Configuring RMAN to Make Backups to Recovery Appliance

Configuring RMAN to Make Backups to Recovery Appliance in Oracle AI

RMAN commands can be used to back up target databases to Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance.

This section describes the configuration steps required to backup a target database to Recovery Appliance using RMAN.
• Prerequisites for Using Recovery Appliance
• Setting Up the Recovery Appliance Backup Module
• Configuring SBT Channel for RMAN Backups to Recovery Appliance

Prerequisites for Using Recovery Appliance
Review the prerequisites to backup a target database to Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance(ZDLR).

• Set up the Recovery Appliance backup module on the target database server.
The backup module setup file (ra_installer.zip) is located in the ORACLE_HOME/lib directory of the target database.


The Recovery Appliance backup module creates the Oracle wallet containing credentials used to authenticate the target database with Recovery Appliance.

• RMAN requires the system backup to tape (SBT) channel to perform cloud backup and recovery operations. Use the CONFIGURE command to create an automatic SBT channel. Use the SBT_LIBRARY parameter to specify the media library that enables RMAN to communicate with the Recovery Appliance backup module.

Note:
An automatic SBT channel creates a persistent default SBT device setting that applies to all backup and recovery operations. Alternatively, you can use the ALLOCATE CHANNEL  command to manually allocate a one-time SBT channel before each backup or restore operation.

🧣 Starting in Oracle Database 19c Release Update version 27 (19.27), Oracle provides native SBT libraries for RMAN backup and recovery operations with Recovery Appliance.

• On UNIX/Linux systems, the Recovery Appliance SBT library libra.so is located in the $ORACLE_HOME/lib directory.
• On Windows systems, the Recovery Appliance SBT library orara.dll is located in the %ORACLE_HOME%\bin directory.

🎩 Starting in Oracle Database 19c Release Update version 28 (19.28), oracle.zdlra is the alias name for the Recovery Appliance native SBT library.

When you configure the RMAN SBT channel for backups to Recovery Appliance, specify the SBT_LIBRARY alias oracle.zdlra (recommended), or provide the absolute path to the SBT_LIBRARY file: $ORACLE_HOME/lib/libra.so on UNIX/Linux systems or %ORACLE_HOME%\bin\orara.dll on Windows systems.

Run the backup module installer to set up the authentication required for RMAN to access Recovery Appliance. You must use the SBT library included with the patch instead of downloading the library while running the installer.

Setting Up the Recovery Appliance Backup Module
The Recovery Appliance backup module is an Oracle-supplied media management library that enables RMAN to perform backup and restores with Recovery Appliance.


Starting with Oracle Database 19c Release Update version 27 (19.27), the Recovery Appliance backup module setup file (ra_installer.zip) is located in the $ORACLE_HOME/lib directory of the target database.


Note:
For Oracle Database 19c Release Update version 26 (19.26) and earlier versions, download the operating system-specific Recovery Appliance backup module from My Oracle Support Patch Number 37855779.

Run the backup module installer to set up the authentication required for RMAN to access Recovery Appliance. You must use the SBT library included with the patch instead of downloading the library while running the installer.

• Extract the ra_installer.zip file to a subdirectory of your choice. In this example, you extract the setup files to the ramodule subdirectory.

$ mkdir -p $ORACLE_HOME/lib/ramodule
$ cd $ORACLE_HOME/lib/ramodule
unzip -q $ORACLE_HOME/lib/ra_installer.zip

• On the target database server, go to the directory where you have extracted the Recovery Appliance backup module setup files.
In this example, you navigate to the ramodule subdirectory which contains the ra_install.jar file and the README file ra_readme.txt.

$ cd $ORACLE_HOME/lib/ramodule

• Run this command to preview the parameters required to run the Recovery Appliance backup module.

$ java -jar ra_install.jar

Compile the values for the parameters.

• Run the ra_install.jar file by specifying the parameters and values.

Configuring SBT Channel for RMAN Backups to Recovery Appliance
Configure an automatic SBT channel so that RMAN can directly send backups to Recovery Appliance.
When you configure the SBT channel, you must specify the native SBT library that corresponds to Recovery Appliance, and specify the location of the client configuration file stored on the protected database.

The configuration file contains the configuration settings that are used by the Recovery Appliance backup module to communicate with the Recovery Appliance. This configuration file is created when you set up the Recovery Appliance backup module.

• Start RMAN and connect to the target database.
• Use the CONFIGURE command to preconfigure an automatic SBT channel. Use the SBT_LIBRARY parameter to specify the library alias oracle.zdlra. You can optionally specify the native SBT library path instead of the library alias.
• Use the ENV parameter (UNIX and Linux) or the SBT_PARMS parameter (Windows) to directly specify the client configuration parameters for Recovery Appliance.

The client configuration file must contain the location of the Oracle wallet that stores the credentials required to authenticate the target database with Recovery Appliance. Other optional settings may be included.

Note:
On Windows platforms, Oracle recommends that you use the SBT_PARMS parameter to specify the environment variables, instead of the ENV parameter.

Example: Specifying Recovery Appliance Client Configuration Settings

The following command (suggested on LINUX and UNIX platforms) specifies the Recovery Appliance client configuration settings directly as part of the CONFIGURE CHANNEL command:

CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' PARAMS 'SBT_LIBRARY= oracle.zdlra, ENV=(BA_WALLET=location=file:/home/oracle/product/19.28.0/dbhome_1/wallet credential_alias=ra-scan:1521/zdlra5:dedicated)';


The following command (suggested on Windows platforms) specifies the Recovery Appliance client configuration settings directly as part of the CONFIGURE CHANNEL command:

CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' PARAMS 'SBT_LIBRARY= oracle.zdlra, SBT_PARMS=(BA_WALLET=location=file:/home/oracle/product/19.28.0/dbhome_1/wallet credential_alias=ra-scan:1521/zdlra5:dedicated)';

In this example, oracle.zdlra is the native SBT library that corresponds to the Recovery Appliance backup module. ra-scan is the SCAN of the Recovery Appliance and zdlra5 is the service name of the Recovery Appliance metadata database.


Alireza Kamrani

Oracle Technical Solutions Advisor
ACE Pro