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Oracle RMAN DB disaster recovery procedure and prerequisites
Hello EMC,
I created one vm named as oratest to test and perform the oracle db backup & restore using Networker NMDA. To test the backup and recovery I created the database and performed the backups successfully. After completing the backup successfully I delete the oracle DB. Now I want to rebuilt the db from the backups.
I tried to perform the restore from networker recovery wizard but recovery got failed. Please find the below for error logs. Unfortunately there is a limited information in the NMDA administration guide.
Now I'm looking for the necessary procedures and perquisites to perform the recovery successfully for the above scenario.
Below are the details of the networker configuration.
Networker Server: 9.0.1 buid 636 ( Installed on Windows Server 2012 R2)
NMDA version: lgtonmda-9.1.0.2-1
Networker client version: lgtoclnt-9.0.1.1-1, lgtoxtdclnt-9.0.1.1-1
Client O.S : Oracle linux 5 (64 bit architecture)
Oracle DB version: 11g
RMAN version : Recovery Manager: Release 11.2.0.1.0
Error Logs for restore:
The nsrdarc command is starting.
The nsrdarc command is starting.
Recovery Manager: Release 11.2.0.1.0 - Production on Sat Mar 4 11:38:33 2017
Copyright (c) 1982, 2009, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
RMAN> connect ********
2>
3> RUN {
4> SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
5> STARTUP MOUNT;
6> }
7>
connected to target database: REST (DBID=2680244252)
using target database control file instead of recovery catalog
database closed
database dismounted
Oracle instance shut down
connected to target database (not started)
Oracle instance started
database mounted
Total System Global Area 217157632 bytes
Fixed Size 2211928 bytes
Variable Size 159387560 bytes
Database Buffers 50331648 bytes
Redo Buffers 5226496 bytes
Recovery Manager complete.
Recovery Manager: Release 11.2.0.1.0 - Production on Sat Mar 4 11:41:57 2017
Copyright (c) 1982, 2009, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
RMAN> connect ********
2>
3> RUN {
4> ALLOCATE CHANNEL CH1 TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' PARMS 'SBT_PARMS=(NSR_SERVER=darnetworker.alarkan.com,NSR_CLIENT=oratest)';
5> ALLOCATE CHANNEL CH2 TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' PARMS 'SBT_PARMS=(NSR_SERVER=darnetworker.alarkan.com,NSR_CLIENT=oratest)';
6> ALLOCATE CHANNEL CH3 TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' PARMS 'SBT_PARMS=(NSR_SERVER=darnetworker.alarkan.com,NSR_CLIENT=oratest)';
7> ALLOCATE CHANNEL CH4 TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' PARMS 'SBT_PARMS=(NSR_SERVER=darnetworker.alarkan.com,NSR_CLIENT=oratest)';
8>
9> RESTORE DATABASE;
10>
11> RECOVER DATABASE;
12>
13> RELEASE CHANNEL CH1;
14> RELEASE CHANNEL CH2;
15> RELEASE CHANNEL CH3;
16> RELEASE CHANNEL CH4;
17> ALTER DATABASE OPEN;
18>
19> }
20>
connected to target database: REST (DBID=2680244252, not open)
using target database control file instead of recovery catalog
allocated channel: CH1
channel CH1: SID=18 device type=SBT_TAPE
channel CH1: NMDA Oracle v9.1.0.2
sent command to channel: CH1
allocated channel: CH2
channel CH2: SID=19 device type=SBT_TAPE
channel CH2: NMDA Oracle v9.1.0.2
sent command to channel: CH2
allocated channel: CH3
channel CH3: SID=21 device type=SBT_TAPE
channel CH3: NMDA Oracle v9.1.0.2
sent command to channel: CH3
allocated channel: CH4
channel CH4: SID=22 device type=SBT_TAPE
channel CH4: NMDA Oracle v9.1.0.2
sent command to channel: CH4
Starting restore at 04-MAR-17
creating datafile file number=1 name=/ora_test/oracle/oradata/rest/sys.dbf
released channel: CH1
released channel: CH2
released channel: CH3
released channel: CH4
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03002: failure of restore command at 03/04/2017 11:41:58
ORA-01180: can not create datafile 1
ORA-01110: data file 1: '/ora_test/oracle/oradata/rest/sys.dbf'
Recovery Manager complete.
