Oracle Database Backup with RMAN

Backup related technical terms

Main category of doing database backup

• Whole database backups: a backup of every datafile in the

database, plus the control file. Whole database backups are
the most common type of backup.
• Partial database backups i.e. The backup of either tablespaces
,datafiles, control files or Archived Redo Log but not the whole
database.

Backup Type

• Full backup : every time the backup has been doing it will
create a whole database.
• Incremental backup : backup only the updated data, there
must be an old backup file for comparison purpose.

Backup Mode

• Offline backup/consistent backup: doing backup while the

database is offline. The files in the backup contain all the data
taken from a same point in time. This type of backup does not
require recovery after it is restored.
• Online backup/inconsistent backup/hot backup : doing backup
while the database is online.

Backup Format

• Image Copies: this type of backup is copying physical file, this

kind of format the original file size would be the same as the
copy file size. Which would take space.
• Backup set: this format is the backup default and only used for
Oracle database. The difference between Image Copied and
Set Backup is Set Backup would do the backup only the block
with data and we could configure the set level and the media
type to keep the data on i.e. disk or tape

Recovery Manager (RMAN)

RMAN is an Oracle utility which come with Oracle Database from
installation process. The main functionality of this utility is backup,
restoring and recovering database.

You can also use operating system commands for backups and
SQL*Plus for recovery. This method, also called user-managed
backup and recovery, is fully supported by Oracle, although use of
RMAN is highly recommended because it is more robust and greatly
simplifies administration.

RMAN related technical terms

• Target Database: the database server we want to do the

backup.
• Channel Process: the channel which RMAN would access the
target database.
• RMAN Repository: Path that keep RMAN’s information, which
will hold backup information of each instance. The default
path is configured in control file of each instance. We could
create a new database for the use of this purpose. With this
new database we could keep the backup’ information of every
instances we would do the backup
• Flash Recovery Area: The flash recovery area is an Oracle-
managed directory, file system, or Automatic Storage
Management disk group that provides a centralized disk
location for backup and recovery files. Oracle creates archived
logs in the flash recovery area. RMAN can store its backups in
the flash recovery area, and it uses it when restoring files
during media recovery. The flash recovery area also acts as a
disk cache for tape
• Recovery catalog: The database the store recovery catalog
schema, which contain metadata that RMAN use for backup
and recovery

RMAN Configuration Parameters

• DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE: set how much flash_recovery

size could go.
• DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST : set the path that keep backup set.

RMAN Related View List

• V$RECOVERY_FILE_DEST : This view shows the position of

flash recovery.
• V$FLASH_RECOVERY_AREA_USAGE : this view shows how
much the space had been taken for each file.

Physical File which RMAN could do the backup

• Database file = { data file, control file, spfile }

• Archived log file

Note: password file, network configure file (tnsname.ora,

listener.ora, sqlnet.ora) we need to do manual backup.

Basic RMAN command

Start & Exit RMAN
# RMAN target /[@] [nocatalog | catalogname]
# RMAN
RMAN> EXIT

run script RMAN from file

# RMAN target / @file1
RMAN> @file1

command to validate RMAN syntax

# RMAN CHECKSYNTAX
# RMAN CHECKSYNTAX @file1

command to display parameters

RMAN> show ;
RMAN> SHOW ALL;
RMAN> CONFIGURE CLEAR;

Media management command

Specify the media

RMAN> CONFIGURE DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE TO ;

Specify to compress the backup

RMAN> CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE BACKUP TYPE TO ;
RMAN> CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE DISK FORMAT
‘/backup/ora_df%t_s%s_s%p’;
some of media managers need to configure through parameter.
RMAN> CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE SBT
PARMS=’ENV=mml_env_settings’;

backup data file command

RMAN> BACKUP DATABASE;

backup tablespaces
RMAN> BACKUP TABLESPACE system, users, tools;
RMAN> BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt MAXSIZE=10M TABLESPACE user, tool;

