and examine the output to get the
sid for the channel. For example, the output may show:
Starting backup at 21-AUG-01
allocated channel: ORA_SBT_TAPE_1
channel ORA_SBT_TAPE_1: sid=14 devtype=SBT_TAPE

2.

Start a SQL*Plus session and then query the joined V$SESSION and V$PROCESS
views while the RMAN job is executing. For example, enter:
COLUMN CLIENT_INFO FORMAT a30
COLUMN SID FORMAT 999
COLUMN SPID FORMAT 9999
SELECT s.SID, p.SPID, s.CLIENT_INFO

Troubleshooting RMAN Operations

23-9

Using V$ Views for RMAN Troubleshooting

FROM
WHERE
AND
/

V$PROCESS p, V$SESSION s
p.ADDR = s.PADDR
CLIENT_INFO LIKE 'rman%'

Use the sid value obtained from the first step to determine which channel
corresponds to which server session:
SID
---------14
12

SPID
-----------2036
2066

CLIENT_INFO
-----------------------------rman channel=ORA_SBT_TAPE_1
rman channel=ORA_SBT_TAPE_1

Correlating Server Sessions with Channels by Using SET COMMAND ID In this method, you
specify a command ID string in the RMAN backup script. You can then query
V$SESSION.CLIENT_INFO for this string.
To correlate a process with a channel during a backup:
1.

In each session, set the COMMAND ID to a different value after allocating the channels
and then back up the desired object. For example, enter the following in session 1:
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 TYPE disk;
SET COMMAND ID TO 'sess1';
BACKUP DATABASE;
}

Set the command ID to a string such as sess2 in the job running in session 2:
RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 TYPE sbt;
SET COMMAND ID TO 'sess2';
BACKUP DATABASE;
}
2.

Start a SQL*Plus session and then query the joined V$SESSION and V$PROCESS
views while the RMAN job is executing. For example, enter:
SELECT
FROM
WHERE
AND

SID, SPID, CLIENT_INFO
V$PROCESS p, V$SESSION s
p.ADDR = s.PADDR
CLIENT_INFO LIKE '%id=sess%';

If you run the SET COMMAND ID command in the RMAN job, then the CLIENT_INFO
column displays in the following format:
id=command_id,rman channel=channel_id

For example, the following shows sample output:
SID
---11
15
14
9

SPID
-----------8358
8638
8374
8642

CLIENT_INFO
-----------------------------id=sess1
id=sess2
id=sess1,rman channel=c1
id=sess2,rman channel=c1

The rows that contain the string rman channel show the channel performing the
backup. The remaining rows are for the connections to the target database.

23-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Testing the Media Management API

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for SET
COMMAND ID syntax, and Oracle Database Reference for more
information about V$SESSION and V$PROCESS
See Also:

Testing the Media Management API
On some platforms, Oracle provides a diagnostic tool called sbttest. This utility
performs a simple test of the media management software by acting as the Oracle
database server and attempting to communicate with the media manager.

Obtaining the sbttest Utility
On UNIX, the sbttest utility is typically located in $ORACLE_HOME/bin. If for some
reason the utility is not included with your platform, then contact Oracle Support
Services to obtain the C version of the program. You can compile this version of the
program on all UNIX platforms.
On platforms such as Solaris, you do not have to relink when using sbttest. On other
platforms, relinking may be necessary.

Obtaining Online Documentation for the sbttest Utility
For online documentation of sbttest, issue the following on the command line:
% sbttest

The program displays the list of possible arguments for the program:
Error: backup file name must be specified
Usage: sbttest backup_file_name # this is the only required parameter
<-dbname database_name>
<-trace trace_file_name>
<-remove_before>
<-no_remove_after>
<-read_only>
<-no_regular_backup_restore>
<-no_proxy_backup>
<-no_proxy_restore>
<-file_type n>
<-copy_number n>
<-media_pool n>
<-os_res_size n>
<-pl_res_size n>
<-block_size block_size>
<-block_count block_count>
<-proxy_file os_file_name bk_file_name
[os_res_size pl_res_size block_size block_count]>
<-libname sbt_library_name>

The display also indicates the meaning of each argument. For example, following is
the description for two optional parameters:
Optional parameters:
-dbname specifies the database name which will be used by SBT
to identify the backup file. The default is "sbtdb"
-trace
specifies the name of a file where the Media Management
software will write diagnostic messages.

Troubleshooting RMAN Operations 23-11

Terminating an RMAN Command

Using the sbttest Utility
Use sbttest to perform a quick test of the media manager.
If sbttest returns 0, then the test ran without error, which means that the media
manager is correctly installed and can accept a data stream and return the same data
when requested. If sbttest returns a nonzero value, then either the media manager is
not installed or it is not configured correctly.
To use sbttest:
1.

Confirm that the program is installed and included in the system path by typing
sbttest at the command line:
% sbttest

If the program is operational, then you should see a display of the online
documentation.
2.

Execute the program, specifying any of the arguments described in the online
documentation. For example, enter the following to create test file some_file.f
and write the output to sbtio.log:
% sbttest some_file.f -trace sbtio.log

You can also test a backup of an existing data file. For example, this command
tests data file tbs_33.f of database prod:
% sbttest tbs_33.f -dbname prod
3.

Examine the output. If the program encounters an error, then it provides messages
describing the failure. For example, if the database cannot find the library, you see:
libobk.so could not be loaded. Check that it is installed properly, and that
LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable (or its equivalent on your platform)
includes the directory where this file can be found. Here is some additional
information on the cause of this error:
ld.so.1: sbttest: fatal: libobk.so: open failed: No such file or directory

In some cases, sbttest can work but an RMAN backup does not. The reasons can be
the following:
■
■

■

The user who starts sbttest is not the owner of the Oracle Database processes.
If the database server is not linked with the media management library or cannot
load it dynamically when needed, then RMAN backups to the media manager fail,
but sbttest may still work.
The sbttest program passes all environment parameters from the shell but
RMAN does not.

Terminating an RMAN Command
There are several ways to terminate an RMAN command in the middle of execution:
■

■

The preferred method is to press Control+C (or the equivalent "attention" key
combination for your system) in the RMAN interface. This also terminates
allocated channels, unless they are suspended in the media management code, as
happens when, for example, they are waiting for a tape to be mounted.
You can end the server session corresponding to the RMAN channel by running
the SQL ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION statement.

23-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Terminating an RMAN Command

■

You can terminate the server session corresponding to the RMAN channel on the
operating system.

Terminating the Session with ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION
You can identify the Oracle session ID for an RMAN channel by looking in the RMAN
log for messages with the format shown in the following example:
channel ch1: sid=15 devtype=SBT_TAPE

The sid and devtype are displayed for each allocated channel. The Oracle Database
sid is different from the operating system process ID. You can end the session using a
SQL ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION statement.
ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION takes two arguments, the sid printed in the RMAN
message and a serial number, both of which can be obtained by querying V$SESSION.
For example, run the following statement, where sid_in_rman_output is the number
from the RMAN message:
SELECT SERIAL#
FROM
V$SESSION
WHERE SID=sid_in_rman_output;

Then, run the following statement, substituting the sid_in_rman_output and serial
number obtained from the query:
ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION 'sid_in_rman_output,serial#';

This statement has no effect on the session if the session stopped in media manager
code.

Terminating the Session at the Operating System Level
Finding and terminating the processes that are associated with the server sessions is
operating system-specific. On some platforms, the server sessions are not associated
with any processes at all. See your operating system-specific documentation for more
information.

Terminating an RMAN Session That Is Not Responding in the Media Manager
You may sometimes need to terminate an RMAN job that is not responding in the
media manager. The best way to terminate RMAN when the channel connections are
not responding in the media manager is to terminate the session in the media
manager. If this action does not solve the problem, then on some platforms, such as
Linux, you may be able to terminate the Oracle Database processes of the connections.
(Terminating the Oracle processes may cause problems with the media manager. See
your media manager documentation for details.)

Components of an RMAN Session
The nature of an RMAN session depends on the operating system. In UNIX, an RMAN
session has the following processes associated with it:
■

The RMAN client process itself

■

The default channel, the initial connection to the target database

■

One target connection to the target database corresponding to each allocated
channel

Troubleshooting RMAN Operations 23-13

Terminating an RMAN Command

■

■

■

The catalog connection to the recovery catalog database, if you use a recovery
catalog
An auxiliary connection to an auxiliary instance, during DUPLICATE or TSPITR
operations
A polling connection to the target database, used for monitoring RMAN command
execution on the various allocated channels. By default, RMAN makes one polling
connection. RMAN makes additional polling connections if you use different
connect strings in the ALLOCATE CHANNEL or CONFIGURE CHANNEL commands. One
polling connection exists for each distinct connect string used in the ALLOCATE
CHANNEL or CONFIGURE CHANNEL command.

Process Behavior During a Suspended Job
RMAN usually stops responding because a channel connection is waiting in the media
manager code for a tape resource. The catalog connection and the default channel
appear to suspend, because they are waiting for RMAN to tell them what to do.
Polling connections seem to be in an infinite loop while polling the RPC under the
control of the RMAN process.
If you terminate the RMAN process itself, then you also terminate the catalog
connection, the auxiliary connection, the default channel, and the polling connections.
If target and auxiliary connections are suspended but not while executing media
manager code, they also terminate. If either the target connection or any of the
auxiliary connections are executing in the media management layer, then they do not
terminate until the processes are manually terminated at the operating system level.
Not all media managers can detect the termination of the Oracle Database process.
Those which cannot may keep resources busy or continue processing. Consult your
media manager documentation for details.
Terminating the catalog connection does not cause the RMAN process to terminate
because RMAN is not performing catalog operations while the backup or restore is in
progress. Removing default channel and polling connections causes the RMAN
process to detect that one channel is no longer present and then exits. In this case, the
connections to the unresponsive channels remain active as described previously.

Terminating an RMAN Session: Basic Steps
After the unresponsive channels in the media manager code are terminated, the
RMAN process detects this termination and exits, removing all connections except
target connections that are still operative in the media management layer. The warning
about the media manager resources still applies in this case.
To terminate an Oracle Database process that is not responding in the media
manager:
1.

Query V$SESSION and V$SESSION_WAIT as described in "Using V$ Views for
RMAN Troubleshooting" on page 23-7. For example, execute the following query:
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN
COLUMN

EVENT FORMAT a17
SECONDS_IN_WAIT FORMAT 999
STATE FORMAT a10
CLIENT_INFO FORMAT a30

SELECT p.SPID, s.EVENT, s.SECONDS_IN_WAIT AS SEC_WAIT,
sw.STATE, s.CLIENT_INFO
FROM
V$SESSION_WAIT sw, V$SESSION s, V$PROCESS p
WHERE sw.EVENT LIKE '%MML%'
AND
s.SID=sw.SID

23-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Terminating an RMAN Command

AND

s.PADDR=p.ADDR;

Examine the SQL output to determine which SBT functions are waiting. For
example, the output may be as follows:
SPID
---8642
8374
2.

EVENT
SEC_WAIT
STATE
CLIENT_INFO
----------------- ---------- ---------- ----------------------------Backup:MML write
600
WAITING
rman channel=ORA_SBT_TAPE_1
Backup:MML write
600
WAITING
rman channel=ORA_SBT_TAPE_2

Using operating system-level tools appropriate to your platform, end the
unresponsive sessions. For example, on Linux execute a kill -9 command:
% kill -9 8642 8374

Some platforms include a command-line utility called orakill that enables you to
terminate a specific thread. From a command prompt, run the following
command, where sid identifies the database instance to target, and the thread_id
is the SPID value from the query in Step 1:
orakill sid thread_id
3.

Check that the media manager also clears its processes. If any remain, the next
backup or restore operation may freeze again, due to the previous problems in the
backup or restore operation. In some media managers, the only solution is to shut
down and restart the media manager. If the documentation from the media
manager does not provide the needed information, contact technical support for
the media manager.
See Also: Your operating system-specific documentation for the
relevant commands

Troubleshooting RMAN Operations 23-15

Terminating an RMAN Command

23-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Part VII
Part VII

Transferring Data with RMAN

The following chapters describe how to use RMAN for database and tablespace
transport and migration. This part of the book contains these chapters:
■

Chapter 24, "Duplicating a Database"

■

Chapter 25, "Duplicating a Database: Advanced Topics,"

■

Chapter 26, "Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets"

■

Chapter 27, "Transporting Data Across Platforms"

24
Duplicating a Database
42

This chapter describes how to use the DUPLICATE command to create an independently
functioning database copy.
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Overview of RMAN Database Duplication

■

Preparing to Duplicate a Database

■

Placing the Source Database in the Proper State

■

Starting RMAN and Connecting to Databases

■

Configuring RMAN Channels for Use in Duplication

■

Duplicating a Database

■

Restarting DUPLICATE After a Failure

Overview of RMAN Database Duplication
Database duplication is the use of the DUPLICATE command to copy all or a subset of
the data in a source database. The duplicate database (the copied database) functions
entirely independently from the source database (the database being copied).

Purpose of Database Duplication
A duplicate database is useful for a variety of purposes, most of which involve testing.
You can perform the following tasks in a duplicate database:
■

Test backup and recovery procedures

■

Test an upgrade to a new release of Oracle Database

■

Test the effect of applications on database performance

■

Create a standby database

■

Generate reports

For example, you can duplicate the production database on host1 to host2, and then
use the duplicate database on host2 to practice restoring and recovering this database
while the production database on host1 operates as usual.
If you copy a database with operating system utilities instead of the DUPLICATE
command, then the DBID of the copied database remains the same as the original
database. To register the copy database in the same recovery catalog with the original,
you must change the DBID with the DBNEWID utility (see Oracle Database Utilities). In
contrast, the DUPLICATE command automatically assigns the duplicate database a
Duplicating a Database

24-1

Overview of RMAN Database Duplication

different DBID so that it can be registered in the same recovery catalog as the source
database.
The DUPLICATE command can create a fully functional copy of your database or a
physical standby database, which serves a very different purpose. A standby database
is a copy of the primary database that you update continually with archived log files
from the primary database. If the primary database is inaccessible, then you can fail
over to the standby database, which becomes the new primary database. A database
copy, however, cannot be used in this way: it is not intended for failover scenarios and
does not support the various standby recovery and failover options.
See Also: Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to learn
how to create a standby database with the DUPLICATE command

Basic Concepts of Database Duplication
The source host is the computer that hosts the source database. The source database
instance is the instance associated with the source database.
The destination host is the computer that hosts the duplicate database. The source
host and destination host can be the same or different computers. The database
instance associated with the duplicate database is called the auxiliary instance.

Performing simultaneous database duplication operations
using the same source database is not supported.

Note:

Techniques for Duplicating a Database
RMAN supports two basic types of duplication: active database duplication and
backup-based duplication. RMAN can perform backup-based duplication with or
without either of the following connections:
■

Target

■

Recovery catalog

A connection to both is required for active database duplication.
Figure 24–1 shows the decision tree for the two duplication techniques.
Figure 24–1 Duplication Techniques
From Active Database
With Recovery Catalog
Connection
Without Target Connection

From Backups

Without Recovery Catalog
Connection
With Target Connection

Active Database Duplication In active database duplication, RMAN connects as TARGET
to the source database instance and as AUXILIARY to the auxiliary instance. RMAN
copies the live source database over the network to the auxiliary instance, thereby
creating the duplicate database. No backups of the source database are required.
24-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Overview of RMAN Database Duplication

Figure 24–2 illustrates active database duplication.
Figure 24–2 Active Database Duplication
Source
Host

Source
Database

Destination
Host

Source
Instance

Auxiliary
Instance

Connect
Target

Duplicate
Database

Connect
Auxiliary

RMAN
Client

Backup-Based Duplication In backup-based duplication, RMAN creates the duplicate
database by using pre-existing RMAN backups and copies. This technique of
duplication uses one of the following mutually exclusive subtechniques:
■

■

■

Duplication without a target database connection, RMAN obtains metadata about
backups from a recovery catalog.
Duplication without a target database connection and without a recovery catalog.
RMAN obtains metadata about where backups and copies reside from BACKUP
LOCATION.
Duplication with a target database connection. RMAN obtains metadata about
backups from the target database control file or from the recovery catalog.

Figure 24–3 illustrates backup-based duplication without a target connection. RMAN
connects to a recovery catalog database instance and the auxiliary instance. The
destination host must have access to the RMAN backups required to create the
duplicate database.

Duplicating a Database

24-3

Overview of RMAN Database Duplication

Figure 24–3 Backup-Based Duplication Without a Target Connection
Recovery
Catalog Host

Recovery
Catalog
Database

Destination
Host

Catalog
Instance

Auxiliary
Instance

Connect
Catalog

Duplicate
Database

Connect
Auxiliary

RMAN
Client
RMAN
Backups

Figure 24–4 illustrates backup-based duplication without connections to the target or to
the recovery catalog database instance. RMAN connects to the auxiliary instance of the
duplicate database on the destination host. A disk backup location containing all the
backups or copies for duplication must be available to the destination host.
Figure 24–4 Backup-Based Duplication Without a Target Connection or Recovery
Catalog Connection
Destination
Host

RMAN
Client

Connect Auxiliary

Auxiliary
Instance

Duplicate
Database

Backup
Location

Figure 24–5 illustrates backup-based duplication with a target connection. RMAN
connects to the source database instance and the auxiliary instance. Optionally, RMAN
can connect to a recovery catalog database (not shown in the figure). The destination
host must have access to the RMAN backups required to create the duplicate database.

24-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Overview of RMAN Database Duplication

Figure 24–5 Backup-Based Duplication with a Target Connection
Source
Host

Source
Database

Destination
Host

Source
Instance

Auxiliary
Instance

Connect
Target

Duplicate
Database

Connect
Auxiliary

RMAN
Client
RMAN
Backups

Contents of a Duplicate Database
A duplicate database can include the same contents as the source database or only a
subset of the tablespaces in the source database. For example, you can use the
TABLESPACE option to duplicate only specified tablespaces, or the SKIP READONLY
option to exclude read-only tablespaces from the duplicate database.

How RMAN Duplicates a Database
For backup-based duplication, the principal work of the duplication is performed by
the auxiliary channels. These channels correspond to a server session on the auxiliary
instance on the destination host. For active database duplication the primary work is
performed by target channels.
RMAN must perform database point-in-time recovery, even when no explicit point in
time is provided for duplication. Point-in-time recovery is required because the online
redo log files in the source database are not backed up and cannot be applied to the
duplicate database. The farthest point of recovery of the duplicate database is the most
recent redo log file archived by the source database.
As part of the duplicating operation, RMAN automates the following steps:
1.

Creates a default server parameter file for the auxiliary instance if the following
conditions are true:
■

Duplication does not involve a standby database.

■

Server parameter files are not being duplicated.

■

The auxiliary instance was not started with a server parameter file.

2.

Restores from backup or copies from active database the latest control file that
satisfies the UNTIL clause requirements.

3.

Mounts the restored or copied backup control file from the active database.

Duplicating a Database

24-5

Preparing to Duplicate a Database

If the control file in the source database contains disabled
threads, then these threads will also be disabled in the duplicate
database.

Note:

4.

Uses the RMAN repository to select the backups for restoring the data files to the
auxiliary instance. This step applies to backup-based duplication.

5.

Restores and copies the duplicate data files and recovers them with incremental
backups and archived redo log files to a noncurrent point in time.

6.

Shuts down and restarts the database instance in NOMOUNT mode.

7.

Creates a new control file, which then creates and stores the new DBID in the data
files.

8.

Opens the duplicate database with the RESETLOGS option and creates the online
redo log for the new database.
The DUPLICATE entry in Oracle Database Backup and
Recovery Reference for a complete list of which files are copied to the
duplicate database

See Also:

Basic Steps of Database Duplication
This section describes the basic steps of database duplication. Follow the link in each
step for further instructions.
To duplicate a database:
1. Prepare for database duplication.
See "Preparing to Duplicate a Database" on page 24-6.
2.

Start RMAN and connect to the necessary database instances.
See "Starting RMAN and Connecting to Databases" on page 24-13.

3.

Place the source database in the proper state (if necessary).
See "Placing the Source Database in the Proper State" on page 24-13.

4.

Configure RMAN channels (if necessary).
See "Configuring RMAN Channels for Use in Duplication" on page 24-14.

5.

Perform the duplication.
See "Duplicating a Database" on page 24-15.

Preparing to Duplicate a Database
Before duplicating the database, you must decide how to perform the duplication and
then prepare the database environment, including the auxiliary database instance.
To prepare for duplication:
1.

Choose a duplication technique.
See "Step 1: Choosing a Duplication Technique" on page 24-7.

24-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Preparing to Duplicate a Database

While duplicating an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) database, set
the CLUSTER_DATABASE initialization parameter on the auxiliary database to FALSE.
This parameter can be reset to TRUE after the duplication completes.
2.

Choose a strategy for naming the duplicate database files.
See "Step 2: Choosing a Strategy for Naming Duplicate Files" on page 24-8.

3.

For a backup-based strategy, make the backups accessible to the auxiliary instance;
otherwise, skip this step.
See "Step 3: Making Backups Accessible to the Duplicate Instance" on page 24-9.

4.

Prepare remote access to databases.
See "Step 4: Preparing Remote Access to Databases" on page 24-11.

5.

Prepare the auxiliary instance.
See "Step 5: Creating an Initialization Parameter File and Starting the Auxiliary
Instance" on page 24-12.

Step 1: Choosing a Duplication Technique
Your business requirements and the database environment determine which
duplication technique is best for your situation. Consider the following questions:
■

Are you familiar with the prerequisites for each duplication technique?
Review the "Prerequisites" section of the DUPLICATE command entry in Oracle
Database Backup and Recovery Reference for a complete list. Some prerequisites are
common to all duplication techniques, such as the following:
–

The source and duplicate databases must be on the same platform. The
DUPLICATE command considers 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the same
operating system as belonging to the same platform.

–

The DUPLICATE command requires at least one auxiliary channel to perform
the work of the duplication on the auxiliary instance.

Other prerequisites are specific and depend on the duplication technique. For
example, active duplication requires that the source and auxiliary instances use the
same password as the source database, whereas backup-based duplication without
connections to the target database and recovery catalog requires only that all
backups and database copies reside in a single location.
■

Do backups of the source database already exist?
The principal advantage of active database duplication is that it does not require
source database backups. Active duplication copies mounted or online database
files over a network to the auxiliary instance. One disadvantage of this technique
is the negative performance effect on the network. Another disadvantage is that
the source database is running processes required to transfer the files to the
auxiliary host, thereby affecting the source database and production workload.
If the source database backups already exist, and if the effect on the network is
unacceptable, then backup-based duplication may be a better option. You can copy
backups to temporary storage and transfer them manually to the destination host.
If duplication is made with a connection to the target or the recovery catalog, then
the backup files on the destination host must have the same file specification as
they had on the source host. Otherwise, this is not a requirement.

■

Is a recovery catalog available?

Duplicating a Database

24-7

Preparing to Duplicate a Database

If a recovery catalog exists, then you can perform backup-based duplication
without connecting RMAN as TARGET to the source database. This technique is
advantageous where network connections from the auxiliary host to the source
database are restricted or prone to intermittent disruptions. In duplication without
a TARGET connection, the source database is unaffected by the duplication.
■

How much disk space is available on the destination host?
The disk space on the destination host can be an issue when you perform
duplication using disk backups. For example, if the source database is 1 terabyte
(TB), and if you duplicate the database from disk backups without using shared
disk or network file system (NFS), then you must have at least 2 terabytes (TB) of
space available on the destination host. In some environments, manual transfer of
backups is necessary because NFS performance is a bottleneck.

■

Are the source and destination hosts connected by a LAN or a WAN?
Performance of active database duplication is probably slower on a wide area
network (WAN) than a local area network (LAN). If the performance degradation
on a WAN is unacceptable, then backup-based duplication may be the only viable
option.

■

When do you plan to duplicate the database?
If you must duplicate the database during a period of high user activity, then the
loss of network throughput caused by active duplication may be a problem,
making backup-based duplication a better choice. Also, in active database
duplication the RMAN channels required for copying files to the auxiliary host
can affect performance.

Step 2: Choosing a Strategy for Naming Duplicate Files
When duplicating a database, RMAN generates names for the duplicate control files,
data files, temp files, and online redo log files. Therefore, you must decide on a
naming strategy for these files.
Oracle recommends the simplest duplication strategy, which is to configure the
duplicate database to use the same names as the source database. Using the same
names means that your environment meets the following requirements:
■

■

■

■

If the source database uses ASM disk groups, then the duplicate database must
use ASM disk groups with the same names.
If the source database files are Oracle Managed Files, then the auxiliary instance
must set DB_FILE_CREATE_DEST to the same directory location as the source
database. Although the directories are the same on the source and destination
hosts, Oracle Database chooses the relative names for the duplicate files.
If this is an Oracle RAC environment, then you must use the same ORACLE_SID for
both the source and destination hosts.
If the names of the database files in the source database contain a path, then this
path name must be the same in the duplicate database.

When you configure your environment as suggested, no additional configuration is
required to name the duplicate files.
See Also: "Specifying Alternative Names for Duplicate Database
Files" on page 25-1 for an explanation of the more complex strategy of
using different names for the duplicate files

24-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Preparing to Duplicate a Database

Step 3: Making Backups Accessible to the Duplicate Instance
If you are performing active database duplication, then skip
this section and proceed to "Step 4: Preparing Remote Access to
Databases" on page 24-11.

Note:

When duplicating with a target and recovery catalog or just a target connection,
RMAN uses metadata in the RMAN repository to locate backups and archived redo
log files needed for duplication. If RMAN is connected to a recovery catalog, then
RMAN obtains the backup metadata from the catalog. If RMAN is not connected to a
catalog, as may be the case when performing backup-based duplication with a target
connection, then RMAN obtains metadata from the control file.
Unless you are duplicating without a connection to the target and to the recovery
catalog, the names of the backups must be available with the same names recorded in
the RMAN repository. Ensure that auxiliary channels on the destination host can
access all data file backups and archived redo log files (required to restore and recover
the duplicate database to the desired point in time). If not, duplication fails. The
archived redo log files can be available either as image copies or backup sets.
The database backup need not have been generated with
BACKUP DATABASE. You can mix full and incremental backups of
individual data files, but a full backup of every data file is required.
Note:

Making SBT Backups Accessible to the Auxiliary Instance
The steps in this task are specific to your media manager configuration.
To make SBT backups accessible to the auxiliary instance:
1.

If necessary, install media management software on the destination host.

2.

Make the tapes with the backups accessible to the destination host. Typically, you
do one of the following:

3.

■

Physically move the tapes to a drive attached to the remote host.

■

Use a network-accessible tape server.

If necessary, inform the remote media management software about the existence of
the tapes.

Making Disk Backups Accessible to the Auxiliary Instance
When you make disk backups accessible to the auxiliary instance, your strategy
depends on whether or not you duplicate the database while connected to the target or
recovery catalog. If you do not connect to the target or recovery catalog, then you must
designate a BACKUP LOCATION for the duplication.
When you use a BACKUP LOCATION, the backups and copies can reside in a shared
location or can be moved to the BACKUP LOCATION on the destination host. In the latter
case, you do not need to preserve the name or the original path of the backup or copy.
The location specified by the BACKUP LOCATION option must contain sufficient backup
sets, image copies, and archived logs to restore all of the files being duplicated, and
recover them to the desired point in time.
It is not required that all of the backups be from the same point in time, or that they all
be backup sets, or all image copies. Data file backups can be supplied as either image

Duplicating a Database

24-9

Preparing to Duplicate a Database

copies or backup sets. Archived logs can be supplied either in their normal format or
as backup sets of archived logs.
When you use backups from different points in time, the backup location must contain
archived logs covering the time from the start of the oldest backup until the desired
recovery point.
If the backup location contains backup files from multiple databases, then the
DATABASE clause must specify the name of the database that is to be duplicated. If the
backup location contains backup files from multiple databases having the same name,
then the DATABASE clause must specify both the name and DBID of the database that is
to be duplicated.
The source database's Fast Recovery Area is particularly well suited for use as a
backup location because it almost always contains all of the files needed for the
duplication. To use a Fast Recovery Area as a backup location, you can either remotely
access it from the destination system, or copy its contents to the destination system.
When you are not using a BACKUP LOCATION, your strategy depends on the following
mutually exclusive scenarios:
■

Identical file systems for source and destination hosts
This scenario is the simplest and Oracle recommends it. For example, assume that
the backups of the source database are stored in /dsk1/bkp. In this case, you can
make disk backups accessible to the destination host in either of these ways:

■

–

Manually transfer backups from the source host to an identical path in the
destination host. For example, if the backups are in /dsk1/bkp on the source
host, then use FTP to transfer them to /dsk1/bkp on the destination host.

–

Use NFS or shared disks and ensure that the same path is accessible in the
destination host. For example, assuming the source host can access /dsk1/bkp,
use NFS to mount /dsk1/bkp on the destination host and use /dsk1/bkp as the
mount point name.

Different file systems for source and destination hosts
In this case you cannot use the same directory name on the destination host as you
use on the source host. You have the following options:
–

You can use shared disk to make backups available. This section explains the
shared disk technique.

–

You cannot use shared disk to make backups available. "Making Disk Backups
Accessible Without Shared Disk" on page 25-8 explains this technique.

Assume that you have two hosts, srchost and dsthost, and access to NFS or shared
disk. The database on srchost is called srcdb. The backups of srcdb reside in
/dsk1/bkp on host srchost. The directory /dsk1/bkp is already in use on the
destination host, but the directory /dsk2/dup is not in use in either host.
To transfer the backups from the source host to the destination host:
1.

Create a backup storage directory in either the source or destination host.
For this example, create backup directory /dsk2/dup on the destination host.

2.

Mount the directory created in the previous step on the other host, ensuring that
the directory and the mount point names are the same.
For example, if you created /dsk2/dup on the destination host, then use NFS to
mount this directory as /dsk2/dup on the source host.

24-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Preparing to Duplicate a Database

3.

Make the backups available in the new location on the destination host. You can
use either of the following techniques:
■

■

Connect RMAN to the source database as TARGET and use the BACKUP
command to back up the backups, as explained in "Backing Up RMAN
Backups" on page 9-26. For example, use the BACKUP COPY OF DATABASE
command to copy the backups in /dsk1/bkp on the source host to /dsk2/dup
on the source host. In this case, RMAN automatically catalogs the backups in
the new location.
Use an operating system utility to transfer the backups to the new location.
For example, use FTP to transfer the backups from /dsk1/bkp on the source
host to /dsk2/dup on the destination host, or use the cp command to copy the
backups from /dsk1/bkp on the source host to /dsk2/dup on the source host.
Afterward, connect RMAN to the source database as TARGET and use the
CATALOG command to update the RMAN repository with the location of the
manually transferred backups.

Step 4: Preparing Remote Access to Databases
When a database must be accessed from another host, you must set up a password file
and Oracle Net connectivity. Be aware of the potential security consequences of this
type of setup.

Establishing Connectivity in Required Cases
To create a password file manually:
Follow the instructions in Oracle Database Administrator's Guide to create a password
file.
The types of file names allowed for password files and the location of the password
file are both platform specific and operating system-specific.
See Also:
■

■

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration to create a password
file manually
Oracle Database Advanced Security Administrator's Guide

To establish Oracle Net connectivity and set up a static listener:
Follow the instructions in Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide to
configure a client for connection to a database and add static service information for
the listener.

Creating a Password File for the Auxiliary Instance
You have the following options for creating a password file for the auxiliary instance
on the destination host:
■

Create the password file manually.
There are additional requirements for the case of DUPLICATE ... FROM ACTIVE
DATABASE. You must use the SYS user ID, and the password must match the
password of the source database. You may want to create the password file with a
single password so that you can start the auxiliary instance and enable the source
database to connect to it.

Duplicating a Database

24-11

Preparing to Duplicate a Database

■

Specify the PASSWORD FILE option on the DUPLICATE... FROM ACTIVE DATABASE
command.
In this case, RMAN copies the source database password file to the destination
host and overwrites any existing password file for the auxiliary instance. This
technique is useful if the source database password file has multiple passwords
that you want to make available on the duplicate database.
See Also:

Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

If you create a standby database with the FROM ACTIVE
DATABASE option, then RMAN always copies the password file to the
standby host.

Note:

Step 5: Creating an Initialization Parameter File and Starting the Auxiliary Instance
The location and content of the initialization parameter file depend on your choice in
"Step 2: Choosing a Strategy for Naming Duplicate Files" on page 24-8. This section
makes the following assumptions:
■

■

■

You choose the recommended technique of using the same naming strategy for the
source and destination hosts. Thus for Oracle RAC environments, you use the
same ORACLE_SID for source and destination hosts.
You create a text-based initialization parameter file for the auxiliary instance. See
Table 25–5, " Auxiliary Instance Initialization Parameters".
The initialization parameter file is located in the operating system-specific default
location of the host on which SQL*Plus runs.
For example, on Linux and UNIX the default initialization parameter file name is
ORACLE_HOME/dbs/initORACLE_SID.ora and on Windows the file name is ORACLE_
HOME\database\initORACLE_SID.ora.

■

You plan to specify the SPFILE clause on the DUPLICATE command.
The DUPLICATE ... SPFILE technique is easiest because during duplication
RMAN automatically copies the server parameter file from the source database to
the auxiliary instance or restores it from backup. If a server parameter file exists on
the auxiliary instance, then RMAN overwrites it.

If you cannot meet the preceding requirements, then see "Duplicating a Database
When No Server Parameter File Exists" on page 25-9.
To create an initialization parameter file and start the auxiliary instance:
1.

Using a text editor, create an empty file for use as a text-based initialization
parameter file.

2.

Copy the initialization parameter file to the operating system-specific default
location on the host where SQL*Plus runs.

3.

In the parameter file, set DB_NAME to an arbitrary value.
DB_NAME is the only required initialization parameter. The following example
shows a sample DB_NAME setting:
DB_NAME=somevalue

24-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Starting RMAN and Connecting to Databases

4.

If necessary, set other initialization parameters like those needed for Oracle RAC,
and for connecting by using a user ID that has SYSDBA privileges through Oracle
Net.

5.

Start SQL*Plus and connect to the auxiliary instance with SYSDBA privileges. Start
the auxiliary instance in NOMOUNT mode (no PFILE parameter on the STARTUP
command is necessary if the file is in the default location):
SQL> STARTUP NOMOUNT

Ensure that the auxiliary instance is started with a text-based
initialization parameter file and not a server parameter file. Do not
create a control file or try to mount or open the auxiliary instance.
Note:

Placing the Source Database in the Proper State
If you are performing backup-based duplication without a
target connection, then skip to "Configuring RMAN Channels for Use
in Duplication" on page 24-14.

Note:

If RMAN is connected to the source database as TARGET, then the source database must
be in the proper state for the duplication.
To ensure that the source database is in the proper state:
1.

If the source database instance is not mounted or open, then mount or open it.

2.

If you are performing active database duplication, then ensure that the following
additional requirements are met:
–

If the source database is open, then archiving must be enabled.

–

If the source database is not open, then the database does not require instance
recovery.

Starting RMAN and Connecting to Databases
In this task, you must start the RMAN client and connect to the database instances
required by the duplication technique chosen in "Step 1: Choosing a Duplication
Technique" on page 24-7. The RMAN client can be located on any host so long as it can
connect to the necessary databases over the network.
To start RMAN and connect to the target and auxiliary instances:
1.

Start the RMAN client on any host that can connect to the necessary database
instances.

2.

At the RMAN prompt, run CONNECT commands for the database instances required
for your duplication technique:
■

■

For active database duplication, you must connect to the source database as
TARGET and to the auxiliary instance as AUXILIARY. You must use the same
SYSDBA password for both instances and must supply the net service name to
connect to the AUXILIARY instance. A recovery catalog connection is optional.
For backup-based duplication without a target connection, you must connect to
the auxiliary instance as AUXILIARY and the recovery catalog as CATALOG.

Duplicating a Database

24-13

Configuring RMAN Channels for Use in Duplication

■

■

For backup-based duplication with a target connection, you must connect to
the source database as TARGET and auxiliary instance as AUXILIARY. A recovery
catalog is optional.
For backup-based duplication without target and recovery catalog
connections, you must connect to the auxiliary instance as AUXILIARY.

In the following example of active database duplication, a connection is
established to three database instances, all using net service names:
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET SYS/sysdba@prod;
# source database
connected to target database: PROD (DBID=39525561)
RMAN> CONNECT AUXILIARY SYS/sysdba@dupdb; # duplicate database instance
connected to auxiliary database: DUPDB (not mounted)
RMAN> CONNECT CATALOG rman/rman@catdb;
connected to recovery catalog database

# recovery catalog database

Configuring RMAN Channels for Use in Duplication
The channel on the auxiliary instance, not the source database instance, restores
RMAN backups in backup-based duplication. The channel configuration depends on
your duplication technique.

Configuring Channels for Active Database Duplication
In active database duplication, you do not have to change your source database
channel configuration or configure AUXILIARY channels. However, you may want to
increase the parallelism setting of your source database disk channels so that RMAN
copies files over the network in parallel.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for
information about the CONFIGURE command

Configuring Channels for Backup-Based Duplication
RMAN can use the same channel configurations on the source database for duplication
on the destination host. RMAN can use these configurations even if the source
database channels do not specify the AUXILIARY option.
Note the following additional considerations:
■

■

■

The channel type (DISK or sbt) of the auxiliary channel must match the backup
media. In general, the more channels you allocate for disk backups, the faster the
duplication. You cannot increase the speed of duplication after the disks reach
their maximum read/write rate. For tape backups, limit the number of channels to
the number of devices available.
If the auxiliary channels need special parameters (for example, to point to a
different media manager), then you can configure an automatic channel with the
AUXILIARY option of the CONFIGURE command.
When you perform duplication without a target connection and without a
recovery catalog, only disk channels can be used. If no user-allocated channels are
used, then only one channel initially restores the control file. After the control file
is mounted, the number of allocated channels depends on the configuration in the
restored control file.

24-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Duplicating a Database

Duplicating a Database
This section describes the most basic procedure to duplicate a database. This section
makes the following assumptions:
■

You are duplicating the database to a remote host. The duplicate database files use
the same names as the source database files.
Note: When running the DUPLICATE command in this configuration,
you must specify the NOFILENAMECHECK option on the DUPLICATE
command. If you duplicate a database on the same host as the source
database, then verify that NOFILENAMECHECK is not specified.

■

You are duplicating the entire database. For other scenarios, see "Duplicating a
Subset of the Source Database Tablespaces" on page 25-11.

To duplicate a database to a remote host with the same directory structure:
1. Ensure that you have completed Steps 1 through 4 in "Basic Steps of Database
Duplication" on page 24-6.
2.

Run the DUPLICATE command.

Example 24–1 illustrates how to perform active duplication when the SPFILE clause is
specified. DUPLICATE requires the NOFILENAMECHECK option because the source database
files have the same names as the duplicate database files.
The PASSWORD FILE option specifies that RMAN should copy the password file to the
destination host. RMAN automatically copies the server parameter file to the
destination host, starts the auxiliary instance with the server parameter file, copies all
necessary database files and archived redo logs over the network to the destination
host, and recovers the database. Finally, RMAN opens the database with the
RESETLOGS option to create the online redo log.
Example 24–1

Duplicating to a Host with the Same Directory Structure (Active)

DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE TO dupdb
FROM ACTIVE DATABASE
PASSWORD FILE
SPFILE
NOFILENAMECHECK;

Backup-Based Duplication Without a Target Connection: Example
In this variation of Example 24–1, RMAN does not use a TARGET connection to the
source database. Example 24–2 creates a duplicate of the source database prod as it
appeared in 2007 in a previous database incarnation. RMAN is not connected to the
source database but must be connected to a recovery catalog because no BACKUP
LOCATION is provided.
Example 24–2

Duplicating a Database to a Past Point in Time (Backup-Based)

DUPLICATE DATABASE prod DBID 8675309 TO dupdb
UNTIL TIME "TO_DATE('11/01/2007', 'MM/DD/YYYY')"
SPFILE
NOFILENAMECHECK;

Note the following characteristics of Example 24–2:

Duplicating a Database

24-15

Duplicating a Database

■

■

■

The FROM ACTIVE DATABASE clause is not specified. By not specifying this clause,
you instruct RMAN to perform backup-based duplication.
The DBID is specified because the source database name prod is not unique in the
recovery catalog.
NOFILENAMECHECK check is specified because it is necessary when the duplicate
database files use the same names as the source database files.

Assume a variation in which you want to restore an archival backup, which is
all-inclusive in the sense that every file needed to restore and recover the database is
included. The recommended technique for restoring an archival backup for testing is
to create a temporary instance and use the DUPLICATE command. In this way, you
avoid interfering with the source database.
In the DUPLICATE command you must specify the restore point that was created with
the archival backup. You can only specify TO RESTORE POINT if RMAN is connected to
a catalog, or to the source database when the restore point exists in the control file.
Example 24–3 specifies restore point TESTDB103107.
Example 24–3

Using an Archival Backup for Backup-Based Duplication

DUPLICATE DATABASE prod DBID 8675309 TO dupdb
TO RESTORE POINT TESTDB103107
SPFILE
NOFILENAMECHECK;

Backup-Based Duplication with a Target Connection: Example
Assume a backup-based variation of Example 24–1 in which RMAN is connected as
TARGET to the source database. Example 24–4 recovers the duplicate database to 1 week
ago to view the data in the source database as it appeared then.
Example 24–4

Duplicating a Database to a Past Point in Time (Backup-Based)

DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE TO dupdb
SPFILE
NOFILENAMECHECK
UNTIL TIME 'SYSDATE-7';

Note the following characteristics of Example 24–4:
■

■

The FROM ACTIVE DATABASE clause is not specified. By not specifying this clause,
you instruct RMAN to perform backup-based duplication.
The NOFILENAMECHECK option is specified because it is necessary when the
duplicate database files use the same names as the source database files.

Backup-Based Duplication Without a Target and a Recovery Catalog Connection:
Example
In the variation of Example 24–1, shown in Example 24–5, RMAN does not use a
TARGET connection to the source database or a CATALOG connection to a recovery
catalog. All backup and copies necessary for duplication until November 11 of 2007 at
2:00 PM, including a control file backup or copy, have been placed under /prod_
backups.

24-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Restarting DUPLICATE After a Failure

Example 24–5 Duplicating a Database Without a Target and Recovery Catalog
Connection (Backup-Based)
DUPLICATE DATABASE TO dupdb
UNTIL TIME "TO_DATE('11/01/2007 14:00:00', 'MM/DD/YYYY HH24:MI:SS')"
SPFILE
BACKUP LOCATION '/prod_backups'
NOFILENAMECHECK;

Note the following characteristics of Example 24–5:
■

■

■

■

The database name is not specified. By not specifying a database name with the
DATABASE keyword, DUPLICATE obtains the database name and DBID from the
backups. An error is displayed if backups for more than one database were found
in the BACKUP LOCATION.
Use of the BACKUP LOCATION clause identifies the type of duplication as
backup-based with neither a target connection nor recovery catalog.
The UNTIL TIME option is specified. It is the only UNTIL subclause permitted with
the BACKUP LOCATION clause.
The NOFILENAMECHECK option check is specified because it is necessary when the
duplicate database files use the same names as the source database files.

Example 24–6

Duplicating a Database to a Past Point in Time (Backup-Based)

DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE TO dupdb
SPFILE
NOFILENAMECHECK
UNTIL TIME 'SYSDATE-7';

Note the following characteristics of Example 24–6:
■

■

The FROM ACTIVE DATABASE clause is not specified. Omitting this clause instructs
RMAN to perform backup-based duplication.
The NOFILENAMECHECK option check is specified because it is necessary when the
duplicate database files use the same names as the source database files.

