EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide P/N 300-006-990 REV A02 EMC Corporation Corporate Headquarters: Hopkinton, MA 01748-9103 1-508-435-1000 www.emc.com
Copyright 2003-2009 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Published June, 2009 EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change without notice. THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED AS IS. EMC CORPORATION MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in this publication requires an applicable software license. For the most up-to-date regulatory document for your product line, go to the Technical Documentation and Advisories section on EMC Powerlink. For the most up-to-date listing of EMC product names, see EMC Corporation Trademarks on EMC.com. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. 2 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
Contents Preface Chapter 1 Introduction Naming conventions used in this guide... 20 Importance of backups... 20 Product features... 20 Scheduled compared to manual backups... 21 Deduplication backups and restores... 21 Probe-based backups... 23 Proxy backups and restores... 24 VMware support... 25 Archived redo log backups... 25 Control file autobackup... 25 Automatic channel allocation... 26 Backup and restore optimization... 26 Backup copies... 27 Backup of backup sets... 29 Cluster and RAC backups and restores... 29 Configuration wizards... 30 Internationalization (I18N) and localization (L10N)... 33 Oracle Data Guard support... 36 Parallelism... 36 Policy uniformity... 37 Restartable backups... 37 Retention policies... 38 Save set bundling... 39 Other Oracle features... 44 Software used in the NMO environment... 47 NetWorker software... 47 NMO software... 48 NetWorker PowerSnap Module software... 48 Oracle backup and recovery system... 49 NMO components... 51 NMO backup and restore processes... 52 Regular scheduled backup processes... 53 Regular manual backup processes... 54 Deduplication backup processes... 55 Regular restore processes... 57 Deduplication restore processes... 58 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide 3
Contents Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Software Configuration Configuration roadmap... 62 Verify the Oracle Server configuration... 63 Verify the NetWorker resources... 63 NetWorker Server resource... 63 NetWorker user group privileges... 64 NetWorker Schedule resource... 66 NetWorker Device resources... 66 NetWorker volume pools... 66 Firewall support... 67 Configuring I18N support... 67 Requirements for I18N support... 68 Configure I18N support... 68 Configure L10N support... 69 Migrating a legacy configuration with the nsrnmoadmin command...69 Requirements for using the nsrnmoadmin command for migration... 70 Migration command syntax and options... 71 Configuring a backup with the NMC wizard...72 About the backup configuration wizard... 72 Requirements for using the backup configuration wizard... 73 Configure a backup with the wizard... 73 Configuring a backup with the NMC legacy method...75 About backup configuration with the legacy method... 75 Create RMAN scripts for backups... 75 Customize the nsrnmo script... 79 Configure a Group resource with NMC... 86 Configure a Schedule resource with NMC... 87 Configure a Client resource with NMC... 87 Configure save set bundling... 91 Configure policy uniformity... 92 Configuring a deduplication backup... 93 Requirements for a deduplication backup... 94 Best practices for a deduplication backup... 94 Configure a deduplication backup... 95 Configuring a probe-based backup... 97 Requirements for a probe-based backup... 97 Configure a probe-based backup... 97 Backup Procedures Manual backup procedures...104 Requirements for a manual backup... 104 Manual backup through the RMAN command line interface... 105 Manual backup through Oracle Enterprise Manager Backup Management Tools... 105 NetWorker server bootstrap backup... 106 Cancel a manual backup... 107 Monitor a manual backup... 108 Scheduled backup procedures...110 Test a scheduled backup... 110 Cancel a scheduled backup... 111 Monitor a scheduled backup... 112 Automation of NSR_SERVER and NSR_GROUP parameter settings... 113 Regular backup information in NetWorker indexes...114 Deduplication backup information in NetWorker indexes...115 4 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
Contents Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Data Restore and Recovery About restore and recovery... 118 NetWorker indexes and policies used for restores... 118 Recovery configuration wizard... 118 RMAN scripts for restore and recovery... 121 Performing an Oracle data restore and recovery... 123 Requirements for an Oracle data restore... 123 Restore through the RMAN command line interface... 125 Restore with Oracle Enterprise Manager Backup Management Tools... 126 Perform an Oracle data recovery... 127 Disaster Recovery About disaster recovery... 130 Preparing an Oracle database for disaster recovery... 130 Create the DBID text file... 131 Set up a postcommand script for backup of Oracle-related files... 131 Set up RMAN backups of the database and related files... 132 Set up RMAN backups of Recovery Catalog... 132 Performing a disaster recovery... 133 NetWorker server recovery... 133 Oracle disaster recovery to a new host... 133 Sample postcommand script... 134 Cluster and RAC Systems Considerations for cluster and RAC systems... 138 Parameters in the RMAN script or session... 138 NetWorker software configuration... 139 Backup failover... 139 Cluster systems... 139 Roadmap for backup/restore configuration in a cluster system... 140 Backup failover... 140 RAC systems... 140 RAC terminology... 140 RAC backups and restores... 141 Roadmap for backup/restore configuration in a RAC system... 141 Setting up RAC nodes to back up to a local storage node... 142 Connect-time failover... 144 Creating RMAN backup scripts... 146 Creating RMAN restore scripts... 146 Archived redo logs... 147 Proxy Backups and Restores Overview of proxy backups and restores... 150 Types of proxy backups... 150 Types of proxy restores... 151 Proxy backup and restore system... 151 Proxy backup processes... 153 Scheduled proxy backup... 154 Proxy restore processes... 159 Instant restore or rollback... 160 Restore from secondary storage... 161 Software configuration roadmap... 163 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide 5
