The clone features in the NetBackup web UI replace the Guided Recovery cloning in NetBackup OpsCenter and offer a more streamlined and more efficient method to clone an Oracle database.

• A clone operation is performed from a good backup image and does not require access to the original database.

• Beginning with NetBackup 10.3, NetBackup collects additional information (metadata) at the time of backup that helps to create the RMAN cloning script.

• The validation process checks for any issues before NetBackup starts the clone operation.

Oracle cloning has the following requirements:

• The Oracle version must be the same on the source server and the target server.

• The operating system of the source file system and target file system must be the same.

• The target operating system file system of the clone must be the same as the original operating system file system from which the backup was taken. For example, a clone of ext4 to XFS is not supported.

• An additional requirement may exist when the backup source is ASM and you are cloning to file system using OMF. Or, when the backup source is a file system and you are cloning to ASM using OMF. Before the clone you may need to manually create the target directories for the temp files and the redo log files.

  Otherwise, an error like the following may occur:

  ORA-00344: unable to re-create online log 
  'E:\APP\ORACLE\PRODUCT\19.3\DB_HOME1\RAC_RESTORE2\DATA\CDB19R\
  ONLINELOG\GROUP_1.264.1126884003'

  See Error: Unable to re-create online log.

• To clone from an image that was created with an Oracle Intelligent Policy (OIP) that is Data Guard-aware, the Oracle Data Guard databases must be defined within NetBackup. You can configure Data Guards with the NetBackup web UI, the NetBackup APIs, or the nboracmd command.

  See Cloning a database from an Oracle Intelligent Policy (OIP) that is Data Guard aware.

In NetBackup, Oracle cloning has certain limitations or is not supported in some situations, as follows:

• The backup is from an instant recovery snapshot.

• A clone is supported only from the primary backup copy. A clone from other backup copies is not supported.

• A clone is not supported from when you use the backup option Database backup shares (for Oracle Copilot).

• Clone from a source database that has an offline data file.

• Clone from backup set where incarnation changes during the set of backups.

• When the following objects are encrypted:

  NetBackup displays an error in these cases.

  • Column encryption: Single PDB clone

  • Tablespace encryption:

    • Single PDB clone

    • Full CDB, non-CDB, and single PDB clone for encryption of Oracle default tablespace.

    • Oracle-managed tablespaces: SYSTEM, SYSAUX, UNDO, TEMP

• When the Oracle backup source has a source location in the control file for a volume that doesn't exist on the target.

  On the target, you must create the source location that is named in the control file.

  Review the following Oracle documentation: Full RMAN Backup Set Duplication = Error in the Alert Log: ORA-7445[skgfifi()+4307] (Doc ID 2443991.1)

• If the source backup was a proxy backup, only a file system restore is supported. If you want to move the cloned database to ASM storage, additional steps are required. More information is available on how to restore from a data file copy to ASM storage using RMAN.

  See About restoring from a data file copy to ASM storage using RMAN.

• NetBackup creates a clone control file and database server parameter file (SPFILE) based on the control file and SPFILE of the source database. NetBackup modifies the control file and SPFILE with parameters provided by the user during the clone operation. See the Oracle database documentation on supported characters for SPFILE or control file parameters. Different database versions may have different requirements.

  The following examples may cause a clone to fail:

  • If the SPFILE of the clone that is created contains a path with localized characters.

  • If the control file paths or the DB_CREATE_FILE_DEST contains localized characters.

• If a source database is not OMF, you cannot clone the database to ASM storage. When you request a clone operation, NetBackup detects this case and prompts you to convert the cloned database to OMF. If you select "Yes", NetBackup converts the cloned database during the clone operation.

  See the following Oracle support article that describes some of the limitations of the ASM file system naming conventions when used with OMF and RMAN duplication. These same limitations apply to NetBackup clone operations. Also see the section on "Uniqueness of an ASM file".

  https://support.oracle.com/epmos/faces/DocContentDisplay?id=1910175.1

  NetBackup appends a randomly generated suffix onto the OMF-created ASM files to try to mitigate RMAN's restore behavior.

• NetBackup supports a source OS (for example, Chinese OS) with non-ASCII and an Oracle installation with one of the Oracle-defined character sets (for example, ZHS16GBK). Users can clone to a target that has the same OS and Oracle character set.