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In this Document
Goal
Solution
References

This document is being delivered to you via Oracle Support's Rapid Visibility (RaV) process, and therefore has not
been subject to an independent technical review.

Applies to:

Oracle Server - Enterprise Edition - Version: 9.0.1.0 to 11.01

Information in this document applies to any platform.

Goal

Explain the process to restore a controlfile in a RMAN backupset (not autobackup)

when there is no catalog present. This is an example of a controlfile in a
backupset:

RMAN> backup datafile 1 include current controlfile;

Starting backup at 00-JAN-00

allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: sid=11 devtype=DISK
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting full datafile backupset
channel ORA_DISK_1:
specifying datafile(s) in backupset
input datafile fno=00001 name=C:\ORACLE\ORADATA\ORCL92\SYSTEM01.DBF
including current
controlfile in backupset
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting piece 1 at 00-JAN-00
channel ORA_DISK_1: finished piece 1 at 00-JAN-00
piece
handle=C:\BACKUP\05I5919N_1_1 comment=NONE
channel ORA_DISK_1: backup set complete, elapsed time: 00:00:01
Finished backup at 00-JAN-00

Solution

Start the instance in NOMOUNT

SQL> startup nomount [pfile=...]

This is the full path and file name of the backuppiece which contains the controlfile
backup. Using the example of the backup above the syntax would be:

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RMAN> restore controlfile from 'C:\BACKUP\05I5919N_1_1';

Starting restore at 00-JAN-00

allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1

channel ORA_DISK_1: sid=13 devtype=DISK
channel ORA_DISK_1: restoring controlfile
channel ORA_DISK_1:
restore complete
replicating controlfile
input filename=C:\ORACLE\ORADATA\ORCL92\CONTROL01.CTL
output filename=C:\ORACLE\ORADATA\ORCL92\CONTROL02.CTL

output filename=C:\ORACLE\ORADATA\ORCL92\CONTROL03.CTL
Finished restore at 00-JAN-00

If you are not sure which backuppiece contains a controlfile backup, you may wish
to try various backuppieces. If the backuppiece does not contain a backup of the
controlfile you will see an error like this:

RMAN> restore controlfile from 'C:\BACKUP\09I594QI_1_1';

Starting restore at 2000-01-01:00:00:01

allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1

channel ORA_DISK_1: sid=13 devtype=DISK
channel ORA_DISK_1: restoring controlfile

RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS
===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03002: failure of restore
command at 01/01/2000 00:00:01
ORA-19615: some files not found in backup set
ORA-19613: datafile 0 not found in backup set

A restore of this type will not work in versions previous to 9i. The following errors will occur :

RMAN> run {
allocate channel d1 type disk;
restore controlfile from 'C:\BACKUP\27I5AVE7_1_1';
}

RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE
STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00558: error encountered
while parsing input commands
RMAN-01005: syntax error: found "single-quoted-string": expecting one of: "tag"
RMAN-01007: at line 3 column 26 file: standard input

The restore of datafiles or archivelog files for any version does not work with this
syntax. The following errors will occur:

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RMAN> restore datafile 4 from 'C:\ORACLE\PRODUCT\9.2\DATABASE\0TI6L6AD_1_1';

Starting restore at 2007-01-04:08:57:00

using channel ORA_DISK_1

RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR
MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03002: failure of restore command at 01/04/2007 08:57:01
RMAN-06509: only SPFILE or controlfile can be restored from autobackup

This procedure does not work for versions previous to 9i which is why the 8i manual states the following:

Oracle8i Recovery Manager User's Guide and Reference

Chapter 3: Managing the Recovery Manager Repository

The only way to restore and recover when you have lost all control files and do not use a
recovery catalog is to call Oracle Support Serv ices. Support will need to know the following:

1) Current schema of the database

2) Which files were backed up
3) What time the files were backed up
4) Names of the backup pieces containing the files

References

Note 372996.1 - Using RMAN to Restore and Recover a Database When the Repository and Spfile/Init.ora Files Are
Also Lost
Note 735106.1 - How to Recreate a Controlfile
Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Reference 10g Release 2 (10.2)

Keywords

RMAN-6563 ;

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