Re: RMAN Recovery Question

The concept is the same -- whether you use RMAN or not. Afterall, RMAN is not actually recovering the database -- it is issuing the 'recover database...' command -- which is where your question lies.

The database knows where to get the transactions. Once you restore the missing datafiles and issue the recover database command, Oracle will look at the controlfile and realize what is needed to bring that restored datafile up to the current SCN. It may need transactions from archived logs (or it may not), it may need transactions from the online logs (or it may not). Point is, unless you cancel the recovery before completion, tell it to recover only til a certain SCN or point in time, Oracle will look in all the necessary archivelogs or online logs. Of course point-in-time recovery requires restoring all the datafiles, not just the missing ones.

RMAN helps to coordinate getting all the needed archivelogs from tape or the missing datafiles, but it is the database that actually does the recovery.

Recovery is more complicated if you suffer the loss of your controlfiles and online logs. But then, you should be taking steps to insure that doesn't happen. Received on Thu Apr 14 2005 - 14:38:59 CDT