How to configure backup parallel in SAP with oracle database?

[Former Member]

Dear SAP,

We need your suggestion on oracle database backup parallel using brbackup, our SAP system run on:

OS: UNIX - SUN Solaris SPARC 10

SAP: ECC 6.0 SR3

Database: Oracle 10.2.0.4

Our production database are growing rapidly, estimate growing is 2GB/days. Right now we backup our Production using one tape that estimated time to online backup is 4-5hours.

In there future, if we stayed this configuration. It will take long time to backup and restore it's not applicable. That's why we are planning to add more tapes during backup (4 tape parallel).

I read from help.sap, that we can configure this on $ORACLE_HOME/dbs/init<SID>.sap. in parameter:

compress = harware

backup_dev_type = tape

tape_address = (tape1, tape2, tape3, tape4)

tape_address_rew = (tape1, tape2, tape3, tape4)

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/88/a2a041a5d4af4db168992639d65d3b/frameset.htm

My question,

If we want to backup parallel using 4 tapes, is this configuration that we need to do (init<SID>.sap) from sap side (DB13)?

Thanks and Best Regards,

Widi

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Yes, this has to be configured in the initSID.sap. You have to set parameter exec_parallel to the number of tapes that you are using.

Kind regards,

Mark

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Dear mark,

Thanks for your prompt response, so if I add more tape during the backup i need to configure my init<SID>.sap as below:

- compress = harware

- backup_dev_type = tape

- exec_parallel = 4

- tape_address = (tape1, tape2, tape3, tape4)

- tape_address_rew = (tape1, tape2, tape3, tape4)

I have other questions:

1. By configure this, during SAP backup will it faster 4 times?

2. Is there other configuration from SAP side (DB13)? normally I add one tape volume in DB13.

Thanks and Best Regards,

Widi

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Dear mark,

Thanks for your prompt response, so if I add more tape during the backup i need to configure my init<SID>.sap as below:

- compress = harware

- backup_dev_type = tape

- exec_parallel = 4

- tape_address = (tape1, tape2, tape3, tape4)

- tape_address_rew = (tape1, tape2, tape3, tape4)

I have other questions:

1. By configure this, during SAP backup will it faster 4 times?

2. Is there other configuration from SAP side (DB13)? normally I add one tape volume in DB13.

Thanks and Best Regards,

Widi

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Widi,

Yes, that should do the trick.

I think your backup will be around 3 to 4 times faster.. It's not only the backup devices, but now you are generating more IO onto your disks..

You don't have to change the configuration in db13, since it reads your configuration files.

Kind regards,

Mark

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Mark,

Many thanks for your advice,

If I donu2019t specify the tape volume in the DB13, it will read from init<SID>.sap configuration, parameter "volume_archive" and "volume_backup", actually we want to avoid this.

Normally we don't use this configuration, we specify the Tape volume in DB13.

We still want to use this configuration, should be add 4 different tapes name in DB13?

Thanks and Best Regards,

Widi

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Yes, in that case you can add the four tape names in the db13 configuration. So you have to reschedule or change the existing backup job(s).

Kind regards,

Mark

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Dear Mark,

Thanks for your help. actually I have one more question:

How do I restore my backup form this 4 tapes, if I'm using parallel backup?

Will the command same like I restore form 1 tape:

example:

brrestore u2013b beczqlnk.ant u2013m full

brrestore u2013a 5371-5372=/oracle/<SID>/oraarch/

Below are the paramter that I will configure:

- tape_address = /dev/rmt/0cbn

- compress = hardware

- backup_dev_type = tape

- exec_parallel = 4

- tape_size = 1600000

- tape_address = (dev/rmt/0mn, /dev/rmt/1mn, ..)

- tape_address_rew = (dev/rmt/0m, /dev/rmt/1m, ..)

Appreciate you help and suggestion on this.

Dear Venkat,

thanks for your suggestion

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Widi,

I assume that restore will retrieve the backup automatically for those 4 tapes. I have never done something special for that..

You can try to perm a test restore to /dev/null to check.

Kind regards,

Mark

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thanks mark!

I think I need to confirm this with SAP. I'm not quite sure on tape_size configuration.

If I using 4 tapes, should I put 4 * 160G?

Thanks and Best Regards,

Widi

[former_member213250]

Hello Widi

As you mentioned that your DB is increasing rapidly you should also consider compressed backup procedure as well inorder to take backup of huge DB size.

Other factors are independent of BR*tools.

Also you should check the network speed, disk I/Os .

Use compression tool or RMAN with compression

Regards

Venkat

Edited by: Venkat Kunala on Mar 30, 2011 12:17 PM