> Documentation > Backup and Restore Agents > Databases > Oracle > Oracle Backup Administrator Guide > Oracle Active Database Copy Management > Oracle Instant Clones > Oracle Instant Database Clones That Use Image Copy Followed by IntelliSnap

Creating an Instant Oracle Clone from the Commvault Disk Library

Use a backup copy when you want to create an instant clone from the Commvault disk library. This operation does not require the destination client to have access to the hardware array.

When you create a clone, you can specify a reservation period. When the reservation period expires the system automatically shuts down the clone database and frees up all resources. Use the Command Center to change the reservation period, or expiration date. For more information, see Managing Oracle Clones.

Schedule clones to run periodically so that they have the latest production data.

For information on how to clone Oracle 12c PDBs, see Cloning an Oracle 12c Pluggable Database (PDB).

You can have the Commvault software mask the data on the clone destination as part of the clone operation.

Note

Data masking and the Oracle Wallet feature cannot be used together on the cloned instance.

Before You Begin

  1. Verify that the Oracle database version on both the source database server and the destination database server are the same.

  2. Verify that the Oracle user in both the source database server and the destination database server have the same user ID.

  3. Verify that the Oracle Agent and the Media Agent packages are installed on both the source and destination database servers.

  4. On the destination database server where you want to create the clone database, create a directory for the mount path for the database clone files. This directory must be writable by the Oracle user.

    Note

    This is not a mandatory option when performing the instant clone from the Command Center.

  5. Do one of the following:

    • If the Oracle database version is 11.2.0.3.0, 11.2.0.3.1, or 11.2.0.3.2, install Oracle patch 13366202 or the latest Oracle 11gR2 Patch Set Update on the destination database.

    • If the Oracle database version is Oracle 12c, install at a minimum Oracle 12.1.0.2 with patch 19404068.

  6. Optional: If you want to create a clone of the source database as "clone1", create an additional instance on the destination client with the same SID as the clone database, that is, "clone1". This stores the clone instance properties. When you specify the clone options in the CommCell Console, the software pre-populates these properties.

  7. The clone operation creates the control file and temp files in the staging path, by default. If you want to change the location of the temp files, create a custom pfile and add the new path to the db_create_file_dest parameter in the pfile.

  8. If you clone a database to an instance that resides on a proxy server, the following additional criteria must be met:

    1. The Oracle database version on the proxy server must be the same as the version on the source database.

    2. The Oracle user in both the source and proxy server must have the same user ID.

    3. The Oracle Agent and the MediaAgent must be installed on the proxy.

    4. The proxy server must have access to the storage array that contains the source database volumes.

    5. Verify that you have subclients configured for IntelliSnap backup, or IntelliSnap with image copy or Volume Copy. For more information, see the following links:

  9. Creating an Instant Oracle Clone from a Disk CopyPerform a full backup. For more information, see Performing an Oracle Full Backup.

  10. When you create a clone from a disk or volume copy, the software needs space on the local disk cache so that it can cache the blocks that it retrieves. The minimum size for the cache is 2GB plus the estimated amount of data that will be changed in the database.

  11. Optional: Mask the data

    • Have the Commvault software mask the data on the clone destination as part of the clone operation. For more information, see Managing Oracle Data-Masking Policies.

      Make sure to note the policy name.

Procedure

  1. From the CommCell Browser, expand Client Computers > client > Oracle.

  2. Right-click the instance, point to All Tasks, and then click Clone.

  3. On the Clone Options dialog box, select Latest Backup, and then click View Content.

  4. In the right pane of the CommCell Browser window, select the entire database to clone, and then click Clone.

    The Restore Options dialog box appears.

  5. On the General tab, specify the destination details.

    1. From the Destination Client list, select the clone destination.

    2. To use the RMAN Recovery catalog, clear the NO CATALOG check box, and then in the Catalog Connect boxes, type the connect string.

