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## Backup and Recovery

FAQs on backup and recovery on Oracle Database Appliance.

What are all the backup destinations supported in Oracle Database Appliance?

Oracle Database Appliance supports backups to Fast Recovery Area (Disk), Object Store, NFS-mounted location and Recovery Service.

How do I take a database backup?

See the Oracle Database Appliance Deployment and User's Guide for your hardware model for the complete procedure.

What are the Oracle Database Appliance components which support backup and restore?

Oracle Database Appliance supports backup of components such as database and TDE wallet. Whey you take a backup of the database, a backup of the TDE wallet is also performed, if the database is TDE-enabled.

If the database is TDE-enabled, is it required that the backupconfig that is used to attach to that database must have a separate Database backup location and TDE wallet location?

Yes. According to security guidelines, the backup of the database and TDE wallet must not be in the same location.

How is the database backup location and TDE wallet location separated in the case of disk backup configuration?

While creating the disk backup configuration, explicit paths for database backup and TDE wallet backup is not required to be provided. Oracle Database Appliance internally backups up the TDE wallet to separate path within the Fast Recovery Area (FRA).

What type of keystore is used in Oracle Database Appliance to configure TDE?

Oracle Database Appliance uses Software Keystore to configure TDE

What are the different types of keystores created in Oracle Database Appliance?

Oracle Database Appliance creates Password Protected Software Keystore and Autologin Software Keystore. However, Local Autologin Software Keystore is not created on Oracle Database Appliance.

Does Oracle Database Appliance tooling support setting up Oracle Key Vault as a key management solution?

Not at this time.

Which are the database versions that Oracle Database Appliance supports TDE on?

Oracle Database Appliance supports TDE configuration for 19c and later databases.

What is the TDE parameter used in Oracle Database Appliance while configuring TDE?

Oracle Database Appliance uses the Oracle recommended `WALLET_ROOT` parameter to configure TDE.

Does Oracle Database Appliance support auto backups?

Yes, Oracle Database Appliance supports auto backup of database and archivelogs.

When are the auto backup schedulers created?

Backup schedulers are created while attaching a backupconfig to the database. On successfully attaching the backupconfig to the database, a database backup scheduler and archivelog backup scheduler are created.

What is the frequency of the database backup scheduler and archivelog backup scheduler?

Default frequency of database backup scheduler is once every 24 hours and that of archivelog backup scheduler is every 30 mins.

Can the autobackup scheduler be disabled?

Yes, the database backup scheduler and archivelog backup scheduler associated to the database can be disabled by running the `odacli update-scheduler` command.

Can the frequency of the schedulers be changed?

Yes, the frequency of the schedulers can be changed by updating the corresponding `cron` expression using the `odacli update-scheduler` command.

Can the database backup be disabled?

Yes, the database backups can be disabled by using the `odacli modify-database` command with the `-no-bkp` option. Once disabled, manual backup, using the `odacli create-backup` command and automatic backups using schedulers, cannot be performed.

What are the backup compression algorithms supported in Oracle Database Appliance?

Oracle Database Appliance supports BASIC, LOW, MEDIUM and HIGH compression algorithms.

How can the compression algorithm be specified in Oracle Database Appliance backup?

Compression algorithm can be specified while creating the Backupconfig object. However, by default, BASIC compression algorithm is used while creating Disk or NFS backupconfig and MEDIUM compression algorithm is used while creating Objectstore backupconfig.

Can the compression algorithm be updated?

Yes, use the `odacli update-backupconfig` command to update the compression algorithm.

What is the license requirement to use different types of compression algorithm in Oracle Database Appliance?

BASIC compression algorithm does not require any license, whereas LOW, MEDIUM and HIGH compression algorithm require Advanced Compression Option license. However, if the user has Objectstore subscription, that is, Objectstore credentials, then any compression algorithm can be used.

Does Oracle Database Appliance check for license compliance before using any compression algorithm?

Compliance with license is the end user's responsibility, and Oracle Database Appliance tooling does not verify it.

Are the Objectstore credentials validated while creating the Objectstoreswift object?

No. The Objectstore credential is not validated while creating the Objectstoreswift object.

When does the validation of the Objectstore credentials happen?

The validation of the Objectstore credential happens while creating the backupconfig which uses the Objectstore.

What all attributes are considered to validate the Objectstore credentials?

Attributes such as Username, Password, Endpoint URL, Tenancy, and Container are considered while validating the Objectstore credentials.

Can more than one Objectstoreswift object can be created using the same Objectstore credential?

Yes, any number of Objectstoreswift objects can be created with one Objectstore credential. However, the Objectstoreswift object names must be different. Oracle Database Appliance does not allow multiple Objectstoreswift objects with the same name.

Can multiple Objectstore backupconfigs be created using same Objectstoreswift object?

Yes, multiple Objectstore backupconfigs can be created using same Objectstoreswift object. The names of the Objectstore backupconfigs must be different.

Can TDE enabled database be registered in Oracle Database Appliance?

Yes, Oracle Database Appliance supports registration of TDE-enabled database from 19.12 onwards with limited support for TDE wallet lifecycle management.

What are the prerequisites to register TDE enabled database in Oracle Database Appliance?

Following are the prerequisites:

- Software keystore must be used to configure TDE.
- `SQLNET.ENCRYPTION_WALLET_LOCATION` must be used to configure TDE.
- For bare metal deployments, password-protected wallet (ewallet.p12) and autologin TDE wallet (`cwallet.sso`) must be available in the location`/opt/oracle/dcs/commonstore/wallets/tde/db_uniquename/`.
- If autologin TDE wallet (`cwallet.sso`) is not present but password-protected wallet (`ewallet.p12`) is present, then TDE password must be provided in the register database request.
- For Oracle Database Appliance DB systems deployments, TDE must be configured using the `WALLET_ROOT` parameter and TDE wallets must be at location `+DATA/db_uniquename/tde`.

