For backups, you can either use the Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer backup facility, or you can configure a backup location on a location you manage.

Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer provides a backup facility, which you can configure individually on each database.

See: Managing Databases on Exadata Cloud@Customer and Managing Database Backup and Recovery on Exadata Cloud@Customer.

If you want to store backups on a Recovery Appliance, or on a network file storage (NFS) location that you manage, then you must first create a backup destination. Each backup destination defines the properties that are required to connect to the Recovery Appliance or NFS location, and each backup destination must be accessible in your data center from the VM cluster nodes.

The Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer backup facility can also store backups on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure object storage, or on local Exadata storage on your Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer system. However, you do not need to create a backup destination for any of these other locations. Instead, applicable options for backup to cloud object storage or local Exadata storage are available directly when you create a database.

To configure backup destinations on a Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance location, or an NFS backup location, review the prerequisites.

• For a Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance backup destination:
  • The appliance must be configured with a virtual private catalog (VPC) user, which is used for taking the backups.
  • The appliance must be configured with the unique database name of the database being backed up, and a mapping to the VPC user.
  • The appliance must be accessible from the Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer system using the Oracle Net Services connection string, which is provided by the Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance administrator.
• For an NFS backup destination:
  • Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer non-autonomous databases:
    • You must mount the NFS server location to a local mount point directory on each node in the VM cluster.
    • The local mount point directory and the NFS server must be identical across all nodes in the cluster.
    • You must ensure that the NFS mount is maintained continuously on all of the VM cluster nodes.
    • The NFS-mounted file system must be readable and writable by the oracle operating system user on all of the VM cluster nodes.
  • Autonomous Database on Cloud@Customer:
    Note
    
    Oracle Autonomous Database on Exadata Cloud@Customer supports NFS versions 3 and 4. Mounts with both versions enabled, however, default to version 4.
    • To ensure that the Autonomous VM cluster can access the NFS server over the (preferred) Backup Network, enter valid Backup Network IP addresses while configuring the VM Cluster Network.

      If the backup destination is not accessible over the backup network but accessible over the client network, the backup traffic will be routed over the client network.

    • The NFS-mounted file system must be readable and writable by the oracle operating system user on all of the VM cluster nodes.
    • If permissions are being controlled at the user level, then the uid:gid of the oracle user for the Autonomous VM cluster is 1001:1001.
    • For NFSv4 servers that restrict port range, you must use the insecure option to enable clients other than an Administrator user to connect to the NFS server.

Learn how to use the console to create, edit, move, and terminate a backup destination for your infrastructure for Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer.

• Using the Console to Create a Backup Destination
  To create a backup destination, be prepared to provide values for the backup destination configuration.
• Using the Console to Edit a Backup Destination
  To edit a backup destination, be prepared to provide values for the backup destination configuration.
• Using the Console to Move a Backup Destination to Another Compartment
  To move a backup destination, be prepared to provide values for the backup destination configuration.
• Using the Console to Delete a Backup Destination
  To delete a backup destination, be prepared to provide values for the backup destination configuration.

Review the list of API calls to manage your Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer backup destinations.

For information about using the API and signing requests, see "REST APIs" and "Security Credentials". For information about SDKs, see "Software Development Kits and Command Line Interface".

For the complete list of APIs, see "Database Service API".

Database backups are managed entirely by the Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer service based on a one-time configuration.

Once configured, you need not perform any maintenance such as backup scheduling and deletion of the backups. Oracle manages the backups through well-defined workflows. Certain backup configuration parameters are not fully integrated with the Oracle Managed Backup workflow. If you want to set any of those parameters for the backups, then you can use dbaascli database backup —configure to set them. For more information, see Configuring Database for Backup.

• Backup Destinations
  
• Automatic Backup and Recovery
  

It is the user's responsibility to configure and execute backup operations using dbaascli according to their preferences.

Backups using dbaascli are not recognized as Oracle managed backups. Use the dbaascli database backup, dbaascli pdb backup, dbaascli database recover, and dbaascli pdb recover commands to configure and perform various backup and recover operations.

If customers configure backups to Object Storage using RMAN without using the OCI Control Plane or OCI APIs, customers are responsible for manually configuring TDE Wallet backups. By default, Oracle cloud automation cleans up archive log files every 24 hours. When you use RMAN to perform manual backups, there is a risk of the archive logs being deleted. Refer to dbaascli database backup for information on how to configure the archive log cleanup. The recommendation is to use Oracle managed backups.

• How to Backup Using dbaascli for User Configured Backup
  
• How to Recover a Database
  

You can customize backup settings for a database deployment by generating a file containing the current customizable settings, editing the file, and then using the file to update the backup settings.

1. Connect to a virtual machine as opc user.

   For detailed instructions, see Connecting to a Virtual Machine with SSH.

