OCA/OCP Oracle Database 11g All-in-One Exam Guide 646 4. If you wish the new user to have privileges on databases already registered, issue this command: grant catalog for database dbname to vpcowner; where dbname is the name of an already registered database that you wish vpcowner to manage. 5. As vpcowner, connect to the catalog with RMAN, and issue the command create virtual catalog; 6. Using RMAN, connect to the catalog as vpcowner and to the target as SYS, register the target (if was not previously registered), and then carry out backup and restore operations as normal. The owner of a virtual private catalog will have no access to backups relating to databases not registered in their domain, and need have no object or tablespace privileges in the catalog database, nor any system privileges beyond those granted in Step 2. TIP A GRANT REGISTER DATABASE will insert a row in VPC_USERS, a table in the catalog owner’s schema. A GRANT CATALOG FOR DATABASE will insert a row in the VPC_DATABASES table. The virtual catalog owner has synonyms that allow these tables, which are used to filter access to be seen. Protecting and Rebuilding the Catalog If the recovery catalog is not available, RMAN can still function—but it will be crippled. Because the RMAN repository is always stored in the target databases’ controlfiles, loss (temporary or permanent) of the catalog is not disastrous. But the controlfile-based repository will only hold a relatively small amount of information—all data older than the CONTROLFILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME parameter will be overwritten. So while backups can still be performed, any restore and recover operations will be much harder. Backup sets and image copies going back weeks may be available, but RMAN will not be able to find them. Furthermore, any stored scripts will also be unavailable. It is therefore necessary to protect the catalog database. And worst of all, if all copies of the controlfile itself are lost, then RMAN will be useless—unless the controlfile autobackup facility has been enabled (which it should always be). There is a recursive problem with backing up the catalog database. If you back it up with RMAN, then if it needs to be restored, RMAN will not be able to do the job. So, unless you have a second catalog database and use this to register the first, you will have to use a user-managed backup technique. These are fully described in Chapter 18. The catalog schema is not very big, nor very busy. Even if the catalog is supporting hundreds of databases, it will usually be only a few gigabytes. It may therefore be feasible to make full whole offline backups regularly: simply shut it down, and copy it. This, together with the archive logs (as with any production database, the catalog database should be run in ARCHIVELOG mode), will be an adequate backup—if you can stand the downtime. Alternatively, it may be possible to make a logical backup, using the export/import utilities or the newer Data Pump facility (described in Chapter 23). Chapter 17: Advanced RMAN Facilities 647 PART III If backups are made without connecting to the catalog for any reason (such as the catalog being unavailable—perhaps because it was down for a cold backup), then the catalog repository must be resynchronized with the controlfile repository. This will happen automatically the next time RMAN connects to both the target and the catalog. The resync operation transfers all information from the controlfile repository into the catalog, thus bringing it up to date. Data about backups will therefore only be lost if the period without a resync exceeds the CONTROLFILE_RECORD_KEEP_TIME. TIP All backup events that occur while not connected to the catalog, as well as information regarding archive log generation and physical changes such as datafile creation, are transferred into the catalog by an automatic resync at the next connection. You can also force a resync from the RMAN prompt with the RESYNC CATALOG command. But what if the controlfile and perhaps other parts of the target database are lost, and the catalog is lost too? The backups (backup sets and image copies) may be perfect, but RMAN will not be able to find them. Of course, it should be possible to restore the catalog—but assume that it is not. The first step is to connect to the target with the RMAN executable, and start it in NOMOUNT mode. Even if there is no parameter file, this will succeed because RMAN will start the instance with a dummy parameter file; Figure 17-2 shows this procedure. Of course, the startup will stop in NOMOUNT mode: there will be no controlfile to mount. Once the instance is started, if you know where the backups of the controlfile and spfile are located, instruct RMAN to restore them from this location; or if autobackup had been enabled, use the technique described in Chapter 16. Then restart the instance with the restored spfile, and mount the database with the restored controlfile. Then, if Figure 17-2 Starting a Windows instance, with RMAN and no parameter file OCA/OCP Oracle Database 11g All-in-One Exam Guide 648 you know where the other backup sets are stored, register them in the controlfile-based repository with the CATALOG command. For example, catalog datafilecopy '/u02/dfcopies/example01/dbf'; catalog backuppiece '/u02/backupsets/TAG20081028T174426_4JGMW1R9_.BKP'; catalog start with '/u01/app/oracle/flash_recovery_area'; The first of these commands registers an image copy of a datafile, which could have been made either by RMAN or by a user-managed backup. Similar syntax can register copies of the controlfile and of archive log files. The second command registers a backup set piece. Note that in neither case is it necessary to tell RMAN what the copy or backup set contains: RMAN can work this out by inspecting the file contents. The