Split-Mirror Backup: Software Configuration (SAP Library - SAP Database Guide: Oracle (BC-DB-ORA-DBA))

Split-Mirror Backup: Software Configuration

This section describes the software configuration for split-mirror backup:

At least the client software and SQLPLUS components of the Oracle database software must be installed on the backup server.

The Oracle home directory structure must correspond to the SAP standard installation required by BRBACKUP.

Default Directories

UNIX

Windows

$ORACLE_HOME/dbs

%ORACLE_HOME%\DATABASE

$ORACLE_HOME/bin

%ORACLE_HOME%\BIN

$SAPDATA_HOME/sapbackup

%SAPBACKUP%

$SAPDATA_HOME/saparch

%SAPARCH%

$SAPDATA_HOME/sapreorg

%SAPREORG%

$SAPDATA_HOME/sapcheck

%SAPCHECK%

$SAPDATA_HOME/saptrace

%SAPTRACE%

Note

With SAP Releases older than 4.5B, the SAPBACKUP directory must be mounted to the backup server and the production server for the system to be able to access the control files on the backup server created by the SQL command alter database backup controlfile to <filename> on the production server.

Starting with SAP Release 4.5B, this is no longer necessary.

For more information, see SAP Note 156704.

The Oracle and BRBACKUP profiles should be available in $ORACLE_HOME/dbs or %ORACLE_HOME%\DATABASE.

Set the backup_type parameter in the init<DBSID>.sap profile to offline_split |online_split.

To establish the connection between the backup server and the production server, you must define the profile parameter primary_db for the SQLNET connection. Before this, you must perform the following steps:

Create an Oracle password file:

orapwd file=<ORACLE_HOME>/dbs/orapw<DBSID>
password=<SYS password> entries=100

Set the remote_login_passwordfile parameter to exclusive in all init<DBSID>.ora profiles.

Give the system user SYSOPER authorization in the production database. Start SQLPLUS as user SYS and execute the following Oracle command:

SQLPLUS> grant sysoper to system;

If needed, change the password for the system user:

SQLPLUS> alter user system identified by <password>;

Starting with SAP Release 4.5B, the SYSOPER authorization and the password file are only required to stop the primary database for the offline split. For an online split, the standard remote connection using the instance string specified in the primary_db parameter is sufficient.

Make sure that the directory /usr/sap/<SAPSID>/SYS/exe/run or \\<Host name>\sapmnt\<SAPSID>\SYS\exe\run is accessible from the backup server and that it contains at least the programs BRBACKUP, BRCONNECT, and BRTOOLS (and optionally BRARCHIVE and BRRESTORE).

Note

With SAP Releases older than 4.5B, make sure that the paths of all database files accessed by the production database and backup database are identical.

Starting with SAP Release 4.5B, this restriction no longer applies. You can now mount the database files on the backup host in a different SAPDATA_HOME directory by using the init<DBSID>.sap parameter orig_db_home. By using this parameter you can even mount the split-off files on the same host.

The manufacturer of the external backup tool must install and configure the BACKINT interface on the backup server.

Profile Parameters and Command Options for init<DBSID>.sap

Make sure that the following parameters are set in the initialization profile init<DBSID>.sap:

backup_type = offline_split|online_split

split_cmd = "<split_cmd> [ $] "

<split_cmd> is a program or shell script called by BRBACKUP to split the mirror disks.

resync_cmd = "<resync_cmd> [ $] "

<resync.cmd> is a program or shell script called by BRBACKUP to resynchronize the mirror disks. If this parameter is not set, BRBACKUP does not perform the resynchronization. At runtime, BRBACKUP replaces the optional character $ with the name of the text file that contains the names of all files to be split or resynchronized.

Note

If split_cmd/resync_cmd is completed successfully, an exit code of 0 is returned. Only messages beginning with #INFO are accepted, that is, these are the only messages not interpreted as error messages. If the command is not successful, a return code of > 0 is returned as well as messages describing the cause of the error.

primary_db = <inst_str>

<inst_str> is an instance string to the production database to connect from the backup server to the production server. The connections are defined in the Oracle configuration file tnsnames.ora.

brbackup -t|type online_split Online backup of mirror disks
brbackup -t|type offline_split Offline backup of mirror disks

For more information, see -t|-type. This command line option overrides the backup type set in the backup_type parameter.

UNIX	Windows
$ORACLE_HOME/dbs	%ORACLE_HOME%\DATABASE
$ORACLE_HOME/bin	%ORACLE_HOME%\BIN
$SAPDATA_HOME/sapbackup	%SAPBACKUP%
$SAPDATA_HOME/saparch	%SAPARCH%
$SAPDATA_HOME/sapreorg	%SAPREORG%
$SAPDATA_HOME/sapcheck	%SAPCHECK%
$SAPDATA_HOME/saptrace	%SAPTRACE%