2. Start a root user command shell:

   sudo -s

3. Use the bkup_api get config command to generate a file containing the current backup settings for the database deployment:

   # /var/opt/oracle/bkup_api/bkup_api get config [--file=filename] --dbname=dbname
   

   Where:

   filename is an optional parameter used to specify a name for the file that is generated

   dbname is the database name for the database that you want to act on

4. Edit the parameter values in the generated file to change any settings you want to customize in the backup configuration.

   The following parameters can be modified to customize the backup configuration:

   Note
   
   

   Compatible with Console Automatic Backups=Yes indicates the parameter is safe to change, even when using console-based automatic backups. If using parameters with Compatible with Console Automatic Backups=No, then do not enable backups through the console.

   Table 5-21 Backup Configuration Parameters - Cron Parameters Specific to bkup_api

   Parameter	Description	Compatible with Console Automatic Backups*
   bkup_cron_entry	Enables the automatic backup configuration. Valid values are yes and no.	No
   bkup_cfg_files	Note for ZDLRA, backups of the system/database configuration will not occur.	No

   Table 5-22 Backup Configuration Parameters - General RMAN Configuration Parameters (valid for all backup destinations except Local Storage (FRA))

   Parameter	Description	Compatible with Console Automatic Backups*
   bkup_rman_compression	Level of compression applied to automatic backups. Valid values are NONE, basic, low, medium, and high. Default value is low. A value of NONE disables rman compression. If RMAN compression is enabled, then any TDE encrypted datafile will be decrypted, compressed, and RMAN encrypted.	Yes
   bkup_set_section_size	Enables the use of the RMAN multisection backup feature. Valid values are yes and no.	Yes
   bkup_section_size	RMAN section size that is used for automatic backups. Default value is 64G. Applicable only when bkup_set_section_size is set to yes.	Yes
   bkup_channels_node	Number of RMAN channels per node used for automatic backups. Valid values are between 1 and 32. Default value is 4.	Yes
   bkup_daily_time	Start time of the automatic daily backup expressed in 24-hour time as hh:mm.	Yes
   bkup_archlog_frequency	Interval in minutes between automatic backups of archived database log files. Valid values are 15, 20, 30, 60, 120 through 1440 in 1 hour intervals expressed in minutes. Default value is 30 for Exadata Cloud@Customer.	Yes

   Table 5-23 Backup Configuration Parameters - Local Storage (FRA) Parameters

   Parameter	Description	Compatible with Console Automatic Backups*
   bkup_disk	Enables backups to local Exadata storage. Valid values are yes and no.	No
   bkup_disk_recovery_window	Retention period for backups on local Exadata storage, expressed as a number of days up to 14. Applicable only when bkup_disk is set to yes. Default value is 7.	No

   Table 5-24 Backup Configuration Parameters - Network File System (NFS) Parameters

   Parameter	Description	Compatible with Console Automatic Backups*
   bkup_nfs	Enables backups to NFS mounted directory. Valid values are yes and no.	No
   bkup_nfs_loc	The NFS mounted location, the directory provided must be a mountpoint and available on all nodes.	No
   bkup_nfs_recovery_window	Retention period for backups on NFS storage, expressed as a number of days up to 90. Applicable only when bkup_nfs is set to yes. Default value is 30.	No
   bkup_oss_l0_day	This parameter control the Level 0 day of the week for both OSS and NFS. Day of the week when a level 0 backup is taken and stored on cloud storage or for NFS. Valid values are mon, tue, wed, thu, fri, sat, sun. Applicable only when bkup_nfs is set to yes. Default value is sun.	Yes

   Table 5-25 Backup Configuration Parameters - Object Storage Service (OSS) Parameters

   Parameter	Description	Compatible with Console Automatic Backups*
   bkup_oss	Enables backups to cloud storage. Valid values are yes and no.	No
   bkup_oss_recovery_window	Retention period for backups to cloud storage, expressed as a number of days up to 90. Applicable only when bkup_oss is set to yes. Default value is 30.	No
   bkup_oss_url	Location of the storage container that is used for backup to cloud storage. Applicable only when bkup_oss is set to yes.	No
   bkup_oss_user	User name of the Oracle Cloud user having write privileges on the cloud storage container specified in bkup_oss_url. Applicable only when bkup_oss is set to yes.	No
   bkup_oss_passwd	Password of the Oracle Cloud user having write privileges on the cloud storage container specified in bkup_oss_url. Applicable only when bkup_oss is set to yes.	No
   bkup_oss_l0_day	This parameters control the Level 0 day of the week for both OSS and NFS. Day of the week when a level 0 backup is taken and stored on cloud storage. Valid values are mon, tue, wed, thu, fri, sat, sun. Applicable only when bkup_oss is set to yes. Default value is sun.	Yes

   Note
   
   Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance (ZDLRA) parameters are only valid for Exadara Cloud@Customer installations.

