Optimizing Oracle Database
Protection with Legato NetWorker®
Module for Oracle
February 2002
INTRODUCTION
As organizations deploy relational database applications on Oracle for mission-critical business automation
and enterprise applications, there is an ever-growing need for effective tools that can protect these
databases from accidental data loss and associated downtime. Legato NetWorker and Legato NetWorker
Module for Oracle (NMO) work together to provide fast, automated backup and granular restore for Oracle
databases. NMO works directly with the Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN) backup interface. This
integrated solution protects vast amounts of Oracle data while minimizing the impact of backup and restore
on users.
THE DATABASE BACKUP PROBLEM
The size of Oracle relational databases is growing at a phenomenal rate. Databases in the 100+ GB range
are typical, and according to Gartner Group, the average database will grow approximately 200 percent per
year through the year 2002. The acceptance of data warehousing is also driving growth due to the
replication of data from central data stores.
Two major trends continue to drive the growth of databases on Oracle: enterprise applications and Internet
databases. The acceptance of product suites such Oracle Financials, SAP, Siebel and PeopleSoft that
exploit the high performance and cost-competitiveness of open systems are driving Oracle growth. In
addition, vast amounts of data are being held in Oracle databases to support Web sites and e-commerce.
Advances in relational database technology to support large Oracle databases demand the best performance
from storage management tools that protect them. Database vendors have developed basic online backup
utilities, but these basic tools do not scale well to large, mission-critical database environments. Some of
the biggest challenges associated with backing up large Oracle relational databases include:
• Lack of performance - how to complete backups for large and growing databases in the allotted time
• Lack of automation - no provision for autochangers, and reliance on manual backup tracking
• High maintenance - the manual effort required to write and maintain scripts along with tracking
backups, backup media and archive logs can take a significant amount of time.
WHY EXISTING BACKUP METHODS FALL SHORT
Currently, the most commonly used tools by Oracle database administrators are Oracle ‘export’ and
‘physical backup’. Export has the ability to export specific tables or user objects to disk or tape. The
drawback is when Oracle ‘import’ is used to restore the object; the Oracle Redo logs cannot be used to
bring the object up to date. Physical backup, however, provides the ability to use redo logs for recovering
an object to its most current state, but can process only at the tablespace level.
Neither offers the flexibility or automation required to perform database backup in complex environments.
Lastly, as databases grow in size and complexity, the task of protecting large amounts of data rapidly
outpaces the performance of these tools. Database administrators have come to understand some of the
following inherent limitations of these tools for database backup protection:
LACK OF PERFORMANCE
• No parallel processing in order to increase throughput to multiple devices
• No multiplexing of data to speed backup of multiple clients
• High performance devices cannot be effectively utilized
LACK OF AUTOMATION
• No autochanger support – manual labeling, loading, and tracking of tapes
• Paper backup logs are labor-intensive and error-prone
• Manual determination of which data files to back up and to restore
• Custom backup scripts require expertise to write and maintain
These limitations have caused Oracle database administrators to look for better ways to protect their data
from accidental loss and erasure.
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REQUIREMENTS FOR DATABASE BACKUP AND RESTORE
To address the needs of database administrators for database backup and restore, a fundamental set of
storage features is desired:
• High performance operation to backup and recovery Oracle databases fast
• Simplified backup/restore administration through automation
• Increased reliability and manageability
SOLUTION ARCHITECTURE
Legato NetWorker’s solution architecture for Oracle is composed of two optimized services:
• 1. A database knowledgeable ‘front-end’ to manage the intricacies of putting the database in backup
mode, saving the correct data files in the right order, and maintaining records of the data saved for
subsequent restore – NMO provides this service via direct communication with Oracle RMAN.
• 2. A ‘back-end’ to provide storage management services to automate scheduling, media and device
handling, and reporting – Legato NetWorker provides this service.
Legato NetWorker is a scalable, easy-to-use enterprise storage management solution that provides backup
and restore services for Oracle. Legato NetWorker works with NMO and manages Oracle backups and
restores using the Oracle RMAN interface. Oracle RMAN is the most reliable means of protecting
Oracle databases and is fully supported by Oracle.
Figure 1: NetWorker Provides True Client/Server Interoperability
The client/server architecture of Legato NetWorker gives database administrators the flexibility of
performing backups locally (as a Legato Storage Node) for maximum data transfer rates, or "over-the-wire"
to the NetWorker backup server for centralized file and database backup. In either case, the backup meta
data is stored on the NetWorker server in the centralized NetWorker backup file database.
