1. Ensure that the Recovery Appliance user that the protected database uses to send backups to the Recovery Appliance is configured. This same user will be used for redo transport.

   Also ensure that an Oracle wallet is created on the protected database that contains credentials for the Recovery Appliance (and redo transport) user. This process is described in "Creating an Oracle Wallet on the Protected Database".

   See Also:

   Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance Administrator's Guide for information about creating the virtual private catalog account that is used by the Recovery Appliance user

2. Ensure that the following conditions are met for the protected database:

   • ARCHIVELOG mode is enabled

   • DB_UNIQUE_NAME parameter is set

3. Ensure that the REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE and LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT initialization parameters are set for the protected database:

   REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE=exclusive
   LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT='log_%d_%t_%s_%r.arc'
   

   REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE can be set to exclusive or shared.

4. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the protected database as a user with the SYSDBA or SYSBACKUP privilege.

   The following command uses operating system authentication to connect to the protected database using SYSDBA privileges:

   % sqlplus / as sysdba
   

5. Set the LOG_ARCHIVE_CONFIG initialization parameter to include a DG_CONFIG list. Also set the DB_UNIQUE_NAME for the protected database.

   The following SQL commands, when connected to the protected database as a user with SYSDBA privilege, set the DB_UNIQUE_NAME and LOG_ARCHIVE_CONFIG parameters for a protected database whose db_unique_name is hr_ptdb and db_name is hr_ptdb:

   ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_UNIQUE_NAME=hr_ptdb SCOPE=BOTH;
   ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_CONFIG='DG_CONFIG=(zdlra2,hr_ptdb)' SCOPE=BOTH;
   

   The DB_NAME and the DB_UNIQUE_NAME of the Recovery Appliance database is zdlra2.

   See Also:

   Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for information about setting a DG_CONFIG list

6. Configure an archived log destination that points to the redo staging area on the Recovery Appliance.

   You configure an archived log destination by setting one of the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameters, where n is any number between 1 and 31. You must include the SERVICE attribute to specify where to store the redo data. Set this attribute to the net service name of the Recovery Appliance database that stores the redo stream from the protected database.

   The following example configures the protected database to transport redo data asynchronously to a Recovery Appliance whose net service name is boston.

   ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_3='SERVICE=boston 
   VALID_FOR=(ALL_LOGFILES, ALL_ROLES) ASYNC DB_UNIQUE_NAME=zdlra2' SCOPE=BOTH;
   

   See Also:

   Oracle Database Reference for information about setting the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameter

7. Enable logging for the archived redo log destination configured in Step 6 by setting the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_n parameter, where n matches the value used for the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameter specified in Step 6.

   The following command enables archived redo logging for the destination set using the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_3 parameter:

   ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_3='ENABLE' SCOPE=BOTH;
   

   See Also:

   Oracle Database Reference for information about setting the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_n parameter

8. Set the redo transport user to the Recovery Appliance user that was created for this protected database (see Step 1).

   The following example sets the redo transport user to ravpc1:

   ALTER SYSTEM SET REDO_TRANSPORT_USER=ravpc1 SCOPE=BOTH;
   

9. Shut down the protected database and restart it.

   SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
   STARTUP;
   

   If the protected database uses a parameter file instead of a server parameter file, then add the parameters that were set in Steps 5 to 8 to the parameter file before you start up the protected database.

An Oracle wallet stores the credentials of the Recovery Appliance user that will be used by the protected database to authenticate with the Recovery Appliance. These same credentials are used for sending backups and redo, if configured. When you install the Recovery Appliance backup module, an Oracle wallet is automatically created. You can also create the wallet and add required entries manually.

In the case of multiple ZDLRAs, store a single wallet in a centralized location and have the sqlnet.ora file on each ZDLRA reference that centralized wallet location.

If the wallet cannot be stored in a centralized location for multiple ZDLRAs, then it needs to be copied to all instances. Create the wallet and master key on the first instance, and then copy the wallet to the other instances. Further, set up the environment variable ORACLE_UNQNAME  to separate your database wallets. Then you can refer to them dynamically from the sqlnet.ora as follows for Unix / Linux:

WALLET_LOCATION =
  (SOURCE=(METHOD=FILE)
    (METHOD_DATA =
       (DIRECTORY=/etc/oracle/wallets/$ORACLE_UNQNAME/)))

On Windows-based systems, you can refer to a database dynamically with:

WALLET_LOCATION =
    (SOURCE =
      (METHOD = FILE)
      (METHOD_DATA =
        (DIRECTORY = E:\oracle\%ORACLE_UNQNAME%)))

In addition on Windows, establish a Windows registry key for the database ORACLE_UNQNAME=<dbname> . However, this registry key can only be set for one database on Windows, so this approach is currently restricted to environments where there is only one database running on the Windows server. 

$ mkstore                         \
  -wrl $ORACLE_HOME/oracle/wallet \
  -createALO                      \
  -createCredential zdlra01ingest-scan.acme.com:1521/zdlra01:dedicated ravpc1

$ mkstore                                             \
  -wrl $ORACLE_HOME/oracle/wallet                     \
  -createALO                                          \
  -createCredential chicagoingest-scan.acme.com:1521/chicago:dedicated ra_user            \
  -createCredential zdlra02ingest-scan.acme.com:1521/zdlra02:dedicated ra_user  

An Oracle wallet can be configured for VPC user credentials for SBT operations among other tasks. You create the external password store and the configure the RMAN SBT channels.

You configure RMAN SBT channels for Recovery Appliance using the RMAN CONFIGURE command. Configuring channels for a protected database creates persistent settings that are applicable to all backup, restore, and maintenance operations on that protected database. Configured settings remain in effect until they are explicitly cleared, changed, or overridden in a particular operation using an ALLOCATE command.

Example 3-3 configures an RMAN SBT channel for a Recovery Appliance. After this configuration, you need not explicitly allocate SBT channels that correspond to the Recovery Appliance backup module for each backup or recovery operation.

CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE 'SBT_TAPE' 
PARMS 'SBT_LIBRARY=/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.4.0/dbhome_1/lib/libra.so,
ENV=(RA_WALLET=location=file:/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.4.0/dbhome_1/dbs/zdlra 
credential_alias=ra-scan:1521/zdlra5:dedicated)' FORMAT '%U_%d';

Use the RMAN ALLOCATE command to allocate RMAN SBT channels that will be used to back up to or recover from the Recovery Appliance. For a particular operation, you can override the persistent configuration that was set using the CONFIGURE command by explicitly allocating an RMAN SBT channel before the operation. Enclose the ALLOCATE command and the other commands in a RUN block.

Example 3-4 allocates an RMAN SBT channel for the Recovery Appliance and then creates a full backup of the protected database including archived redo logs.

RUN
{
ALLOCATE CHANNEL c1 DEVICE TYPE sbt_tape 
PARMS='SBT_LIBRARY=/u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0.2/dbhome_1/lib/libra.so,
ENV=(RA_WALLET=location=file:/u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0.2/dbhome_1/dbs 
credential_alias=ra-scan:1521/zdlra5:dedicated)' FORMAT '%U_%d';
BACKUP INCREMENTAL LEVEL 1 DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;
}