Recovering Oracle Databases to a New Server

To recover an Oracle database to a new server, use the following general procedure:

• Step 1: Back up the entire server with the Catalogic Block Data Protection.

• Step 2: Use either DPX Instant Virtualization or DPXBMR to create a new server.

• Step 3: Recover the Oracle database.

The following describes two methods. The methods differ only in Step 2. The primary method uses virtualization to create a clone server. The alternate method uses DPX Bare Metal Recovery to create a clone server.

Step 1. Backup the Oracle Server with both BMR and Oracle objects selected.

If a backup job does not already exist, set up a Block backup job to back up the node where the Oracle database resides. When defining the backup, ensure the following:

• The DPXBMR volume is selected.

• The Oracle smart object (ORACLE with volume icon) is selected in the selection tree. Selecting the Oracle smart object ensures that databases are in a consistent state during backup.

Step 2a. Primary Method: Use the Catalogic DPX virtualization to create a VM

1. To start defining a restore from a successful backup, do the following to open the Virtualization Wizard:

   1. Click Restore > Block.

   2. In the Source pane, expand the source node to display the BMR object. Expand the BMR object and select a snapshot by clicking on a selection box. Note that the snapshot indicated as LATEST is always the most current.

   3. Right-click the selected snapshot and select Virtualize from the context menu. The Virtualization Wizard opens to the Specify Virtual Machine Information page.

2. On the Specify Virtual Machine Information page, in the Virtualization Type field, select Instant Virtualization or Full Virtualization. Supply other required information.

3. Continue to step through the Virtualization Wizard, supplying information as required. For a full description of fields in the wizard, see Virtualization Steps (Full and Instant Virtualization).

4. On the last page of the wizard, save and run the restore job.

5. Once the restore job is completed, a new VM is created in the vCenter you specified in the wizard. Note that if you selected Full Virtualization, an RRP job continues in the background to physically transfer the content and structure of the source server to the VM.

6. Power on the VM if necessary and proceed to Step 3.

Step 2b. Alternate Method: Use DPXBMR to create a new server

See the BMR procedure in the DPX Bare Metal Recovery Guide to boot a physical or virtual machine from an existing backup snapshot.

Step 3. Recover the Oracle Database

1. Open a command prompt on the new server and enter:

   sqlplus / as sysdba

   At the SQL> prompt, enter the following commands:

   SQL> recover database;

   SQL> alter database open;

2. Open the Services window on the new Windows server to view running services.

3. Check that the TNSListener service is started. In most cases, it is not started because the source server IP is still used. If the service is not started, do the following:

   On Microsoft Windows:

   1. Locate the listener.ora configuration file in the directory

   <oracle-home-installation-path>\NETWORK\ADMIN.

   1. Open the listener.ora file and find HOST. Change the HOST value from the IP of the source server to the IP of the new server. Save the file.

   2. Start the TNSListener service from the Services window.

   On Linux:

   1. Locate the listener.ora configuration file in the directory

   <oracle-home-installation-path>/NETWORK/ADMIN.

   1. Open the listener.ora file and find HOST. Change the HOST value from the IP of the source server to the IP of the new server. Save the file.

   2. Start the TNSListener service with the command lsnrctl start.

4. Check the database at the new server. It should be fully operational.