If you are using the "alter database open resetlogs" after putting your
database into archivelog mode each time, I belive that invalidates your
previous backups because your database will be considered a new incarnation
by Oracle each time.  I don't think you can apply archive logs from separate
database incarnations, although I've never tried.

--Shannon Ward


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Legato NetWorker discussion
> [mailto:NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU] On Behalf Of Craig Ruefenacht
> Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 12:08 PM
> To: NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU
> Subject: Re: [Networker] Database backup
>
> Hi,
>
> As per my posts a few days ago, we backup an Oracle database while its
> on-line.  We put it into hotbackup mode, perform a backup to tape, and
> then take the database out of hotbackup mode.
>
> It was my understanding that this type of backup would be recoverable
> using archive logs.  Is my understanding not correct?
>
> I've been unable to test a recover because we don't have the resources
> to do so (disk space).  But I've been concerned about this very issue
> for a while and have been trying to muster the resources to try a
> recovery.
>
> We have another Oracle database that we backup by putting it in
> hotbackup mode, then syncing BCV volumes, splitting the volumes, and
> then taking the database out of hotbackup mode (the disks are on a EMC
> Symmetrix).  This method works well - we bring up the database on the
> mirrored BCV volumes all the time.  Of course this is
> slightly different
> than going to tape, because on the BCV volumes all the files are a
> snapshot from the same instance in time, while a tape backup isn't a
> snapshot at one point in time because file X could have been backed up
> at 12:00pm while file Y, on the same filesystem, could have
> been backed
> up at 12:20pm, and so forth.
>
>
> On Fri, 2004-03-12 at 08:43, Christopher T. Beers wrote:
> > --On Friday, March 12, 2004 10:30 AM -0500 "Ciolek, Ken"
> > <Ken.Ciolek AT AIG DOT COM> wrote:
> > ...
> > > We backup the entire box including all database files and
> the database is
> > > not taken offline? Why is this a useless backup.
> >
> > The files are open by the database so since the database is
> writing to the
> > file is changes while you back it up.  The DB files are
> binary files are
> > usually do not change size, but the contents change and need to be
> > consistent in order to backup.
> >
> > If you choose not to run the modules you must either
> shutdown the database
> > during the backup (look at savepnpc) or export the data
> into flat files
> > nightly (or hourly if you need to recover data to a more
> closer point in
> > time) and then back up the flat files.
> >
> > We use modules in someplaces and in others, we stop the
> database (of place
> > it in hotbackup mode), we then copy the files by creating a
> snapshot of the
> > filesystem (using fssnap with Solaris), start the DB back
> up, and then
> > backup the snapshot location instead of the live DB files.
> >
> > --
> > Christopher T. Beers
> > UNIX Systems Engineer - Syracuse University
> > 250 Machinery Hall      Syracuse, NY 13244
> > (315) 443-4103 Office   (315) 443-1621 Fax
>
> --
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