offload backup to standby

[hrishy]

Hi All

Suppose i have a 3Tb database on the following version of oracle

a)9iR2
b)817
c)7.3.4

In 9i R2 we can use datagaurd and releive the primary database and make it available whil the backup window of say 15-18 hours can be utilized without disturbing production on the datagaurd database.

I was just wundering can we do anything similar on 817 and 7.3.4 versions of standby databases ?

Can i create a standby database for 7.3.4 and 8.1.7 and then take a hotbackup of the secondary databases do a couple of log switches on the primary move it to secondary server and backup them as well..
Has anybody implemented such a scenario.

I am asking this question out of curiosity wundering anybody has done this kind of a thing?

regards
Hrishy

[SANJAY_G]

I don't think that will work. I think for database of size nearing 3TB, proper backup solutions should be BCV. But again $$$ is the difference.

[pando]

cant you use RMAN incremental backup?

[hrishy]

Hi Pando

As usual ur dieas are brilliant but in 7.3 and you cannot be sure that incremental backups with RMAN will have shorter backup windows..it really depends upon the environment increental backups maybe faster maybe slower we are not sure

sanjay thats a good idea but only if a company can afforrd the $$..but i will keep that in mind.

Hi sanjay

does oracle support BCV ?


Note i am posing this questions so that i can know what people think and how they are currently tackling such a situation.

regards
Hrishy

[SANJAY_G]

7.X No RMAN.

Yes Oracle supports BCV but you need EMC or some other storage manager to manage disks, mirroring and splitting.

[pando]

BCV is very expensive to maintain, if you have 3TB you need like 9TB storage if you want BCV and RAID-1....

[hrishy]

Hi Pando

agreed that BCV is expensive to maintain..but any idea how fast it can do backup ? can it reduce the backup window..can we play around with the standby concept and do somethin as a cheap solution ?

regards
Hrishy

[jmodic]

Originally posted by hrishy
I was just wundering can we do anything similar on 817 and 7.3.4 versions of standby databases ?

Yes, you can do the same in 817, being Standby Database is suppoted by the RDBMS system itself in 817 you can perform hot backup of the standby database pretty much the same way as you do in 9i DataGuard.

In 7.3.4 you would need to set up the standby configuration by implementing your own home-made scripts for archlog transportation and their application in the recovery process.

[hrishy]

Originally posted by jmodic
Yes, you can do the same in 817, being Standby Database is suppoted by the RDBMS system itself in 817 you can perform hot backup of the standby database pretty much the same way as you do in 9i DataGuard.

In 7.3.4 you would need to set up the standby configuration by implementing your own home-made scripts for archlog transportation and their application in the recovery process.

Hi Jmodic

Thanks..so instead of backing up the primary i can backup the secondary database am i right ?

regards
Hrishy

[pando]

Originally posted by hrishy
Hi Pando

agreed that BCV is expensive to maintain..but any idea how fast it can do backup ? can it reduce the backup window..can we play around with the standby concept and do somethin as a cheap solution ?

regards
Hrishy

Oh yes it´s very fast backing up databases, I have seen backing up 800gb Vantive (CRM) database in around 5 to 10 minutes minutes . Well it´s not really backing up, it syncronizes the mirrors. So even recovery is damn fast