Restarting DUPLICATE After a Failure
RMAN automatically optimizes a DUPLICATE command that is a repeat of a previously
failed DUPLICATE command. The repeat DUPLICATE command notices which data files
were successfully copied earlier and does not copy them again. This applies to all
forms of duplication, whether they are backup-based (with or without a target
connection) or active database duplication. The automatic optimization of the
DUPLICATE command can be especially useful when a failure occurs during the
duplication of very large databases.
To restart a DUPLICATE operation:
Exit RMAN.

1.
2.

Start SQL*Plus and connect to the auxiliary instance with SYSDBA or SYSBACKUP
privilege. Start the auxiliary instance in NOMOUNT mode with the same SPFILE or
PFILE specification that you used initially. If you omitted this specification initially,
then omit it again here.
This example starts the auxiliary instance using the parameters in /home/my_
pfile.ora:

Duplicating a Database

24-17

Restarting DUPLICATE After a Failure

STARTUP FORCE PFILE=/home/my_pfile.ora
3.

Exit SQL*Plus and start RMAN.

4.

Connect to the same databases as initially.

5.

Repeat the DUPLICATE command.

The second DUPLICATE operation:
■

■

Locates the data files that were successfully duplicated by the initial DUPLICATE
command.
Displays a message similar to the following for each data file that it does not need
to duplicate again:
RMAN-05560: Using previous duplicated file /oradata/new/data01.f for datafile 1
with checkpoint SCN of 1654665

■

Restores only the missing or incomplete data files, thereby avoiding recopying and
restoring all the data files.

If you do not want RMAN to automatically recover from a failed DUPLICATE operation,
specify the keyword NORESUME to disable the functionality. Using the keyword
NORESUME in the first invocation of DUPLICATE prevents a subsequent DUPLICATE
command for the new database from using this automatic optimization.

24-18 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

25
Duplicating a Database: Advanced Topics
25

This chapter explains advanced forms of database duplication that are not covered in
Chapter 24, "Duplicating a Database."
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Specifying Alternative Names for Duplicate Database Files

■

Making Disk Backups Accessible Without Shared Disk

■

Duplicating a Database When No Server Parameter File Exists

■

Starting the Auxiliary Instance When No Server Parameter File Exists

■

Duplicating a Subset of the Source Database Tablespaces

Specifying Alternative Names for Duplicate Database Files
"Step 2: Choosing a Strategy for Naming Duplicate Files" on page 24-8 explains the
recommended strategy of using the same names for the duplicate and source database
files. In all other cases, you must choose an alternative naming strategy for the
duplicate files. The strategy that you use depends on whether the source and duplicate
databases use Oracle Managed Files (OMF) or Oracle Automatic Storage Management
(ASM).
If the source data files use OMF, then you cannot rename them using DB_FILE_NAME_
CONVERT. "Using Non-ASM Storage" on page 21-13 discusses the details and options of
OMF-managed data files.

Specifying Non-OMF or Non-ASM Alternative Names for Duplicate Database Files
This section explains how to specify names for the duplicate files when the following
condition is true:
The source and auxiliary hosts either use different directory structures or use the same
structure but you want to name the duplicate files differently.
Table 25–1 summarizes the formats available for naming each type of file.

Using SET NEWNAME to Name File System Data Files and Temp Files
As shown in Table 25–1, one way to name duplicate data files is to use the SET
NEWNAME command before executing the DUPLICATE command. RMAN supports the
following commands, listed in order of precedence:
1.

SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE and SET NEWNAME FOR TEMPFILE

2.

SET NEWNAME FOR TABLESPACE

Duplicating a Database: Advanced Topics 25-1

Specifying Alternative Names for Duplicate Database Files

3.

SET NEWNAME FOR DATABASE

The order of precedence means that SET NEWNAME FOR TABLESPACE specifies names for
files not already named by SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE and SET NEWNAME FOR
TEMPFILE, whereas SET NEWNAME FOR DATABASE specifies names for files not already
named by SET NEWNAME FOR TABLESPACE, SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE, or SET
NEWNAME FOR TEMPFILE.
When using SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE, you can specify a full path as a literal, as in
/oradata1/system01.dbf. When using SET with FOR DATABASE or FOR TABLESPACE,
however, you must use at least one of the first three substitution variables summarized
in Table 25–1 (%I and %N are optional).
Table 25–1

Substitution Variables for SET NEWNAME

Variable

Summary

%b

Specifies the file name stripped of directory paths. For example, if a
data file is named /oradata/prod/financial.dbf, then %b results in
financial.dbf.

%f

Specifies the absolute file number of the data file for which the new
name is generated. For example, if data file 2 is duplicated, then %f
generates the value 2.

%I

Specifies the DBID

%N

Specifies the tablespace name

%U

Specifies the following format: data-D-%d_id-%I_TS-%N_FNO-%f

To use SET NEWNAME to specify new file names:
1.

Follow Steps 1 through 4 in "Basic Steps of Database Duplication" on page 24-6.

2.

Within a RUN command, issue the SET NEWNAME command before issuing
DUPLICATE.
Example 25–1 illustrates a script that specifies new names for data files 1 through 5
and temp file 1. The script does not set a new name for data file 6 because it is in
the TOOLS tablespace, which is excluded from the duplicate database.

Example 25–1

Duplicating with SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE

RUN
{
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 1 TO '/oradata1/system01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 2 TO '/oradata2/sysaux01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 3 TO '/oradata3/undotbs01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 4 TO '/oradata4/users01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 5 TO '/oradata5/users02.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR TEMPFILE 1 TO '/oradatat/temp01.dbf';
DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE TO dupdb
SKIP TABLESPACE tools
LOGFILE
GROUP 1 ('/duplogs/redo01a.log',
'/duplogs/redo01b.log') SIZE 4M REUSE,
GROUP 2 ('/duplogs/redo02a.log',
'/duplogs/redo02b.log') SIZE 4M REUSE;
}

Example 25–2 is a variation of Example 25–1 and uses one SET NEWNAME command
to name all data files in the tablespace users. Once the example completes, the file

25-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Specifying Alternative Names for Duplicate Database Files

names for tablespace users are set to: /oradata4/users01.dbf and
/oradata5/users02.dbf.
Example 25–2

Duplicating with SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE and FOR TABLESPACE

RUN
{
SET NEWNAME FOR TABLESPACE users TO '/oradata%f/%b';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 1 TO '/oradata1/system01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 2 TO '/oradata2/sysaux01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 3 TO '/oradata3/undotbs01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR TEMPFILE 1 TO '/oradatat/temp01.dbf';
DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE TO dupdb
SKIP TABLESPACE tools
LOGFILE
GROUP 1 ('/duplogs/redo01a.log',
'/duplogs/redo01b.log') SIZE 4M REUSE,
GROUP 2 ('/duplogs/redo02a.log',
'/duplogs/redo02b.log') SIZE 4M REUSE;
}

Example 25–3 is a variation of Example 25–1 and uses a single SET command to
name all data files in the database.
Example 25–3

Duplicating with SET NEWNAME FOR DATABASE

RUN
{
SET NEWNAME FOR DATABASE TO '/oradata/%U';
DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE TO dupdb
SKIP TABLESPACE tools
LOGFILE
GROUP 1 ('/duplogs/redo01a.log',
'/duplogs/redo01b.log') SIZE 4M REUSE,
GROUP 2 ('/duplogs/redo02a.log',
'/duplogs/redo02b.log') SIZE 4M REUSE;
}

Assume the following:
■

DBID is 87650928

■

Database name is PROD

Table 25–2 shows the results from Example 25–3.
Table 25–2

Results from Example 25–3 SET NEWNAME DATABASE Command

Before SET NEWNAME
DATABASE

Tablespace
Name

Data File
File
Number

After SET NEWNAME DATABASE TO '/oradata/%U';

.../system01.dbf

SYSTEM

1

/oradata/data-D-PROD_id-87650928_TS-SYSTEM_FNO-1

.../sysaux01.dbf

SYSAUX

2

/oradata/data-D-PROD_id-87650928_TS-SYSAUX_FNO-2

.../undotbs01.dbf

UNDOTS

3

/oradata/data-D-PROD_id-87650928_TS-UNDOTS_FNO-3

.../users01.dbf

USERS

4

/oradata/data-D-PROD_id-87650928_TS-USERS_FNO-4

.../users02.dbf

USERS

5

/oradata/data-D-PROD_id-87650928_TS-USERS_FNO-5

.../temp01.dbf

TEMP

1

/oradata/data-D-PROD_id-87650928_TS-TEMP_FNO-1

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for details on
substitution variables usable in SET NEWNAME

Duplicating a Database: Advanced Topics 25-3

Specifying Alternative Names for Duplicate Database Files

Using CONFIGURE AUXNAME to Name File System Data Files and OMF/ASM Target
Data Files
The CONFIGURE AUXNAME command is an alternative to the SET NEWNAME command. The
difference is that after you configure the auxiliary name the first time, additional
DUPLICATE commands reuse the configured settings. In contrast, you must reissue the
SET NEWNAME command every time you execute the DUPLICATE command.
To use CONFIGURE AUXNAME to specify names for duplicate data files:
1.

Issue a CONFIGURE AUXNAME command for each file that you want to name in the
duplicate database.
For example, enter the following commands at the RMAN prompt to specify
names for data files 1 through 5:
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE
CONFIGURE

2.

AUXNAME
AUXNAME
AUXNAME
AUXNAME
AUXNAME

FOR
FOR
FOR
FOR
FOR

DATAFILE
DATAFILE
DATAFILE
DATAFILE
DATAFILE

1
2
3
4
5

TO
TO
TO
TO
TO

'/oradata1/system01.dbf';
'/oradata2/sysaux01.dbf';
'/oradata3/undotbs01.dbf';
'/oradata4/users01.dbf';
'/oradata5/users02.dbf';

Issue a DUPLICATE command.
For example, enter the following command at the RMAN prompt:
SET NEWNAME FOR TEMPFILE 1 TO '/oradatat/temp01.dbf';
DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE
TO dupdb
SKIP TABLESPACE tools
LOGFILE
GROUP 1 ('/duplogs/redo01a.log',
'/duplogs/redo01b.log') SIZE 4M REUSE,
GROUP 2 ('/duplogs/redo02a.log',
'/duplogs/redo02b.log') SIZE 4M REUSE;

RMAN uses the CONFIGURE AUXNAME settings to name data files 1 through 5.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for details on
using CONFIGURE AUXNAME

Specifying OMF or ASM Alternative Names for Duplicate Database Files
The following sections discuss requirements for creating a duplicate database when
some or all files of the duplicate database use OMF or ASM.
See Also: Oracle Database Storage Administrator's Guide for an
introduction to ASM and OMF

Settings and Restrictions for OMF Initialization Parameters
When creating a duplicate database that uses Oracle Managed Files, you must set
initialization parameters in the auxiliary instance. If you use the SPFILE clause of
DUPLICATE to name the files, then you can set initialization parameters in the SPFILE
clause. Table 25–3 describes the relevant parameters and recommended settings and
Table 25–4 lists the restrictions and initialization parameters that should not be set.
Oracle Database Reference for more information about these
parameters.

See:

25-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Specifying Alternative Names for Duplicate Database Files

Table 25–3

Initialization Parameters for Oracle Managed Files

Initialization Parameter

Purpose

Recommendation

DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST

Specifies the default location for
Oracle managed data files. This
location is also the default location for
Oracle managed control files and
online logs if none of the DB_CREATE_
ONLINE_LOG_DEST initialization
parameters are specified.

Set this parameter to the location for the Oracle
Managed Files. Any database files for which no
other location is specified are created in DB_
CREATE_FILE_DEST by DUPLICATE. You can
override the default for specific files using SET
NEWNAME, as described in "Using SET
NEWNAME to Create OMF or ASM Files" on
page 25-6.

DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n

Specifies the default location for
Oracle managed control files and
online redo logs. If multiple
parameters are set, then one control
file and one online redo log is created
in each location.

Set these parameters (_1, _2, and so on) only if
you want to multiplex the control files and
online redo log files in multiple locations.

DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST

Specifies the default location for the
fast recovery area. The fast recovery
area contains multiplexed copies of
current control files and online redo
log files.

Set this parameter if you want a multiplexed
copy of the control file and online redo log file
in the recovery area.

Table 25–4

Initialization Parameter Restrictions for Oracle Managed Files

Initialization Parameter

Purpose

Restriction

CONTROL_FILES

Specifies one or more names of control
files, separated by commas.

Do not set this parameter if you want the
duplicate database control files in an OMF
format. Oracle recommends that you use a
server parameter file at the duplicate database
when using control files in an OMF format.

DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT

Converts the file name of a new data
file on the primary database to a file
name on the duplicate database.

Do not set this parameter. Omitting this
parameter enables the database to generate
valid Oracle managed file names for the
duplicate data files.

LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT

Converts the file name of a new log file
on the primary database to the file
name of a log file on the standby
database.

Do not set this parameter. Omitting this
parameter allows the database to generate valid
Oracle managed online redo log file names.
To direct duplicate database online redo log files
to Oracle managed storage, you can use the DB_
CREATE_FILE_DEST, DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST, or
DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n initialization
parameters to identify an Oracle managed
location for the online logs.

Setting Initialization Parameters for ASM
The procedure for creating a duplicate database to an ASM location is similar to the
procedure described in "Settings and Restrictions for OMF Initialization Parameters"
on page 25-4. The difference is that you must identify the initialization parameters that
control the location where files are created and set these parameters to an ASM disk
group. For example, set DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST, DB_CREATE_ONLINE_DEST_n, and
CONTROL_FILES to +DISK1.
Duplicating a Database from a File System to ASM: Example In this example, you use active
database duplication. If the source database uses a server parameter file (or a backup is
available), then you can create a temporary initialization parameter file on the
destination host and set only the DB_NAME parameter.
Assume that the source database prod is on host1 and stores its data files in a
non-ASM file system. The control files for prod are located in /oracle/oradata/prod/.

Duplicating a Database: Advanced Topics 25-5

Specifying Alternative Names for Duplicate Database Files

You want to duplicate the source database to database dupdb on remote host host2.
You want to store the duplicate database files in ASM disk group +DISK1.
After connecting RMAN to the target, duplicate, and recovery catalog databases, run
the RMAN script shown in Example 25–4 to duplicate the database.
Example 25–4

Duplicating from a File System to ASM (Active)

DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE TO dupdb
FROM ACTIVE DATABASE
SPFILE
PARAMETER_VALUE_CONVERT '/oracle/oradata/prod/', '+DISK1'
SET DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST +DISK1;

When the DUPLICATE command completes, the duplicate database is created, with data
files, online redo log files, and control files in ASM disk group +DISK1.
Duplicating a Database from ASM to ASM: Example In this example, you use active database
duplication. If the source database uses a server parameter file (or a backup is
available), then you can create a temporary initialization parameter file on the
destination host and set only the DB_NAME parameter.
Assume that the source database prod is on host1 and stores its data files in ASM disk
group +DISK1. You want to duplicate the target to database dupdb on remote host
host2. You want to store the data files for dupdb in ASM. Specifically, you want to store
the data files and control files in disk group +DISK2.
In the DUPLICATE command, set PARAMETER_VALUE_CONVERT to convert all directory
locations from +DISK1 to +DISK2. The new file names in +DISK2 are generated by ASM
and do not match the original file names in disk group +DISK1.
After connecting to the target, duplicate, and catalog databases, run the RMAN script
shown in Example 25–5 to duplicate the database.
Example 25–5

Duplicating from ASM to ASM (Active)

DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE
TO dupdb
FROM ACTIVE DATABASE
SPFILE PARAMETER_VALUE_CONVERT '+DISK1','+DISK2'
SET DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE='750G';

When the DUPLICATE command completes, the duplicate database is created, with data
files, online redo logs, and control files in the larger ASM disk group +DISK2.

Using SET NEWNAME to Create OMF or ASM Files
To name Oracle managed data files, you can use the same SET NEWNAME commands
described in "Using SET NEWNAME to Name File System Data Files and Temp Files"
on page 25-1, but with TO NEW instead of TO 'filename'. RMAN creates the specified
data files or temp files with Oracle Managed File names in the location specified by
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST.
To use SET NEWNAME to specify names for Oracle Managed Files:
1.

Set the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization parameter at the auxiliary instance to
the desired location

2.

Enclose the DUPLICATE command in a RUN block and use SET NEWNAME with the TO
NEW option for Oracle Managed Files.

25-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Specifying Alternative Names for Duplicate Database Files

Example 25–6 illustrates a script that specifies literal names for data files 1 to 5.
The only Oracle Managed Files in the source database are the data files in the
users tablespace. Therefore, TO NEW is specified in the SET NEWNAME command for
these files.
Example 25–6

Duplicating with SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE and FOR TABLESPACE

RUN
{
SET NEWNAME FOR TABLESPACE users TO NEW;
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 3 TO NEW;
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 1 TO '/oradata1/system01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 2 TO '/oradata2/sysaux01.dbf';
SET NEWNAME FOR TEMPFILE 1 TO '/oradatat/temp01';
DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE TO dupdb
SKIP TABLESPACE tools
LOGFILE
GROUP 1 ('/duplogs/redo01a.log',
'/duplogs/redo01b.log') SIZE 4M REUSE,
GROUP 2 ('/duplogs/redo02a.log',
'/duplogs/redo02b.log') SIZE 4M REUSE;
}

As shown in Example 25–7, you can also use SET NEWNAME to direct individual data
files, temp files, or tablespaces to a specified ASM disk group.
Example 25–7

Using SET NEWNAME to Create Files in an ASM Disk Group

RUN
{
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 1 TO "+DGROUP1";
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE 2 TO "+DGROUP2";
.
.
.
DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE
TO dupdb
FROM ACTIVE DATABASE
SPFILE SET DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST +DGROUP3;
}

See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for details on
using SET NEWNAME

Using DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT to Generate Names for Non-OMF or ASM Data
Files
Another technique to generate names besides using SET NEWNAME or CONFIGURE
AUXNAME commands is to use DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT to transform target file names.
For example, you can change the target file name from /oracle/ to /dup/oracle/. DB_
FILE_NAME_CONVERT enables you to specify multiple conversion file name pairs. It can
also be used to produce names for data files and temp files.
You can specify DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT in the DUPLICATE command or you can set it in
the initialization parameter of the auxiliary instance.
Restrictions of DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT: You cannot use the DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT
clause of the DUPLICATE command to control generation of new names for files at the
duplicate instance that are in the Oracle Managed Files (OMF) format at the source
Duplicating a Database: Advanced Topics 25-7

Making Disk Backups Accessible Without Shared Disk

database instance. See Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for details on this
restriction.

Using LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT to Generate Names for Non-OMF or ASM Log
Files
If the LOG_FILE clause has been omitted and none of the Oracle Managed Files
initialization parameters DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST, DB_CREATE_ONLINE_DEST_n, or DB_
RECOVERY_FILE_DEST are specified, then LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT can transforms target
file names. This works in much the same way as the DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT and can
transform target file names from log_* to duplog_*. You can specify multiple
conversion file name pairs with this parameter.
When you specify LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT, RMAN uses the REUSE parameter when
creating the online redo logs. If an online redo log file already exists at the named
location and is of the correct size, then it is reused for the duplicate.
Restrictions of LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT:
■

■

■

Do not specify LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT if you set Oracle Managed Files
initialization parameters.
LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT cannot be specified as a DUPLICATE clause, it can only be
specified in the initialization parameter of the auxiliary instance.
You cannot use the LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameter to control
generation of new names for files at the duplicate instance that are in the Oracle
Managed Files (OMF) format at the source database instance.

Making Disk Backups Accessible Without Shared Disk
"Step 3: Making Backups Accessible to the Duplicate Instance" on page 24-9
recommends using the shared disk technique to make backups available to the
auxiliary instance. When NFS or shared disk is not an option, then the path that stores
the backups must exist on both the source and destination hosts unless the BACKUP
LOCATION option is used for the DUPLICATE command without a target or recovery
catalog connection.
Assume that you maintain two hosts, srchost and dsthost. The database on srchost
is srcdb. The RMAN backups of srcdb reside in /dsk1/bkp on host srchost. The
directory /dsk1/bkp is already in use on the destination host, so you intend to store
backups in /dsk2/dup on the destination host.
To transfer the backups from the source host to the destination host:
1.

Create a new directory in the source host that has the same name as the directory
on the destination host that will contain the backups.
For example, if you intend to store the RMAN backups in /dsk2/dup on the
destination host, then create /dsk2/dup on the source host.

2.

On the source host, copy the backups to the directory created in the previous step,
and then catalog the backups. You can use either of the following approaches:
■

Connect RMAN to the source database as TARGET and use the BACKUP
command to back up the backups, as explained in "Backing Up RMAN
Backups" on page 9-26. For example, use the BACKUP COPY OF DATABASE
command to copy the backups in /dsk1/bkp on the source host to /dsk2/dup
on the source host. In this case, RMAN automatically catalogs the backups in
the new location.

25-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Duplicating a Database When No Server Parameter File Exists

■

3.

Use an operating system utility to copy the backups in /dsk1/bkp on the
source host to /dsk2/dup on the source host. Afterward, connect RMAN to the
source database as TARGET and use the CATALOG command to update the source
control file with the location of the manually transferred backups.

Manually transfer the backups in the new directory on the source host to the
identically named directory on the destination host.
For example, use FTP to transfer the backups in /dsk2/dup on the source host to
/dsk2/dup on the destination host.

The auxiliary channel can search for backups in /dsk2/dup on the destination host and
restore them.

Duplicating a Database When No Server Parameter File Exists
The procedure in "Step 5: Creating an Initialization Parameter File and Starting the
Auxiliary Instance" on page 24-12 assumes that you use the SPFILE clause of the
DUPLICATE command. If the source database does not use a server parameter file, then
you must set all necessary parameters for the auxiliary instance in a text-based
initialization parameter file.
Table 25–5 describes a subset of the possible initialization parameters. See Oracle
Database Reference provides more information about these parameters. See Table 25–1
on page 25-2 to learn about options for naming duplicate files.
Table 25–5

Auxiliary Instance Initialization Parameters

Initialization Parameter

Value

Status

DB_NAME

The same name used in the DUPLICATE command. If you are
using DUPLICATE to create a standby database, then the name
must be the same as the primary database.

Required

The DB_NAME setting for the duplicate database must be
unique among databases in its Oracle home.
CONTROL_FILES

Control file locations

Required

DB_BLOCK_SIZE

The block size for the duplicate database. This block size
must match the block size of the source database. If the
source database parameter file contains a value for the DB_
BLOCK_SIZE initialization parameter, then you must specify
the same value for the auxiliary instance. If no DB_BLOCK_
SIZE is specified in the source database initialization
parameter file, however, then do not specify DB_BLOCK_SIZE
in the auxiliary instance.

Required if this
initialization parameter is
set in the source database

DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT

Pairs of strings for converting the names of data files and
temp files. You can also specify DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT on
the DUPLICATE command itself. See "Using DB_FILE_NAME_
CONVERT to Generate Names for Non-OMF or ASM Data
Files" on page 25-7.

Optional

LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT

Pairs of strings for naming online redo log files. See "Using
LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT to Generate Names for
Non-OMF or ASM Log Files" on page 25-8.

Optional

DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST

Location for Oracle managed data files.

Optional

Duplicating a Database: Advanced Topics 25-9

Starting the Auxiliary Instance When No Server Parameter File Exists

Table 25–5 (Cont.) Auxiliary Instance Initialization Parameters
Initialization Parameter

Value

Status

DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n

Location for Oracle managed online redo log files

Optional

DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST

Location for fast recovery area

Optional

Oracle Real Application Cluster (Oracle RAC)
parameters:

Set these parameters for each instance of the Oracle RAC
database.

Required for Oracle RAC
configuration

■

.INSTANCE_NAME

■

.INSTANCE_NUMBER

■

.THREAD

■

.UNDO_TABLESPACE

■

.LOCAL_LISTENER

To create an initialization parameter file when not planning to use the SPFILE
clause:
1.

Use an operating system utility to make a copy of the initialization parameter file
of the source database in the operating system-specific default location.

2.

In the copied initialization parameter file, manually change DB_NAME to the name
of the duplicate database. If you are using DUPLICATE to create a standby database,
then the name must be the same as the primary database.

3.

If necessary, change other initialization parameters, including the parameters that
allow you to connect as SYSDBA through Oracle Net, as needed. You must verify
that all paths are accessible on the host where the database is being duplicated.
Example 25–8 shows a sample initialization parameter file.

Example 25–8

Sample Initialization Parameter File for the Auxiliary Instance

DB_NAME=dupdb
CONTROL_FILES=(/dup/oracle/oradata/prod/control01.ctl,
/dup/oracle/oradata/prod/control02.ctl)
DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT=(/oracle/oradata/prod/,/dup/oracle/oradata/prod/)
LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT=(/oracle/oradata/prod/redo,/dup/oracle/oradata/prod/redo)

Starting the Auxiliary Instance When No Server Parameter File Exists
"Step 5: Creating an Initialization Parameter File and Starting the Auxiliary Instance"
on page 24-12 assumes that the source database instance uses a server parameter file.
This scenario assumes that the source database does not currently use a server
parameter file or RMAN cannot restore a backup server parameter file. In this case,
you must start the auxiliary instance with a text-based initialization parameter file.
To start the auxiliary instance in preparation for database duplication:
1.

Copy the text-based initialization parameter file to the default location on the host
containing the SQL*Plus client.

2.

Start SQL*Plus and connect to the auxiliary instance with SYSOPER privileges.

3.

Start the auxiliary instance in NOMOUNT mode, using the text-based initialization
parameter file:
SQL> STARTUP NOMOUNT

4.

Copy the text-based initialization parameter file for the auxiliary instance to the
same host as the RMAN client used to perform the duplication. You must specify

25-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Duplicating a Subset of the Source Database Tablespaces

the location of this text-based initialization parameter file in the PFILE clause of the
DUPLICATE command.

Duplicating a Subset of the Source Database Tablespaces
It is not always necessary to duplicate all tablespaces of a database. For example, you
may plan to generate reports that require only a subset of tablespaces from your
source database.
When excluding tablespaces in backup-based duplication
without a target connection or without a target and a recovery catalog
connection, RMAN has special prerequisites. See the Prerequisites
section of the DUPLICATE entry in Oracle Database Backup and Recovery
Reference for details.

Note:

Table 25–6 explains DUPLICATE command options for specifying subsets of tablespaces
for the duplicate database.
Table 25–6

Options to Specify Subsets of Tablespaces for the Duplicate Database

DUPLICATE Options

Explanation

SKIP READONLY

Excludes the data files of read-only tablespaces from the duplicate
database

SKIP TABLESPACE
'tablespace_name ',
...

Excludes the specified tablespaces from the duplicate database. You
cannot exclude the SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces, tablespaces with
SYS objects, undo tablespaces, tablespaces with undo segments,
tablespaces with materialized views, or tablespaces in such a way
that the duplicated tablespaces are not self-contained.

TABLESPACE
'tablespace_name ',
...

Automatically includes the SYSTEM, SYSAUX, and undo tablespaces.
The included tablespaces must be self-contained and the resulting
skipped tablespaces must not contain SYS objects or materialized
views.

To specify a subset of tablespaces for a duplicate database:
1. Ensure that you have completed Steps 1 through 4 in "Basic Steps of Database
Duplication" on page 24-6.
2.

Run the DUPLICATE command with one or more of the options in Table 25–6.

Other factors that influence what tablespaces are copied include the OFFLINE NORMAL
option. When tablespaces are taken offline with the OFFLINE NORMAL option before
duplication, RMAN does not duplicate the associated data files, and issues DROP
TABLESPACE statement for these tablespaces on the duplicate database. Therefore, you
do not have to specify options to exclude these tablespaces.
RMAN does duplicate tablespaces that are taken offline with
any other option besides NORMAL (unless they are named in a SKIP
TABLESPACE option). Only OFFLINE NORMAL tablespaces are skipped
automatically. As with online tablespaces, RMAN requires a valid
backup for these tablespaces when you use backup-based duplication.

Note:

Excluding Specified Tablespaces
Example 25–9 shows how to skip read-only tablespaces.

Duplicating a Database: Advanced Topics

25-11

Duplicating a Subset of the Source Database Tablespaces

Example 25–9

Excluding Read-Only Tablespaces

DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE TO dupdb
FROM ACTIVE DATABASE
SKIP READONLY
NOFILENAMECHECK;

Example 25–10 shows how to skip a tablespace named tools.
Example 25–10 Excluding Specified Tablespaces
DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE
TO dupdb
FROM ACTIVE DATABASE
SKIP TABLESPACE tools
NOFILENAMECHECK;

Including Specified Tablespaces
You can use the TABLESPACE option to specify which tablespaces to include in the
specified database. Unlike the SKIP TABLESPACE option, which specifies which
tablespaces to exclude from the duplicate database, this option specifies which
tablespaces to include and then skips the remaining tablespaces. The duplicated subset
of tablespaces must be self-contained. The resulting set of skipped tablespaces must
not have undo segments or materialized views.
Example 25–11 is a variation of Example 24–1 except with the users tablespace
included, which is assumed to be self-contained, and all other tablespaces excluded,
except for SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces and tablespaces with undo segments.
Example 25–11 Including Specified Tablespaces
DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE
TO dupdb
FROM ACTIVE DATABASE
TABLESPACE users
NOFILENAMECHECK;

Assume that you perform backup-based duplication with a target connection, but no
recovery catalog connection. Assume that you want to specify a subset of tablespaces
for duplication. If the target database is not open in this scenario, then RMAN has no
way to obtain the names of the tablespaces with undo segments. Thus, you must
specify the UNDO TABLESPACE option for these tablespaces as shown in Example 25–12.
Example 25–12 Including Specified Tablespaces
DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE TO dupdb
TABLESPACE users
UNDO TABLESPACE undotbs
NOFILENAMECHECK;

25-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

26
26

Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets
This chapter explains how to use RMAN to create transportable tablespace sets by
restoring backups. This discussion assumes that you are familiar with the
transportable tablespace procedure described in Oracle Database Administrator's Guide.
The procedure in this chapter is an alternative technique for generating transportable
tablespace sets.
This chapter contains the following sections:
■

Overview of Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets

■

Customizing Initialization Parameters for the Auxiliary Instance

■

Creating a Transportable Tablespace Set

■

Troubleshooting the Creation of Transportable Tablespace Sets

■

Transportable Tablespace Set Scenarios

Overview of Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets
This section explains the basic concepts and tasks involved in creating transportable
tablespace sets from RMAN backups.

Purpose of Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets
A transportable tablespace set contains data files for a set of tablespaces and an
export file containing structural metadata for the set of tablespaces. The export file is
generated by Data Pump Export.
One use of transportable tablespace sets is to create a tablespace repository. For
example, if you have a database with some tablespaces used for quarterly reporting,
you can create transportable sets for these tablespaces for storage in a tablespace
repository. Subsequently, versions of the tablespace can be requested from the
repository and attached to another database for use in generating reports.
Another use for transportable tablespaces is in an Oracle Streams environment. When
preparing to use Oracle Streams to keep a destination database synchronized with a
source database, you must perform Oracle Streams instantiation. You must bring the
destination database up to a given SCN at which the two databases were known to be
synchronized before you can use Oracle Streams to move subsequent updates from the
source database to the destination database. You can create transportable tablespace
sets from backups as part of the Oracle Streams instantiation.
A key benefit of the RMAN TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command is that it does not need
access to the live data files from the tablespaces to be transported. In contrast, the
transportable tablespace technique described in Oracle Database Administrator's Guide
Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets 26-1

Overview of Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets

requires that the tablespaces to be transported are open read-only during the
transport. Thus, transporting from backups improves database availability, especially
for large tablespaces, because the tablespaces to be transported can remain open for
writes during the operation. Also, placing a tablespace in read-only mode can take a
long time, depending on current database activity.
The RMAN TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command also enables you to specify a target point
in time, SCN, or restore point during your recovery window and transport tablespace
data as it existed at that time (see "Creating a Transportable Tablespace Set at a
Specified Time or SCN" on page 26-8). For example, if your backup retention policy
guarantees a 1 week recovery window, and if you want to create transportable
tablespaces based on the contents of the database on the last day of the month, then
RMAN can perform this task at any time during the first week of the next month.
See Also:
■

■

■

Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for reference
information about the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command
Oracle Streams Replication Administrator's Guide for more details on
RMAN and tablespace repositories
Oracle Streams Replication Administrator's Guide for more details on
RMAN and Oracle Streams instantiations

Basic Concepts of Transportable Tablespace Sets
You create a transportable tablespace set by connecting RMAN to a source database as
TARGET and then executing the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command. The source database
contains the tablespaces to be transported.
You must have a backup of all needed tablespaces and archived redo log files available
for use by RMAN that can be recovered to the target point in time for the TRANSPORT
TABLESPACE operation. Figure 26–1 illustrates the basic process of transportable
tablespace creation.

26-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Overview of Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets

Figure 26–1 RMAN Transportable Tablespace from Backup: Architecture
Archived
redo logs

Backups of
source database

Oracle
Source
Recovery
database
Catalog

Recovery Manager

Oracle
Auxiliary
Recovery
instance
Catalog

Auxiliary Destination

Tablespace Destination

Control
File

Auxiliary
Set Files

Transportable
Set Datafiles

Export
Dump
File

Sample
Import
Script

The process shown in Figure 26–1 occurs in the following phases:
1.

RMAN starts an auxiliary instance.
An auxiliary instance is created by RMAN on the same host as the source database
to perform the restore and recovery of the tablespaces. RMAN automatically
creates an initialization parameter file for the auxiliary instance and starts it
NOMOUNT.

2.

RMAN restores a backup of the source database control file to serve as the
auxiliary instance control file and mounts this control file.

3.

RMAN restores auxiliary set and transportable set data files from the backups of
the source database.
The auxiliary set includes data files and other files required for the tablespace
transport but which are not themselves part of the transportable tablespace set.
The auxiliary set typically includes the SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces, temp files,
and data files containing rollback or undo segments. The auxiliary instance has
other files associated with it, such as its own control file, parameter file, and online
logs, but they are not part of the auxiliary set.
RMAN stores the auxiliary data files in the selected auxiliary destination. The
auxiliary destination is a disk location where RMAN can store auxiliary set files
such as the parameter file, data files (other than those in the transportable set),

Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets 26-3

Overview of Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets

control files, and online logs of the auxiliary instance during the transport. If the
transport succeeds, then RMAN deletes these files.
RMAN stores the transportable set files in the tablespace destination. The
tablespace destination is a disk location that by default contains the data file copies
and other output files when the tablespace transport command completes.
4.

RMAN performs database point-in-time recovery (DBPITR) at the auxiliary
instance.
The recovery updates auxiliary and transportable set data files to their contents as
of the target time specified for the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command. If no target
time is specified, then RMAN recovers with all available redo. RMAN restores
archived redo logs from backup as necessary at the auxiliary destination (or other
location) and deletes them after they are applied.

5.

RMAN opens the auxiliary database with the RESETLOGS options.
The data files now reflect the tablespace contents as of the target SCN for the
tablespace transport operation.

6.

RMAN places the transportable set tablespaces of the auxiliary instance into
read-only mode. RMAN also invokes Data Pump Export in transportable
tablespace mode to create the export dump file for the transportable set.
By default, the dump file is located in the tablespace destination. To specify the
dump file location, see "Specifying Locations for Data Pump Files" on page 26-8.
RMAN also generates the sample Data Pump import script for use when plugging
in the transported tablespaces at a target database. The contents of this script are
written to a file named impscript.sql in the tablespace destination. The
commands for the script are also included in the RMAN command output.

7.

If the preceding steps are successful, then RMAN shuts down the auxiliary
instance and deletes all files created during the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE operation
except for the transportable set files, the Data Pump Export file, and the sample
import script.

Basic Steps of Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets
Before creating transportable tablespace sets you must meet several prerequisites.
These prerequisites are described in the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE entry in Oracle Database
Backup and Recovery Reference.
The basic steps of creating transportable tablespace sets are as follows:
1.

Start the RMAN client and connect to the source database and, if used, the
recovery catalog.

2.

If necessary, set additional parameters in the auxiliary instance parameter file.
This task is described in "Customizing Initialization Parameters for the Auxiliary
Instance" on page 26-5.

3.

Execute the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command.
This basic technique is described in "Creating a Transportable Tablespace Set" on
page 26-6. Variations on this technique are described in "Transportable Tablespace
Set Scenarios" on page 26-8.

4.

If the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command fails, troubleshoot the problem and then
retry the command until it succeeds.

26-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Customizing Initialization Parameters for the Auxiliary Instance

This technique is described in "Troubleshooting the Creation of Transportable
Tablespace Sets" on page 26-7.
5.

Return to the procedure for transporting tablespaces described in Oracle Database
Administrator's Guide.

Customizing Initialization Parameters for the Auxiliary Instance
When RMAN creates the auxiliary instance, it creates an initialization parameter file.
The default values should work for nearly all TRANSPORT TABLESPACE cases, especially
if you specify the AUXILIARY DESTINATION option on the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE
command.
RMAN can also use an auxiliary instance parameter file that contains values for
additional initialization parameters. These values override the values of parameters
defined in the default initialization parameter file. You might use an auxiliary instance
parameter file for the following reasons:
■

■

■

To increase STREAMS_POOL_SIZE and SHARED_POOL_SIZE if needed for Data Pump
Export.
To manage locations for auxiliary instance data files (see "Using Initialization
Parameters to Name Auxiliary Files" on page 26-11). For example, you do not want
all auxiliary instance data files stored in the same location on disk, but you do not
want to specify the location of every file individually.
To specify names for online redo logs with LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT (see "Using
Initialization Parameters to Name Auxiliary Files" on page 26-11).

The auxiliary instance parameter file is not intended to be a complete initialization
parameter file for the auxiliary instance. Any parameters specified are added to or
override the default parameters for the auxiliary instance. It is not necessary to specify
parameters in the initialization file that you do not intend to override.

Setting Initialization Parameters for the Auxiliary Instance
RMAN defines the basic initialization parameters in Table 26–1 for the automatic
auxiliary instance.
Table 26–1

Default Initialization Parameters for the Auxiliary Instance

Initialization Parameter

Value

DB_NAME

Same as DB_NAME of the source database.

COMPATIBLE

Same as the compatible setting of the source database.

DB_UNIQUE_NAME

Generated unique value based on DB_NAME.

DB_BLOCK_SIZE

Same as the DB_BLOCK_SIZE of the source database.

DB_FILES

Same value as DB_FILES for the source database

SGA_TARGET

280M recommended value.

DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST

Auxiliary destination (only if the AUXILIARY DESTINATION
argument to TRANSPORT TABLESPACE is set). RMAN creates Oracle
managed control files and online logs in this location.

Overriding a basic initialization parameter in Table 26–1 with an inappropriate value
in the auxiliary instance parameter file can cause TRANSPORT TABLESPACE to fail. If you

Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets 26-5

Creating a Transportable Tablespace Set

encounter a problem, then try returning the initialization parameter to its default
value.
See Also: "Using Initialization Parameters to Name Auxiliary Files"
on page 26-11 to learn how to use DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT and LOG_
FILE_NAME_CONVERT to name files

Setting the Location of the Auxiliary Instance Parameter File
By default, RMAN looks for the auxiliary initialization parameter file at an operating
system-dependent location on the host running the RMAN client. This location may
not be on the host running the auxiliary instance. For UNIX systems, this location is
?/rdbms/admin/params_auxint.ora, where the question mark (?) stands for ORACLE_
HOME on the host running RMAN. If no file is found in the default location, then
RMAN does not generate an error.
If you use the default initialization parameters for the auxiliary instance, then check
whether an auxiliary instance parameter file exists before running TRANSPORT
TABLESPACE.
To specify a different location for the auxiliary instance parameter file, you can use the
RMAN SET AUXILIARY INSTANCE PARAMETER FILE command in a RUN block before the
TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command. As with the default location of the auxiliary instance
parameter file, the path specified when using the SET AUXILIARY INSTANCE PARAMETER
FILE command is a client-side path.
Assume that you create a file named /tmp/auxinstparams.ora on the host running the
RMAN client. This file contains the following initialization parameter:
SHARED_POOL_SIZE=150M;

You can then use the initialization parameter file with TRANSPORT TABLESPACE as shown
in Example 26–1. The SHARED_POOL_SIZE parameter in /tmp/auxinstparams.ora
overrides the default value used for SHARED_POOL_SIZE when RMAN creates the
auxiliary instance.
Example 26–1

Specifying an Auxiliary Instance Parameter File

RUN
{
SET AUXILIARY INSTANCE PARAMETER FILE TO '/tmp/auxinstparams.ora';
TRANSPORT TABLESPACE tbs_2
TABLESPACE DESTINATION '/disk1/transportdest'
AUXILIARY DESTINATION '/disk1/auxdest';
}

Creating a Transportable Tablespace Set
This section describes the use of TRANSPORT TABLESPACE in the most basic and
automated case. See "Transportable Tablespace Set Scenarios" on page 26-8 for
variations on the basic case.
It is assumed that you have met the prerequisites described in the TRANSPORT
TABLESPACE entry in Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference. It is also assumed
that you have met the requirements described in Oracle Database Administrator's Guide:
■

■

Confirmed that tablespace transport is supported between your source and
destination platforms
Identified a self-contained set of tablespaces to include in the transportable set

26-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Troubleshooting the Creation of Transportable Tablespace Sets

To create a transportable tablespace set:
1. Start the RMAN client and connect to the source database and, if used, the
recovery catalog database.
2.

Run the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command in RMAN.
In the most basic case, you specify an AUXILIARY DESTINATION clause, which is
optional but recommended. RMAN uses default values that work for most cases.
If you do not specify an auxiliary location, then ensure that locations are specified
for all auxiliary instance files. See the rules described in "Specifying Auxiliary File
Locations" on page 26-9 to learn how to name auxiliary files.
Example 26–2 creates a transportable tablespace set that includes tablespaces tbs_
2 and tbs_3.

Example 26–2

Creating a Transportable Tablespace Set

TRANSPORT TABLESPACE tbs_2, tbs_3
TABLESPACE DESTINATION '/disk1/transportdest'
AUXILIARY DESTINATION '/disk1/auxdest';

After the command completes successfully, note the following results:
■

■

The transportable set data files are left in the location /disk1/transportdest
with their original names. The transportable tablespace set data files are not
automatically converted to the endian format of the destination database by
TRANSPORT TABLESPACE. If necessary, use the RMAN CONVERT command to
convert the data files to the endian format of the destination database after
creating the transportable set.
The Data Pump Export dump file for the transportable set is named
dmpfile.dmp, the export log is named explog.log, and the sample import
script is named impscrpt.sql.
All files are created in /disk1/transportdest. If a file under the name of the
export dump file already exists in the tablespace destination, then TRANSPORT
TABLESPACE fails when it calls Data Pump Export. If you are repeating a
previous TRANSPORT TABLESPACE operation, delete the previous output files,
including the export dump file.

■

3.

The auxiliary set files are removed from /disk1/auxdest.

If necessary, edit the sample import script.
The sample import script assumes that the files used to import the tablespaces into
the destination database are stored in the same locations where they were created
by TRANSPORT TABLESPACE. If files have been moved to new disk locations before
being plugged in, then you must update the sample script with the new locations
of the files before using the script to plug in the transported tablespaces.

4.

Return to the process for transporting tablespaces described in Oracle Database
Administrator's Guide.

Troubleshooting the Creation of Transportable Tablespace Sets
When the RMAN TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command fails, the failed auxiliary instance
files are left intact in the auxiliary instance destination for troubleshooting.
If your SET NEWNAME, CONFIGURE AUXNAME, and DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT settings cause
multiple files in the auxiliary or transportable tablespace sets to have the same name,
then RMAN reports an error during the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command. To correct
Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets 26-7

Transportable Tablespace Set Scenarios

the problem, use different values for these parameters to ensure that duplicate file
names are not created. Naming techniques are described in "Specifying Auxiliary File
Locations" on page 26-9.

