6
Backing Up and Recovering Database Files

This chapter provides information on backing up and recovering your database.

This chapter contains these topics:

• Selecting a Backup and Recovery Tool
  
  
• Backing Up and Recovering Files with OCOPY Utility

Selecting a Backup and Recovery Tool

This section describes tools available for backup and recovery of your Oracle9i database and makes recommendations on which tool to use.

This section contains these topics:

• Oracle Enterprise Manager
  
  
• Recovery Manager in Command-line Mode
  
  
• Third-party Vendor Products
  
  
• OCOPY Utility

  Note: Before performing a backup when Oracle9i database is shut down, and regardless of the backup tool you use, stop service OracleServiceSID to clear locks on database files. If you do not stop this service, some database files may not be backed up.

Oracle Enterprise Manager

Oracle Enterprise Manager DBA Management Pack includes Backup and Recovery Wizards for backing up and recovering an Oracle9i database. These wizards also provide a graphical user interface (GUI) to Recovery Manager.

Backup Wizard enables users to:

• Perform database backups to disk and tape
  
  
• Create backup scripts
  
  
• Specify frequency, time, backup configuration, and multiple destinations
  
  
• Back up an entire database or tablespaces, data files, and archived redo logs
  
  
• Perform backups both online and when the database is shut down

Oracle highly recommends Oracle Enterprise Manager for backing up and recovering your Oracle9i database because of its capabilities and ease of use.

Recovery Manager in Command-line Mode

Recovery Manager in command-line mode is an Oracle9i tool that manages backing up, restoring, and recovering files. Recovery Manager is automatically installed with Oracle Utilities. Recovery Manager uses a special PL/SQL interface to the server for invoking backup functions. This interface operates invisibly; you will interface only with a command line.

When RMAN needs to resynchronize from a read-consistent version of the control file, it creates a temporary snapshot control file. The default location of this file on Windows NT is ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\database\sncfSID.ora.

You must clearly understand the command-line syntax described in Oracle9i Recovery Manager Reference before using this tool. Backing up to tape requires an optional MML from a third-party vendor.

Third-party Vendor Products

Third-party vendors provide tape backup software that works with Backup Wizard and Recovery Manager. Contact your third-party vendors for additional information.

OCOPY Utility

OCOPY utility is a command-line tool that can make the following types of backups:

• Backups when Oracle9i database is shut down
  
  
• Backups of a tablespace that is offline when the database is open
  
  
• Backups of a tablespace that is online when the database is open

OCOPY can back up only to disk and can perform only local backups.

Integrating RMAN with a Media Manager on Windows NT

On Windows NT, Oracle accesses the media management library through library orasbt.dll. This file must exist in the system path. Typically, the file is located in Oracle home folder ORACLE_HOME\bin.

If an orasbt.dll already exists in the system path, then remove it before installing the media manager. After installation, check your media management vendor documentation to determine where the media management library is installed.

Backing Up and Recovering Files with OCOPY Utility

Use OCOPY utility for both hot and raw database file backups of the following file types:

• File Allocation Table (FAT) files
  
  
• NT File System (NTFS) files
  
  
• Logical raw files
  
  
• Physical raw files

Logical raw files are stored on a logical drive (accessed with direct I/O) identified by \\.\x where x is logical drive designator. Physical raw files are stored on a physical hard drive (accessed with direct I/O) identified by \\.\physicaldriven where n is 0, 1, 2, and so on, representing each of the physical drives in the system. For more information on raw partitions, see Appendix A, "Storing Tablespaces on Raw Partitions".

Copy Modes

OCOPY utility has two copy modes:

• Hard disk mode copies hot files to a new name and location on a hard disk, where you can use an archive utility to back them up.
  
  
• Multiple diskettes mode backs up large hot files directly to multiple diskettes.

  Note: If the file to be copied is too large to fit on one diskette, OCOPY utility prompts you to insert new diskettes as needed. OCOPY utility catalogs parts of the file automatically so that it can be reconstructed at a later time.

OCOPY Backup Syntax

Table 6-1 describes syntax to use when backing up all file types to hard disk. Table 6-2 does the same for backups to multiple diskettes. Table 6-3 defines syntax terms.

Table 6-1  OCOPY Backup Syntax in Hard Disk Mode

File Type	Syntax
FAT or NTFS files	C:\> ocopy old_file new_file
Logical raw	C:\> ocopy \\.\x: new_file
Physical raw	C:\> ocopy \\.\physicaldriven new_file

Table 6-2  OCOPY Backup Syntax in Multiple Diskettes Mode

File Type	Syntax
FAT or NTFS files	C:\> ocopy /B old_file a:
Logical raw	C:\> ocopy /B \\.\x: a:
Physical raw	C:\> ocopy /B \\.\physicaldriven a:

Table 6-3  OCOPY Backup Syntax Definitions

Term	Definition
old_file	Name and location of hot file to back up
new_file	Name and location of backup copy
x	Raw drive that holds a single raw database file
physicaldriven	Physical drive that holds a single raw database file
/B	Large files must be split over multiple diskettes
a:	Drive containing diskette(s) on which to save backup copy.

OCOPY Recover Syntax

Table 6-4 describes syntax to use when recovering all file types from hard disk. These are files originally backed up without option /B. Table 6-5 describes syntax to use when recovering all file types from multiple diskettes. These are files originally backed up with option /B. Table 6-6 defines syntax terms.

Table 6-4  OCOPY Recover Syntax in Hard Disk Mode

File Type	Syntax
FAT or NTFS files	Use Windows copy command
Logical raw	C:\> ocopy new_file \\.\x:
Physical raw	C:\> ocopy new_file \\.\physicaldriven

Table 6-5  OCOPY Recover Syntax in Multiple Diskettes Mode

File Type	Syntax
FAT or NTFS files	C:\> ocopy /R a: restore_dir
Logical raw	C:\> ocopy /R a: \\.\x:
Physical raw	C:\> ocopy /R a: \\.\physicaldriven

Table 6-6  OCOPY Recover Syntax Definitions

Term	Definition
new_file	Name and location of backup copy
x	Raw drive that holds a single raw database file
physicaldriven	Physical drive that holds a single raw database file
/R	Restore option
a:	Drive containing diskette with backed up file
restore_dir	Server directory in which to place file (Restored file has same name as original file.)