Oracle backups using Business Copy

[John Ketron]

I want to Snap shot the drives where the database is installed. Please forgive me I'm not a DBA, the redo logs are on one drive and the control files are on another. I want to be able to snap the drives and in the event of corruption I can just restore the snapshot and the database will come online from that point in time. From what I understand you want the redo and the control files on two seperte drives. I understand that these are what is needed and they need be synchd. Again if these are not what I need I'm sorry, please let me where I went wrong. Again all I want to do is snap the db and restore it without issue if needed

[Steven E. Protter]

I kept oracle servers running and backed up for the past five years.

Best backup method in my opinion is bring it down cold and do an OS copy. It would be faster to go directly to tape versus disk to disk as my former employer did, but either way will work.

It is possible to use Online JFS snapshots to get a cold database backup with the following methodology:

bring the database down.
set up the online JFS snapshot on a logical volume 25% the size of the data logical volume. This will hold the writes that happen during the next part of the process.

Bring the database back up.

Back up the original logical volume which will be frozen until the online JFS snapshot is shut down.

SEP

[John Ketron]

I can't bring the DB offline, and that is why I want to try using snapshots. It is an exact copy point in time. Being an exact copy can't I bring the DB back online. If I can get all the files at the same point in time then will the DB still come online. The OS is backed up via tape drive and cannot be snapped, all of oracle is on the SANS and can be snapped

[Jean-Luc Oudart]

John,

If you cannot run cold backup, I believe you will have to use RMAN.

HP is part of the OSCP program.

cf. these links
http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/cache/83177-0-0-0-121.html

and also
http://www.oracle.com/technology/deploy/availability/pdf/hp_snap_ops.pdf

Regards
jean-Luc

[Alzhy]

It looks like you have either an EVA or XP storage for which BusinessCopy (via vSnaps or BCVs) is the way to go.

The process is easy:

1. Bring DB to hotbackup mode .. lots and lots of scripts/methods out there. This does not stop your Instance from servicing applications, it only allows for you to have a consistent copy of the datafiles ready for copying to tape, to another disk location or in your case to do a BusinessCOPy operation.

2. Do the BusinessCOPy Operation. This Operation can either present the snapshots/BCV's to the same server or to a different server. If your instance is small, then you can perhaps just do a series of dd copies to a different disk location/server or even push it out to tape via RMAN.

3. Bring DB Instance out from Hotbackup mode.

The above is true - whether you're using VxVM or LVM as volume managers.

If you're using Veritas Products -- i.e. full VxVM (with FlashSnap and Storage Checkpoints) -- then you will even have more options to backing up and protecting your DB insatnce. You will also no longer be tied up to an array vendor.

[Richard Kupca]

Hello,
My conf. Unix environment, Data protector 5.1, HP EVA5000, DP on-line extension for Unix 5.1.

I have a question.
Can I do incremental backups of oracle database from snapshots? Or I must have data Protector version 5.5 and on-line extension for Unix v5.5?

[Simon Hargrave]

In addition to Nelson's reply, you will need to keep the archive logs from just before the backup started to at least just after the backup ended (though ideally you would keep them all so you can roll your database forward to a point in time). You will need the archive logs in the event of a recovery. Ideally have them regularly (eg every 30 minutes depending on the criticality of the database) written to tape, and possibly tranferred to another server for easy access in recovery situation. You will need to take backup control files as well.

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Rischard, please ask your question in a new thread so that when people answer your question you can assign them points as required.