Transportable Tablespace Set Scenarios
This section contains the following topics:
■

Creating a Transportable Tablespace Set at a Specified Time or SCN

■

Specifying Locations for Data Pump Files

■

Specifying Auxiliary File Locations

Creating a Transportable Tablespace Set at a Specified Time or SCN
You can specify a target time or SCN with the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command.
During the tablespace transport operation, RMAN restores the tablespace at the
auxiliary instance with backups from before the target time and performs
point-in-time recovery on the auxiliary database to the specified target time. Backups
and archived redo logs needed for this point-in-time recovery must be available.
You can specify the target time with an SCN (in the current incarnation or its
ancestors) as shown in Example 26–3.
Example 26–3

Specifying an End SCN

TRANSPORT TABLESPACE tbs_2
TABLESPACE DESTINATION '/disk1/transportdest'
AUXILIARY DESTINATION '/disk1/auxdest'
UNTIL SCN 11379;

You can also specify a restore point as shown in Example 26–4.
Example 26–4

Specifying an End Restore Point

TRANSPORT TABLESPACE tbs_2
TABLESPACE DESTINATION '/disk1/transportdest'
AUXILIARY DESTINATION '/disk1/auxdest'
TO RESTORE POINT 'before_upgrade';

You can also specify an end time as shown in Example 26–5.
Example 26–5

Specifying an End Time

TRANSPORT TABLESPACE tbs_2
TABLESPACE DESTINATION '/disk1/transportdest'
AUXILIARY DESTINATION '/disk1/auxdest'
UNTIL TIME 'SYSDATE-1';

Specifying Locations for Data Pump Files
You can change the names of the Data Pump Export dump file for the transportable
set, the sample import script for use at the target database, the log file generated by
Data Pump Export, and the directory to which they are written.
By default, these files are stored in the tablespace destination and named as follows:
■

The Data Pump Export dump file is named dmpfile.dmp.

■

The export log file is named explog.log.

26-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Transportable Tablespace Set Scenarios

■

The sample import script is named impscrpt.sql.

You can place the dump file and the export log in a different directory by using the
DATAPUMP DIRECTORY clause of the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command, passing in the
name of a database directory object. The database directory object used by the
DATAPUMP DIRECTORY clause is not the directory path of an actual file system directory.
The value passed corresponds to the DIRECTORY command-line argument of Data
Pump Export. See Oracle Database Utilities for more details on the use of directory
objects with Data Pump Export.
You can rename these files with the DUMP FILE, EXPORT LOG, and IMPORT SCRIPT clauses
of TRANSPORT TABLESPACE. The file names cannot contain full file paths with directory
names. If the DUMP FILE or EXPORT LOG file names specify file paths, then TRANSPORT
TABLESPACE fails when it attempts to generate the export dump files. Use the DATAPUMP
DIRECTORY clause to specify a database directory object that identifies a location for the
outputs of Data Pump Export.
The following scenario illustrates the use of TRANSPORT TABLESPACE with the DATAPUMP
DIRECTORY, DUMP FILE, EXPORT LOG, and IMPORT SCRIPT file names specified. Assume
that you create a database directory object as follows for use with Data Pump Export:
CREATE OR REPLACE DIRECTORY mypumpdir as '/datapumpdest';

Example 26–6 shows a TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command with optional arguments that
specify output file locations.
Example 26–6

Specifying Output File Locations

TRANSPORT TABLESPACE tbs_2
TABLESPACE DESTINATION '/transportdest'
AUXILIARY DESTINATION '/auxdest'
DATAPUMP DIRECTORY mypumpdir
DUMP FILE 'mydumpfile.dmp'
IMPORT SCRIPT 'myimportscript.sql'
EXPORT LOG 'myexportlog.log';

After a successful run, RMAN cleans up the auxiliary destination, creates the Data
Pump Export dump file and the export log in the directory referenced by DATAPUMP
DIRECTORY (/datapumpdest/mydumpfile.dmp and /datapumpdest/myexportlog.log),
and stores the transportable set data files in /transportdest.

Specifying Auxiliary File Locations
Several rules affect the location of auxiliary instance files created during the transport.
If RMAN determines that any of the auxiliary files, designated by any of the methods
for specifying auxiliary file locations, already contain a data file copy that is suitable to
be used for the desired point in time for this transport operation, then that data file
copy is used instead of restoring the data file.
Any data file copies that are present, but not suitable for this transport operation,
because they are more recent than the requested point in time, or are not recognized as
part of the target database, are overwritten when the data files are restored.
The simplest technique is to use the AUXILIARY DESTINATION clause of the TRANSPORT
TABLESPACE command and let RMAN manage all file locations automatically. To
relocate some or all auxiliary instance files, the following options for specifying file
locations appear in order of precedence:
1.

SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILES

Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets 26-9

Transportable Tablespace Set Scenarios

SET NEWNAME FOR TABLESPACE
SET NEWNAME FOR DATABASE
See "Using SET NEWNAME for Auxiliary Data Files" on page 26-10.
2.

CONFIGURE AUXNAME
As described in "Using CONFIGURE AUXNAME for Auxiliary Data Files" on
page 26-10, you can use this command to specify names for data files.

3.

AUXILIARY DESTINATION clause of the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command
As described in "Using AUXILIARY DESTINATION to Specify a Location for
Auxiliary Files" on page 26-11, you can use this option to specify a location for
auxiliary files.

4.

LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT and DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT in the initialization
parameter file
As described in "Using Initialization Parameters to Name Auxiliary Files" on
page 26-11, you can use these initialization parameters to specify a location for
auxiliary files.

If you use several of these options, then the first option in the list that applies to a file
determines the file name.

Using SET NEWNAME for Auxiliary Data Files
You can use the following SET NEWNAME commands in a RUN block to specify file names
for use in the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command:
■

SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE

■

SET NEWNAME FOR DATABASE

■

SET NEWNAME FOR TABLESPACE

The SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE commands in Example 26–7 cause the auxiliary
instance data files to be restored to the locations named instead of to /disk1/auxdest.
Example 26–7

Using SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE to Name Auxiliary Data Files

RUN
{
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE '/oracle/dbs/tbs_12.f'
TO '/bigdrive/auxdest/tbs_12.f';
SET NEWNAME FOR DATAFILE '/oracle/dbs/tbs_11.f'
TO '/bigdrive/auxdest/tbs_11.f';
TRANSPORT TABLESPACE tbs_2
TABLESPACE DESTINATION '/disk1/transportdest'
AUXILIARY DESTINATION '/disk1/auxdest';
}

SET NEWNAME is best used with one-time operations. If you expect to create
transportable tablespaces from backup regularly for a particular set of tablespaces,
then consider using CONFIGURE AUXNAME instead of SET NEWNAME to make persistent
settings for the location of the auxiliary instance data files.

Using CONFIGURE AUXNAME for Auxiliary Data Files
You can use the CONFIGURE AUXNAME command to specify persistent locations for
transportable tablespace set or auxiliary set data files. RMAN restores each data file for
which a CONFIGURE AUXNAME command has been used to the specified location before
26-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Transportable Tablespace Set Scenarios

recovery. RMAN deletes auxiliary set data files when the operation is complete, unless
the operation failed.
An example illustrates the relationship between the CONFIGURE AUXNAME and
TRANSPORT ... AUXILIARY DESTINATION commands. Suppose that you want to
transport tablespace tbs_11. The tablespace tbs_12, which contains data file tbs_12.f,
is part of the auxiliary set. You execute the following steps:
1.

You use the CONFIGURE AUXNAME statement to set a persistent nondefault location
for the auxiliary set data file /oracle/dbs/tbs_12.f.
For example, you enter the following command:
CONFIGURE AUXNAME FOR '/oracle/dbs/tbs_12.f'
TO '/disk1/auxdest/tbs_12.f';

2.

You execute the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command with the AUXILIARY
DESTINATION parameter.
For example, you enter the following command:
TRANSPORT TABLESPACE tbs_11
AUXILIARY DESTINATION '/myauxdest';

In the preceding scenario, RMAN restores the auxiliary set copy of data file
/oracle/dbs/tbs_12.f to /disk1/auxdest/tbs_12.f instead of the location specified
by AUXILIARY DESTINATION. The CONFIGURE AUXNAME setting is higher in the order of
precedence than AUXILIARY DESTINATION.
Note: You can view any current CONFIGURE AUXNAME settings by
executing the SHOW AUXNAME command, which is described in Oracle
Database Backup and Recovery Reference.

Using AUXILIARY DESTINATION to Specify a Location for Auxiliary Files
If you use an AUXILIARY DESTINATION argument with TRANSPORT TABLESPACE, then any
auxiliary set file that is not moved to another location using a SET NEWNAME or
CONFIGURE AUXNAME command is stored in the auxiliary destination during the
TRANSPORT TABLESPACE operation.
If you do not use AUXILIARY DESTINATION, then you must use LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT
to specify the location of the online redo log files for the auxiliary instance. Neither SET
NEWNAME nor CONFIGURE AUXNAME can affect the location of the auxiliary instance online
redo logs. Thus, if you do not use AUXILIARY DESTINATION or LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT,
then RMAN has no information about where to create the online redo logs.

Using Initialization Parameters to Name Auxiliary Files
You can use the LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT and DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization
parameters in an auxiliary instance parameter file to determine the names for online
redo logs and other database files at the auxiliary instance. If no AUXILIARY
DESTINATION clause is specified on the TRANSPORT TABLESPACE command, then these
parameters determine the location of any files for which no CONFIGURE AUXNAME or SET
NEWNAME command was run.
You cannot use LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT or DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT to generate new
Oracle Managed Files (OMF) file names for files at the auxiliary instance when the
original files are OMF files. The database manages the generation of unique file names
in each OMF destination. You must use an AUXILIARY DESTINATION clause to control
the location of the online redo log files. You must use the AUXILIARY DESTINATION
Creating Transportable Tablespace Sets

26-11

Transportable Tablespace Set Scenarios

clause, SET NEWNAME or CONFIGURE AUXNAME commands, or DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST
initialization parameter to specify the location for OMF data files.
Oracle Database Reference for more details on the LOG_FILE_
NAME_CONVERT and DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization parameters

See Also:

26-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

27
27

Transporting Data Across Platforms

You can use RMAN to transport tablespaces across platforms with different endian
formats. You can also use RMAN to transport an entire database to a different platform
so long as the two platforms have the same endian format.
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Overview of Cross-Platform Data Transportation

■

Performing Cross-Platform Tablespace Conversion on the Source Host

■

Performing Cross-Platform Data File Conversion on the Destination Host

■

Checking the Database Before Cross-Platform Database Conversion

■

Converting Data Files on the Source Host When Transporting a Database

■

Converting Data Files on the Destination Host When Transporting a Database

Overview of Cross-Platform Data Transportation
This section explains the basic concepts and tasks involved in transporting tablespaces
and databases across platforms.

Purpose of Cross-Platform Data Transportation
You can transport tablespaces in a database that runs on one platform into a database
that runs on a different platform. Typical uses of cross-platform transportable
tablespaces include the following:
■

■

■

Publishing structured data as transportable tablespaces for distribution to
customers, who can convert the tablespaces for integration into their existing
databases regardless of platform
Moving data from a large data warehouse server to data marts on smaller
computers such as Linux-based workstations or servers
Sharing read-only tablespaces across a heterogeneous cluster in which all hosts
share the same endian format

A full discussion of transportable tablespaces, their uses, and the different techniques
for creating and using them is found in Oracle Database Administrator's Guide.
You can also use RMAN to transport an entire database from one platform to another.
For example, business requirements demand that you run your databases on less
expensive servers that use a different platform. In this case, you can use RMAN to
transport the entire database rather than re-create it and use import utilities or
transportable tablespaces to repopulate the data.

Transporting Data Across Platforms

27-1

Overview of Cross-Platform Data Transportation

You can convert a database on the destination host or source host. Reasons for
converting on the destination host include:
■
■

■

Avoiding performance overhead on the source host due to the conversion process
Distributing a database from one source system to multiple recipients on several
different platforms
Evaluating a migration path for a new platform

Basic Concepts of Cross-Platform Data Transportation
You must use the RMAN CONVERT command in a transportable tablespace operation
when the source platform is different from the destination platform and the endian
formats are different. If you are converting part of the database between platforms that
have the same endian format, you can use operating system methods to copy the files
from the source to the destination. If you are converting an entire, same endian
database, any data files with undo information must be converted. You cannot copy
the data files directly from the source to the destination platform.

Tablespace and Data File Conversion
You can perform tablespace conversion with the RMAN CONVERT TABLESPACE
command on the source host, but not on the destination host. The CONVERT
TABLESPACE command does not perform in-place conversion of data files. Rather, the
command produces output files in the correct format for use on the destination
platform. The command does not alter the contents of data files in the source database.
You can use the CONVERT DATAFILE command to convert files on the destination host,
but not on the source host. The Data Pump Export utility generates an export dump
file that, with data files manually copied to the destination host, can be imported into
the destination database. Until the data files are transported into the destination
database, the data files are not associated with a tablespace name in the database. In
this case, RMAN cannot translate the tablespace name into a list of data files.
Therefore, you must use CONVERT DATAFILE and identify the data files by file name.
Note: Using CONVERT TABLESPACE or CONVERT DATAFILE is only one
step in using cross-platform transportable tablespaces. Read the
discussion of transportable tablespaces in Oracle Database
Administrator's Guide in its entirety before attempting to follow the
procedures in this chapter.

Database Conversion
To convert a whole database to a different platform, both platforms must use the same
endian format. The RMAN CONVERT DATABASE command automates the movement of
an entire database from a source platform to a destination platform. The transported
database contains the same data as the source database and also has, with a few
exceptions, the same settings as the source database.
Files automatically transported to the destination platform include:
■

Data files that belong to permanent tablespaces
Unlike transporting tablespaces across platforms, transporting entire databases
requires that certain types of blocks, such as blocks in undo segments, be
reformatted to ensure compatibility with the destination platform. Even though
the endian formats for the source and destination platforms are the same, the data
files for a transportable database must undergo a conversion process. You cannot

27-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Cross-Platform Tablespace Conversion on the Source Host

simply copy data files from one platform to another as you can when transporting
tablespaces.
■

Initialization parameter file or server parameter file
If the database uses a text-based initialization parameter file, then RMAN
transports it. If the database uses a server parameter file, then RMAN generates an
initialization parameter file based on the server parameter file, transports it and
creates a new server parameter file at the destination based on the settings in the
initialization parameter file.
Usually, some parameters in the initialization parameter file require manual
updating for the new database. For example, you may change the DB_NAME and
parameters such as CONTROL_FILES that indicate the locations of files on the
destination host.

You can convert the format of the data files either on the source platform or on the
destination platform. The CONVERT DATABASE ON DESTINATION PLATFORM command
does not convert the format of data files. Rather, it generates scripts that you can run
manually to perform the conversion. The CONVERT SCRIPT parameter creates a convert
script that you can manually execute at the destination host to convert data file copies
in batch mode. The TRANSPORT SCRIPT parameter generates a transport script that
contains SQL statements to create the new database on the destination platform.

Performing Cross-Platform Tablespace Conversion on the Source Host
See the list of CONVERT command prerequisites described in Oracle Database Backup and
Recovery Reference. Meet all these prerequisites before doing the steps in this section.
For purposes of illustration, assume that you must transport tablespaces finance and
hr from source database prod_source, which runs on a Sun Solaris host. You plan to
transport them to destination database prod_dest running on a Linux PC. You plan to
store the converted data files in the temporary directory /tmp/transport_linux/ on
the source host.
To perform cross-platform tablespace conversion on the source host:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the source database prod_source with
administrator privileges.
2.

Query the name for the destination platform in the V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM
view.
The database has a list of its own internal names for each platform supporting
cross-platform data transport. You may need the exact name of the source or
destination platform as a parameter to the CONVERT command. Query
V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM to get the platform names. The following example
queries Linux platform names:
SELECT PLATFORM_ID, PLATFORM_NAME, ENDIAN_FORMAT
FROM
V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM
WHERE UPPER(PLATFORM_NAME) LIKE '%LINUX%';

The PLATFORM_NAME for Linux on a PC is Linux IA (32-bit).
3.

Place the tablespaces to be transported in read-only mode. For example, enter:
ALTER TABLESPACE finance READ ONLY;
ALTER TABLESPACE hr READ ONLY;

4.

Choose a method for naming the output files.

Transporting Data Across Platforms

27-3

Performing Cross-Platform Data File Conversion on the Destination Host

You must use the FORMAT or DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT arguments to the CONVERT
command to control the names of the output files. The rules are listed in order of
precedence:
a.

Files that match any patterns provided in CONVERT ... DB_FILE_NAME_
CONVERT clause are named based upon this pattern.

b.

If you specify a FORMAT clause, then any file not named based on patterns
provided in CONVERT ... DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is named based on
the FORMAT pattern.
You cannot use CONVERT ... DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT to
generate output file names for the CONVERT command when the source
and destination files have Oracle Managed File names.
Note:

5.

Start RMAN and connect to the source database (not the destination database) as
TARGET. For example, enter:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET SYS@prod_source

6.

Run the CONVERT TABLESPACE command to convert the data files into the endian
format of the destination host.
In the following example, the FORMAT argument controls the name and location of
the converted data files:
RMAN> CONVERT TABLESPACE finance,hr
2>
TO PLATFORM 'Linux IA (32-bit)'
3>
FORMAT '/tmp/transport_linux/%U';

The result is a set of converted data files in the /tmp/transport_linux/ directory,
with data in the correct endian format for the Linux IA (32-bit) platform.
See Also: Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for the full
semantics of the CONVERT command
7.

Follow the rest of the general outline for transporting tablespaces:
a.

Use the Oracle Data Pump Export utility to create the export dump file on the
source host.

b.

Move the converted data files and the export dump file from the source host to
the desired directories on the destination host.

c.

Plug the tablespace into the new database with the Import utility.

d.

If applicable, place the transported tablespaces into read/write mode.

Performing Cross-Platform Data File Conversion on the Destination Host
See the list of CONVERT command prerequisites described in Oracle Database Backup and
Recovery Reference. Meet these prerequisites before doing the steps in this section.

About Cross-Platform Data File Conversion on the Destination Host
Data file conversion necessitates that you choose a technique for naming the output
files. You must use the FORMAT or DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT arguments to the CONVERT

27-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Cross-Platform Data File Conversion on the Destination Host

command to control the naming of output files. The rules are listed in order of
precedence:
1.

Files that match any patterns provided in CONVERT ... DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT
clause are named based upon this pattern.

2.

If you specify a FORMAT clause, then any file not named based on patterns provided
in CONVERT ... DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT clause is named based on the FORMAT
pattern.
You cannot use CONVERT ... DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT to
generate output file names for the CONVERT command when both the
source and destination files are Oracle Managed Files.
Note:

If the source and destination platforms differ, then you must specify the FROM
PLATFORM parameter. View platform names by querying the V$TRANSPORTABLE_
PLATFORM. The FROM PLATFORM value must match the format of the data files to be
converted to avoid an error. If you do not specify FROM PLATFORM, then this parameter
defaults to the value of the destination platform.

Using CONVERT DATAFILE to Convert Data File Formats
This section explains how to use the CONVERT DATAFILE command. The section
assumes that you intend to transport tablespaces finance (data files fin/fin01.dbf
and fin/fin02.dbf) and hr (data files hr/hr01.dbf and hr/hr02.dbf) from a source
database named prod_source. The database runs on a Sun Solaris host. You plan to
transport these tablespaces into a destination database named prod_dest, which runs
on a Linux PC. You plan to perform conversion on the destination host.
When the data files are plugged into the destination database, you plan to store them
in /orahome/dbs and preserve the current directory structure. That is, data files for the
hr tablespace are stored in the /orahome/dbs/hr subdirectory, and data files for the
finance tablespace are stored in the /orahome/dbs/fin directory.
To perform cross-platform data file conversion on the destination host:
1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the source database prod_source with
administrator privileges.
2.

Query the name for the source platform in V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM.
The database has a list of its own internal names for each platform supporting
cross-platform data transport. You may need the exact name of the source or
destination platform as a parameter to the CONVERT command. For example, you
can obtain the platform name of the connected database as follows:
SELECT PLATFORM_NAME
FROM
V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM
WHERE PLATFORM_ID =
( SELECT PLATFORM_ID
FROM
V$DATABASE );

For this scenario, assume that the PLATFORM_NAME for the source host is
Solaris[tm] OE (64-bit).
3.

Identify the tablespaces to be transported from the source database and place them
in read-only mode.

Transporting Data Across Platforms

27-5

Performing Cross-Platform Data File Conversion on the Destination Host

For example, enter the following SQL statements to place finance and hr in
read-only mode:
ALTER TABLESPACE finance READ ONLY;
ALTER TABLESPACE hr READ ONLY;
4.

On the source host, use Data Pump Export to create the export dump file
In this example, the dump file is named expdat.dmp.

5.

Make the export dump file and the data files to be transported available to the
destination host.
You can use NFS to make the dump file and current database files (not copies)
accessible. Alternatively, you can use an operating system utility to copy these files
to the destination host.
In this example, you store the files in the /tmp/transport_solaris/ directory of
the destination host. You preserve the subdirectory structure from the original
location of the files, that is, the data files are stored as:

6.

■

/tmp/transport_solaris/fin/fin01.dbf

■

/tmp/transport_solaris/fin/fin02.dbf

■

/tmp/transport_solaris/hr/hr01.dbf

■

/tmp/transport_solaris/hr/hr02.dbf

Start RMAN and connect to the destination database (not the source database) as
TARGET. For example, enter the following command:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET SYS@prod_dest

7.

Execute the CONVERT DATAFILE command to convert the data files into the endian
format of the destination host.
In this example, you use DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT to control the name and location
of the converted data files. You also specify the FROM PLATFORM clause.
RMAN> CONVERT DATAFILE
2>
'/tmp/transport_solaris/fin/fin01.dbf',
3>
'/tmp/transport_solaris/fin/fin02.dbf',
4>
'/tmp/transport_solaris/hr/hr01.dbf',
5>
'/tmp/transport_solaris/hr/hr02.dbf'
6>
DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT
7>
'/tmp/transport_solaris/fin','/orahome/dbs/fin',
8>
'/tmp/transport_solaris/hr','/orahome/dbs/hr'
9>
FROM PLATFORM 'Solaris[tm] OE (64-bit)

The result is a set of converted data files in the /orahome/dbs/ directory that are
named as follows:

8.

■

/orahome/dbs/fin/fin01.dbf

■

/orahome/dbs/fin/fin02.dbf

■

/orahome/dbs/hr/hr01.dbf

■

/orahome/dbs/hr/hr02.dbf

Follow the rest of the general outline for transporting tablespaces:
a.

Plug the tablespace into the new database with the Import utility.

27-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Checking the Database Before Cross-Platform Database Conversion

b.

If applicable, place the transported tablespaces into read-only mode.
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference for the syntax
and semantics of the CONVERT command

See Also:

Checking the Database Before Cross-Platform Database Conversion
As explained in "Basic Concepts of Cross-Platform Data Transportation" on page 27-2,
you can use the RMAN CONVERT DATABASE command to automate the copying of an
entire database from one platform to another.
Before converting the database, see the list of CONVERT DATABASE command
prerequisites described in Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference. Confirm that
you meet all these prerequisites before attempting the procedure in this section.
One prerequisite is that both the source and destination platform must share the same
endian format. For example, you can transport a database from Microsoft Windows to
Linux for x86 (both little-endian), or from HP-UX to AIX (both big-endian), but not
from HP-UX to Linux for x86 (big-endian to little-endian).
If you cannot use the CONVERT DATABASE command because the
platforms do not share endian formats, then you can create a database
on a destination platform manually and transport needed tablespaces
from the source database with cross-platform transportable
tablespaces.

Note:

When you transport entire databases, note that certain files require RMAN conversion
to ensure compatibility with the destination platform. Even though the endian formats
for the source and destination platform are the same, these files cannot be simply
copied from the source to the destination system. The following kinds of files require
RMAN conversion:
■
■

Any file containing undo segments
Any file containing automatic segment space management (ASSM) segment
headers that is being transported to or from the HP Tru64 platform

The CONVERT DATABASE command, by default, processes all data files in the database
using RMAN conversion. The RMAN conversion copies the files from one location to
another, even when it does not make any changes to the file. If you have other
preferred means to copy those files that do not require RMAN conversion, you can use
the SKIP UNNECESSARY DATAFILES option of the CONVERT DATABASE command. If you
select this option, then the CONVERT DATABASE command only processes the kinds of
files previously mentioned. All other files must be copied by the user from the source
to the destination database.
The files should be copied while the source database is open in read-only mode.
Similarly, if the conversion is performed at the destination, all data files should be
copied to the destination when the source database is open in read-only mode.
To prepare for database conversion:
Start a SQL*Plus session as SYSDBA on the source database.

1.
2.

Open the database in read-only mode.
ALTER DATABASE OPEN READ ONLY;

3.

Ensure that server output is on in SQL*Plus.
Transporting Data Across Platforms

27-7

Checking the Database Before Cross-Platform Database Conversion

For example, enter the following SQL*Plus command:
SET SERVEROUTPUT ON
4.

Execute the DBMS_TDB.CHECK_DB function.
This check ensures that no conditions would prevent the transport of the database,
such as incorrect compatibility settings, in-doubt or active transactions, or
incompatible endian formats between the source platform and destination
platform.
You can call CHECK_DB without arguments to see if a condition at the source
database prevents transport. You can also call this function with the arguments
shown in Table 27–1.

Table 27–1

CHECK_DB Function Parameters

Parameter

Description

target_platform_name

The name of the destination platform as it appears in the V$DB_
TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM view.
This parameter is optional, but is required when the skip_
option parameter is used. If omitted, it is assumed that the
destination platform is compatible with the source platform,
and only the conditions not related to platform compatibility
are tested.
Specifies which, if any, parts of the database to skip when
checking whether the database can be transported. Supported
values (of type NUMBER) are:

skip_option

■
■

■

SKIP_NONE (or 0), which checks all tablespaces
SKIP_OFFLINE (or 2), which skips checking data files in
offline tablespaces
SKIP_READONLY (or 3), which skips checking data files in
read-only tablespaces

Example 27–1 illustrates executing CHECK_DB on a 32-bit Linux platform for
transporting a database to 32-bit Windows, skipping read-only tablespaces.
Example 27–1

Executing DBMS_TDB.CHECK_DB

DECLARE
db_ready BOOLEAN;
BEGIN
db_ready :=
DBMS_TDB.CHECK_DB('Microsoft Windows IA (32-bit)',DBMS_TDB.SKIP_READONLY);
END;
/
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

If no warnings appear, or if DBMS_TDB.CHECK_DB returns TRUE, then you can
transport the database. Proceed to Step 6.
If warnings appear, or if DBMS_TDB.CHECK_DB returns FALSE, then you cannot
currently transport the database. Proceed to Step 5.
5.

Examine the output to learn why the database cannot be transported, fix the
problem if possible, and then return to the Step 4. See the DBMS_TDB documentation
for the conditions present.

27-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Converting Data Files on the Source Host When Transporting a Database

6.

Execute the DBMS_TDB.CHECK_EXTERNAL function to identify any external tables,
directories, or BFILEs. RMAN cannot automate the transport of these files, so you
must copy the files manually and re-create the database directories.
Example 27–2 shows how to call the DBMS_TDB.CHECK_EXTERNAL function.

Example 27–2

Executing DBMS_TDB.CHECK_EXTERNAL

DECLARE
external BOOLEAN;
BEGIN
/* value of external is ignored, but with SERVEROUTPUT set to ON
* dbms_tdb.check_external displays report of external objects
* on console */
external := DBMS_TDB.CHECK_EXTERNAL;
END;
/

If no external objects exist, then the procedure completes with no output. If
external objects exist, however, then the output is similar to the following:
The following external tables exist in the database:
SH.SALES_TRANSACTIONS_EXT
The following directories exist in the database:
SYS.DATA_PUMP_DIR, SYS.MEDIA_DIR, SYS.DATA_FILE_DIR, SYS.LOG_FILE_DIR
The following BFILEs exist in the database:
PM.PRINT_MEDIA
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

Converting Data Files on the Source Host When Transporting a Database
When you transport entire databases, certain types of blocks, such as blocks in undo
segments, must be reformatted to ensure compatibility with the destination platform.
Even though the endian formats for the source and destination platform are the same,
the data files for a transportable database must undergo a conversion process. You
cannot simply copy data files from one platform to another as you can when
transporting tablespaces.
Data files with undo information and those from the HP Tru64 platform must be
converted. By default, all data files are converted when the CONVERT DATABASE
command is executed. If, however, SKIP UNNECESSARY DATAFILES is used in the
CONVERT DATABASE command, then the data files with undo segments and those from
the HP Tru64 platform are converted. The data files without undo segments can be
copied to the new database using FTP, an operating system copy command, or some
other mechanism.
This section assumes that you have already met all of the CONVERT DATABASE
prerequisites and followed the steps in "Checking the Database Before Cross-Platform
Database Conversion" on page 27-7. The goal of this procedure is to convert the format
of data files on the source host as part of a cross-platform database transport.
Assume that you want to convert a database running on Solaris to a database that runs
on Windows.
To convert the database on the source platform:
1. Open the source database in read-only mode.
ALTER DATABASE OPEN READ ONLY;

Transporting Data Across Platforms

27-9

Converting Data Files on the Source Host When Transporting a Database

2.

Start RMAN and connect to the source database as TARGET. For example, enter the
following commands:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET SYS@source_db

3.

Run the CONVERT DATABASE command.
Example 27–3 shows a CONVERT DATABASE command (sample output included).
The TRANSPORT SCRIPT parameter specifies the location of the generated SQL
script that you can use to create the new database. The TO PLATFORM parameter
indicates the platform of the destination database. The DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT
parameter specifies the naming scheme for the generated data files.

Example 27–3

Converting a Database on the Source Host

RMAN> CONVERT DATABASE
2>
NEW DATABASE 'newdb'
3>
TRANSPORT SCRIPT '/tmp/convertdb/transportscript.sql'
4>
TO PLATFORM 'Microsoft Windows IA (32-bit)'
5>
DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT '/disk1/oracle/dbs' '/tmp/convertdb';
Starting convert at 25-NOV-06
using channel ORA_DISK_1
External table SH.SALES_TRANSACTIONS_EXT found in the database
Directory
Directory
Directory
Directory

SYS.DATA_PUMP_DIR found in the database
SYS.MEDIA_DIR found in the database
SYS.DATA_FILE_DIR found in the database
SYS.LOG_FILE_DIR found in the database

BFILE PM.PRINT_MEDIA found in the database
User SYS with SYSDBA and SYSOPER privilege found in password file
User OPER with SYSDBA privilege found in password file
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting datafile conversion
input datafile fno=00001 name=/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_01.f
converted datafile=/tmp/convertdb/tbs_01.f
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile conversion complete, elapsed time: 00:00:15
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting datafile conversion
input datafile fno=00002 name=/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_ax1.f
converted datafile=/tmp/convertdb/tbs_ax1.f
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile conversion complete, elapsed time: 00:00:03
.
.
.
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting datafile conversion
input datafile fno=00016 name=/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_52.f
converted datafile=/tmp/convertdb/tbs_52.f
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile conversion complete, elapsed time: 00:00:01
Run SQL script /tmp/convertdb/transportscript.sql on the destination platform
to create database
Edit init.ora file init_00gb3vfv_1_0.ora. This PFILE will be used to
create the database on the destination platform
To recompile all PL/SQL modules, run utlirp.sql and utlrp.sql on
the destination platform
To change the internal database identifier, use DBNEWID Utility
Finished backup at 25-NOV-06

27-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Converting Data Files on the Destination Host When Transporting a Database

4.

After CONVERT DATABASE completes, you can open the source database read/write
again.

5.

Move the data files generated by CONVERT DATABASE to the desired locations on the
destination host.
In Example 27–3, the command creates the files in the /tmp/convertdb/ directory
on the source host. Move these files to the directory on the destination host that
will contain the destination database files.

6.

If the path to the data files is different on the destination host, then edit the
transport script to refer to the new data file locations.

7.

If necessary, edit the initialization parameter file to change any settings for the
destination database.
You should edit several entries at the top of the initialization parameter file when
the database is moved to the destination platform. For example, the initialization
parameter file may look as follows:
# Please change the values of the following parameters:
control_files
= "/tmp/convertdb/cf_D-NEWDBT_id-1778429277_00gb9u2s"
db_recovery_file_dest
= "/tmp/convertdb/orcva"
db_recovery_file_dest_size= 10737418240
instance_name
= "NEWDBT"
service_names
= "NEWDBT.example.com"
plsql_native_library_dir = "/tmp/convertdb/plsqlnld1"
db_name
= "NEWDBT"

8.

If necessary, edit the transport script to use the new names for the converted data
files.
In Example 27–3, the transport script is named
/tmp/convertdb/transportscript.sql. You run this script on the destination host
to create the database. Thus, you must edit this script with the correct names for
the data files.

9.

On the destination host, start SQL*Plus and connect to the destination database
instance as SYSDBA using operating system authentication.
For example, connect as follows:
SQL> CONNECT / AS SYSDBA

If you choose not to use operating system authentication, then you must first
configure Oracle Net files, create a password file, and start the listener. You can
then connect to the instance with a net service name.
10. Execute the transport script in SQL*Plus to create the new database on the

destination host.
SQL> @transportscript

When the transport script finishes, the creation of the new database is complete.

Converting Data Files on the Destination Host When Transporting a
Database
This section assumes that you have already met all of the CONVERT DATABASE command
prerequisites and followed the steps in "Checking the Database Before Cross-Platform
Database Conversion" on page 27-7. The goal of this procedure is to convert the format
of data files on the destination host as part of a cross-platform database transport.
Transporting Data Across Platforms

27-11

Converting Data Files on the Destination Host When Transporting a Database

Perform the data file conversion in the following phases:
1.

Performing Preliminary Data File Conversion Steps on the Source Host

2.

Converting Data Files on the Destination Host

Performing Preliminary Data File Conversion Steps on the Source Host
In this procedure, you execute the CONVERT DATABASE command on the source host.
This command generates an initialization parameter file and scripts that you can edit
for use on the destination host. You also copy the unconverted data files from the
source host to the destination host.
To perform preliminary data file conversion steps on the source host:
1. Ensure that the database is open in read-only mode.
2.

Start RMAN and connect to the source database as TARGET.
For example, enter the following commands:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET SYS@source_db

3.

Run the CONVERT DATABASE ON DESTINATION PLATFORM command.
Example 27–4 shows a sample CONVERT DATABASE command (sample output
included). The ON DESTINATION PLATFORM parameter specifies that any CONVERT
commands required for data files should be performed on the destination platform
rather than the source platform. The FORMAT parameter specifies the naming
scheme for the generated files.

Example 27–4

Executing CONVERT DATABASE ON DESTINATION PLATFORM

RMAN> CONVERT DATABASE
2>
ON DESTINATION PLATFORM
3>
CONVERT SCRIPT '/tmp/convertdb/convertscript-target'
4>
TRANSPORT SCRIPT '/tmp/convertdb/transportscript-target'
5>
NEW DATABASE 'newdbt'
6>
FORMAT '/tmp/convertdb/%U';
Starting convert at 28-JAN-05
using target database control file instead of recovery catalog
allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: sid=39 devtype=DISK
External table SH.SALES_TRANSACTIONS_EXT found in the database
Directory
Directory
Directory
Directory

SYS.DATA_PUMP_DIR found in the database
SYS.MEDIA_DIR found in the database
SYS.DATA_FILE_DIR found in the database
SYS.LOG_FILE_DIR found in the database

BFILE PM.PRINT_MEDIA found in the database
User SYS with SYSDBA and SYSOPER privilege found in password file
User OPER with SYSDBA privilege found in password file
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting to check datafiles
input datafile fno=00001 name=/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_01.f
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile checking complete, elapsed time: 00:00:00
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting to check datafiles
input datafile fno=00002 name=/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_ax1.f

27-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Converting Data Files on the Destination Host When Transporting a Database

channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile checking complete, elapsed time: 00:00:00
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting to check datafiles
input datafile fno=00017 name=/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_03.f
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile checking complete, elapsed time: 00:00:00
.
.
.
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting to check datafiles
input datafile fno=00015 name=/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_51.f
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile checking complete, elapsed time: 00:00:00
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting to check datafiles
input datafile fno=00016 name=/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_52.f
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile checking complete, elapsed time: 00:00:00
Run SQL script /tmp/convertdb/transportscript-target on the destination platform
to create database
Edit init.ora file /tmp/convertdb/init_00gb9u2s_1_0.ora. This PFILE will be used
to create the database on the destination platform
Run RMAN script /tmp/convertdb/convertscript-target on destination platform to
convert datafiles
To recompile all PL/SQL modules, run utlirp.sql and utlrp.sql on the destination
platform
To change the internal database identifier, use DBNEWID Utility
Finished backup at 28-JAN-05

The command in Example 27–4 creates a transport script, an initialization
parameter file for the new database, and a convert script containing RMAN
CONVERT DATAFILE commands for each data file being converted.
Note: CONVERT DATABASE ON DESTINATION PLATFORM does not produce
converted data file copies. The command only creates scripts.
4.

5.

Use an operating system utility to copy the following files to a temporary location
on the destination host:
■

The data files to be converted

■

The convert script

■

The transport script

■

The initialization file for the destination database

Make the source database read/write.

Converting Data Files on the Destination Host
This section explains how to use the script created in the previous section to convert
the data files on the destination host.
The convert script created in the previous phase uses the original data file names of
the source database files. The FORMAT parameter specifies the name that was generated
with the FORMAT or DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT parameter of the CONVERT DATABASE
command.
If the data files of the source database are accessible from the destination host with the
same path names, then so long as the source database is read-only you can run the
convert script on the destination host without any changes. For example, if the source
and destination hosts both use NFS to mount a disk containing the source data files,
and if the mount point for both hosts is /fs1/dbs/, then no editing is needed.

Transporting Data Across Platforms

27-13

Converting Data Files on the Destination Host When Transporting a Database

To convert the data files on the destination host:
1. If necessary, edit the convert script.
In the script, one CONVERT DATAFILE command exists for each data file to be
converted. The convert script should indicate the current temporary file names of
the unconverted data files and the output file names of the converted data files. A
typical convert script looks as follows:
RUN
{
CONVERT
FROM PLATFORM 'Linux IA (32-bit)'
PARALLELISM 10
DATAFILE '/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_01.f'
FORMAT
'/tmp/convertdb/data_D-TV_I-1778429277_TS-SYSTEM_FNO-1_7qgb9u2s';
DATAFILE '/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_ax1.f'
FORMAT
'/tmp/convertdb/data_D-TV_I-1778429277_TS-SYSAUX_FNO-2_7rgb9u2s';
DATAFILE '/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_03.f'
FORMAT
'/tmp/convertdb/data_D-TV_I-1778429277_TS-SYSTEM_FNO-17_7sgb9u2s';
DATAFILE '/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_51.f'
FORMAT
'/tmp/convertdb/data_D-TV_I-1778429277_TS-TBS_5_FNO-15_8egb9u2u';
DATAFILE '/disk1/oracle/dbs/tbs_52.f'
FORMAT
'/tmp/convertdb/data_D-TV_I-1778429277_TS-TBS_5_FNO-16_8fgb9u2u';
}

Edit each DATAFILE command in the convert script to specify the temporary
location of each data file as input. Also, edit the FORMAT parameter of each
command to specify the desired final location of the data files of the transported
database.
2.

If necessary, edit the initialization parameter file on the destination host to change
settings for the destination database.
You should edit several entries at the top of the initialization parameter file before
moving the database to the destination platform. For example, the initialization
parameter file may look as follows:
# Please change the values of the following parameters:
control_files
= "/tmp/convertdb/cf_D-NEWDBT_id-1778429277_00gb9u2s"
db_recovery_file_dest
= "/tmp/convertdb/orcva"
db_recovery_file_dest_size= 10737418240
instance_name
= "NEWDBT"
service_names
= "NEWDBT.example.com"
plsql_native_library_dir = "/tmp/convertdb/plsqlnld1"
db_name
= "NEWDBT"

3.

On the destination host, use SQL*Plus to start the database instance in NOMOUNT
mode.
Specify the initialization parameter file that you copied in the preceding step. For
example, enter the following command:
SQL> STARTUP NOMOUNT PFILE='/tmp/init_convertdb_00i2gj63_1_0.ora'

27-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Converting Data Files on the Destination Host When Transporting a Database

4.

Start RMAN and connect to the destination database (not the source database) as
TARGET. For example, enter the following command:
% rman
RMAN> CONNECT TARGET SYS@prod_dest

5.

Run the convert script at the RMAN prompt. For example, enter the following
command:
RMAN> @/tmp/convertdb/convertscript-target

6.

Shut down the database instance.
This step is necessary because the transport script that must execute already
includes a STARTUP NOMOUNT command.

7.

If necessary, edit the transport script to use the new names for the converted data
files.
In Example 27–3, the transport script is /tmp/convertdb/transportscript.sql.
You run this script on the destination host to create the database. Thus, you must
edit this script with the correct names for the data files.

8.

Execute the transport script in SQL*Plus.
For example, create the new database on the destination host as follows:
SQL> @/tmp/convertdb/transportscript

When the transport script completes, the destination database is created.

Transporting Data Across Platforms

27-15

Converting Data Files on the Destination Host When Transporting a Database

27-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Part VIII
Performing User-Managed Backup and
Recovery

Part VIII

The following chapters describe how to perform backup and recovery when using a
user-managed backup and recovery strategy, that is, one that does not depend upon
RMAN. This part of the book contains these chapters:
■

Chapter 28, "Making User-Managed Database Backups"

■

Chapter 29, "Performing User-Managed Database Flashback and Recovery"

■

Chapter 30, "Performing User-Managed Recovery: Advanced Scenarios"

28
82

Making User-Managed Database Backups
This chapter describes methods of backing up an Oracle database in a user-managed
backup and recovery strategy, that is, a strategy that does not depend on using
Recovery Manager (RMAN).
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Querying V$ Views to Obtain Backup Information

■

Making User-Managed Backups of the Whole Database

■

Making User-Managed Backups of Tablespaces and Data Files

■

Making User-Managed Backups of the Control File

■

Making User-Managed Backups of Archived Redo Logs

■

Making User-Managed Backups in SUSPEND Mode

■

Making User-Managed Backups to Raw Devices

■

Making Backups with the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS)

■

Verifying User-Managed Data File Backups

Querying V$ Views to Obtain Backup Information
Before making a backup, you must identify all the files in your database and decide
what to back up. You can use V$ views to obtain this information.

Listing Database Files Before a Backup
Use the V$DATAFILE and V$CONTROLFILE views to identify the data files and control
files for your database. This same procedure works whether you named these files
manually or allowed Oracle Managed Files to name them.
Caution:

Never back up online redo log files.

To list data files and control files:
Start SQL*Plus and query V$DATAFILE to obtain a list of data files. For example,
enter:

1.

SELECT NAME FROM V$DATAFILE;

You can also join the V$TABLESPACE and V$DATAFILE views to obtain a listing of
data files along with their associated tablespaces:

Making User-Managed Database Backups

28-1

Querying V$ Views to Obtain Backup Information

SELECT
FROM
WHERE
ORDER BY
2.

t.NAME "Tablespace", f.NAME "Datafile"
V$TABLESPACE t, V$DATAFILE f
t.TS# = f.TS#
t.NAME;

Obtain the file names of the current control files by querying the V$CONTROLFILE
view. For example, issue the following query:
SELECT NAME FROM V$CONTROLFILE;

You must back up only one copy of a multiplexed control file.
3.

