Cloning an Oracle PDB from a Snapshot Backup

You can create a clone of an Oracle PDB from a snapshot backup without a production database interruption, so that you can do the following:

• Create test environments

• Move a PDB to an additional CDB

• Recover a dropped PDB

  To recover a dropped PDB, use the Time Range option, and set the backup time to the most recent backup time when the PDB existed.

You can create a clone from the latest backup, or from a point-in-time backup.

When you clone a PDB, the Commvault software duplicates the CDB and PDBs that you want to clone to an auxiliary instance in a staging path that you specify. The software stages the CDB, and then unplugs the PDBs from the staged CDB, and plugs them in to the new CDB.

The following rules apply to the destination CDB:

• If you do not have a catalog, then you cannot use "/" in the target connect string.

• To use an account other than 'sys', you must grant the SYSDBA privilege to the user account.

Notes:

• Oracle supports CDBs in Oracle version 12c and more recent versions.

• A user that has the SYSBACKUP privilege cannot clone a PDB.

• The following statements apply when you have a Windows configuration:

  • You cannot clone an instance that uses "/" for the connect string. This is the default for all instances that the Commvault software automatically discovers.

  • The Oracle home user that you use for the instance must have the same credentials as the local administrator when the local administrator is configured for the Commvault Oracle instance properties.

Before You Begin

• Perform a full backup, or an incremental backup with a subclient configured for Oracle pluggable databases.

• Verify that the staging path meets the following staging space requirements:

  • Persistent snap engine: 2 x (Size of CDB$ROOT + Size of PDBs to be cloned)
    This amount of staging space is also needed for making a clone from the primary copy.
  • Non-persistent snap engine to restore archive logs: Size of (CDB$ROOT) + size of (PDBs to be cloned) + the space required for the staging logs.
    Assume the space required for the staging logs as: (size of (CDB$ROOT) + size of (PDBs to be cloned) x .2

• Verify that the destination path has enough free space for the PDBs that you clone.

Procedure

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

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

3. In the Browse and Restore Options dialog box, select the backup to use for the clone:

   • To create the clone from the latest backup, select Latest Backup and click View Content.

   • To create the clone from a point-in-time backup, make the following selections:

     1. Select Time Range and then select Absolute Time.

     2. Select the Time Zone, then select End Time.

     3. In the End Time area, select or enter the date and time.

     4. Click View Content.

        Note

        To recover a dropped PDB, set the End Time to the most recent backup time when the PDB existed.

4. From the browse window, select the database in the left pane, then select the PDBs to restore in the right pane. Click Recover All Selected.

   The Oracle Restore Options dialog box appears.

5. On the Oracle Restore Options dialog box, click PDB Clone, then click Next >.

   The Oracle PDB Clone Options window appears.

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

   1. In the Destination Client list, select the destination client that has the CDB that will contain the clone PDBs.

   2. In the Catalog Connect box enter the Oracle catalog connect string credentials:

      • Enter the catalog user name.

      • Enter the catalog user password.

      • Enter the Oracle service name.

   3. Click Advanced.

      The Oracle Advanced Restore Options dialog box appears.

7. On the Auxiliary Instance tab, specify the auxiliary instance information:

   1. Optional: In the PFile box, type the full path to the PFile that the software uses when it creates the instance, or browse to it.

      If you do not specify a PFile, the Commvault software automatically creates a file.

   2. In the Staging Path box, type the full path to the location where the software creates the auxiliary instance, or browse to it.

   3. To have the software automatically clean up the instance after it creates the clone, select the Cleanup Auxiliary check box.

8. On the PDB Clone tab, specify the PDB clone information:

   1. To redirect all the clone tablespaces and datafiles to a new location, select the Redirect All Table Spaces/Database to check box, and then in the box, type the full path to the new location, or browse to it.

   2. To rename a PDB, in the row for the PDB, in the Clone PDB Name box, type the new PDB name.

   3. To redirect PDB datafiles, in the row for the PDB, in the Datafiles Directory box, type the full path to the new PDB datafiles directory.

   4. Repeat the steps for all PDBs.

9. To automatically move the database to the correct mode before the restore, on the Options tab, select the Switch Database Mode for Restore check box.

10. Click OK to close the Oracle Advanced Restore Options dialog box.

11. Click OK to start the restore.

Result

The selected PDBs are cloned to the new CDB.