Re: Backups in Archive Log Mode

Brian Rankin wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> I'm running Oracle 8.1.7.3 in archive log mode, doing hot backups
> every night. At the end of the backup I switch logfiles during the
> backup, thus:
>
> -- Backup control file and switch logfiles
> alter database backup controlfile to trace;
> alter database backup controlfile to
> '/data02/orabackups/current/control.foo.
> 07May020300';
> alter system switch logfile;
> alter system archive log all;
>
> But, this results in an error in my alert log. It looks as if the log
> sequences gets out of sync. Notice the failure in log 1243:
>
> Tue May 7 03:07:42 2002
> alter database backup controlfile to trace
> Completed: alter database backup controlfile to trace
> Tue May 7 03:07:42 2002
> alter database backup controlfile to
> '/data02/orabackups/current/control.foo.
> 07May020300'
> Completed: alter database backup controlfile to '/data02/orab
> Tue May 7 03:07:46 2002
> Thread 1 advanced to log sequence 1244
> Current log# 1 seq# 1244 mem# 0:
> /data01/oracle/oradata/foo/redo03.log
> Tue May 7 03:07:46 2002
> ARC0: Beginning to archive log# 3 seq# 1243
> Tue May 7 03:07:46 2002
> ARCH: Beginning to archive log# 3 seq# 1243
> ARCH: Failed to archive log# 3 seq# 1243
> Tue May 7 03:07:46 2002
> ARC0: Completed archiving log# 3 seq# 1243
>
> I've had to restore the database from backup using the archive logs,
> so far no problem. What does this error mean?

Notice that ARC0 works but ARCH does not. Oracle can use more than one process for archiving to try get the workload through faster. Obviously it does not want more than one process going after a particular archived log - hence the message in the alert log.

As long as (for each archive log file) you see 'Completed archiving' then all is well

hth
connor

-- 
==============================
Connor McDonald

http://www.oracledba.co.uk

"Some days you're the pigeon, some days you're the statue..."