If you plan to perform control file backup with the ALTER DATABASE BACKUP
CONTROLFILE TO 'filename' statement, then save a list of all data files and online
redo log files with the control file backup. Because the current database structure
may not match the database structure at the time a given control file backup was
created, saving a list of files recorded in the backup control file can aid the
recovery procedure.

Determining Data File Status for Online Tablespace Backups
To check whether a data file is part of a current online tablespace backup, query the
V$BACKUP view.
This view is useful only for user-managed online tablespace backups, because neither
RMAN backups nor offline tablespace backups require the data files of a tablespace to
be in backup mode. Some user-managed backup procedures require you to place the
tablespace in backup mode to protect against the possibility of a fractured block.
However, updates to the database create more than the usual amount of redo in
backup mode.
The V$BACKUP view is most useful when the database is open. It is also useful
immediately after an instance failure because it shows the backup status of the files at
the time of the failure. Use this information to determine whether you have left any
tablespaces in backup mode.
V$BACKUP is not useful if the control file currently in use is a restored backup or a new
control file created after the media failure occurred. A restored or re-created control
file does not contain the information that the database needs to populate V$BACKUP
accurately. Also, if you have restored a backup of a file, this file's STATUS in V$BACKUP
reflects the backup status of the older version of the file, not the most current version.
Thus, this view can contain misleading data about restored files.
For example, the following query displays which data files are currently included in a
tablespace that has been placed in backup mode:
SELECT
FROM
WHERE
AND
AND

t.name AS "TB_NAME", d.file# as "DF#", d.name AS "DF_NAME", b.status
V$DATAFILE d, V$TABLESPACE t, V$BACKUP b
d.TS#=t.TS#
b.FILE#=d.FILE#
b.STATUS='ACTIVE';

The following sample output shows that the tools and users tablespaces currently
have ACTIVE status:
TB_NAME
---------------------TOOLS
USERS

28-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

DF#
---------7
8

DF_NAME
-------------------------------/oracle/oradata/trgt/tools01.dbf
/oracle/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf

STATUS
-----ACTIVE
ACTIVE

Making User-Managed Backups of the Whole Database

In the STATUS column, NOT ACTIVE indicates that the file is not currently in backup
mode (that is, you have not executed the ALTER TABLESPACE ... BEGIN BACKUP or ALTER
DATABASE BEGIN BACKUP statement), whereas ACTIVE indicates that the file is currently
in backup mode.

Making User-Managed Backups of the Whole Database
You can make a whole database backup of all files in a database after the database has
been shut down with the NORMAL, IMMEDIATE, or TRANSACTIONAL options. A whole
database backup taken while the database is open or after an instance failure or
SHUTDOWN ABORT command is inconsistent. In such cases, the files are inconsistent with
the database checkpoint SCN.
You can make a whole database backup if a database is operating in either ARCHIVELOG
or NOARCHIVELOG mode. If you run the database in NOARCHIVELOG mode, however, then
the backup must be consistent; that is, you must shut down the database cleanly
before the backup.
The set of backup files that results from a consistent whole database backup is
consistent because all files are checkpointed to the same SCN. You can restore the
consistent database backup without further recovery. After restoring the backup files,
you can perform additional recovery steps to recover the database to a more current
time if the database is operated in ARCHIVELOG mode. Also, you can take inconsistent
whole database backups if your database is in ARCHIVELOG mode.
Control files play a crucial role in database restore and recovery. For databases running
in ARCHIVELOG mode, Oracle recommends that you back up control files with the ALTER
DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO 'filename' statement.
See Also: "Making User-Managed Backups of the Control File" on
page 28-10 for more information about backing up control files

Making Consistent Whole Database Backups
This section describes how to back up the database with an operating system utility.
To make a consistent whole database backup:
1. If the database is open, then use SQL*Plus to shut down the database with the
NORMAL, IMMEDIATE, or TRANSACTIONAL options.
2.

Use an operating system utility to make backups of all data files and all control
files specified by the CONTROL_FILES parameter of the initialization parameter file.
Also, back up the initialization parameter file and other Oracle product
initialization files. To find these files, do a search for *.ora starting in your Oracle
home directory and recursively search all of its subdirectories.
For example, you can back up the data files, control files, and archived logs to
/disk2/backup as follows:
% cp $ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/*.dbf /disk2/backup
% cp $ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/arch/* /disk2/backup/arch

3.

Restart the database with the STARTUP command in SQL*Plus.
See Also: Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for more
information about starting up and shutting down a database

Making User-Managed Database Backups

28-3

Making User-Managed Backups of Tablespaces and Data Files

Making User-Managed Backups of Tablespaces and Data Files
The technique for making user-managed backups of tablespaces and data files
depends on whether the files are offline or online.

Making User-Managed Backups of Offline Tablespaces and Data Files
Note the following guidelines when backing up offline tablespaces:
■

■

You cannot take offline the SYSTEM tablespace or a tablespace with active undo
segments. The following technique cannot be used for such tablespaces.
Assume that a table is in tablespace Primary and its index is in tablespace Index.
Taking tablespace Index offline while leaving tablespace Primary online can cause
errors when data manipulation language (DML) is issued against the indexed
tables located in Primary. The problem appears only when the access method
chosen by the optimizer must access the indexes in the Index tablespace.

To back up offline tablespaces:
1. Before beginning a backup of a tablespace, identify the tablespace's data files by
querying the DBA_DATA_FILES view. For example, assume that you want to back up
the users tablespace. Enter the following statement in SQL*Plus:
SELECT TABLESPACE_NAME, FILE_NAME
FROM SYS.DBA_DATA_FILES
WHERE TABLESPACE_NAME = 'USERS';
TABLESPACE_NAME
------------------------------USERS

FILE_NAME
-------------------------------/oracle/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf

In this example, /oracle/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf is a fully specified file
name corresponding to the data file in the users tablespace.
2.

Take the tablespace offline using normal priority if possible, because it guarantees
that you can subsequently bring the tablespace online without having to recover it.
For example:
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE users OFFLINE NORMAL;

3.

Back up the offline data files. For example:
% cp /oracle/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf /d2/users01_'date "+%m_%d_%y"'.dbf

4.

Bring the tablespace online. For example:
ALTER TABLESPACE users ONLINE;

If you took the tablespace offline using temporary or
immediate priority, then you cannot bring the tablespace online
unless you perform tablespace recovery.

Note:

5.

Archive the unarchived redo logs so that the redo required to recover the
tablespace backup is archived. For example, enter:
ALTER SYSTEM ARCHIVE LOG CURRENT;

28-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making User-Managed Backups of Tablespaces and Data Files

Making User-Managed Backups of Online Tablespaces and Data Files
You can back up all or only specific data files of an online tablespace while the
database is open. The procedure differs depending on whether the online tablespace is
read/write or read-only.
Note:

You should not back up temporary tablespaces.

Making User-Managed Backups of Online Read/Write Tablespaces
You must put a read/write tablespace in backup mode to make user-managed data file
backups when the tablespace is online and the database is open. The ALTER
TABLESPACE ... BEGIN BACKUP statement places a tablespace in backup mode. In
backup mode, the database copies whole changed data blocks into the redo stream.
After you take the tablespace out of backup mode with the ALTER TABLESPACE ... END
BACKUP or ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP statement, the database advances the data file
checkpoint SCN to the current database checkpoint SCN.
When restoring a data file backed up in this way, the database asks for the appropriate
set of redo log files to apply if recovery is needed. The redo logs contain all changes
required to recover the data files and make them consistent.
To back up online read/write tablespaces in an open database:
1. Before beginning a backup of a tablespace, use the DBA_DATA_FILES data
dictionary view to identify all of the data files in the tablespace. For example,
assume that you want to back up the users tablespace. Enter the following:
SELECT TABLESPACE_NAME, FILE_NAME
FROM
SYS.DBA_DATA_FILES
WHERE TABLESPACE_NAME = 'USERS';
TABLESPACE_NAME
------------------------------USERS
USERS
2.

FILE_NAME
-------------------/oracle/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf
/oracle/oradata/trgt/users02.dbf

Mark the beginning of the online tablespace backup. For example, the following
statement marks the start of an online backup for the tablespace users:
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE users BEGIN BACKUP;

If you do not use BEGIN BACKUP to mark the beginning of
an online tablespace backup and wait for this statement to complete
before starting your copies of online tablespaces, then the data file
copies produced are not usable for subsequent recovery operations.
Attempting to recover such a backup is risky and can return errors
that result in inconsistent data. For example, the attempted
recovery operation can issue a fuzzy file warning, and can lead to
an inconsistent database that you cannot open.

Caution:

3.

Back up the online data files of the online tablespace with operating system
commands. For example, Linux and UNIX users might enter:
% cp /oracle/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf /d2/users01_'date "+%m_%d_%y"'.dbf
% cp /oracle/oradata/trgt/users02.dbf /d2/users02_'date "+%m_%d_%y"'.dbf

Making User-Managed Database Backups

28-5

Making User-Managed Backups of Tablespaces and Data Files

4.

After backing up the data files of the online tablespace, run the SQL statement
ALTER TABLESPACE with the END BACKUP option. For example, the following
statement ends the online backup of the tablespace users:
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE users END BACKUP;

5.

Archive the unarchived redo logs so that the redo required to recover the
tablespace backup is archived. For example, enter:
SQL> ALTER SYSTEM ARCHIVE LOG CURRENT;

Caution: If you fail to take the tablespace out of backup mode,
then Oracle Database continues to write copies of data blocks in
this tablespace to the online redo logs, causing performance
problems. Also, you receive an ORA-01149 error if you try to shut
down the database with the tablespaces still in backup mode.

Making Multiple User-Managed Backups of Online Read/Write Tablespaces
When backing up several online tablespaces, you can back them up either serially or in
parallel. Use either of the following procedures depending on your needs.
Backing Up Online Tablespaces in Parallel You can simultaneously create data file copies of
multiple tablespaces requiring backups in backup mode. Note, however, that by
putting all tablespaces in online mode at once, you can generate large amounts of redo
logs if there is heavy update activity on the affected tablespaces. This is because the
redo must contain a copy of each changed data block in each changed data file. Be sure
to consider the size of the likely redo before using the procedure outlined here.
To back up online tablespaces in parallel:
1. Prepare the online tablespaces for backup by issuing all necessary ALTER
TABLESPACE statements at once. For example, put tablespaces users, tools, and
indx in backup mode as follows:
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE users BEGIN BACKUP;
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE tools BEGIN BACKUP;
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE indx BEGIN BACKUP;

If you are backing up all tablespaces, you might want to use this command:
SQL> ALTER DATABASE BEGIN BACKUP;
2.

Back up all files of the online tablespaces. For example, a Linux or UNIX user
might back up data files with the *.dbf suffix as follows:
% cp $ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/*.dbf /disk2/backup/

3.

Take the tablespaces out of backup mode as in the following example:
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE users END BACKUP;
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE tools END BACKUP;
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE indx END BACKUP;

Again, if you are handling all data files at once you can use the ALTER DATABASE
command instead of ALTER TABLESPACE:
SQL> ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP;

28-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making User-Managed Backups of Tablespaces and Data Files

4.

Archive the online redo logs so that the redo required to recover the tablespace
backups is available for later media recovery. For example, enter:
SQL> ALTER SYSTEM ARCHIVE LOG CURRENT;

Backing Up Online Tablespaces Serially You can place all tablespaces requiring online
backups in backup mode one at a time. Oracle recommends the serial backup option
because it minimizes the time between ALTER TABLESPACE ... BEGIN/END BACKUP
statements. During online backups, more redo information is generated for the
tablespace because whole data blocks are copied into the redo log.
To back up online tablespaces serially:
1. Prepare a tablespace for online backup. For example, to put tablespace users in
backup mode enter the following:
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE users BEGIN BACKUP;

In this case you probably do not want to use ALTER DATABASE BEGIN BACKUP to
put all tablespaces in backup mode simultaneously, because of the additional
volume of redo log information generated for tablespaces in online mode.
2.

Back up the data files in the tablespace. For example, enter:
% cp /oracle/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf /d2/users01_'date "+%m_%d_%y"'.dbf

3.

Take the tablespace out of backup mode. For example, enter:
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE users END BACKUP;

4.

Repeat this procedure for each remaining tablespace.

5.

Archive the unarchived redo logs so that the redo required to recover the
tablespace backups is archived. For example, enter:
SQL> ALTER SYSTEM ARCHIVE LOG CURRENT;

Ending a Backup After an Instance Failure or SHUTDOWN ABORT
The following situations can cause a tablespace backup to fail and be incomplete:
■

■

The backup completed, but you did not run the ALTER TABLESPACE ... END BACKUP
statement.
An instance failure or SHUTDOWN ABORT interrupted the backup.

Whenever recovery from a failure is required, if a data file is in backup mode when an
attempt is made to open it, then the database does not open the data file until either a
recovery command is issued, or the data file is taken out of backup mode.
For example, the database may display a message such as the following at startup:
ORA-01113: file 12 needs media recovery
ORA-01110: data file 12: '/oracle/dbs/tbs_41.f'

If the database indicates that the data files for multiple tablespaces require media
recovery because you forgot to end the online backups for these tablespaces, then so
long as the database is mounted, running the ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP statement
takes all the data files out of backup mode simultaneously.
In high availability situations, and in situations when no database administrator
(DBA) is monitoring the database, the requirement for user intervention is intolerable.
Hence, you can write a failure recovery script that does the following:
Making User-Managed Database Backups

28-7

Making User-Managed Backups of Tablespaces and Data Files

1.

Mounts the database

2.

Runs the ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP statement

3.

Runs ALTER DATABASE OPEN, allowing the system to come up automatically

An automated crash recovery script containing ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP is
especially useful in the following situations:
■
■

All nodes in an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) configuration fail.
One node fails in a cold failover cluster (that is, a cluster that is not an Oracle RAC
configuration in which the secondary node must mount and recover the database
when the first node fails).

Alternatively, you can take the following manual measures after the system fails with
tablespaces in backup mode:
■
■

Recover the database and avoid issuing END BACKUP statements altogether.
Mount the database, then run the ALTER TABLESPACE ... END BACKUP statement for
each tablespace still in backup mode.

Ending Backup Mode with the ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP Statement You can run the
ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP statement when you have multiple tablespaces still in
backup mode. The primary purpose of this command is to allow a crash recovery
script to restart a failed system without DBA intervention. You can also perform the
following procedure manually.
To take tablespaces out of backup mode simultaneously:
1. Mount but do not open the database. For example, enter:
SQL> STARTUP MOUNT
2.

If you are performing this procedure manually (that is, not as part of a failure
recovery script), query the V$BACKUP view to list the data files of the tablespaces
that were being backed up before the database was restarted:
SQL> SELECT * FROM V$BACKUP WHERE STATUS = 'ACTIVE';
FILE#
STATUS
CHANGE#
TIME
---------- ------------------ ---------- --------12 ACTIVE
20863 25-NOV-02
13 ACTIVE
20863 25-NOV-02
20 ACTIVE
20863 25-NOV-02
3 rows selected.

3.

Issue the ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP statement to take all data files currently in
backup mode out of backup mode. For example, enter:
SQL> ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP;

You can use this statement only when the database is mounted but not open. If the
database is open, then use ALTER TABLESPACE ... END BACKUP or ALTER DATABASE
DATAFILE ... END BACKUP for each affected tablespace or data file.
Do not use ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP if you have
restored any of the affected files from a backup.
Caution:

Ending Backup Mode with the SQL*Plus RECOVER Command The ALTER DATABASE END
BACKUP statement is not the only way to respond to a failed online backup; you can

28-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making User-Managed Backups of Tablespaces and Data Files

also run the SQL*Plus RECOVER command. This method is useful when you are not
sure whether someone has restored a backup, because if someone has indeed restored
a backup, then the RECOVER command brings the backup up-to-date. Only run the
ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP or ALTER TABLESPACE ... END BACKUP statement if you are
sure that the files are current.
Note: The RECOVER command method is slow because the
database must scan redo generated from the beginning of the
online backup.

To take tablespaces out of backup mode with the RECOVER command:
1. Mount the database. For example, enter:
SQL> STARTUP MOUNT
2.

Recover the database as usual. For example, enter:
SQL> RECOVER DATABASE

3.

Use the V$BACKUP view to confirm that there are no active data files:
SQL> SELECT * FROM V$BACKUP WHERE STATUS = 'ACTIVE';
FILE#
STATUS
CHANGE#
TIME
---------- ------------------ ---------- --------0 rows selected.

See Also: Chapter 29, "Performing User-Managed Database
Flashback and Recovery" for information about recovering a
database

Making User-Managed Backups of Read-Only Tablespaces
When backing up an online read-only tablespace, you can simply back up the online
data files. You do not have to place the tablespace in backup mode because the
database is not permitting changes to the data files.
If the set of read-only tablespaces is self-contained, then in addition to backing up the
tablespaces with operating system commands, you can also export the tablespace
metadata with the transportable tablespace functionality. If a media error or a user
error occurs (such as accidentally dropping a table in the read-only tablespace), you
can transport the tablespace back into the database.
See Also: Oracle Database Administrator's Guide to learn how to
transport tablespaces

To back up online read-only tablespaces in an open database:
1. Query the DBA_TABLESPACES view to determine which tablespaces are read-only.
For example, run this query:
SELECT TABLESPACE_NAME, STATUS
FROM DBA_TABLESPACES
WHERE STATUS = 'READ ONLY';
2.

Before beginning a backup of a read-only tablespace, identify all of the tablespace's
data files by querying the DBA_DATA_FILES data dictionary view. For example,
assume that you want to back up the history tablespace:
SELECT TABLESPACE_NAME, FILE_NAME
FROM SYS.DBA_DATA_FILES
Making User-Managed Database Backups

28-9

Making User-Managed Backups of the Control File

WHERE TABLESPACE_NAME = 'HISTORY';
TABLESPACE_NAME
------------------------------HISTORY
HISTORY
3.

FILE_NAME
-------------------/oracle/oradata/trgt/history01.dbf
/oracle/oradata/trgt/history02.dbf

Back up the online data files of the read-only tablespace with operating system
commands. You do not have to take the tablespace offline or put the tablespace in
backup mode because users are automatically prevented from making changes to
the read-only tablespace. For example:
% cp $ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/history*.dbf

/disk2/backup/

When restoring a backup of a read-only tablespace, take the
tablespace offline, restore the data files, then bring the tablespace
online. A backup of a read-only tablespace is still usable if the
read-only tablespace is made read/write after the backup, but the
restored backup requires recovery.

Note:

4.

Optionally, export the metadata in the read-only tablespace. By using the
transportable tablespace feature, you can quickly restore the data files and import
the metadata in case of media failure or user error. For example, export the
metadata for tablespace history as follows:
% expdp DIRECTORY=dpump_dir1 DUMPFILE=hs.dmp TRANSPORT_TABLESPACES=history
LOGFILE=tts.log

Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
DBA_DATA_FILES and DBA_TABLESPACES views
See Also:

Making User-Managed Backups of the Control File
Back up the control file of a database after making a structural modification to a
database operating in ARCHIVELOG mode. To back up a database's control file, you must
have the ALTER DATABASE system privilege.

Backing Up the Control File to a Binary File
The primary method for backing up the control file is to use a SQL statement to
generate a binary file. A binary backup is preferable to a trace file backup because it
contains additional information such as the archived log history, offline range for
read-only and offline tablespaces, and backup sets and copies (if you use RMAN). If
COMPATIBLE is 10.2 or higher, binary control file backups include temp file entries.
To back up the control file after a structural change:
1. Make the desired change to the database. For example, you may create a
tablespace:
CREATE TABLESPACE tbs_1 DATAFILE 'file_1.f' SIZE 10M;
2.

Back up the database's control file, specifying a file name for the output binary file.
The following example backs up a control file to /disk1/backup/cf.bak:
ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO '/disk1/backup/cf.bak' REUSE;

Specify REUSE to make the new control file overwrite one that currently exists.
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Making User-Managed Backups in SUSPEND Mode

Backing Up the Control File to a Trace File
You can back up the control file to a text file that contains a CREATE CONTROLFILE
statement. You can edit the trace file to create a script that creates a new control file
based on the control file that was current when you created the trace file.
If you specify neither the RESETLOGS nor NORESETLOGS option in the SQL statement,
then the resulting trace file contains versions of the control file for both RESETLOGS and
NORESETLOGS options. Temp file entries are included in the output using ALTER
TABLESPACE ... ADD TEMPFILE statements.
To avoid recovering offline normal or read-only tablespaces, edit them out of the
CREATE CONTROLFILE statement. When you open the database with the re-created
control file, the database marks these omitted files as MISSING. You can run an ALTER
DATABASE RENAME FILE statement to rename them to their original file names.
The trace file containing the CREATE CONTROLFILE statement is stored in a subdirectory
determined by the DIAGNOSTIC_DEST initialization parameter. You can look in the
database alert log for the name and location of the trace file to which the CREATE
CONTROLFILE statement was written. See Oracle Database Administrator's Guide to learn
how to locate the alert log.
To back up the control file to a trace file:
1. Mount or open the database.
2.

Execute the following SQL statement:
ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO TRACE;

See Also: "Recovery of Read-Only Files with a Re-Created
Control File" on page 30-8 for special issues relating to read-only,
offline normal, and temporary files included in CREATE
CONTROLFILE statements

Making User-Managed Backups of Archived Redo Logs
To save disk space in your primary archiving location, you may want to back up
archived logs to tape or to an alternative disk location. If you archive to multiple
locations, then only back up one copy of each log sequence number.
To back up archived redo logs:
1. To determine which archived redo log files the database has generated, query
V$ARCHIVED_LOG. For example, run the following query:
SELECT THREAD#,SEQUENCE#,NAME
FROM V$ARCHIVED_LOG;
2.

Back up one copy of each log sequence number by using an operating system
utility. This example backs up all logs in the primary archiving location to a disk
devoted to log backups:
% cp $ORACLE_HOME/oracle/trgt/arch/* /disk2/backup/arch

See Also: Oracle Database Reference for more information about the
data dictionary views

Making User-Managed Backups in SUSPEND Mode
This section contains the following topics:
Making User-Managed Database Backups

28-11

Making User-Managed Backups in SUSPEND Mode

■

About the Suspend/Resume Feature

■

Making Backups in a Suspended Database

About the Suspend/Resume Feature
Some third-party tools allow you to mirror a set of disks or logical devices, that is,
maintain an exact duplicate of the primary data in another location, and then split the
mirror. Splitting the mirror involves separating the copies so that you can use them
independently.
With the SUSPEND/RESUME functionality, you can suspend I/O to the database, then
split the mirror and make a backup of the split mirror. By using this feature, which
complements the backup mode functionality, you can suspend database I/Os so that
no new I/O can be performed. You can then access the suspended database to make
backups without I/O interference.
You do not need to use SUSPEND/RESUME to make split mirror backups, unless your
system requires the database cache to be free of dirty buffers before a volume can be
split. Some RAID devices benefit from suspending writes while the split operation is
occurring; your RAID vendor can advise you on whether your system would benefit
from this feature.
The ALTER SYSTEM SUSPEND statement suspends the database by halting I/Os to data
file headers, data files, and control files. When the database is suspended, all
preexisting I/O operations can complete; however, any new database I/O access
attempts are queued.
The ALTER SYSTEM SUSPEND and ALTER SYSTEM RESUME statements operate on the
database and not just the instance. If the ALTER SYSTEM SUSPEND statement is entered on
one system in an Oracle RAC configuration, then the internal locking mechanisms
propagate the halt request across instances, thereby suspending I/O operations for all
active instances in a given cluster.

Making Backups in a Suspended Database
After a successful database suspension, you can back up the database to disk or break
the mirrors. Because suspending a database does not guarantee immediate termination
of I/O, Oracle recommends that you precede the ALTER SYSTEM SUSPEND statement with
a BEGIN BACKUP statement so that the tablespaces are placed in backup mode.
You must use conventional user-managed backup methods to back up split mirrors.
RMAN cannot make database backups or copies because these operations require
reading the data file headers. After the database backup is finished or the mirrors are
resilvered, then you can resume normal database operations using the ALTER SYSTEM
RESUME statement.
Backing up a suspended database without splitting mirrors can cause an extended
database outage because the database is inaccessible during this time. If backups are
taken by splitting mirrors, however, then the outage is nominal. The outage time
depends on the size of cache to flush, the number of data files, and the time required to
break the mirror.
Note the following restrictions for the SUSPEND/RESUME feature:
■

■

In an Oracle RAC configuration, you should not start a new instance while the
original nodes are suspended.
No checkpoint is initiated by the ALTER SYSTEM SUSPEND or ALTER SYSTEM RESUME
statements.

28-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making User-Managed Backups in SUSPEND Mode

■

■

You cannot issue SHUTDOWN with IMMEDIATE, NORMAL, or TRANSACTIONAL options
while the database is suspended.
Issuing SHUTDOWN ABORT on a database that is suspended reactivates the database.
This prevents media recovery or failure recovery from getting into a unresponsive
state.

To make a split mirror backup in SUSPEND mode:
1. Place the database tablespaces in backup mode. For example, to place tablespace
users in backup mode, enter:
ALTER TABLESPACE users BEGIN BACKUP;

If you are backing up all of the tablespaces for your database, you can instead use:
ALTER DATABASE BEGIN BACKUP;

Do not use the ALTER SYSTEM SUSPEND statement as a
substitute for placing a tablespace in backup mode.

Caution:

2.

If your mirror system has problems with splitting a mirror while disk writes are
occurring, then suspend the database. For example, issue the following statement:
ALTER SYSTEM SUSPEND;

3.

Verify that the database is suspended by querying the V$INSTANCE view. For
example:
SELECT DATABASE_STATUS FROM V$INSTANCE;
DATABASE_STATUS
----------------SUSPENDED

4.

Split the mirrors at the operating system or hardware level.

5.

End the database suspension. For example, issue the following statement:
ALTER SYSTEM RESUME;

6.

Establish that the database is active by querying the V$INSTANCE view. For
example, enter:
SELECT DATABASE_STATUS FROM V$INSTANCE;
DATABASE_STATUS
----------------ACTIVE

7.

Take the specified tablespaces out of backup mode. For example, enter the
following statement to take tablespace users out of backup mode:
ALTER TABLESPACE users END BACKUP;

8.

Copy the control file and archive the online redo logs as usual for a backup.

Making User-Managed Database Backups

28-13

Making User-Managed Backups to Raw Devices

See Also:
■
■

■

"Making Split Mirror Backups with RMAN" on page 10-8
Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for more information
about the SUSPEND/RESUME feature
Oracle Database SQL Language Reference for the ALTER SYSTEM
SUSPEND syntax

Making User-Managed Backups to Raw Devices
A raw device is a disk or partition that does not have a file system. A raw device can
contain only a single file. Backing up files on raw devices poses operating system
specific issues. The following sections discuss some of these issues on UNIX, Linux,
and Windows.

Backing Up to Raw Devices on Linux and UNIX
The dd command on Linux and UNIX is the most common backup utility for backing
up to or from raw devices. See your operating system-specific documentation for
complete details about this utility.
Using dd effectively requires that you specify the correct options, based on your
database. Table 28–1 lists details about your database that affect the options you use
for dd.
Table 28–1

Aspects of the Database Important for dd Usage

Data

Explanation

Block size

You can specify the size of the buffer that dd uses to copy data. For
example, you can specify that dd should copy data in units of 8 KB or
64 KB. The block size for dd need not correspond to either the Oracle
block size or the operating system block size: it is the size of the buffer
used by dd when making the copy.

Raw offset

On some systems, the beginning of the file on the raw device is
reserved for use by the operating system. This storage space is called
the raw offset. Oracle should not back up or restore these bytes.

Size of Oracle Database At the beginning of every Oracle database file, the operating
system-specific code places an Oracle block called block 0. The
block 0
generic Oracle code does not recognize this block, but the block is
included in the size of the file on the operating system. Typically, this
block is the same size as the other Oracle blocks in the file.

The information in Table 28–1 enables you to set the dd options specified in Table 28–2.
Table 28–2

Options for dd Command

This Option...

Specifies...

if

The name of the input file, that is, the file that you are reading

of

The name of the output file, that is, the file to which you are writing

bs

The buffer size used by dd to copy data

skip

The number of dd buffers to skip on the input raw device if a raw offset
exists. For example, if you are backing up a file on a raw device with a 64 KB
raw offset, and the dd buffer size is 8 KB, then you can specify skip=8 so that
the copy starts at offset 64 KB.

28-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Making User-Managed Backups to Raw Devices

Table 28–2 (Cont.) Options for dd Command
This Option...

Specifies...

seek

The number of dd buffers to skip on the output raw device if a raw offset
exists. For example, if you are backing up a file onto a raw device with a 64
KB raw offset, and the dd buffer size is 8 KB, then you can specify skip=8 so
that the copy starts at offset 64 KB.

count

The number of blocks on the input raw device for dd to copy. It is best to
specify the exact number of blocks to copy when copying from a raw device
to a file system; otherwise extra space at the end of the raw volume that is
not used by the Oracle data file is copied to the file system.
Remember to include block 0 in the total size of the input file. For example,
if the dd block size is 8 KB, and you are backing up a 30720 KB data file, then
you can set count=3841. This value for count actually backs up 30728 KB:
the extra 8 KB are for Oracle block 0.

Because a raw device can be the input or output device for a backup, you have four
possible scenarios for the backup. The possible options for dd depend on which
scenario you choose, as illustrated in Table 28–3.
Table 28–3

Scenarios Involving dd Backups

Backing Up from ...

Backing Up to ...

Options Specified for dd Command

Raw device

Raw device

if, of, bs, skip, seek, count

Raw device

File system

if, of, bs, skip, count

File system

Raw device

if, of, bs, seek

File system

File system

if, of, bs

Backing Up with the dd Utility on Linux and UNIX: Examples
For these examples of dd utility usage, assume the following:
■

You are backing up a 30720 KB data file.

■

The beginning of the data file has a block 0 of 8 KB.

■

The raw offset is 64 KB.

■

You set the dd block size to 8 KB when a raw device is involved in the copy.

In the following example, you back up from one raw device to another raw device:
% dd if=/dev/rsd1b of=/dev/rsd2b bs=8k skip=8 seek=8 count=3841

In the following example, you back up from a raw device to a file system:
% dd if=/dev/rsd1b of=/backup/df1.dbf bs=8k skip=8 count=3841

In the following example, you back up from a file system to a raw device:
% dd if=/backup/df1.dbf of=/dev/rsd2b bs=8k seek=8

In the following example, you back up from a file system to a file system, and set the
block size to a high value to boost I/O performance:
% dd if=/oracle/dbs/df1.dbf of=/backup/df1.dbf bs=1024k

Making User-Managed Database Backups

28-15

Making User-Managed Backups to Raw Devices

Backing Up to Raw Devices on Windows
Like Linux and UNIX, Windows supports raw disk partitions in which the database
can store data files, online logs, and control files. Each raw partition is assigned either
a drive letter or physical drive number and does not contain a file system. As in Linux
and UNIX, each raw partition on Windows is mapped to a single file.
Windows differs from Linux and UNIX in the naming convention for Oracle files. On
Windows, raw data file names are formatted as follows:
\\.\drive_letter:
\\.\PHYSICALDRIVEdrive_number

For example, the following are possible raw file names:
\\.\G:
\\.\PHYSICALDRIVE3

The procedure for making user-managed backups of raw data files is basically the
same as for copying files on a Windows file system, except that you should use the
Oracle OCOPY utility rather than the Windows-supplied copy.exe or ntbackup.exe
utilities. OCOPY supports 64-bit file I/O, physical raw drives, and raw files. The OCOPY
utility cannot back up directly to tape.
To display online documentation for OCOPY, enter OCOPY by itself at the Windows
prompt. Sample output follows:
Usage of OCOPY:
ocopy from_file [to_file [a | size_1 [size_n]]]
ocopy -b from_file to_drive
ocopy -r from_drive to_dir

Note the important OCOPY options described in Table 28–4.
Table 28–4

OCOPY Options

Option

Action

b

Splits the input file into multiple output files. This option is useful for backing up
to devices that are smaller than the input file.

r

Combines multiple input files and writes to a single output file. This option is
useful for restoring backups created with the -b option.

Backing Up with OCOPY: Example
In this example, assume the following:
■

Data file 12 is mounted on the \\.\G: raw partition.

■

The C: drive mounts a file system.

■

The database is open.

To back up the data file on the raw partition \\.\G: to a local file system, you can run
the following command at the prompt after placing data file 12 in backup mode:
OCOPY "\\.G:" C:\backup\datafile12.bak

Specifying the -b and -r Options for OCOPY: Example
In this example, assume the following:
■

\\.\G: is a raw partition containing data file 7

28-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Verifying User-Managed Data File Backups

■

The E: drive is a removable disk drive.

■

The database is open.

To back up the data file onto drive E:, you can execute the following command at the
Windows prompt after placing data file 7 in backup mode:
# first argument is filename, second argument is drive
OCOPY -b "\\.\G:" E:\

When drive E: fills up, you can use another disk. In this way, you can divide the
backup of data file 7 into multiple files.
Similarly, to restore the backup, take the tablespace containing data file 7 offline and
run this command:
# first argument is drive, second argument is directory
OCOPY -r E:\ "\\.\G:"

Making Backups with the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS)
Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) is a set of Windows APIs that enable
applications to create consistent snapshots called shadow copies. The Oracle VSS
writer runs as a service on Windows systems and is integrated with VSS-enabled
applications. You can use these applications to create snapshots of database files
managed by the Oracle instance. For example, you can make shadow copies of an
Oracle database while it is open read/write.
See Also: Oracle Database Platform Guide for Microsoft Windows to
learn how to back up and recover the database with VSS-enabled
applications

Verifying User-Managed Data File Backups
You should periodically verify your backups to ensure that they are usable for
recovery.

Testing the Restoration of Data File Backups
The best way to test the usability of data file backups is to restore them to a separate
host and attempt to open the database, performing media recovery if necessary. This
option requires that you have a separate host available for the restore procedure.
See Also: "Performing Complete Database Recovery" on
page 29-7 to learn how to recover files with SQL*Plus

Running the DBVERIFY Utility
The DBVERIFY program is an external command-line utility that performs a physical
data structure integrity check on an offline data file. Use DBVERIFY to ensure that a
user-managed backup of a data file is valid before it is restored or as a diagnostic aid
when you have encountered data corruption problems.
The name and location of DBVERIFY is dependent on your operating system. For
example, to perform an integrity check on data file users01.dbf on Linux or UNIX,
run the dbv command as follows:
% dbv file=users01.dbf

Making User-Managed Database Backups

28-17

Verifying User-Managed Data File Backups

Sample dbv output follows:
DBVERIFY - Verification starting : FILE = users01.dbf

DBVERIFY - Verification complete
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total

Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages
Pages

Examined
:
Processed (Data) :
Failing
(Data) :
Processed (Index):
Failing
(Index):
Processed (Other):
Processed (Seg) :
Failing
(Seg) :
Empty
:
Marked Corrupt
:
Influx
:

See Also:

250
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
247
0
0

Oracle Database Utilities to learn about DBVERIFY

28-18 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

29
29

Performing User-Managed Database
Flashback and Recovery

This chapter describes how to restore and recover a database and use the flashback
features of Oracle Database in a user-managed backup and recovery strategy. A
user-managed backup and recovery strategy means a method that does not depend on
RMAN.
This chapter contains the following topics:
■

Performing Flashback Database with SQL*Plus

■

Overview of User-Managed Media Recovery

■

Performing Complete Database Recovery

■

Performing Incomplete Database Recovery

■

Recovering a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode

■

Troubleshooting Media Recovery

Performing Flashback Database with SQL*Plus
Oracle Flashback Database returns your entire database to a previous state without
requiring you to restore files from backup. The SQL*Plus FLASHBACK DATABASE
command performs the same function as the RMAN FLASHBACK DATABASE command:
it returns the database to a prior state.
Flashback Database requires you to create a fast recovery area for your database and
enable the collection of flashback logs. See Chapter 18, "Performing Flashback and
Database Point-in-Time Recovery" for more details about how the Flashback Database
feature works, requirements for using Flashback Database, and how to enable the
collection of flashback logs required for Flashback Database. The requirements and
preparations are the same whether you use RMAN or SQL*Plus.
To perform a flashback of the database with SQL*Plus:
1.

Query the target database to determine the range of possible flashback SCNs. The
following SQL*Plus queries show you the latest and earliest SCN in the flashback
window:
SELECT CURRENT_SCN FROM V$DATABASE;
SELECT OLDEST_FLASHBACK_SCN, OLDEST_FLASHBACK_TIME
FROM
V$FLASHBACK_DATABASE_LOG;

Performing User-Managed Database Flashback and Recovery 29-1

Overview of User-Managed Media Recovery

2.

Use other flashback features if necessary to identify the SCN or time of the
unwanted changes to your database.

3.

Start SQL*Plus with administrator privileges and ensure that the database is in
mounted, not open.

4.

Run the FLASHBACK DATABASE statement to return the database to a prior
TIMESTAMP or SCN. For example:
FLASHBACK DATABASE TO SCN 46963;
FLASHBACK DATABASE TO TIMESTAMP '2002-11-05 14:00:00';
FLASHBACK DATABASE
TO TIMESTAMP to_timestamp('2002-11-11 16:00:00', 'YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS');

5.

When the operation completes, open the database read-only and perform queries
to verify that you have recovered the data you need.
If your chosen target time was not far enough in the past, then use another
FLASHBACK DATABASE statement. Otherwise, you can use RECOVER DATABASE to
return the database to the present time and then try another FLASHBACK DATABASE
statement.

6.

When satisfied with the results, open the database with the RESETLOGS option.
If appropriate, you can also use Data Pump Export to save lost data, use RECOVER
DATABASE to return the database to the present, and reimport the lost object.
See Also: Oracle Database Advanced Application Developer's Guide to
learn how to use related flashback features such as Oracle Flashback
Query and Oracle Flashback Transaction Query

Overview of User-Managed Media Recovery
This section provides an overview of recovery with SQL*Plus. This section contains
the following topics:
■

About User-Managed Restore and Recovery

■

Automatic Recovery with the RECOVER Command

■

Recovery When Archived Logs Are in the Default Location

■

Recovery When Archived Logs Are in a Nondefault Location

■

Recovery Cancellation

■

Parallel Media Recovery

About User-Managed Restore and Recovery
Typically, you restore a file when a media failure or user error has damaged or deleted
multiple data files. In a user-managed restore operation, you use an operating system
utility to restore a backup of the file.
If a media failure affects data files, then the recovery procedure depends on:
■

The archiving mode of the database: ARCHIVELOG or NOARCHIVELOG

■

The type of media failure

■

The files affected by the media failure (data files, control files, archived redo logs,
and the server parameter file are all candidates for restore operations)

29-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Overview of User-Managed Media Recovery

If either a permanent or temporary media failure affects any data files of a database
operating in NOARCHIVELOG mode, then the database automatically shuts down. If the
media failure is temporary, then correct the underlying problem and restart the
database. Usually, crash recovery recovers all committed transactions from the online
redo log. If the media failure is permanent, then recover the database as described in
"Recovering a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode" on page 29-16.
Table 29–1 explains the implications for media recovery when you lose files in a
database that runs in ARCHIVELOG mode.
Table 29–1

User-Managed Restore Operations

If You Lose...

Then...

Data files in the SYSTEM
tablespace or data files
with active undo
segments

The database automatically shuts down. If the hardware problem is temporary, then fix
it and restart the database. Usually, crash recovery recovers lost transactions. If the
hardware problem is permanent, then restore the data files from backups and recover
the database as described in "Performing Closed Database Recovery" on page 29-8.

Data files not in the
SYSTEM tablespace or
data files that do not
contain active rollback
or undo segments

Affected data files are taken offline, but the database stays open. If the unaffected
portions of the database must remain available, then do not shut down the database.
Take tablespaces containing problem data files offline using the temporary option, then
recover them as described in "Performing Open Database Recovery" on page 29-11.

All copies of the
current control file

You must restore a backup control file and then open the database with the RESETLOGS
option.
If you do not have a backup, then you can attempt to re-create the control file. If
possible, use the script included in the ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO TRACE
output. Additional work may be required to match the control file structure with the
current database structure.

One copy of a
multiplexed control file

Copy an intact multiplexed control file into the location of the damaged or missing
control file and open the database. If you cannot copy the control file to its original
location, then edit the initialization parameter file to reflect a new location or remove the
damaged control file. Then, open the database.

One or more archived
logs required for media
recovery

You must restore backups of these archived logs for recovery to proceed. You can restore
either to the default or nondefault location. If you do not have backups, then you must
perform incomplete recovery up to an SCN before the first missing redo log and open
RESETLOGS.

The server parameter
file (SPFILE)

If you have a backup of the server parameter file, then restore it. Alternatively, if you
have a backup of the client-side initialization parameter file, then you can restore a
backup of this file, start the instance, and then re-create the server parameter file.

Restore and recovery of Oracle Managed Files is no
different from restore and recovery of user-named files.

Note:

To perform media recovery, Oracle recommends that you use the RECOVER statement in
SQL*Plus. You can also use the SQL statement ALTER DATABASE RECOVER, but the
RECOVER statement is usually simpler. To start any type of media recovery, you must
adhere to the following restrictions:
■

You must have administrator privileges.

■

All recovery sessions must be compatible.

■

■

One session cannot start complete media recovery while another performs
incomplete media recovery.
You cannot start media recovery if you are connected to the database through a
shared server process.
Performing User-Managed Database Flashback and Recovery 29-3

Overview of User-Managed Media Recovery

Automatic Recovery with the RECOVER Command
When using SQL*Plus to perform media recovery, the easiest strategy is to perform
automatic recovery with the SQL*Plus RECOVER command. Automatic recovery
initiates recovery without manually prompting SQL*Plus to apply each individual
archived redo log.
When using SQL*Plus, you have the following options for automating the application
of the default file names of archived redo logs needed during recovery:
■

■

Issuing SET AUTORECOVERY ON before issuing the RECOVER command. If you perform
recovery with SET AUTORECOVERY OFF, which is the default, then you must enter file
names manually or accept the suggested file name by pressing Enter.
Specifying the AUTOMATIC keyword as an option of the RECOVER command.

In either case, no interaction is required when you issue the RECOVER command if the
necessary files are in the correct locations with the correct names. When the database
successfully applies a redo log file, the following message is returned:
Log applied.

You are then prompted for the next redo log in the sequence. If the most recently
applied log is the last required log, then recovery is terminated.
The file names used for automatic recovery are derived from the concatenated values
of LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT with LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n, where n is the highest value among
all enabled, local destinations. For example, assume that the following initialization
parameter settings are in effect in the database instance:
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 = "LOCATION=/arc_dest/loc1/"
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_2 = "LOCATION=/arc_dest/loc2/"
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_1 = DEFER
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_2 = ENABLE
LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT = arch_%t_%s_%r.arc

In this example, SQL*Plus automatically suggests the file name /arc_dest/loc2/arch_
%t_%s_%r.arc (where %t is the thread, %s is the sequence and %r is the resetlogs ID).