Legato NetWorker communicates directly to Oracle RMAN with NMO. NMO send and retrieves data files
from RMAN and passes them to NetWorker for storage and retrieval from tape. NMO also provides
protection for the associated Oracle program files and configuration files, to ensure that the environment is
protected from any degree of disaster.
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A COOPERATIVE SOLUTION – NETWORKER SHIPS WITH EVERY
ORACLE DATABASE
Legato Systems and Oracle Corporation have teamed up to provide a reliable, high-performance backup
and restore solution for Oracle databases. Oracle includes a “lite” copy of Legato NetWorker and NMO
with every Oracle8i and Oracle9i CD called Legato Storage Manager (LSM) LSM provides automated
backup and restore for a single Oracle server. To protect multiple Oracle servers, LSM can be upgraded to
the fully licensed Legato NetWorker and NMO without sacrificing tape or file index compatibility.
Figure 2
CONSISTENT, RELIABLE DATA PROTECTION
Legato NetWorker Module for Oracle and Oracle RMAN Utility provide comprehensive protection for
large Oracle8i and Oracle9i databases. RMAN provides a database-aware mechanism to back up and
restore Oracle data files, tablespaces, and redo logs, while maintaining database security and referential
integrity. RMAN supports databases stored on raw devices, in UNIX files, Windows Files, NFS or stored
on logical volume managers. RMAN maintains a recovery catalog in an external database to track
configuration information and detailed backup histories for all target databases.
Legato NetWorker Module for Oracle interfaces directly with RMAN and connects the storage
management services of Legato NetWorker with RMAN. NMO accepts the Oracle data from RMAN and
passes it to Legato NetWorker for storage onto tape. The tapes are indexed and tracked to make restoration
simple and fast. Finally, Legato NetWorker provides a GUI and utilities to centrally report on the results of
database backups and can be configured to automatically send email notifications.
HIGH-PERFORMANCE PROTECTION
The Legato NetWorker and Oracle environment achieves superior performance for backup and restore
operations with its ability to stream data from multiple data files in parallel to multiple devices. NetWorker
multiplexes data from multiple Oracle clients into single save sets enabling the tape device to stream at
maximum speed. With parallelism Legato NetWorker streams the data to multiple devices simultaneously,
thereby eliminating a common bottleneck resulting from tape drives starting and stopping. RMAN extends
this parallel performance by offering concurrent read/write access to data files spread across multiple disk
spindles.
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Figure 3: NetWorker Can Back Up or Restore Multiple Data Files
to One or Multiple Devices Simultaneously
The parallelism built into the architecture of Legato NetWorker, together with the ability to drive data
storage devices at their optimal speed, ensures the fastest backup speeds possible. In addition, the
throughput of Legato NetWorker scales efficiently as processor boards, disk spindles, and storage devices
are added to the system. Oracle RMAN features both full and incremental backups. Full backups always
include all database files. Incremental backup include only those database blocks that have changed since
the last backup.
The Legato NetWorker/Oracle environment also supports online operation for partial restores of
tablespaces and data files depending on the database files being restored. In most situations, for a complete
restore operation the database would need to be taken off-line. The restores are set at a point-in-time to
enable the administrator to recover the database to a specified prior state.
AUTOMATED, UNATTENDED OPERATIONS
The Legato NetWorker Autochanger option provides fully automated, unattended "lights-out" backup and
restore by dramatically reducing media handling. Legato NetWorker Media Manager automatically labels
and tracks tapes and eliminates costly human error. Using media pools, the network or database
administrator can segregate Oracle data from other backups on a separate set of media, or send large
database backups to the fastest media devices available.
SIMPLE, ENTERPRISE-WIDE BACKUP ADMINISTRATION
With Legato NetWorker, a system administrator can schedule an Oracle database backup from any node on
the network. A graphical user interface (GUI) allows for easy, intuitive navigation of the Legato
NetWorker feature set. Legato NetWorker simplifies backup and restore and reduces the administrative
burden by automating and centralizing backup operations. In addition, the Legato NetWorker client/server
architecture provides a consolidated storage management solution for heterogeneous networks of servers
and desktop systems.
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Figure 4: NetWorker protects databases and file systems across the network.
LEGATO NETWORKER OPERATION
Ad-hoc Database Backup
To execute an ad-hoc backup, the DBA executes RMAN from the command line, specifying as parameters
to RMAN the database objects to be backed up. The parameters are stored in a text file as a backup script.