RMAN exited with return code '1'.
The recovery did not succeed.
Thanks & Regards,
Devendra Reddy Chitiki.
Procedure itself looks ok to me. The error you get is from RMAN stating it can't create datafile. You can check if this is related to incarnations (see oracle - ORA-01180 when restoring the database - Database Administrators Stack Exchange)
kazuyamishima
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Posted October 14th, 2026 07:09
RMAN Datafile Restoration Guide
That "creating datafile file number=1" line right before the error is the clue. RMAN isn't restoring datafile 1 from your backup; it's trying to create a brand new one, and Oracle can't create a SYSTEM datafile from scratch (ORA-01180). That usually means the control file you restored against doesn't contain any record of your backups. With no recovery catalog, the control file is the only place RMAN looks.
The usual fix is to rebuild in the right order, starting with the control file:
- Recreate the directory paths and set ORACLE_SID and ORACLE_HOME the same as the original server. Have a minimal init file ready (db_name=rest is enough to start).
- In RMAN: connect to the target, then run SET DBID 2680244252; and STARTUP NOMOUNT;
- Allocate your SBT channel with the same NSR_SERVER and NSR_CLIENT parameters you used for the backup.
- Optional: RESTORE SPFILE FROM AUTOBACKUP; then restart in NOMOUNT.
- RESTORE CONTROLFILE FROM AUTOBACKUP; then ALTER DATABASE MOUNT;
- RESTORE DATABASE; then RECOVER DATABASE;
- ALTER DATABASE OPEN RESETLOGS;
This depends on CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP having been ON when you took the backups. If it wasn't, you'd need the exact control file backup piece name from the NetWorker index and use RESTORE CONTROLFILE FROM 'piece name'.
Common Mistakes with This Scenario:
- Not saving the DBID before deleting the database.
- Starting from the old control file or a freshly created one instead of restoring the backed-up one.
- Missing directories, so datafile paths can't be created.
- Different NSR_CLIENT or server settings than the backup used.
- Forgetting OPEN RESETLOGS after incomplete recovery.
- Never testing a full rebuild until it's an emergency.
If you're ever left with datafiles that survived but are corrupt, and no backup can be restored, the Kernel Oracle Database Recovery tool can repair corrupt DBF files and recover tables, views, tablespaces, and deleted records, with a free trial that repairs and previews first. It won't help if the files are completely gone, so tested backups come first.
If you post the output of LIST BACKUP SUMMARY and SHOW ALL, it will be easier to see what RMAN can actually find.
Kleinenbroich
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Posted February 1st, 2017 05:00
Hi,
I'm not really an Oracle expert, but can you try the following:
1.) Configure the channels:
rman target /
CONFIGURE CHANNEL 1 DEVICE TYPE ‘SBT_TAPE’ PARMS ‘ENV=(NSR_SERVER=darnetworker.alarkan.com, NSR_CLIENT=oratest, NSR_DATA_VOLUME_POOL=name_of_the_used_pool)’;
CONFIGURE CHANNEL 2 DEVICE TYPE ‘SBT_TAPE’ PARMS ‘ENV=(NSR_SERVER=darnetworker.alarkan.com, NSR_CLIENT=oratest, NSR_DATA_VOLUME_POOL=name_of_the_used_pool)’;
2.) The full Oracle database recovery is an offline recovery, Oracle must run in the so called “mount” mode: The database is mounted but not started:
sqlplus / as sysdba
startup mount;
3.) Start the recovery:
rman target /
RESTORE DATABASE;
RECOVER DATABASE;
alter database open resetlogs;