Re: L:ist - Can do/do better in MS SQL than Oracle

Sybrand Bakker wrote:
>
> Sean M <smckeownNO_at_BACKSIESearthlink.net> wrote in message
>
> > OK, but how big were the individual databases? Lots and lots of smaller
> > databases - sure, I can see where RMAN might be great. Really big
> > databases? The jury is still out, it would seem.
>
> Couldn't it be 'the jury' aka you displays a fundamental unfounded
> distrust in RMAN, without even ever have it tried?

Well, yes, except for the unfounded part. I've founded my distrust in RMAN from it's lack of support of the kinds of tasks I do everyday with large databases (many of which I detailed in my response to Howard), along with numerous conversations I've had with early RMAN users who've run into serious bugs. If there's one piece of code I want to work flawlessly, it's my backup code.

Having said that, I really *like* the idea of RMAN and it's potential. From what I've read it's come a long way in the last release - more features, more stable, simpler interface/language. That's great. I think it's *almost* there for me. If it starts directly supporting EMC and NetApp, I'd probably convert.

> If you only consider the administrative chores RMAN relieves you from,
> that would be alone a proper reason to go for RMAN, and get rid of all
> those home grown hardcoded and hacked-together scripts.

Ah, but it's exactly the administrative chores that RMAN would *induce* that prevents me from switching right now. If I want to take a backup to and EMC bcv or take a NetApp snapshot, I must do it the old fashioned 'alter tablespace begin backup' way, which we already have nicely automated and scripted (hardly hard-coded or hacked). If I then wanted to add this bcv backup or snapshot to the RMAN catalog, I'd have to *add* administrative steps to do so, and it would buy me little or nothing right now.

The "proper" reason, as you say, to change to RMAN is if the product handles all your backup needs *and* does so more simply than your current setup. Right now it fails on both criteria for us.

Now, maybe I'm off my rocker, and all these problems are solved. If so, I'd love to hear about it - who out there is using RMAN with disk mirroring technologies like bcv's or snapshots and large (> 500 gig) databases? How often do you do full backups? Full restores? How long does it take you?

Regards,
Sean Received on Fri Mar 29 2002 - 09:56:38 CST