RMAN Image Copy & Demo

Posted on by Standard

This blog post is part of the “RMAN Back to Basics” series, which can be found here.

Image Copy

An Image copy backup are exact copies of the datafiles including the free space.  They are not stored in RMAN backup pieces but as actual datafiles, therefore are a bit-for-bit copy.

Image Copy Demo

We take an image copy backup using my script 4_image_copy.sh:

[oracle@dc1sbxdb001 demo]$ ./4_image_copy.sh 
-----------------------
Step 1: Set environment
-----------------------

Setting the Database Environment using oraenv...
The Oracle base remains unchanged with value /u01/app/oracle

ORACLE_SID: ZEDDBA
ORACLE_HOME: /u01/app/oracle/product/12.2.0/dbhome_1

Press Enter to continue

The environment is set to my ZEDDBA database, then next the image copy is taken:

------------------------------
Step 2: Take Image Copy Backup
------------------------------

Cotent of 4_image_copy.cmd file:

BACKUP AS COPY DATABASE TAG 'IMAGE COPY';
HOST 'read Press Enter to LIST BACKUP';
LIST COPY;

Press Enter to continue

Calling 'rman target / cmdfile=/media/sf_Software/scripts/demo/4_image_copy.cmd'

Recovery Manager: Release 12.2.0.1.0 - Production on Fri May 17 16:54:31 2019

Copyright (c) 1982, 2017, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

connected to target database: ZEDDBA (DBID=3520942925)

RMAN> BACKUP AS COPY DATABASE TAG 'IMAGE COPY';
2> HOST 'read Press Enter to LIST BACKUP';
3> LIST COPY;
4> 
Starting backup at 17-MAY-19
using target database control file instead of recovery catalog
allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: SID=32 device type=DISK
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting datafile copy
input datafile file number=00001 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/ZEDDBA/datafile/o1_mf_system_gftkr3fv_.dbf
output file name=/u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/ZEDDBA/datafile/o1_mf_system_gfxp9txc_.dbf tag=IMAGE COPY RECID=1 STAMP=1008521678
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile copy complete, elapsed time: 00:00:07
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting datafile copy
input datafile file number=00002 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/ZEDDBA/datafile/o1_mf_sysaux_gftkr792_.dbf
output file name=/u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/ZEDDBA/datafile/o1_mf_sysaux_gfxpb246_.dbf tag=IMAGE COPY RECID=2 STAMP=1008521685
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile copy complete, elapsed time: 00:00:07
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting datafile copy
input datafile file number=00003 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/ZEDDBA/datafile/o1_mf_undotbs1_gftkr944_.dbf
output file name=/u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/ZEDDBA/datafile/o1_mf_undotbs1_gfxpb9b0_.dbf tag=IMAGE COPY RECID=3 STAMP=1008521691
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile copy complete, elapsed time: 00:00:03
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting datafile copy
input datafile file number=00004 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/ZEDDBA/datafile/o1_mf_users_gftkr9fc_.dbf
output file name=/u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/ZEDDBA/datafile/o1_mf_users_gfxpbdgo_.dbf tag=IMAGE COPY RECID=4 STAMP=1008521693
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile copy complete, elapsed time: 00:00:01
Finished backup at 17-MAY-19

Starting Control File and SPFILE Autobackup at 17-MAY-19
piece handle=/u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/ZEDDBA/autobackup/2019_05_17/o1_mf_s_1008521693_gfxpbfs7_.bkp comment=NONE
Finished Control File and SPFILE Autobackup at 17-MAY-19

host command complete

We use host within RMAN just to wait for input before moving on for demo purposes.  Next we list the backup within RMAN using ‘LIST COPY‘:

specification does not match any control file copy in the repository
List of Datafile Copies
=======================

Key File S Completion Time Ckp SCN Ckp Time Sparse
------- ---- - --------------- ---------- --------------- ------
1 1 A 17-MAY-19 458020 17-MAY-19 NO 
Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/ZEDDBA/datafile/o1_mf_system_gfxp9txc_.dbf
Tag: IMAGE COPY

2 2 A 17-MAY-19 458023 17-MAY-19 NO 
Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/ZEDDBA/datafile/o1_mf_sysaux_gfxpb246_.dbf
Tag: IMAGE COPY

3 3 A 17-MAY-19 458027 17-MAY-19 NO 
Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/ZEDDBA/datafile/o1_mf_undotbs1_gfxpb9b0_.dbf
Tag: IMAGE COPY

4 4 A 17-MAY-19 458029 17-MAY-19 NO 
Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/ZEDDBA/datafile/o1_mf_users_gfxpbdgo_.dbf
Tag: IMAGE COPY

List of Archived Log Copies for database with db_unique_name ZEDDBA
=====================================================================

Key Thrd Seq S Low Time 
------- ---- ------- - ---------
3 1 15 A 16-MAY-19
Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/ZEDDBA/archivelog/2019_05_17/o1_mf_1_15_gfxp940y_.arc

Recovery Manager complete.

Press Enter to continue

Finally, we update the demo log table:

-------------------------------------
Step 3: Updating and viewing demo log
-------------------------------------
Calling 'sqlplus / as sysdba'
To updated and view demo log

1 row created.

Commit complete.

WHEN COMMENTS
------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------
16-MAY-19 05.31.24.000000 PM Enable Archive Log Mode
16-MAY-19 05.40.23.000000 PM Full Backup
16-MAY-19 05.46.17.000000 PM Full Backup plus Archive Logs
17-MAY-19 04.55.12.000000 PM Image Copy

Press Enter to exit shell script

[oracle@dc1sbxdb001 demo]$

Reference

Scripts

  1. 4_image_copy.sh
  2. 4_image_copy.cmd

To download all 2 in one zip: 4_image_copy.zip

The rest of the series

  1. Oracle Database File Placement Best Practice & Create Database Demo
  2. RMAN Full Backup & Demo
  3. RMAN Image Copy & Demo
  4. RMAN Incremental & Demo Part 1 (Level 0)
  5. RMAN Incremental & Demo Part 2 (Level 1)
  6. RMAN Incremental with Block Change Tracking & Demo
  7. RMAN Incremental Differential vs Cumulative & Demo
  8. RMAN Incremental Updating Backup & Demo Part 1
  9. RMAN Incremental Updating Backup & Demo Part 2
  10. Flashback
  11. RMAN Block Media Recovery
  12. RMAN Recover database with only FRA
  13. RMAN Obsolete

Please Note: Links to the blog posts will be released daily and updated here.

 

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Thanks

Zed DBA (Zahid Anwar)