17 Backing Up Your Environment

This chapter describes recommended backup strategies for Oracle Fusion Middleware and the procedures for backing up Oracle Fusion Middleware.

This chapter includes the following sections:

• Section 17.1, "Overview of the Backup Strategies"

• Section 17.2, "Limitations and Restrictions for Backing Up Data"

• Section 17.3, "Performing a Backup"

• Section 17.4, "Creating a Record of Your Oracle Fusion Middleware Configuration"

17.1 Overview of the Backup Strategies

Backup strategies enable you safeguard your data and to later recover from critical failures that involve actual data loss. The following topics describe the backup strategy:

• Types of Backups

• Backup Artifacts

• Recommended Backup Strategy

17.1.1 Types of Backups

You can back up your Oracle Fusion Middleware environment offline or online:

• An offline backup means that you must shut down the environment before backing up the files. When you perform an offline backup, the Administration Server and all Managed Servers in the domain should be shut down.

• An online backup means that you do not shut down the environment before backing up the files. To avoid an inconsistent backup, do not make any configuration changes until the backup is completed. To ensure that no changes are made in the WebLogic Server domain, lock the WebLogic Server configuration, as described in Section 2.3.2.

You can perform backups on your full Oracle Fusion Middleware environment, or on the run-time artifacts, which are those files that change frequently.

To perform a full backup, you should back up the static files and directories, as well as run-time artifacts, which are described in Section 17.1.2.

17.1.2 Backup Artifacts

Backup artifacts include static files and directories and run-time artifacts.

Static files and directories are those that do not change frequently. These include:

• The Oracle home (ORACLE_HOME). An Oracle home consists of product homes, such as the WebLogic Server home and an Oracle Common home, which contain the product binaries.

  Although not recommended, it can also contain the user_projects directories, which contains Oracle WebLogic Server domains, which are not static files.

• OraInventory

• On Linux and UNIX, the oraInst.loc file, which is located in the following directory:

  (Linux and IBM AIX) /etc
  (Other UNIX systems) /var/opt/oracle
  

• On Linux and UNIX, the oratab file, which is located in the following directory:

  /etc
  

• The beahomelist file, which is located at:

  (UNIX) user_home/bea/beahomelist
  (Windows) C:\bea\beahomelist
  

• On Windows, the following registry key:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\oracle
  

  In addition, for system components, such as Oracle HTTP Server, you must back up the following Windows Registry key:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services
  

Run-time artifacts are those files that change frequently. Back up these files when you perform a full backup and on a regular basis. Run-time artifacts include:

• Domain directories of the Administration Server and the Managed Servers.

  In most cases, you do not need to back up Managed Server directories separately because the Administration Server contains information about all of the Managed Servers in its domain.

• Application artifacts, such as .ear or .war files that reside outside of the domain.

  You do not need to back up application artifacts in a Managed Server directory structure because they can be retrieved from the Administration Server during Managed Server startup.

• Any database-based metadata repositories used by Oracle Fusion Middleware.

• Persistent stores, such as JMS Providers and transaction logs.

17.1.3 Recommended Backup Strategy

This section outlines the recommended strategy for performing backups. Using this strategy ensures that you can perform the recovery procedures in this book.

• Perform a full offline backup: This involves backing up the entities described in Section 17.1.2. Perform a full offline backup at the following times:

  • Immediately after you install Oracle Fusion Middleware

  • Immediately before patching or upgrading your Oracle Fusion Middleware environment

  • Immediately before an operating system upgrade

  • Immediately after upgrading or patching Oracle Fusion Middleware

  See Section 17.3.1 for information on performing a full backup.

• Perform an online backup of run-time artifacts: This involves backing up the run-time artifacts described in Section 17.1.2. Backing up the run-time artifacts enables you to restore your environment to a consistent state as of the time of your most recent configuration and metadata backup. To avoid an inconsistent backup, do not make any configuration changes until backup completes. Perform an online backup of run-time artifacts at the following times:

  • After every administrative change and on a regular basis. Oracle recommends that you back up run-time artifacts nightly.

  • Prior to making configuration changes to a component.

  • After making configuration changes to a component.

  • Prior to deploying a custom Java EE application to a Managed Server or cluster.

  • After a major change to the deployment architecture, such as creating servers or clusters.

  See Section 17.3.2 for information on performing a backup of run-time artifacts.

  If you are performing an online backup, do not make any configuration changes until the backup is completed. To ensure that no changes are made in the WebLogic Server domain, lock the WebLogic Server configuration, as described in Section 2.3.2.

