Configuring database backups in Oracle 10g

Learning objective

After completing this topic, you should be able to configure database backups.

Exercise overview

In this exercise, you're required to configure database backups in Oracle Database 10 g.

This involves the following tasks:

• configuring backup settings
• specifying backup options
• scheduling a backup

Your database is ready to move from test and development into production, and you want to ensure that it is configured so that recovery is possible without loss of data.

Task 1: Configuring backup settings

Configure the backup settings for your database. Change your disk backup location to "/u01/app/oracle/backup/". Make sure you create only one stream of backup information, and use a disk backup type that employs unused-block compression to save space. Set the maximum size of each backup piece to 8 MB.

Steps list

Instructions
1. Click Configure Backup Settings
2. Enter /u01/app/oracle/backup/ in the Disk Backup Location field
3. Ensure Backup Set is selected in the Disk Backup Type section and click the Backup Set tab
4. Enter 8 in the Maximum Backup Piece (File) Size field
5. Click OK

Task 2: Specifying backup options

Specify customized backup options so the entire database will be backed up while it is open for user activity. Configure your settings so that you can use this backup as a basis for incremental backups in the future. When you reach the Schedule Backup: Settings page, the task is complete.

Steps list

Instructions
1. Click the down-pointing arrow and select Customized
2. Ensure Whole Database is selected and click Next
3. Ensure Full Backup is selected and select Use as the base of an incremental backup strategy
4. Ensure that Online Backup is selected and click Next

Task 3: Scheduling a backup

When you've finished configuring your backup settings and destination, you need to specify when the backup should take place.

Schedule full backups for your database at 7:00 p.m. once a month, starting from today. Name the job "MONTHLY_BACKUP". When you reach the Schedule Backup: Review page, the task is complete.

Steps list

Instructions
1. Enter MONTHLY_BACKUP in the Job Name field
2. Select Later
3. Click the Hours down-pointing arrow in the Time section and select 7
4. Select PM
5. Select Monthly
6. Click Next

The Schedule Backup: Review page allows you to review your settings. When you are happy with your configuration, you proceed with the backup process by clicking Submit Job.