Back up an Oracle database

Oracle architectures that support physical backup

This topic describes the physical backup of Oracle databases. For more information about logical backup, see Back up an Oracle instance by using logical backup.

• Single-instance Oracle databases
• Automatic Storage Management (ASM)-based single-instance Oracle databases
• Oracle Data Guard physical standby
• Oracle RAC
  Note

  • To perform a successful backup, you must check the control files, SPFILEs, data files, archived log files, and redo log files of Oracle databases before you back up the data. For more information, see Query the locations of files in an Oracle RAC environment.
  • To back up the entire RAC, you need only to deploy a backup gateway on one of the servers where the Oracle RAC database is deployed and enter the Oracle SID of the server.

Create a backup schedule

Create a backup schedule. For more information, see Purchase a backup schedule.

Configure the backup schedule

1. Log on to the DBS console.
2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backup Schedules. On the Backup Schedules page, select a region in the upper-left corner.
3. On the Backup Schedules page, find the backup schedule that you want to configure and click Configure Backup Schedule in the Actions column.
   
4. In the Configure Backup Source and Destination step of the Configure Backup Schedule wizard, configure the backup source and destination. Then, click Next in the lower-right corner of the page.
   

   Section	Parameter	Description
   N/A	Schedule Name	The name of the backup schedule. DBS generates a backup schedule name. We recommend that you set a descriptive name that is easy to identify. Backup schedule names do not have to be unique.
   Backup Source Information	Backup Mode	The method that is used to back up data. By default, the backup method that you select when you purchase the backup schedule is used. In this example, the physical backup method is used.
   	Instance Region	The region where the database that you want to back up is deployed.
   	Backup Gateway	The backup gateway that is installed to back up data. For more information about how to install a backup gateway, see Add a backup gateway.
   	Database Type	The type of the database that you want to back up. Default value: Oracle.
   	SID	The Oracle SID of the destination server. For more information, see Obtain the Oracle SID.
   	Database	The SQL*Plus command that is used to connect to the database. The SQL*Plus command is in the format of Database username/Password@Instance name as sysdba. Example: sys/password@orcl as sysdba. You can also enter / as sysdba. However, if operating system authentication is disabled for the sysdba user in your database environment, you cannot connect to the database by using the / as sysdba command. In this case, enter the Database username/Password@Instance name as sysdba command.
   	Oracle Home	The absolute path of ORACLE_HOME. For more information, see Obtain the database program directory. Note This parameter is optional.
   Backup Destination Information	Backup Storage Type	The type of storage that is used to store the backup data. Valid values: DBS Storage (recommended): Backup data is stored in DBS without requiring you to create storage space. You are charged based on the volume of your data that is stored in DBS. For more information about the billing method, see Storage fees. To reduce storage costs, we recommend that you use subscription storage plans. For more information, see Use storage plans. OSS For User: You must create a bucket in the Object Storage Service (OSS) console in advance. For more information, see Create buckets. Note In this example, set this parameter to DBS Storage (recommended). If you set this parameter to OSS For User, you must set the OSS Bucket Name parameter.
   	Storage Encryption	The method that is used to encrypt the stored data. Valid values: Encrypted: recommended. DBS uses AES-256, one of the advanced encryption standard ciphers, to encrypt the stored data. The server-side encryption feature is used in OSS. When you upload an object to a bucket for which server-side encryption is enabled, OSS encrypts and stores the object. When you download the encrypted object from OSS, OSS decrypts the object and returns the decrypted object to you. For more information, see Server-side encryption. Non-encrypted: The backup data is not encrypted.

5. In the Edit Backup Objects step, Back Up Entire Instance is selected by default. Click Next.
   Note If you back up an entire database, the permission data and stored procedures are also backed up.
6. In the Configure Backup Time step, set the parameters that are described in the following table and click Next in the lower-right corner of the page.

   Parameter	Description
   Full-scale Backup Frequency	The frequency of the backup schedule. Valid values: Periodic Backup and Single Backup.
   Full Data Backup Recurrence	The days of the week on which DBS runs the backup schedule. You can select one or more days of a week. Select at least one day of the week.
   Start At	The start time of the backup, such as 01:00. We recommend that you set a time during off-peak hours. Note If a previous full data backup is not finished at the start time of the next backup, DBS skips the next backup.
   Incremental Backup	Specifies whether to enable incremental backup. This parameter is displayed only when you set the Full-scale Backup Frequency parameter to Periodic Backup.
   Maximum Concurrent Threads for Full Data Backup	The maximum number of concurrent threads available for a full data backup. You can set this parameter to adjust the backup speed. For example, reduce the number of backup threads to minimize the impact on the database.
   Backup network speed limit	The limit on the network bandwidth. You can set the limit based on your needs. Default value: 0, which indicates that the network bandwidth is unlimited.
   Transaction Log backup interval	The interval at which incremental backups are performed. DBS performs incremental backups based on your settings. If you set the interval to 10 minutes, DBS performs an incremental backup every 10 minutes. This parameter is displayed only when you set the Incremental Backup parameter to Enable.
   Delete Logs upon Backup Success	Specifies whether to automatically delete archived log files that are backed up. Valid values: Enable: DBS deletes the log files archived before the period specified by the Log Retention Period parameter after a successful backup. If you use the default value of the Log Retention Period parameter, DBS deletes the log files archived before seven days after a successful backup. Disable: DBS does not delete archived log files after a successful backup.
   Enable compression	Specifies whether to enable compression during backup. Valid values: Enable: recommended. Data is compressed during backup to reduce storage space. Disable: Data is not compressed during backup.
   Backup set mode	The mode that is used to back up the database. Valid values: Non-intrusive streaming backup: DBS uses Oracle System Backup to Tape (SBT) to back up data. Backup data is stored as backup sets on a virtual tape before the data is streamed to the cloud. This method requires less storage space and does not have a negative impact on the source database. Sandbox instance mount backup: DBS uses the Recovery Manager (RMAN) tool to perform image copy backup. Backup data is streamed and sent to OSS by using the FUSE protocol, instead of being stored on disks. After the sandbox feature is enabled, the backup data can be mounted in seconds. You must install FUSE on your server to ensure successful backup tasks.

7. In the Edit Lifecycle step, configure the lifecycle for a full backup set in the Configure Full Data Backup Lifecycle section.
   If you set the Incremental Backup parameter to Enable in the previous step, you must also configure the lifecycle for an incremental backup set. For more information about the lifecycle of backup sets, see How do I manage the lifecycle rules of backup sets?
8. After the configurations are complete, click Precheck in the lower-right corner of the page.
9. If the Precheck Passed message appears, click Start Task.
   

   Note When the status of the backup schedule changes to Running, the backup schedule takes effect. You can view the backup task on the Backup Schedules page. For more information, see View backup schedules.