Re: Want to check my steps for enabling auto archive log

L C wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Not an Oracle DBA by any means, but I have an Oracle 9i database I need to
> back up and want to use rman. So I need to enable auto archive log. I want
> to make sure my steps are correct.

No, you don't. Only, RMAN won't allow you to make backups while the database is up-and-running.
If that is not a requirement, try this (on a testbed!): #> RMAN

RMAN> connect target /
RMAN> shutdown immediate
RMAN> startup mount
RMAN> configure controlfile autobackup on;
RMAN> backup database format '[your favorite directory goes here]%U';
RMAN> alter database open;
RMAN> exit

> I will use the Enterprise Manager Console to enable Auto Archive, following
> this link http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/266835.htm.

Oh - OK, don't read the above :) Too late, eh?

> Here are my planned steps
> Stop my database and make a cold backup.
> Perform the auto archive enable from the above doc. This includes the
> immediate shutdown I have read about.
> Reboot the Server.

Don't understand the reboot thing...
There's no mention in the document (that is *NOT* about backups!)

> Seems rather simple, that concerns me - so another question is what can go
> wrong and how will I know it went bad.
>

Could be - archive log mode (versus noarchivelog mode) has *nothing* to do with backups. You need backups; you don't need archive log mode. Archive log mode allows for hot backups (db open, and active), and you need to backup the archived redo log files, but that's about all archive log mode and backups have in common.

-- 
Regards,
Frank van Bortel

Top-posting is one way to shut me up...