Re: online backups

Brian Weedman wrote in message <7vmt5p$vij$1_at_nnrp1.deja.com>...
>
>
> I have a question about doing online backups.
>
> We currently have archive logging enabled. Our Unix system
> admins are backuping the oracle database by doing
> a alter tablespace begin backup and
> then issuing a unix cp command to copy the datafile(s) for that
> tablespace. Then they issue the alter tablespace end backup.
>
> The question is this. while they are backuping up (takes about 31/2
> hours to complete) we are performing table loads. These loads
> are truncating tables and then programs are inserting into them.
>
> Will this cause the backup files to be possibly corrupt?

No the files will not be corrupt. the whole idea of hot or online backups is to allow the database to be avaialble 24 x 7 and allow transactions including updates / deletes etc.

>
> Will the truncate cause problems since this is a non-logged action?

The truncate command will be logged, but the there are no deletes , and it is that that causes there to be no logging.

> Can you safely do a backup while mass updates/inserts and truncates
> are being performed?

Yes, although, this will naturally create much greater amounts of redo which in turn has to be backed up along with the datafiles.

>--
>Brian Weedman
>brianw_at_my-deja.com
>
>
>Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
>Before you buy.
Received on Tue Nov 02 1999 - 08:54:34 CST