How to perform a Full System Restore with Oracle

Full System Restore - Oracle iDataAgent

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Overview

Before beginning an Oracle database restore, determine if a full restore of the File System is required. If a File System restoration is necessary on the system where the Oracle database resides, refer to the procedures in the appropriate File System's online help.

The difference between a normal restore and a full system restore is the severity of the problem. Normally, if data is lost or removed, it is recovered from the archives using the normal restore procedures. However, when a normal restore operation cannot correct a software and/or hardware corruption problem, some level of full system restore is required.

The level of system restore required may be different as described below.

When the database is corrupted and a restore is required, both the application software and database must be restored. This can be achieved by performing the following steps:
Restoring the application by using the file system iDataAgent restore options.
Restoring the database files using the restore options in the iDataAgent.
When the client system (operating system, hardware, hard drives, etc.) is damaged or destroyed, a full system restore may be required.


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Perform a Full System Restore
The following procedure demonstrates how to perform a full system restore when the client system is damaged or destroyed. The procedure assumes the following:

That the latest file system and Oracle backups are available.
That the file system backup does not include the Oracle database files. (This is achieved by establishing a backup filter for .dbf files in the appropriate file system subclients.)
That the recovery catalog is available on a separate machine. If the recovery catalog is on the same machine, you should have:
Exported the user, who is the owner of the recovery catalog using the Oracle export command to an external flat file.
Included this external flat file in your file system backup.
That the subclient used for backing up the entire database had the Resync Catalog option selected in the Subclient Properties (Backup Arguments) tab.
To perform a full system restore:

If necessary, rebuild the hardware as it existed before.
Perform a full system restore of your file system to rebuild your operating system and application files, using the procedures in the online help for the appropriate file system. In addition to restoring your operating system, this operation will restore the Oracle application files and the Oracle iDataAgent software (if applicable).
Reboot the machine.
If there are any problems with the Oracle iDataAgent software, we recommend that you un-install and re-install the software in the same drive as it was previously installed. Use the same installation parameters, passwords, and backup type settings as were previously used.

Perform the following steps if the recovery catalog is on the same machine that you are rebuilding:
Create the recovery catalog database as it existed before the crash.
Create the user (who was the owner of the recovery catalog) with the same user privileges that existed for the user.
Import the user (which was exported to a flat file and was backed up as a part of the file system) using the Oracle import command.
Start the database in the NOMOUNT mode.
From the CommCell Browser, right-click the instance that contains the database you want to restore and recover, select All Tasks and then click Restore.
From the Oracle Restore Options (General) dialog, select the following options:
Select the client computer with the database that you want to restore in the Destination Client list (if it is not already selected).
Select the Restore Control File option.
Select the Restore Data and Recover options.
Select the entire database in The Latest Database View pane (if it is not already selected).
Verify that the Status of the database is displayed as STARTED; if necessary click on the Refresh button to refresh the status.
When restoring encrypted data, refer to Data Encryption.
Click on the Advanced button and verify the following options are selected in the appropriate tab of the Oracle Advanced Restore Options dialog box:
Click the Control and SP Files tab and ensure that the Restore Control File option is selected.
Click the Restore tab and ensure that the Restore Data and From the Latest Backup options are selected.
Click the Recover tab and ensure that the Recover and Current Time options are selected.
Select or specify any additional options in the Oracle Advanced Restore Options dialog box, then click OK.
Click Job Initiation tab and select the appropriate option to begin or schedule the restore, then click OK.
Once the job begins, the system will perform a full restore of the selected data, and you can track the status of the job in the Job Controller.
After the database is restored, perform a full backup of the Oracle database to ensure the existence of the current state.