Oracle Backup Configuration - Avamar

Oracle Database are running on Cluster environment..

We are also using Avamar v7 to backup up the Linux file systems and the Oracle databases w/the RMAN plugin. I spent a few weeks with one of our DBAs thoroughly documenting the following processes:

Backup database & logs

Restore to same instance

Restore (DUPLICATE) to another (DEV/TEST) instance.

First, on each server, you'll need to make the avtar-flags.txt file. If you are backing up large databases (> 500GB), you'll want to utilize multiple RMAN channels to speed things up. Depending on the size of your database(s) and the number of channels, set the avtar-flags.txt "--hashcachemax=" directive appropriately (see EMC/Avamar docs for details). Also, if you are targeting a Data Domain unit, set these directives in the avtar-flags.txt file:

--ddr

--ddr-index=1

Here's a copy of my avtar-flags.txt file from a Linux (RHEL 5) server; note that this is targeting a Data Domain (using dd-boost, hence the --ddr line), and the databases being backed up are around 4TB (4,000 GB) and we use 4 RMAN channels, hence the --hashcachemax=2000:

--pidname=Oracle

--pidnum=1002

--logfile=/usr/local/avamar/var/clientlogs/avtar.log

--vardir=/var/avamar

--id=AVAMAR_BACKUP_USERNAME

--ap=AVAMAR_BACKUP_PASSWORD

--path=/linux_clients/HOSTNAME.EXAMPLE.COM

--expires=10

--ddr

--ddr-index=1

--enable-filecache=false

--hashcachemax=2000

IMPORTANT: make sure that the "oracle" user that runs the RMAN process has permission to read the avtar-flags.txt file, and also can write log and cache files into the "vardir" (/var/avamar in my case).

SETTING UP YOUR ENVIRONMENT:

"su - " to the oracle user that will execute RMAN; set your environment like so: (you may need to adjust the paths depending on your install):

# su - oracle-user

# export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/usr/local/avamar/lib

We can now execute RMAN. (connect to target and catalog)

# rman

RMAN> connect target sys/SYS_PASSWORD

RMAN> connect catalog CAT_USER/CAT_PASSWORD@CATALOG

# -------------------------- TEST instance backup script - 4 channels ---------------------------

run{

allocate channel c1 type sbt PARMS="SBT_LIBRARY=/usr/local/avamar/lib/libobk_avamar64.so ENV=(PATH=/bin:/usr/local/avamar/bin)";

allocate channel c2 type sbt PARMS="SBT_LIBRARY=/usr/local/avamar/lib/libobk_avamar64.so ENV=(PATH=/bin:/usr/local/avamar/bin)";

allocate channel c3 type sbt PARMS="SBT_LIBRARY=/usr/local/avamar/lib/libobk_avamar64.so ENV=(PATH=/bin:/usr/local/avamar/bin)";

allocate channel c4 type sbt PARMS="SBT_LIBRARY=/usr/local/avamar/lib/libobk_avamar64.so ENV=(PATH=/bin:/usr/local/avamar/bin)";

send channel='c1' '"--flagfile=/usr/local/avamar/etc/avtar-flags.txt"

"--logfile=/var/avamar/c1_TEST_avoracle.log" "--bindir=/usr/local/avamar/bin"

"--cacheprefix=c1_TEST"';

send channel='c2' '"--flagfile=/usr/local/avamar/etc/avtar-flags.txt"

"--logfile=/var/avamar/c2_TEST_avoracle.log" "--bindir=/usr/local/avamar/bin"

"--cacheprefix=c2_TEST"';

send channel='c3' '"--flagfile=/usr/local/avamar/etc/avtar-flags.txt"

"--logfile=/var/avamar/c3_TEST_avoracle.log" "--bindir=/usr/local/avamar/bin"

"--cacheprefix=c3_TEST"';

send channel='c4' '"--flagfile=/usr/local/avamar/etc/avtar-flags.txt"

"--logfile=/var/avamar/c4_TEST_avoracle.log" "--bindir=/usr/local/avamar/bin"

"--cacheprefix=c4_TEST"';

crosscheck backup;

backup database;

crosscheck archivelog all;

backup archivelog all not backed up 1 times;

## Cleanup old backups and files:

## DELETE NOPROMPT ARCHIVELOG ALL;

## DO NOT DELETE ARCHIVELOG

DELETE NOPROMPT EXPIRED BACKUP;

DELETE NOPROMPT OBSOLETE;

release channel c1;

release channel c2;

release channel c3;

release channel c4;

}

exit;

# -------------------------- END OF TEST instance backup script - 4 channels ---------------------------

BE CAREFUL WITH QUOTES/DOUBLE QUOTES; IF YOU MISS ONE, RMAN WILL ERROR, BUT IT WILL NOT BE APPARENT WHAT THE ERROR WAS!!!

I'll post the recovery and clone instructions in another reply.

CLONE AN INSTANCE - RESTORING A BACKUP TO A DIFFERENT INSTANCE:

This example is an instance clone/refresh of a backup taken on the same host.

We are restoring to instance "NEW" from backup of instance "TEST".

