Recovery Manager (RMAN) and Oracle Secure Backup (OSB) Secure Your Data, Protect Your Budget

Oracle Secure Backup is centralized tape backup management software protecting the Oracle database and file systems in distributed UNIX, Linux, Windows and Network Attached Storage (NAS) environments.
From one central console, you can easy manage the distributed servers and tape devices within the backup domain.
As Oracle is no longer just a database company, Oracle Secure Backup provides tape backup for application files as well as the database. Integrated with Recovery Manager (RMAN), Oracle Secure Backup provides the media management layer for RMAN backups to tape.
While tightly integrated with the Oracle database, Oracle Secure Backup is a standalone product offering with an independent release schedule and versioning from the database.

Recovery Manager (RMAN) – ensures valid backup & restore
Always verifies block checksums on backup & restore
Provides optional logical block validation (e.g. missing row piece)
Checks on-demand for backup / restore corruptions without creating backups / restores (BACKUP VALIDATE / RESTORE VALIDATE)
Provides online recovery of individual block corruptions or all identified corruptions with Block Media Recovery (RECOVER BLOCK)

The Fast Recovery Area (FRA) is one location to hold recovery-related files, e.g. RMAN backups, Flashback logs, archived logs, multiplexed copy of online redo, multiplexed copy of controlfile, specified with a location (directory or ASM disk group) and space quota (upper limit). The FRA automatically deletes unneeded files when there is space pressure; ‘unneeded files’ are those that are either (1) backed up to tape via RMAN, or (2) obsolete according to RMAN retention policy. Calculating an appropriate initial FRA size depends on what the user wants to keep, e.g. one may just want Flashback logs and archived logs, and no RMAN backups. The following guidelines assist with determining the initial size.

When keeping only controlfile autobackups and archived logs, one can find an approximate FRA size estimate by finding the total size of archived logs generated between successive backups on the busiest days (controlfile autobackups are generally small relative to archived logs). This is because once the archived logs are backed up, they are considered ‘reclaimable’ and will be deleted under space pressure, so you only need enough space to hold archived logs between two successive backups. This estimate is multiplied by 2 to accomodate unexpected redo spikes.

When keeping both archived logs and Flashback logs, you can multiply the archived log size by 2 to get an initial estimate. This is because Flashback logs are generally created in proportion to archived redo logs generated during same retention period. So, multiply the archived log size by 4 (2x for archived logs + 2x for Flashback logs) to accommodate unexpected redo spikes, which also affect Flashback log sizes.

There is no formula to estimate incremental backup sizes – they are really dependent on the amount of changes between backups. One can test run an incremental strategy to determine representative incremental sizes for a period of time, and then include those in calculation of production FRA size.

Finally, if an on-disk image copy backup is to be kept in the FRA, then add in the size of the database minus size of temp files (RMAN does not backup temp files). An on-disk image copy backup allows for faster restore vs. tape, or can just be used as-is in place of the production storage data file.

By leveraging the 7000’s snapshot technology allows you snapshot your full backup, run and incremental, then apply the changed block to the full – this basically rolls forward you full backups each night. But with the snap shots you have also stored as many previous full backups as desired. Remember the 7000 snap shots only copy pointers not actual data. So each night only the incremental new/change blocks are stored.

Tape backup market is not lacking in products….so why did Oracle launch OSB? OSB was born out of customer, should I say many customer requests to reduce the cost of database backups to tape. OSB delivers an alternative to expensive tape backup software.

RMAN is the Oracle recommended backup utility for the Oracle database and which is used by a majority of Oracle customers. While RMAN is free from Oracle, 3rd party media management, tape backup utilities command top dollars for RMAN integration…to the tune of thousands of $ per database server.
In contrast, OSB RMAN integration is free!
Oracle customers achieve a single vendor solution for all data protection needs.

Oracle Secure Backup is centralized tape backup management software protecting the Oracle database and file systems in distributed UNIX, Linux, Windows and Network Attached Storage (NAS) environments.
From one central console, you can easy manage the distributed servers and tape devices within the backup domain.
Integrated with Recovery Manager (RMAN), Oracle Secure Backup provides the media management layer for RMAN backups to tape. Complete data protection for your entire environment, OSB provides an alternative to expensive media management products increasing ROI for your customers Oracle investment.
Oracle database backups provide the fastest database backup to tape (about 25 – 40 % faster) due to optimizations, particularly:
Unused block compression: Only used data blocks are backed up (Oracle Database 10g R2)
Backup undo optimization: Only “active” undo data is backed up (Oracle Database 11g R1)

OSB employs a client / server architecture:
One Admin. Server per domain – houses OSB catalog
Client host – Any host backed up by OSB
Media server – Any host direct attached to tape device

OSB domain – all hosts that are managed by admin server….graphic above would represent one OSB domain.

Oracle database may reside on any host within the OSB domain.

