Types of backups:
1. Full Backup or zero level backup.
2. Incremental Backup’s: Changed noted by the backup after a full backup. Broadly divided into two types
– Differential Incremental Backup (Figure a)
– Cumulative Incremental Backup (Figure b)
Level 0 and Level 1 Incremental Backups
Incremental backups can be either level 0 or level 1. A level 0 incremental backup, which is the base for subsequent incremental backups, copies all blocks containing data, backing the datafile up into a backup set just as a full backup would. The only difference between a level 0 incremental backup and a full backup is that a full backup is never included in an incremental strategy.
A level 1 incremental backup can be either of the following types:
- A differential backup, which backs up all blocks changed after the most recent incremental backup at level 1 or 0
- A cumulative backup, which backs up all blocks changed after the most recent incremental backup at level 0
Incremental backups are differential by default.
Differential Incremental Backups
In a differential level 1 backup, RMAN backs up all blocks that have changed since the most recent cumulative or differental incremental backup, whether at level 1 or level 0. RMAN determines which level 1 backup occurred most recently and backs up all blocks modified after that backup. If no level 1 is available, RMAN copies all blocks changed since the level 0 backup.
The following command performs a level 1 differential incremental backup of the database:
RMAN> BACKUP INCREMENTAL LEVEL 1 DATABASE;
If no level 0 backup is available, then the behavior depends upon the compatibility mode setting. If compatibility is >=10.0.0, RMAN copies all blocks changed since the file was created, and stores the results as a level 1 backup. In other words, the SCN at the time the incremental backup is taken is the file creation SCN. If compatibility <10.0.0, RMAN generates a level 0 backup of the file contents at the time of the backup, to be consistent with the behavior in previous releases.
Cumulative Incremental Backups
In a cumulative level 1 backup, RMAN backs up all the blocks used since the most recent level 0 incremental backup. Cumulative incremental backups reduce the work needed for a restore by ensuring that you only need one incremental backup from any particular level. Cumulative backups require more space and time than differential backups, however, because they duplicate the work done by previous backups at the same level.
The following command performs a cumulative level 1 incremental backup of the database:
BACKUP INCREMENTAL LEVEL 1 CUMULATIVE DATABASE; # blocks changed since level 0
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