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Copyright Fujitsu Technology Solutions, 2009

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Copyright Fujitsu Technology Solutions, 2009

Release Notes

NetWorker Module PLUS for Oracle (NSR-ORA) V5.0

Contents

1. General
   1. Ordering
   2. Delivery
   3. Documentation
2. Software Extensions
3. New in V5.0
   1. Changes between V4.2 and V5.0
4. Technical Information
   1. Resource Requirements
   2. Software Configuration
      1. Software Dependencies
   3. Product Installation
      1. Accessing the Software Package 
      2. Initial Installation
         1.  Solaris (SPARC)
         2. Linux
         3. HP-UX (PA)
         4. Windows
      3. Product Removal
      4. Update Installation
      5. License String Installation
   4. Product Use
      1. General
      2. Information for Linux/UNIX Systems
      3. Information for Windows Systems
   5. Obsolete and Discontinued Functions
   6. Incompatibilities
   7. Restrictions
      1. General
      2. Linux/UNIX Systems Restrictions
      3. Windows Restrictions

1      General

1.1    Ordering

1.2    Delivery

1.3    Documentation

• Manuals
  The following manuals are available:
  NSR-ORA V5.0 Administrators's Guide (English)
  The manuals are contained on the Networker DVD in the directory /documentation/manuals. They are also available on the web at:
  http://manuals.fujitsu-siemens.com -> Software -> Storage Software
• Other Documentation
  This Release Note can be found on the NetWorker DVD in /documentation/releasenotes.
  

2    Software Extensions

2.1  New in V5.0

• Use of Oracle RMAN for backup and recovery
  Optional backup and recovery can be done with the Oracle RMAN (Recovery Manager). With this the interface recommended by Oracle is used. This new operating mode is referred to as RMAN mode. The terms NWSR mode (NetWorker Save and Recover) and NDMP mode have been introduced for the alternate operating modes, which are still available. NSR-ORA creates the necessary RMAN-scripts "on-the-fly" in accordance with the specified configuration parameters. Users therefore only require minimal knowledge of Oracle. All the functions supported by NSR-ORA in NWSR or NDMP mode are also supported in RMAN mode, but there are some differences. Together with NSR-AMON, the decision regarding whether or not to use RMAN functionality can only be taken globally: both products run either in RMAN or in NWSR
  (or NDMP) mode. 
• Automatic Storage Management (RMAN mode only)
  Backup and recovery of databases located in the ASM (Automatic Storage Management) disk groups are now supported.
• Flash Recovery Area (RMAN mode only)
  Backup and recovery of databases using the flash recovery area are now supported.
• Use of backup clones for recovery
  The user can specify if the data to be recovered is read from the clone medium.
• Until-change-recovery
  The function is similar to Until-time-recovery, but a point in time is not specified. Instead, an SCN (unique system change number of a transaction) is the point used.
  
• Use of the existing control file for recovery
  If the -ecf option is specified, an existing control file is used instead of backup controlfile to ’file’.
  
• Configuration command conf_nsrora
  Optional the configuration tool can be executed without setting up a connection to the NetWorker database. As a result  the tests for the parameters involved are omitted and particular value ranges are not narrowed down in accordance with the functionality which is actually available (e.g. BACKUP_COMPRESS).
• Automating the configuration process
  The configuration command conf_nsrora is able to run automatically without user interaction. Configuration changes and upgrades are possible without user interaction now. The default values for the parameters can be provided either via input files, or the default values of the configuration tool or (in the case of reconfiguration) the available values are used.
  
• Solaris Zones
  Installation of the NSR-ORA package in a non-global zone (container) and the automatic installation of non-global zones out of a global zone is supported.
• Solaris Live Upgrade
  The package is installable with the Solaris 10 "Live Upgrade" feature.
  

2.2  Changes between V4.2 and V5.0

• Debug directories save_<date> and rec_<date>
  The debug directories save_<date> and rec_<date> are created immediately. cur_save or cur_rec (the old names are act_save resp. act_rec) are symbolic links (shortcuts in Windows) to these directories. With this the "open file - could not move" problem on Windows is solved.
• Separation of the  snapshot phase and the snapshot to NDMP tape phase in NDMP mode
  The two phases are handled as separate backups. Both can therefore now run in parallel. The end times of the snapshot backups are used for the recovery only.
  
• Crash recovery is renamed to complete recovery, with this the Oracle notation is used.
• Complete recovery works now, if all control files are lost.
  

