Understanding ‘Backup’- Part I

Introduction

 

Backup is a very important aspect of any system. Generally when the word backup is expressed in Oracle, it is coincided with an Oracle database. But an appropriate understanding depicts a different picture;  

 

Here the focus is on Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) and Oracle Applications Server (Oracle AS).

 

Backup Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) – The Perspective

 

Cloning Oracle Applications Release 11i with Rapid Clone: Doc ID:  Note: 230672.1

 

Cloning Oracle Applications Release 12 with Rapid Clone: Doc ID:  Note: 406982.1

 

These are some helpful documents while referring to backing up Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS).

 

Since the intend is to understand backup, we can directly pass on to the cloning portion of the doc for Oracle Applications Release 11i that can be as follows;

 

• Prepare the Source
  • Run the cloning script on the database tier.
  • Run the cloning script the application tier.
• Copy the files
  • Copy the applications tier file system which includes APPL_TOP, OA_HTML, OA_JAVA, OA_JRE_TOP, COMMON_TOP/util, COMMON_TOP/clone, COMMON_TOP/pages, 806 ORACLE_HOME, iAS ORACLE_HOME).
  • Copy the database tier file system which includes the DBF files and the ORACLE_HOME

• Configure the Target
  • Run the cloning script on the database tier.
  • Run the cloning script on the application tier.

Note: Please see Doc ID:  Note: 230672.1 for complete details.

 

Here referring to the same process but for Oracle Applications Release 12

 

• Prepare the Source
  • Run the cloning script on the database tier.
  • Run the cloning script on the applications tier.
• Copy the files
  • Copy the application tier file system which includes APPL_TOP, COMMON_TOP and Tech Stack (AS Tools ORACLE_HOME + AS Web IAS ORACLE_HOME)).
  • Copy the database tier file system which includes the DBF files and the ORACLE_HOME
• Configure the Target
  • Run the cloning script on the database tier.
  • Run the cloning script on the application tier.

Note: Please see Doc ID:  Note: 406982.1 for complete details. 

Apparently various details have not been presented; these details would include closing or shutting down the services, the perquisites check, location of the scripts, names of the scripts since process has been reviewed in a glance. The conclusive point is that cloning not only includes database file system but also application file system. Further, cloning Oracle Applications can be constituted as an Oracle Applications backup.

 

Backup Oracle Application Server (Oracle AS) – The Perspective

 

Oracle Applications Server (10.1.3)

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/B31017_01/core.1013/b28940/br_bkp.htm#BABFJJIG

 

Oracle Applications Server (10.2.1)

http://download-west.oracle.com/docs/cd/B14099_19/core.1012/b13995/br_bkp.htm#i1010329

 

These are from the administrator guides.

 

Oracle AS backup has been suggested as follows; 

1. Oracle AS Complete Installation
2. Oracle AS Server Environment 
3. Oracle AS Running 
4. Instance Backup

Note: Please see the Oracle documentation for complete details.

 

The first condition for an Oracle AS backup is a complete Oracle Application Server installation. The second condition is an image backup. Under the situation the Oracle AS has been running and some massive, regular or administrative changes have been made, the previous step has to be referred. Lastly the instance backup is to be considered. The conclusive point is there are two types of Oracle Application Server backups; image backup and instance backup.

Summary

 

Therefore, in both cases (Oracle EBS and Oracle AS) Oracle provides secure methods for backups considering not only the database files but other files as well.

 

We tend to cover more of Oracle Application Server backups in the coming parts.