Oracle RMAN: Backup & Recovery Explained

Oracle RMAN, short for Recovery Manager, is a tool used for managing and automating database backup and recovery operations in Oracle databases.

The usage of RMAN is as follows:

1. Backing up the database: RMAN allows for full, incremental, and archived log backups. You can configure backup strategies and specify backup types and targets using either the command line or graphical interface tools.
2. Restore database: RMAN can restore the database by recovering backup files and archived logs. It can perform full or partial recovery operations, and utilize point-in-time recovery to restore the database to a specific time point.
3. Database cloning: RMAN allows for the duplication of an existing database to create a new copy, which can be done on the same server or on different servers.
4. Database migration: RMAN can transfer backup files of the database to different storage devices or cloud platforms in order to achieve data migration and disaster recovery.
5. Database verification and validation: RMAN can verify and validate backup files and databases to ensure the integrity and reliability of backup files.
6. Database compression and optimization: RMAN offers the ability to compress backup and restore data, saving storage space. Additionally, RMAN can optimize databases by rebuilding indexes, collecting statistics, and more.

In summary, Oracle RMAN is a powerful database backup and recovery tool that simplifies and automates backup and recovery operations, enhancing data reliability and availability.