> 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?

Generally, yes.

> 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.

It's not different at all, just faster.  BCV splits are not guaranteed
to be volume atomic.  They do take a period of time, it's just shorter
than doing a normal tape backup.  You can still have portions of a dbf
being written during the BCV split, some of which may make it into the
BCV, and some of which may not.

Grabbing all the archive logs from a time after the split is complete
should be sufficient.

IANADBA, so check with your personnel or documentation on the specifics
of the exact order that things have to occur.

--
Darren Dunham                                           ddunham AT taos DOT com
Senior Technical Consultant         TAOS            http://www.taos.com/
Got some Dr Pepper?                           San Francisco, CA bay area
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