Oracle Agent General Agent FAQs

When does a non-full backup automatically get converted to a full backup?

When you select the backup type as Full in the CommCell Console and enter the backup type as Incremental in the customize script, the job will run as Full.
When you select backup type as Incremental in CommCell Console and enter the backup type as Full in the customize script, the job will run as Full. The Job Manager will treat this job as Incremental (on the job controller and the job history and the job report). This job is pruned when it reaches the data retention date.
When a storage policy is changed and the backup type is switched to full from the job manager, the increment level is changed to 0.
If you do not enter the backup type in the customize script, then the system picks up the backup type selected in CommCell Console.
If a table level job fails in the archive index phase, Commvault marks the job as Completed With Errors (CWE), and the next job will be converted to a full backup.

Can we edit the RMAN script with required functionality?

Yes, see Customizing Oracle RMAN Scripts from the CommCell Console for Backups or Customizing Oracle Restore RMAN Scripts for restores.

How is the data retrieved during browse and restore operations?

When you browse or restore data, the browse function returns the requested data based on the latest backups available. The browse function does this by using the current date and time as the effective date.

Can we perform a control file restore from an autobackup with a customized format?

Yes. You can change the default control file autobackup format from Oracle server.

By default, the customized control file autobackup formats are saved in Oracle server in the format shown in the following example:

“c-4193674049-20111121-03”(%F).

c =“control file”

4193674049—----------is the Database id(DBID)

20111121-------------is the current date (in the form of “YYYYMMDD”)

03-------------------is hexadecimal number (starts with 00 and ends with FF)

Connect to target database and configure control file autobackup format for device type.

Example:

[oracle@oracleg ~]$ rman target sys/orab52@orab52
 Recovery Manager: Release 11.2.0.1.0 - Production on Mon Nov 21 15:21:31 2011
Copyright (c) 1982, 2009, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
connected to target database: ORAB52 (DBID=4193674049)
RMAN> configure controlfile autobackup format for device type sbt_tape to 'cf_%d_%F';

Configure the RMAN configuration parameters using target database control file

Example:

using target database control file instead of recovery catalog

new RMAN configuration parameters:

CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP FORMAT FOR DEVICE TYPE DISK TO 'cf_%d_%F';
new RMAN configuration parameters are successfully stored
RMAN>

How do we delete archive logs from a flash recovery area that is protected?

When the Oracle database is configured to save archive logs in the Flash recovery area, backup jobs will fail if the Oracle subclients have both the Backup Recovery Area and the Archive Delete options enabled at the same time.

To avoid such backup failures you need to configure two different subclients, one for Backup Recovery Area and the other for enabling Archive Deletion option for deleting Archive logs.

What is the behavior of archive files if you restart an offline backup job?

By default, the offline full backup jobs restart from the beginning. The archive files that are created in the earlier attempt are still marked valid. The size of the application in the restarted job will increase from the earlier attempt of this backup job.

If we submit restore from the latest offline restarted jobs, the data from the archive files that are created after the job is restarted will also be restored.

How do we configure backups on Oracle Exadata Database machines?

In order to back up Oracle Exadata machines do the following:

Install the Oracle agent on all the Exadata nodes.
Create a RAC pseudoclient that includes all the Exadata nodes.
Run the backups on the pseudoclient. The backups are performed using RMAN scripts.

MediaAgents cannot be installed on Exadata database machines. They communicate with the Exadata nodes using an InfiniBand network during the backup.

How do we configure backups on Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer machines?

Run the following steps:

Install the Commvault Oracle agent on each compute node in the user domain (DomU).
Configure the instances for backup.

Can we switch the current log file when the archive log destination is 100% full and a data backup is scheduled?

While configuring a subclient to perform data backups in subclient properties section, Disable Switch Current Log will remain grayed out. as we do not allow disabling log switch while taking a backup to complete a clean data backup.