Automatic Recovery with SET AUTORECOVERY
After restoring data file backups, you can run the SET AUTORECOVERY ON command to
enable on automatic recovery. For example, you could enter the following commands
in SQL*Plus to perform automatic recovery and open the database:
STARTUP MOUNT
SET AUTORECOVERY ON
RECOVER DATABASE
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

After issuing the SQL*Plus RECOVER command, you can
view all files that have been considered for recovery in the
V$RECOVERY_FILE_STATUS view. You can access status information
for each file in the V$RECOVERY_STATUS view. These views are not
accessible after you terminate the recovery session.
Note:

Automatic Recovery with the AUTOMATIC Option of the RECOVER Command
Besides using SET AUTORECOVERY to turn on automatic recovery, you can also simply
specify the AUTOMATIC keyword in the RECOVER command. For example, you could

29-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Overview of User-Managed Media Recovery

enter the following commands in SQL*Plus to perform automatic recovery and open
the database:
STARTUP MOUNT
RECOVER AUTOMATIC DATABASE
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

If you use an Oracle Real Application Clusters configuration, and if you are
performing incomplete recovery or using a backup control file, then the database can
only compute the name of the first archived redo log file from the first redo thread.
You may have to manually apply the first log file from the other redo threads. After
the first log file in a given thread has been supplied, the database can suggest the
names of the subsequent logs in this thread.

Recovery When Archived Logs Are in the Default Location
Recovering when the archived logs are in their default location is the simplest case. As
a log is needed, the database suggests the file name. If you run nonautomatic media
recovery with SQL*Plus, then the output is displayed in the format shown by this
example:
ORA-00279: change 53577
ORA-00289: suggestion :
ORA-00280: change 53577
Specify log: [ for

generated at 11/26/02 19:20:58 needed for thread 1
/oracle/oradata/trgt/arch/arcr_1_802.arc
for thread 1 is in sequence #802
suggested | AUTO | FROM logsource | CANCEL ]

Similar messages are returned when you use an ALTER DATABASE ... RECOVER
statement. However, no prompt is displayed.
The database constructs suggested archived log file names by concatenating the
current values of the initialization parameters LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n (where n is the
highest value among all enabled, local destinations) and LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT and
using log history data from the control file. The following are possible settings:
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 = 'LOCATION = /oracle/oradata/trgt/arch/'
LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT = arcr_%t_%s.arc
SELECT NAME FROM V$ARCHIVED_LOG;
NAME
---------------------------------------/oracle/oradata/trgt/arch/arcr_1_467.arc
/oracle/oradata/trgt/arch/arcr_1_468.arc
/oracle/oradata/trgt/arch/arcr_1_469.arc

Thus, if all the required archived log files are mounted at the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1
destination, and if the value for LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT is never altered, then the
database can suggest and apply log files to complete media recovery automatically.

Recovery When Archived Logs Are in a Nondefault Location
Performing media recovery when archived logs are not in their default location adds
an extra step. You have the following mutually exclusive options:
■

■

Edit the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameter that specifies the location of the archived
redo logs, then recover as usual.
Use the SET statement in SQL*Plus to specify the nondefault log location before
recovery, or the LOGFILE parameter of the RECOVER command

Performing User-Managed Database Flashback and Recovery 29-5

Overview of User-Managed Media Recovery

Resetting the Archived Log Destination
You can edit the initialization parameter file or issue ALTER SYSTEM statements to
change the default location of the archived redo logs.
To change the default archived log location before recovery:
1.

Use an operating system utility to restore the archived logs to a nondefault
location. For example, enter:
% cp /backup/arch/* /tmp/

2.

Change the value for the archive log parameter to the nondefault location. You can
issue ALTER SYSTEM statements while the instance is started, or edit the
initialization parameter file and then start the database instance. For example,
while the instance is shut down edit the parameter file as follows:
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 = 'LOCATION=/tmp/'
LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT = arcr_%t_%s.arc

3.

Using SQL*Plus, start a new instance by specifying the edited initialization
parameter file, and then mount the database. For example, enter:
STARTUP MOUNT

4.

Begin media recovery as usual. For example, enter:
RECOVER DATABASE

Overriding the Archived Log Destination
In some cases, you may want to override the current setting for the archiving
destination parameter as a source for archived log files.
To recover archived logs in a nondefault location with SET LOGSOURCE:
1.

Using an operating system utility, copy the archived redo logs to an alternative
location. For example, enter:
% cp $ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/arch/* /tmp

2.

Specify the alternative location within SQL*Plus for the recovery operation. Use
the LOGSOURCE parameter of the SET statement. For example, start SQL*Plus and
run:
SET LOGSOURCE "/tmp"

3.

Recover the offline tablespace. For example, to recover the offline tablespace users
do the following:
RECOVER AUTOMATIC TABLESPACE users

4.

Alternatively, you can avoid running SET LOGSOURCE and simply run:
RECOVER AUTOMATIC TABLESPACE users FROM "/tmp"

Overriding the redo log source does not affect the archive
redo log destination for online redo log groups being archived.

Note:

Recovery Cancellation
If you start media recovery and must then interrupt it, then either enter CANCEL when
prompted for a redo log file, or use your operating system's interrupt signal if you
29-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Complete Database Recovery

must terminate when recovering an individual data file, or when automated recovery
is in progress. After recovery is canceled, you can resume it later with the RECOVER
command. Recovery resumes where it left off when it was canceled.

Parallel Media Recovery
By default, Oracle Database uses parallel media recovery to improve performance of
the roll forward phase of media recovery. In parallel recovery of media, the database
uses a "division of labor" approach to allocate different processes to different data
blocks while rolling forward, thereby making the procedure more efficient. The
number of processes used is derived from the CPU_COUNT initialization parameter,
which by default equals the number of CPUs on the system. For example, if parallel
recovery is performed on a system where CPU_COUNT is 4, and only one data file is
recovered, then four spawned processes read blocks from the archive logs and apply
redo.
Typically, media recovery is limited by data block reads and writes. Parallel recovery
attempts to use all of the available I/O bandwidth of the system to improve
performance. Unless there is a system I/O bottleneck or poor asynchronous I/O
support, parallel recovery is likely to improve performance of recovery.
To override the default behavior of performing parallel recovery, use the SQL*Plus
RECOVER command with the NOPARALLEL option, or RECOVER PARALLEL 0. The RECOVERY_
PARALLELISM initialization parameter controls instance or crash recovery only. Media
recovery is not affected by the value used for RECOVERY_PARALLELISM.
SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference for more
information about the SQL*Plus RECOVER ... PARALLEL and
NOPARALLEL commands
See Also:

Performing Complete Database Recovery
Typically, you perform complete recovery of the database when a media failure makes
one or more data files inaccessible. The V$RECOVER_FILE view indicates which files
need recovery. When you perform complete database recovery, you use all available
redo to recover the database to the current SCN.
Depending on the circumstances, you can either recover the whole database at once or
recover individual tablespaces or data files. Because you do not have to open the
database with the RESETLOGS option after complete recovery, you have the option of
recovering some data files at one time and the remaining data files later.
The procedures in this section assume the following:
■

■

■

The current control file is available. If you must restore or re-create the control file,
then see "Recovering After the Loss of All Current Control Files" on page 30-2 and
"Re-Creating a Control File" on page 30-6.
You have backups of all needed data files. If you are missing data file backups,
then see "Re-Creating Data Files When Backups Are Unavailable" on page 30-8.
All necessary archived redo logs are available. If you are missing redo required to
completely recover the database, then you must perform database point-in-time
recovery. See "Performing Incomplete Database Recovery" on page 29-13.

This section describes the steps necessary to complete media recovery operations, and
includes the following topics:
■

Performing Closed Database Recovery

Performing User-Managed Database Flashback and Recovery 29-7

Performing Complete Database Recovery

■

Performing Open Database Recovery

Performing Closed Database Recovery
This section describes steps to perform complete recovery while the database is not
open. You can recover either all damaged data files in one operation or perform
individual recovery of each damaged data file in separate operations.
To restore and recover damaged or missing data files:
1.

If the database is open, query V$RECOVER_FILE to determine which data files must
be recovered and why they must be recovered.
If you are planning to perform complete recovery rather than point-in-time
recovery, then you can recover only those data files that require recovery, rather
than the whole database. For point-in-time recovery, you must restore and recover
all data files, unless you perform TSPITR as described in Chapter 21, "Performing
RMAN Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR)". You can also use Flashback
Database, but this procedure affects all data files and returns the entire database to
a past time.
You can query the V$RECOVER_FILE view to list data files requiring recovery by
data file number with their status and error information.
SELECT FILE#, ERROR, ONLINE_STATUS, CHANGE#, TIME
FROM
V$RECOVER_FILE;

Note: You cannot use V$RECOVER_FILE with a control file restored
from backup or a control file that was re-created after the time of
the media failure affecting the data files. A restored or re-created
control file does not contain the information needed to update
V$RECOVER_FILE accurately.

You can also perform useful joins by using the data file number and the
V$DATAFILE and V$TABLESPACE views to get the data file and tablespace names.
Use the following SQL*Plus commands to format the output of the query:
COL DF# FORMAT 999
COL DF_NAME FORMAT A35
COL TBSP_NAME FORMAT A7
COL STATUS FORMAT A7
COL ERROR FORMAT A10
COL CHANGE# FORMAT 99999999
SELECT r.FILE# AS df#, d.NAME AS df_name, t.NAME AS tbsp_name,
d.STATUS, r.ERROR, r.CHANGE#, r.TIME
FROM
V$RECOVER_FILE r, V$DATAFILE d, V$TABLESPACE t
WHERE t.TS# = d.TS#
AND
d.FILE# = r.FILE#;

The ERROR column identifies the problem for each file requiring recovery.
2.

Query the V$ARCHIVED_LOG and V$RECOVERY_LOG views to determine which
archived redo log files are needed.
V$ARCHIVED_LOG lists file names for all archived redo logs, whereas V$RECOVERY_
LOG lists only the archived redo logs that the database needs to perform media
recovery. The latter view also includes the probable names of the files based on the
naming convention specified by using the LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT parameter.

29-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Complete Database Recovery

V$RECOVERY_LOG is only populated when media recovery is
required for a data file. Thus, this view is not useful for a planned
recovery, such as recovery from a user error.

Note:

If a data file requires recovery, but no backup of the data file exists,
then you need all redo generated starting from the time when the
data file was added to the database.
3.

If all archived logs are available in the default location, then skip to the Step 4.
If some archived logs must be restored, and if sufficient space is available, then
restore the required archived redo log files to the location specified by LOG_
ARCHIVE_DEST_1. The database locates the correct log automatically when required
during media recovery. For example, you might enter a command such as the
following on Linux or UNIX:
% cp /disk2/arch/* $ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/arch

If sufficient space is not available, then restore some or all of the required archived
redo log files to an alternative location.
4.

If the database is open, then shut it down. For example:
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE

5.

Inspect the media to determine the source of the problem.
If the hardware problem that caused the media failure was temporary, and if the
data was undamaged (for example, a disk or controller power failure occurred),
then no media recovery is required: start the database and resume normal
operations.
If you cannot repair the problem, then proceed to the Step 6.

6.

If the files are permanently damaged, then identify the most recent backups for the
damaged files. Restore only the data files damaged by the media failure: do not
restore undamaged data files or any online redo log files.
For example, if ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf is the only damaged file,
then you may find that /backup/users01_10_24_02.dbf is the most recent backup
of this file. If you do not have a backup of a specific data file, then you may be able
to create an empty replacement file that can be recovered.

7.

Use an operating system utility to restore the data files to their default location or
to a new location. For example, a Linux or UNIX user restoring users01.dbf to its
default location might enter:
% cp /backup/users01_10_24_06.dbf $ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf

Use the following guidelines when determining where to restore data file backups:
■

■

If the hardware problem is repaired and you can restore the data files to their
default locations, then restore the data files to their default locations and begin
media recovery.
If the hardware problem persists and you cannot restore data files to their
original locations, then restore the data files to an alternative storage device.
Indicate the new location of these files in the control file with the ALTER
DATABASE RENAME FILE statement. See Oracle Database Administrator's Guide.

Performing User-Managed Database Flashback and Recovery 29-9

Performing Complete Database Recovery

■

8.

If you are restoring a data file to a raw disk or partition, then the technique is
basically the same as when you are restoring to a file on a file system. Be
aware of the naming conventions for files on raw devices (which differ
depending on the operating system), and use an operating system utility that
supports raw devices.

Connect to the database with administrator privileges. Then start a new instance
and mount, but do not open, the database. For example, enter:
STARTUP MOUNT

9.

If you restored one or more damaged data files to alternative locations, then
update the control file of the database to reflect the new data file names. For
example, to change the file name of the data file in tablespace users you might
enter:
ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE '?/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf' TO
'/disk2/users01.dbf';

10. Obtain the data file names and statuses of all data files by checking the list of data

files that normally accompanies the current control file or by querying the
V$DATAFILE view. For example, enter:
SELECT NAME,STATUS FROM V$DATAFILE;
11. Ensure that all data files requiring recovery are online. The only exceptions are

data files in an offline tablespace that was taken offline normally or data files in a
read-only tablespace. For example, to guarantee that a data file named
/oracle/dbs/tbs_10.f is online, enter the following:
ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE '/oracle/dbs/tbs_10.f' ONLINE;

If a specified data file is already online, then the database ignores the statement. If
you prefer, create a script to bring all data files online at once, as in the following
example:
SPOOL onlineall.sql
SELECT 'ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE '''||name||''' ONLINE;' FROM V$DATAFILE;
SPOOL OFF
SQL> @onlineall
12. If you restored archived redo logs to an alternative location, then you can specify

the location before media recovery with the LOGSOURCE parameter of the SET
command in SQL*Plus. For example, if the logs are staged in /tmp, you can enter
the following command:
SET LOGSOURCE /tmp

Alternatively, you can skip Step 12 and use the FROM parameter on the RECOVER
command as in Step 13. For example, if the logs are staged in /tmp, you can enter
the following command:
RECOVER AUTOMATIC FROM '/tmp' DATABASE

Overriding the redo log source does not affect the archive
redo log destination for online redo log groups being archived.

Note:

29-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Complete Database Recovery

13. Issue a statement to recover the database, tablespace, or data file. For example,

enter one of the following RECOVER commands:
RECOVER AUTOMATIC DATABASE
# whole database
RECOVER AUTOMATIC TABLESPACE users
# specific tablespace
RECOVER AUTOMATIC DATAFILE '?/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf'; # specific data file

If you choose not to automate the application of archived redo logs, then you must
accept or reject each prompted log. If you automate recovery, then the database
applies the logs automatically. Recovery continues until all required archived and
online redo logs have been applied to the restored data files. The database notifies
you when media recovery is complete:
Media recovery complete.

If no archived redo logs are required for complete media recovery, then the
database applies all necessary online redo log files and terminates recovery.
14. After recovery terminates, open the database for use:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

See Also: "Overview of User-Managed Media Recovery" on
page 29-2 for more information about applying redo log filesOracle
Database Reference
15. After archived logs are applied, and after making sure that a copy of each archived

log group still exists in offline storage, delete the restored copy of the archived
redo log file to free disk space. For example:
% rm /tmp/*.arc

See Also: "Overview of User-Managed Media Recovery" on
page 29-2 for an overview of log application during media recovery

Performing Open Database Recovery
It is possible for a media failure to occur while the database remains open, leaving the
undamaged data files online and available for use. Damaged data files—but not the
tablespaces that contain them—are automatically taken offline if the database writer
cannot write to them. If the database writer cannot open a data file, an error is still
returned. Queries that cannot read damaged files return errors, but the data files are
not taken offline because of the failed queries. For example, you may run a SQL query
and see output such as:
ERROR at line 1:
ORA-01116: error in opening database file 3
ORA-01110: data file 11: '/oracle/oradata/trgt/cwmlite02.dbf'
ORA-27041: unable to open file
SVR4 Error: 2: No such file or directory
Additional information: 3

You cannot use the procedure in this section to perform complete media recovery on
the SYSTEM tablespace while the database is open. If the media failure damages data
files of the SYSTEM tablespace, then the database automatically shuts down.
To restore data files in an open database:
1. Follow Step 1 through Step 3 in "Performing Closed Database Recovery" on
page 29-8.

Performing User-Managed Database Flashback and Recovery

29-11

Performing Complete Database Recovery

2.

If the database is open, then take all tablespaces containing damaged data files
offline. For example, if the tablespaces users and tools contain damaged data
files, then execute the following SQL statements:
ALTER TABLESPACE users OFFLINE TEMPORARY;
ALTER TABLESPACE tools OFFLINE TEMPORARY;

If you specify TEMPORARY, then Oracle Database creates a checkpoint for all online
data files in the tablespace. Files that are offline when you issue this statement may
require media recovery before you bring the tablespace back online. If you specify
IMMEDIATE, then you must perform media recovery on the tablespace before
bringing it back online.
3.

Inspect the media to determine the source of the problem.
As explained in "Running the DBVERIFY Utility" on page 28-17, you can use the
DBVERIFY utility to run an integrity check on offline data files.
If the hardware problem that caused the media failure was temporary, and if the
data was undamaged, then no media recovery is required. You can bring the
offline tablespaces online and resume normal operations. If you cannot repair the
problem, or if DBVERIFY reports corrupt blocks, then proceed to the Step 4.

4.

If files are permanently damaged, then use operating system commands to restore
the most recent backup files of only the data files damaged by the media failure.
For example, to restore users01.dbf you might use the cp command on Linux or
UNIX as follows:
% cp /disk2/backup/users01.dbf $ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf

If the hardware problem is fixed and the data files can be restored to their original
locations, then do so. Otherwise, restore the data files to an alternative storage
device. Do not restore undamaged data files, online redo logs, or control files.
In some circumstances, if you do not have a backup of a
specific data file, you can use the ALTER DATABASE CREATE DATAFILE
statement to create an empty replacement file that is recoverable.
Note:

5.

If you restored one or more damaged data files to alternative locations, then
update the control file of the database to reflect the new data file names. For
example, to change the file name of the data file in tablespace users you might
enter:
ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE '?/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf' TO
'/disk2/users01.dbf';

6.

If you restored archived redo logs to an alternative location, then you can specify
the location before media recovery with the LOGSOURCE parameter of the SET
command in SQL*Plus. For example, if the logs are staged in /tmp, you can enter
the following command:
SET LOGSOURCE /tmp

Alternatively, you can skip Step 6 and use the FROM parameter on the RECOVER
command as in Step 7. For example, if the logs are staged in /tmp, you can enter
the following command:
RECOVER AUTOMATIC FROM '/tmp' TABLESPACE users, tools;

29-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Performing Incomplete Database Recovery

Overriding the redo log source does not affect the archive
redo log destination for online redo log groups being archived.

Note:

7.

Connect to the database with administrator privileges, and start offline tablespace
recovery of all damaged data files in one or more offline tablespaces using one
step. For example, recover users and tools as follows:
RECOVER AUTOMATIC TABLESPACE users, tools;

The database begins the roll forward phase of media recovery by applying the
necessary archived and online redo logs to reconstruct the restored data files.
Unless the application of files is automated with the RECOVER AUTOMATIC or SET
AUTORECOVERY ON commands, the database prompts for each required redo log file.
Recovery continues until all required archived logs have been applied to the data
files. The online redo logs are then automatically applied to the restored data files
to complete media recovery. If no archived redo logs are required for complete
media recovery, then the database does not prompt for any. Instead, all necessary
online redo logs are applied, and media recovery is complete.
8.

When the damaged tablespaces are recovered up to the moment that media failure
occurred, bring the offline tablespaces online. For example, to bring tablespaces
users and tools online, issue the following statements:
ALTER TABLESPACE users ONLINE;
ALTER TABLESPACE tools ONLINE;

See Also: Oracle Database Administrator's Guide to learn about
creating data files and Oracle Database SQL Language Reference to
learn about ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE

Performing Incomplete Database Recovery
Typically, you perform database point-in-time recovery (DBPITR) in the following
situations:
■

You want to recover the database to an SCN before a user or administrative error.

■

The database contains corrupt blocks.

■

■

Complete database recovery failed because all necessary archived redo logs were
not available.
You are creating a test database or a reporting database from production database
backups.

If the database is operating in ARCHIVELOG mode, and if the only copy of an archived
redo log file is damaged, then the damaged file does not affect the present operation of
the database. Table 29–2 describes situations that can arise depending on when the
redo log was written and when you backed up the data file.
Table 29–2

Loss of Archived Redo Logs

If You Backed Up...

Then...

All data files after the filled The archived version of the filled online redo log group is not
online redo log group
required for complete media recovery.
(which is now archived) was
written

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Performing Incomplete Database Recovery

Table 29–2 (Cont.) Loss of Archived Redo Logs
If You Backed Up...

Then...

A specific data file before
the filled online redo log
group was written

If the corresponding data file is damaged by a permanent media
failure, then use the most recent backup of the damaged data file
and perform tablespace point-in-time recovery of the damaged
data file, up to the damaged archived redo log file.

Caution: If you know that an archived redo log group has been
damaged, then immediately back up all data files so that you have
a whole database backup that does not require the damaged
archived redo log.

The technique for DBPITR is very similar to the technique described in "Performing
Closed Database Recovery" on page 29-8, except that you terminate DBPITR by
specifying a particular time or SCN or entering CANCEL. Cancel-based recovery
prompts you with the suggested file names of archived redo logs. Recovery stops
when you specify CANCEL instead of a file name or when all redo has been applied to
the data files. Cancel-based recovery is the best technique to control which archived
log terminates recovery.
The procedures in this section assume the following:
■

■

The current control file is available. If you must restore or re-create the control file,
then see "Recovering After the Loss of All Current Control Files" on page 30-2.
You have backups of all needed data files. If you are missing data file backups,
then see "Re-Creating Data Files When Backups Are Unavailable" on page 30-8.

This section contains the following topics:
■

Performing Cancel-Based Incomplete Recovery

■

Performing Time-Based or Change-Based Incomplete Recovery

Performing Cancel-Based Incomplete Recovery
In cancel-based recovery, recovery proceeds by prompting you with the suggested file
names of archived redo log files. Recovery stops when you specify CANCEL instead of a
file name or when all redo has been applied to the data files.
To perform cancel-based recovery:
1. Follow Step1 through Step 8 in "Performing Closed Database Recovery" on
page 29-8.
2.

Begin cancel-based recovery by issuing the following command in SQL*Plus:
RECOVER DATABASE UNTIL CANCEL

Note: If you fail to specify the UNTIL clause on the RECOVER
command, then the database assumes a complete recovery and
does not open until all redo is applied.

The database applies the necessary redo log files to reconstruct the restored data
files. The database supplies the name it expects to find from LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1
and requests you to stop or proceed with applying the log file. If the control file is

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Performing Incomplete Database Recovery

a backup, then you must supply the names of the online redo logs if you want to
apply the changes in these logs.
3.

Continue applying redo log files until the last log has been applied to the restored
data files, then cancel recovery by executing the following command:
CANCEL

The database indicates whether recovery is successful. If you cancel before all the
data files have been recovered to a consistent SCN and then try to open the
database, then you get an ORA-1113 error if more recovery is necessary. You can
query V$RECOVER_FILE to determine whether more recovery is needed, or if a
backup of a data file was not restored before starting incomplete recovery.
4.

Open the database with the RESETLOGS option. You must always reset the logs after
incomplete recovery or recovery with a backup control file. For example:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

If you attempt to use OPEN RESETLOGS when you should not, or if you neglect to
reset the log when you should, then the database returns an error and does not
open the database. Correct the problem and try again.
See Also: "About User-Managed Media Recovery Problems" on
page 29-18 for descriptions of situations that can cause ALTER
DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS to fail
5.

After opening the database with the RESETLOGS option, check the alert log.
The easiest way to locate trace files and the alert log is to run
the following SQL query: SELECT NAME, VALUE FROM V$DIAG_INFO.

Note:

When you open with the RESETLOGS option, the database returns different
messages depending on whether recovery was complete or incomplete. If the
recovery was complete, then the following message appears in the alert log:
RESETLOGS after complete recovery through change scn

If the recovery was incomplete, then this message is reported in the alert log,
where scn refers to the end point of incomplete recovery:
RESETLOGS after incomplete recovery UNTIL CHANGE scn

Also check the alert log to determine whether the database detected
inconsistencies between the data dictionary and the control file. Table 29–3
describes two possible scenarios.
Table 29–3

Inconsistencies Between Data Dictionary and Control File

Data File Listed in
Control File

Data File Listed
in the Data
Dictionary

Yes

No

Result
References to the unlisted data file are removed
from the control file. A message in the alert log
indicates what was found.

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Recovering a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode

Table 29–3 (Cont.) Inconsistencies Between Data Dictionary and Control File
Data File Listed in
Control File

Data File Listed
in the Data
Dictionary

No

Yes

Result
The database creates a placeholder entry in the
control file under MISSINGnnnnn (where nnnnn is
the file number in decimal). MISSINGnnnnn is
flagged in the control file as offline and requiring
media recovery. You can make the data file
corresponding to MISSINGnnnnn accessible by
using ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE for
MISSINGnnnnn so that it points to the data file. If
you do not have a backup of this data file, then
drop the tablespace.

Performing Time-Based or Change-Based Incomplete Recovery
This section describes how to specify an SCN or time for the end point of recovery. If
your database is affected by seasonal time changes (for example, daylight savings
time), then you may experience a problem if a time appears twice in the redo log and
you want to recover to the second, or later time. To handle time changes, perform
cancel-based or change-based recovery.
To perform change-based or time-based recovery:
1. Follows Step 1 through Step 8 in "Performing Closed Database Recovery" on
page 29-8.
2.

Issue the RECOVER DATABASE UNTIL statement to begin recovery. If recovering to an
SCN, then specify as a decimal number without quotation marks. For example, to
recover through SCN 10034 issue:
RECOVER DATABASE UNTIL CHANGE 10034;

If recovering to a time, then the time is always specified using the following
format, delimited by single quotation marks: 'YYYY-MM-DD:HH24:MI:SS'. The
following statement recovers the database up to a specified time:
RECOVER DATABASE UNTIL TIME '2000-12-31:12:47:30'
3.

Apply the necessary redo log files to recover the restored data files. The database
automatically terminates the recovery when it reaches the correct time, and returns
a message indicating whether recovery is successful.
Unless recovery is automated, the database supplies the
name from LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 and asks you to stop or proceed
with after each log. If the control file is a backup, then after the
archived logs are applied you must supply the names of the online
logs.
Note:

4.

Follow Steps 4 and 5 in "Performing Cancel-Based Incomplete Recovery" on
page 29-14.

Recovering a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode
If a media failure damages data files in a NOARCHIVELOG database, then the only option
for recovery is usually to restore a consistent whole database backup. If you are using

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Recovering a Database in NOARCHIVELOG Mode

logical backups created by Oracle Data Pump Export to supplement regular physical
backups, then you can also attempt to restore the database by importing an exported
backup of the database into a re-created database or a database restored from an old
backup.
To restore and recover the most recent whole database backup:
1. If the database is open, then shut down the database. For example, enter:
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE
2.

If possible, correct the media problem so that the backup database files can be
restored to their original locations.

3.

Restore the most recent whole database backup with operating system commands.
Restore all of the data files and control files of the whole database backup, not just
the damaged files. If the hardware problem has not been corrected and some or all
of the database files must be restored to alternative locations, then restore the
whole database backup to a new location. The following example restores a whole
database backup to its default location:
% cp /backup/*.dbf $ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/

4.

If necessary, edit the restored initialization parameter file to indicate the new
location of the control files. For example:
CONTROL_FILES = "/new_disk/oradata/trgt/control01.dbf"

5.

Start an instance using the restored and edited parameter file and mount, but do
not open, the database. For example:
STARTUP MOUNT

6.

If the restored data file names will be different (as will be the case when you
restore to a different file system or directory, on the same node or a different node),
then update the control file to reflect the new data file locations. For example, to
rename data file 1 you might enter:
ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE '?/oradata/trgt/system01.dbf' TO
'/new_disk/oradata/system01.dbf';

7.

If the online redo logs were located on a damaged disk, and the hardware problem
is not corrected, then specify a new location for each affected online log. For
example, enter:
ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE '?/oradata/trgt/redo01.log' TO
'/new_disk/oradata/redo_01.log';
ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE '?/oradata/trgt/redo02.log' TO
'/new_disk/oradata/redo_02.log';

8.

Because online redo logs are never backed up, you cannot restore them with the
data files and control files. To enable the database to reset the online redo logs, you
must first mimic incomplete recovery:
RECOVER DATABASE UNTIL CANCEL
CANCEL

9.

Open the database in RESETLOGS mode. This command clears the online redo logs
and resets the log sequence to 1:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

Performing User-Managed Database Flashback and Recovery

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Troubleshooting Media Recovery

If you restore a NOARCHIVELOG database backup and then reset the log, the action
discards all changes to the database made from the time the backup was taken to
the time of the failure.
See Also: Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for more
information about renaming and relocating data files, and Oracle
Database SQL Language Reference to learn about ALTER DATABASE
RENAME FILE

Troubleshooting Media Recovery
This section describes how to troubleshoot user-managed media recovery, that is,
media recovery performed without using Recovery Manager (RMAN). This section
includes the following topics:
■

About User-Managed Media Recovery Problems

■

Investigating the Media Recovery Problem: Phase 1

■

Trying to Fix the Recovery Problem Without Corrupting Blocks: Phase 2

■

Deciding Whether to Allow Recovery to Mark as Corrupt Blocks: Phase 3

■

Allowing Recovery to Corrupt Blocks: Phase 4

■

Performing Trial Recovery

About User-Managed Media Recovery Problems
Table 29–4 describes potential problems that can occur during media recovery.
Table 29–4

Media Recovery Problems

Problem

Description

Missing or misnamed
archived log

Recovery stops because the database cannot find the archived log recorded in the
control file.

When you attempt to
open the database, error
ORA-1113 indicates that a
data file needs media
recovery.

This error commonly occurs because:
■

■
■

■

■
■

Redo record problems

You are performing incomplete recovery but failed to restore all needed data file
backups.
Incomplete recovery stopped before data files reached a consistent SCN.
You are recovering data files from an online backup, but not enough redo was
applied to make the data files consistent.
You are performing recovery with a backup control file, and did not specify the
location of a needed online redo log.
A data file is undergoing media recovery when you attempt to open the database.
Data files needing recovery were not brought online before you execute the
RECOVER DATABASE command, and so were not recovered.

Two possible cases are as follows:
■

■

Recovery stops because of failed consistency checks, a problem called stuck
recovery. Stuck recovery can occur when an underlying operating system or
storage system loses a write issued by the database during normal operation.
The database signals an internal error when applying the redo. This problem can
be caused by an Oracle Database bug. If checksum verification is not being used,
then the errors can also be caused by corruptions to the redo or data blocks.

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Troubleshooting Media Recovery

Table 29–4 (Cont.) Media Recovery Problems
Problem

Description

Corrupted archived logs

Logs may be corrupted while they are stored on or copied between storage systems. If
DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM is enabled, then the database usually signals a checksum error. If
checksum checking is disabled, then log corruption may appear as a problem with
redo.

Archived logs with
incompatible parallel
redo format

If you enable the parallel redo feature, then the database generates redo logs in a new
format. Prior releases of Oracle are unable to apply parallel redo logs. However,
releases before Oracle9i Database Release 2 (9.2) can detect the parallel redo format
and indicate the inconsistency with the following error message: External error
00303, 00000, "cannot process Parallel Redo".

Corrupted data blocks

A data file backup may have contained a corrupted data block, or the data block may
become corrupted either during recovery or when it is copied to the backup. If DB_
BLOCK_CHECKSUM is enabled, then the database computes a checksum for each block
during normal operations and stores it in the block before writing it to disk. When the
database reads the block from disk later, it recomputes the checksum and compares it
to the stored value. If they do not match, then the database signals a checksum error. If
checksum checking is disabled, then the problem may also appear as a redo
corruption.

Random problems

Memory corruptions and other transient problems can occur during recovery.

The symptoms of media recovery problems are usually external or internal errors
signaled during recovery. For example, an external error indicates that a redo block or
a data block has failed checksum verification checks. Internal errors can be caused by
either bugs in the database or errors arising from the underlying operating system and
hardware.
If media recovery encounters a problem while recovering a database backup, then
whether it is a stuck recovery problem or a problem during redo application, the
database always stops and leaves the data files undergoing recovery in a consistent
state, that is, at a consistent SCN preceding the failure. You can then do one of the
following:
■
■

Open the database read-only to investigate the problem.
Open the database with the RESETLOGS option, if the requirements for opening
RESETLOGS have been met. The RESETLOGS restrictions apply to opening the
physical standby database as well, because a standby database is updated by a
form of media recovery.

In general, opening the database read-only or opening with the RESETLOGS option
requires all online data files to be recovered to the same SCN. If this requirement is not
met, then the database may signal ORA-1113 or other errors when you attempt to open
it. Some common causes of ORA-1113 are described in Table 29–4.
The basic methodology for responding to media recovery problems occurs in the
following phases:
1.

Try to identify the cause of the problem. Run a trial recovery if needed.

2.

If the problem is related to missing redo logs or if you suspect that there is a redo
log, memory, or data block corruption, then try to resolve the problem using the
methods described in Table 29–5.

3.

If you cannot resolve the problem using the methods described in Table 29–5, then
do one of the following:
–

Open the database with the RESETLOGS option if you are recovering a whole
database backup. If you have performed serial media recovery, then the

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Troubleshooting Media Recovery

database contains all the changes up to but not including the changes at the
SCN where the corruption occurred. No changes from this SCN onward are in
the recovered part of the database. If you have restored online backups, then
opening RESETLOGS succeeds only if you have recovered through all the ALTER
... END BACKUP operations in the redo stream.
–

Proceed with recovery by allowing media recovery to corrupt data blocks.
After media recovery completes, try performing block media recovery using
RMAN.

–

Call Oracle Support Services as a last resort.
See Also: "Performing Disaster Recovery" on page 20-8 to learn
about block media recovery

Investigating the Media Recovery Problem: Phase 1
If media recovery encounters a problem, then obtain as much information as possible
after recovery halts. You do not want to waste time fixing the wrong problem, which
may make matters worse.
The goal of this initial investigation is to determine whether the problem is caused by
incorrect setup, corrupted redo logs, corrupted data blocks, memory corruption, or
other problems. If you see a checksum error on a data block, then the data block is
corrupted. If you see a checksum error on a redo log block, then the redo log is
corrupted.
Sometimes the cause of a recovery problem can be difficult to determine. Nevertheless,
the methods in this section enable you to quickly recover a database even when you
do not completely understand the cause of the problem.
To investigate media recovery problems:
1.

Examine the alert.log to see whether the error messages give general
information about the nature of the problem. For example, does the alert_
SID.log indicate any checksum failures? Does the alert_SID.log indicate that
media recovery may have to corrupt data blocks in order to continue?

2.

Check the trace file generated by the Oracle Database during recovery. It may
contain additional error information.

Trying to Fix the Recovery Problem Without Corrupting Blocks: Phase 2
Depending on the type of media recovery problem you suspect, you have different
solutions at your disposal. You can try one or a combination of the techniques
described in Table 29–5. These solutions are common repair techniques and fairly safe
for resolving most media recovery issues.

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Troubleshooting Media Recovery

Table 29–5

Media Recovery Solutions

If You Suspect...

Then...

Missing or misnamed
archived redo logs

Determine whether you entered the correct file name. If you did, then check whether
the log is missing from the operating system. If it is missing, and if you have a
backup, then restore the backup and apply the log. If you do not have a backup, then
if possible perform incomplete recovery up to the point of the missing log.

ORA-1113 for ALTER
DATABASE OPEN

Review the causes of this error in Table 29–4. Ensure that all read/write data files
requiring recovery are online.
If you use a backup control file for recovery, then the control file and data files must
be at a consistent SCN for the database to be opened. If you do not have the
necessary redo, then you must re-create the control file.

Corrupt archived logs

The log is corrupted if the checksum verification on the log redo block fails. If DB_
BLOCK_CHECKSUM was not enabled either during the recovery session or when the
database generated the redo, then recovery problems may be caused by corrupted
logs. If the log is corrupt and an alternate copy of the corrupt log is available, then try
to apply it and see whether this tactic fixes the problem.
The DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM initialization parameter determines whether checksums are
computed for redo log and data blocks.

Archived logs with
incompatible parallel
redo format

If you run an Oracle Database release before Oracle9i Database Release 2, and if you
attempt to apply redo logs created with the parallel redo format, then you must do
the following steps:
1.

Upgrade the database to a later release.

2.

Perform media recovery.

3.

Shut down the database consistently and back up the database.

4.

Downgrade the database to the original release.

Memory corruption or
transient problems

You may be able to fix the problem by shutting down the database and restarting
recovery. The database should be left in a consistent state if the second attempt also
fails.

Corrupt data blocks

Restore and recover the data file again with user-managed methods, or restore and
recover individual data blocks with the RMAN RECOVER ... BLOCK command. This
technique may fix the problem.
A data block is corrupted if the checksum verification on the block fails. If DB_BLOCK_
CHECKING is disabled, then a corrupted data block problem may appear as a redo
problem. If you must proceed with media recovery, then you may want to allow
media recovery to mark the block as corrupt for now, continue recovery, and then use
RMAN to perform block media recovery later.

If you cannot fix the problem with the methods described in Table 29–5, then there
may be no easy way to fix the problem without losing data. You have these options:
■

Open the database with the RESETLOGS option (for whole database recovery).
This solution discards all changes after the point where the redo problem
occurred, but guarantees a logically consistent database.

■

Allow media recovery to corrupt one or more data blocks and then proceed.
This option only succeeds if the alert log indicates that recovery can continue if it
is allowed to corrupt a data block, which should be the case for most recovery
problems. This option is best if you must start the database quickly and recover all
changes. If you are considering this option, then proceed to "Deciding Whether to
Allow Recovery to Mark as Corrupt Blocks: Phase 3" on page 29-22.

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Troubleshooting Media Recovery

See Also: "Performing Block Media Recovery"to learn how to
perform block media recovery with the RECOVER ... BLOCK
command

Deciding Whether to Allow Recovery to Mark as Corrupt Blocks: Phase 3
When media recovery encounters a problem, the alert log may indicate that recovery
can continue if it is allowed to mark as corrupt the data block causing the problem.
The alert log contains information about the block: its block type, block address, the
tablespace it belongs to, and so forth. For blocks containing user data, the alert log may
also report the data object number.
In this case, the database can proceed with recovery if it is allowed to mark the
problem block as corrupt. Nevertheless, this response is not always advisable. For
example, if the block is an important block in the SYSTEM tablespace, marking the block
as corrupt can eventually prevent you from opening the recovered database. Another
consideration is whether the recovery problem is isolated. If this problem is followed
immediately by many other problems in the redo stream, then you may want to open
the database with the RESETLOGS option.
For a block containing user data, you can usually query the database to discover which
object or table owns this block. If the database is not open, then you should be able to
open the database read-only, even if you are recovering a whole database backup. The
following example cancels recovery and opens the database read-only:
CANCEL
ALTER DATABASE OPEN READ ONLY;

Assume that the data object number reported in the alert_SID.log is 8031. You can
determine the owner, object name, and object type by issuing this query:
SELECT OWNER, OBJECT_NAME, SUBOBJECT_NAME, OBJECT_TYPE
FROM DBA_OBJECTS
WHERE DATA_OBJECT_ID = 8031;

To determine whether a recovery problem is isolated, you can run a diagnostic trial
recovery, which scans the redo stream for problems but does not actually make any
changes to the recovered database. If a trial recovery discovers any recovery problems,
then it reports them in the alert_SID.log. You can use the RECOVER ... TEST statement
to invoke trial recovery, as described in "Executing the RECOVER ... TEST Statement"
on page 29-24.
After you have done these investigations, you can follow the guidelines in Table 29–6
to decide whether to allow recovery to permit corrupt blocks.

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Troubleshooting Media Recovery

Table 29–6

Guidelines for Allowing Recovery to Permit Corrupt Blocks

If the Problem Is...

and the Block Is...

Not isolated

Then...
You should probably open the database with the RESETLOGS
option. This response is important for stuck recovery problems,
because stuck recovery can be caused by the operating system or
a storage system losing writes. If an operating system or storage
system suddenly fails, then it can cause stuck recovery problems
on several blocks.

Isolated

In the SYSTEM
tablespace

Do not corrupt the block, because it may eventually prevent you
from opening the database. However, sometimes data in the
SYSTEM tablespace is unimportant. If you must corrupt a SYSTEM
block and recover all changes, then contact Oracle Support
Services.

Isolated

Index data

Consider corrupting index blocks because the index can be rebuilt
later after the database has been recovered.

Isolated

User data

Decide based on the importance of the data. If you continue with
data file recovery and corrupt a block, then you lose data in the
block. However, you can use RMAN to perform block media
recovery later, after data file recovery completes. If you open
RESETLOGS, then the database is consistent but loses any changes
made after the point where recovery was stopped.

Isolated

Rollback or undo
data

If all of the transactions are committed, then consider corrupting
the rollback or undo block. The database is not harmed if the
transactions that generated the undo are never rolled back.
However, if those transactions are rolled back, then corrupting
the undo block can cause problems. If you are unsure, then
contact Oracle Support Services.

See Also: "Performing Trial Recovery" on page 29-23 to learn how
to perform trial recovery, and "Allowing Recovery to Corrupt
Blocks: Phase 4" on page 29-23 if you decide to allow recovery to
permit corrupt blocks

Allowing Recovery to Corrupt Blocks: Phase 4
If you decide to allow recovery to proceed despite block corruptions, then run the
RECOVER command with the ALLOW n CORRUPTION clause, where n is the number of
allowable corrupt blocks.
To allow recovery to corrupt blocks:
1.

Ensure that all normal recovery preconditions are met. For example, if the
database is open, then take tablespaces offline before attempting recovery.

2.

Run the RECOVER command as in the following example:
RECOVER DATABASE ALLOW 5 CORRUPTION

Performing Trial Recovery
When problems such as stuck recovery occur, you have a difficult choice. If the block is
relatively unimportant, and if the problem is isolated, then it is better to corrupt the
block. But if the problem is not isolated, then it may be better to open the database
with the RESETLOGS option.
Because of this situation, Oracle Database supports trial recovery. A trial recovery
applies redo in a way similar to normal media recovery, but it never writes its changes
to disk and it always rolls back its changes. Trial recovery occurs only in memory.

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Troubleshooting Media Recovery

See Also:

"Allowing Recovery to Corrupt Blocks: Phase 4" on

page 29-23

How Trial Recovery Works
By default, if a trial recovery encounters a stuck recovery or similar problem, then it
always marks the data block as corrupt in memory when this action can allow
recovery to proceed. The database writes errors generated during trial recovery to alert
files. These errors are clearly marked as test run errors.
Like normal media recovery, trial recovery can prompt you for archived log file names
and ask you to apply them. Trial recovery ends when:
■

■

The database runs out of the maximum number of buffers in memory that trial
recovery is permitted to use
An unrecoverable error is signaled, that is, an error that cannot be resolved by
corrupting a data block

■

You cancel or interrupt the recovery session

■

The next redo record in the redo stream changes the control file

■

All requested redo has been applied

When trial recovery ends, the database removes all effects of the test run from the
system—except the possible error messages in the alert files. If the instance fails
during trial recovery, then the database removes all effects of trial recovery from the
system, because trial recovery never writes changes to disk.
Trial recovery lets you foresee what problems might occur if you were to continue with
normal recovery. For problems caused by ongoing memory corruption, trial recovery
and normal recovery can encounter different errors.

Executing the RECOVER ... TEST Statement
You can use the TEST option for any RECOVER command. For example, you can start
SQL*Plus and then issue any of the following commands:
RECOVER
RECOVER
RECOVER
RECOVER

DATABASE TEST
DATABASE USING BACKUP CONTROLFILE UNTIL CANCEL TEST
TABLESPACE users TEST
DATABASE UNTIL CANCEL TEST

By default, trial recovery always attempts to corrupt blocks in memory if this action
allows trial recovery to proceed. Trial recovery by default can corrupt an unlimited
number of data blocks. You can specify the ALLOW n CORRUPTION clause on the RECOVER
... TEST statement to limit the number of data blocks that trial recovery can corrupt in
memory.
A trial recovery command is usable in any scenario in which a normal recovery
command is usable. Nevertheless, you should only need to run trial recovery when
recovery runs into problems.

