8.1.7.x, ARCHIVELOG & a NetApp Filer

Hi. Hoping someone can help me a little. I'm the Unix admin of our site, not the DBA, and I'm a little disturbed by our DBA's resistance on a few things. Hope someone can offer their opinions.

We have Oracle databases served by Alphas and sitting on a NetApp filer. What I understand, we run in NOARCHIVELOG mode. Our backup strategy is nightly exports of the databases which are then shoved to tape. Well, I've been tasked with reviewing a purchase request for a redundant Filer with NetApp's SnapMirror product. NetApp (from everything I read) suggests running your databases in ARCHIVELOG mode and storing archive/redo logs on their own separate volume. What I think I understand is the only redo logs really needed are ones where the sequence number is greater than the sequence number in any datafile. NetApp appears to reccomend something like a full-DB snapshot at one time interval (4-8 hours or greater) and a snapshot of the archive/redo logs at a more frequent interval (1 hour or less, depedent on urgency).

Now, my "look he's an idiot" questions:
* Would I REALLY have to keep all archive/redo logfiles since the last cold
backup? Or would maintaining logs from the previous 5-7 days in a standalone snapshotted volume suffice? Keep in mind this is a principally failover system, not a full-out backup system.
* Our DBA is more inclined to leave things alone (NOARCHIVELOG) and snapshot
the entire database at greater frequency. Opinions? (mine says this approach sucks, but not being too Oracle wise has me grasping at the reasons).
* Has anyone else implemented SnapMirror? Opinions, good or bad? (email
unless you want to share with the group).
* What else should I consider?

Any assistance anyone can provide would be appreciated. I've had this thrust upon me with no Oracle background and no Filer background (the training class is next month).

-r Received on Mon Sep 10 2001 - 13:28:04 CDT