Contents Basic configurations... 163 Additional configurations for proxy operations... 163 Proxy backup requirements...171 Checking configuration consistency... 171 Performing proxy backups... 172 Proxy backup information in the NetWorker indexes...174 Entries in the client file index... 175 Entries in the media database... 175 NWORA resource file backup in the NetWorker indexes... 176 Proxy restore requirements... 177 Creating RMAN scripts for proxy restores... 177 Performing proxy restores... 178 Relocating files during proxy restores... 179 Restoring to a different host... 180 Point-in-time recoveries without a Recovery Catalog... 181 Catalog synchronization for proxy backups...181 Extra entries in the catalogs... 181 Control file versus recovery catalog... 183 The NWORA resource file... 183 Automatic catalog synchronization with the nsroraclecat program... 191 Proxy backups and restores on cluster systems...194 Proxy backup failover... 194 Proxy backups from a virtual cluster client... 195 Proxy backups from a physical cluster client... 196 Restores from proxy backups on a cluster system... 197 Appendix A Appendix B Parameters in an RMAN Session Setting the NSR* parameters... 200 NSR* parameter definitions... 201 RMAN Commands The delete expired backup command... 210 The change...crosscheck and crosscheck commands... 210 The pool option of the backup command... 210 The send command... 211 Syntax rules... 211 Two ways to run the send command... 213 Precedence rules... 215 The set duplex command... 215 The trace option of the backup command... 217 6 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
Contents Appendix C Troubleshooting and Error Messages Troubleshooting tips... 220 RMAN error messages... 221 NMO error messages... 222 Error messages from the libnwora library... 223 Error messages from the nsrnmoadmin program... 231 Error messages from the nsrnmoinfo program... 233 Error messages from the nsrnmoprobe program... 235 Error messages from the nsrnmostart program... 236 Glossary Index EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide 7
Contents 8 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
Figures Title Page 1 Regular Oracle backup and recovery system... 50 2 Regular scheduled NMO backup... 54 3 Regular manual NMO backup... 55 4 Deduplication NMO backup... 57 5 Regular NMO restore... 58 6 UNIX Client resource for scheduled backups... 90 7 Windows Client resource for scheduled backups... 91 8 Oracle backup messages in Sessions tab of Monitoring window... 108 9 Oracle backup messages in Devices tab of Monitoring window... 109 10 Oracle backup messages in Log tab of Monitoring window... 109 11 Group details for regular scheduled backups... 113 12 Proxy backup and restore system... 153 13 Scheduled instant backup... 156 14 Scheduled immediate live backup... 158 15 Deferred live backup... 159 16 Instant restore or rollback... 161 17 Restore from secondary storage... 162 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide 9
Figures 10 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
Tables Title Page 1 NMO components... 51 2 NetWorker Server resource attributes... 63 3 User group privileges required for NMO operations... 65 4 Options of the nsrnmoadmin command for migration... 72 5 NetWorker Client resource attributes... 88 6 NetWorker Probe resource attributes... 98 7 PowerSnap parameters... 167 8 NWORA parameter resources... 184 9 NWORA SID resource components... 186 10 Parameters in the RMAN command or script... 201 11 Option values in the send command... 213 12 Set duplex command values... 216 13 Trace option values and conditions traced... 217 14 Error messages from the libnwora library... 223 15 Error messages from the nsrnmoadmin program... 231 16 Error messages from the nsrnmoinfo program... 234 17 Error messages from the nsrnmoprobe program... 235 18 Error messages from the nsrnmostart program... 236 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide 11
Tables 12 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
Examples Title Page 1 Using the configure channel command with parms option for automatic channels.. 26 2 Specifying parameter values per automatic channel... 26 3 Using the set backup copies command in the RMAN script... 28 4 Using automatic channels for backup copies... 28 5 Expiring a backup... 38 6 Save set bundling for a one-week scheduled backup cycle of a tablespace... 42 7 Save set bundle join... 43 8 Splitting a save set bundle across volumes... 43 9 Using save set consolidation to re-unite a save set bundle... 44 10 RMAN script for a manual backup... 75 11 RMAN script for AES encryption during an Oracle backup... 76 12 RMAN script for a scheduled backup... 77 13 RMAN script for a manual deduplication backup... 96 14 Possible Command Options settings for the nsrnmoprobe program... 99 15 Multiple probes for a probe-based backup... 100 16 RMAN script to restore a tablespace... 121 17 RMAN script to restore an AES encrypted backup... 122 18 RMAN script to restore from a specified pool... 122 19 Sample nsrnmoinfo commands for Oracle restores... 125 20 Volume information displayed by the nsrnmoinfo command... 125 21 Sample postcommand script on UNIX... 134 22 Sample postcommand script on Windows... 135 23 Setting up RAC nodes as storage nodes... 142 24 RMAN script for a manual Oracle backup on a RAC system... 146 25 RMAN script for an Oracle restore on a RAC system... 146 26 RMAN scripts with multiple channels... 165 27 PowerSnap parameter settings... 168 28 PowerSnap parameter settings for a Celerra NAS device... 168 29 Proxy backup failure... 172 30 Proxy backup entries in the client file index... 175 31 Proxy backup entries in the media database... 176 32 Resource file backup entry in the client file index... 176 33 Resource file backup entry in the media database... 176 34 RESTORE_TYPE_ORDER parameter settings... 177 35 Symbolic link specified in the set newname command... 180 36 Relocation of a raw volume... 180 37 Default NWORA parameter resources... 186 38 NWORA SID resource... 187 39 Connection file contents... 188 40 Proxy backup entries in the index of a physical cluster client... 196 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide 13
