RMAN-06429: Database is Not Compatible With This Version of RMAN

Question:  I am trying to duplicate my Oracle 10.2 database and use it to overwrite an Oracle 11.2 database, but I am running into an RMAN-06429 error:

Recovery Manager incompatible with TARGET database: RMAN 8.0.4.0 to 10.2.0.4 required

RMAN-00571: ========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00554: initialization of internal recovery manager package failed
RMAN-06429: TARGET database is not compatible with this version of RMAN

How can I get this to work?

Answer:   You start by using the oerr utility to look up the RMAN-06429 error:

RMAN-06429: %s database is not compatible with this version of RMAN

Cause: The indicated database is not compatible with this version of the Recovery Manager (RMAN). Other messages have also been issued which detail the cause of the error.

Action: See the other messages. If the database is CATALOG, then you may be able to use the CREATE CATALOG or UPGRADE CATALOG commands to correct the problem. If the database is TARGET or AUXILIARY, then you must either upgrade the target database or use a newer version of the RMAN executable.

Your RMAN-06429 references TARGET.  Since your database is TARGET, the resolution to your RMAN-06429 will be to correct the compatibility problem between the database and RMAN.

If you have difficulty resolving the RMAN-06429, you can look up the compatibility information for your versions of the database and RMAN.  Oracle has a matrix of its RMAN compatibility rules.  From the documentation, the are as follows:

• 8.x or 9.x recovery catalog schemas can be created in any Oracle database release 8.1.x (or higher)

• 10.0.1 (or higher) recovery catalog schemas can be created in any Oracle database release 9.0.1 (or higher).

• The RMAN client version must be less than or equal to the recovery catalog schema version.

• In a perfect world, the RMAN client and target database versions would be the same; however, the RMAN client version number cannot be greater than that of the TARGET or AUXILIARY database.

• The version of an auxiliary database instance must be equal to the version of the RMAN client.

•  For a recovery catalog that is set up as a virtual private catalog, the RMAN client connecting to it must be at patch level 10.1.0.6 or 10.2.0.3; however, RMAN clients for Oracle 9i cannot connect to a virtual private catalog. This version restriction does not affect RMAN client connections to an For Oracle Database 11g base recovery catalogs, this version restriction does not affect RMAN client connection even if the base catalog has virtual private catalog users.

• When using the Oracle 9i RMAN client to backup an Oracle Database version 10g or higher, a control file that was created using COMPATIBLE=10.0.0 in a datafile backup set cannot be included. The workaround is to turn control file autobackup ON.

•  Backup sets and copies created by any Oracle database released from version Oracle8i on can be restored by any release of the Oracle database.

Hopefully these clues will help you resolve your compatibility issue and get rid of the RMAN-06429 error.