Backup data file

RMAN> BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt DATAFILE 1,2,3,4 DATAFILECOPY
‘/tmp/system.dbf’;
RMAN> BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt TABLESPACE user INCLUDE CURRENT
CONTROLFILE;
RMAN> BACKUP AS BACKUPSET DATAFILE
’ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/users01.dbf’,
’ORACLE_HOME/oradata/trgt/tools01.dbf’;

to be able to set the incremental backup, which is level 1 we need to

do level 0 first. In other word, we need to do the first backup with
level 0. There is one caution to be made, that is when we do the
incremental backup, the backup file level 0 และ 1 need to be
together so we could completely do the restoration and recovery.
RMAN> BACKUP INCREMENTAL LEVEL [0 | 1] CUMULATIVE DATABASE;

backup control file

Set the configuration so that it could do the auto backup control file
and parameter file when there were some changes and when there
is some disasters RMAN would recover for that particular instance.
RMAN> CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP ;

change the autobackup default name

RMAN> CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT FOR DEVICE TYPE to
‘?/oradata/cf_%F’;
RMAN> CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT FOR DEVICE TYPE clear;

to override autobackup value for any particular session (use run

block on RMAN prompt)
RMAN> SET CONFIGURE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT
Backup current control file
RMAN> BACKUP CURRENT CONTROLFILE;
RMAN> BACKUP CURRENT CONTROLFILE TO ’/backup/curr_cf.copy’;
Backup control file
RMAN> BACKUP AS COPY CURRENT CONTROLFILE FORMAT ‘/tmp/control01.ctl’;
RMAN> BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt CONTROLFILECOPY ‘/tmp/control01.ctl’;

backup parameter file

RMAN> BACKUP SPFILE;
RMAN> BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt SPFILE;

backup archived log file

RMAN> BACKUP ARCHIVELOG …;
RMAN> BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;
RMAN> BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG DELETE INPUT;
RMAN> BACKUP ARCHIVELOG COMPLETION TIME BETWEEN ’SYSDATE-31’ AND ’SYSDATE-
7’;

restore command
RMAN> RESTORE DATABASE;
RMAN> RESTORE TABLESPACE users;
RMAN> RESTORE DATAFILE <ช่ ือ datafile>;
RMAN> RESTORE DATAFILE 7;

recovery command
RMAN> RECOVER DATABASE;
RMAN> RECOVER TABLESPACE users;
RMAN> RECOVER DATAFILE <datafile name>;
RMAN> RECOVER DATAFILE 7;

backup sample
Backup Database including Archivelog file plus delete archive log file
from backup
# RMAN TARGET backup_admin/backup_admin NOCATALOG
RMAN> BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG DELETE INPUT;

Backup Database including Control file plus delete un-updated

backup.

RMAN> backup incremental level 0 cumulative device type disk tag '%TAG'
database include current controlfile;
RMAN> allocate channel for maintenance type disk;
RMAN> delete noprompt obsolete device type disk;
RMAN> release channel;

restore & recovery sample

Recovering whole database
RMAN> STARTUP FORCE MOUNT;
RMAN> RESTORE DATABASE;
RMAN> RECOVER DATABASE;
RMAN> ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

Recovering tablespace
RMAN> SQL 'ALTER TABLESPACE users OFFLINE';
RMAN> RESTORE TABLESPACE users;
RMAN> RECOVER TABLESPACE users;
RMAN> SQL 'ALTER TABLESPACE users ONLINE';

Recovering Datafiles 7
RMAN> SQL 'ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE 7 OFFLINE';
RMAN> RESTORE DATAFILE 7;
RMAN> RECOVER DATAFILE 7;
RMAN> SQL 'ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE 7 ONLINE';

Backup Control File to Trace

To do trace backup control file for recovery when control file is
corrupted
for OEM go to “Controlfiles” menu then “Backup To Trace”;
or you could use command line as below.

SQL> ALTER DATABASE BACKUP CONTROLFILE TO TRACE;

The result would be kept as configured parameter

USER_DUMP_DEST
the default name is _ora_pid.trc
and default path is <ORACLE_HOME>/admin/<sid>/udump
the trace file would contain the sql command that could recreate the
control file .

Author: Niramit Soonthawong

Website: http://dba-tip-trick.blogspot.com/

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