About using a NetBackup appliance share for Oracle backups (Copilot)

This feature enhances the Oracle Intelligent Policy by giving you two options for protecting an Oracle database using a share on a NetBackup appliance. The first option gives you better control of backups when Oracle database backups are placed in an appliance share by the DBA. The second option lets you choose an appliance share as the destination for the first backup copy. Now you do not have to rely on the DBA to create backups in the share. You must provision a share on the appliance for these options using the NetBackup Appliance Shell Menu.

The Database Backup Shares option provides a share for the DBA on the NetBackup appliance and is protected using the Oracle Intelligent Policy. The backup occurs on the appliance as an off-host backup and all data movement occurs on the appliance and does not affect the Oracle client. Since the OIP protects the appliance share, the backups are visible when the DBA uses RMAN or Oracle Enterprise Manager.

The Whole Database - Datafile Copy Share option enhances the OIP to allow the NetBackup Administrator to choose an appliance share as the destination for the first backup copy. When the policy runs the first time, an RMAN script is generated that creates a full set of Oracle data file copies. The data file copies reside in the appliance share. The next time that the full schedule runs, the backup is accelerated if the Use Accelerator option is selected. The RMAN script that is generated performs an incremental backup and the changed blocks are merged into the data files. This incremental backup creates an updated full set of Oracle data file copies. After the new full copy is created in the database backup share, an SLP is used to make additional copies of the full backup. The first copy is always a remote_vxfs snapshot. The remote_vxfs snapshot creates a vxfs_checkpoint snapshot of the share on the NetBackup appliance.

On the Attributes tab, the Use Accelerator feature is automatically selected when you configure an OIP with Whole Database - Datafile Copy Share selected in the Backup Selections tab. The first time that the full schedule runs it creates a full set of data file copies. After the first full schedule, only the changes are backed up as a backup set and merged with the existing full backup. Basically, an incremental merge is performed. Oracle's Block Change Tracking feature should be enabled for faster incremental backups.

When using Copilot to protect your database, NetBackup does not protect extended attributes, extent attributes, or Access Control Lists associated with the database's data files.