third command is the most powerful: it instructs RMAN to go to a directory (in the example, the root of the flash recovery area) and navigate down all subdirectories cataloging every copy and backup set piece that it finds. By giving a tape device as the path, RMAN can rebuild an entire repository. Follow up the catalog commands by connecting to each target database. The automatic RESYNC operation will populate the catalog with any information from the repositories in each controlfile that has not already been inserted. While it is possible to create a new, empty, RMAN catalog and then populate it (always assuming that you know where the backups are) with the CATALOG and RESYNC CATALOG commands, it is far more preferable to back up your catalog so that if it is damaged, you can restore it. By all means back up your catalog database with RMAN. Connect to it as a target, and back it up as you would any other target. Be sure to enable the autobackup facility. But do not back up your recovery catalog database only with RMAN! If it is damaged, there could be a recursive problem with any attempt to restore: if either the controlfile or the tablespace containing the catalog were damaged, any attempt to open the database and then connect to it as a catalog must fail. The autobackup will help you to survive this situation, but it will be necessary to protect the catalog database by other means—perhaps user-managed backups (detailed in Chapter 18), or using operating system– and hardware-based techniques, or using the Data Pump facility (described in Chapter 23) to make a logical backup. Exercise 17-1: Create a Recovery Catalog In this exercise, you will create a recovery catalog. Use any database you have available, even the one you intend to use as a target—though this would not be acceptable for a production environment. The examples assume that the catalog database is reachable through the TNS connect string CATDB, and that the target is a local database to be connected to with operating system authentication. 1. Connect to the catalog database using SQL*Plus as user system: sqlplus system/oracle@rman 2. Create a tablespace in the catalog database, with a command such as create tablespace rman datafile '/u01/oradata/orcl/rman01.dbf' size 50m; Chapter 17: Advanced RMAN Facilities 649 PART III 3. Create a schema to hold the catalog, using the new tablespace as the default tablespace: create user rman identified by rman default tablespace rman; 4. Grant privileges to the new schema: grant recovery_catalog_owner to rman; alter user rman quota unlimited on rman; 5. From an operating system prompt, launch the RMAN executable and connect to the catalog database as the new user: rman catalog rman/rman@catdb 6. Create the catalog: create catalog; 7. Exit from RMAN, and from an operating system prompt connect concurrently to both the catalog and the target: rman catalog rman/rman@catdb target / 8. Register the target and see if any RMAN backups have been made: register database; list backup of database; If no backups are listed, perform a full backup (as detailed in Chapter 15). 9. Exit from RMAN, and use SQL*Plus to query some views that will confirm that the target has been registered and that backups have been made: sqlplus rman/rman@catdb SQL> select dbid,name from rc_database; SQL> select db_id,bs_key,backup_type from rc_backup_set; Stored Scripts RMAN scripts can be stored as operating system files, and invoked from the command line. For example, if these two commands are saved into a file named rman_script.rmn, run {backup database plus archivelog delete all input; delete obsolete;} then the script can be invoked from an operating system prompt as follows: rman target / catalog rman/rman@catdb @rman_script.rmn However, if you have a catalog, you can use it to store scripts. There are six script- related commands: create [ global ] script replace [ global ] script print [ global ] script list [ global ] script names execute [ global ] script delete [ global ] script OCA/OCP Oracle Database 11g All-in-One Exam Guide 650 TIP There is no command to edit a script. However, you can query the views RC_STORED_SCRIPT and RC_STORED_SCRIPT_LINE to view scripts, and edit them by using DML against these views. Of course, you bypass all the syntax checking if you do this. The views will not show global scripts. The commands are all self-explanatory. By default, scripts are database-specific. If you want to run the same script against many targets, you must connect to each target and create it many times. But if the GLOBAL keyword is used, then the script will be visible to all targets. While global scripts are very useful, care must be taken to ensure that they will run against any target you wish. For example, if a script includes a FORMAT clause to name the backup pieces, the path element of the piece name would have to be different for Unix targets and Windows targets because of the different form of the directory delimiter on these operating systems. Extensive use of the CONFIGURE command will allow more use of global scripts, because the scripts behavior will then be modified transparently by each target. TIP You can convert RMAN scripts stored as operating system files to scripts stored within the catalog with this command: create script script_name from file 'file_name'; Figure 17-3 demonstrates the creation and running of a stored script. Note the automatic resync of the recovery catalog: this will update the catalog with any changes Figure 17-3 Creating and executing an RMAN stored script Chapter 17: Advanced RMAN Facilities 651 PART III that have occurred since the last resync, such as datafile adjustments and archivelog generation, so that the catalog will be aware of the current state of the database. Using RMAN to Create Databases To clarify some naming conventions, the target database is the existing database you want to copy. The auxiliary database is the new database created from the target. The target and the auxiliary may be on the same server or on different machines. The examples that follow assume that you are duplicating a database and instance named orcl to a database and instance named newdb. Here are the general steps to follow to create a duplicate database: 1. Install the Oracle Home on the node that will host the auxiliary database. 