Beginning Oracle Database 11g Administration From Novice to Professional

CHAPTER 14 DATABASE MAINTENANCE 307
ware—be
prepared to move the database to another server.
. The traditional method is to send backup tapes
offline. Newer methods involve backups to a backup appliance over the network.
A combination of near- line (disk) and far- line (tape or network) backups can be
used. Near- line backups reduce the time needed for recovery, while far- line backups
increase the safety of backups. The tape library should not be a single point of
failure—ensure that data can be recovered even if the tape library is damaged.
in case one set of backups is damaged.
should incorporate error checking and an adequate amount of logging.
The logs should be retained for an appropriate time. Notification of backup
failures should be sent to the database administrators. Backup failures should be
formally investigated.
time it took to perform backups should be generated and sent to an audience that
includes the database administrators and the database owner.
temporary or permanent,
should be performed under formal change control procedures.
Tip Don’t forget to perform backups of databases used for development and testing.
Best Practices for Oracle Database Backups
The following practices apply specifically to Oracle database backups:
for backups. The advantages of RMAN are so
numerous and valuable that it is hard to justify not using it. For example, RMAN
checks data blocks for corruption while it is making a backup, single- block
recovery is possible with RMAN, and so on.
Tip Backups performed using third- party software such as Network Appliance Snapshot can be integrated
with RMAN.