Convert Datafiles using RMAN

Oracle RAC Cluster Tips by Burleson Consulting

This is an excerpt from the bestselling book Oracle Grid & Real Application Clusters. To get immediate access to the code depot of working RAC scripts, buy it directly from the publisher and save more than 30%.

A simple example:

RMAN> CONVERT TABLESPACE ?USERS?
      TO PLATFORM = ?Linux IA (32-bit)?
      DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT = ?/u02/oradata/grid/users01.dbf?,
      ?/dba/recovery_area/transport_linux?

Example: Source Platform Tablespace Conversion

Suppose there is a need to transport tablespaces RESEARCH, datafiles /oracle/oradata/rec/frec01.dbf and /oracle/oradata/rec/rec02.dbf and PL, datafiles /oracle/oradata/rec/project01.dbf and /oracle/oradata/rec/project02.dbf, from a source database running on a Linux host to a destination database running on a Windows NT 4.0 server. The plan is to store the converted datafiles in the temporary directory tmp/oracle/transport_windows/ on the source host.

The example assumes that the following steps have been carried out in preparation for the tablespace transport:

* The tablespaces to be transported have been set to be read-only.

* Oracle's name for the destination platform is known.

* Oracle's internal name for the target platform will be needed. This name will be used as a parameter to the CONVERT command. To get the platform name, use SQL*Plus to query the view v$transportable_platform:

SQL> SELECT PLATFORM_ID, PLATFORM_NAME, ENDIAN_FORMAT
2 FROM V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM;

PLATFORM_ID PLATFORM_NAME                  ENDIAN_FORMAT
----------- ------------------------------ --------------
          1 Solaris[tm] OE (32-bit)        Big
          2 Solaris[tm] OE (64-bit)        Big
          3 HP-UX (64-bit)                 Big
          4 HP-UX IA (64-bit)              Big
          5 HP Tru64 UNIX                  Little
          6 AIX-Based Systems (64-bit)     Big
          7 Microsoft Windows NT           Little
         10 Linux IA (32-bit)              Little
         11 Linux IA (64-bit)              Little

To restrict the results to a single platform type, simply add a WHERE clause such as:

WHERE UPPER(PLATFORM_NAME) LIKE '%WINDOWS%';

The results show that the platform_name for Windows NT is Microsoft Windows NT.

Now, RMAN would be used to convert the datafiles to be transported to the destination host's Linux format on the source host. The FORMAT argument controls the name and location of the converted datafiles.

% rman TARGET /
RMAN> CONVERT TABLESPACE research
2> TO PLATFORM 'Microsoft Windows NT'
3> FORMAT='/tmp/oracle/transport_windows/%U';

Starting backup at 09-SEP-03
using target database controlfile instead of recovery catalog
allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: sid=37 devtype=DISK
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: ========= ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS =========
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03002: failure of backup command at 09/09/2003 13:22:57

RMAN-06598: conversion between platforms 'Linux IA (32-bit)' and 'Microsoft Windows NT' is not needed

So, why is it saying no conversion is required? In the listing of platforms, the endian setting for both Linux and NT is Little; this means their files are compatible. If a SUN platform had been specified instead, the results would have looked like the following:

RMAN> CONVERT TABLESPACE research
2> TO PLATFORM 'Solaris[tm] OE (64-bit)'
3> FORMAT = '/tmp/oracle/transport_sun/%U';

Starting backup at 09-SEP-03
using target database controlfile instead of recovery catalog
allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: sid=37 devtype=DISK
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting datafile conversion
input datafile fno=00004 name=/usr/oracle/product/10.1/oradata/aultdb1/research01.dbf
converted datafile=/tmp/oracle/transport_windows/data_D-AULTDB1_I-1051447236_TS-RESEARCH_FNO-4_02f0td2t
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile conversion complete, elapsed time: 00:00:04
channel ORA_DISK_1: starting datafile conversion
input datafile fno=00005 name=/usr/oracle/product/10.1/oradata/aultdb1/research01.dbf
converted datafile=/tmp/oracle/transport_windows/data_D-AULTDB1_I-1051447236_TS-RESEARCH_FNO-5_03f0td31
channel ORA_DISK_1: datafile conversion complete, elapsed time: 00:00:04
Finished backup at 09-SEP-03

The result will be a set of converted datafiles with data in the right endian order for the specified platform that will be located in the directory specified by the FORMAT clause. From this point, the same procedure is followed as for a normal tablespace transport.

The Export utility is used to create the file of metadata information. The metadata information file should be moved from its location and the converted datafiles from /tmp/oracle/transport_linux/ to their respective target directories on the destination host if it has not already been done, then plug the tablespace(s) into the new database with the Import utility.

This is an excerpt from the bestselling book Oracle Grid & Real Application Clusters, Rampant TechPress, by Mike Ault and Madhu Tumma.

You can buy it direct from the publisher for 30%-off and get instant access to the code depot of Oracle tuning scripts.

http://www.rampant-books.com/book_2004_1_10g_grid.htm

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