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Performing Oracle RAC Archive Log Backup Operations

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An archive log backup captures the archive redo logs generated during database transactions.

Archive log backups are useful when you want to recover database transactions that have been lost due to an operating system or disk failure. You can apply these archive logs to an online backup in order to recover a database.

By default full backups include both data and archive logs. However, you can also perform separate archive log backups.

In order to perform a backup of the archive logs:

  • The database has to be in ARCHIVELOG mode.

  • The subclient must be configured for archive log backups. See Creating A Subclient for Log Backups for instructions on how to create a separate subclient for archive logs.

Best Practice: Configure a schedule to back up the logs before the archive log destination fills up to 80% of the disk space (Schedule Details dialog box, Start backup when disk at log destination is option). Select a backup type of Full in the Backup Options for Subclient dialog box. For information on how to configure an automatic schedule, see Creating an Automatic Schedule for Database Log Backups.

Procedure

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

  2. Right-click the subclient configured for the archive log backup and then click Backup.

  3. On the Backup Options for Subclient dialog box, select the backup type and initiation:

    1. In the Backup Type section, choose the backup type.

    2. If you selected the Cumulative check box, specify the backup incremental level in the Oracle Incremental Level box.

    3. In the Job Initiation section, specify whether to run the backup now or if it will be scheduled.

      Note

      If you selected Schedule, set up the schedule.

      For information on configuring a backup schedule, see Schedule Backups.

    4. Click Advanced.

      The Advanced Backup Options dialog box appears.

  4. Select the option to determine the logs to back up and delete.

    On the Backup Archive Logs tab, and Delete Archive Logs tab:

    Select the Delete Archive Logs check box and Backup Archive Logs check box.

    Choice

    Description

    All

    Backs up or deletes all logs

    Older than n Days

    Backs up or deletes logs older than the specified number of days

    Not Older than n Days

    Backs up or deletes logs not older than the specified number of days

    By Log Time

    Backs up or deletes logs in the specified time range.

    Select the Start Time and End Time check boxes and enter the start and end times of the logs.

    If you only specify the start log time, all logs are backed up from the start time to the current time.

    By Log Seq Num

    Backs up or deletes logs in a specified sequence range.

    The Log Sequence Number uniquely identifies an archive log. For example, if you create a database with two online log files, then the first file is assigned log sequence number1. When the first file fills, Oracle switches to the second file and assigns a log sequence number of 2.

    Select the Start Sequence Number and End Sequence Number check boxes and enter the beginning and ending sequence numbers

    By Sys change Num

    Backs up or deletes logs in the specified System Change Number range.

    The SCN is a stamp that defines a committed version of a database at a point in time. Oracle assigns every committed transaction a unique SCN. For example, SCNs of two successive committed transactions could be 576601 and 576799.

    Select the Start Sys chg Num and End Sys chg Num check boxes and enter the beginning and ending SCNs:

    The end serial number must be greater than or equal to the start serial number. •

    The start and the end SCN cannot be 0.

    If you provide only the start SCN, is the only one provided, only the logs starting that start from that sequence number are backed up.

    Like

    Backs up or deletes logs with a file name that starts with a specified string.

    Enter the string to match.

    Not Backed up

    Backs up or deletes logs that have not been backed up a specified number of times.

    Enter the number of times a log must be backed up.

  5. On the Backup Archive Logs tab, specify the location where the backed up logs are stored:

    1. Select the Archive Log Destinations for Backup check box.

    2. Click Add.

    3. On the Select an Archive Log Destination dialog box enter the full path to the directory where backed up archive logs will be stored.

    4. Click OK to close the Select an Archive Log Destination dialog box.

  6. Optional: Select advanced backup options.

    1. Click Advanced.

      The Advanced Backup Options dialog box appears.

    2. On the Oracle Options tab, in the Backup Tag box, enter a unique tag.

      You can include variables in the tag. For supported tag variables, see Oracle Tag Variables.

    3. To set the maximum number of bytes that the software reads during the backup operation, in the Throttle RMAN disk read (MB/sec) box, type the number of bytes. For more information, see Advanced Backup Options.

    4. Click OK to close the Advanced Backup Options dialog box.

  7. Optional: Set the backup load distribution across disks to improve performance. For more information, see Configuring the Disk Ratio for Oracle RMAN.

  8. Click OK to close the Advanced Backup Options dialog box.

  9. Click OK to close the Backup Options dialog box.

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