What Is Oracle Secure Backup?

Oracle Secure Backup Interfaces

You can interact with Oracle Secure Backup by means of the following tools:

• Oracle Secure Backup Web tool

  The Oracle Secure Backup Web tool is an online graphical user interface that enables you to configure administrative domains, manage operations, browse the backup catalog, and back up and restore data.

• Oracle Secure Backup command-line interface

  Oracle Secure Backup provides you with a command-line interface as an alternative to the Web tool. You can take advantage of an extensive online help system for determining command options.

• Oracle Enterprise Manager

  Oracle Enterprise Manager is a set of systems management tools for managing the Oracle environment. Enterprise Manager provides a graphical interface to Oracle Secure Backup that can be used to perform database backup and restore operations in conjunction with RMAN.

Oracle Secure Backup Administrative Domains and Host Roles

To oversee data protection activities among diverse hosts, devices, and databases, Oracle Secure Backup defines an administrative domain. An administrative domain is a collection of hosts under the direction of an administrative server.

Each host can play one or more of the following roles in an administrative domain:

• Administrative server

  Each administrative domain must have exactly one administrative server. This server stores data pertinent to the operation of the administrative domain in a set of configuration files. Metadata relating to backup and restore operations is also stored on the administrative server in a backup catalog.

  The administrative server runs the scheduler, which starts and monitors jobs within the administrative domain.

  The disk storage required by Oracle Secure Backup on the administrative server depends on how much data you back up as well as your backup schedules.

  
  

  See Also: "Planning Disk Space Requirements for Oracle Secure Backup" for more information about disk storage requirements

  
  

• Media server

  A media server has one or more secondary storage devices, such as a library and tape drives, connected to it. At a minimum, a media server must have one standalone tape drive. Many media servers utilize robotic tape libraries.

  A media server transfers data to or from volumes loaded on these devices. During installation, you can configure multiple secondary storage devices on media servers.

• Client

  A client host is a host that has locally-accessed data that is backed up or restored by Oracle Secure Backup. Any host where Oracle Secure Backup is installed, or that contains data that Oracle Secure Backup accesses through Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP), can act as a client. Each client host is associated with one administrative server.

  Most hosts defined within the administrative domain are clients. Client hosts typically store data in an Oracle database or in local file systems.

You must install Oracle Secure Backup on your administrative server and on each of the media servers and client hosts in your administrative domain. During installation, the installation software asks you to specify the roles played by the different hosts. Typically, an administrative domain includes an administrative server, one or more media servers, and one or more client hosts.

Figure 1-1 shows a possible Oracle Secure Backup administrative domain that includes three client hosts, one administrative server, and one media server. RMAN can back up database files to tape through the Oracle Secure Backup SBT interface; Oracle Secure Backup can back up files on the file system to tape.