1. Platform Guide
  2. Performing Database Backup and Recovery with VSS
  3. About Installing and Uninstalling the Oracle VSS Writer Service

About Installing and Uninstalling the Oracle VSS Writer Service

The Oracle VSS writer runs separately from the Oracle database instance. From the perspective of the database, the VSS writer is simply an OCI client.

Oracle VSS writer instances are created automatically during the setup of an instance. oradim.exe utility that sets up an instance, also starts Oracle's VSS writer utility to setup VSS writer instance for managing the given Oracle instance. In addition, the Oracle VSS writer provides command-line options to install and uninstall the writer service. If /user option is used but /password option not used, then oravssw waits for password through stdin. During installation, you can specify the Windows account under which the service must be started. The writer uses operating system authentication when connecting to a database instance. Thus, the Windows user must be able to log in as SYSDBA to the Oracle database instances managed by the writer service.

Oracle VSS is supported on the same operating systems that are supported by Oracle Database. See Oracle Database Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows for the list of supported operating systems.

The command-line syntaxes for the Oracle VSS writer are as follows:

oravssw {/q [/start | /stop | /status]}|
oravssw {SID [/tl trace_level] [/tf trace_file]}|
oravssw {SID [/i {/user:userid /password:password}]}|
oravssw {SID [/d]}

Note:

You can change the user ID and password using the Services snap-in.

Table 9-1 Oracle VSS Writer Options

Option Description
SID SID of the Oracle instance to which the service connects.

/i {/user:userid/password:password}

Installs Oracle VSS writer service for a specified SID.

/q

Queries the Oracle VSS writer services. But when not used with options like /start or /status or /stop, it just displays the list of Oracle VSS writer services.

/status

Displays the current status of all Oracle writer services and can be used only with the /q option.

/start

Starts all Oracle VSS writer services and can be used only with the /q option.

/stop

Stops all Oracle VSS writer services and can be used only with the /q option.

/tl

Specifies the trace level for Oracle VSS writer for a specified SID.

/tf

Specifies the trace file name for Oracle VSS writer for a specified SID.

/d

Uninstalls Oracle VSS writer service for a specified SID.

In Installing Oracle VSS Writer, you install the service so that it connects to the prod1 instance.

Note:

  • Any errors during operation of the Oracle VSS writer are reported by means of Windows System Event logging APIs. You can view these errors with the Windows Event Viewer.

  • Oracle Database 10g Release 2 supports Oracle VSS snapshots only when Oracle VSS writer 11g or later is configured to manage the 10.2 database. See My Oracle Support Note 580558.1 at https://support.oracle.com for more information about installing Oracle VSS writer for use with 9i and 10g databases.

Example 9-1 Installing Oracle VSS Writer

oravssw prod1 /i

Parent topic: Performing Database Backup and Recovery with VSS