   Table 5-26 Backup Configuration Parameters - Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance (ZDLRA) Parameters

   Parameter	Description	Compatible with Console Automatic Backups*
   bkup_zdlra	Enables backups to a Recovery Appliance. Valid values are yes and no.	No
   bkup_zdlra_url	Location of the Recovery Appliance that is being used for backups. Applicable only when bkup_zdlra is set to yes.	No
   bkup_zdlra_user	The virtual private catalog (VPC) user name for the Recovery Appliance specified in bkup_zdlra_url. Applicable only when bkup_zdlra is set to yes.	No
   bkup_zdlra_passwd	Password of the Recovery Appliance user specified in bkup_zdlra_url. Applicable only when bkup_zdlra is set to yes.	No

   Table 5-27 Backup Configuration Parameters - RMAN Catalog Support Parameters

   Parameter	Description	Compatible with Console Automatic Backups*
   bkup_use_rcat	Enables the use of an existing RMAN recovery catalog. Valid values are yes and no.	Yes (only for NFS and OSS backups)
   bkup_rcat_user	Recovery catalog user name. Applicable only when bkup_use_rcat is set to yes.	Yes (only for NFS and OSS backups)
   bkup_rcat_passwd	Password for recovery catalog user specified in bkup_rcat_user. Applicable only when bkup_use_rcat is set to yes.	Yes (only for NFS and OSS backups)
   bkup_rcat_conn	Connection string for the RMAN recovery catalog. Applicable only when bkup_use_rcat is set to yes.	Yes (only for NFS and OSS backups)

   Only the above parameters noted with *Compatible with Console Automatic Backups = Yes are safe to alter in conjunction with console-based automatic backups. If any other parameters are to be altered, then do not enable backups through the console.

5. Use the bkup_api set config command to update the backup settings using the file containing your updated backup settings:

   /var/opt/oracle/bkup_api/bkup_api set config --file=filename --dbname=dbname
   

   Where:

   filename is used to specify the name of the file that contains the updated backup settings

   dbname is the database name for the database that you are acting on

6. You can use the bkup_api configure_status command to check the status of the configuration update:

   /var/opt/oracle/bkup_api/bkup_api configure_status
   

7. Exit the root user command shell:

   exit

   Note
   
   any changes you make by using the bkup_api command are not reflected in the Oracle Database Exadata Cloud@Customer console.

By default, backups via the console or bkup_api backup certain system files in addition to the database files themselves.

1. Connect to a virtual machine as opc user.

   For detailed instructions, see Connecting to a Virtual Machine with SSH.

2. Switch to oracle user.
3. Edit the contents of the oscfg.spec file.

   This file is located under /var/opt/oracle/dbaas_acfs/bkup/dbname, where dbname is the name of the database that is associated with the backup configuration.

   Following is an example of the default contents of the oscfg.spec file:

   ## OS Configuration Files
   #
   # Doc Spec
   oscfg.spec
   #
   # Directories
   /etc/rc.d
   /home/oracle/bkup
   #
   # Single files
   /home/oracle/.bashrc
   /etc/crontab
   /etc/sysctl.conf
   /etc/passwd
   /etc/group
   /etc/oraInst.loc
   /etc/oratab
   /etc/fstab
   

By default, backups through the console or bkup_api backup certain database configuration files in addition to the database files themselves.

1. Connect to a virtual machine as opc user.

   For detailed instructions, see Connecting to a Virtual Machine with SSH.

2. Switch to oracle user.
3. Edit the contents of the dbcfg.spec file.

   This file is located under /var/opt/oracle/dbaas_acfs/bkup/dbname, where dbname is the name of the database that is associated with the backup configuration.

   Following is an example of the contents of the dbcfg.spec file:

   ### Oracle_Home configuration files.
   #
   # Doc Spec
   dbcfg.spec
   # DB id
   dbid
   #
   # Directories
   /u02/app/oracle/product/dbversion/dbhome_n/admin/dbname/xdb_wallet
   /u02/app/oracle/admin/dbname/xdb_wallet
   /u02/app/oracle/admin/dbname/db_wallet
   # Note: tde_wallet must be backed up in a different location than DATA bkup.
   /u02/app/oracle/admin/dbname/tde_wallet
   /u02/app/oracle/admin/dbname/cat_wallet
   #/u01/app/oraInventory
   #
   # Single files
   /var/opt/oracle/dbaas_acfs/dbname/opc/opcdbname.ora
   /u02/app/oracle/product/dbversion/dbhome_n/dbs/opcdbname.ora
   /u02/app/oracle/product/dbversion/dbhome_n/dbs/orapwinstancename
   /u02/app/oracle/product/dbversion/dbhome_n/network/admin/listener.ora
   /u02/app/oracle/product/dbversion/dbhome_n/network/admin/sqlnet.ora
   /u02/app/oracle/product/dbversion/dbhome_n/network/admin/tnsnames.ora
   /u02/app/oracle/product/dbversion/dbhome_n/rdbms/lib/env_rdbms.mk
   /u02/app/oracle/product/dbversion/dbhome_n/rdbms/lib/ins_rdbms.mk
   #
   # Creg
   /var/opt/oracle/creg/instancename.ini
   #