29-24 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

30
30

Performing User-Managed Recovery:
Advanced Scenarios

This chapter describes several common media failure scenarios. It shows how to
recover from each failure when using a user-managed backup and recovery strategy,
that is, a strategy that does not depend on Recovery Manager. This chapter contains
the following topics:
■

Responding to the Loss of a Subset of the Current Control Files

■

Recovering After the Loss of All Current Control Files

■

Re-Creating a Control File

■

Re-Creating Data Files When Backups Are Unavailable

■

Recovering NOLOGGING Tables and Indexes

■

Recovering Transportable Tablespaces

■

Recovering After the Loss of Online Redo Log Files

■

Recovering from a Dropped Table Without Using Flashback Features

■

Dropping a Database with SQL*Plus

Responding to the Loss of a Subset of the Current Control Files
Use the following procedures to recover a database if a permanent media failure has
damaged one or more control files of a database and at least one current control file
has not been damaged by the media failure.

Copying a Multiplexed Control File to a Default Location
If the disk and file system containing the lost control file are intact, then you can
simply copy an intact control file to the location of the missing control file. In this case,
you do not have to edit the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter.
To replace a damaged control file by copying a multiplexed control file:
If the instance is still running, then shut it down:

1.

SQL> SHUTDOWN ABORT
2.

Correct the hardware problem that caused the media failure. If you cannot repair
the hardware problem quickly, then proceed with database recovery by restoring
damaged control files to an alternative storage device, as described in "Copying a
Multiplexed Control File to a Nondefault Location" on page 30-2.

Performing User-Managed Recovery: Advanced Scenarios 30-1

Recovering After the Loss of All Current Control Files

3.

Use an intact multiplexed copy of the database's current control file to copy over
the damaged control files. For example, to replace bad_cf.f with good_cf.f, you
might enter:
% cp /oracle/good_cf.f /oracle/dbs/bad_cf.f

4.

Start a new instance and mount and open the database. For example, enter:
SQL> STARTUP

Copying a Multiplexed Control File to a Nondefault Location
Assuming that the disk and file system containing the lost control file are not intact,
then you cannot copy a good control file to the location of the missing control file. In
this case, you must alter the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter to indicate a new
location for the missing control file.
To restore a control file to a nondefault location:
1. If the instance is still running, then shut it down:
SQL> SHUTDOWN ABORT
2.

If you cannot correct the hardware problem that caused the media failure, then
copy the intact control file to alternative location.
For example, to copy a good version of control01.dbf to a new disk location you
might issue the following commands:
% cp /disk1/oradata/trgt/control01.dbf /new_disk/control01.dbf

3.

Edit the parameter file of the database so that the CONTROL_FILES parameter
reflects the current locations of all control files and excludes all control files that
were not restored.
Assume that the initialization parameter file contains the following setting:
CONTROL_FILES='/disk1/oradata/trgt/control01.dbf','/bad_disk/control02.dbf'

You can edit the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter as follows:
CONTROL_FILES='/disk1/oradata/trgt/control01.dbf','/new_disk/control02.dbf'
4.

Start a new instance and mount and open the database. For example:
SQL> STARTUP

Recovering After the Loss of All Current Control Files
Use the following procedures to restore a backup control file if a permanent media
failure has damaged all control files of a database and you have a backup of the
control file. When a control file is inaccessible, you can start the instance, but not
mount the database. If you attempt to mount the database when the control file is
unavailable, then you receive the following error message:
ORA-00205: error in identifying control file, check alert log for more info

The easiest way to locate trace files and the alert log is to run
the following SQL query: SELECT NAME, VALUE FROM V$DIAG_INFO.

Note:

30-2 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Recovering After the Loss of All Current Control Files

You cannot mount and open the database until the control file is accessible again. If
you restore a backup control file, then you must open the database with the
RESETLOGS option.
As indicated in Table 30–1, the procedure for restoring the control file depends on
whether the online redo logs are available.
Table 30–1

Scenarios When Control Files Are Lost

Status of
Online Logs

Status of
Data Files

Available

Current

Restore Procedure
If the online logs contain redo necessary for recovery, then
restore a backup control file and apply the logs during
recovery. You must specify the file name of the online logs
containing the changes to open the database. After recovery,
open the database with the RESETLOGS option.
Note: If you re-create a control file, then it is not necessary to
use the OPEN RESETLOGS option after recovery when the
online redo logs are accessible.

Unavailable

Current

If the online logs contain redo necessary for recovery, then
re-create the control file. Because the online redo logs are
inaccessible, open RESETLOGS.

Available

Backup

Restore a backup control file, perform complete recovery, and
then open the database with the RESETLOGS option.

Unavailable

Backup

Restore a backup control file, perform incomplete recovery,
and then open RESETLOGS.

Recovering with a Backup Control File in the Default Location
If possible, restore the control file to its original location. In this way, you avoid having
to specify new control file locations in the initialization parameter file.
To restore a backup control file to its default location:
1. If the instance is still running, shut it down:
SQL> SHUTDOWN ABORT
2.

Correct the hardware problem that caused the media failure.

3.

Restore the backup control file to all locations specified in the CONTROL_FILES
parameter file. For example, if /disk1/oradata/trgt/control01.dbf and
/disk2/oradata/trgt/control02.dbf are the control file locations listed in the
server parameter file, then use an operating system utility to restore the backup
control file to these locations:
% cp /backup/control01.dbf /disk1/oradata/trgt/control01.dbf
% cp /backup/control02.dbf /disk2/oradata/trgt/control02.dbf

4.

Start a new instance and mount the database. For example, enter:
SQL> STARTUP MOUNT

5.

Begin recovery by executing the RECOVER command with the USING BACKUP
CONTROLFILE clause. Specify UNTIL CANCEL if you are performing incomplete
recovery. For example, enter:
SQL> RECOVER DATABASE USING BACKUP CONTROLFILE UNTIL CANCEL

Performing User-Managed Recovery: Advanced Scenarios 30-3

Recovering After the Loss of All Current Control Files

6.

Apply the prompted archived logs. If you then receive another message saying
that the required archived log is missing, then it probably means that a necessary
redo record is located in the online redo logs. This situation can occur when
unarchived changes were located in the online logs when the instance failed.
For example, assume that you see the following:
ORA-00279: change 55636 generated at 11/08/2002 16:59:47 needed for thread 1
ORA-00289: suggestion : /oracle/work/arc_dest/arcr_1_111.arc
ORA-00280: change 55636 for thread 1 is in sequence #111
Specify log: {=suggested | filename | AUTO | CANCEL}

You can specify the name of an online redo log and press Enter (you may have to
try this a few times until you find the correct log):
ORACLE_HOME/oradata/redo01.dbf
Log applied.
Media recovery complete.

If the online logs are inaccessible, then you can cancel recovery without applying
them. If all data files are current, and if redo in the online logs is required for
recovery, then you cannot open the database without applying the online logs. If
the online logs are inaccessible, then you must re-create the control file, using the
procedure described in "Re-Creating a Control File" on page 30-6.
7.

Open the database with the RESETLOGS option after finishing recovery:
SQL> ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

Recovering with a Backup Control File in a Nondefault Location
If you cannot restore the control file to its original place because the media damage is
too severe, then you must specify new control file locations in the server parameter
file. A valid control file must be available in all locations specified by the CONTROL_
FILES initialization parameter. If not, then the database prevents you from the
mounting the database.
To restore a control file to a nondefault location:
Follow the steps in "Recovering with a Backup Control File in the Default Location" on
page 30-3, except after Step 2 add the following step:
Edit all locations specified in the CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter to reflect the
new control file locations. Assume that the control file locations listed in the server
parameter file are as follows, and both disks are inaccessible:
CONTROL_FILES='/disk1/oradata/trgt/control01.dbf',
'/disk2/oradata/trgt/control02.dbf'

You can edit the initialization parameter file and specify accessible locations, as shown
in the following example:
CONTROL_FILES='/disk3/cf/control01.dbf','/disk4/cf/control02.dbf'

Recovering Through an Added Data File with a Backup Control File
If database recovery with a backup control file rolls forward through a CREATE
TABLESPACE or an ALTER TABLESPACE ADD DATAFILE operation, then the database stops
recovery when applying the redo record for the added files and lets you confirm the
file names.
For example, suppose that the following sequence of events occurs:
30-4 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Recovering After the Loss of All Current Control Files

1.

You back up the database.

2.

You create a tablespace containing the following data files:
/disk1/oradata/trgt/test01.dbf and /disk1/oradata/trgt/test02.dbf.

3.

You restore a backup control file and perform media recovery through the CREATE
TABLESPACE operation.

You may see the following error when applying the CREATE TABLESPACE redo data:
ORA-00283:
ORA-01244:
ORA-01110:
ORA-01110:

recovery session canceled due to errors
unnamed datafile(s) added to control file by media recovery
data file 11: '/disk1/oradata/trgt/test02.dbf'
data file 10: '/disk1/oradata/trgt/test01.dbf'

To recover through an ADD DATAFILE operation:
1. View the files added by querying V$DATAFILE., as in the following example:
SELECT FILE#,NAME
FROM V$DATAFILE;
FILE#
NAME
--------------- ---------------------1
/disk1/oradata/trgt/system01.dbf
.
.
.
10
/disk1/oradata/trgt/UNNAMED00001
11
/disk1/oradata/trgt/UNNAMED00002
2.

If multiple unnamed files exist, then determine which unnamed file corresponds
to which data file by using one of these methods:
■

■

3.

Open the alert_SID.log, which contains messages about the original file
location for each unnamed file.
Derive the original file location of each unnamed file from the error message
and V$DATAFILE: each unnamed file corresponds to the file in the error
message with the same file number.

Issue the ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE statement to rename the data files. For
example, enter:
ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE '/db/UNNAMED00001' TO
'/disk1/oradata/trgt/test01.dbf';
ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE '/db/UNNAMED00002' TO
'/disk1/oradata/trgt/test02.dbf';

4.

Continue recovery by issuing the recovery statement. For example:
RECOVER AUTOMATIC DATABASE USING BACKUP CONTROLFILE UNTIL CANCEL

Recovering Read-Only Tablespaces with a Backup Control File
If you have a read-only tablespace on read-only or slow media, then you may
encounter errors or poor performance when recovering with the USING BACKUP
CONTROLFILE option. This situation occurs when the backup control file indicates that a
tablespace was read/write when the control file was backed up. In this case, media
recovery may attempt to write to the files. For read-only media, the database issues an
error saying that it cannot write to the files. For slow media, such as a hierarchical
storage system backed up by tapes, performance may suffer.

Performing User-Managed Recovery: Advanced Scenarios 30-5

Re-Creating a Control File

To avoid these problems, use current control files rather than backups to recover the
database. If you must use a backup control file, then you can also avoid this problem if
the read-only tablespace has not suffered a media failure. You have the following
alternatives for recovering read-only and slow media when using a backup control file:
■

■

Take data files from read-only tablespaces offline before doing recovery with a
backup control file, and then bring the files online at the end of media recovery.
Use the correct version of the control file for the recovery. If the tablespace will be
read-only when recovery completes, then the control file backup must be from a
time when the tablespace was read-only. Similarly, if the tablespace will be
read/write at the end of recovery, then the control file must be from a time when
the tablespace was read/write.

Re-Creating a Control File
If all control files have been lost in a permanent media failure, but all online redo log
members remain intact, then you can recover the database after creating a new control
file. You are not required to open the database with the RESETLOGS option after the
recovery.
Depending on the existence and currency of a control file backup, you have the
options listed in Table 30–2 for generating the text of the CREATE CONTROLFILE
statement. The changes to the database are recorded in the alert_SID.log, so check this
log when you are deciding which option to choose.
Table 30–2

Options for Creating the Control File

If you . . .

Then . . .

Executed ALTER DATABASE BACKUP
CONTROLFILE TO TRACE NORESETLOGS
after you made the last structural
change to the database, and if you
have saved the SQL command trace
output

Use the CREATE CONTROLFILE statement from the
trace output as-is.

Performed your most recent
execution of ALTER DATABASE BACKUP
CONTROLFILE TO TRACE before you
made a structural change to the
database

Edit the output of ALTER DATABASE BACKUP
CONTROLFILE TO TRACE to reflect the change. For
example, if you recently added a data file to the
database, then add this data file to the DATAFILE
clause of the CREATE CONTROLFILE statement.

Backed up the control file with the
ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE
TO filename statement (not the TO
TRACE option)

Use the control file copy to obtain SQL output.
Create a temporary database instance, mount the
backup control file, and then run ALTER DATABASE
BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO TRACE NORESETLOGS. If the
control file copy predated a recent structural
change, then edit the trace option to reflect the
change.

Do not have a control file backup in
either TO TRACE format or TO
filename format

Execute the CREATE CONTROLFILE statement
manually (See Oracle Database SQL Language
Reference).

Note: If your character set is not the default US7ASCII, then you
must specify the character set as an argument to the CREATE
CONTROLFILE statement. The database character set is written to the
alert log at startup. The character set information is also recorded in
the BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO TRACE output.

30-6 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Re-Creating a Control File

To create a new control file and recover the database:
1. Start the database in NOMOUNT mode. For example, enter:
STARTUP NOMOUNT
2.

Create the control file with the CREATE CONTROLFILE statement, specifying the
NORESETLOGS option (See to Table 30–2 for options). The following example
assumes that the character set is the default US7ASCII:
CREATE CONTROLFILE REUSE DATABASE SALES NORESETLOGS ARCHIVELOG
MAXLOGFILES 32
MAXLOGMEMBERS 2
MAXDATAFILES 32
MAXINSTANCES 16
MAXLOGHISTORY 1600
LOGFILE
GROUP 1 (
'/diska/prod/sales/db/log1t1.dbf',
'/diskb/prod/sales/db/log1t2.dbf'
) SIZE 100K
GROUP 2 (
'/diska/prod/sales/db/log2t1.dbf',
'/diskb/prod/sales/db/log2t2.dbf'
) SIZE 100K
DATAFILE
'/diska/prod/sales/db/database1.dbf',
'/diskb/prod/sales/db/filea.dbf';

After creating the control file, the instance mounts the database.
3.

Recover the database as usual (without specifying the USING BACKUP CONTROLFILE
clause):
RECOVER DATABASE

4.

Open the database after recovery completes (The RESETLOGS option is not
required):
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

5.

Immediately back up the control file. The following SQL statement backs up a
database's control file to /backup/control01.dbf:
ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO '/backup/control01.dbf' REUSE;

"Backing Up the Control File to a Trace File" on
page 28-11, and "Re-Creating Data Files When Backups Are
Unavailable" on page 30-8

See Also:

Recovering Through a RESETLOGS with a Created Control File
You can recover backups through an OPEN RESETLOGS operation so long as:
■

You have a current, backup, or created control file that detects prior incarnations

■

You have all available archived redo logs

If you must re-create the control file, then the trace file generated by ALTER DATABASE
BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO TRACE contains the necessary commands to reconstruct the
complete incarnation history. The V$DATABASE_INCARNATION view displays the
RESETLOGS history of the control file, and the V$LOG_HISTORY view displays the
archived log history.

Performing User-Managed Recovery: Advanced Scenarios 30-7

Re-Creating Data Files When Backups Are Unavailable

It is possible for the incarnation history to be incomplete in the in re-created control
file. For example, archived logs necessary for recovery may be missing. In this case, it
is possible to create incarnation records explicitly with the ALTER DATABASE REGISTER
LOGFILE statement.
In the following example, you register four logs that are necessary for recovery but are
not recorded in the re-created control file, and then recover the database:
ALTER DATABASE REGISTER LOGFILE
ALTER DATABASE REGISTER LOGFILE
ALTER DATABASE REGISTER LOGFILE
ALTER DATABASE REGISTER LOGFILE
RECOVER AUTOMATIC DATABASE;

'/disk1/oradata/trgt/arch/arcr_1_1_42343523.arc';
'/disk1/oradata/trgt/arch/arcr_1_1_34546466.arc';
'/disk1/oradata/trgt/arch/arcr_1_1_23435466.arc';
'/disk1/oradata/trgt/arch/arcr_1_1_12343533.arc';

Recovery of Read-Only Files with a Re-Created Control File
If a current or backup control file is unavailable for recovery, then you can execute a
CREATE CONTROLFILE statement. Read-only files should not be listed in the CREATE
CONTROLFILE statement so that recovery can skip these files. No recovery is required
for read-only data files unless you restored backups of these files from a time when the
data files were read/write.
After you create a control file and attempt to mount and open the database, the
database performs a data dictionary check against the files listed in the control file. For
each file that is not listed in the CREATE CONTROLFILE statement but is present in the
data dictionary, an entry is created for them in the control file. These files are named as
MISSINGnnnnn, where nnnnn is a 5-digit number starting with 0.
After the database is open, rename the read-only files to their correct file names by
executing the ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE statement for all the files whose names are
prefixed with MISSING.
To prepare for a scenario in which you might have to re-create the control file:
Run the following statement when the database is mounted or open to obtain the
CREATE CONTROLFILE syntax:
ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO TRACE;

The preceding SQL statement produces a trace file that you can edit and use as a script
to re-create the control file. You can specify either the RESETLOGS or NORESETLOGS
(default) keywords to generate CREATE CONTROLFILE ... RESETLOGS or CREATE
CONTROLFILE ... NORESETLOGS versions of the script.
All the restrictions related to read-only files in CREATE CONTROLFILE statements also
apply to offline normal tablespaces, except that you must to bring the tablespace
online after the database is open. You should omit temp files from the CREATE
CONTROLFILE statement and add them after opening the database.
"Backing Up the Control File to a Trace File" on
page 28-11 to learn how to make trace backups of the control file

See Also:

Re-Creating Data Files When Backups Are Unavailable
If a data file is damaged and no backup of the file is available, then you can still
recover the data file if:
■

All archived log files written after the creation of the original data file are available

30-8 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Recovering NOLOGGING Tables and Indexes

■

The control file contains the name of the damaged file (that is, the control file is
current, or is a backup taken after the damaged data file was added to the
database)
You cannot re-create any of the data files for the SYSTEM
tablespace by using the CREATE DATAFILE clause of the ALTER
DATABASE statement because the necessary redo is not available.
Note:

To re-create a data file for recovery:
1. Create a new, empty data file to replace a damaged data file that has no
corresponding backup. For example, assume that the data file
/disk1/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf has been damaged, and no backup is
available. The following statement re-creates the original data file (same size) on
disk2:
ALTER DATABASE CREATE DATAFILE '/disk1/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf' AS
'/disk2/users01.dbf';

This statement creates an empty file that is the same size as the lost file. The
database looks at information in the control file and the data dictionary to obtain
size information. The old data file is renamed as the new data file.
2.

Perform media recovery on the empty data file. For example, enter:
RECOVER DATAFILE '/disk2/users01.dbf'

3.

All archived logs written after the original data file was created must be applied to
the new, empty version of the lost data file during recovery.

Recovering NOLOGGING Tables and Indexes
You can create tables and indexes with the CREATE TABLE AS SELECT statement. You can
also specify that the database create them with the NOLOGGING option. When you create
a table or index as NOLOGGING, the database does not generate redo log records for the
operation. Thus, you cannot recover objects created with NOLOGGING, even if you run in
ARCHIVELOG mode.
If you cannot afford to lose tables or indexes created with
NOLOGGING, then make a backup after the unrecoverable table or
index is created.
Note:

Be aware that when you perform media recovery, and some tables or indexes are
created normally whereas others are created with the NOLOGGING option, the NOLOGGING
objects are marked logically corrupt by the RECOVER operation. Any attempt to access
the unrecoverable objects returns an ORA-01578 error message. Drop the NOLOGGING
objects and re-create them if needed.
Because it is possible to create a table with the NOLOGGING option and then create an
index with the LOGGING option on that table, the index is not marked as logically
corrupt after you perform media recovery. The table was unrecoverable (and thus
marked as corrupt after recovery), however, so the index points to corrupt blocks. The
index must be dropped, and the table and index must be re-created if necessary.
See Also: Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for
information about the effect of NOLOGGING on a database
Performing User-Managed Recovery: Advanced Scenarios 30-9

Recovering Transportable Tablespaces

Recovering Transportable Tablespaces
The transportable tablespace feature of Oracle Database enables a user to transport a
set of tablespaces from one database to another. Transporting a tablespace into a
database is like creating a tablespace with loaded data. Using this feature is often an
advantage for the following reasons:
■

■

It is faster than using the Data Pump Export or SQL*Loader utilities because it
involves only copying data files and integrating metadata
You can use it to move index data, hence avoiding the necessity of rebuilding
indexes
See Also: Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for detailed
information about using the transportable tablespace feature

Like normal tablespaces, transportable tablespaces are recoverable. However, even
though you can recover normal tablespaces without a backup, you must have a
consistent version of the transported data files to recover a transported tablespace.
To recover a transportable tablespace, use the following procedure:
1. If the database is open, then take the transported tablespace offline. For example, if
you want to recover the users tablespace, then issue the following statement:
ALTER TABLESPACE users OFFLINE IMMEDIATE;
2.

Restore a backup of the transported data files with an operating system utility. The
backup can be the initial version of the transported data files or any backup taken
after the tablespace is transported. For example, enter:
% cp /backup/users.dbf $ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf

3.

Recover the tablespace as usual. For example, enter:
RECOVER TABLESPACE users

You may see the error ORA-01244 when recovering through a transportable tablespace
operation just as when recovering through a CREATE TABLESPACE operation. In this
case, rename the unnamed files to the correct locations using the procedure in
"Recovering Through an Added Data File with a Backup Control File" on page 30-4.

Recovering After the Loss of Online Redo Log Files
If a media failure has affected the online redo logs of a database, then the appropriate
recovery procedure depends on the following considerations:
■

The configuration of the online redo log: mirrored or non-mirrored

■

The type of media failure: temporary or permanent

■

The types of online redo log files affected by the media failure: current, active,
unarchived, or inactive

Table 30–3 displays V$LOG status information that can be crucial in a recovery situation
involving online redo logs.
Table 30–3

STATUS Column of V$LOG

Status

Description

UNUSED

The online redo log has never been written to.

30-10 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Recovering After the Loss of Online Redo Log Files

Table 30–3 (Cont.) STATUS Column of V$LOG
Status

Description

CURRENT

The online redo log is active, that is, needed for instance recovery,
and it is the log to which the database is currently writing. The redo
log can be open or closed.

ACTIVE

The online redo log is active, that is, needed for instance recovery,
but is not the log to which the database is currently writing. It may
be in use for block recovery, and may or may not be archived.

CLEARING

The log is being re-created as an empty log after an ALTER DATABASE
CLEAR LOGFILE statement. After the log is cleared, then the status
changes to UNUSED.

CLEARING_CURRENT

The current log is being cleared of a closed thread. The log can stay
in this status if there is some failure in the switch such as an I/O
error writing the new log header.

INACTIVE

The log is no longer needed for instance recovery. It may be in use
for media recovery, and may or may not be archived.

Recovering After Losing a Member of a Multiplexed Online Redo Log Group
You can recover after losing a member of a multiplexed online redo log group. The
database continues to function as usual during the following conditions:
If the online redo log of a database is multiplexed, and if at least one member of each
online redo log group is not affected by the media failure, then the database continues
functioning as usual, but error messages are written to the log writer trace file and the
alert_SID.log of the database.
You can resolve the problem of a missing member of a multiplexed online redo log
group by taking one of the following actions:
■

■

If the hardware problem is temporary, then correct it. The log writer process
accesses the previously unavailable online redo log files as if the problem never
existed.
If the hardware problem is permanent, then drop the damaged member and add a
new member by using the following procedure.
The newly added member provides no redundancy until
the log group is reused.

Note:

1.

Locate the file name of the damaged member in V$LOGFILE. The status is INVALID
if the file is inaccessible:
SELECT GROUP#, STATUS, MEMBER
FROM V$LOGFILE
WHERE STATUS='INVALID';
GROUP#
------0002

2.

STATUS
----------INVALID

MEMBER
--------------------/disk1/oradata/trgt/redo02.log

Drop the damaged member. For example, to drop member redo02.log from group
2, issue the following statement:
ALTER DATABASE DROP LOGFILE MEMBER '/disk1/oradata/trgt/redo02.log';

Performing User-Managed Recovery: Advanced Scenarios 30-11

Recovering After the Loss of Online Redo Log Files

3.

Add a new member to the group. For example, to add redo02.log to group 2,
issue the following statement:
ALTER DATABASE ADD LOGFILE MEMBER '/disk1/oradata/trgt/redo02b.log'
TO GROUP 2;

If the file that you want to add exists, then it must be the same size as the other
group members, and you must specify the REUSE option. For example:
ALTER DATABASE ADD LOGFILE MEMBER '/disk1/oradata/trgt/redo02b.log'
REUSE TO GROUP 2;

Recovering After Losing All Members of an Online Redo Log Group
If a media failure damages all members of an online redo log group, then different
scenarios can occur depending on the type of online redo log group affected by the
failure and the archiving mode of the database.
If the damaged online redo log group is current and active, then it is needed for crash
recovery; otherwise, it is not. Table 30–4 outlines the various recovery scenarios.
Table 30–4

Recovering After the Loss of an Online Redo Log Group

If the Group Is...

Then...

And You Should...

Inactive

It is not needed for
crash recovery

Clear the archived or unarchived group.

Active

It is needed for
crash recovery

Attempt to issue a checkpoint and clear the
log; if impossible, then you must either use
Flashback Database or restore a backup and
perform incomplete recovery up to the most
recent available redo log.

Current

It is the redo log
that the database is
currently writing to

Attempt to clear the log; if impossible, then
you must either use Flashback Database or
restore a backup and perform incomplete
recovery up to the most recent available
redo log.

To determine whether the damaged group is active or inactive.
1. Locate the file name of the lost redo log in V$LOGFILE and then look for the group
number corresponding to it. For example, enter:
SELECT GROUP#, STATUS, MEMBER FROM V$LOGFILE;
GROUP#
------0001
0001
0002
0002
0003
0003
2.

STATUS
-----------

INVALID
INVALID

MEMBER
--------------------/oracle/dbs/log1a.f
/oracle/dbs/log1b.f
/oracle/dbs/log2a.f
/oracle/dbs/log2b.f
/oracle/dbs/log3a.f
/oracle/dbs/log3b.f

Determine which groups are active.
For example, execute the following SQL query (sample output included):
SELECT GROUP#, MEMBERS, STATUS, ARCHIVED
FROM V$LOG;
GROUP#

MEMBERS

30-12 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

STATUS

ARCHIVED

Recovering After the Loss of Online Redo Log Files

-----0001
0002
0003
3.

------2
2
2

--------INACTIVE
ACTIVE
CURRENT

----------YES
NO
NO

Perform one of the following actions:
■

■

If the affected group is inactive, then follow the procedure in "Losing an
Inactive Online Redo Log Group" on page 30-13.
If the affected group is active (as in the preceding example), then follow the
procedure in "Losing an Active Online Redo Log Group" on page 30-14.

Losing an Inactive Online Redo Log Group
If all members of an online redo log group with INACTIVE status are damaged, then the
procedure depends on whether you can fix the media problem that damaged the
inactive redo log group. If the failure is temporary, then fix the problem. The log writer
can reuse the redo log group when required. If the failure is permanent, then the
damaged inactive online redo log group eventually halts normal database operation.
Reinitialize the damaged group manually by issuing the ALTER DATABASE CLEAR
LOGFILE statement as described in this section.
Clearing Inactive, Archived Redo You can clear an inactive redo log group when the
database is open or closed. The procedure depends on whether the damaged group
has been archived.
To clear an inactive, online redo log group that has been archived:
1. If the database is shut down, then start a new instance and mount the database:
STARTUP MOUNT
2.

Reinitialize the damaged log group. For example, to clear redo log group 2, issue
the following statement:
ALTER DATABASE CLEAR LOGFILE GROUP 2;

Clearing Inactive, Unarchived Redo Clearing a not-yet-archived redo log allows it to be
reused without archiving it. This action makes backups unusable if they were started
before the last change in the log, unless the file was taken offline before the first
change in the log. Hence, if you need the cleared log file for recovery of a backup, then
you cannot recover that backup. Clearing a not-yet-archived-redo-log, prevents
complete recovery from backups due to the missing log.
To clear an inactive, online redo log group that has not been archived:
1. If the database is shut down, then start a new instance and mount the database:
SQL> STARTUP MOUNT
2.

Clear the log using the UNARCHIVED keyword.
For example, to clear log group 2, issue the following SQL statement:
SQL> ALTER DATABASE CLEAR UNARCHIVED LOGFILE GROUP 2;

If there is an offline data file that requires the cleared log to bring it online, then
the keywords UNRECOVERABLE DATAFILE are required. The data file must be
dropped because the redo logs necessary to bring the data file online are being
cleared, and there is no copy of it. For example, enter:

Performing User-Managed Recovery: Advanced Scenarios 30-13

Recovering After the Loss of Online Redo Log Files

SQL> ALTER DATABASE CLEAR UNARCHIVED LOGFILE GROUP 2 UNRECOVERABLE DATAFILE;
3.

Immediately back up all data files in the database with an operating system utility,
so that you have a backup you can use for complete recovery without relying on
the cleared log group. For example, enter:
% cp /disk1/oracle/dbs/*.dbf /disk2/backup

4.

Back up the database's control file with the ALTER DATABASE statement. For
example, enter:
SQL> ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO '/oracle/dbs/cf_backup.f';

Failure of CLEAR LOGFILE Operation The ALTER DATABASE CLEAR LOGFILE statement can
fail with an I/O error due to media failure when it is not possible to:
■

■

Relocate the redo log file onto alternative media by re-creating it under the
currently configured redo log file name
Reuse the currently configured log file name to re-create the redo log file because
the name itself is invalid or unusable (for example, due to media failure)

In these cases, the ALTER DATABASE CLEAR LOGFILE statement (before receiving the I/O
error) would have successfully informed the control file that the log was being cleared
and did not require archiving. The I/O error occurred at the step in which the CLEAR
LOGFILE statement attempted to create the new redo log file and write zeros to it. This
fact is reflected in V$LOG.CLEARING_CURRENT.

Losing an Active Online Redo Log Group
If the database is still running and the lost active redo log is not the current log, then
issue the ALTER SYSTEM CHECKPOINT statement. If the operation is successful, then the
active redo log becomes inactive, and you can follow the procedure in "Losing an
Inactive Online Redo Log Group" on page 30-13. If the operation is unsuccessful, or if
your database has halted, then perform one of procedures in this section, depending
on the archiving mode.
The current log is the one LGWR is currently writing to. If a LGWR I/O operation fails,
then LGWR terminates and the instance fails. In this case, you must restore a backup,
perform incomplete recovery, and open the database with the RESETLOGS option.
Recovering from the Loss of Active Logs in NOARCHIVELOG Mode In this scenario, the
database archiving mode is NOARCHIVELOG.
To recover from the loss of an active online log group in NOARCHIVELOG mode:
1. If the media failure is temporary, then correct the problem so that the database can
reuse the group when required.
2.

Restore the database from a consistent, whole database backup (data files and
control files). For example, enter:
% cp /disk2/backup/*.dbf $ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/

3.

Mount the database:
STARTUP MOUNT

4.

Because online redo logs are not backed up, you cannot restore them with the data
files and control files. To allow the database to reset the online redo logs, you must
first mimic incomplete recovery:

30-14 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Recovering from a Dropped Table Without Using Flashback Features

RECOVER DATABASE UNTIL CANCEL
CANCEL
5.

Open the database using the RESETLOGS option:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

6.

Shut down the database consistently. For example, enter:
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE

7.

Make a whole database backup.

If the media failure is temporary, then correct the problem so that the database can
reuse the group when required. If the media failure is not temporary, then use the
following procedure.
Recovering from Loss of Active Logs in ARCHIVELOG Mode In this scenario, the database
archiving mode is ARCHIVELOG.
To recover from loss of an active online redo log group in ARCHIVELOG mode:
1. Begin incomplete media recovery, recovering up through the log before the
damaged log.
2.

Ensure that the current name of the lost redo log can be used for a newly created
file. If not, then rename the members of the damaged online redo log group to a
new location. For example, enter:
ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE "/disk1/oradata/trgt/redo01.log" TO
"/tmp/redo01.log";
ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE "/disk1/oradata/trgt/redo02.log" TO
"/tmp/redo02.log";

3.

Open the database using the RESETLOGS option:
ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;

All updates executed from the end point of the incomplete
recovery to the present must be re-executed.

Note:

Loss of Multiple Redo Log Groups
If you have lost multiple groups of the online redo log, then use the recovery method
for the most difficult log to recover. The order of difficulty, from most difficult to least
difficult, is as follows:
1.

The current online redo log

2.

An active online redo log

3.

An unarchived online redo log

4.

An inactive online redo log

Recovering from a Dropped Table Without Using Flashback Features
One common error is the accidental dropping of a table from your database. In
general, the fastest and simplest solution is to use the Flashback Drop feature to
reverse the dropping of the table. If you cannot use Flashback Table (for example,

Performing User-Managed Recovery: Advanced Scenarios 30-15

Dropping a Database with SQL*Plus

because Flashback Drop is disabled or the table was dropped with the PURGE option),
then you can perform the procedure in this section.
In this scenario, assume that you do not have the Flashback Database functionality
enabled, so the FLASHBACK DATABASE command is not an option. However, you do have
physical backups of the database. If possible, keep the database that experienced the
user error online and available for use.
Grant powerful privileges only to appropriate users to
minimize user errors that require recovery.

Note:

To recover a table that has been accidentally dropped:
1. Back up all data files of the existing database in case an error is made during the
remaining steps of this procedure.
2.

Restore a partial backup of the database to an alternative location. At minimum,
restore the following:
■

SYSTEM and SYSAUX tablespaces

■

Tablespaces containing undo or rollback segments

■

Self-contained tablespaces that contain the data to be retrieved

3.

Perform incomplete recovery of this backup using a restored backup control file, to
the point just before the table was dropped.

4.

Export the lost data from the temporary, restored version of the database using
Data Pump Export. In this case, export the accidentally dropped table.
Note:

System audit options are exported.

5.

Use the Data Pump Import utility to import the data back into the production
database.

6.

Delete the files of the temporary copy of the database to conserve space.
Oracle Database Utilities for more information about
Oracle Data Pump

See Also:

Dropping a Database with SQL*Plus
You may must remove a database, that is, the database files that form the database,
from the operating system. For example, this scenario can occur when you create a test
database and then no longer have a use for it. The SQL statement DROP DATABASE can
perform this function.
See Also: "Dropping a Database" on page 12-22 to learn how to
use the equivalent RMAN command DROP DATABASE

To drop a database with SQL*Plus:
1. After connecting to the database with administrator privileges, ensure that the
database is either mounted or open in restricted mode with no users connected.
For example, enter the following command:
SQL> STARTUP RESTRICT FORCE MOUNT

30-16 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Dropping a Database with SQL*Plus

2.

Remove the data files and control files from the operating system. If the database
used a server parameter file (spfile), then the spfile is also deleted.
For example, enter the following command:
SQL> DROP DATABASE; # deletes all database files, both ASM and non-ASM

If the database is on raw disk, then the command does not delete the actual raw
disk special files.
3.

Use an operating system utility to delete all backups and archived logs associated
with the database.
For example, on Linux and Unix enter the following command:
% rm /backup/* /disk1/oradata/trgt/arch/*

Performing User-Managed Recovery: Advanced Scenarios 30-17

Dropping a Database with SQL*Plus

30-18 Backup and Recovery User's Guide

Glossary
active database duplication
A duplicate database that is created over a network without restoring backups of the
target database. This technique is an alternative to backup-based duplication.
ancestor incarnation
The parent incarnation is the database incarnation from which the current
incarnation branched following an OPEN RESETLOGS operation. The parent of the
parent incarnation is an ancestor incarnation. Any parent of an ancestor incarnation is
also an ancestor incarnation.
archival backup
A database backup that is exempted from the normal backup and recovery strategy.
Typically, these backups are archived onto separate storage media and retained for
long periods.
archived redo log
A copy of a filled member of an online redo log group made when the database is in
ARCHIVELOG mode. After the LGWR process fills each online redo log with redo
records, the archiver process copies the log to one or more redo log archiving
destinations. This copy is the archived redo log. RMAN does not distinguish between
an original archived redo log and an image copy of an archived redo log; both are
considered image copies.
archived redo log deletion policy
A configurable, persistent RMAN policy that governs when archived redo logs can be
deleted. You can configure the policy with the CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION
POLICY command.
archived redo log failover
An RMAN feature that enables RMAN to complete a backup even when some
archived log destinations are missing logs or have logs with corrupt blocks. For
example, if you back up logs in the fast recovery area that RMAN determines are
corrupt, RMAN can search for logs in other archiving locations and back them up
instead if they are intact.
ARCHIVELOG mode
The mode of the database in which Oracle Database copies filled online redo logs to
disk. Specify the mode at database creation or with the ALTER DATABASE ARCHIVELOG
statement.
See Also: archived redo log, NOARCHIVELOG mode
Glossary-1

archiving

archiving
The operation in which a filled online redo log file is copied to an offline log archiving
destination. An offline copy of an online redo logs is called an archived redo log. You
must run the database in ARCHIVELOG mode to archive redo logs.
asynchronous I/O
A server process can begin an I/O and then perform other work while waiting for the
I/O to complete while RMAN is either reading or writing data. RMAN can also begin
multiple I/O operations before waiting for the first I/O to complete.
automatic channel allocation
The ability of RMAN to perform backup and restore tasks without requiring the use of
the ALLOCATE CHANNNEL command. You can use the CONFIGURE command to specify
disk and tape channels. Then, you can issue commands such as BACKUP and RESTORE at
the RMAN command prompt without manually allocating channels. RMAN uses
whatever configured channels that it needs to execute the commands.
Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR)
A system-managed repository for storing and organizing database trace files and other
diagnostic data. ADR provides a comprehensive view of all the serious errors
encountered by the database and maintains all relevant data needed for problem
diagnostic and their eventual resolution. The repository contains data describing
incidents, traces, dumps, alert messages, data repair records, data integrity check
records, SQL trace information, core dumps, and so on.
The initialization parameter DIAGNOSTIC_DEST specifies the location of the ADR base,
which is the directory that contains one or more ADR homes. Each ADR home is used
by a product or a product instance to store diagnostic data in well-defined
subdirectories. For example, diagnostic data for an Oracle database instance is stored
in its ADR home, which includes an alert subdirectory for alert messages, a trace
subdirectory for trace files, and so on. The easiest way to locate trace files and the alert
log is to run the following SQL query: SELECT NAME, VALUE FROM V$DIAG_INFO.
Automatic Storage Management (ASM)
A vertical integration of both the file system and the volume manager built specifically
for Oracle database files. ASM consolidates storage devices into easily managed disk
groups and provides benefits such as mirroring and striping without requiring a
third-party logical volume manager.
automatic undo management mode
A mode of the database in which undo data is stored in a dedicated undo tablespace.
The only undo management that you must perform is the creation of the undo
tablespace. All other undo management is performed automatically.
auxiliary channel
An RMAN channel that is connected to an auxiliary instance. An auxiliary channel is
specified with the AUXILIARY keyword of the ALLOCATE CHANNEL or CONFIGURE
CHANNEL command.
auxiliary database
(1) A database created from target database backups with the RMAN DUPLICATE
command.
(2) A temporary database that is restored to a new location and then started with a
new instance name during tablespace point-in-time recovery (TSPITR). A TSPITR
Glossary-2

backup mode

auxiliary database contains the recovery set and auxiliary set.
auxiliary destination
In a transportable tablespace operation, the location on disk where auxiliary set files
such as the parameter file, data files (other than those of the tablespaces being
transported), control files, and online redo logs of the auxiliary instance can be stored.
auxiliary instance
The Oracle instance associated with an auxiliary database, or the temporary instance
used in tablespace point-in-time recovery (TSPITR) or a transportable tablespace
operation.
auxiliary set
In TSPITR, the set of files that is not in the recovery set but which must be restored in
the auxiliary database for the TSPITR operation to be successful. In a transportable
tablespace operation, the auxiliary set includes data files and other files required for
the tablespace transport but which are not themselves part of the recovery set.
backup
(1) A backup copy of data, that is, a database, tablespace, table, data file, control file, or
archived redo log. Backups can be physical (at the database file level) or logical (at the
database object level). Physical backups can be created by using RMAN to back up one
or more data files, control files or archived redo log files. You can create logical
backups with Data Pump Export.
(2) In an RMAN context, the output of the BACKUP command. The output format of a
backup can be a backup set, proxy copy, or image copy. Logs archived by the
database are considered copies rather than backups.
backup and recovery
The set of concepts, procedures, and strategies involved in protecting the database
against data loss due to media failure or users errors.
backup control file
A backup of the control file. You can back up the control file with the RMAN backup
command or with the SQL statement ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO
'filename'.
backup encryption
The encryption of backup sets by using an algorithm listed in V$RMAN_ENCRYPTION_
ALGORITHMS. RMAN can transparently encrypt data written to backup sets and decrypt
those backup sets when they are needed in a RESTORE operation. RMAN offers three
modes of encryption: transparent, password-protected, and dual-mode.
backup mode
The database mode (also called hot backup mode) initiated when you issue the ALTER
TABLESPACE ... BEGIN BACKUP or ALTER DATABASE BEGIN BACKUP command before
taking an online backup. You take a tablespace out of backup mode when you issue
the ALTER TABLESPACE ... END BACKUP or ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP command.
When making a user-managed backup of data files in an online tablespace, you must
place the tablespace in backup mode to protect against the possibility of a fractured
block. In backup mode, updates to the database create more than the usual amount of
redo. Each time a block in the buffer cache becomes dirty, the database must write an

Glossary-3

backup optimization

image of the changed block to the redo log file, in addition to recording the changes to
the data. RMAN does not require you to put the database in backup mode.
See Also: corrupt block
backup optimization
A configuration enabling RMAN to automatically skip backups of files that it has
already backed up. You enable and disable backup optimization with the CONFIGURE
command.
backup piece
The physical file format used to store an RMAN backup set. Each logical backup set
contains one or more physical backup pieces.
backup retention policy
A user-defined policy for determining how long backups and archived logs must be
retained for media recovery. You can define a retention policy in terms of backup
redundancy or a recovery window. RMAN retains the data file backups required to
satisfy the current retention policy, and any archived redo logs required for complete
recovery of those data file backups.
backup set
A backup of one or more data files, control files, server parameter files, and archived
redo log files. Each backup set consists of one or more binary files. Each binary file is
called a backup piece. Backup pieces are written in a proprietary format that can only
be created or restored by RMAN.
Backup sets are produced by the RMAN BACKUP command. A backup set usually
consists of only one backup piece. RMAN divides the contents of a backup set among
multiple backup pieces only if you limit the backup piece size using the MAXPIECESIZE
option of the ALLOCATE CHANNEL or CONFIGURE CHANNEL command.
See Also: unused block compression, multiplexing, RMAN
backup undo optimization
The exclusion of undo not needed for recovery of an RMAN backup because it
describes and contains committed transactions. Backup undo optimization applies to
level 0 and full backups. It is built-in RMAN behavior and cannot be disabled.
For example, a user updates the SALARIES table in the USERS tablespace. The change is
written to the USERS tablespace, while the before image of the data is written to the
UNDO tablespace. A subsequent RMAN backup of the UNDO tablespace may not include
the undo for the salary change.
backup window
A period of time during which a backup activity must complete.
backup-based duplication
A duplicate database that is created by restoring and recovering backups of the target
database. This technique is an alternative to active database duplication.
base recovery catalog
The entirety of the recovery catalog schema. The base recovery catalog is
distinguished from a virtual private catalog, which is a subset of a recovery catalog.

