Re: Backup and Restore in a DMZ

From: Holger Marzen <holger_at_marzen.de>
Date: 1 Mar 2002 06:54:02 GMT
Message-ID: <a5n8ia$igh$1@bluebell.marzen.de>

On 28 Feb 2002 14:36:48 -0800, Relational DBA wrote:

>> No big problem, but the machine is located in a DMZ - I cannot have
>> connections to other db servers or fancy clicky flashy enterprisy tools.

>
> I do not claim to be the biggest Information Security consultant of
> all times, but IMHO Oracle does not belong in the DMZ. I strongly
> recommend that you reconsider.

That DMZ is not connected to the Internet. These zones are just to separate one customer from another.

>> Controlfiles and the rest of the operation system is backed up daily. I
>> use rman without a repository and save the whole db (backup database),
>> switch log and archive the logs (db is in log archive mode).

> Construct your backup/recovery strategy so that you eventually end up
> with a bunch of files. Just ftp them files to the place from where you
> can put 'em on tape/backup media. However, I suggest opening FTP
> access right before copying them files and closing it immediately
> after that.

I never transfer files fith ftp because of security reasons. Scp is much better.

>> As I have read I cannot do a timestamp recovery with that data. Is that
>> true? Can I do a complete recovery including the last database backup
>> and roll forward with all the available logs?

> The control file is where the information about last SCN is stored,
> along with a bunch'a other crap. If you overwrite it with an old one
> you won't be able to do point-in-time recovery with re-applying redo
> logs.

Can I do a backup of the current controlfile? I could save this together with the archived logs.

>> Another question:
>> Would it be possible to mirror the online logs via NFS on another
>> machine, so I'd even could roll forward the data with the remaining log
>> if the db machine completely blows up and has to be replaced and
>> reinstalled?

> NFS is by far not the most secure network service. There's a lengthy

The NFS-server would be in the same DMZ.

> list of known vulnerabilities. Allowing NFS is asking for some serious
> trouble. Besides, NFS is not a speed demon, so your performance will
> be sluggish. Try OS-level mirroring instead, and move them Oracle
> outt'a DMZ.

I already do OS mirroring. But what if the machine melts down. Unlikely, but I want to find out the best backup stragey (no data loss at all). Saving archive logs to tape (or a safe place) is the out-of-the-box stragegy and the amount of lost data is too high for that application/customer. That's why I considered using NFS.

But we have an external disk array. I think I should instruct Oracle to have 2 logs in a set and have one copy on the local RAID and another on the remote RAID.

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Received on Fri Mar 01 2002 - 00:54:02 CST