• Perform a new full backup after a major change, such as any upgrade or patch, or if any of the following files are modified:

  DOMAIN_HOME/nodemanager/nodemanager.properties
  ORACLE_HOME/wlserver/common/bin/wlsifconfig.sh
  ORACLE_HOME/wlserver/common/bin/setPatchEnv.sh
  ORACLE_HOME/wlserver/common/bin/commEnv.sh
  

  See Section 17.3.1 for information on performing a full backup.

• Perform a full or incremental backup of your databases: Use RMAN to backup your databases. See the Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide for information about using RMAN and for suggested methods of backing up the databases.

• Create a record of your Oracle Fusion Middleware environment. See Section 17.4.

• When you create the backup, name the archive file with a unique name. Consider appending the date and time to the name. For example, if you create a backup of the Oracle home on June 5, 2014, name the backup:

  oracle_home_backup_06052014.tar
  

The flowchart in Figure 17-1 provides an overview of how to decide which type of backup is appropriate for a given circumstance.

Figure 17-1 Decision Flow Chart for Type of Backup

Description of "Figure 17-1 Decision Flow Chart for Type of Backup"

17.2 Limitations and Restrictions for Backing Up Data

Note the following points:

• LDAP backups: If you use the built-in LDAP, do not update the configuration of a security provider while a backup of LDAP data is in progress. If a change is made (for example, if an administrator adds a user), while you are backing up the LDAP directory tree, the backups in the ldapfiles subdirectory could become inconsistent. Refer to WebLogic Server Managing Server Startup and Shutdown for detailed LDAP backup procedures.

• Java Transaction API (JTA): Oracle does not recommend that you back up and restore JTA transaction logs.

• Audit Framework: If you have configured Oracle Fusion Middleware Audit Framework to write data to a database, you should not back up the local files in the bus stop. (Auditable events from each component are stored in a repository known as a bus stop; each Oracle WebLogic Server has its own bus stop. Data can be persisted in this file, or uploaded to a central repository at which point the records are available for viewing and reporting.)

  If you back up the local files, duplicate records are uploaded to the database. That is, they are uploaded to the database when the bus stop is created and then are uploaded again when you restore the files.

  The default locations for bus stop local files are:

  • For Java components:

    DOMAIN_HOME/servers/server_name/logs/auditlogs/component_type
    

  • For system components, such as Oracle HTTP Server:

    DOMAIN_HOME/auditlogs/component_type/component_name
    

  For more information about Oracle Fusion Middleware Audit Framework and the bus stop, see "Configuring and Managing Auditing" in Securing Applications with Oracle Platform Security Services.

17.3 Performing a Backup

You can perform a full offline backup or an online or offline backup of run-time artifacts, as described in the following topics:

• Performing a Full Offline Backup

• Performing an Online Backup of Run-Time Artifacts

• Backing Up Windows Registry Entries

17.3.1 Performing a Full Offline Backup

To perform a full offline backup, you copy the directories that contain Oracle Fusion Middleware files.

Archive and compress the source Oracle home, using your preferred tool for archiving, as described in Section 16.3.

Take the following steps:

1. Shut down all processes in the Oracle home. For example, shut down the Managed Servers, the Administration Server, and any system components.

2. Back up the Oracle home (ORACLE_HOME) on all hosts. For example:

   (UNIX) tar -cf oracle_home_backup_06052014.tar ORACLE_HOME/*
   (Windows) jar cMf oracle_home_backup_06052014.jar ORACLE_HOME\*
   

3. Back up the Administration Server domain separately. This backs up Java components and any system components in the domain.

   For example:

   (UNIX) tar -cf domain_home_backup_06052014.tar DOMAIN_HOME/*
   (Windows) jar cMf domain_home_backup_06052014.jar DOMAIN_HOME\*
     
   

   In most cases, you do not need to back up the Managed Server directories separately, because the Administration Server domain contains information about the Managed Servers in its domain. If you have customized your environment for the Managed Server, back up the Managed Server directories. See Section 16.4 for information about what you need to back up.