Glossary-4

checksum

binary compression
A technique whereby RMAN applies a compression algorithm to data in backup sets.
block change tracking
A database option that causes Oracle to track data file blocks affected by each database
update. The tracking information is stored in a block change tracking file. When block
change tracking is enabled, RMAN uses the record of changed blocks from the change
tracking file to improve incremental backup performance by only reading those blocks
known to have changed, instead of reading data files in their entirety.
block change tracking file
A binary file used by RMAN to record changed blocks to improve incremental
backup performance. You create and rename this file with the ALTER DATABASE
statement.
block media recovery
The recovery of specified blocks within a data file with the Recovery Manager RECOVER
... BLOCK command. Block media recovery leaves the affected data files online and
restores and recovers only the damaged or corrupted blocks.
breaking a mirror
The termination of a disk mirroring procedure so that a mirror image is no longer kept
up-do-date.
channel
An RMAN channel represents one stream of data to or from a backup device. A
channel can either be a DISK channel (used to perform disk I/O) or an SBT channel
(used to perform I/O through a third-party media manager). Each allocated channel
starts a new Oracle Database session. The session then performs backup, restore, and
recovery operations.
See Also: target database
channel parallelism
Allocating multiple channels for RMAN operations.
data integrity check
An invocation of a checker, which is a diagnostic procedure registered with the Health
Monitor.
checkpoint
A data structure that defines an SCN in the redo thread of a database. Checkpoints are
recorded in the control file and each data file header, and are a crucial element of
recovery.
checksum
A number calculated by the database from all the bytes stored in a data or redo block.
If the DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM initialization parameter is enabled, then the database
calculates the checksum for every data file or online redo log block and stores it in the
block header when writing to disk. The database can use the checksum value to check
consistency.

Glossary-5

circular reuse records

circular reuse records
Control file records containing information used by RMAN for backups and recovery
operations. These records are arranged in a logical ring. When all available record slots
are full, Oracle either expands the control file to make room for a new records or
overwrites the oldest record. The CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME initialization
parameter controls how many days records must be kept before they can be
overwritten. The default for CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME is 7 days.
See Also: noncircular reuse records
closed backup
A backup of one or more database files taken while the database is closed. Typically,
closed backups are whole database backups. If you closed the database consistently,
then all the files in the backup are consistent. Otherwise, the backups are inconsistent.
See Also: consistent shutdown, consistent backup
cold backup
See closed backup
command file
In an RMAN context, a client-side text file containing a sequence of RMAN
commands. You can run command files with the @ or @@ commands from within
RMAN or from the operating system prompt with the @ or CMDFILE parameters.
complete recovery
Recovery of one or more data files that applies all redo generated after the restored
backup. Typically, you perform complete media recovery when media failure
damages one or more data files or control files. You fully recover the damaged files
using all redo generated since the restored backup was taken.
See Also: incomplete recovery
consistent backup
A whole database backup that you can open with the RESETLOGS option without
performing media recovery. You do not need to apply redo to this backup to make it
consistent. Unless you apply the redo generated since the consistent backup was
created, however, you lose all transactions since the time of the consistent backup.
You can only take consistent backups after you have performed a consistent
shutdown of the database. The database must not be re-opened until the backup has
completed.
See Also: fuzzy file, inconsistent backup
consistent shutdown
A database shut down with the IMMEDIATE, TRASACTIONAL, or NORMAL options of the
statement. A database shut down cleanly does not require recovery; it is already in a
consistent state.
control file autobackup
The automatic backup of the current control file and server parameter file that RMAN
makes after backups and, if the database is in ARCHIVELOG mode, after structural
changes.

Glossary-6

current incarnation

The control file autobackup has a default file name that allows RMAN to restore it
even if the control file and recovery catalog are lost. You can override the default file
name.
convert script
A script generated by the CONVERT DATABASE command that you can use to convert
data file formats on the destination host.
copy
To back up a bit-for-bit image of an Oracle file (Oracle data files, control files, and
archived redo logs) onto disk. You can copy in two ways:
■

Using operating system utilities (for example, the UNIX cp or dd)

■

Using the RMAN BACKUP AS COPY command

See Also: backup
corrupt block
An Oracle block that is not in a recognized Oracle format, or whose contents are not
internally consistent. Typically, corruptions are caused by faulty hardware or operating
system problems. Oracle identifies corrupt blocks as either logically corrupt (an Oracle
internal error) or media corrupt (the block format is not correct).
You can repair a media corrupt block with block media recovery, or dropping the
database object that contains the corrupt block so that its blocks are reused for another
object. If media corruption is due to faulty hardware, then neither solution works until
the hardware fault is corrected.
crash recovery
The automatic application of online redo records to a database after either a
single-instance database crashes or all instances of an Oracle Real Applications Cluster
configuration crash. Crash recovery only requires redo from the online logs: archived
redo logs are not required.
See Also: recover
crosscheck
A check to determine whether files on disk or in the media management catalog
correspond to the data in the RMAN repository. Because the media manager can
mark tapes as expired or unusable, and because files can be deleted from disk or
otherwise become corrupted, the RMAN repository can contain outdated information
about backups. Run the CROSSCHECK command to perform a crosscheck.
See Also: validation
cumulative incremental backup
An incremental backup that backs up all the blocks changed since the most recent
backup at level 0. When recovering with cumulative incremental backups, only the
most recent cumulative incremental backup must be applied.
See Also: differential incremental backup, incremental backup
current incarnation
The database incarnation in which the database is currently generating redo.

Glossary-7

current online redo log

current online redo log
The online redo log file in which the LGWR background process is currently logging
redo records.
See Also: redo log, redo log group
data repair
The use of media recovery or Oracle Flashback Technology to recover lost or
corrupted data.
Data Recovery Advisor
An Oracle Database tool that automatically diagnoses persistent data failures, presents
repair options to the user, and executes repairs at the user's request.
database area
A location for the Oracle managed data files, control files, and online redo log files.
The database area is specified by the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization parameter.
database checkpoint
The thread checkpoint that has the lowest SCN. All changes in all enabled redo
threads with SCNs before the database checkpoint SCN are guaranteed to have been
written to disk.
See Also: checkpoint, data file checkpoint
database identifier
See DBID
database point-in-time recovery (DBPITR)
The recovery of an entire database to a specified past target time, SCN, or log sequence
number.
See Also: incomplete recovery, tablespace point-in-time recovery (TSPITR)
database registration
See registration
data file checkpoint
A data structure that defines an SCN in the redo thread of a database for a particular
data file. Every data file has a checkpoint SCN, which you can view in
V$DATAFILE.CHECKPOINT_CHANGE#. All changes with an SCN lower than this SCN are
guaranteed to be in the data file.
data file media recovery
The application of redo records to a restored data file to roll it forward to a more
current time. Unless you are doing block media recovery, the data file must be offline
while being recovered.
DBID
An internal, uniquely generated number that differentiates databases. Oracle creates
this number automatically when you create the database.
destination host
The computer on which a duplicate database resides.

Glossary-8

expired backup

destination platform
When using the RMAN CONVERT command, the platform on which the destination
database is running. The destination database is the database into which you are
transporting data.
differential incremental backup
A type of incremental backup that backs up all blocks that have changed since the
most recent backup at level 1 or level 0. For example, in a differential level 1 backup
RMAN determines which level 1 or level 0 incremental backup is most recent and
then backs up all blocks changed since that backup. Differential backups are the
default type of incremental backup. When recovering using differential incremental
backups, RMAN must apply all differential incremental level 1 backups since the
restored data file backup.
See Also: cumulative incremental backup, incremental backup
direct ancestral path
When multiple OPEN RESETLOGS operations have been performed, the incarnation path
that includes the parent incarnation of the current database incarnation and each
ancestor incarnation of the current incarnation.
disaster recovery
A strategic response to the loss of all data associated with a database installation. For
example, a fire may destroy a server in a data center, forcing you to reinstall Oracle
Database on a new server and recover the lost database from backups.
disk controller
A hardware component that is responsible for controlling one or more disk drives.
disk group
A collection of disks that are managed as a unit by Automatic Storage Management
(ASM). The components of a disk group include disks, files, and allocation units.
disk quota
A user-specified limit to the size of the fast recovery area. When the disk quota is
reached, Oracle automatically deletes files that are no longer needed.
duplexed backup set
In RMAN, a duplexed backup set is an RMAN-generated identical copy of a backup
set. Each backup piece is in the original backup set is copied, with each copy getting a
unique copy number (for example, 0tcm8u2s_1_1 and 0tcm8u2s_1_2).
duplicate database
A database created from target database backups using the RMAN duplicate
command.
See Also: auxiliary database
expired backup
A backup whose status in the RMAN repository is EXPIRED, which means that the
backup was not found. RMAN marks backups and copies as expired when you run a
CROSSCHECK command and the files are absent or inaccessible.

Glossary-9

export

export
The extraction of logical data (that is, not physical files) from a database into a binary
file using Data Pump Export. You can then use Data Pump Import to import the data
into a database.
See Also: logical backup
export dump file
A file created by the Data Pump Export utility. The dump file set is made up of one or
more disk files that contain table data, database object metadata, and control
information. The files are written in a proprietary, binary format.
failure
For Data Recovery Advisor, a failure is a persistent data corruption that has been
diagnosed by the database. A failure can manifest itself as observable symptoms such
as error messages and alerts, but a failure is different from a symptom because it
represents a diagnosed problem. Failures are recorded in a repository for diagnostic
data located outside of the database.
For each failure, Data Recovery Advisor generates a problem statement that
unambiguously describes it. Examples of failures include inaccessible data files and
corrupted undo segments. Data Recovery Advisor maps every failure to a repair
option or set of repair options.
failure priority
The priority of a failure diagnosed by Data Recovery Advisor. Every failure that is not
closed has CRITICAL, HIGH, or LOW status. You can manually change the status of HIGH
and LOW failures with the CHANGE command.
failure status
The status of a failure diagnosed by Data Recovery Advisor. Every failure has OPEN or
CLOSED status.
file section
A contiguous range of blocks in a data file. A multisection backup processes a large
file in parallel by copying each section to a separate backup piece.
fast recovery area
An optional disk location that you can use to store recovery-related files such as
control file and online redo log copies, archived redo log files, flashback logs, and
RMAN backups. Oracle Database and RMAN manage the files in the fast recovery
area automatically. You can specify the disk quota, which is the maximum size of the
fast recovery area. Formerly referred to as flash recovery area.
flashback data archive
A historical repository of transactional changes to every record in a table for the
duration of the record's lifetime. A flashback data archive enables you to use some
logical flashback features to transparently access historical data from far in the past.
flashback database window
The range of SCNs for which there is currently enough flashback log data to support
the FLASHBACK DATABASE command. The flashback database window cannot extend
further back than the earliest SCN in the available flashback logs.

Glossary-10

hot backup

flashback logs
Oracle-generated logs used to perform flashback database operations. The database
can only write flashback logs to the fast recovery area. Flashback logs are written
sequentially and are not archived. They cannot be backed up to disk.
flashback retention target
A user-specified time or SCN that specifies how far into the past you want to be able to
perform a flashback of the database.
foreign archived redo log
An archived redo log received by a logical standby database for a LogMiner session.
Unlike normal archived logs, foreign archived logs have a different DBID. For this
reason, they cannot be backed up or restored on a logical standby database.
fractured block
A block in which the header and footer are not consistent at a given SCN. In a
user-managed backup, an operating system utility can back up a data file at the same
time that DBWR is updating the file. It is possible for the operating system utility to
read a block in a half-updated state, so that the block that is copied to the backup
media is updated in its first half, while the second half contains older data. In this case,
the block is fractured.
For non-RMAN backups, the ALTER TABLESPACE ... BEGIN BACKUP or ALTER
DATABASE BEGIN BACKUP command is the solution for the fractured block problem.
When a tablespace is in backup mode, and a change is made to a data block, the
database logs a copy of the entire block image before the change so that the database
can reconstruct this block if media recovery finds that this block was fractured.
full backup
A non-incremental RMAN backup. The word "full" does not refer to how much of the
database is backed up, but to the fact that the backup is not incremental. Consequently,
you can make a full backup of one data file.
full resynchronization
An RMAN operation that updates the recovery catalog with all changed metadata in
the database's control file. You can initiate a full catalog resynchronization by issuing
the RMAN command RESYNC CATALOG. (It is rarely necessary to use RESYNC CATALOG
because RMAN automatically performs resynchronizations when needed.)
fuzzy file
A data file that contains at least one block with an SCN greater than or equal to the
checkpoint SCN in the data file header. Fuzzy files are possible because database
writer does not update the SCN in the file header with each file block write. For
example, this situation occurs when Oracle updates a data file that is in backup mode.
A fuzzy file that is restored always requires media recovery.
guaranteed restore point
A restore point for which the database is guaranteed to retain the flashback logs for
an Oracle Flashback Database operation. Unlike a normal restore point, a guaranteed
restore point does not age out of the control file and must be explicitly dropped.
Guaranteed restore points use space in the fast recovery area, which must be defined.
hot backup
See online backup

Glossary-11

hot backup mode

hot backup mode
See backup mode
image copy
A bit-for-bit copy of a single data file, archived redo log file, or control file that is:
■

■

Usable as-is to perform recovery (unlike a backup set, which uses unused block
compression and is in an RMAN-specific format)
Generated with the RMAN BACKUP AS COPY command, an operating system
command such as the UNIX cp, or by the Oracle archiver process

incarnation
A separate version of a database. The incarnation of the database changes when you
open it with the RESETLOGS option, but you can recover backups from a prior
incarnation so long as the necessary redo is available.
incomplete recovery
A synonym for database point-in-time recovery (DBPITR).
See Also: complete recovery, media recovery, recover
inconsistent backup
A backup in which some files in the backup contain changes that were made after the
files were checkpointed. This type of backup needs recovery before it can be made
consistent. Inconsistent backups are usually created by taking online database
backups. You can also make an inconsistent backup by backing up data files while a
database is closed, either:
■

■

Immediately after the crash of an Oracle instance (or, in an Oracle RAC
configuration, all instances)
After shutting down the database using SHUTDOWN ABORT

Inconsistent backups are only useful if the database is in ARCHIVELOG mode and all
archived redo logs created since the backup are available.
See Also: consistent backup, online backup, system change number (SCN), whole
database backup
incremental backup
An RMAN backup in which only modified blocks are backed up. Incremental backups
are classified by level. A level 0 incremental backup performs the same function as a
full backup in that they both back up all blocks that have ever been used. The
difference is that a full backup does not affect blocks backed up by subsequent
incremental backups, whereas an incremental backup does affect blocks backed up by
subsequent incremental backups.
Incremental backups at level 1 back up only blocks that have changed since previous
incremental backups. Blocks that have not changed are not backed up. An incremental
backup can be either a differential incremental backup or a cumulative incremental
backup.
incrementally updated backup
An RMAN data file copy that is updated by an incremental backup. An effective
backup strategy is to copy a data file, make an incremental backup, and then merge
the incremental backup into the image copy. This strategy reduces the time required
for media recovery because the image copy is updated with the latest data block
Glossary-12

logical backup

changes.
instance failure
The termination of an Oracle instance due to a hardware failure, Oracle internal error,
or SHUTDOWN ABORT statement. Crash or instance recovery is always required after an
instance failure.
instance recovery
In an Oracle RAC configuration, the application of redo data to an open database by
an instance when this instance discovers that another instance has crashed.
See Also: recover
interblock corruption
A type of block corruption in which the corruption occurs between blocks rather than
within the block itself. This type of corruption can only be logical corruption.
intrablock corruption
A type of block corruption in which the corruption occurs within the block itself. this
type of corruption can be either a physical corruption or logical corruption.
level 0 incremental backup
An RMAN incremental backup that backs up all data blocks in the data files being
backed up. An incremental backup at level 0 is identical in content to a full backup,
but unlike a full backup the level 0 backup is considered a part of the incremental
backup strategy.
level of multiplexing
The number of input files simultaneously read and then written into the same RMAN
backup piece.
LogMiner
A utility that enables log files to be read, analyzed, and interpreted with SQL
statements.
See Also: archived redo log
log sequence number
A number that uniquely identifies a set of redo records in a redo log file. When Oracle
fills one online redo log file and switches to a different one, Oracle automatically
assigns the new file a log sequence number.
See Also: log switch, redo log
log switch
The point at which LGWR stops writing to the active redo log file and switches to the
next available redo log file. LGWR switches when either the active log file is filled with
redo records or you force a switch manually.
See Also: redo log
logical backup
A backup of database schema objects, such as tables. Logical backups are created and
restored with the Oracle Data Pump Export utility. You can restore objects from logical
backups using the Data Pump Import utility.

Glossary-13

logical flashback features

logical flashback features
The set of Oracle Flashback Technology features other than Oracle Flashback
Database. The logical features enable you to view or rewind individual database
objects or transactions to a past time.
logical corruption
A type of corruption in which the block has a valid checksum, the header and footer
match, and so on, but the contents are logically inconsistent.
long-term backup
A backup that you want to exclude from a backup retention policy, but want to record
in the recovery catalog. Typically, long-term backups are snapshots of the database
that you may want to use in the future for report generation.
lost write
A write to persistent storage that the database believes has occurred based on
information from the I/O subsystem, when in fact the write has not occurred.
mean time to recover (MTTR)
The time required to perform recovery.
media failure
Damage to the disks containing any of the files used by Oracle, such as the data files,
archived redo log files, or control file. When Oracle detects media failure, it takes the
affected files offline.
See Also: media recovery
media manager
A third-party networked backup system that can be integrated with Recovery
Manager so that database backups can be written directly to tertiary storage.
media manager multiplexing
Multiplexing in which the media manager rather than RMAN manages the mixing of
blocks during an RMAN backup. One type of media manager multiplexing occurs
when the media manager writes the concurrent output from multiple RMAN channels
to a single sequential device. Another type occurs when a backup mixes database files
and non-database files on the same tape.
media management catalog
A catalog of records maintained by a media manager. This catalog is completely
independent from the RMAN recovery catalog. The Oracle Secure Backup catalog is
an example of a media management catalog.
media management library
A software library that RMAN can use to back up to tertiary storage. An SBT interface
conforms to a published API and is supplied by a media management vendor. Oracle
Secure Backup includes an SBT interface for use with RMAN.
media recovery
The application of redo or incremental backups to a restored backup data file or
individual data block.

Glossary-14

native transfer rate

When performing media recovery, you can recover a database, tablespace, data file, or
set of blocks within a data file. Media recovery can be either complete recovery (in
which all changes in the redo logs are applied) or incomplete recovery (in which only
changes up to a specified point in time are applied). Media recovery is only possible
when the database is in ARCHIVELOG mode.
See Also: block media recovery, recover
mirroring
Maintaining identical copies of data on one or more disks. Typically, mirroring is
performed on duplicate hard disks at the operating system level, so that if a disk is
unavailable, then the other disk can continue to service requests without interruptions.
When mirroring files, Oracle Database writes once while the operating system writes
to multiple disks. When multiplexing files, Oracle Database writes the same data to
multiple files.
MTTR
See mean time to recover (MTTR)
multiplexed backup set
A backup set that contains blocks from multiple input files. For example, you could
multiplex 10 data files into one backup set. Only whole files, never partial files, are
included in a backup set.
multiplexing
The meaning of the term depends on which files are multiplexed:
■

online redo logs
The automated maintenance of multiple identical copies of the online redo log.

■

control file
The automated maintenance of multiple identical copies of a database control file.

■

backup set
The RMAN technique of reading database files simultaneously from the disks and
then writing the blocks to the same backup piece.

■

archived redo logs
The Oracle archiver process can archive multiple copies of a redo log.

See Also: mirroring
multisection backup
An RMAN backup set in which each backup piece contains a file section, which is a
contiguous range of blocks in a data file. A multisection backup set contains multiple
backup pieces, but a backup set never contains only a part of a data file.
You create a multisection backup by specifying the SECTION SIZE parameter on the
BACKUP command. An RMAN channel can process each file section independently,
either serially or in parallel. Thus, in a multisection backup, multiple channels can
back up a single file.
native transfer rate
In a tape drive, the speed of writing to a tape without compression. This speed
represents the upper limit of the backup rate.

Glossary-15

NOARCHIVELOG mode

NOARCHIVELOG mode
The mode of the database in which Oracle does not require filled online redo logs to be
archived before they can be overwritten. Specify the mode at database creation or
change it with the ALTER DATABASE NOARCHIVELOG command.
If you run in NOARCHIVELOG mode, it severely limits the possibilities for recovery of lost
or damaged data.
See Also: archived redo log, ARCHIVELOG mode
noncircular reuse records
Control file records containing critical information needed by the Oracle database.
These records are never automatically overwritten. Some examples of information in
noncircular reuse records include the locations of data files and online redo logs.
See Also: circular reuse records
normal restore point
A label for an SCN or time. For commands that support an SCN or time, you can often
specify a restore point. Normal restore points exist in the circular list and can be
overwritten in the control file. However, if the restore point pertains to an archival
backup, then it is preserved in the recovery catalog.
obsolete backup
A backup that is not needed to satisfy the current backup retention policy. For
example, if your retention policy dictates that you must maintain one backup of each
data file, but you have two backups of data file 1, then the second backup of data file 1
is considered obsolete.
offline normal
A tablespace is offline normal when taken offline with the ALTER TABLESPACE ...
OFFLINE NORMAL statement. The data files in the tablespace are checkpointed and do not
require recovery before being brought online. If a tablespace is not taken offline
normal, then its data files must be recovered before being brought online.
offsite backup
An SBT backup that requires retrieval by the media manager before RMAN can
restore it. You can list offsite backups with RESTORE ... PREVIEW.
online backup
A backup of one or more data files taken while a database is open and the data files
are online. When you make a user-managed backup while the database is open, you
must put the tablespaces in backup mode by issuing an ALTER TABLESPACE BEGIN
BACKUP command. (You can also use ALTER DATABASE BEGIN BACKUP to put all
tablespaces in your database into backup mode in one step.)
You should not put tablespaces in backup mode when performing backups with
RMAN.
online redo log
The online redo log is a set of two or more files that record all changes made to the
database. Whenever a change is made to the database, Oracle generates a redo record
in the redo buffer. The LGWR process writes the contents of the redo buffer into the
online redo log.

Glossary-16

Oracle Secure Backup

The current online redo log is the one being written to by LGWR. When LGWR gets to
the end of the file, it performs a log switch and begins writing to a new log file. If you
run the database in ARCHIVELOG mode, then each filled online redo log file must be
copied to one or more archiving locations before LGWR can overwrite them.
See Also: archived redo log
online redo log group
The Oracle online redo log consists of two or more online redo log groups. Each group
contains one or more identical online redo log members. An online redo log member
is a physical file containing the redo records.
online redo log member
A physical online redo log file within an online redo log group. Each log group must
have one or more members. Each member of a group is identical.
operating system backup
See user-managed backup
operating system backup and recovery
See user-managed backup and recovery
Oracle Flashback Database
The return of the whole database to a prior consistent SCN by the FLASHBACK
DATABASE command in RMAN or SQL. A database flashback is different from
traditional media recovery because it does not involve the restore of physical files,
instead restoring your current data files to past states using saved images of changed
data blocks. This feature uses flashback logs and archived redo logs.
Oracle Flashback Technology
A set of Oracle Database features that provide an additional layer of data protection.
These features include Oracle Flashback Query, Oracle Flashback Version Query,
Oracle Flashback Transaction Query, Oracle Flashback Transaction, Oracle Flashback
Table, Oracle Flashback Drop, and Oracle Flashback Database.
You can use flashback features to view past states of data and rewind parts or all of
your database. In general, flashback features are more efficient and less disruptive
than media recovery in most situations in which they apply.
Oracle managed file
A database file managed by the Oracle Managed Files feature.
Oracle Managed Files (OMF)
A service that automates naming, location, creation, and deletion of database files such
as control files, redo log files, data files and others, based on a few initialization
parameters. You can use Oracle managed files on top of a traditional file system
supported by the host operating system, for example, VxFS or ODM. It can simplify
many aspects of the database administration by eliminating the need to devise your
own policies for such details.
Oracle Secure Backup
An Oracle media manager that supplies reliable data protection through file system
backup to tape. The Oracle Secure Backup SBT interface also enables you to use
RMAN to back up Oracle databases. All major tape drives and tape libraries in SAN,
Gigabit Ethernet, and SCSI environments are supported.
Glossary-17

Oracle VSS writer

Oracle VSS writer
A service on Windows systems that acts as coordinator between an Oracle database
instance and other Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) components, enabling data
providers to create a shadow copy of files managed by the Oracle instance. For
example, the Oracle VSS writer can place data files in hot backup mode to provide a
recoverable copy of these data files in a shadow copy set.
Oracle-suggested backup strategy
A backup strategy available through a wizard in Oracle Enterprise Manager. The
strategy involves periodically applying a level 1 incremental backup to a level 0
backup to create an incrementally updated backup. If run daily, this strategy provides
24 hour point-in-time recovery from disk.
orphaned backups
Backups that were not made in the direct ancestral path of the current incarnation of
the database. Orphaned backups cannot be used in the current incarnation.
parallel recovery
A form of recovery in which several processes simultaneously apply changes from
redo log files. The RECOVERY_PARALLELISM initialization parameter determines the level
of parallelism for instance and crash recovery. You can use the PARALLEL and
NOPARALLEL options of the RECOVER command to control parallelism for media
recovery.
Oracle Database automatically chooses the optimum degree of recovery parallelism.
Manually setting the level of parallelism for instance, crash, or media recovery is
usually not recommended or necessary.
parent incarnation
The database incarnation from which the current incarnation branched following an
OPEN RESETLOGS operation.
partial resynchronization
A type of resynchronization in which RMAN transfers data about archived logs,
backup sets, and data file copies from the target control file to the recovery catalog.
password file
A file created by the ORAPWD command, and required if you want to connect using the
SYSDBA or SYSOPER privileges over a network. For details on password files, see the
Oracle Database Administrator's Guide.
physical backup
A backup of physical files. A physical backup contrasts with a logical backup such as a
table export.
physical corruption
A type of corruption in which the database does not recognize a corrupt block. The
database may not recognize the block because the checksum is invalid, the block
contains all zeros, or the header and footer of the block do not match.
physical schema
The data files, control files, and redo logs in a database at a given time. Issue the
RMAN REPORT SCHEMA command to obtain a list of tablespaces and data files.

Glossary-18

recovery catalog

physical standby database
A copy of a production database that you can use for disaster protection.
point-in-time recovery
The incomplete recovery of database files to a noncurrent time. Point-in-time recovery
is also known as incomplete recovery.
See Also: media recovery, recover
problem
A critical error in the database that is recorded in the Automatic Diagnostic
Repository (ADR). Critical errors include internal errors and other severe errors. Each
problem has a problem key, which is a set of attributes that describe the problem. The
problem key includes the ORA error number, error parameter values, and other
information.
proxy copy
A backup in which the media manager manages the transfer of data between the
media storage device and disk during RMAN backup and restore operations.
raw device
A disk or partition without a file system. Thus, you cannot use ls, Windows Explorer,
and so on to view their contents. The raw partition appears to Oracle Database as a
single file.
recover
To recover a database file or a database is typically to perform media recovery, crash
recovery, or instance recovery. This term can also be used generically to refer to
reconstructing or re-creating lost data by any means.
See Also: complete recovery, incomplete recovery
recovery
When used to refer to a database file or a database, the application of redo data or
incremental backups to database files to reconstruct lost changes. The three types of
recovery are instance recovery, crash recovery, and media recovery. Oracle Database
performs the first two types of recovery automatically using online redo records; only
media recovery requires you to restore a backup and issue commands.
See Also: complete recovery, incomplete recovery
recovery catalog
A set of Oracle tables and views used by RMAN to store RMAN repository
information about one or more Oracle databases. RMAN uses this metadata to manage
the backup, restore, and recovery of Oracle databases.
Use of a recovery catalog is optional although it is highly recommended. For example,
starting with Oracle Database 11g, a single recovery catalog schema can keep track of
database file names for all databases in a Data Guard environment. This catalog
schema also keeps track of where the online redo logs, standby redo logs, temp files,
archived redo logs, backup sets, and image copies are created for all databases.
The primary storage for RMAN repository information for a database is always in the
control file of the database. A recovery catalog is periodically updated with RMAN
repository data from the control file. In the event of the loss of your control file, the
recovery catalog can provide most or all of the lost metadata required for restore and

Glossary-19

recovery catalog database

recovery of your database. The recovery catalog can also store records of archival
backups and RMAN stored scripts for use with target databases.
See Also: recovery catalog database
recovery catalog database
An Oracle database that contains a recovery catalog schema. You should not store the
recovery catalog in the target database.
recovery catalog schema
The recovery catalog database schema that contains the recovery catalog tables and
views.
Recovery Manager (RMAN)
The primary utility for physical backup and recovery of Oracle databases. RMAN
keeps records of Oracle databases in its own structure called an RMAN repository,
manages storage of backups, validates backups. You can use it with or without the
central information repository called a recovery catalog. If you do not use a recovery
catalog, then RMAN uses the database's control file to store information necessary for
backup and recovery operations. You can use RMAN with third-party media
management software to back up files to tertiary storage.
See Also: backup piece, backup set, copy, media manager, recovery catalog
recovery set
One or more tablespaces that are being recovered to an earlier point in time during
tablespace point-in-time recovery (TSPITR). After TSPITR, all database objects in the
recovery set have been recovered to the same point in time.
See Also: auxiliary set
recovery window
A recovery window is one type of RMAN backup retention policy, in which the DBA
specifies a period of time and RMAN ensures retention of backups and archived redo
logs required for point-in-time recovery to any time during the recovery window. The
interval always ends with the current time and extends back in time for the number of
days specified by the user.
For example, if the retention policy is set for a recovery window of seven days, and the
current time is 11:00 AM on Tuesday, RMAN retains the backups required to allow
point-in-time recovery back to 11:00 AM on the previous Tuesday.
recycle bin
A data dictionary table containing information about dropped objects. Dropped tables
and any associated objects such as indexes, constraints, nested tables, and so on are not
removed and still occupy space. The Flashback Drop feature uses the recycle bin to
retrieve dropped objects.
redo log
A redo log can be either an online redo log or an archived redo log. The online redo
log is a set of two or more redo log groups that records all changes made to Oracle
data files and control files. An archived redo log is a copy of an online redo log that
has been written to an offline destination.

Glossary-20

resilver a split mirror

redo log group
Each online redo log member (which corresponds to an online redo log file) belongs to
a redo log group. Redo log groups contain one or more members. A redo log group
with multiple members is called a multiplexed redo log group. The contents of all
members of a redo log group are identical.
redo thread
The redo generated by an instance. If the database runs in a single instance
configuration, then the database has only one thread of redo.
redundancy
In a retention policy, the setting that determines many copies of each backed-up file to
keep. A redundancy-based retention policy is contrasted with retention policy that
uses a recovery window.
redundancy set
A set of backups enabling you to recover from the failure or loss of any Oracle
database file.
registration
In RMAN, the execution of a REGISTER DATABASE command to record the existence of a
target database in the recovery catalog. A target database is uniquely identified in the
catalog by its DBID. You can register multiple databases in the same catalog, and also
register the same database in multiple catalogs.
repair
For Data Recovery Advisor, a repair is an action or set of actions that fixes one or
more failures. Examples repairs include block media recovery, data file media
recovery, Oracle Flashback Database, and so on.
repair option
For Data Recovery Advisor, one possible technique for repairing a failure. Different
repair options are intended to fix the same problem, but represent different advantages
and disadvantages in terms of repair time and data loss.
RESETLOGS
A technique for opening a database that archives any current online redo logs (if using
ARCHIVELOG mode), resets the log sequence number to 1, and clears the online redo
logs. An ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS statement begins a new database
incarnation. The starting SCN for the new incarnation, sometimes called the RESETLOGS
SCN, is the incomplete recovery SCN of the media recovery preceding the OPEN
RESETLOGS, plus one.
An ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS statement is required after incomplete recovery
or recovery with a backup control file. An OPEN RESETLOGS operation does not affect
the recoverability of the database. Backups from before the OPEN RESETLOGS operation
remain valid and can be used along with backups taken after the OPEN RESETLOGS
operation to repair any damage to the database.
resilver a split mirror
The process of making the contents of a split mirror identical with the contents of the
storage devices from which the mirror was split. The operating system or the
hardware managing the mirror refreshes a broken mirror from the half that is
up-to-date and then maintains both sides of the mirror.

Glossary-21

restartable backup

restartable backup
The feature that enables RMAN to back up only those files that have not been backed
up since a specified date. The unit of restartability is last completed backup set or
image copy. You can use this feature after a backup fails to back up the parts of the
database missed by the failed backup.
restore
The replacement of a lost or damaged file with a backup. You can restore files either
with commands such as UNIX cp or the RMAN RESTORE command.
restore failover
The automatic search by RMAN for usable backups in a restore operation if a
corrupted or inaccessible backup is found.
restore optimization
The default behavior in which RMAN avoids restoring data files from backup when
possible.
restore point
A user-defined a name associated with an SCN of the database corresponding to the
time of the creation of the restore point. A restore point can be a guaranteed restore
point or a normal restore point.
resynchronization
The operation that updates the recovery catalog with current metadata from the target
database control file. You can initiate a full resynchronization of the catalog by issuing
a RESYNC CATALOG command. A partial resynchronization transfers information to the
recovery catalog about archived redo log files, backup sets, and data file copies.
RMAN resynchronizes the recovery catalog automatically when needed.
retention policy
See backup retention policy
reverse resynchronization
In a Data Guard environment, the updating of a primary or standby database control
file with metadata obtained from the recovery catalog. For example, if you configure
persistent RMAN settings for a standby database that is not the connected target
database, then RMAN performs a reverse resynchronization the next time RMAN
connects as target to the standby database. In this way, the recovery catalog keeps the
metadata in the control files in a Data Guard environment up to date.
RMAN
See Recovery Manager (RMAN)
RMAN backup job
The set of BACKUP commands executed within a single RMAN session. For example,
assume that you start the RMAN client, execute BACKUP DATABASE, BACKUP
ARCHIVELOG, and RECOVER COPY, and then exit the RMAN client. The RMAN backup
job consists of the database backup and the archived redo log backup.
RMAN client
An Oracle Database executable that interprets commands, directs server sessions to
execute those commands, and records its activity in the target database control file.

Glossary-22

shadow copy

The RMAN executable is automatically installed with the database and is typically
located in the same directory as the other database executables. For example, the
RMAN client on Linux is named rman and is located in $ORACLE_HOME/bin.
RMAN job
The set of RMAN commands executed in an RMAN session. For example, assume
that you start the RMAN client, execute BACKUP DATABASE, BACKUP ARCHIVELOG, and
RECOVER COPY, and then exit the RMAN client. The RMAN job consists of the two
backups and the roll forward of the data file copy.
RMAN maintenance commands
Commands that you can use to manage RMAN metadata records and backups. The
maintenance commands are CATALOG, CHANGE, CROSSCHECK, and DELETE.
RMAN repository
The record of RMAN metadata about backup and recovery operations on the target
database. The authoritative copy of the RMAN repository is always stored in the
control file of the target database. A recovery catalog can also be used for longer-term
storage of the RMAN repository, and can serve as an alternate source of RMAN
repository data if the control file of your database is lost.
See Also: recovery catalog database, resynchronization
RMAN session
An RMAN session begins when the RMAN client is started and ends when you exit
from the client or the RMAN process is terminated. Multiple RMAN commands can be
executed in a single RMAN session.
rollback segments
Database segments that record the before-images of changes to the database.
rolling back
The use of rollback segments to undo uncommitted changes applied to the database
during the rolling forward stage of recovery.
rolling forward
The application of redo records or incremental backups to data files and control files
to recover changes to those files.
See Also: rolling back
RUN block
A series of RMAN commands that are executed sequentially.
SBT
System Backup to Tape. This term specifies a nondisk backup device type, typically a
tape library or tape drive. RMAN supports channels of type disk and SBT.
shadow copy
In the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) infrastructure on Windows, a consistent
snapshot of a component or volume.

Glossary-23

snapshot control file

snapshot control file
A copy of a database control file created in an operating system-specific location by
Recovery Manager. RMAN creates the snapshot control file so that it has a consistent
version of a control file to use when either resynchronizing the recovery catalog or
backing up the control file.
source database
The database that you are copying when you create a duplicate database.
source host
The host on which a source database resides.
source platform
When using the RMAN CONVERT command, the platform on which the source database
is running. The source database contains the data to be transported to a database
running on a different platform.
split mirror backup
A backup of database files that were previously mirrored. Some third-party tools allow
you to use mirroring a set of disks or logical devices, that is, maintain an exact
duplicate of the primary data in another location. Splitting a mirror involves
separating the file copies so that you can use them independently. With the ALTER
SYSTEM SUSPEND/RESUME database feature, you can suspend I/O to the database, split
the mirror, and make a backup of the split mirror.
stored script
A sequence of RMAN commands stored in the recovery catalog. Stored scripts can be
global or local. Global scripts can be shared by all databases registered in the recovery
catalog.
synchronous I/O
A server process can perform only one task at a time while RMAN is either reading or
writing data.
system change number (SCN)
A stamp that defines a committed version of a database at a point in time. Oracle
assigns every committed transaction a unique SCN.
tablespace destination
In a transportable tablespace operation, the location on disk which (by default)
contains the data file copies and other output files when the tablespace transport
command completes.
tablespace point-in-time recovery (TSPITR)
The recovery of one or more non-SYSTEM tablespaces to a noncurrent time. You use
RMAN to perform TSPITR.
tag
Identifier for an RMAN backup. If you generate a backup set, then the tag is assigned
to each backup piece rather than to the backup set. If you do not specify a tag for a
backup, then RMAN assigns one automatically.

Glossary-24

unused block compression

target database
In an RMAN environment, the database to which you are connected as TARGET. The
target database is the database on which you are performing RMAN operations.
target host
The computer on which a target database resides.
target instance
In an RMAN environment, the instance associated with a target database.
temp file
A file that belongs to a temporary tablespace and is created with the TEMPFILE option.
Temporary tablespaces cannot contain permanent database objects such as tables, and
are typically used for sorting. Because temp files cannot contain permanent objects,
RMAN does not back them up. RMAN does keep track of the locations of temp files in
the control file, however, and during recovery re-creates the temp files as needed at
those locations.
transport script
A script generated by the CONVERT DATABASE command. This script contains SQL
statements used to create the new database on the destination platform.
transportable tablespace
A feature that transports a set of tablespaces from one database to another, or from one
database to itself. Transporting a tablespace into a database is like creating a tablespace
with loaded data.
transportable tablespace set
Data files for the set of tablespaces in a transportable tablespace operation, and an
export file containing metadata for the set of tablespaces. You use Data Pump Export
to perform the export.
trial recovery
A simulated recovery initiated with the RECOVER ... TEST command in RMAN or
SQL*Plus. A trial recovery applies redo in a way similar to normal media recovery,
but it never writes its changes to disk and it always rolls back its changes. Trial
recovery occurs only in memory.
undo retention period
The minimum amount of time that Oracle Database attempts to retain old undo data
in the undo tablespace before overwriting it. Old (committed) undo data that is older
than the current undo retention period is said to be expired. Old undo data with an
age that is less than the current undo retention period is said to be unexpired.
undo tablespace
A dedicated tablespace that stores only undo information when the database is run in
automatic undo management mode.
unused block compression
A feature by which RMAN reduces the size of data file backup sets by skipping data
blocks. RMAN always skips blocks that have never been used. Under certain
conditions, which are described in the BACKUP AS BACKUPSET entry in Oracle Database

Glossary-25

user-managed backup

Backup and Recovery Reference, RMAN also skips previously used blocks that are not
currently being used.
user-managed backup
A backups made using a non-RMAN method, for example, using an operating system
utility. For example, you can make a user-managed backup by running the cp
command on Linux or the COPY command on Windows. A user-managed backup is
also called an operating system backup.
user-managed backup and recovery
A backup and recovery strategy for an Oracle database that does not use RMAN. This
term is equivalent to operating system backup and recovery. You can back up and
restore database files using operating system utilities (for example, the cp command in
UNIX), and recover using the SQL*Plus RECOVER command.
validation
In an RMAN context, a test that checks database files for block corruption or checks a
backup set to determine whether it can be restored. RMAN can check for both physical
and logical block corruption.
virtual private catalog
A subset of the metadata in a base recovery catalog to which a database user is
granted access. The owner of a base recovery catalog can grant or revoke restricted
access to the recovery catalog to other database users. Each restricted user has full
read/write access to his own virtual private catalog.
Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS)
An infrastructure on Windows server platforms that enables requestors, writers, and
providers to participate in the creation of a consistent snapshot called a shadow copy.
The VSS service uses well-defined COM interfaces. See Oracle Database Platform Guide
for Microsoft Windows to learn how to use RMAN with VSS.
whole database backup
A backup of the control file and all data files that belong to a database.

