In that case, will each database backup happen on to a new tape and thus consume all the scratch tapes???
Yes, each backup of the database will use a scratch tapes.
From the admin guide.
A snapshot database backup is a full database backup that does not interrupt the current full and incremental backup series.
Snapshot database tapes can then be taken off-site for recovery purposes and therefore kept separate from the normal full and incremental backup tapes. Snapshot database backups enhance the protection of your server and its data while maintaining the full and incremental database backup series. Although snapshot database backups cannot restore a database to its most current state, you can use them to restore a database to a specific point-in-time.
Snapshot database backups:
Copy the complete contents of a database, just like a full database backup.
Create a new database backup series without interrupting the existing full and incremental backup series for the database.
Use the BACKUP DB command to perform a snapshot database backup. New volume history entries are created for the snapshot database volumes. Note that the most current snapshot database cannot be deleted with the DELETE VOLHISTORY command. This is to prevent the accidental loss of what could be the only way to recover the server.
In a nutshell.
A DBsnapshot is an out-of-band db backup, which does not participate in a full+incremental Backup Series (and cannot be used with incremental db backups during a database restoral).
DBsnapshots constitute have their own number series, independent of the numbering of the full+incremental series.
Good Luck,
Sias