4. If a Managed Server is not located within the domain, back up the Managed Server directory. For example:

   (UNIX) tar -cf mg1_home_backup_06052014.tar server_name/*
   (Windows) jar cMf mgl_home_backup_06052014.jar server_name\*
   

5. Back up the application home directory. For example:

   (UNIX) tar -cf app_home_backup_06052014.tar Applications_Home/domain_name/*
   (Windows) jar cMf app_home_backup_06052014.jar Applications_Home\domain_name\*
   

6. Back up the OraInventory directory. For example:

   tar -cf Inven_home_backup_06052014.tar /scratch/oracle/OraInventory
   

7. On Linux and UNIX, back up the oraInst.loc file, which is located in the following directory:

   (Linux and IBM AIX) /etc
   (Other UNIX systems) /var/opt/oracle
   

8. On Linux and UNIX, backup the oratab file, which is located in the following directory:

   /etc
   

9. Back up the database repositories using the Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN). For detailed steps, see the Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide.

10. On Windows, export the Windows Registry entries, as described in Section 17.3.3.

11. Unlock the WebLogic Server configuration by clicking Release Configuration on the WebLogic Server Administration Console,

12. Create a record of your Oracle Fusion Middleware environment. See Section 17.4.

17.3.2 Performing an Online Backup of Run-Time Artifacts

You should perform a backup of run-time artifacts (which are listed in Section 17.1.2) on a regular basis and at the times described in Section 17.1.3.

To back up run-time artifacts:

1. To avoid an inconsistent backup, do not make any configuration changes until the backup is completed. To ensure that no changes are made in the WebLogic Server domain, lock the WebLogic Server configuration, as described in Section 2.3.2.

2. Back up the Administration Server domain directories. For example:

   UNIX) tar -cf domain_home_backup_06052014.tar DOMAIN_HOME/*
   (Windows) xcopy c:\DOMAIN_HOME e:\domain_home_backup_06052014 /s /e /i /h
   

3. Back up the application home directory. For example:

   (UNIX) tar -cf app_home_backup_06052014.tar DOMAIN_HOME/*
   (Windows) jar cMf app_home_backup_06052014.jar C:\oracle\applications\domain_name\*
   

4. Back up the database repositories using the Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN). For detailed steps, see the Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User's Guide.

5. Unlock the Oracle WebLogic Server configuration by clicking Release Configuration on the WebLogic Server Administration Console,

6. Create a record of your Oracle Fusion Middleware environment. See Section 17.4.

17.3.3 Backing Up Windows Registry Entries

On Windows, you must back up Windows Registry keys related to Oracle Fusion Middleware. Which keys you back up depends on what components you have installed.

To export a key, use the following command:

regedit /E  FileName Key

Export the following entries:

• For any component, export the following registry key:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Oracle
  

• For system components, such as Oracle HTTP Server, export each node that begins Oracle within the following registry keys:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services
  

  For example:

  regedit /E C:\oracleSMP.reg HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services
  

  Use a unique file name for the each key.

You can also use the Registry Editor to export the key. See the Registry Editor Help for more information.

17.4 Creating a Record of Your Oracle Fusion Middleware Configuration

In the event that you need to restore and recover your Oracle Fusion Middleware environment, it is important to have all the necessary information at your disposal. This is especially true in the event of a hardware loss that requires you to reconstruct all or part of your Oracle Fusion Middleware environment on a new disk or host.

You should maintain an up-to-date record of your Oracle Fusion Middleware environment that includes the information listed in this section. You should keep this information both in hardcopy and electronic form. The electronic form should be stored on a host or e-mail system that is completely separate from your Oracle Fusion Middleware environment.

Your Oracle Fusion Middleware hardware and software configuration record should include:

• The following information for each host in your environment:

  • Host name

  • Virtual host name (if any)

  • Domain name

  • IP address

  • Hardware platform

  • Operating system release level and patch information

  • The version of the JDK and its path used in the installation and configuration of Oracle Fusion Middleware

• The following information for each Oracle Fusion Middleware installation in your environment:

  • Installation type (for example, Oracle HTTP Server)

  • Host on which the installation resides

  • User name, userid number, group name, groupid number, environment profile, and type of shell for the operating system user that owns the Oracle home (/etc/passwd and /etc/group entries)

  • Directory structure, mount points, and full path for the Oracle home, Oracle Common home, product homes, Oracle WebLogic Server domain home (if it does not reside in the user_projects directory in the Oracle home)

  • Amount of disk space used by the installation

  • Port numbers used by the installation

  • The version of the JDK and its path used in the installation and configuration of Oracle Fusion Middleware

• The following information for the database containing the metadata for components:

  • Host name

  • Database version and patch level

  • Base language

  • Character set

  • Global database name

  • SID

  • Listen port