RMAN-Relevant Profile Parameters

Save-Set Grouping and Preparation Run

To define the size of the save sets by the number of files they contain, make the following entry in the initialization profile init<DBSID>.sap:

saveset_members = 1|2|3|4|tsp|all

Default: 1

The corresponding command option is: brbackup -s|-savesets

You can start the preparation run for determining the optimum distribution of files across the save sets as follows:

brbackup -d rman_prep
BRGUI or BRTOOLS menu: Backup and database copy Additional functions Preparation of RMAN backups

For more information, see RMAN Save-Set Grouping.

RMAN Backup with the SAP Backup Library

For backups with the SAP backup library you need to make the following special entries in the initialization file init<DBSID>.sap or set the corresponding command options for backup to:

Local tape devices
- backup_dev_type = tape|tape_auto|tape_box
- tape_copy_cmd = rman|rman_dd
Remote tape devices
- backup_dev_type = pipe|pipe_auto|pipe_box
- tape_copy_cmd = rman|rman_dd
Remote disk (incremental)
- backup_mode = incr
- backup_dev_type = stage
- remote_user = "<user name> [<password>]" (<password> is required for SAPFTP)
- remote_host = <host name>

For more information, see RMAN Backup with the SAP Backup Library.

Note

The setting stage_copy_cmd = ftp is automatically selected by BRBACKUP.

RMAN Backup with an External Backup Library

For backups with external backup libraries, you need to make the following entries in the initialization profile init<DBSID>.sap or the corresponding command options:

backup_dev_type = rman_util|rman_disk|rman_stage

You can set other parameters as well, which BRBACKUP sends directly to the Oracle RMAN (without the prefix rman_). These parameters affect how the save sets are formed and the parallel backup to different media.

rman_channels

Number of channels allocated to the parallel processes
rman_filesperset

Number of files in each save set

Default is 0 (that is, one file in each save set for normal backups, or all files in one save set for incremental backups)
rman_maxpiecesize (formerly rman_kbytes)
rman_rate (formerly rman_readrate)
rman_maxopenfiles
rman_maxsetsize (formerly rman_setsize)
rman_sectionsize
rman_diskratio
rman_duration
rman_pool
rman_keep
rman_copies (formerly rman_duplex)
rman_proxy
rman_parms
rman_send
rman_compress
rman_maxcorrupt
rman_cross_check

For more information on these parameters, see Initialization Profile init<DBSID>.sap and the Oracle backup and recovery documentation.

For more information, see RMAN Backup with an External Backup Library.

RMAN Backups Without Backup Library

For normal backups to disk with RMAN, you need to make the following entries in the initialization file init<DBSID>. sap or the corresponding command options:

backup_dev_type = disk
disk_copy_cmd = rman|rman_set

Note
rman - creates one-to-one copies of database files on disk

rman_set - creates save sets on disk, each containing one database file

The individual steps of the incremental backup strategy without backup library have the following command options:

Full backup (level 0) without RMAN:
- brbackup -m full -d tape|pipe|util_file|util_vol|stage
- tape_copy_cmd = cpio|dd
- disk_copy_cmd = copy|dd
- stage_copy_cmd=rcp|scp|ftp
Incremental backup (level 1) to disk with RMAN:

brbackup -m incr -d disk
Backup of the incremental backup to tape without RMAN (two-phase backup):

brbackup -b last -m incr -d tape|pipe|util_file|stage

For more information, see RMAN Incremental Backups Without a Backup Library.

Backup of Offline Redo Log Files with RMAN

If you are using the SAP backup library, set the following entries in the initialization file init<DBSID>.sap or use the corresponding command options:

backup_dev_type = tape|pipe
tape_copy_cmd = rman|rman_dd

If you are using an external backup library, use the following setting:

backup_dev_type = rman_util

For backups to disk with RMAN but without a backup library, use the following settings:

backup_dev_type = disk
disk_copy_cmd = rman|rman_set

Note
rman: creates one-to-one copies of archive log files on disk

rman_set: creates save sets on disk, each one containing one archive log file

Then start BRARCHIVE, for example as follows:

brarchive -sd -c

For more information, see RMAN Backup of the Offline Redo Log File.

Restoring Incremental Backups

To make the database consistent again, for example after a media error, you can use the following BRRESTORE command (RMAN redoes the changes in the files that have been affected):

If necessary, restore of the control file and the online redo log files from the last incremental backup:

brrestore -b last -m 0[,00]
Restore affected files of a full backup (level 0):

brrestore -b <brb_log_name> -m all|<object list>|..
Restore of the last incremental backup (level 1):

brrestore -b last -m incr
Applying the offline redo log files with Oracle SQLPLUS.

For more information, see RMAN Restore of Incremental Backups.

Recommendation

We recommend you to use BRRECOVER instead of this manual procedure.

Restoring Incremental Backups with Structural Changes

In an incremental backup with structural changes, the new files are backed up in full to a second save set in subsequent incremental backups. The following save sets are created if the SAP backup library is used:

<coded timestamp>.INCR (changes to the "old" files)
<coded timestamp>.FULL (newly added files)

The backup of the new files to a separate save set allows a precise specification of which files are to be restored.

Restore of changes to all files that were in the database at the time of the last full backup at level 0 (first save set of the last incremental backup):

brrestore -b last -m incr_only

Restore of the files that have been added since the last full backup at level 0 (second save set of the last incremental backup):

brrestore -b last -m incr_full

Restore of the whole incremental backup (both save sets, if they exist):

brrestore -b last -m incr

For more information, see RMAN Incremental Backups After Structural Changes.