RE: Rman and database shutdowns UPDATE

Ron -

the text below is from the fine VMS manual. I suspect your SAs are referring to the backup/ignore=interlock command. I certainly would not rely on it as part of my Oracle Disaster Recovery plan. The cold backup decision sounds to me like a wise one.

BACKUP

     Invokes the Backup utility (BACKUP) to perform the following
     BACKUP operations:

     o  Make copies of disk files.

     o  Save disk files to a BACKUP save set.

     o  Restore files from a BACKUP save set to disk.

     o  Compare disk files with other disk files or files in a BACKUP
        save set.

     o  List information about the files in a BACKUP save set.

     o  Create and list BACKUP journal files.

     The two ways to back up your system disk are:

     o  If you have access to the CD-ROM for the current version of
        OpenVMS Alpha or VAX, you can use the menu system supplied on
        the CD-ROM to back up your system disk.

     o  If you do not have access to the CD-ROM for the current
        version of OpenVMS VAX, you must use standalone BACKUP to
        back up your system disk (VAX only). Standalone BACKUP is
        a form of the Backup utility (VAX only) that you boot into
        main memory (instead of executing under the control of the
        operating system).

     For more information about BACKUP and standalone BACKUP tasks
     refer to the OpenVMS System Manager's Manual.

     Format:

     BACKUP input-specifier output-specifier

  Additional information available:

  Parameters Qualifiers
/ALIAS /ASSIST /BACKUP /BEFORE /BLOCK_SIZE /BRIEF
/BUFFER_COUNT /BY_OWNER /COMMENT /COMPARE /CONFIRM /CONVERT
/CRC /CREATED /DELETE /DENSITY
  Example
/EXACT_ORDER /EXCLUDE /EXPIRED /FAST /FULL
/GROUP_SIZE /IGNORE /IMAGE /INCREMENTAL
/INITIALIZE /INTERCHANGE /JOURNAL /LABEL /LIST
/LOG /MEDIA_FORMAT /MODIFIED /NEW_VERSION
/NOINCREMENTAL /OVERLAY /OWNER_UIC /PHYSICAL /PROTECTION
/RECORD /RELEASE_TAPE /REPLACE /REWIND /SAVE_SET /SELECT
/SINCE /TAPE_EXPIRATION /TRUNCATE /UNSHELVE /VERIFY /VOLUME
  Examples

BACKUP Subtopic? /ignore

BACKUP
/IGNORE
        /IGNORE=option

     Command Qualifier

     Specifies that a BACKUP save or copy operation will override
     restrictions placed on files or will not perform tape label
     processing checks.

     The /IGNORE=option qualifier has the following options:

     ACCESSIBILITY    Processes files on a tape that is protected by
                      a volume accessibility character, or on a tape
                      created by HSC Backup. The option applies only
                      to tapes. It affects the first tape mounted and
                      all subsequent tapes in the save set.


     INTERLOCK        Processes files that otherwise could not be
                      processed due to file access conflicts. Use
                      this option to save or copy files currently open
                      for writing. You must have the user privilege
                      SYSPRV, a system UIC, or ownership of the volume
                      to use this option.
     LABEL_           Saves or copies the contents of files to the
     PROCESSING       specified magnetic tape volume regardless of
                      the information contained in the volume header
                      record. BACKUP does not verify the volume label
                      or expiration date before writing information to
                      the tape volume. Note that you cannot use this
                      option with the /EXACT_ORDER qualifier.
     NOBACKUP         Saves or copies both the file header record and
                      the contents of files marked with the NOBACKUP
                      flag by the /NOBACKUP qualifier of the DCL
                      command SET FILE. If you do not specify this
                      option, BACKUP saves only the file header record
                      of files marked with the NOBACKUP flag.

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2003 10:24 AM To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

Just got out of a meeting with the systems group. The Incremental backup was not working because the command was written wrong. There has been a decision to do cold backups each night.
 The system people swear that the OpenVms can successfully backup an open file (datafile) and have it recovered properly. They can backup it up with an Ignore flag that backups up open files?  I will go with a cold backup methodology. Ron
>>> RROGERS_at_galottery.org 02/12/03 10:18AM >>> List,

OS OpenVms 7.3-1
Oracle 8.1.7 rel 3
Archivelog mode.
 We are trying to work through backup issues here and I have a question.
The system nightly backup procedures backup up the disks used by Oracle
(software and data). A full backup works but an incremental does not backup any files. Inorder to get the changed files to be backed up as an
incremental the sysadmin shutdown the database to flag the files as changed.
Questions:
 How will the shutdown effect the RMAN backup if it does not know that it was shutdown for a cold backup?
Are there any possible problems doing a restore from the cold backup and then using the RMAN backup/restore?

 I am still trying to figure out the OpenVms OS. Perserverience required...!
Ron

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