backup and restore prod db for Dev/QC purposes

[Mike_Ca Li]

Prod Oracle 10G db is 295GB and distributed on 35 filesystems made up of 143 files which ranges from ~14GB, 7GB, 5GB, 3GB, 2GB to ~15 MB on EMC frame.
I don't have SRDF.
Looking for ideas of tapeless restore db to another server and storage system in different state or region. I checking the network bandwidth available.
I'm looking for ideas within oracle like rman, export/import rows, also file sync utils like rsync, rdist
Insights, experiences?
Thank you

[TTr]

You don't have SRDF so this has to be done at server level. Is this on a LAN or over the WAN? You insist on a tapeless solution but pushing ~300GB over the WAN is not easy but it is doable.

Take a look at oracle's dataguard. exp/imp would also work. File based utils will not work because the dbf files are always current (open) and being modified. Hot backups will also work (place files in archive mode and copy them).

[Mel Burslan · Accepted solution]

here is something I did in the past. It works but you will be hogging the WAN bandwidth so, use it with caution:

#!/bin/ksh
echo "Destination Server ?:"; read host
echo "Source directory ?:"; read srcdir
echo "Destination directory on destination host ?:"; read destdir

cd ${srcdir}
find . -xdev -depth | cpio -ocx | remsh ${host} "(cd ${destdir}; cpio -idcumvx)"

this script takes the contents of a directory and moves it across the network to another server at another directory you specify on the destination server.

This script is not very security conscious and requires shell function to be enabled in /etc/inetd.conf as well as an entry like this in the root's .rhosts file on the destination server:

source_host root

needless to say, it is best if you can run this as root.

hope this helps.

[Eric Antunes]

Hi Mike,

Don't forget that the copy of database, control and redolog files will only work on a target database with the same instance name. Otherwise you need to clone it.

Best Regards,

Eric Antunes

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

What we used where I used to work was simple. We took the nightly cold backup of the data. We migrated it into a development database.

It wasn't quite so large as this, but it gave us a full range of test data.

SEP

[IMGERALD]

Say that you have spare Oracle licenses to do DR, clone your prod DB as a standby to another server (RMAN hot backup with or without the recovery catalog) and apply the logs (recover managed standby). See if the bandwith would allow you to aplly the logs in real time. If not ftp in bulk and apply them nightly. Our primary DB is also 300GB in Texas and the standby is in Brussel. You can open your standby in READONLY mode if you wish.

[Chitta]

Mike ,
I would suggest to go with RMAN cloning, because of the size of the data files. Hot backup or logical export also helps but In the hot backup you need to copy all physical datafiles files over the network.In Logical export, again the size of dump file tough you can split into pieces but you need to set up the dev/QC db physically then only you can import.

Chitta