Re: Cold Backups

[I'm assuming UNIX here]

• Define a new instance by adding it to the file /etc/oratab
• Copy the init<sid>.ora+config<sid>.ora to their new names (i.e. init<sid>.ora+config<sid>.ora)
• Copy the controlfiles to their new destination, change their name where appropriate
• Copy all the logfiles to their new destination, change their name where appropriate
• Copy all the datafiles to their new destination, change their name where appropriate
• Edit the init<sid>.ora to change the location of the controlfiles to the location where you copied them.
• Change all other pathnames in the new init+config files to reflect the new location
• STARTUP MOUNT: i.e. start the new instance and open the new controlfile
• Issue a series of "ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE 'oldlocation' TO 'newlocation'" for each logfile
• Issue a series of "ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE 'oldlocation' TO 'newlocation'" for each datafile
• ALTER DATABASE OPEN
• The database works

[sidestep: If you want the TNS listener to export this database as well, update the listener.ora file.]

1. I skipped some hairy UNIX specifics: The init+config files are by default located in $ORACLE_HOME/dbs but these are usually softlinks to another location. Add new softlinks where appropriate.
2. Doing all this should be automated! There are too many steps to perform. If possible you should use "flexible programming" (TM) in this case: let your clone-a-database software figure iout how many control files there are, where they are, idem for log files, idem for datafiles. This way you can use the procedure even when you change something in the original database.
3. If you do not fully understand what is going on here the don't do it!

[Oops: you mention wordpad. I guess you are on NT. Same procedure except that new instances are created using a special command]

        Erwin

vmisetich_at_my-deja.com wrote:
>
> If I wanted to do this on the same machine, and I needed to edit my
> controlfiles, what tool would I use to do this? And what pieces of
> information would I need to change? I know pathnames were mentioned
> below, but is there anything else(SIDs, for example)that I would need
> to change? I took a look at a controlfile using wordpad, and I saw
> mostly weird characters and symbols, with a few pieces of intelligible
> information thrown in. So I'm guessing wordpad isn't the ideal tool to
> use.
>
> Thanks,
> Vince
>
> In article <37F8F140.473291F5_at_wxs.nl>,
> Erwin Dondorp <erwindon_at_wxs.nl> wrote:
> > > Suppose I have two Oracle 8.1.5 instances created (I’ll call them A
> and
> > > B). Suppose both instances are in NOARCHIVELOG mode. I want to
> make
> > > instance B a perfect copy of instance A. Could I accomplish this by
> > > taking a cold backup of instance A and restoring the cold backup
> into
> > > the appropriate directories belonging to instance B?
> >
> > Yes, but the copied controlfiles contain all the path names of the
> > datafiles and logfiles.
> > If you plan to do this on the same machine, you will have to rename
> the
> > filenames in the controlfile
> > before opening the database or you will be trying to use the original
> > datafiles.
> > You need to copy the init.ora and config.ora files as well to get
> > exactly the same behaviour.
> > The init.ora file contains the path names to the controlfiles so you
> > will need to change these
> > before mounting the database.
> >
> > If instance B is on a different machine it is much simpler.
> > Just use exactly the same pathnames.
> >
> > Erwin
> >
>
> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> Before you buy.

--
Erwin Dondorp
<http://www.wxs.nl/~erwindon> Received on Tue Oct 05 1999 - 13:48:50 CDT