We are using ASM for our datafiles, and 2 RMAN channels.

So we'll connect to "NEW" using sqlplus, drop the database, and put it in "startup nomount", ready for a clone/restore.

"su - " to oracle user that has access to instance "NEW" and prepare the instance:

# Drop, Startup database:

sqlplus / as sysdba <

shutdown abort

startup mount restrict

REM drop database ;

shutdown abort

startup nomount

EOF

Set up your environment (see 1st reply), execute RMAN, connecting to target (TEST), aux (NEW) and catalog:

# rman target sys/SYS_PASSWORD@TEMP auxiliary / catalog CAT_USER/CAT_PASSWORD@CATALOG

DUPLICATE the backed up TEMP instance to NEW, renaming the files/paths (ASM in this example) appropriately.

----------------START RMAN DUPLICATE SCRIPT----------------

RUN {

ALLOCATE auxiliary channel x1 type sbt_tape PARMS 'SBT_LIBRARY=/usr/local/avamar/lib/libobk_avamar64.so ENV=(PATH=/bin:/usr/local/avamar/bin)'

SEND '"--flagfile=/usr/local/avamar/etc/avtar-flags.txt" "--logfile=/var/avamar/x1_NEW_avoracle.log" "--bindir=/usr/local/avamar/bin"';

ALLOCATE auxiliary channel x2 type sbt_tape PARMS 'SBT_LIBRARY=/usr/local/avamar/lib/libobk_avamar64.so ENV=(PATH=/bin:/usr/local/avamar/bin)'

SEND '"--flagfile=/usr/local/avamar/etc/avtar-flags.txt" "--logfile=/var/avamar/x2_NEW_avoracle.log" "--bindir=/usr/local/avamar/bin"';

DUPLICATE TARGET DATABASE TO NEW db_file_name_convert=('+ASMDISKGROUP/TEMP','+ASMDISKGROUP/NEW')

logfile group 1 ('+ASMDISKGROUP') size 1g,

        group 2 ('+ASMDISKGROUP') size 1g,

        group 3 ('+ASMDISKGROUP') size 1g,

        group 4 ('+ASMDISKGROUP') size 1g;

}

----------------END RMAN DUPLICATE SCRIPT----------------

Note: Merged SEND cmd into ALLOCATE cmd in the above example.

Note: The spfile must exist, and the db_name and db_unique_name and ORACLE_SID should all match.

Note: The avtar-flags file must be from the server where the source db was backed up from.

RESTORE TO SAME INSTANCE

Get the "dbid" of the database you are going to restore; your DBA will know how to do this. Setup your environment (see previous post) and execute RMAN, connecting to target & catalog; here is an example set of scripts to recover a dropped database that we had backed up; this uses 1 RMAN channel.

The idea is to 1st restore the controlfile, then restore the database, then recover it. Here's the example for an instance called "TEST" with a fictional "dbid" of 1234:

Single channel RMAN restore; instance name TEST, dbid=1234*.

*Note: 1234 is not an actual/valid DBID

---------------------------START RMAN TEST INSTANCE RECOVER SCRIPT-------------------

# Restore controlfile:

set dbid=1234;

run{

allocate channel c1 type sbt PARMS="SBT_LIBRARY=/usr/local/avamar/lib/libobk_avamar64.so ENV=(PATH=/bin:/usr/local/avamar/bin)";

send channel='c1' '"--flagfile=/usr/local/avamar/etc/avtar-flags.txt"

"--logfile=/var/avamar/c1_TEST_avoracle.log" "--bindir=/usr/local/avamar/bin"’;

restore controlfile;

startup mount;

release channel c1;

}

# list backup;

# exit;

# Restore & Recover database; single channel:

run{

allocate channel c1 type sbt PARMS="SBT_LIBRARY=/usr/local/avamar/lib/libobk_avamar64.so ENV=(PATH=/bin:/usr/local/avamar/bin)";

send channel='c1' '"--flagfile=/usr/local/avamar/etc/avtar-flags.txt"

"--logfile=/var/avamar/c1_TEST_avoracle.log" "--bindir=/usr/local/avamar/bin"’;

restore database;

recover database;

release channel c1;

}

alter database open resetlogs;

exit;

---------------------------END RMAN TEST INSTANCE RECOVER SCRIPT-------------------

See next post for cloning/duplicating an instance w/RMAN & Avamar using RMAN DUPLICATE syntax.

We run single instance and RAC environments and back them up without any special configurations, using the same methodology. We did NOT use the rac_config script for our RAC instances. For those, we always just backup/restore from 1 node, just like we would on a single instance host. Works fine.

For example, a 3 node RAC database consisting of node1.example.com, node2.example.com, and node3.example.com.

We install the Avamar client on all 3 servers and register them with the Avamar system for file system backups. Then on node1, we also install the AvamarRMAN plugin, and do the Oracle RMAN backups/restores from there.

Note that we schedule, initiate/control all backups/restores using RMAN on the Oracle servers; this way the DBAs control/schedule all backups & restores & and feel comfortable with this arrangement.

Thank you for the detailed information Rob.

Can we configure the backups for the Linux Cluster servers?