Credentials Required to Perform Backup and Recovery

To perform backup and recovery tasks with Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN), you must connect to the target database as a user with the SYSDBA or SYSBACKUP administrative privilege. The SYSBACKUP privilege encompasses all the privileges required to back up and recover the database. Those privileges are a subset of the privileges included in the SYSDBA administrative privilege.

The following types of users have the SYSBACKUP privilege.

• The SYSBACKUP user.

  When you install the database, the SYSBACKUP user, with the SYSBACKUP privilege, is created automatically.

• Database users to whom you grant the SYSBACKUP privilege.

• Database host users who are members of the OSBACKUPDBA operating system group—for operating system authentication.

  The OSBACKUPDBA group is assigned to a specific operating system group during database installation. For example, on UNIX and Linux systems, the backupdba group is typically designated as the OSBACKUPDBA group. Host users in this group can connect to the target database using operating system authentication; they do not need to be defined as a database user.

For the Oracle suggested backup strategy described in this documentation, you use operation system authentication. Consult your operating system documentation for instructions for creating host users and adding them to the OSBACKUPDBA group.