2. Create a password file for the auxiliary instance. 3. Ensure network connectivity to the auxiliary instance. 4. Create an initialization parameter file for the auxiliary instance. 5. Start the auxiliary instance as NOMOUNT. 6. Start the target database in MOUNT or OPEN mode. 7. Create backups or copy existing backups and archived redo log files to a location accessible to the auxiliary instance, unless you are using active database duplication. 8. Allocate auxiliary channels if necessary. 9. Run the RMAN DUPLICATE command. 10. Open the auxiliary instance. You must create a password file in the Oracle home for the auxiliary database. For example, orapwd file=$ORACLE_HOME/dbs/oranewdb password=oracle1 entries=3 Note that the location for all database password files is $ORACLE_HOME/dbs on Unix, or %ORACLE_HOME%\database on Windows. The file itself must be named ora<SID> on Unix, and PWD<SID>.ora on Windows, where <SID> is the new instance name. You must ensure network connectivity to the auxiliary. This will entail launching a listener process if the auxiliary is on a different server, and in any case configuring a tnsnames.ora file entry that will connect to the new instance. The next step is to create an initialization parameter file for the auxiliary instance, in the same location as the password file. Only DB_NAME must be specified; all other parameters are optional, depending on whether you use Oracle Managed Files or you want to specify an alternative location for one or more file destinations. Table 17-1 lists the parameters you can specify in the auxiliary initialization file along with their descriptions and under what circumstances they are required. OCA/OCP Oracle Database 11g All-in-One Exam Guide 652 Note that the DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT parameter can be specified when you run the DUPLICATE command. Here is an initialization parameter file for an auxiliary instance, using the CONVERT parameters to map the names of the target files to those to be used in the auxiliary: DB_NAME=NEWDB DB_BLOCK_SIZE=8192 CONTROL_FILES=('/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newdb/control01.ctl', '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newdb/control02.ctl', '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newdb/control03.ctl') DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT=('/u01/app/oracle/oradata/orcl/', '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newdb/') LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT=('/u01/app/oracle/oradata/orcl/', '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/newdb/', '/u06/app/oracle/oradata/orcl/', '/u06/app/oracle/oradata/newdb/') Using the initialization parameter file you just created, start the instance in NOMOUNT mode. Set your ORACLE_SID environment variable to the name of the new instance, and start it in NOMOUNT mode using the new parameter file. On Unix: export ORACLE_SID=newdb Initialization Parameter Value(s) Required? DB_NAME The name you specify in the DUPLICATE command, which must be unique among databases in the destination ORACLE_ HOME. Ye s CONTROL_FILES All controlfile locations. Yes, unless you use Oracle- Managed Files (OMF) DB_BLOCK_SIZE The block size for the duplicate database. This size must match the source database. Yes, if not using the default (which is 2KB) DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT Pairs of strings for converting datafile and tempfile names. No LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT Pairs of strings to rename online redo log files. No DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST Location for OMF datafiles. No, unless using OMF DB_CREATE_ONLINE_LOG_DEST_n Location for OMF online redo log files. No, unless using OMF DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST Location of the flash recovery area. No Table 17-1 Auxiliary Instance Initialization Parameters Chapter 17: Advanced RMAN Facilities 653 PART III Or on Windows, set ORACLE_SID=newdb and then treat the Windows service: oradim –new –sid newdb and then, sqlplus / as sysdba startup nomount If the target database is not already open, start it in MOUNT or OPEN mode. All datafile backups of the target, including incremental backups and archived redo log files, must be available on a file system accessible by the auxiliary instance. Alternatively, you can perform an active database duplication, in which case you do not have to create or copy backups for the operation in advance. Either way, the directories in which the auxiliary database files will be created must exist. Now use RMAN to connect concurrently to both the target database and to the newly started auxiliary instance. Allocate channels (possibly several, which may reduce the time needed) against both, and execute the DUPLICATE command. This must be done within a run block: rman target sys/oracle@orcl auxiliary sys/oracle@newdb run { allocate auxiliary channel a1 device type disk; allocate auxiliary channel a2 device type disk; allocate channel t1 type disk; allocate channel t2 type disk; duplicate target database to newdb;} This example will create the new database from existing backups. Alternative syntax to use the live database as the source rather than a backup is duplicate target database to newdb from active database; In summary, here is what