Restoring 64 bit database to 32 bit Server

From: Jared Still <jkstill_at_gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 14:43:13 -0700
Message-ID: <bf46380609081443p74b2efa2s713ac8fdb4a5bc12@mail.gmail.com>

Servers:
  Source server: 64 bit RedHat ES 4
  Target server : 32 bit RedHat ES4

Oracle: 9.2.0.7 - 64 bit on the 64 bit server - 32 bit on the 32 bit server.

What I am trying to do is restore an Oracle database from 64 bit server to a 32 bit server.

The assumption is that the source database is 64 bit, it has died, and took its storage with it.

The database has been backed up with RMAN, there is no RMAN repository, and autobackup of controlfiles is turned on.

The only server available to do a restore is a 32 bit RH server.

The database files for 32 bit and 64 bit Oracle are the same. The PL/SQL must be recompiled, but that has nothing to do with restoring the database.

The control files are however, different - they must be recreated when migrating from 32-bit -> 64 bit.
( see

http://download-west.oracle.com/docs/cd/B19306_01/relnotes.102/b15666/toc.htm#CHDGAJDG )

This is making it somewhat difficult to restore the database.

The controlfile can easily be restored to the 64 bit server, but not the 32 bit server.
Following are the results of attempting to do so:

SQL> get restore_0905_ctlfile.sql
  1 -- This procedure will restore the control file as text   2 declare

  3     devtype varchar2(256);
  4     done boolean;
  5  begin
  6     devtype := dbms_backup_restore.deviceallocate(type=>'sbt_tape');
  7     dbms_backup_restore.restoresetdatafile;

  8
dbms_backup_restore.restorespfileto('/u01/app/oracle/product/9.2.0/9ir2dev/dbs/spfilets01.ora');   9 dbms_backup_restore.restorebackuppiece('c-2182868868-20060905-01', DONE=>done);
 10 dbms_backup_restore.devicedeallocate;  11* end;
 12 /
-- This procedure will restore the control file as text *
ERROR at line 1:
ORA-19624: operation failed, retry possible ORA-19507: failed to retrieve sequential file, handle="c-2182868868-20060905-01", parms="" ORA-27029: skgfrtrv: sbtrestore returned error ORA-19511: Error received from media manager layer, error text: Backup file <c-2182868868-20060905-01> not found in NetBackup catalog

ORA-07202: sltln: invalid parameter to sltln.
ORA-06512: at "SYS.X$DBMS_BACKUP_RESTORE", line 1371
ORA-06512: at line 9

The file does exist, as I restored it to a 64 bit server.

The problem is that the datafiles cannot be restored without the controlfile.
A new controlfile cannot be created without the datafiles.

An interesting catch-22, no?

At this point, I am ready to try building a database with the identical datafiles, and then attempt the restore over the new files.
( I know what the datafiles are due to job that runs periodically that backs
up the controfile
  to trace - I restored the file manually from backups via NetBackup)

Any thoughts on another way to do this restore?

Thanks,

Jared Still
Certifiable Oracle DBA and Part Time Perl Evangelist

--
http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l

Received on Fri Sep 08 2006 - 16:43:13 CDT