Examples Title Page 41 Proxy backup entries in the index of a virtual cluster client... 197 42 A send command sets the parameters for a specified channel... 212 43 An rman send command sets a parameter for all channels... 214 44 Order of parameters set according to the precedence rules... 215 14 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
Preface As part of an effort to improve and enhance the performance and capabilities of its product lines, EMC periodically releases revisions of its hardware and software. Therefore, some functions described in this document may not be supported by all versions of the software or hardware currently in use. For the most up-to-date information on product features, refer to your product release notes. If a product does not function properly or does not function as described in this document, please contact your EMC representative. Audience Related documentation This document is part of the EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle (NMO) documentation set, and is intended for use by system administrators and Oracle database administrators (DBAs) who are responsible for installing software and maintaining the Oracle Server backup and recovery systems. Operators who monitor Oracle database backups may also find this document useful. Readers of this document are expected to be familiar with the following topics: Oracle terminology and concepts, especially those related to Oracle database backup and recovery. Backup and recovery procedures on an Oracle Server. Disaster recovery procedures on an Oracle Server. Documentation related to the use of this product can be found at the EMC website, http://powerlink.emc.com, including: The NetWorker Module for Oracle release 5.0 documentation set: Administration guide Installation guide Release notes Command reference guide The NetWorker documentation set: Administration guide Installation guide Release notes Command reference guide Disaster recovery guide Other EMC documentation: NetWorker PowerSnap Module documentation Software compatibility guide UNIX man pages EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide 15
Preface The following additional documentation may be useful: Oracle Server documentation Oracle database backup and recovery documentation Conventions used in this document EMC uses the following conventions for special notices. Note: A note presents information that is important, but not hazard-related.! CAUTION A caution contains information essential to avoid data loss or damage to the system or equipment.! IMPORTANT An important notice contains information essential to software or hardware operation. Typographical conventions EMC uses the following type style conventions in this document: Normal Used in running (nonprocedural) text for: Names of interface elements (such as names of windows, dialog boxes, buttons, fields, and menus) Names of resources, attributes, pools, Boolean expressions, buttons, DQL statements, keywords, clauses, environment variables, functions, utilities URLs, pathnames, filenames, directory names, computer names, links, groups, service keys, file systems, notifications Bold Used in running (nonprocedural) text for: Names of commands, daemons, options, programs, processes, services, applications, utilities, kernels, notifications, system calls, man pages Used in procedures for: Names of interface elements (such as names of windows, dialog boxes, buttons, fields, and menus) What the user specifically selects, clicks, presses, or types Italic Used in all text (including procedures) for: Full titles of publications referenced in text Emphasis (for example, a new term) Variables Courier Used for: System output, such as an error message or script URLs, complete paths, filenames, prompts, and syntax when shown outside of running text Courier bold Used for: Specific user input (such as commands) Courier italic Used in procedures for: Variables on the command line User input variables < > Angle brackets enclose parameter or variable values supplied by the user [ ] Square brackets enclose optional values 16 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
Preface Vertical bar indicates alternate selections - the bar means or { } Braces indicate content that you must specify (that is, x or y or z)... Ellipses indicate nonessential information omitted from the example Where to get help Your comments EMC support, product, and licensing information can be obtained as follows. Product information For documentation, release notes, software updates, or for information about EMC products, licensing, and service, go to the EMC Powerlink website (registration required) at: http://powerlink.emc.com Technical support For technical support, go to EMC Customer Service on Powerlink. To open a service request through Powerlink, you must have a valid support agreement. Please contact your EMC sales representative for details about obtaining a valid support agreement or to answer any questions about your account. Your suggestions will help us continue to improve the accuracy, organization, and overall quality of the user publications. Please send your opinion of this document to: SSGdocumentation@EMC.com If you have issues, comments, or questions about specific information or procedures, please include the title and, if available, the part number, the revision (for example, A01), the page numbers, and any other details that will help us locate the subject you are addressing. EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide 17
Preface 18 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
1 Introduction This chapter includes the following major sections: Naming conventions used in this guide... 20 Importance of backups... 20 Product features... 20 Software used in the NMO environment... 47 NMO components... 51 NMO backup and restore processes... 52 Introduction 19