Glossary-26

Index
Symbols
%b substitution variable
SET NEWNAME, 25-2
%d substitution variable
BACKUP FORMAT, 2-5
%f substitution variable
SET NEWNAME, 25-2
%I substitution variable
SET NEWNAME, 25-2
%N substitution variable
SET NEWNAME, 25-2
%p substitution variable
BACKUP FORMAT, 2-5
%s substitution variable
BACKUP FORMAT, 2-5
%t substitution variable
BACKUP FORMAT, 2-5
%U substitution variable, 9-4
BACKUP FORMAT, 2-5
SET NEWNAME, 25-2

A
ABORT option
SHUTDOWN statement, 29-17, 30-1, 30-2
active database duplication, 4-11, 24-2
Advanced Compression Option, 6-7
Advanced Security Option, 6-8, 8-5
ADVISE FAILURE command, 15-4, 15-10
alert log, 12-5, 23-1
ALLOCATE CHANNEL command, 5-4, 6-1, 9-4
MAXPIECESIZE option, 6-4
ALLOW ... CORRUPTION clause, RECOVER
command, 29-23
ALTER DATABASE statement
CLEAR LOGFILE clause, 30-14
END BACKUP clause, 28-8
OPEN RESETLOGS clause, 13-28
RECOVER clause, 29-6, 29-10, 29-12
RESETLOGS option, 29-17
ALTER SYSTEM statement
KILL SESSION clause, 23-13
RESUME clause, 28-13
SUSPEND clause, 28-13
ALTER TABLESPACE statement

BEGIN BACKUP clause, 28-5, 28-7
END BACKUP option, 28-7
application errors, 1-3
archival backups, 1-3, 9-23, 12-13
archived redo log deletion policies, 5-27, 5-28, 9-12
archived redo log files
applying during media recovery, 29-3, 29-5, 29-6
backing up, 9-12
using RMAN, 9-10
with other backups, 9-11
cataloging, 12-14
changing default location, 29-6
corrupted, 29-19
deleting, 14-5, 29-11
deletion after backup, 9-10
failover, 9-11
incompatible format, 29-19
location during recovery, 29-3
loss of, 29-13
restoring using RMAN, 17-8
ARCHIVELOG mode
backups in, 2-4
AS SELECT clause
CREATE TABLE statement, 30-9
authentication, RMAN, 2-3
autobackups, control file, 8-12, 9-8, 9-24
configuring, 5-7
format, 5-7
automated repairs
Data Recovery Advisor, 1-8
automatic channel allocation, 6-1
automatic channels, 3-3, 3-4
configuring, 6-2
naming conventions, 3-5
overriding, 6-1
Automatic Diagnostic Repository (ADR), 5-12, 8-13,
12-4, 15-3, 16-2, 16-3, 23-1
Automatic Storage Management (ASM)
backups to, 9-3
Automatic Workload Repository (AWR), 7-11
AUTORECOVERY option
SET statement, 29-4
auxiliary channels, 24-5
auxiliary instance parameter file
with TRANSPORT TABLESPACE, 26-5
availability

Index-1

of RMAN backups, 12-13
AVAILABLE option
of CHANGE command, 12-13

B
backup and recovery
definition, 1-1
introduction, 1-1
solutions, 1-3
strategy, 1-2
user-managed, 1-3
BACKUP command, 2-4, 2-5, 3-4, 3-9, 5-22, 5-24, 6-2,
6-4, 6-6, 8-1, 8-3, 9-1, 9-12
ARCHIVELOG option, 9-11, 9-12
AS COMPRESSION BACKUPSET option, 9-6
AS COPY option, 2-4, 8-9
BACKUPSET option, 6-8, 8-10, 8-11, 9-26, 9-28
CHANNEL option, 5-6
COMPRESSED BACKUPSET option, 9-6
COPIES parameter, 8-10, 8-11
COPY OF option, 8-10, 8-12, 9-26, 9-29
CURRENT CONTROLFILE option, 9-8, 9-9
DATABASE option, 9-7
DATAFILE option, 9-7
DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT parameter, 8-9
DELETE INPUT option, 9-13, 12-18
DELETE option, 9-10
DEVICE TYPE clause, 5-3, 5-25, 9-2, 9-9
DURATION parameter, 10-14
FILESPERSET parameter, 8-7
FOR RECOVER OF COPY option, 9-17
FORMAT parameter, 2-5, 5-10, 5-13, 8-5, 8-11, 9-3
INCREMENTAL option, 2-6, 2-7, 9-14, 9-15, 9-16
KEEP option, 9-23, 9-25
MAXSETSIZE parameter, 10-1
NOT BACKED UP clause, 9-13
PLUS ARCHIVELOG option, 9-11
PROXY ONLY option, 8-8
PROXY option, 8-8
RECOVERY AREA option, 9-26
SECTION SIZE parameter, 8-3, 10-3
SPFILE option, 9-9
TABLESPACE option, 9-7
TAG parameter, 2-5, 9-5
VALIDATE option, 2-8, 15-3, 15-8, 16-4
BACKUP CONTROLFILE clause
ALTER DATABASE statement, 28-2
BACKUP COPIES parameter
CONFIGURE command, 6-5
backup encryption, 6-8, 8-5, 14-3
decrypting backups, 17-10
default algorithm, 6-7
dual-mode, 6-9, 10-12
overview, 10-10
password, 6-9, 10-11
transparent, 6-8, 10-11
backup mode, 8-10
ending with ALTER DATABASE END
BACKUP, 28-8

Index-2

for online user-managed backups, 8-2, 28-5
instance failure, 28-7
backup optimization, 9-12
configuring, 5-24, 10-3
definition, 5-24, 9-12
disabling, 5-24, 5-26
enabling, 5-24, 5-26
redundancy and, 5-26
retention policies and, 5-25
backup pieces, 8-3
definition, 2-4
maximum size, 6-4
names, 8-5
names on tape, 5-13
backup retention policies, 1-3, 3-7, 5-15
affect on backup optimization, 5-25
configuring, 5-22
configuring for redundancy, 5-22
definition, 8-17
disabling, 5-23
exempt backups, 9-23, 12-13
recovery window, 8-18
recovery windows, 5-23
redundancy, 8-18, 8-20
backup sets, 2-4, 8-1
backing up, 8-11, 9-26
compressed, 5-4, 6-6, 9-6
configuring as default, 5-4
configuring maximum size, 6-4
crosschecking, 12-11
duplexing, 10-6
how RMAN generates, 8-6
limiting size, 8-6
maximum size, 6-4, 10-1
multiplexed, 2-4, 6-4, 8-7, 9-5, 22-4
naming, 8-5
overview, 8-3
specifying maximum size, 8-6
specifying number, 8-6
testing restore of, 17-8
Backup Solutions Program (BSP), 3-7
backup strategy
fast recovery area, 5-14
backup tags, RMAN, 9-4
backup techniques, comparison, 1-4
backup windows, 10-13
backup-based duplication, 24-2
backups
archival, 1-3, 9-23
archived redo logs
using RMAN, 9-10
availability, 12-13
backup sets, 9-26
backups of, 8-11
closed, 28-3
consistent, 28-3
making using RMAN, 8-1
control file, 9-8, 28-10
control files, 28-10
binary, 28-10

correlating RMAN channels with, 23-9, 23-10
crosschecking, 12-10
cumulative incremental, 8-15
data file
using RMAN, 9-28, 9-29
DBVERIFY utility, 28-17
default type for RMAN, 5-4
determining data file status, 28-2
duplexing, 6-5, 10-6
excluding tablespaces from backups, 6-6
exempt from retention policy, 12-13
expired, deleting, 12-21
generating reports for, 11-2, 11-10
image copies, 8-9
inconsistent, 28-3
making using RMAN, 8-1
incremental, 8-14, 9-14, 10-7, 10-8
incrementally updated, 9-16
listing files needed, 28-1
logical, 1-2
long-term, 1-3
managing, 12-1
multisection, 3-5, 8-3, 16-5
NOARCHIVELOG mode, 9-10
obsolete, 8-20, 12-21
offline, 28-4
offsite, 17-6
optimizing, 5-24, 9-12
orphaned, 14-8
physical, 1-2
previewing, 17-5
read-only tablespaces, 28-9
recovering pre-RESETLOGS, 18-20
recovery catalog, 13-13
Recovery Manager, 9-1
reporting objects needing backups, 11-10
restartable, 10-12
restoring user-managed, 29-2
server parameter files, 9-9
skipping files during, 10-6
split mirror, 8-10
using RMAN, 10-8
stored scripts, 13-3, 13-15
tablespace, 28-6
using RMAN, 9-7, 9-28, 9-29
testing RMAN, 16-3, 16-4, 16-6
using media manager, 5-12
user-managed, 28-1
validating, 16-4, 16-6
verifying, 28-17
whole database, 9-7, 28-3
BEGIN BACKUP clause
ALTER TABLESPACE statement, 28-5
binary compression for backups, 9-6
block change tracking, 1-4, 8-16, 9-20
disk space used for, 9-21
enabling and disabling, 9-21, 9-22
moving the change tracking file, 9-22
block corruptions, 1-3
stored in V$DATABASE_BLOCK_

CORRUPTION, 16-4
block media recovery, 1-3, 16-4
automatic, 19-2
BSP. See Backup Solutions Program (BSP)

C
cancel-based media recovery, 29-16
canceling RMAN commands, 23-12
CATALOG command, 12-14
START WITH parameter, 13-9
CHANGE command
AVAILABLE option, 12-13
DB_UNIQUE_NAME parameter, 13-25
RESET DB_UNIQUE_NAME option, 3-8
UNCATALOG option, 12-17
CHANGE FAILURE command, 15-14
channels, RMAN, 3-3
auxiliary, 24-5
configuring, 5-4
configuring advanced options, 6-1
definition, 2-3, 3-3
generic, 5-4
naming conventions, 3-5
Oracle RAC environment, 6-2
parallel, 5-5
character sets
setting for use with RMAN, 4-2
circular reuse records, 12-3
CLEAR LOGFILE clause
of ALTER DATABASE, 30-14
client, RMAN, 2-1, 3-1, 3-6
cold failover cluster
definition, 28-8
command files, RMAN, 2-8
command interface
RMAN, 3-3
commands, Recovery Manager
ADVISE FAILURE, 15-4, 15-10
ALLOCATE CHANNEL, 5-4, 6-1, 6-4, 9-4
BACKUP, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6, 2-7, 2-8, 3-4, 3-9, 5-3, 5-6,
5-10, 5-13, 5-22, 5-24, 5-25, 6-2, 6-4, 6-6, 6-8, 8-1,
8-3, 8-7, 8-8, 8-9, 8-10, 8-11, 8-12, 9-1, 9-2, 9-5,
9-6, 9-7, 9-8, 9-9, 9-10, 9-11, 9-12, 9-13, 9-14,
9-15, 9-16, 9-17, 9-23, 9-25, 9-26, 9-28, 9-29
PROXY ONLY option, 8-8
PROXY option, 8-8
BACKUP CURRENT CONTROLFILE, 9-9
canceling, 23-12
CATALOG, 12-14
CHANGE, 3-8, 12-10
CHANGE FAILURE, 15-14
CONFIGURE, 3-8, 5-4, 5-22, 5-29, 6-1, 6-4, 6-10,
6-11
CREATE CATALOG, 13-6, 13-12
CREATE SCRIPT, 13-16
CROSSCHECK, 12-10
DELETE, 12-10, 12-15, 12-17
DROP CATALOG, 13-33
DROP DATABASE, 12-22

Index-3

DUPLICATE, 24-1
EXECUTE SCRIPT, 13-15, 13-17
EXIT, 2-3
FLASHBACK DATABASE, 7-2, 13-28
GRANT, 13-11
how RMAN interprets, 3-3
IMPORT CATALOG, 13-31
LIST, 2-9, 11-2, 11-3, 13-28, 15-6
INCARNATION option, 11-9, 13-28
MAXSETSIZE, 6-4
piping, 4-12
PRINT SCRIPT, 13-19
RECOVER, 14-5
REPAIR FAILURE, 15-12, 15-15
REPLACE SCRIPT, 13-17
REPORT, 2-10, 11-10
NEED BACKUP option, 11-10
RESET DATABASE
INCARNATION option, 13-28
RESTORE, 17-3
RESYNC CATALOG, 13-15, 13-22, 13-24
FROM CONTROLFILECOPY option, 13-15
REVOKE, 13-12
SET, 6-9
SHOW, 2-3, 5-2
SPOOL, 15-13
SWITCH, 17-16
terminating, 23-12
UNREGISTER DATABASE, 13-26
UPGRADE CATALOG, 13-29
VALIDATE, 15-3, 15-8, 16-4
commands, SQL*Plus
RECOVER
UNTIL TIME option, 29-16
SET, 29-4, 29-6, 29-10, 29-12
comments in RMAN syntax, 4-4
COMPATIBLE initialization parameter, 6-8
complete recovery
overview, 17-1
procedures, 29-7
compressed backups, 5-4, 9-6
algorithms, 6-6
CONFIGURE command
AUXNAME option, 6-11
BACKUP OPTIMIZATION option, 5-26
CHANNEL option, 5-4, 6-1
CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP option, 8-12,
9-24
DB_UNIQUE_NAME option, 5-29
ENCRYPTION option, 6-10
EXCLUDE option, 6-6
FOR DB_UNIQUE_NAME option, 3-8
MAXPIECESIZE option, 6-4
MAXSETSIZE option, 6-4
RETENTION POLICY clause, 8-17
RETENTION POLICY option, 5-22
configuring media managers, 5-10
installing, 5-9
prerequisites, 5-9
configuring Recovery Manager

Index-4

autobackups, 5-7, 8-12
backup optimization, 5-24
backup retention policies, 5-22
backup set size, 6-4
default backup type, 5-4
default devices, 5-3
overview, 5-1
shared server, 6-12
snapshot control file location, 6-11
specific channels, 6-2
tablespace exclusion for backups, 6-6
consistent backups, 8-1
using RMAN, 8-1
whole database, 28-3
control file autobackups, 12-6
after structural changes to database, 8-12
configuring, 5-7, 8-12
default format, 8-13
format, 5-7
control files
backups, 28-2, 28-10
binary, 28-10
including within database backup, 9-9
recovery using, 20-4
using RMAN, 9-8
circular reuse records, 12-3
configuring location, 5-20
creating after loss of all copies, 30-7
finding file names, 28-2
multiplexed, 5-15, 5-20, 12-5, 17-3, 28-2, 29-3, 30-1
loss of, 30-1
multiplexing, 12-5
re-created, 30-6
restoring, 20-5, 30-1, 30-2
snapshot, 13-22
specifying location of, 6-11
user-managed restore after loss of all copies, 30-6
CONTROL_FILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME
initialization parameter, 12-4, 12-5, 13-24
CONTROL_FILES initialization parameter, 5-21,
20-5, 21-20, 30-2
CONVERT command
with tablespaces and data files, 27-1
COPIES option
BACKUP command, 10-8
corrupt blocks, 14-1, 16-2, 29-19
recovering, 19-2, 19-3
RMAN and, 10-12
CREATE CATALOG command, 13-6, 13-12
CREATE DATAFILE clause, ALTER DATABASE
statement, 30-9
CREATE SCRIPT command, 13-16
CREATE TABLE statement
AS SELECT clause, 30-9
CREATE TABLESPACE statement, 30-5
CROSSCHECK command, 12-10
crosschecking, RMAN, 2-10, 12-2, 12-10
definition, 12-10
recovery catalog with the media manager, 12-10
cross-platform transportable tablespace, 27-1

cumulative incremental backups, 2-6, 8-14, 8-15

D
data blocks, corrupted, 1-3, 1-4, 2-11, 2-16, 14-1, 15-8,
15-15, 16-5, 19-1, 29-19, 29-20
data dictionary views, 28-4, 28-5, 28-9
data files
backing up, 9-7, 9-28, 9-29, 28-4
determining status, 28-2
listing, 28-1
losing, 29-2
recovery
without backup, 30-8
re-creating, 30-8
renaming
after recovery, 30-5
restoring, 14-3
Data Guard environment, 3-9
archived log deletion policies, 5-28
changing a DB_UNIQUE_NAME, 13-25
configuring RMAN, 5-29
reporting in a, 11-2
RMAN backups, 9-2
RMAN backups, accessibility of, 3-8
RMAN backups, association of, 3-8
RMAN backups, interchangeability of, 3-8, 9-8
RMAN usage, 3-7
data integrity checks, 1-7, 15-3, 15-8
data preservation, definition of, 1-3
data protection
definition, 1-2
Data Recovery Advisor, 2-11, 11-4, 14-2
automated repairs, 1-8
data integrity checks, 15-3, 15-8
failure consolidation, 15-4
failure priority, 15-4
failures, 15-2, 15-3
feasibility checks, 15-4
overview, 1-7
purpose, 15-1
repair options, 15-10
repairing failures, 15-13
repairs, 15-2, 15-4, 15-5
supported configurations, 15-5
user interfaces, 15-2
data repair
overview, 14-1
techniques, 14-2
data transfer, RMAN, 1-3
database connections
Recovery Manager
auxiliary database, 4-11
hiding passwords, 4-11
without a catalog, 4-7
SYSDBA required for RMAN, 4-8
types in RMAN, 4-7
database point-in-time recovery, 18-15
definition, 18-2
Flashback Database and, 7-2, 18-1

prerequisites, 18-15
user-managed, 29-13
databases
listing for backups, 28-1
media recovery procedures, user-managed, 29-1
media recovery scenarios, 30-1
recovery
after control file damage, 30-1, 30-2
registering in recovery catalog, 13-8
reporting on schemas, 11-13
suspending, 28-12
unregistering from recovery catalog, 13-26
DB_BLOCK_CHECKSUM initialization
parameter, 16-2
DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST initialization
parameter, 5-20, 9-21, 17-11
DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization
parameter, 21-20
DB_FLASHBACK_RETENTION_TARGET
initialization parameter, 5-17, 5-18, 5-19
DB_LOST_WRITE_PROTECT initialization
parameter, 6-14
DB_NAME initialization parameter, 21-20
DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST initialization
parameter, 2-2, 5-17, 5-20
DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE initialization
parameter, 2-2, 5-17
DB_UNIQUE_NAME initialization parameter, 3-7,
3-8, 5-29, 11-3
DBA_DATA_FILES view, 28-4, 28-5, 28-9
DBID
determining, 17-5
problems registering copied database, 13-2
setting with DBNEWID, 13-7
DBMS_PIPE package, 4-12, 4-13
DBNEWID utility, 13-7, 24-1
DBPITR. See database point-in-time recovery
DBVERIFY utility, 28-17
DELETE command, 12-15, 12-17, 12-20
EXPIRED option, 12-10, 12-21
OBSOLETE option, 8-20, 12-21
deleting backups, 2-11, 12-17, 12-18, 12-20
deletion policies, archived redo log, 5-27
enabling, 5-28
devices, configuring default, 5-3
differential incremental backups, 2-6, 8-14
direct ancestral path, 14-7, 18-12, 18-19
disaster recovery, 1-3
definition, 1-2
disconnecting
from Recovery Manager, 2-3
disk API, 5-11
disk failures, 1-2
disk usage
monitoring, 12-7
DROP DATABASE command, 12-22
dropped tables, retrieving, 18-7
dropping a database, 12-22
dropping the recovery catalog, 13-33
dual mode backup encryption, 6-9

Index-5

dual-mode backup encryption, 10-12
dummy API, 5-11
duplexing backup sets, 6-5, 8-11, 10-6
DUPLICATE command, 24-1
restarting after a failure, 24-17
duplicate databases, 3-2
active database duplication, 4-11, 24-2
backup-based duplication, 24-3
no target connection, 24-3
no target/recovery connection, 24-3
target connection, 24-3
generating file names, 24-8
how RMAN creates, 24-5
restarting after failed DUPLICATE, 24-17
skipping offline normal tablespaces, 25-12
skipping read-only tablespaces, 25-11
duplication
restarting after a failure, 24-17
DURATION parameter, BACKUP command, 10-14

E
encrypted backups, 10-10, 14-3
decrypting, 17-10
environment variables
NLS_DATE_FORMAT, 4-2
NLS_LANG, 4-2
error codes
media manager, 23-3
RMAN, 23-1, 23-2
error messages, RMAN
interpreting, 23-5
error stacks, RMAN
interpreting, 23-5
EXECUTE SCRIPT command, 13-17
EXIT command, 2-3
exiting RMAN, 2-3
expired backups, 8-18, 12-11
deleting, 12-21
EXPIRED option
DELETE command, 12-21

F
failover, when restoring files, 14-4
failures
definition, 1-2
media, 1-2
See also recovery
failures, Data Recovery Advisor, 15-2, 15-3
consolidation, 15-4
priority, 15-4
fast recovery area, 3-2, 3-7, 18-3
autobackups, 5-8
changing locations, 12-9
configuring, 5-14
definition, 2-2
disabling, 12-9
effect of retention policy, 8-21
enabling, 5-16

Index-6

flashback database window, 7-2
maintaining, 12-6
monitoring disk usage, 12-7
monitoring usage, 12-7
Oracle Managed Files, 5-16
permanent and impermanent files, 5-14
RMAN files in, 5-21
setting location, 5-18
setting size, 5-17
snapshot control files, 6-12
space management, 5-16
feasibility checks, Data Recovery Advisor, 15-4
file names, listing for backup, 28-1
file sections, 8-6, 8-7, 10-2, 16-5
flashback data archive
definition, 1-6
Flashback Database, 2-13, 14-2
determining the flashback database
window, 18-12
flashback logs, 1-7, 7-5
limitations, 7-3
monitoring, 7-11
overview, 1-7
prerequisites, 18-11
purpose, 18-1
requirements, 7-7
space management, 12-7
estimating disk space requirement, 5-19
tuning performance, 7-11
FLASHBACK DATABASE command, 7-2, 18-12
flashback database window, 7-2
Flashback Drop, 18-3, 18-7
flashback logs, 1-7, 2-13, 7-2, 12-7, 18-3
guaranteed restore points and, 7-4
flashback retention target, 7-2
Flashback Table, 18-3
using, 18-4, 18-5
FLASHBACK TABLE statement, 18-4, 18-5
Flashback Technology, 18-2
logical features, 18-3
overview, 1-5
flashback undrop
restoring objects, 18-8
formats, for RMAN backups, 9-3
fractured blocks, 8-2
detection, 8-2
full backups, 8-13
incremental backups and, 2-6

G
generic channels
definition, 5-4
GRANT command, 13-11
groups, redo log, 30-11, 30-12
guaranteed restore points, 1-7, 5-18
alternative to storage snapshots, 7-5
compared to storage snapshots, 7-5
creating, 7-8
flashback logs and, 7-4

requirements, 7-8
space usage in fast recovery area,

7-9

H
Health Monitor, 15-3
hot backup mode
failed backups, 28-7, 28-8
for online user-managed backups, 28-6

I
image copies, 2-4, 8-1, 8-9
definition, 8-9
testing restore of, 17-8
IMPORT CATALOG command, 13-31
INCARNATION option
LIST command, 11-9, 13-28
RESET DATABASE command, 13-28
incarnations, database, 11-9, 14-6, 18-11, 18-19
INCLUDE CURRENT CONTROLFILE option
BACKUP command, 9-9
incomplete media recovery, 29-13
incomplete recovery
defined, 18-15
in Oracle Real Application Clusters
configuration, 29-5
overview, 14-5
time-based, 29-16
with backup control file, 29-5
inconsistent backups, 8-2
using RMAN, 2-4, 8-1
incremental backups, 2-6, 9-14
block change tracking, 9-20
differential, 8-14
how RMAN applies, 14-5
making, 9-14
using RMAN, 10-7, 10-8
initialization parameter file, 14-5
initialization parameters
CONTROL_FILES, 20-5, 30-2
DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT, 21-20
DB_NAME, 21-20
LARGE_POOL_SIZE, 22-14
LOCK_NAME_SPACE, 21-20
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n, 29-5
LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT, 29-5
LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT, 21-20
instance failures
backup mode and, 28-7
integrity checks, 16-1
interpreting RMAN error stacks, 23-5
interrupting media recovery, 29-6
I/O errors
effect on backups, 10-12

J
jobs, RMAN
monitoring progress, 22-10
querying details about, 11-14

K
KEEP option
BACKUP command, 12-13

L
level 0 incremental backups, 2-6, 8-14, 8-16
level 1 incremental backups, 8-14, 8-15
LIST command, 2-9, 11-2, 11-3
FAILURE option, 15-6
INCARNATION option, 13-28
LOCK_NAME_SPACE initialization
parameter, 21-20
log sequence numbers, 29-3
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n initialization
parameter, 5-21, 17-8, 29-4, 29-5, 29-9, 29-14,
29-16
LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT initialization
parameter, 29-5
LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT initialization
parameter, 21-20
logical backups, 1-2
logical block corruption, 16-2
LOGSOURCE variable
SET statement, 29-6, 29-10, 29-12
long waits, 22-13
loss of
inactive log group, 30-13
lost writes, detecting, 6-14

M
maintenance commands, RMAN, 2-10, 3-4, 12-2
Data Guard environment, 12-2
managing RMAN metadata, 11-1, 12-1
MAXPIECESIZE parameter
SET command, 5-13
MAXSETSIZE parameter
BACKUP command, 6-4, 10-1
CONFIGURE command, 6-4
media failures, 1-2
archived redo log file loss, 29-13
complete recovery, 29-7
complete recovery, user-managed, 29-7
control file loss, 30-6
data file loss, 29-2
definition, 1-2
NOARCHIVELOG mode, 29-16
online redo log group loss, 30-12
recovery, 29-7
recovery procedures
examples, 29-2
Media Management Layer (MML) API, 3-6, 6-4
media managers, 3-2, 3-4, 3-6
backing up files, 3-6
backup piece names, 5-13
Backup Solutions Program, 3-7
catalog, 3-2
configuring for use with RMAN, 5-10
crosschecking, 12-10

Index-7

definition, 2-2
error codes, 23-3
file restrictions, 5-13
installing, 5-9
library location, 5-9
linking
testing, 5-11
linking to software, 3-6, 5-9
multiplexing backups, 8-8
prerequisites for configuring, 5-9
sbttest program, 23-11
testing, 5-11
testing backups, 5-12
testing the API, 23-11
third-party, 5-9
troubleshooting, 5-12
media recovery, 8-17
ADD DATAFILE operation, 30-4
after control file damage, 30-1, 30-2
applying archived redo logs, 29-3
cancel-based, 29-13, 29-16
complete, 29-7
closed database, 29-8
complete, user-managed, 29-7
corruption
allowing to occur, 29-22
data files
without backup, 30-8
errors, 29-19
incomplete, 29-13
interrupting, 29-6
lost files
lost archived redo log files, 29-13
lost data files, 29-2
lost mirrored control files, 30-1
NOARCHIVELOG mode, 29-16
offline tablespaces in open database, 29-11
online redo log files, 30-10
parallel, 29-7
problems, 29-18, 29-19, 29-20
restarting, 29-6
restoring
whole database backups, 29-16
resuming after interruption, 29-6
roll forward phase, 29-3
scenarios, 30-1
time-based, 29-13
transportable tablespaces, 30-10
trial, 29-23, 29-24
troubleshooting, 29-18, 29-19
undamaged tablespaces online, 29-11
user-managed, 29-1
using Recovery Manager, 14-5
metadata, RMAN, 3-5, 11-1, 12-1, 13-1
mirrored files
backups using, 10-8
splitting, 28-12
suspend/resume mode, 28-12
using RMAN, 10-8
monitoring fast recovery area usage, 12-7

Index-8

monitoring RMAN, 23-7
MTTR, 15-1
multiplexed backup sets, 6-4, 8-7, 9-5, 22-4
multiplexed control files, 5-15, 5-20, 12-5, 17-3, 28-2,
29-3, 30-1
multisection backups, 3-5, 8-3, 8-6, 8-7, 10-2, 16-5

N
naming backup sets, 8-5
NLS_DATE_FORMAT environment variable, 4-2
NLS_LANG environment variable, 4-2
NOARCHIVELOG mode
backing up, 9-10
disadvantages, 29-16
recovery, 29-16

O
obsolete backups, 8-17
definition, 8-18
deleting, 2-11, 8-20, 12-21
off-site backups, 17-6
online redo logs, 30-13
active group, 30-11, 30-12
applying during media recovery, 29-3
archived group, 30-11, 30-12
clearing
failure, 30-14
clearing inactive logs
archived, 30-13
unarchived, 30-13
configuring location, 5-20
current group, 30-11, 30-12
inactive group, 30-11, 30-12
loss of, 30-13
active group, 30-14, 30-15
all members, 30-12
group, 30-12
recovery, 30-10
loss of group, 30-14, 30-15
multiple group loss, 30-15
replacing damaged member, 30-11
status of members, 30-11, 30-12
OPEN RESETLOGS clause
ALTER DATABASE statement, 13-28, 14-6, 18-12,
18-17
ORA-01578 error message, 30-9
Oracle Backup Solutions Program (BSP), 3-7
Oracle Data Pump, 1-2, 18-14
Oracle Encryption Wallet
and backups, 6-8
Oracle Flashback Database. See Flashback Database
Oracle Flashback Drop, 1-6
Oracle Flashback Query, 1-5
Oracle Flashback Table, 1-6
Oracle Flashback Transaction, 1-6
Oracle Flashback Transaction Query, 1-6
Oracle Flashback Version Query, 1-6
Oracle Managed Files

fast recovery, 5-16
Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC)
RMAN channels and, 6-2
Oracle Secure Backup, 3-6, 5-9
Oracle VSS writer, 5-15
Oracle wallet, 6-9
orphaned backups, 14-8
OSB Cloud Module
See Also Oracle Database Backup and Restore
Reference, xxi

P
packages
DBMS_PIPE, 4-12, 4-13
password backup encryption, 6-9
password-mode encryption, 10-11
passwords
connecting to RMAN, 4-11
performance tuning
short waits
definition of, 22-13
performance tuning, RMAN
backup performance, 22-13
LARGE_POOL_SIZE initialization
parameter, 22-14
long waits, 22-13
physical backups, 1-2
physical block corruption, 16-2
pipe interface, RMAN, 4-12
point of recoverability
recovery window, 8-18
point-in-time recovery, 29-13
performing
with current control file, 18-15
tablespace, 18-2
PREVIEW option, RESTORE command, 11-2
previewing backups, 17-5
PRINT SCRIPT command, 13-19
proxy copies, 3-6, 8-8
PROXY option
BACKUP command, 8-8

Q
QUIT command, 2-3
quitting RMAN, 2-3

R
raw devices
backing up to, 28-14
UNIX backups, 28-14
Windows backups, 28-16
RC_ARCHIVED_LOG view, 11-17
RC_BACKUP_FILES view, 11-18
RC_BACKUP_PIECE view, 11-16
RC_BACKUP_SET view, 12-17
read-only tablespaces
backups, 28-9
RECOVER clause

ALTER DATABASE statement, 29-6, 29-10, 29-12
RECOVER command, 14-5
COPY option, 9-17
PARALLEL and NOPARALLEL options, 29-7
TEST option, 16-7
unrecoverable objects and standby
databases, 30-9
UNTIL TIME option, 29-16
USING BACKUP CONTROLFILE clause, 30-5
recovery
ADD DATAFILE operation, 30-4
automatically applying archived logs, 29-4
cancel-based, 29-16
complete, 17-1, 29-7
closed database, 29-8
offline tablespaces, 29-11
corruption
intentionally allowing, 29-22
data files, 29-2
database
in NOARCHIVELOG mode, 20-1
database files
how RMAN applies changes, 14-5
overview, 14-5
database point-in-time, 18-15
disaster using RMAN, 20-8
dropped table, 30-16
errors, 29-19
failures requiring, 1-2
interrupting, 29-6
media, 29-1, 29-18, 30-1
multiple redo threads, 29-5
of lost or damaged recovery catalog, 13-15
online redo logs, 30-10
loss of group, 30-12
parallel, 29-7
preparing for, 17-3
problems, 29-18
fixing, 29-20
investigating, 29-20
stuck, 29-18
time-based, 29-16
transportable tablespaces, 30-10
trial, 29-23
explanation, 29-24
overview, 29-23
troubleshooting, 29-18
user errors, 30-15
user-managed, 29-1, 29-18, 30-1
using backup control file, 20-4
without recovery catalog, 20-6
using logs in a nondefault location, 29-6
using logs in default location, 29-5
using logs in nondefault location, 29-6
without a recovery catalog, 12-5
recovery catalog, 3-5, 13-1
backing up, 13-13
cataloging backups, 12-14, 13-9
centralization of metadata, 13-2
creating, 13-4

Index-9

crosschecking, 12-10
DBID problems, 13-2
definition, 2-2, 3-1
deleting backups, 12-17
deleting records, 12-20
dropping, 13-33
log switch record, 12-14
managing size of, 13-24
operating with, 3-5
purpose of, 13-1
recovery of, 13-15
refreshing, 13-22
registering databases, 13-2, 13-7, 13-8
resynchronizing, 13-22
space requirements, 13-5
stored scripts, 13-15
creating, 13-16
synchronization, 13-22
unregistering databases, 13-26
updating
after operating system deletions, 12-17
upgrading, 13-29
views, querying, 11-16
virtual private catalogs, 3-5
recovery catalogs
backing up, 13-13
dropping, 13-33
importing, 13-31
moving, 13-33
Recovery Manager
allocating tape buffers, 22-6
archived redo logs
backups, 9-10
authentication, 2-3
backups, 9-1
archived redo logs, 9-10
backing up, 8-11, 9-26
batch deletion of obsolete, 8-20
control files, 9-8
data file, 9-7, 9-28, 9-29
duplexed, 8-11
image copy, 8-9
incremental, 9-14, 10-7, 10-8
optimization, 5-24, 9-12
tablespace, 9-28, 9-29
testing, 16-3, 16-4, 16-6
validating, 16-4, 16-6
whole database, 9-7
channels, 3-3
naming conventions, 3-5
client, 2-1
connecting to databases, 2-2
corrupt data file blocks
handling I/O errors and, 10-12
crosschecking recovery catalog, 12-10
database character set, 4-2
database connections, 4-7
auxiliary database, 4-11
duplicate database, 4-11
hiding passwords, 4-11

Index-10

SYSDBA required for target, 4-8
without a catalog, 4-7
DBMS_PIPE package, 4-13
definition, 2-1
disconnecting from, 2-3
duplicate databases, overview of, 24-5
error codes
message numbers, 23-2
errors, 23-1, 23-2
interpreting, 23-5
file deletion, 12-18
fractured block detection in, 8-2
image copy backups, 8-9
incremental backups
cumulative, 8-15
differential, 8-14
level 0, 8-14
integrity checking, 16-1
jobs, monitoring progress, 22-10
jobs, querying details of, 11-14
lists, 11-3
maintenance commands, 2-10
media management
backing up files, 3-6
Backup Solutions Program (BSP), 3-7
crosschecking, 12-10
media manager, linking with a, 5-9
metadata, 3-5, 11-1, 12-1, 13-1
monitoring, 23-7
overview, 2-1, 3-3
performance
monitoring, 23-7
pipe interface, 4-12
proxy copy, 3-6
recovery
after total media failure, 20-8
recovery catalog, 13-1
backing up, 13-13
crosschecking, 12-10
managing the size of, 13-24
operating with, 3-5
recovering, 13-15
registration of target databases, 13-2, 13-7,
13-8
resynchronizing, 13-22
synchronization, 13-22
upgrading, 13-29
reports, 11-10
database schema, 11-13
objects needing a backup, 11-10
obsolete backups, 11-12
repository, 3-5
restoring
archived redo logs, 17-8
data files, 14-3
retention policies
configuring, 5-22
return codes, 23-7
setting time parameters, 4-2
snapshot control file location, 6-11

starting, 2-2
synchronous and asynchronous I/O, 22-5, 22-7
terminating commands, 23-12
test disk API, 5-11
types of backups, 8-9
using RMAN commands, 3-3
recovery window, 5-22
point of recoverability, 8-18
RECOVERY WINDOW parameter
CONFIGURE command, 5-23
recovery windows
configuring for retention policy, 5-23
definition, 8-18
RECOVERY_CATALOG_OWNER role, 13-11
recycle bin, 18-3, 18-8
restoring objects from, 18-8
redo logs
incompatible format, 29-19
naming, 29-5
parallel redo, 29-19
redo records
problems when applying, 29-18
REGISTER command, 13-8
REPAIR FAILURE command, 15-12, 15-15
repair options, Data Recovery Advisor, 15-10
repairs, Data Recovery Advisor, 15-2
consolidation of, 15-5
manual and automatic, 15-4
REPLACE SCRIPT command, 13-17
REPORT command, 2-10, 11-2, 11-10
NEED BACKUP option, 11-10
OBSOLETE option, 8-20
reports, RMAN, 2-9, 11-2, 11-10
backup jobs, 11-14
database schema, 11-13
files needing backups, 11-10
obsolete backups, 11-12
unrecoverable backups, 11-12
repository, RMAN, 3-5
RESET DATABASE command
INCARNATION option, 13-28
RESETLOGS operation
when necessary, 14-6
RESETLOGS option
of ALTER DATABASE, 29-17
restartable backups, 10-12
restarting
duplication after a failure, 24-17
RESTORE command, 14-3, 17-3
FORCE option, 14-5
PREVIEW option, 11-2, 17-5
VALIDATE HEADER option, 11-2, 17-5
restore optimization, 14-4
restore points, 1-7, 2-13
creating, 7-8
flashing back to, 18-19
guaranteed, 1-7, 7-4
compared to storage snapshots, 7-5
listing, 7-8
requirements, 7-8

restore validation, 17-8
restoring
control files, 20-5
to default location, 30-1
to nondefault location, 30-2
database
to default location, 29-17
database files, 14-3, 14-4
server parameter files, 20-2
testing, 16-7, 17-8
user-managed backups, 29-2
RESUME clause
ALTER SYSTEM statement, 28-13
resuming recovery after interruption, 29-6
RESYNC CATALOG command, 13-22, 13-24
FROM CONTROLFILECOPY option, 13-15
resynchronizing the recovery catalog, 3-8, 13-22,
13-24
retention policies. See backup retention policies
return codes
RMAN, 23-7
REVOKE command, 13-12
RMAN repository, 1-3, 2-1
RMAN. See Recovery Manager
RMAN sessions, 2-13, 3-4

S
SBT, 3-4, 5-13
sbtio.log
and RMAN, 23-2
sbttest program, 23-11
scenarios, Recovery Manager
NOARCHIVELOG backups, 9-10
recovering pre-resetlogs backup, 18-20, 20-1
recovery after total media failure, 20-8
scripts, RMAN, 2-8
substitution variables in, 9-24
server parameter files
autobackups, 8-12
backups, 9-9
configuring autobackups, 5-7, 8-12
restoring, 20-2
server sessions, Recovery Manager, 3-3
session architecture, Recovery Manager, 3-3
SET command
DBID option, 3-8
ENCRYPTION option, 6-9
MAXCORRUPT option, 16-3
NEWNAME option, 25-1
SET statement
AUTORECOVERY option, 29-4
LOGSOURCE variable, 29-6, 29-10, 29-12
shadow copies, 9-16
shared server
configuring for use with RMAN, 6-12
configuring RMAN, 6-12
short waits
definition, 22-13
SHOW command, 2-3, 5-2

Index-11

SHUTDOWN statement
ABORT option, 29-17, 30-1, 30-2
size of backup sets, setting, 8-6
skipping files in RMAN backups, 10-6
snapshot control files, 6-11, 13-22
specifying location, 6-11
split mirrors
suspend/resume mode, 28-12
using as backups, 10-8
SPOOL command, 15-13
standby databases, 3-2
creating with DUPLICATE, 24-2
statements, SQL
ALTER DATABASE, 29-6, 29-10, 29-12
storage snapshots, 7-5
stored scripts, 3-5, 9-24, 13-3, 13-15, 13-31
creating RMAN, 13-16
deleting, 13-20, 13-21
dynamic, 13-18
executing, 13-21
listing names of, 13-20
managing, 13-15
printing, 13-19
substitution variables in, 13-18
stuck recovery, 29-18
substitution variables, FORMAT parameter, 5-13,
8-5, 8-9
substitution variables, stored scripts, 13-18
SUSPEND clause
ALTER SYSTEM statement, 28-13
suspending a database, 28-12
suspend/resume mode, 28-12
SWITCH command, 17-16
SYSDBA privileges, 2-3
system backup to tape. See SBT
system time
changing
effect on recovery, 29-16

recovering accessible
when database is open, 17-13
recovering offline in open database, 29-11
transporting with RMAN, 26-1
tape devices, 3-6
target database
connecting to, 2-2
definition, 2-1, 3-1
terminating RMAN commands, 23-12
test disk API, 5-11
testing RMAN
backups, 16-3, 16-4, 16-6
with media management API, 23-11
time format
RECOVER DATABASE UNTIL TIME
statement, 29-16
time parameters
setting for Recovery Manager use, 4-2
time-based recovery, 29-16
trace files, RMAN, 23-2
transparent backup encryption, 6-8
transparent-mode backup encryption, 10-11
transportable tablespaces
creating with RMAN, 26-1
and Data Pump Export, 26-8
and past points in time, 26-8
auxiliary destination, 26-3
auxiliary instance parameter file, 26-5, 26-6
file locations, 26-9
initialization parameters, 26-5
cross-platform, 27-1
recovery, 30-10
transporting tablespaces, 26-1
trial recovery, 16-7, 29-23, 29-24
tuning Recovery Manager
V$ views, 23-7

T

UNAVAILABLE option
of CHANGE, 12-13
UNCATALOG option
CHANGE command, 12-17
deleting repository records, 12-17
undo optimization, backup, 5-25, 8-5
unrecoverable objects
recovery, 30-9
UNREGISTER DATABASE command, 13-26
unregistering databases, 13-26
UNTIL TIME option
RECOVER command, 29-16
upgrading the recovery catalog, 13-29
user errors
definition, 1-2
recovery from, 30-15
user-managed backups, 28-1, 28-3
backup mode, 28-5, 28-7
control files, 28-10
definition, 8-10
determining data file status, 28-2

tables, recovery of dropped, 30-16
tablespace point-in-time recovery, 18-2
configuring data file names, 6-11
performing on dropped tablespaces, 21-2
planning, 21-6
preparing the auxiliary instance, 21-19
restrictions, 21-6
why perform, 21-1
tablespaces
backups, 9-28, 9-29, 28-6
offline, 28-4
online, 28-6
backups using RMAN, 9-7
excluding from backups, 6-5
excluding from RMAN backups, 6-6
read-only
backing up, 28-9
read/write
backing up, 28-5

Index-12

U

hot backups, 8-2, 28-8
listing files before, 28-1
offline tablespaces, 28-4
read-only tablespaces, 28-9
tablespace, 28-6
verifying, 28-17
whole database, 28-3
user-managed recovery, 29-13
ADD DATAFILE operation, 30-4
complete, 29-7
incomplete, 29-13
interrupting, 29-6
scenarios, 30-1
user-managed restore operations, 29-2

V
V$ARCHIVED_LOG view, 5-19, 11-17, 18-16
listing all archived logs, 28-11
V$BACKUP view, 28-2
V$BACKUP_ASYNC_IO view, 22-12
V$BACKUP_DATAFILE view, 9-15, 12-16
V$BACKUP_FILES view, 5-23, 12-11, 12-15
V$BACKUP_PIECE view, 11-16, 12-16
V$BACKUP_REDOLOG view, 12-16
V$BACKUP_SET view, 12-16, 12-17
V$BACKUP_SPFILE view, 12-16
V$BACKUP_SYNC_IO view, 22-12
V$BLOCK_CHANGE_TRACKING view, 9-22
V$CONTROLFILE view, 9-9
V$DATABASE view, 11-18, 18-5, 18-17
V$DATABASE_BLOCK_CORRUPTION view, 1-5,
2-16, 16-3, 16-4, 19-1, 19-2, 19-3, 19-4, 19-5
V$DATABASE_INCARNATION view, 13-28
V$DATAFILE view, 17-5, 21-20, 28-1
listing files for backups, 28-1
V$DATAFILE_HEADER view, 11-2, 17-4
V$DIAG_INFO view, 2-16, 19-5
V$EVENT_NAME view, 23-8
V$FLASHBACK_DATABASE_LOG view, 5-19,
18-12, 18-17
V$FLASHBACK_DATABASE_STAT view, 7-11
V$INSTANCE view, 17-4
V$LOG_HISTORY view
listing all archived logs, 29-8
V$LOGFILE view, 21-20, 30-11, 30-12
V$PARAMETER view, 18-5
V$PROCESS view, 11-2, 23-7, 23-8
V$PROXY_ARCHIVEDLOG view, 8-9
V$PROXY_DATAFILE view, 8-9
V$RECOVER_FILE view, 17-5, 29-8
V$RECOVERY_AREA_USAGE view, 12-7
V$RECOVERY_FILE_DEST, 12-7
V$RECOVERY_FILE_DEST view, 12-7
V$RECOVERY_LOG view
listing logs needed for recovery, 29-8
V$RESTORE_POINT view, 18-5
V$RMAN_BACKUP_JOB_DETAILS view, 11-14
V$RMAN_BACKUP_SUBJOB_DETAILS
view, 11-14

V$RMAN_ENCRYPTION_ALGORITHMS
view, 6-7, 6-11, 22-6
V$RMAN_OUTPUT view, 11-18
V$RMAN_STATUS view, 23-1
V$SESSION view, 6-13, 11-2, 23-7, 23-8
V$SESSION_LONGOPS view, 22-10
V$SESSION_WAIT view, 23-7, 23-8
V$SGASTAT view, 22-14
V$SYSSTAT view, 7-12
V$TABLESPACE view, 17-5, 28-1
VALIDATE command, 15-3, 15-8, 16-4, 17-3
SECTION SIZE parameter, 16-5
VALIDATE HEADER option, RESTORE
command, 11-2
validation, RMAN, 15-8
backups, 2-8, 16-4, 16-6
database files, 2-7, 16-4
restore operations, 17-8
views, recovery catalog, 11-2, 11-16
virtual private catalogs, 3-5
dropping, 13-12
Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), 5-15, 9-16

W
wallet, 6-8
whole database backups
ARCHIVELOG mode, 28-3
inconsistent, 28-3
NOARCHIVELOG mode, 28-3
preparing for, 28-3
using RMAN, 9-7

Index-13

Index-14
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Creator Tool                    : FrameMaker 10.0.2
Modify Date                     : 2015:05:13 14:03:17Z
Create Date                     : 2015:05:13 14:02:24Z
Format                          : application/pdf
Title                           : Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User’s Guide
Creator                         : Oracle Corporation
Description                     : Oracle Database
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Page Count                      : 604
Author                          : Oracle Corporation
Subject                         : Oracle Database
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