3    Technical Information

3.1    Resource Requirements

3.2    Software Configuration

• The software versions shown in the following tables are supported on the database server:

• The following NetWorker versions are supported on the NetWorker server and the database server:

3.2.1   Software Dependencies

3.3    Product Installation

3.3.1 Accessing the Software Package 

3.3.2  Initial Installation

3.3.2.1  Solaris (SPARC)

3.3.2.2  Linux

• SuSE Linux: /media/cdrecorder or /media/cdrom or /media/dvd
• RedHat Linux: /mnt/cdrom 

3.3.2.3  HP-UX (PA)

3.3.2.4  Windows

1. Login as local user, who has system administrator privileges.
2. If you use the DVD to install the software, double click the symbol of the file setup.exe in the directory products\Window_X86\NSR-ORA_V5.0A00
   If you use the downloaded file to install the software, double click the symbol of the file NSR-ORA_5.0A0005.zip.

1. Start the Windows Explorer and select the DVD drive.
2. Double click the symbol of the file setup.exe in the directory products\NSR-ORA_V5.0A00

• one for the program and library files
• one for the base work directory
  

3.3.3  Product Removal

• Solaris
  # pkgrm SMAWnwora
• Linux
  # rpm -e nsrora
• HP-UX
  # swremove NSR-ORA
• Windows
  
  • Open the Add or Remove Programs object from the Control Panel
  • In the list of installed programs, select the entry for NetWorker Module PLUS for Oracle (NSR-ORA).
  • Click Change/Remove.
  • Click Yes to confirm the query which is displayed.

3.3.4  Update Installation

3.3.5    License String Installation

3.4     Product Use

3.4.1    General

• Recovery of backups of older verisons
  Recovery of backups generated with NSR-ORA V4.2 is supported.  If in addition the operation mode was switched to RMAN mode the recovery of data which were generated before V5.0 was installed is possible if the until time date is before installation of V5.0.
  Recovery of backups generated with NSR-ORA V4.0 or V4.1 is not supported. To recover those backups NSR-ORA V5.0 must be removed and the old NSR-ORA version including the newest EKS must be installed for the recovery. Afterwards the old version and the EKS have to be removed and NSR-ORA V5.0 installed again.
  
• NetWorker 7.x - Operate NetWorker privilege
  During a database recovery the command nsrinfo is used. This command needs the NetWorker privilege Operate NetWorker. The following entry must be added to the Users attribute:
  user=<userlogin>,host=<hostname>
  The value for  <hostname> must be equal to the name of the interface used for the recovery.
• Behavior of SQL*Plus
  NSR-ORA expects the default behavior of SQL*Plus, such as SQL> as SQLPROMPT and not more than the default output as the result of each statement (e.g. NOT something like the elapsed time printed at the end of each output). In Oracle 10g or newer the behavior can be modified by a site and a user profile setup script. NSR-ORA uses the file <DB-workdir>/config/login.sql as the user profile of SQL*Plus. If not already existing NSR-ORA creates the file automatically with the entries needed known so far.
  
• Password used for the connection to CCMS
  If CCMS monitoring is used the password (CCMS_PASSWORD parameter) must be entered again because the encryption algorithm is changed.

3.4.2   Information for Linux/UNIX Systems

• User ID root
  NSR-ORA must be configured under the user ID root. You must have system administrator privileges to operate NSR-ORA.
• NetWorker versions for NDMP backups
  If NSR-ORA-NDMP is used, the same NetWorker version must be installed on the database server and the NetWorker server.
• NDMP backup and recover without back up to tape
  If there is no tape drive available for NDMP backup the necessary backup of level full can not be done. This problem can be solved with a manual level full backup of the anchor directory. The save command must be executed with the options used by NSR-ORA, in particular with Oracle RAC and high availability clusters the option -c virtual_client_name must be specfied.
  Example:
  save -l full -c orarac -g backupRACorarac -s nwserver \
                  -N /nsr/nsrora/RAC/NDMP /nsr/nsrora/RAC/NDMP
• NSR-ORA snapshot backups in parallel with NSR-ORA-NDMP tape backups
  snapshot  backups and NDMP tape backups must be started with a delay of a few minutes, they cannot be started at the same time (set the start time attribute of the group resource appropriate). 
• Linux NDMP backup and recovery on RedHat Enterprise Linux 4
  The OpenSsh package (normally version 3.9) must be updated to version 4.1. See also RH-BUG-162951.
• EMC NetWorker 7.3 on Linux and HP-UX
  In the file /etc/rpc the entry
            nsrexecd         390113  nsrexec
  must be changed as follows:
           nsrexec          390113  nsrexecd
• Recovery with corrupt control file(s)
  With "startup mount"  of the database it is controlled if one or more control files are corrupt during a recovery. If the Oracle error "ORA-00227: corrupt block detected" is reported, all control files are checked separately until the corrupt control file is found. The reason for this procedure is that Oracle does not necessarily reports the actual corrupt control file.
  
