Introducing Dell™ NetVault™ Backup Plug-in for Oracle®
Dell NetVault Backup Plug-in for Oracle: at a glance
Key benefits
Feature summary
Target audience
Recommended additional reading
Defining a backup strategy
Defining a strategy: overview
Reviewing the available backup methods
Reviewing the supported Oracle file types
Defining an RMAN backup strategy
Installing and removing the plug-in
Reviewing the RMAN Tablespace and Datafile backup types
Reviewing the Control File backup types
Reviewing the other backup types
Developing a Recovery Catalog backup strategy
Examples of backup sequences
Defining a Backup Destination strategy
Oracle Flashback technology
Prerequisites
Prerequisites for RMAN backups
Configuring the plug-in
Determining the Oracle SID and Home directory in a non-RAC environment
Creating the RMAN repository
Registering the target database
Enabling Control File Autobackups
Enabling Flashback Database
Enabling Block Change Tracking
Recommended configuration for a single-instance non-RAC environment
Installing the plug-in
Removing the plug-in
Configuring a default Target Set for RMAN backups
Configuring default settings
Adding a database
Backing up data
Using the Oracle® Flashback Database
Editing database information
Setting the database password
Removing a saved password
Removing a database
Viewing database details
Using RMAN Post-Backup Scripts
Language support
Flashback Database: an overview
Viewing Flashback Database status
Flashback Database options
Flashback Database restrictions
Restoring data with the plug-in and Flashback Database
Restoring data
Restoring and recovering data: an overview
Performing User Managed restores
Using advanced User Managed restore procedures
Maintaining the Recovery Catalog
Using the RMAN CLI
Renaming or relocating Control File, Datafile, or individual Archived Log files
Renaming or relocating the Archive Log Directory
Performing RMAN restores
Setting restore options
Using RMAN types of recovery in a non-RAC environment
Setting the Pre-Restore and general Restore Options
Setting recovery options
Setting Block Media Recovery options
Setting Post Recovery options
Setting Destination Details
Setting the Recovery Catalog details
Setting the Clone Database options
Setting Generate RMAN Script options
Finalizing and submitting the job
Recovering individual datafiles and tablespaces to the same server
Recovering Whole Database to same server
Performing disaster recovery with RMAN
Using advanced procedures with RMAN restores
Duplicating a database in a non-RAC environment
Restoring a Duplicate Database to the same server
Restoring a Duplicate Database to an alternate server with the same directory structure
Restoring a Duplicate Database to an alternate server with an alternate directory structure
Performing table-level recovery
CLI-based RMAN backups and restores: an overview
Prerequisites for CLI-based backups and restores
Performing CLI-based backups
Using the Plug-in with Oracle® RAC
More parameters: the "format" clause
More parameters: the "send" and "PARMS" clauses
Querying the NetVault Backup media name
Performing CLI-based restores
Oracle RACs: an overview
Recommended additional reading
Defining a deployment strategy
Licensing
Installing the plug-in in a RAC environment
Configuring the plug-in
Using the Plug-in in a failover cluster environment
Determining the local Oracle SID and Home directory in a RAC environment
Adding a database to the plug-in
Backing up data
Restoring data in a RAC environment
Oracle Server Fail Safe Failover Clustering: an overview
Installing the plug-in
Licensing the plug-in
Configuring the plug-in and adding a database
Backing up data
Restoring data
Using the plug-in with Oracle® Data Guard
Oracle® Data Guard: an overview
Defining a deployment strategy
Deployment
Troubleshooting
Single-instance to single-instance Data Guard deployment
Multi-instance RAC to single-instance Data Guard deployment
Multi-instance RAC to multi-instance RAC Data Guard deployment
Installing the plug-in in a Data Guard environment
Backing up data
Restoring data
NetVault Backup 10.x service (netvault-pgsql) does not start on Windows
Unable to add a database
Backup fails
Backup job hangs
Restore fails
Glossary
Developing a Recovery Catalog backup strategy
Oracle® recommends that you back up the Recovery Catalog with the same frequency that you back up the target database. For example, if you make a weekly whole-database backup of the target database, back up the Recovery Catalog immediately after all target database backups to protect the record of the whole-database backup. This backup can also help you in a disaster recovery scenario. Even if you have to restore the Recovery Catalog database using a Control File Autobackup, you can then use the full record of backups in your restored Recovery Catalog database to restore the target database without using a Control File Autobackup for the target database.
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Run the Recovery Catalog database in ARCHIVELOG mode so that PIT Recovery is possible. |
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Examples of backup sequences
Following are a few examples of backup sequences that can be implemented to meet the data protection requirements of your Oracle® Database Server.