Introduction Naming conventions used in this guide Consider the naming conventions used throughout this guide: Administrator Microsoft user and a member of the Microsoft Windows Administrators group are used interchangeably. Oracle Server host refers to the host where both the Oracle Server and EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle (NMO) software are installed. Proxy backup or restore refers to an Oracle RMAN proxy copy backup or restore that is implemented by using snapshot technologies through the PowerSnap Module software. Unlike the NetWorker software, which uses the term recover for all data retrieval activities, Oracle distinguishes between restoring and recovering a database: Restore refers to retrieving individual datafiles from backup and storing the files on disk. Recover refers to applying the redo logs to make the database consistent. This guide follows the Oracle terminology. Regular backup or restore refers to an NMO backup or restore of Oracle data that does not use snapshot technologies through the PowerSnap Module software. "UNIX" refers to both UNIX and Linux operating systems, unless specified otherwise. "Windows" refers to all the supported Microsoft Windows operating systems, unless specified otherwise. Importance of backups The reliability of computer equipment has improved greatly in recent years, but system and hardware failures still occur, sometimes with catastrophic results. In a client/server environment, data can be lost due to hardware failures and user errors. Software bugs, procedural flaws, and simple user errors are common problems that necessitate database restores from backup storage media. A viable backup strategy can help in the recovery from disastrous situations. Database administrators must recognize the importance of performing regular backups of database files and frequent backups of archived redo logs. If all archived redo logs are lost, a database can be recovered only to the time of the last consistent backup. Without backups and archived redo logs, the database cannot be recovered at all. Product features The following sections describe major features of the NMO, Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN), and Oracle Server software. Certain sections refer to the send command, which is used to set parameters in the RMAN script for an NMO backup, as described in The send command on page 211. The Oracle backup and recovery documentation provides more details on RMAN backups and restores and Oracle product features. 20 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
Introduction Scheduled compared to manual backups An NMO backup can be either a scheduled or manual (unscheduled) backup: A scheduled NMO backup includes the following features: The backup is initiated by the NetWorker server. The backup start time depends on the settings in the NetWorker resources. A regular scheduled backup starts at a time specified in the NetWorker Group resource. A probe-based backup (or event-based backup) is a type of scheduled backup that starts when specified conditions are met, as described in Probe-based backups on page 23. A proxy backup is only supported by using a scheduled backup, as described in Proxy backups and restores on page 24. A manual NMO backup includes the following features: The backup is initiated by a user on the NMO host through an Oracle backup utility, which can be RMAN or Oracle Enterprise Manager. The backup is performed by running the Oracle utility from the operating system command line. For example, a user starts a manual NMO backup by running an RMAN backup script from the command line. Chapter 2, Software Configuration, provides details on the configuration of both scheduled and manual backups. Chapter 3, Backup Procedures, provides details on scheduled and manual backup procedures. Deduplication backups and restores NMO 5.0 software provides new support for deduplication backups and restores. The NetWorker Module for Oracle release notes provides details on the NetWorker requirements for the support of deduplication operations. Main features of deduplication operations An EMC Avamar server (on Linux) interacts with the NetWorker server and NMO software during deduplication backups and restores. The Avamar server is configured as a NetWorker deduplication node, and deduplicates the data from various clients, including the NMO clients. (The Avamar server must also be available when a deduplication client resource is created.) The initial backup to a deduplication node (Avamar server) will be a full backup. During subsequent deduplication backups, the Avamar server identifies redundant data blocks on the NMO client host and backs up only the unique blocks (not entire files) that contain changes. Only a single instance of any unique (atomic in Avamar terminology) data block is maintained on the Avamar server. Since data deduplication is performed on the client host, deduplication backups typically require less time, network bandwidth, and storage space than regular NMO backups. Product features 21
Introduction The Avamar client-side binary, nsravtar, is installed on the NMO client with the NetWorker client software. During a deduplication backup, the nsravtar process sends the deduplicated client data to the Avamar server. A deduplication NMO backup uses a hash cache on the client side. The Avamar and NetWorker documentation provides more details about caches in deduplication backups. The following sections describe the processes involved in deduplication backups and restores: Deduplication backup processes on page 55 Deduplication restore processes on page 58 A deduplication backup can be a manual or scheduled backup, including a probe-based backup. The application of browse and retention policies and the selection of media pools is the same for a deduplication backup as for a regular NMO backup. Since only the backup metadata (hash ID) is stored on the NetWorker backup device (generating a very small save set), the device should be configured as an advanced file type device (AFTD). The NetWorker administration guide provides more information. You must configure a scheduled or manual deduplication backup according to Configuring a deduplication backup on page 93. Deduplication backup information in NetWorker indexes on page 115 describes the backup information stored in the NetWorker indexes, and how to delete the backups. Features not supported with deduplication operations Deduplication operations do not support the following: Oracle proxy backups or restores. Cluster or RAC backups or restores. Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). AES encryption of deduplicated data through the NSR_AES_ENCRYPTION parameter. Checksumming of deduplicated data through the NSR_CHECKSUM parameter. Compression of deduplicated data through the NSR_COMPRESSION parameter. If NSR_AES_ENCRYPTION, NSR_CHECKSUM, or NSR_COMPRESSION is set for a deduplication backup, NMO applies the AES encryption, checksumming, or compression, respectively, to only the metadata that is stored on the NetWorker storage node. Cloning or staging of deduplicated data on the Avamar server. Only the metadata stored on the NetWorker storage node can be cloned or staged. However, deduplicated save sets on the Avamar server can be replicated to another Avamar server that has been configured as a replication node by EMC Professional Services. Avamar documentation and the NetWorker administration guide provide details on replication of deduplication backups. 22 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
