Backup and Recovery
Concepts
(Part 2)
Lecture#11
What is Flash Recovery Area?
• Strongly recommended for simplified backup storage management.
• It is a Space on disk (separate from working database files)
• Location specified by the DB_RECOVERY_FILE DEST parameter.
• Size specified by DB_RECOVERY FILE DEST SIZE parameter.
• Large enough for backups, archived logs, flashback logs, mirrored
control files, and mirrored redo logs
• Automatically managed according to your retention policy
Types of Backups
Backups can be performed by using:
• Recovery Manager (RMAN)
• User-managed backup
User-Managed Backup
• It Is a manual process of tracking backup needs and status.
• Typically uses your own written scripts.
• Requires that database files be put in the correct mode for backup.
• Relies on operating system commands to make backups of files.
What is RMAN?
• RMAN is the component of the Oracle database that is used to
perform backup and recovery operations.
• It can make consistent and inconsistent backups, perform
incremental and full backups, and back up either the whole database
or a portion of it.
• RMAN uses its own powerful job control and scripting language, as
well as a published API that interfaces RMAN with many popular
backup software solutions.
• RMAN can store backups on the disk for quick recovery or place them
on the tape for long-term storage.
Backup Strategy
Backup strategy may include:
• Entire database (whole)
• Portion of the database (partial)
Backup type may indicate inclusion of:
• All data blocks within your chosen files (full)
• Only information that has changed since a previous backup (incremental)
• Cumulative (changes up to last level 0)
• Differential (changes up to last incremental)
Backup mode may be:
• Offline (consistent, cold)
• Online (inconsistent, hot)
Incremental Backup
Level 1 Incremental Backup
Differential Incremental Backup
Cumulative Incremental Backup
Auto Backups
Retention Policy
Compressed Back upset
Backup Storage
Backups may be stored as:
• Image copies
• Backup sets
Image copies: Are duplicates of data or archived log files (similar to
simply copying the files by using operating system commands).
Backup sets: Are collections of one or more binary files that contain one
or more data files, control files, server parameter files, or archived log
files.
With backup sets, empty data blocks are not stored, thereby causing
backup sets to use less space on the disk or tape.
Conti…
• Image copies must be backed up to the disk. Backup sets can be sent to the
disk or directly to the tape. The advantage of creating a backup as an image
copy is improved granularity of the restore operation. With an image copy,
only the file or files need to be retrieved from your backup location.
• With backup sets, the entire backup set must be retrieved from your backup
location before you extract the file or files that are needed. The advantage of
creating backups as backup sets is better space usage. In most databases,
20% or more of the data blocks are empty blocks. Image copies back up
every data block, even if the data block is empty. Backup sets significantly
reduce the space required by the backup. In most systems, the advantages
of backup sets outweigh the advantages of image copies.
RMAN Backup Storage
Kinds of Backups
