Backing up Oracle databases

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IBM® Storage Protect Snapshot integrates with multiple components when you back up an Oracle database.

For volume group snapshot, refer Configuring Storwize family and SAN Volume Controller dynamic target allocation (SVCDTA).

The following table summarizes the commands that are associated with backing up an Oracle database.
Table 1. Summary of Backup Commands for Oracle

Summary of Backup Commands for Oracle
Snapshot backup (disk only) Backing up to an IBM Storage Protect server
From production database (tape only) Integrated with snapshot From existing snapshot
acsora -f backup RMAN by using Data Protection for Oracle

acsora -f backup1

fcmcli -f tape_backup2, 3
Note:
  1. The IBM Storage Protect Snapshot profile parameter TSM_BACKUP is set to one of the following options: YES, MANDATE, or LATEST, and the offload agent (tsm4acs) is running in daemon mode on the production server.
  2. The profile parameter TSM_BACKUP is set to one of the following options: YES, MANDATE, or LATEST, and the offload agent is not running in daemon mode.
  3. The fcmcli -f tape_backup operation must be issued from the production system.

You must use the Oracle instance owner ID and go to the INSTANCE_DIR directory before you enter any backup commands. IBM Storage Protect Snapshot backs up the database control file and the database profile on the production server to the IBM Storage Protect Snapshot repository. These files are required by IBM Storage Protect Snapshot on the backup server to start the database instance and to run the offloaded backup to the IBM Storage Protect server. Furthermore, the database control file can be optionally restored during a FlashCopy® restore (profile parameter DATABASE_CONTROL_FILE_RESTORE).

By default, the IBM Storage Protect Snapshot software does not back up the transaction logs of the Oracle database. The database administrator is responsible for backing up the Oracle database transaction logs. After every full database online backup, back up the transaction logs to the IBM Storage Protect server.

The same commands can be used to back up Oracle databases that use Oracle Automatic Storage Management (ASM) and Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) based on Oracle ASM. An Oracle recovery catalog is required for IBM Storage Protect Snapshot backups. This recovery catalog is a requirement even if a disk only backup is requested.