• Deletion of backups (RMAN mode)
  Expired backups in the recovery catalog can be deleted with the RMAN command crosscheck. See manual NSR-AMON V2.0 Administrator's Guide, chapter Monitoring and Troubleshooting, paragraph Backup Maintenance. The RMAN instruction backup of archivelog described in this section must be substitued with backup.
• Back up of Oracle ASM databases needs server parameter file (RMAN mode)
  The database server must be configured to use the Server Parameter File (spfile), if the backup of an Oracle ASM database is done with NSR-ORA.
• Recover of an ASM database with corrupt ASM area (RMAN mode)
  If ASM areas are destroyed or overwritten they must be re-created and configured before the NSR-ORA recovery is started.
• Until-time or Until-change-recovery with incarnation (RMAN mode)
  With an Until-time/Until-change-recovery a new incarnation of the database is created. Beginning from Oracle 10g a backup immediately after such a recovery is not necessarily needed. Therefore redo logs of  several incarnations from a start to an end incarnation can be part of  a recovery.
  The start incarnation is the incarnation of the backup time used for the recovery. The end incarnation is the incarnation of the time desired for the until time operation (-t/-S option).
  If the start and end incarnation used for a recovery are not identical, nsrora_recover must be called with option '-i' and the end incarnation. Two formats can be used to specify the value for incarnation:
  
  • either as RMAN information "Inc Key" 
  • or as SQL*Plus information "resetlogs_id,resetlogs_change#"
  The RMAN information "Inc Key" can be retrieved with the statement
  "list incarnation of database;"
  For that purpose a connection to the target database and, if used, to the recovery catalog must be established  (the needed information to connect can be gathered from the NSR-AMON configuration file). The database must be at least in mount state.
  
  The SQL*Plus information "resetlogs_id,resetlogs_change#" can be retrieved with one of the following two methods:
  
  1. query the database with the SQL statement:
     "select resetlogs_id,resetlogs_change#,resetlogs_time from v$database_incarnation;"
     For that purpose a connection to the database must be established (the needed information to connect can be gathered from the NSR-AMON configuration file). The database must be in mount state.
  2. With every backup the current values will be stored in the file data/saveinfo.end: in the line containing RESETLOGS the first value resetlogs_id and the second value resetlogs_change#
     

• Error during recovery with recovery catalog
  In rare situation a recovery with recovery catalog fails, because RMAN has not synchronized the recovery catalog with the latest version of the control file. Typically an error message about missing archived redo logs is reported. In this case repeat the recovery without recovery catalog by
  
  • commenting out the parameter ORACLE_RMAN_CATALOG_SERVICE in the NSR-AMON configuration file (add # in the first column).
  • restarting  nsrora_recover with option -R .
• Recovery without recovery catalog across resetlogs (RMAN mode)         
  An archive destination with sufficient space available must be provided to ensure that the archived redo logs can be incorporated into the database in one step.
  
• Error during recovery without recovery catalog
  In the final stage of the incorporation of the archived redo logs into the database an error may be reported concernig the restore process of the archived redo logs and the recovery fails. With a procedure analogous to the recovery with recovery catalog the problem can be by-passed. This can be enforced as follows:
  
  1. Export the environment variable SBT_TAPE_RECOVER=1
  2. Execute nsrora_recover with option -R (Restart).
• RAC database recovery
  Only the local instance is started at the end of a recovey. All other instances remain stopped.
• Switching from NDMP mode to NWSR mode
  Switching from NDMP to NWSR mode requires the following items during a recovery:  For the recovery of an older NDMP backup, the NDMP mode must be re-enabled.  For the recovery of a newer NWSR backup, the NDMP backups must be commented out in the file <DB-workdir>/prot/collection_of_saves.
• Switching from NWSR mode to RMAN mode
  Switching from NWSR mode to RMAN mode requires a quick and synchronous action. The backup of archived redo logs is affected in particular.
  Proceed as follows:
  
  1. Stop the archiving monitor
  2. Configure NSR-AMON and NSR-ORA.
  3. Start a backup and the archiving monitor.
  If a recovery over the switch is needed,  nsrora_recover must be called with the option -ecf (use existing control file). A database recovery in RMAN mode is then possible.
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 for IA64
  Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 for the 64-bit Intel Itanium2 architecture includes runtime support for 32-bit applications through the use of Intel's IA-32 Execution Layer. The IA-32 Execution Layer is provided on the Supplementary disc for the Intel Itanium2 architecture. In addition, a set of 32-bit libraries and applications are provided on a separate 32-bit Compatibility Layer disc. The IA-32 Execution Layer and 32-bit compatibility packages together provide a runtime environment for 32-bit applications on the 64-bit native distribution.
  After the installation of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 for the Intel Itanium2 Architecture, install the ia32el package of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Supplementary CD
  # rpm -Uvh ia32el-<version>.ia64.rpm
  Replace <version> with the corresponding version of the ia32el package to be installed.
  Install afterwards compatibility libraries by inserting the 32-bit Compatibility Layer disc. 