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Full Backups only: When requirements guarantee data protection up to the previous day, performing Full Backups daily should be sufficient. DBAs are only required to recover the database up to the point of the last Full Backup. |
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Full Backup and Archived Log Backups: When requirements mandate PIT data protection but recovery time is not important, Full Backups coupled with Archived Log backups should provide the necessary protection. |
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Incremental Level 0 and Differential Incremental Level 1 and Archived Log Backups: When requirements mandate PIT data protection and backups have to be as fast as possible, Incremental Level 0 and Differential Incremental Backup and Archived Redo Log backups are an ideal strategy. |
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Incremental Level 0 and Cumulative Incremental Level 1 and Archived Log Backups: When requirements mandate PIT data protection and recovery time should be as fast as possible, Incremental Level 0 and Cumulative Incremental Level 1 and Archived Log backups are the best combination. |
Defining a Backup Destination strategy
When FRA is enabled, Backup Destination options are enabled on the Backup Options tab. These options let you select the destination for the backup. These options let you define a media destination strategy that best meets your needs.
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Tape (Backup to NetVault Backup Media): This option is the default. When selected, RMAN opens an “SBT_TAPE” channel and writes the backup files to the backup media that is managed by NetVault Backup and specified in the Device options section of the Target tab. NetVault Backup can manage a range of backup devices, including disk-based media, VTLs, and tape drives, which lets you implement a Disk-to-Disk-to-Tape backup strategy. Even though FRA has been enabled for the database, it is not used to store backup recovery files. This option is ideal for users who want to maintain a dedicated FRA for permanent files such as copies of the current Control File and online redo logs or Flashback logs. |
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Disk (Backup to FRA): When selected, RMAN opens a DISK channel and only writes the backup files to the FRA. Storing the backup recovery files in the FRA provides the fastest restore possible with RMAN because RMAN can restore the files directly from the FRA without having to read files from backup media. Because the FRA is typically disk storage residing on the same local or shared storage as the datafiles, it does not provide complete protection against complete media failure, corruption, or disaster recovery. To ensure that the backup recovery files are stored in offsite storage, you can use the Both Tape and Disk or perform periodic Flash Recovery Area Backups to back up the backup recovery files stored in the FRA-to-backup media managed by NetVault Backup. |
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Both Tape and Disk (Backup to FRA then Backup FRA to NetVault Backup Media): Implementing a Tape and Disk backup strategy provides the most protection with the fastest restores. When selected, RMAN opens a DISK channel and writes the backup files to the FRA followed by a backup of the backup recovery files stored in the FRA-to-backup media managed by NetVault Backup in the same backup job. This option lets you perform the fastest recovery possible from isolated media failure and data corruption while providing offsite protection for complete media failure or disaster recovery. Selecting the Both Tape and Disk option lengthens the duration of the backup job because RMAN must perform two types of backups in the same backup job. |
If you want to store backup recovery files in the FRA for faster restores and you require offsite protection for disaster recovery, but you do not want to lengthen the duration of the daily backup jobs, there is an additional option for performing daily backups to the FRA while performing Flash Recovery Area Backups on a different independent schedule. For example, when Full Backups are performed every Sunday at 11:00pm, they are performed to Disk. When Incremental Backups are performed Monday through Saturday at 11:00pm, they are also performed to Disk. However, a Flash Recovery Area Backup to backup media is performed weekly every Sunday at 10:00pm before the Full Backup is performed. Additionally, you can perform the Flash Recovery Area Backup at any interval that meets business requirements.
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NOTE: The Flash Recovery Area feature is not available in Oracle® 9i; using the Both Tape and Disk option with Oracle 9i might result in unexpected Oracle errors. |
Oracle Flashback technology
Versions 10g and later of Oracle® Database provide a group of features known as Oracle Flashback Technology. Flashback Technology features include the Oracle Flashback Database, Oracle Flashback Table, and Oracle Flashback Drop. Flashback Technology supports viewing past states of data and winding data back and forth in time without requiring you to restore the database from backup. Depending on the changes to your database, Flashback Technology features can often reverse the unwanted changes more quickly and with less effect on database availability than media recovery.
If an FRA is configured and you have enabled the Flashback Database functionality, you can use the FLASHBACK DATABASE command to return the database to a prior time. Flashback Database is not true media recovery because it does not involve restoring physical datafiles. Flashback Database is preferable to using the RESTORE and RECOVER commands in some cases because it is faster and easier and does not require restoring the whole database.
The time it takes to rewind a database with FLASHBACK DATABASE is proportional to how far back in time you need to go and the amount of database activity after the target time. The time it would take to restore and recover the whole database could be much longer. The before images in the flashback logs are only used to restore the database to a point in the past; forward recovery is used to bring the database to a consistent state at some time in the past. Oracle Database returns datafiles to the previous point, but not auxiliary files, such as initialization parameter files.
Dell recommends that you enable Flashback Database for Oracle 10g and later databases so that the administrator can flashback the database to correct problems caused by logical data corruptions or user errors. For more information, see Oracle Flashback Technology in Oracle Database Concepts and to Configuring Oracle Flashback Database and Restore Points in the Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User’s Guide.