  6. On the Clone Options tab, specify the clone details.

    1. Specify the destination database.

      Option

      Steps

      Use a pre-defined instance

      From the Instance list, select the destination.

      Use a database that is not in the list

      1. In the Instance list, type the database name.

      2. In the ORACLE HOME box, type the location of the Oracle HOME directory.

      3. In the ORACLE User box, type the database user ID.

    2. Specify the location of the startup parameter file in the PFile box (for example, /oracle/clone/initdup1.ora).

      If the file that you enter does not exist, the software creates the file and sets the parameters. The Oracle user must have writer permission for the startup file parameter directory.

      If the file that you enter does exist, the dump and control files must exist and have writer permissions for the Oracle user. The specified server parameter file must meet the following criteria:

      • The file must contain all the require Oracle initialization parameters

      • The Oracle user must have the read permission for the file

    3. Specify the path that will contain the Oracle database mounted snapshots, in the Snap Mount Location box (for example, /oracle/clone).

      Note

      The Oracle user must have write permissions to this directory. If you chose the option to create the server parameter file, the dump files are created in this directory, so there must be disk space to hold the logs until the reservation period expires.

    4. To have the software clean up any existing clone on the destination that has the same clone SID, regardless of the reservation period, select the Overwrite if clone exists check box.

    5. Have the Commvault software mask the data on the clone destination as part of the clone operation.

      1. Select the Mask Sensitive Data check box.

      2. From the Data Masking Policy list, select the policy the software uses to mask the data.

    6. Specify time to retain the test environment in the Reservation Period box.

      Note

      The default time to retain the clone is 1 hour. When this time expires, the software dismounts the database and deletes the mount point.

    7. By default, the system sets up two redo log groups, with one log file in each group. To override this configuration (location, number of groups, files), select the Online Log Files check box, and then select the Group option.

      1. Click Add.

      2. In the Type the Size of the online redo log file.

      3. Select the Size Specifications of the file from SizeSpec list.

      4. To allow the database to reuse an existing file, select the Reuse check box.

  7. On the Copy Precedence tab, select the Restore from Copy Precedence check box, and then in the Copy Precedence box, type the copy precedence number for the backup copy.

    Note

    If you choose a volume copy, then the local disk cache must have a minimum of free space that is 2GB plus the estimated amount of data that will be changed in the database.

  8. Optional: To use third-party data masking, on the Pre/Post tab, in the Post Recovery Command box, type the full path to the data masking script.

  9. Optional: Recover the database. On the Recover tab, select the database recover option:

    Choice

    Description

    Current Time

    Recover to the current time

    Point-in-Time

    Enter the date and time.

    Note: If the time zone is different on the CommServe computer and client, in the Time Zone box, select the client computer time zone.

    SCN

    The System Change Number (SCN) tracks the timing of transactions in the Oracle database. The SCNs are stored in the control files and the datafile headers. You can recover the database to the last existing SCN number in the control file, which is the last consistent database state.

    Latest Backup Time

    Recover to the latest backup job's completion time, which gets passed to the recover operation.

    This value is the Completion Time on the General Tab of the Job Details dialog box. To view the value, right-click the job, and then select View Job Details. For instructions, see Job Controller - Getting Started.

    Latest SCN Number

    Recover to the latest SCN.

    The latest backup job's Next SCN number is passed to the recover operation. This is the Next SCN on the General Tab of the Job Details dialog box. To view the value, right-click the job and then select View Job Details. For instructions, see Job Controller - Getting Started.

    Relative to System Date

    Recover to the number of days or hours relative to the current system date. The default option is to recover relative to the days.

    If you select the Days option, the valid values are 0-7.

    If you select the Hours option, the valid values are 0-23.

  10. On the Job Initiation tab, have the software automatically refresh the clone with the latest backup:

    1. Select Schedule.

    2. Click Configure Schedule Pattern.

      For information on how to configure a restore schedule, see Schedule Restores.

  11. Click OK.

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