Introduction Probe-based backups NMO 5.0 software provides new support for probe-based backups (also known as event-based backups). A probe-based backup is a type of scheduled backup: The NetWorker server starts a regular scheduled backup based on a time interval. The NetWorker server starts a probe-based backup when specified conditions are met. The NetWorker Module for Oracle release notes provides details on the NetWorker requirements for the support of probe-based backups. Probe-based backups are not supported for proxy backups or cluster/rac environments. Workflow of probe-based backups A probe-based NMO backup starts when both of the following are true: (Condition 1) The current time is within a specified window of time (the backup window, defined by the probe start time and probe end time in the probe-enabled backup group resource). One of the following conditions is met: (Condition 2) A specified amount of time has elapsed since the previous probe-based backup. (Condition 3) One or all of the probes associated with the backup are successful, depending on the probe success criteria specified in the backup configuration. The probe success criteria can be set in the NetWorker Group resource to the value Any or All. At specified probe intervals, the NetWorker server performs the following: 1. The server checks for condition 1, to determine if the current time is within the backup window. 2. If condition 1 is met, then the server checks for condition 2, to determine if a specified amount of time has elapsed since the last probe-based backup: If condition 2 is met, then the server starts the probe-based backup. If condition 2 is not met, then the server checks for condition 3, to determine if one or all of the probes are successful: If the probe success criteria is set to Any, and any one of the probes is successful, then the server starts the probe-based backup. If the probe success criteria is set to All, and all of the probes are successful, then the server starts the probe-based backup. Product features 23
Introduction Types of probes There are two different types of probes: An NMO probe. The NMO probe is implemented through the NMO program nsrnmoprobe. The nsrnmoprobe program returns a successful result (signifying that the condition being checked has been met) when it detects either of the following: The number of Oracle redo logs generated since the previous probe-based backup exceeds a number known as the change threshold. A new database incarnation (reset log) has occurred since the previous probe-based backup. User-defined probes. A user-defined probe checks if any other user-defined condition (other than the number of generated Oracle redo logs) has been met since the previous probe-based backup. (This option requires more advanced configuration.) To implement a user-defined probe, you must create a new script or program that checks for the condition, as described in Configuring a probe-based backup on page 97. You must configure the required parameters and NetWorker resources to specify the probe interval, backup window, and any other settings for a probe-based backup. Configuring a probe-based backup on page 97 provides details on how to configure a probe-based backup. Proxy backups and restores Proxy backups and restores provide continuous snapshot-based protection and availability of Oracle data on specific types of primary storage. A proxy operation involves both the NMO software and a specific PowerSnap Module. The EMC Information Protection Software Compatibility Guide on the EMC Powerlink website provides a list of supported PowerSnap Modules. Proxy backups create point-in-time copies or snapshots of Oracle data, store the snapshots on primary storage devices supported by the PowerSnap Modules (for Symmetrix, CLARiiON, and so on), and optionally back up the data to secondary storage (such as tape) from the point-in-time copies. Proxy restores are used to restore the Oracle data that is backed up during the proxy backups. Chapter 7, Proxy Backups and Restores, provides more information on proxy backup and restore operations. 24 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
Introduction VMware support NMO 4.5 provided support for regular backups and restores of an Oracle database installed on a VMware Virtual Machine (VM) on an ESX server. NMO 5.0 extends this support with the support for the following advanced features of a VMware ESX server: VMotion The VMotion feature enables migration of virtual machines from one ESX server to another while the servers are on. The migration is seamless to the applications running on the virtual machines, and a user does not experience any disconnection. If a migration occurs during an NMO backup or restore, the backup or restore is not interrupted. VMware documentation provides details on the VM requirements for VMotion. Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) The DRS feature enables dynamic balancing and allocation of resources across multiple ESX servers. Depending on the DRS policies set by the user, the DRS can migrate or recommend that users migrate a virtual machine to a different ESX server by using VMotion. DRS can also start (at boot-up time) a virtual machine on a different ESX server. Since this feature uses VMotion, if a migration occurs during an NMO backup or restore, the backup or restore is not interrupted. The NetWorker Module for Oracle release notes provides details on the NetWorker requirements for the support of VMware features. Archived redo log backups Archived redo log backups enable recovery of the database to its predisaster state. Without archived redo log backups, the database can be recovered only to the time of the last consistent Oracle backup. In this case, transactions that occurred between the time of the last consistent backup and the time of the database corruption will be lost. Archived redo logs can be backed up by using the appropriate option of the RMAN backup command. Ensure that the NMO backups of archived redo logs are enabled. Backing up all archived logs from each node on page 147 provides a sample script to back up the archived redo log files in a RAC system. The appropriate Oracle backup and recovery documentation provides more information on setting up and running archived redo log backups. Control file autobackup RMAN performs a control file autobackup after each RMAN backup command if the control file autobackup has been enabled with the configure controlfile autobackup on command. Use this feature to restore the backup entries contained in the control file when the control file is lost and the Recovery Catalog is not available. Specify persistent settings for the control file autobackups with the configure controlfile autobackup command. For example, enable control file autobackup and specify the persistent setting for the format of the control file autobackup name with the following commands: configure controlfile autobackup on configure controlfile autobackup format for device type sbt_tape to /NMO_%f/ Product features 25
Introduction If the control file autobackup is set to on and the RMAN backup is performed with NMO, the control file autobackup will also be performed with NMO. As a result, one or more channels of device type sbt_tape must be allocated for the restore. Note: Oracle also supports autobackup of the current server parameter file together with control file autobackup. Automatic channel allocation RMAN supports automatic channel allocation. This feature enables the configuration of persistent settings for automatic channels, for use in all RMAN sessions.! IMPORTANT Manual and automatic channels are mutually exclusive and cannot be mixed in an RMAN session. The format of an automatic channel name of the device type for NMO backups and restores is ORA_SBT_n or ORA_SBT_TAPE_n, where n is the channel number. Do not use this name format for manual channel allocation for NMO. Otherwise, RMAN reports an error. With automatic channel allocation, specification of the send command before the backup or restore command causes the following error: RMAN-06422: no channels found for SEND command You must use the configure channel...parms... command to set the NSR* parameters for automatic channels for an NMO backup. Do not use the send command or option to set the NSR* parameters for automatic channels if you plan to use scheduled backups. Table 10 on page 201 lists all the NSR* parameters and their requirements. Example 1 Using the configure channel command with parms option for automatic channels Automatic channels are configured for NMO backups with the NetWorker server server1.emc.com by typing the following configure channel...parms... command: configure channel device type sbt_tape parms ENV=(NSR_SERVER=server1.emc.com) This command sets the default parameters for all the automatic channels. Example 2 Specifying parameter values per automatic channel Specific NSR* parameter values can be set for different channels (for example, a separate setting of parameter NSR_GROUP for each channel) by typing the configure channel n device type...parms... command, where n represents a channel number. An NMO debug file is specified for the second automatic channel by typing the following configure channel command: configure channel 2 device type sbt_tape parms ENV=(NSR_DEBUG_FILE=/db/logs/backup.log) Backup and restore optimization If backup optimization is enabled with the configure backup optimization on command, RMAN skips selected files during a backup, based on several criteria. The Oracle backup and recovery documentation provides more details on these criteria. 26 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
Introduction Note: - To force a backup that would otherwise be skipped due to backup optimization, use the force option in the backup command. - When RMAN skips a backup due to backup optimization, it does not produce an error message. However, RMAN does issue a warning message similar to the following: skipping archive log file...! IMPORTANT When using Oracle backup optimization with NMO backups and restores, run the crosscheck command regularly to synchronize the Recovery Catalog and NetWorker indexes. This ensures that backups expired by the NetWorker server are also marked as expired in the Recovery Catalog and RMAN does not skip a backup when a referenced backup has already expired in NetWorker. The restore optimization function prevents RMAN from restoring a file if the original file is already in the correct location and contains the expected information. Note: To force a restore that would otherwise be skipped due to restore optimization, use the force option in the restore command. Backup copies! IMPORTANT If more than one RMAN channel is used for backup copies of an NMO backup, parameter values set with the send command or option are passed by RMAN to the first backup channel only. Due to this send command limitation, NMO does not support the use of RMAN backup copies commands during scheduled backups. NMO supports backup copies with manual backups only. Use the RMAN commands for backup copies only during manual backups when the parameters NSR_SERVER, NSR_DATA_VOLUME_POOL, NSR_DATA_VOLUME_POOL1, NSR_DATA_VOLUME_POOL2, and NSR_DATA_VOLUME_POOL3 are set with the parms option, not with the send command or option. The set duplex command is deprecated (no longer supported by Oracle, but still functional in some Oracle releases). The Oracle documentation provides more details. Despite the fact that RMAN provides different commands for duplexing backups, the rules for duplexing through NMO remain the same as with the set duplex command. Separate NetWorker pools must still be defined for each copy. The set duplex command on page 215 provides more information on the set duplex command and setting up NetWorker pools for each copy. Product features 27
