This option can be used to make sure that the backup is readable and complete. Once the archiving phase is complete, all the saved files are read from the volume (e.g. tape) in sequence (provided they were saved on a backup device), decompressed (when compress = yes was used), read by the check program, and compared with their originals. When archiving to disk, verification is carried out immediately after archiving the individual offline redo log files.

If the option -s , -sc , -ss or -cs is used, the file contents are compared in binary form. If the option -sd , -scd , -ssd or -cds is used, the sizes of the archived files are determined and checked.

See Log Supplements.

Please note that verification will approximately double the archiving time required.

For security reasons, we recommend using this option at least once within the volume expiration period for your archiving with -s , -sc , -ss or -cs . It enables you to detect any possible hardware problems and undertake the appropriate measures.