RMAN retrieves the backup objects from the database, stores a record of the backup in its own internal
database, tags the objects with unique identifiers, and then passes the data to Legato NetWorker, where it is
placed on tape and cataloged for easy retrieval.
Figure 5: Ad-hoc Database Backup
1. User executes RMAN, using backup script
2. Module sends data to NetWorker Server
3. NetWorker Server writes database objects to tape,
and tracks the location of the tape in a media index
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SCHEDULED DATABASE BACKUP
For scheduled backups, the client resource mechanism of Legato NetWorker is utilized to automatically run
RMAN ‘backup’ at specified intervals. This is the most commonly used method of backing up the Oracle
database with NetWorker. By defining the Oracle database server as a NetWorker Client Resource, the
standard NetWorker media pools and group backup schedules can be configured and assigned. A simple
RMAN script is attached to the Client Resource to provide the direct link to RMAN. A sample version of
this script can be found in the NetWorker Module for Oracle Administration Guide.
Figure 6: Scheduled Database Backup
1. User writes a RMAN backup script, specifying which database objects to save
2. NetWorker fires RMAN with the backup script at scheduled time
3. RMAN passes database objects to Networker using module
4. NetWorker writes the database objects to tape
RESTORE
When executing a restore, the DBA executes RMAN from the command line, and specifies the specific
database objects to restore, or specifies a point-in-time to restore to. RMAN looks up the proper objects to
restore using its internal database (including any necessary archive logs), finds the corresponding unique
identifiers, and requests the data from Legato NetWorker. Legato NetWorker retrieves the objects from
storage, and returns the objects through the NMO to RMAN. RMAN then writes the objects back to disk,
completing the restore, then performs a recovery (rolling forward the logs to make the database consistent).
Figure 7: Scheduled Database Backup
1. User executes RMAN specifying type of recovery
2. NetWorker Server retrieves database objects from tape
(w/archive logs) and returns them to the client
3. RMAN recovers the database
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Legato NetWorker and RMAN determine automatically:
• Which data files are needed to restore the database to the specified time
• Which archive logs will be needed
• Which tapes the data will be located on
• Loads or requests a load of the proper tape
In this way, Legato NetWorker and RMAN eliminate the overhead of determining where the data is stored
and what files are needed, and allow the DBA to focus on getting the files back as quickly as possible.
Summary
Legato Systems and Oracle Corporation have teamed up to provide a robust and efficient system to protect
Oracle8i and Oracle9i data in the corporate enterprise. The Legato-Oracle solution brings automation, high
performance and centralized management to online Oracle database backup.
HIGH PERFORMANCE
• Streams multiple data files to multiple tape drives
• Supports high-speed devices for maximum performance
• Supports block-level incremental backups with RMAN
• Supports local or remote backups
AUTOMATION
• Automatic tracking and retrieval of database data from tapes
• Autochanger support – automates tape storage and retrieval
• Media management – support for tape tracking, labeling and bar code support.
• User notification by email and log files.
• Graphical scheduling
LOW OVERHEAD
• NMO RMAN backup scripts are easy to write and maintain
• Compatible with Oracle Parallel Server and Oracle Real Application Clusters.
• RMAN automatically adds data files to database backup
Oracle RMAN and Legato NetWorker provide an integrated solution for high performance, automated
Oracle database backup.
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Statement of Direction
Legato offers the Legato NetWorker Module product family to address the needs of database and
application administrators for high-performance, online protection of databases and other mission-critical
enterprise applications. Legato NetWorker Modules are available for the following databases and
applications:
• Oracle
• SAP R/3 on Oracle
• IBM Informix
• Microsoft SQL Server
• Microsoft Exchange Server
• IBM Lotus Domino and Lotus Notes
• Sybase A.S.E.
• IBM DB2
Legato is working closely with database and application vendors, including Oracle, Microsoft, IBM,
Sybase, SAP and others to continue to develop API-level backup solutions that ease the burden of backing
up 24X7 operations.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information on Legato NetWorker and the Legato NetWorker Module for Oracle, see Legato’s
Web site (www.legato.com).
Legato Systems, Inc.
2350 West El Camino Real
Mountain View, CA 94040
USA
Tel (888) 853.4286 • Tel (650) 210.7000
Fax (650) 210.7032
www.legato.com
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please contact your local sales office or the Corporate Headquarters. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2002 Legato
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