Oracle - offline backup

[Matej_Mikuz]

I have an Oracle server with 2 database instances, a Veritas backup agent for Oracle is installed on same machine.
There is a job that makes regular online database backups of one instance, using the agent.
I would need to make regular offline backups of the second instance (which is not in archivelog mode and the oracle agent is unaware of its existance).
What is the best way to do it? Can I use the Veritas backup agent for Oracle to do it (put one instance offline and make a backup) or should I use some pre/post scripts?

[Renuka_-]

Hello,




Closed database backups take place while a database is shut down. When the database is shut down, all data files and control files comprising the database are available for backup
by a file system backup operation. Performing a closed database backup of the Oracle server is recommended after making structural changes to the database.




A closed database backup also speeds the recovery of the database in a disaster situation. One method of performing a closed database backup simply requires you to shut down the database and back up the entire volume (hard drive) where the Oracle database is located. Another method is to select only the directories and files that make up the database.





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[Matej_Mikuz]

I will make my question really simple: Can Veritas BackupExec agent for Oracle close the Oracle database instance - put it offline?
I do not want it to stop oracle service since there are other databases which should not be stopped.
If not, we will have to use some external script or batch.
Thanks.

[Joshua_Small]

What is your platform?
Veritas provides the ability to run pre/post commands, so write yourself an SQL script to do what your require ( I strongly doubt Veritas would have this functionality built in, to answer your question).

Why are you doing offline backups in the first place?
You may find yourself better off having Oracle dump its own databases to disk once a day, then just doing a file level backup of those databases.

[Matej_Mikuz]

Media server and Oracle server both W2k3.
I realize that a pre/post script would solve the issue; years ago I was working with ARCserve backup and I remember that Arcserve agent for Oracle was able to put database instance offline when the job required offline backup.

The reason why we are doing offline backups is because the customer wants to have offline backups besides online backups. Several developers change the DB structure regularly and the cusstomer wants to make sure everything could be restored one way or another.

Thanks for your advice.

[tejashree_Bhate]

Hello,

You can perform an offline backup, however in that case you would have to stop the oracle service.

Thanks.

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