Disaster Recovery Scenarios › Scenarios for Restoring to the Original Windows Server › Recover the ORA Database

Recover the ORA Database

Use the following procedure to recover the ORA database.

To recover the ORA database

1. Create an instance for the ORA database and start the ORA instance.
2. Make sure the INITORA.ORA file contains all the necessary configuration information, as described in Step 6 of the previous phase. Do one of the following:
   • Restore the latest backup copy of the INITORA.ORA file from media.
   • Recreate this file by using INITORCL.ORA as your template and making all the necessary changes to it.
3. Restore the last full backup of ORA.

   Note: If it is an offline backup, then no further recovery is needed. You have now completed recovery of your Oracle server.

4. Copy the restored control file (CONTROL.ORA) from the option home directory to all necessary directories and rename it with the appropriate name.
5. Connect to the instance you started in Step 1 of this procedure.
6. To mount the ORA database, enter the following command:

   startup mount pfile=DRIVE:\PATH\initORA.ora
   

7. Enter the following command at the SQL*Plus prompt:

   recover database using backup controlfile until cancel;
   

8. When the recovery has been completed, enter the following command:

   alter database open resetlogs
   

   If the database does not open and a message reports on the status of the redo logs, enter the following query at the SQL*Plus prompt:

   select * from v$logfile
   

   This query returns, among other information, the directory structure in which Oracle looks for the redo logs. If the directory structure does not exist, create it. When you have done so, enter the following command again:

   alter database open resetlogs
   

   Oracle should open the database and recreate the redo logs.

9. Delete all archive logs for ORA. The ORA database is now fully recovered.
10. (Optional) You can recreate an instance for ORA using the oradim utility (for example, oradim.exe). The syntax is:

    oradim -new -sid SID -srvc ServiceName -intpwd Password -startmode auto | manual -pfile FullPathToOracleInitSIDFile
    

11. (Optional) Create the password file if necessary, using the orapwd.exe utility.