Getting a "WIN32 13: The data is invalid" error when backing up Oracle database data files.

[YES_fan_-_RobD]

I have a bpstart_notify script on a Windows 2003 64-bit SP2 host running Oracle 10.2.0.4.0 for a backup policy that puts all of the Oracle database tablespaces into backup mode prior to backing up the data file paths.  The bpstart_notify script handles the multiple streams executing this script so that the putting of the tablespaces into backup mode only occurs one time.  As well, I have a bpend_notify to take these tablespaces out of backup mode after the last path has been backed up. 

For the database's index data files in the same directory, I'm getting this "data is invalid" error message when backing up some files but not all causing their backups to fail.  Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, what was your solution?  The masters server is an AIX 6.1 LPAR on a p770 and a Sun V440 Solaris9 media server.  All servers are running NetBackup at version 6.5.5.

 Thanks for any help you can provide.

[Nicolai]

Putting a Oracle database in begin backup does not mean Oracle halt writing data to the files. I assuming you see this error because Windows has process locked this file.

Consider switching to RMAN backup. If you wan't to keep the "poor man" solution, let RMAN write the backup to disk and then do a normal backup of the RMAN backup data.

[YES_fan_-_RobD]

Hi, Nicolai!

That's what we had done before (making a hotbackup backup copy to disk on the server and then backing up that path) and from which we're trying to get away as the database has grown to around 2Tb, thus requiring an additional 2Tb "landing site" for the backup over and above the regular database datafile storage requirements.  The only flaw I possibly see in your answer about Windows having a process lock on the file is that none of the data datafiles had backup problems, only 11 of the 17 index datafiles.  If you were correct about a process lock, I would think that at least one of the data datafiles would've have errored out as well, for several of those datafile backups took over an hour.

Yes, I understand that Oracle doesn't stop writing to the datafiles while they're in backup mode.  That only the file header information (the SCN) is "frozen" for the duration of being in hot backup mode and that when the tablespaces are taken out of hot backup mode, the SCNs are updated to what the controlfile had recorded.

Thanks for the thought, though. 

[Nicolai · Accepted solution]

You got the Oracle fundamentals right i see :)

With a DB size of 2TB I think you really should consider switching to RMAN online backups. It will cost you a Netbackup license, but if  the database has  business importance it should justify the license.

If you set debug logging to 5 and enable BPTM logging, you may find additional info why you receive the "invalid data". A WIN32 error is a message from the OS.