How NetBackup for Oracle with Snapshot Client works

NetBackup users or schedules start database backups or restores. The Oracle Intelligent Policy automatically generates an RMAN script. The script-based policy uses a shell script in the backup selections list of the Oracle policy. The shell script specifies backup or restore commands for the Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN) to use when you perform the backup or restore on the client.

The RMAN backup proxy command initiates a proxy copy backup of the specified objects. The objects that can be backed up using the proxy copy functionality depend on the Oracle version. RMAN translates the objects into the physical file names and provides a list of file names to NetBackup for Oracle.

The agent checks that the policy it uses for the backup is configured with the appropriate Snapshot Client attributes. The agent then initiates file-based backups of the Oracle files and uses the NetBackup Snapshot Client interface to perform the data movement.

When Oracle performs proxy copy backups, it puts the data files being backed up into backup mode. NetBackup then creates a snapshot of the files. After the snapshot has been created, the NetBackup for Oracle agent signals back to Oracle to take the data files out of backup mode. The data files being backed up are in backup mode only for the period of time necessary to capture a snapshot of the data.