Re: How to perform a simple full database backup

From: Howard J. Rogers <howardjr2000_at_yahoo.com.au>
Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2003 01:13:06 +1000
Message-ID: <ydCja.7806$1s1.117644@newsfeeds.bigpond.com>

"cpchan" <cpchaney_at_netvigator.com> wrote in message news:b6mr10$qom1_at_imsp212.netvigator.com...
> I feel most people will use tar command to backup Oracle RDBMS on UNIX
> machine rather than Oracle's backup and restore functions.
> Actually, I have tried Oracle's backup and restore functions in my own
> Windows 2000 Advanced Server, but it requires that Oracle Management
Server
> must be installed first.
> So tar command is a very simple method comparing with Oracle's backup
> function.
> Do you agree.

No.

For starters, what do you mean by Oracle's 'backup and restore functions'? Do you mean RMAN? If so, what's so complicated about it (admittedly in 9i): "backup database;" is about as simple as it's possible to get!

Secondly, using RMAN does NOT require that you use the Oracle Management Server. Only if you insist on using the GUI front-end to RMAN is that a requirement. But RMAN is a command-line tool, and needs nothing more than a DOS window to be effective.

Third, I'm all in favour of O/S backup solutions (of which tar is just one), provided you remember that you can never, ever backup Oracle files which are actually in use. You *must* shut down your database first before invoking tar, otherwise the resulting backup will be useless.

You can of course do backups whilst the database is in use ('hot backups') provided you go about it in the right way ...but simply launching tar isn't it.

Regards
HJR Received on Sat Apr 05 2003 - 09:13:06 CST