Introducing Arcserve Backup Agents and Options › Using Agents › Agent for Oracle (Linux) › Backing Up Data › Agent Backups › Back Up Oracle Database Offline › Perform a Backup in Offline Mode

Perform a Backup in Offline Mode

You can perform a backup in offline mode using the following procedure.

To perform a backup of an Oracle database in offline mode

Note: Before opening the Backup Manager, ensure that Oracle Server is running, and be sure to start Arcserve Backup and the agent.

1. Open the Backup Manager, select the Source tab, and expand the Agent Technology Agent.
2. Under Agent Technology Agent, click the green square to the left of the host on which Oracle is installed.

   The Login dialog opens.

3. Enter the host user name and password, and then click OK.

   The host expands.

4. Click the green square next to the Oracle database you want to back up.

   The Login dialog opens.

5. Enter the Oracle database dba user name and password, and then click OK.

   The green square becomes entirely green.

   Note: Be sure that the Oracle user name and password you use to connect to Oracle has the permission to connect to Oracle using the as sysdba clause. You must be able to connect with and without this clause.

6. To set backup options, select the Source tab and then click the Oracle Options tab.

   The Oracle backup Options dialog opens.

   Complete the following fields:

   • Enter the Oracle DB User Information.
   • Ensure the Use RMAN catalog (Recommended) check box is selected.

     Note: We recommend that you use the RMAN catalog, otherwise RMAN will rely only on the control files to manage backups. Using only the control files presents a risk in that if the database and all control files are somehow lost, it will prevent RMAN from being able to restore the database. By using the RMAN catalog option, you prevent the possibility of losing the control files backup-related information as well as other valuable information. Also note that if you do not use the RMAN catalog, you limit the possibility of performing a point-in-time recovery.

     If you choose not to select this option, a warning message displays reminding you of the importance of using the RMAN catalog.

   • Select the Backup Type as offline mode.
   • Choose one the following Backup Methods:

     Full Backup—This method typically minimizes the number of tapes you will need when restoring the database, but takes more time during the backup.

     Incremental Backup—This method reduces the backup time, but restoring typically requires more time and tapes to be loaded (that is, the last full backup plus all the incremental ones).

   • You can select the Number of Channels (Streams).
7. (Optional) Select the Advanced Oracle Options tab and complete any of these fields if you want to modify the performance of your backup:
   • Backup Piece Size--Enter a number (in KB) in the Backup Piece Size field if you want RMAN to generate more than a single backup piece.
   • Read Rate (# Buffers)--Enter the maximum number of buffers per second in the Read Rate (# Buffers) field that you want RMAN to use when reading data from the disk.
   • Number of Files per Backup Set--Enter a number in the Number of Files per Backup Set field to limit the number of backup pieces that RMAN should use per backup set.
   • Maximum Number of Opened Files--Enter a number in the Maximum Number of Opened Files field to limit the total number of files that RMAN will open at the same time. Leaving this field empty allows RMAN to use the default value.
   • Backup Set Size (KB)--Enter a number in the Backup Set Size (KB) field to limit the amount of data that should go into a backup set. We recommend that you leave this field empty.
   • Block Size (Bytes)--Enter a value in the Block Size (Bytes) field to allow RMAN to determine the size of the data blocks to send to the agent when performing a backup.

     Note: If you enter a value in this field, you must also enter the same value when restoring your backup to avoid receiving an error message during the restore process.

   • Number of Copies--Enter a number between one and four in the Number of Copies field to indicate how many copies of the backup pieces RMAN should generate.

     Note: To be able to generate more than one copy, you must enable the BACKUP_TAPE_IO_SLAVES option in either your init<sid>.ora or SPFILE file; otherwise you will receive an error message.

   • Fail the job if number of copies is more than 1 and so many drives are not available--When selected, the backup job fails whenever the number of copies is greater than one and the job cannot gain access to a number of devices sufficient to support them. When not selected, the backup job continues to run even when the number of devices is insufficient for the number of copies. However, the number of copies is reduced.
   • Device availability waiting time (minutes)--Specify how long a backup job should wait if it is unable to access the number of devices required. Use with the Continue backup even if some requested devices are not available option.
   • Continue backup even if some requested devices are not available--When selected, a backup job continues to run as long as at least one device is assigned. When not selected, the job fails if it cannot access enough devices within the time specified in the Device availability waiting time field.
8. Select the Destination tab, and then select the media device group and media in which you want to store the back up.

   Important! Do not select a specific media or media device group on the Destination tab if you set the Number of Channels option to a number higher than one.

9. Click the Method/Schedule tab, and choose one of these Schedule Types:
   • Custom
   • Rotation
   • GFS Rotation
10. Click Start.

    The Submit Job dialog opens.

11. Schedule the job to run now or at another time. Click OK.

    The Job Submission dialog opens.

12. Click OK.

The job is submitted. You can monitor the job on the Job Status Manager.

Refer to the Backup Limitations section of this chapter for information about restrictions related to monitoring your backups.

Note: A backup can take up multiple sessions on the media even if you choose only one object. For example, if you enter a limit on the Backup Set Size field on the Advanced Oracle Options tab, it will create multiple sessions.