Backup cataloging with Oracle Recovery Manager

The backups of Oracle databases can be cataloged with Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN) to store the backup information in Oracle RMAN repository. These cataloged backups can be used later for block-level restore or tablespace point-in-time recovery operations. When you do not need these cataloged backups, you can remove the catalog information.

The database must be in mounted or higher state for cataloging. You can perform cataloging on data backups, archive log backups, and full backups. If cataloging is enabled for a backup of a resource group that has multiple databases, cataloging is performed for each database. For Oracle RAC databases, cataloging will be performed on the preferred node where the database is at least in mounted state.

Note: If you want to catalog backups of a RAC database, ensure that no other job is running for that database. If another job is running, the cataloging operation fails instead of getting queued.

By default, the target database control file is used for cataloging. If you want to add external catalog database, you can configure it by specifying the Run As credential and Transparent Network Substrate (TNS) name of the external catalog using the Database Settings wizard from the SnapCenter GUI. You can also configure the external catalog database from the CLI by running the Configure-SmOracleDatabase command with -OracleRmanCatalogRunAsName and -OracleRmanCatalogTnsName options.

If you enabled the cataloging option while creating an Oracle backup policy from the SnapCenter graphical user interface (GUI), the backups are cataloged using Oracle RMAN as part of the backup operation. You can also perform deferred cataloging of backups by running the Catalog-SmBackupWithOracleRMAN command. After cataloging the backups, you can run the Get-SmBackupDetails command to obtain the cataloged backup information such as tag for cataloged datafiles, control file catalog path, and cataloged archive log locations.

If the ASM disk group name is greater than or equal to 16 characters, from SnapCenter 3.0, the naming format used for the backup is SC_HASHCODEofDISKGROUP_DBSID_BACKUPID. However, If the disk group name is less than 16 characters, the naming format used for the backup is DISKGROUPNAME_DBSID_BACKUPID, which is the same format used in SnapCenter 2.0.

Note: The HASHCODEofDISKGROUP is an auto generated number (2 to 10 digit) unique for each ASM disk group.

You can perform crosschecks to update outdated RMAN repository information about backups whose repository records do not match their physical status. For example, if a user removes archived logs from disk with an operating system command, the control file still indicates that the logs are on disk, when in fact they are not. The crosscheck operation helps to update control file with the information. You can enable crosscheck by running the Set-SmConfigSettings command and assigning the value TRUE to ENABLE_CROSSCHECK parameter. The default value is set to FALSE. sccli Set-SmConfigSettings -ConfigSettingsType Plugin -PluginCode SCO -ConfigSettings "KEY=ENABLE_CROSSCHECK, VALUE=TRUE"

You can remove the catalog information by running the Uncatalog-SmBackupWithOracleRMAN command. You cannot remove the catalog information using the SnapCenter GUI. However, information of a cataloged backup is removed while deleting the backup or while deleting the retention and resource group associated with that cataloged backup.

Note: When you force a deletion of the SnapCenter host, the information of the cataloged backups associated with that host are not removed. You must remove information of all the cataloged backups for that host before forcing the deletion of the host.