3.4.3   Information for Windows Systems

• Configuration
  To configure NSR-ORA with the tools conf_nsrora and conf_networker, the calling user must:
  
  • have system administrator privileges and
  • be a member of the database administrators group
    
• The NSR-ORA configuration file parameters should neither be defined as system nor as user variables in the Windows environment. This applies especially for ORACLE_SID and ORACLE_HOME.
• COMPRESS_ARBITRATION, LOG_CMD and ORACLE_ADMIN_TOOL must be specified with slashes (/) instead of backslashes (\).
• If you use MSCS and EMC NetWorker 7.2 both NetWorker server and NetWorker client or storage node on the database server must have the same version.
  

3.5    Obsolete and Discontinued Functions

• Oracle 8 is no longer supported.
• Windows 2000 is no longer supported.
• ONTAP versions prior 7.0 on  NetApp filers are no longer supported.
• Spread tablespace backup over the days of the week is no longer supported.
  

3.6    Incompatibilities

3.7    Restrictions

3.7.1    General

• NDMP filer connection using ssh
  If the version of the NetWorker Server is V7.3 or if the NetWorker server is on a Windows server, only ssh with public key authentication can be used to execute commands on the NetApp filer.
• You can not clone a NSR-ORA online backup by setting the clones attribute (group resource) to yes. By this approach at least the archived redo logs needed for recovery must be cloned manually or via script.
  
• NWSR and NDMP mode
  If the structure of a database was changed, recovery is not supported across the structure change.
  
• Several Until-time-recoveries in quick succession (Oracle 9i)
  Several Until-time-recoveries in quick succession with Oracle 9i can  cause problems because the RESETLOGS_ID is changed with every Until-time-recovery, but the sequence number starts with 1 again. Oracle creates archived redo log files with sequence number 1, 2, 3, ... again. The contents of files with equal names BEFORE and AFTER an Until-time-recovery are not identical. With Oracle 9i it is NOT possible to derive from the file name the RESETLOGS_ID which is referenced by the contents of an archived redo log file. Beginning with Oracle 10g the file names of archived redo logs are unique because the RESETLOGS_ID is part of the file name.
  To copy the redo logs, which were reported by Oracle, into another directory is one option to continue an aborted recovery which failed because of "not applicable" redo logs. The redo logs must then be deleted from all archive destinations and if necessary from the amon_saved_logfiles subdirectories. Afterwards the recovery can be restarted with the option -R. After the recovery all redo logs which were deleted must be copied back to the archive destinations to be backed up with the archiving monitor.
• Oracle Cluster File System (OCFS)
  Only datafiles, control files and spfiles can be put into OCFS V1.0 file systems. Archived redo logs on OCFS file systems are not supported on Windows systems.

3.7.2 Linux/UNIX Systems Restrictions

• The nosuid option is not allowed for file systems a database or the Oracle software is located on.
• RMAN mode
  If the structure of a database was changed, a recovery might not be successful. If the recovery ends successfully, the database is consistent. If the recovery aborts with an error, a manual recover can be executed.
  
• RAC with HP-UX (PA) 
  RAC with HP-UX is not supported.
• RMAN mode
  The RMAN mode is not supported on Linux for Itanium.
• Switch from RMAN mode to NWSR mode
  Switching from RMAN mode to NWSR mode is not supported.
• Retention policies (RMAN mode)
  NSR-AMON and NSR-ORA in RMAN mode can only be used with the Oracle retention policy deactivated (persistent RMAN configuration CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO NONE;). This setting is automatically forced by  NSR-AMON. The retention period of the backups is always determined by the NetWorker Retention Policy. Please note that the backups are only accessible as long as they are listed in the RMAN repository. For more information see the manual NSR-AMON Administrator's Guide V2.0 , chapter Configuration, section Parameters to Apply the Browse and Retention Policies. 
• Autobackup of control file (RMAN mode)
  NSR-AMON and NSR-ORA  im RMAN mode can only be used with the function autobackup of control file deactivated (persistent RMAN configuration CONFIGURE AUTOBACKUP OFF;). This setting is automatically forced by  NSR-AMON. Together with the archived redo logs NSR-AMON always backs up the control file and as the case may be the server parameter file (spfile).
  If you change the logical structure of the database and you do not use a recovery catalog, it is recommended to subsequently archive some redo logs manually (ALTER SYSTEM SWITCH LOGFILE;) forcing NSR-AMON to back up the modified control files.
  

3.7.3 Windows Restrictions

• Raw disk partitions
  Raw disk partitions are not supported.
• RAC 
  RAC is not supported on Windows.
• RMAN mode
  The RMAN mode is not supported on Windows.