If the archive destination is 100% full, Oracle cannot switch log file and include new client connections.

Perform any of the following, if the archive destination is 100% full:

Perform a backup from a log only subclient, if it is available, so that you can backup only the logs. If a log only backup subclient is not available, create a log only subclient and perform a backup.
Change the archive log destination to a new location and then perform a backup.

Use the following commands to change the archive log destination to a new location:
```
alter system set log_archive_dest_1='LOCATION=/newlocation/newlocation’;
```

Can we view the RMAN script of the merge incremental backup job?

View the RMAN script of the merge incremental backup job using the RMAN script preview.

Example:

run {
 allocate channel MI1 type disk PARMS="SBT_LIBRARY=/store1/axxxxx4/<company name>/Base/libobk.so,BLKSIZE=1048576,ENV=(CV_mmsApiVsn=2,CV_channelPar=MI1 )" TRACE 0;
 backup incremental level 1 for recover of copy with tag 'ORA_MERGE_mic' cumulative database include current controlfile;
 backup incremental level 1 for recover of tag 'ORA_MERGE_mic' archivelog all not backed up 1 times;
 release channel MI1 ;
 }
 exit;
 run {
 allocate channel MI1 type disk
 PARMS="SBT_LIBRARY=/store1/axxxxx4/<company name>/Base/libobk.so,BLKSIZE=1048576,ENV=(CV_mmsApiVsn=2,CV_channelPar=MI1 )" TRACE 0;
 allocate channel ch1 type 'sbt_tape'
 PARMS="SBT_LIBRARY=/store1/axxxxx4/<company name>/Base/libobk.so,BLKSIZE=1048576,ENV=(CV_mmsApiVsn=2,CV_channelPar=ch1 )" TRACE 0;
 recover copy of database with tag 'ORA_MERGE_mic';
 release channel MI1 ;
 release channel ch1 ;
 }
 exit;

When do we configure a static listener?

If the Oracle connect string uses a dynamic listener, you must configure a static listener to perform:

Offline backups with lights out script when the Oracle database is in open mode
Database restores with the switch database mode when the Oracle database is in open mode

Can I use a deduplicated storage policy for log backups?

Yes. You can assign a deduplicated storage policy for log backups. However, the Oracle agent considers the storage policy as a non-deduplicated storage policy and does not deduplicate the logs.

How do I restore multiplexed data if the number of drives is less than the allocated channels?

If the number of drives is less than the allocated channels, enable multiplexing and restore the multiplexed data to disk (application free restore).

For detailed instructions, see Application Free Restores.

On Windows clients, can we run multiple RMAN jobs simultaneously for the same instance from the CommCell Console?

No. You should always limit the RMAN jobs for the same instance to run one at a time in the CommCell Console and Scheduler.

Can I delete the FRA content using the Archive Delete option when the backup does not include archive logs?

No. The flash recovery area (FRA) content is deleted based on the RMAN retention rules for FRA content, therefore it is not required to delete the FRA content manually.

Set the retention rules for the FRA content using the following command from the RMAN prompt with "n" representing the number of days

CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY TO RECOVERY WINDOW of n days

Why is an auxiliary instance being created on the source client when the destination client is using a table level restore?

If a destination client is selected without a user defined auxiliary instance, then an auxiliary instance is automatically created on the source client.

What do I do when I select a database client not on the source for a table restore?

You must select the Auxiliary Instance and provide a user defined Auxiliary Database name.

Is User Impersonation required on Windows?

If the Oracle service on Windows is running as a local system, then User Impersonation is not required. Oracle jobs can be run without specifying user credentials in the Oracle instance properties on the CommCell.

Does the Commvault software work with Oracle Fail Safe?

The Commvault software supports Oracle Fail Safe in Microsoft cluster environments which provides an easy way to configure and manage the Microsoft Windows clusters.

Can I have Oracle full backups honor the extended retention rules?

