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Cloning an Oracle Database

You can use the cloning feature to do the following:

  • Duplicate large databases in a short amount of time

  • Create test environments

  • Retrieve data quickly without without intensive resource use on the production environment

  • Alleviate the load on production servers

You can create a clone from an existing data and log volume full backup. When you create a clone, you must specify the reservation period. The system automatically shuts down the clone database and frees up all resources (including the snapshot clones on the storage array and ASM disk groups) when the reservation period expires.

Schedule clones to run periodically so that the clones are refreshed on a regular basis.

You cannot clone an Oracle 12c container database or pluggable database.

Before You Begin

  1. Have the backup administrator configure a client and a subclient for the clone feature.

  2. Verify that the Oracle database version on the destination database is the same as the one on the source database.

  3. Verify that the Oracle user in both the source and destination database servers has the same user ID.

  4. Install the Oracle Agent and the MediaAgent on the proxy.

  5. On the destination client 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.

  6. 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.

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

  8. Optional: Create an additional instance on the destination server with the same name as the clone database so that you can store the clone instance properties (for example, ORACLE_HOME).

  9. You can clone a database to the same or different computer. If you clone a database to an instance that resides on a proxy computer, the following criteria must be met:

    • The Oracle database version on the proxy computer must be the same as the one in the source database.

    • The proxy computer must have access to the storage array containing the source database volumes.

    • The Oracle user in both the source and destination computers must have the same user ID.

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

  10. Perform a full backup.

By default, the clone operation creates the control file and temp files in the staging path. 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.

Procedure

  1. From the navigation pane, go to Protect > Databases.

    The Instances page appears.

  2. Click the instance.

    The instance page appears.

  3. Click Instant clone.

    The Instant clone page appears.

  4. Determine the backup that you want to clone.

    • To clone the database from the most recent time, in the Recover to section, select Most recent backup.

    • To clone the database from a point in time, in the Recover to section, select Point in time. Then in the From time and To time boxes, click the calendar to specify the dates.

  5. In the Destination details section, provide the destination information.

    1. From the Destination server list, select the client that you want the clone to be on.

    2. In the Instance name box, type a name for the new instance.

    3. In the Oracle home box, type the full path to the destination Oracle home directory.

      If you have access to the destination client Oracle database, then the Oracle home path is populated automatically.

  6. Expand the Destination options node, and then provide the following details:

    1. Optional: In the PFile box, type the full path to the destination startup parameter file.

    2. Optional: In the Staging path box, type the full path to the location that the Oracle software uses to stage the clone.

    3. Optional: In the PGA +SGA size box, type or select the memory size (in MB) that you want to allocate for the Post Global Area (PGA) and System Global Area (SGA). The default value is 2048 MB.

    4. Optional: In the REDO log size box, type or select the minimum permitted size (in MB) for the redo log file. The default value is 50 MB.

  7. Expand the Clone options node, and in the Delete clone after boxes, type the number of days and hours that the software retains the test environment.

  8. Click OK.

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