Client Triggered Oracle Backups

This user guide will help you set up Zmanda to use Client Triggered Oracle Backup feature. It includes steps to prepare the Oracle server to trigger backups from the RMAN client.

The Client triggered Oracle Backups feature helps you trigger your Oracle backups directly from the client via Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN). You can perform the required configuration changes before triggering the backups in Oracle directly from the client. Follow the instructions below to set up Zmanda and trigger backups.

Prerequisite

For the newly created backup sets, you need to perform the Add Configuration step in the Backup Where page for Oracle source to trigger a backup from the client.

Add Configuration in Backup Where

Setup Zmanda Management Console (ZMC)

Step 1: Adding RMAN user to ZMC

Before running the backup, you should create an RMAN user by entering the password and assigning the RMAN role to it.

To create an RMAN user, go to Users from the left navigation bar and click on ADD USER button. Add all the details and select RMAN under Role.

Add RMAN user

Once done, click on SAVE to add the user.

RMAN user added

Note: Make sure Add configuration prerequisite has been performed before moving to step 2, otherwise the backup will not be triggered from the client.

Step 2: Configuration needed on the Amanda client

The following properties need to be appended at the end of the /etc/amanda/amanda-client.conf file to trigger backup directly from Amanda client.

property "SERVER_URL" "https://backup server IP address"
property "BACKUP_REQ" "/zmc_service/api/v0/backupsets/rman/backup/"
property "TOKEN_REQ" "/zmc_service/api/v0/users/zmc/login/"
property "STATUS_REQ" "/zmc_service/api/v0/backupsets/task/"
property "USER" "rman-username”

Step 3: Password encryption

Password encryption step is needed whenever there is a change or modification of password on ZMC for RMAN user.

You need to run /usr/bin/amrman_encrypt file as an amandabackup user and supply the same password used during RMAN user creation in Step 1. This will encrypt the password for the RMAN user and add the pass property entry to amanda-client.conf file.

The line highlighted below will be added to the mentioned configuration file.

property "SERVER_URL" "https://192.168.52.214:8008"
property "BACKUP_REQ" "/zmc_service/api/v0/backupsets/rman/backup/"
property "TOKEN_REQ" "/zmc_service/api/v0/users/zmc/login/"
property "STATUS_REQ" "/zmc_service/api/v0/backupsets/task/"
property "USER" "rman_user"
property "PASS" "7TzqjjjSuZRlLITWcmM5TA=="

Trigger the Backup

Step 1. Log in to the Oracle server as a user who owns the Oracle instance.

Step 2. Connect to the database via RMAN.

Step 3. Next, set the BACKUP_LEVEL, BKPSET, and SID into the run block as below.

BACKUP_LEVEL can be smart, full, or incremental based on your requirements.

RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL zmanda_sbt DEVICE TYPE sbt TRACE=5
PARMS="SBT_LIBRARY=/usr/lib64/amanda/application/ammml.so ENV=(BACKUP_LEVEL=smart,BKPSET=rman_t,SID=cdb1)";
}

Step 4. Run the above command from the RMAN console to trigger the backup.

You can also create a file (file_name) with the above commands and run it in the RMAN console using the @file_name command.

Check Error Logs

The error logs can be found in the sbtio.log file. You can find the sbtio.log file at the below location.

/u01/app/oracle/diag/rdbms/cdb1/cdb1/trace/sbtio.log

The location may vary based on the Linux operating system version.