Since I have more than a passing interest in databases, I always try to keep appraised of the Oracle module for NetWorker. It therefore surprised me a few days ago to see that v5 of the module had been released in March. I guess my excuse is that March was an insanely busy month for me between work and travel. (Well, that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it.)
So yesterday I downloaded v5 of the module (for Linux), and spun it up. This is a version I really, really like.
Now, here’s a few bullet points before I get to the most impressive feature:
- No longer supports Oracle 9i or lower; if you want older, unsupported versions of Oracle you have to use an older version of the module.
- Requires features that exist only in Networker 7.5.x as the underlying client.
- Must have the NetWorker regular client installed and running in order for the module software to correctly install and activate,
- Can work with the 7.4.x NetWorker server with the exception that what I’m about to describe below doesn’t work with a 7.4 server.
- Now has a client configuration wizard that works within NMC and makes Oracle backup configuration a breeze.
Honestly, if you’re about to do a new NetWorker install into a site that has Oracle, skip everything else and install 7.5.1. I.e., this is one of these compelling reasons for 7.5.x.
The Oracle client configuration wizard is integrated into NMC’s wizards. Right-click on a client in the configuration panel, choose “Client Backup Configuration -> New”, and you’re off and running:
Oracle Client Configuration Step 1
Oracle Client Configuration Step 2
Note that you won’t reach this point if you’ve disabled ‘nsrauth’ authentication on the backup server. I had done so on my lab server as a test on Monday, and spent half an hour trying to work out a … rather inexact … error message.
Oracle Client Configuration Step 3
Oracle Client Configuration Step 4
The above step is where things get fun. Note that if you are given these details, you don’t even need to log onto the client to setup an nsrnmo script any longer. This is the start of A Really Good Thing.
Also, I should note, in the above screen shot, because I was using a temporary database installed just for a few tests and I was in a rush, I used the sys account for connecting to the target database. No, you shouldn’t ever do that – create a backup user and use that account, please.
Note that Oracle, and the Oracle Listener, must both be running on the client in order to clear the above step.
After the above, we then start to get into the ‘regular’ client configuration options:
Oracle Client Configuration Step 5
Oracle Client Configuration Step 6
Oracle Client Configuration Step 7
This summary screen shows you what you’re going to get as far as the configuration is concerned – including the RMAN script that has been automatically generated for you:
Oracle Client Configuration Step 8
Confirmation of sweet success:
Oracle Client Configuration Step 9
The finished client in NMC:
Oracle Client Configuration Step 10
Once configured, you’re ready to start backing up straight away. Honestly, it couldn’t be simpler.
As a closing note, I know some other backup products have had Oracle backup wizards for some time, so I’m not claiming EMC is the first with this style of setup, but I do think it’s a great feature to see included now.
