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Version: DPX 4.9

Catalogic DPX Block Data Protection for Oracle Backup Workflow

Following is a step-by-step overview of how the Catalogic DPX Block Data Protection for Oracle performs backups:

  1. Depending on the backup definition, Catalogic Software agents automatically find the file systems hosting the following:
    • data files, ORACLE_HOME, and ORACLE_BASE
    • local archive log locations, redo log locations.
    • the following parameters
    • background_dump_dest
    • core_dump_dest
    • user_dump_dest
    • audit_file_dest
    • db_create_file_dest
    • db_create_online_log_dest_n where n = 1, 5
    • db_recovery_file_dest
    • log_archive_dest
    • log_archive_duplex_dest
    • plsql_native_library_dir
    • spfile
    • standby_archive_dest
    • oracle_trace_collection_path (only 9)
    • oracle_trace_facility_path (only 9)
  2. The agent places all the tablespaces selected in backup mode, then Snapshots the file systems. The Snapshots are backed up.
  3. The tablespaces are taken out of backup mode.
  4. The archive logs generated during the time the database was in backup mode are discovered and backed up.
  5. Before tablespaces are put in backup mode, the agent performs the following operations:

    1. Archive all unarchived logs, including the current log.

      ALTER SYSTEM ARCHIVE LOG CURRENT

    2. Query V$LOG to determine the log sequence number of the current redo log, seq1.

      SELECT SEQUENCE# FROM V$LOG WHERE STATUS = 'CURRENT'

      After taking the tablespaces out of backup mode, the agent performs the following operations:

    3. Archive all unarchived logs, including the current log.

      ALTER SYSTEM ARCHIVE LOG CURRENT

    4. Query V$LOG to determine the log sequence number of the current redo log, seq2.

      SELECT SEQUENCE# FROM V$LOG WHERE STATUS = 'CURRENT'
  6. The archive logs ranging from seq1 up to but not including seq2 are backed up. In addition to the archive logs, the following files are explicitly backed up:
    • Control file (binary) generated after taking tablespaces out of backup mode
    • Text control file
    • Text parameter file is included in the backup if the database instance is using a server parameter file
  7. The file systems containing all Oracle information are backed up, including Oracle configuration files, such as network configuration files and password files, and all archive logs are protected.