The RMU Restore Only_Root command rebuilds only the database root
(.rdb) file from a backup file, produced earlier by an RMU Backup
command, to the condition the .rdb file was in when the backup
operation was performed. Use the command qualifiers to update
the .rdb file. The area qualifiers alter only the .rdb file, not
the storage areas themselves. Use the area qualifiers to correct
the restored backup root file so that it contains storage area
information that was updated since the last backup operation was
performed on the database. This is useful when you need to match
the root from an older backup file of your database with the area
information in the more recent backup file of your database in
order to have a usable database.
When the .rdb file is restored by itself, be sure that you
correctly set the transaction state of the database with the
Initialize_Tsns qualifier or the Set_Tsn qualifier. If the
database transaction sequence number (TSN) and commit sequence
number (CSN) are not set to the same values as those that were
in the lost .rdb file, there will be an inconsistency in the
journaling if after-image journaling is enabled. Therefore, you
cannot recover the database by using journal files created before
you used either the Initialize_Tsns qualifier or the Set_Tsn
qualifier in a restore-only-root operation.
You should set the TSN to a value equal to or greater than the
value that was in the lost .rdb file. If the TSN is set to a
lower value than the value stored in the lost database root file,
the database is corrupted, and it might return incorrect data or
result in application failures. If the number you have selected
is less than the Next CSN and Next TSN values, you will receive a
fatal error message as follows:
%RMU-F-VALLSSMIN, value (0:40) is less than minimum allowed
value (0:74) for Set_Tsn=tsn
After the set TSN and reinitialize TSN operations
complete, and after you have verified the .rdb
file, enabled after-image journaling, and the
new .aij file is created, all .aij records are based on the new
starting TSN and CSN numbers in the .rdb file.
Although Oracle Corporation recommends that your backup strategy
ensures that you maintain a current full and complete database
backup file, it is possible to restore the database from
current full by-area backup files only. This is accomplished by
restoring the root and specifying the Noupdate_Files and Noset_
Tsn qualifiers. When you specify the Noset_Tsn qualifier, the
TSN and CSN values on the restored database will be the same as
those recorded in the backup file. When you specify the Noupdate_
Files qualifier, the database root is restored but RMU Restore
Only_Root will not link that restored root to any of the area
files, nor will it create or update the snapshot (.snp) files. By
specifying the Noupdate_Files and Noset_Tsn qualifiers with the
RMU Restore Only_Root command, you can use the following strategy
to restore your database:
1. Restore the root from the most recent full by-area backup
file.
2. Restore the storage areas by applying the by-area backup files
in reverse order to their creation date.
Apply the most recent by-area backup file first and the oldest
by-area backup file last. (Be sure you do not restore any area
more than once.)
3. Recover the database by applying the after-image journal
(.aij) files.
You can recover the .aij files manually by using the RMU
Recover command. Or, if the state of your .aij files permits
it, you can allow RMU Restore Only_Root to automatically
recover the .aij files by not specifying the Norecovery
qualifier with the last RMU Restore command you issue. For
details on the automatic recovery feature of the RMU Restore
command, see the help entry for the RMU Restore command.
(The automatic recovery feature is not available for the RMU
Restore Only_Root command.)
When you use this strategy, be sure that the first RMU Restore
command after the RMU Restore Only_Root command includes the
most recent RDB$SYSTEM storage area. The RDB$SYSTEM storage area
contains the structures needed to restore the other database
storage areas. For this reason, Oracle Corporation suggests that
you back up the RDB$SYSTEM storage area in every by-area backup
operation you perform.
See Example 6 in the Examples help entry under this command for a
demonstration of this method.
Note that the database backup file must be recent-differences
between the database and backup file must be known, and the
number of storage areas must be unchanged since the backup file
was created. If you have moved a storage area, use the File
qualifier to show its new location and the Snapshot qualifier
to indicate the current version of the area's .snp file.
NOTE
You must perform a full and complete backup operation
on your database when the RMU Restore Only_Root command
completes. Oracle Corporation recommends that you define a
new after-image journal configuration with the RMU Restore
Only_Root command by using either the After_Journal or the
Aij_Options qualifier. This action ensures that the new
.aij file can be rolled forward in the event that another
database restore operation becomes necessary.