oracleas 10gR2 backup

Hi

I am configuring Oracle Application Server 10gR2 backup script on Linux. bkp_restore.pl

I have some doubts about the backup procedure. In the documentation to perform a full middle tier backup we have to carry out these steps:

1. Backup the middle tier Oracle Home using tar or cpio.
2. Backup the middle tier Configuration Files using this command: bkp_restore.sh -m backup_config

I wonder why I have to backup the config files when I have just made the whole ORACLE_HOME backup?

The documentation gives this reason,

*The reason for doing a configuration file backup immediately after backing
up the entire Oracle home is that it provides a snapshot of your initial configuration files, in case you start to reconfigure your system and then would like to restore the configuration files to their original state.*

I dont really understand what is it talking about, not sure if its my English. It seems to me that it is saying that in the case of when I restore the full oracle home backup and I start modifying the config files if I want to rollback the modificacions instead of restoring the whole ORACLE_HOME I can restored the config files backup from step 2? Or it is saying something else which I dont get it?

Also does anyone know the difference between

*bkp_restore.sh -m backup_config* and

*bkp_restore.sh -m backup_online*
**

I cant figure out the difference :-(

TIA LSC

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