What is the significance of TDE Wallet Management attribute in database object?

TDE Wallet Management attribute signifies the one responsible for TDE wallet lifecycle management and is available starting from Oracle Database Appliance release 19.12.

What value does `TDE Wallet Management` attribute in database object take?

The `TDE Wallet Management` attribute takes the values: `ODA`, which means Oracle Database Appliance manages the lifecycle management of TDE wallets, `EXTERNAL` , which means Oracle Database Appliance does not manage the LCM of TDE wallets, and the value `NULL` which means database is not TDE-enabled.

What are the operations that are not supported by Oracle Database Appliance when `TDE Wallet Management` is `EXTERNAL`?

The following operations are not supported by Oracle Database Appliance when `TDE Wallet Management` is `EXTERNAL`:

- Re-key of TDE wallet
- TDE wallet password change
- TDE wallet backup
- Restore of TDE wallet
- Cloning of TDE database
- Deletion of TDE wallet on deleting the database

Is it possible to change the `TDE Wallet Management` attribute of a database from `EXTERNAL` to `ODA`?

Yes, the `TDE Wallet Management` attribute of a database can be changed from `EXTERNAL` to `ODA` if the following conditions are met:

- TDE must be configured using Software Keystore.
- TDE wallet must be present in the path `/opt/oracle/dcs/commonstore/wallets/tde/db_unique_name`.
- The database version must be 18c or later.

Is it possible to change the `TDE Wallet Management` attribute of a database from `ODA` to `EXTERNAL`?

No, it is not possible to change the `TDE Wallet Management` attribute of a database from `ODA` to `EXTERNAL`.

How can the `TDE Wallet Management` of a database be changed from `EXTERNAL` to `ODA`?

The `TDE Wallet Management` attribute of a database be changed from `EXTERNAL` to `ODA` in the following ways:

- Using the Modify Database operation, for database versions 18c or later.
- While upgrading the database from Oracle Database release 12c to 18c or later.

The `odacli list-backupreports` and `odacli describe-backupreport` commands do not complete quickly. What could cause it and how can I manage these backup reports?

The slowness in listing backup reports or describing a backup report could be because there may be many backup reports accumulated in the metadata. To resolve this issue, run the `odacli delete-backup` command. For Oracle Database Appliance release 19.12 or earlier, the `odacli delete-backup` command only deletes the obsolete backups for a database. Starting with Oracle Database Appliance release 19.13, the `odacli delete-backup` command also deletea the backup reports associated with such obsolete database backups. For example: `odacli delete-backup -in myDBname`

Is RMAN backup password, which is used to encrypt backup, required for TDE-enabled databases?

No, if a database is TDE-enabled, RMAN backup password is not required while modifying the database with the Objectstore or NFS backup configuration or while restoring the database.

Can the database be restored using regular L1 backup?

Yes, the database can be restored from a regular L1 backup. Ensure that the corresponding regular L0 backup which is the base for the regular L1 backup is also present in the backup location. Note that if a regular L0 backup is taken to the disk backup location and its corresponding incremental regular L1 backup is taken to either NFS or Objectstore backup location, then this regular L1 backup can not be used to restore the database.

Should the NFS mount point be configured on both the nodes if the target system is a high-availability system?

Yes, Oracle Database Appliance requires that the nodes are able to access the NFS client location.

What are the NFS mount options that Oracle Database Appliance supports?

The NFS mount options that Oracle Database Appliance supports are `(rw,sync,no_root_squash)`. From Oracle Database Appliance release 19.17, you do not need to specify the '`no_root_squash`' NFS option.

Is it mandatory that the ownership of the NFS server location must be the same as the `DB_Home/bin/oracle` binary of the source database?

Yes, since the backup files created by the `DB_Home/bin/oracle` binary have the same permissions as the `DB_Home/bin/oracle` directory, Oracle Database Applaince requires the ownership of the NFS server location to be same as `DB_Home/bin/oracle` of the source database.

Should the backup location for database and TDE wallet always be separate, if the source database is TDE enabled?

Yes, the backup location of the database and TDE wallet must be different. To use the same NFS client location, the absolute paths must be different inside the NFS client location.

Creation of NFS backupconfig fails with the `DCS-10074:User oracle does not have permission to access /nfs_backup_client` error.

Make sure the ID of the `oracle` user is the same on the system where the NFS client and NFS server location is configured.

Creation of NFS backupconfig fails with the `DCS-10013:Input parameter 'BackupLocation' contains unacceptable value: /nfs_backup_client.Directory: /nfs_backup_clientdoes not exist.` error.

Make sure that the NFS client location exists on both the nodes in case of high-availability systems. Also, make sure the `'no_root_squash'` NFS option is used while exporting the NFS server location to the NFS client location. For Oracle Database Appliance release 19.16 and earlier, you must specify the `no_root_squash` parameter. Starting with Oracle Database Appliance release 19.17, you need not specify the `no_root_squash` parameter.

How can a TDE-enabled database with TDE wallet management set to value `EXTERNAL` be created?

You can create a TDE-enabled database with TDE wallet management set to value `EXTERNAL` as follows:

- Registering a TDE-enabled database, which had used hardware keystore for TDE configuration.
- Registering a TDE-enabled database in Oracle Database Appliance 19.12 release, which had used software keystore for TDE configuration.

Parent topic: Oracle Database Appliance Frequently Asked Questions