Only Oracle offline backups and Oracle selective online full jobs are supported for extended retention rules.

How does Commvault protect Oracle archived logs?

The storage policy that you defined for the Oracle instance protects the Oracle archived logs. The Oracle archived logs are common across the instance, so you can manage them by using a common storage policy at the instance level.

When do I use an application-free restore for a multiplexed backup?

When you perform a multi-stream backup for Oracle, the number of stream that the backup uses is equal to the number of RMAN channels. When the backup is copied to a secondary copy, the streams are combined.

When you perform restore from the secondary copy, the performance may be slow due to the fact that the backup pieces are interleaved.

You can use an application-free restore to have a faster restore to the disk and then you can perform a command line restore from the disk. For more information on application restores, see Restoring an Oracle Database to Disk (Application-Free Restore).

Are there additional steps to take when the Oracle Agent is installed on an existing client?

If you install the agent on an existing client, you must run the cvpkgchg command to update the group permissions after you install the agent. You can use this command to set the group permissions to the correct level, which prevents the backup job from failing. For information on how to change the group permissions, see Changing UNIX Groups and Permissions on UNIX Clients.

Why is an Oracle backup sometimes not restarted from point of failure?

If there were parallel Oracle backup jobs running on the same database from different subclients the jobs are not restarted from the point of failure, because the backup might not be self-contained. The Commvault software restarts the job from the beginning.

When should I use the Oracle SEND command?

If you have ENV lines in the RMAN script that have more characters than Oracle recommends, use the SEND command. You can configure the Commvault software to automatically use the SEND command. For more information, see Setting the Rules for Using the Oracle Send Command.

Why should I schedule Oracle backups using the Commvault scheduler?

When you use the Commvault job scheduler for backup, you have the following advantages:

You minimize your reliance on scripting
You can restart jobs from the point-of-failure
You can suspend jobs
You can schedule jobs with different priorities
You can identify the status of your data protection environment, through the Commvault reporting software, including:
- where hot spots may be developing
- where resources are consumed
You have data security through the built-in role-based access operation

How does the Commvault software manage auxiliary instances for a tablespace point-in-time restore?

The Commvault software uses an Oracle managed auxiliary instance for the tablespace point-in-time restore. Oracle automatically cleans up the auxiliary instance after the restore successfully completes.

How do I configure encryption so that I can use Oracle Secure Backup?

To use Oracle Secure Backup with the Commvault Media Manager, disable encryption in the RMAN configuration, by using the following command.

CONFIGURE ENCRYPTION FOR DATABASE OFF;

After you disable RMAN encryption, use the Commvault encryption on the client or subclient level. For more information, see the following topics:

Can I use Commvault to protect Oracle Database Appliances?

You can protect Oracle Database Appliances with the Commvault software.

Install the Oracle Agent on all the Oracle RAC nodes.

Create an Oracle RAC pseudo-client, and then perform backup and restore operation.

For more information, see Getting Started with Oracle RAC.

How should I start Oracle after restoring from a lower version of Oracle to a higher version?

If cross-machine and duplicate restores are performed from a lower version of Oracle to a higher version, the STARTUP UPGRADE command should be used. After STARTUP UPGRADE, refer to the Oracle documentation for detailed instructions.

How is the number of streams used for an Oracle snapshot, backup copy, or auxiliary copy restore determined?

Snapshot restores of the database may run with fewer streams than the number of streams you choose. This is because the number of streams for a snapshot restore is determined by the number of files to be restored. The snapshot restore procedure makes the best effort to increase the number of streams used for the restore and to therefore reduce the restore time. However, it is limited by the number of files to be restored. A restore of a log file snapshot is limited to one stream, since log files are relatively small.

The number of streams used for a restore from a backup copy or auxiliary copy is the lesser of the following criteria:

The number of streams used to make the backup copy or auxiliary copy
The number of streams you specify in the GUI used to start the restore