RMAN and OSB encryption differ….along with decryption during restore:
Main difference —- Encryption key management. For RMAN backup encryption, keys are managed by database. For OSB encryption, OSB manages keys which are centrally stored on OSB admin server. Also, RMAN restore of password encrypted backups require user to provide password. OSB restore of OSB passphrase encrypted backups seamlessly decrypt backup within same domain (access to admin server for keys) without the user needing to submit passphrase to decrypt.

If the tapes needed for restore could be offsite; you may want to confirm the location of tapes prior to issuing the restore command. With RMAN and OSB you can easily do so by issuing the following RMAN command(s):
RESTORE DATABASE PREVIEW command provides a list of tapes needed for restoration which are offsite.
RESTORE DATABASE PREVIEW RECALL command initiates a recall operation via OSB to return the tapes from offsite to the tape device for restoration. Once the tapes are onsite, you can begin the RMAN restore operation.

Oracle database backups provide the fastest database backup to tape (about 25 – 40 % faster) due to optimizations, particularly:
Unused block compression: Only used data blocks are backed up (Oracle Database 10g R2)
Backup undo optimization: Only “active” undo data is backed up (Oracle Database 11g R1)

Oracle Maximum Availability Architecture (MAA) team documented their performance testing along with best practice guidance for tape backup / restore of Sun Oracle Database Machine using RMAN, OSB and StorageTek SL500 tape library . The white paper available on OTN.

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/features/availability/maa-tech-wp-sundbm-backup-final-129256.pdf

SINGLE TECHNICAL SUPPORT RESOURCE FOR ENTIRE ENVIRONMENT – BIG ADVANTAGE!

Oracle Secure Backup offers a unified command line, obtool, which may be used for file system backups and managing the administrative domain. All actions available within the Web Tool are also available using obtool.   Database backups and restores are evoked using EM or RMAN not OSB web tool or obtool.

For file system data, users define “datasets” describing the list of files to be backed up. A dataset is a textual description employing a lightweight language to communicate how to build and organize files to be protected.
Incredibly flexible, dataset description files are hierarchically organized into a directory structure.

OSB usies Standards-compliant tape format: extended TAR or NDMP dump

Sever-less tape duplication:
OSB support of NDMP tape copy which utilizes the hardware for tape copy eliminating need for data to move back through the media server during tape copy process — OSB catalog metadata will maintain same information using regular or server-less tape duplication

Key management and support for LTO-4 tape drive:
OSB will now provide flexibility to utilize software encryption (OSB client side) or hardware encryption (LTO-4)….delivering key management for both

Dynamic drive sharing:
Increases tape drive utilization by sharing one tape drive between multiple media servers. OSB dynamically (automatically) manages any contention between media servers accessing same tape drive. Competitors charge additional licensing fees for this capability….usually referred to as shared storage open or dynamically shared drive option. This is most common in SAN environments as multiple hosts have local access to same tape library/drives via fibre switch.

Support of StorageTek ACSLS –
The StorageTek SL8500 may only be accessed via ACSLS. Other StorageTek libraries (ie SL3000 or SL500) may be configured to use media management control of library (standard process) or ACSLS. In ACSLS environments, the tape library is configured within OSB to utilize ACSLS in which OSB communicates with an ACSLS server to send commands.

Support for new tape devices are added on an ongoing basis.
Support for over 200 new and legacy devices
SCSI, Fibre, SAS and iSCSI connectivity

OSB – All advanced features included in OSB per tape drive license
– Backup unlimited servers – FREE
Backup to VTL – FREE (OSB priced per physical tape drive….no OSB licensing cost for backup to VTL)

*Exadata full rack includes 8 nodes – Competitor licensing cost includes client license and database pack per node….each node is Tier 2 size. OSB is licensed per tape drive and doesn’t charge any additional licensing fees per node or for advanced functionality such as integration with RMAN which is what the competitor database pack provides.

Oracle database backups provide the fastest database backup to tape (about 25 – 40 % faster) due to optimizations, particularly:
Unused block compression: Only used data blocks are backed up (Oracle Database 10g R2)
Backup undo optimization: Only “active” undo data is backed up (Oracle Database 11g R1)…Eliminates backup of committed Oracle database undo

OSB is qualified with all open systems StorageTek tape devices. The StorageTek VSM is a virtual tape system for mainframe environments only and is therefore not supported by OSB. OSB supports the devices via StorageTek ACSLS or non-ACSLS management as supported by the tape device.

Reliability you can expect from Oracle! As part of Oracle family, OSB has enhanced integration with Oracle products maximizing customer benefit. Plus, single vendor resource reduces complexity and expedites problem resolution
OSB integration with Oracle database achieves 25 – 40% faster database backup to tape with exclusive enhancements of eliminate backup of committed undo (11g forward) and unused blocks (10g forward). In addition, optimized data movement (OSB and RMAN) reduces CPU utilization by up to 30%.
From on central OSB console, manage backup of distributed servers and tape devices protecting file systems and Oracle databases. In NAS environments, Oracle IT has achieved a 25% backup performance improvement over previous backup software.
Policy-based management for domain, encryption, vaulting, duplication etc
Low-cost, single component pricing of only $3500 per tape drive

Who better to backup Oracle than Oracle?

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