the DUPLICATE command does: • Creates a controlfile for the duplicate database. • Restores the target datafiles to the duplicate database or copies directly from the running database. • Performs incomplete recovery up to the last archived redo log file. • Shuts down and restarts the auxiliary instance. • Opens the auxiliary database with the RESETLOGS option to create the online redo log files. • Generates a new DBID for the auxiliary database. OCA/OCP Oracle Database 11g All-in-One Exam Guide 654 The generation of a new DBID is critical: RMAN distinguishes databases by their DBID, not by their DB_NAME, and if a new DBID were not generated, RMAN would not be able to tell the two databases apart. A duplicate database can be used for many things, including the following: • Test backup and recovery procedures without disrupting the production database. • Create development and UAT systems. • Generate reports that would otherwise have a detrimental effect on the response time for an online transaction processing (OLTP) production system. • Export a table from the duplicate database that was inadvertently dropped from the production database, and then import it back into the production database. Tablespace Point-in-Time Recovery (TSPITR) Tablespace point-in-time recovery, or TSPITR, is a technique for performing incomplete recovery on just a part of the database. Incomplete recovery must, as a general rule, be applied to the whole database: as described in Chapter 16, all the datafiles must be restored, and rolled forward together. The TSPITR technique creates an auxiliary database from a subset of the tablespaces of the target database, performs an incomplete recovery on just this subset, and then replaces the tablespaces in the target database with those from the auxiliary. The end result appears as though just the subset has been restored and recovered, leaving the remainder of the target database up-to-date. Doing this manually would be a nontrivial task. The TSPITR Methodology RMAN facilitates automatic TSPITR, making it easy to restore the contents of one or more tablespaces to a previous point in time without affecting other tablespaces or other objects in the database. TSPITR is a useful recovery tool for these scenarios: • Corruption or deletion of rows in key tables that occur in a logically isolated tablespace; in other words, no indexes or parent/child relationships from objects in other tablespaces • Incorrect Data Definition Language (DDL) changes the structure of one or more tables in a tablespace, such that Flashback Table is not available to recover these tables • A table dropped with the PURGE option TSPITR is not a cure-all for all tablespace disasters. For example, you cannot use it to recover a dropped tablespace. You also cannot recover a renamed tablespace to a point in time before it was renamed. Chapter 17: Advanced RMAN Facilities 655 PART III First, some terminology: • Target time The point in time or SCN to which the tablespace(s) will be recovered • Recovery set The group of datafiles containing the tablespace(s) to be recovered • Auxiliary set Other datafiles required to recover the tablespace(s), such as the datafiles for the SYSTEM, UNDO, and TEMP tablespaces • Auxiliary destination A temporary location to store the auxiliary set of files, including online and archived redo log files, and a copy of the controlfile created during the recovery process The key to TSPITR is an auxiliary instance to facilitate the recovery process, as covered earlier in this chapter. The auxiliary instance does the work of restoring a backup controlfile from before the desired point in time, restores the recovery set and the auxiliary set from the target database, and finally recovers the database for the auxiliary instance to the desired point in time. Here is a complete list of steps that RMAN performs during TSPITR: 1. Starts an auxiliary instance with a randomly generated name. 2. Restores a controlfile to the auxiliary instance, and mounts the auxiliary database. 3. Restores the datafiles for the recovery set to the auxiliary database. 4. Restores the datafiles for the auxiliary set to the auxiliary database. 5. Recovers the auxiliary database to the desired point in time. 6. Exports the dictionary metadata for the recovered tablespace from the auxiliary database. 7. Imports the dictionary metadata for the recovered tablespace into the target database. 8. Deletes all auxiliary files. Steps 6 and 7 are critical. The export process writes out the definitions of all objects in the auxiliary tablespace set as they are at the point in time to which the recovery was made; the import process then reads this information into the target database, replacing all current definitions. This completes the process of taking the affected tablespace(s) back to a previous point in time, while leaving the remainder of the target database current. There is one final step that must be performed manually: bringing the recovered tablespace online. Perform Automated TSPITR Performing a TSPITR with RMAN is simple—but there are a few steps to be done before and after to ensure a successful operation. . '/u01/app /oracle/ oradata/newdb/control03.ctl') DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT=('/u01/app /oracle/ oradata/orcl/', '/u01/app /oracle/ oradata/newdb/') LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT=('/u01/app /oracle/ oradata/orcl/', '/u01/app /oracle/ oradata/newdb/', . OCA/ OCP Oracle Database 11g All-in-One Exam Guide 646 4. If you wish the new user to have privileges on databases already registered, issue this command: grant catalog for database dbname. the catalog database, with a command such as create tablespace rman datafile '/u01/oradata/orcl/rman01.dbf' size 50m; Chapter 17: Advanced RMAN Facilities 649 PART III 3. Create a schema