Introduction Manual backups can be duplexed (up to four copies) by using one of the following commands: The configure...backup copies for device type sbt_tape to... command specifies persistent settings for duplexing backups through NMO. For example, specify persistent settings for duplex copies of datafiles and archived redo logs (respectively) in NMO backups with the following types of configure commands: configure datafile backup copies for device type sbt_tape to 2 configure archivelog backup copies for device type sbt_tape to 2 The backup command with the copies option applies to objects within the backup command. The backup...copies setting takes precedence over the persistent settings in the configure...backup copies command. The set backup copies command applies to all backup objects in the same run job. In the following examples, the parms option is used to configure the channel and set the required parameters. These sample scripts must be invoked manually with RMAN, for example, by using the following command: rman cmdfile script_name Example 3 Using the set backup copies command in the RMAN script The following RMAN script uses the set backup copies command to generate the backup copies. The parameters are set with the parms option, as required. The RMAN script must be invoked for a manual backup, not a scheduled backup: run { set backup copies 4; allocate channel ch1 parms ENV=(NSR_SERVER=server_name, NSR_DATA_VOLUME_POOL=nmo1, NSR_DATA_VOLUME_POOL1=nmo2, NSR_DATA_VOLUME_POOL2=nmo3, NSR_DATA_VOLUME_POOL3=nmo4) ; backup format '%d_%u' tag tag_name (tablespace 'SYSTEM' ); release channel ch1; } Example 4 Using automatic channels for backup copies The following configure commands are used to configure RMAN automatic channels. (The configure commands could also be included in the RMAN script.) The configure...backup copies command generates the backup copies. The parameters are set with the parms option, as required. The RMAN script must be invoked for a manual backup, not a scheduled backup: configure default device type to sbt_tape ; configure datafile backup copies for device type sbt_tape to 4; configure channel device type sbt_tape parms ENV=(NSR_SERVER=server_name, NSR_DATA_VOLUME_POOL=nmo1, NSR_DATA_VOLUME_POOL1=nmo2, NSR_DATA_VOLUME_POOL2=nmo3, NSR_DATA_VOLUME_POOL3=nmo4) ; 28 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
Introduction The RMAN script invoked for the manual backup is as follows: connect target sys/oracle@test; run { backup format '%d_%u' tag tag_name (tablespace 'SYSTEM'); } Backup of backup sets RMAN supports the backup of backup sets. If Oracle data has been backed up with device type disk, NMO can be used to back up these backup sets from disk to NetWorker volumes. For example, to back up all backup sets from disk to NetWorker volumes in a tape device, use the following command: backup device type sbt backupset all The backup set on disk can also be deleted with the delete input option in the backup device type sbt backupset... command. For example, to back up the backup sets that were created on disk more than a week ago and then remove the backup sets from disk, use the following command: backup device type sbt backupset completed before sysdate-7 delete input Cluster and RAC backups and restores The NMO software supports backups and restores of cluster and Real Application Cluster (RAC) systems for high availability and parallelism. A cluster system typically includes multiple nodes connected by a shared SCSI bus to which common storage is attached. Cluster services such as disk services can be defined and assigned their own IP addresses and names (virtual hosts). The services and their associated storage can migrate for failover between the physical nodes in the cluster. After a cluster service is configured as a NetWorker client, NMO can be used with NetWorker server software to back up and restore an Oracle database associated with the service, independent of the actual node that provides the service. A RAC system enables multiple Oracle instances across multiples nodes to access the same Oracle database at the same time. Oracle RAC is based on a cluster software infrastructure that provides concurrent access to the same storage and the same set of datafiles from all nodes in the cluster. All the database files reside on cluster-aware shared disks. After RAC and the associated cluster system are properly configured, NMO enables Oracle backups on either a single node or several nodes of the RAC system. A parallel Oracle backup uses Oracle instances running in parallel on multiple nodes of the cluster. NMO software supports restores of the Oracle data to any physical node in the cluster, regardless of which physical node originally performed the backup. Chapter 6, Cluster and RAC Systems, provides more information on cluster and RAC systems and how to configure the systems for Oracle backup and restore operations that use the NMO software. Product features 29
Introduction Configuration wizards NMO 5.0 software supports new backup and recovery configuration wizards that are integrated with the NetWorker Management Console (NMC). The configuration wizards used in NMO release 4.5 or earlier are replaced by the NMC-based wizards in NMO release 5.0. Configuration wizard plug-in components are installed with the NMO software on the NMO client host. NMC loads the NMO wizard plug-in at run time. You can run the NMO wizards from the NetWorker Console Administration window, which you can start on any supported host by using a web browser session and specifying the Console server URL. The NetWorker Module for Oracle release notes provides details on the NetWorker requirements for the support of the NMC-based configuration wizards. Main features of the wizards The configuration wizards can be used to configure the following for an NMO client: Scheduled Oracle backups (either typical or customized). Configuring a backup with the NMC wizard on page 72 provides details on using the backup configuration wizard. RMAN scripts for Oracle data restores to the original host. RMAN scripts for Oracle database duplication to either a local or remote host. Recovery configuration wizard on page 118 provides details on the recovery configuration wizard. The configuration wizards support NetWorker servers and clients in a stand-alone or cluster environment. The new wizards provide improved security and ease of management for backup and recovery configurations, compared to the wizards from NMO release 4.5 or earlier. Features of the backup configuration wizard The backup configuration wizard can perform the following: Configure a new NetWorker Client resource for an NMO backup. Configure a new or use an existing NetWorker Group resource for the backup Client resource. Configure new or use existing browse and retention policies for the backup Client resource. Optionally save a copy of the configuration settings from the Client resource to a nsrnmo script or RMAN script. Modify a backup configuration that was created with the NMC-based NMO configuration wizard. Modify a backup configuration that was created either with the wizard from NMO release 4.5 or earlier, or with the legacy method, but only after the configuration has been migrated according to Migration of configurations for the wizard on page 32. 30 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide
Introduction Note: NMO 5.0 still supports the legacy method of backup configuration whereby you manually create a nsrnmo script and RMAN script, set any required parameters in the NWORA resource file, and configure the NetWorker resources with NMC (without the wizard). Configuring a backup with the NMC legacy method on page 75 describes the legacy configuration method. Configuring a backup with the NMC wizard on page 72 provides information on using the wizard to create or modify a backup configuration. Features of the recovery configuration wizard Features of the recovery configuration wizard on page 119 provides information on the features of the recovery configuration wizard. Backup configuration storage with the wizard The backup configuration wizard stores the configuration information in a new hidden attribute named Backup Config in the NetWorker Client resource. Do not modify the new attribute manually. If you use the wizard to create a backup configuration, you must use the wizard to modify the configuration. In a backup configuration created with the wizard, the Client resource stores the parameters and RMAN commands (except for sensitive data, such as passwords) that would have been stored in the nsrnmo and RMAN scripts and NWORA resource file in NMO release 4.5 or earlier. Note: The backup configuration wizard stores sensitive data securely by using NetWorker lockbox services. The wizard does not automatically generate a nsrnmo script and RMAN script, but provides an option to save configuration settings to a nsrnmo script or RMAN script on disk. These scripts are meant for reference use only. When you run a backup that was configured through the wizard, the backup does not access any nsrnmo or RMAN script file that the wizard saved to disk. Instead, the backup accesses the configuration information that the wizard stored in the Client resource. The wizards do not store any database connection passwords in any RMAN scripts that are saved to disk. The backup configuration wizard also sets the following values in the Client resource: Backup Command attribute is set to: nsrnmostart -C [-c virtual_client] Save Set attribute is set to: RMAN:/<database_Net_service_name>_level[/<name_of_first_tablespace _or_datafile>] where: database_net_service_name is the the name of the Oracle database to be backed up. level is the Oracle backup level (full, incr_differential, or incr_cumulative). name_of_first_tablespace_or_datafile is the name of the first tablespace or datafile in the backup list. This name is included in Save Set attribute only if a partial database (subset of the entire database) is selected for backup. Product features 31
Introduction Features not supported with the wizards The configuration wizards cannot perform the following: Configure backups or restores in a RAC environment. Configure proxy backups or restores that require a PowerSnap Module. Proxy backups and restores must be configured without the wizard, as described in Chapter 7, Proxy Backups and Restores. Configure two different database backups in the same Client resource. A separate Client resource must be created for each database to be backed up on the same client host. Modify a backup configuration that was created either with the wizard from NMO 4.5 or earlier, or with the legacy method, unless the configuration has been migrated according to Migration of configurations for the wizard on page 32. Migration of configurations for the wizard The backup configuration wizard stores the scheduled backup configuration in the Client resource by using a configuration storage framework that is incompatible with the configurations created either through the wizard from NMO release 4.5 or earlier, or through a legacy method (without a wizard). The backup configuration wizard can modify only the following types of backup configurations: Configurations created with the new wizard. Configurations migrated to the configuration storage framework that is supported by the new wizard. If you have a backup configuration that was created with the wizard from NMO release 4.5 or earlier, or with a legacy configuration method, you must migrate the configuration before you can use the new wizard to modify it. The recommended migration method is to use the nsrnmoadmin command, as described in Migrating a legacy configuration with the nsrnmoadmin command on page 69. Note: Migration of a proxy backup configuration is not supported. Requirements for using the nsrnmoadmin command for migration on page 70 describes the requirements and limitations of migration with the nsrnmoadmin command. Migration converts legacy configuration files and resources (the nsrnmo script, RMAN script, NWORA resource file, and Client resource) to the configuration storage framework used by the new wizard. Migration with the nsrnmoadmin command does not create a new Client resource; the migration modifies an existing Client resource, such that you can then use the wizard to modify it. The migration process stores the following in a hidden attribute in the Client resource: Environment variable settings extracted from the nsrnmo script. (Any scripting commands in the nsrnmo script are ignored.) RMAN commands and options extracted from the RMAN script. NSR_BUNDLING, NSR_INCR_EXPIRATION, and NSR_ORACLE_NLS_LANG settings extracted from the NWORA resource file. 32 EMC NetWorker Module for Oracle Release 5.0 Administration Guide