B RMAN Compatibility

B.1 About RMAN Compatibility

Table B-1 describes the components of an RMAN environment. Each component has a release number associated with it.

Starting with Oracle Database 12c, the version of the RMAN client, target database, and auxiliary database must be the same. The recovery catalog schema can be any supported catalog schema whose version is greater than the version of the RMAN client. For example an Oracle Database 12c RMAN client can only connect to a target database whose version is Oracle Database 12c, an auxiliary database whose version is Oracle Database 12c, and a recovery catalog schema that is created in an Oracle Database 12c or higher version.

B.2 Determining the Recovery Catalog Schema Version

To determine the current release of the catalog schema, you must run a SQL query.

1. Use SQL*Plus to connect to the recovery catalog database as the catalog owner. For example, enter:

   % sqlplus rco@catdb
   

2. Query the rcver catalog table. For example, run this query:

   SQL> SELECT * FROM rcver; 
   
        VERSION 
        ------------ 
        12.01.00.01
   

B.3 RMAN Compatibility Matrix

In general, the rules of RMAN compatibility are as follows:

• The version of the RMAN client must be equal to the version of the target database.

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

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

• If the recovery catalog is a virtual private catalog (see CREATE CATALOG), then the version of the RMAN client connecting to it must be Oracle Database 10g Release 1 (10.1.0.6) or Oracle Database 10g Release 2 (10.2.0.3). Oracle 9i RMAN clients cannot connect to a virtual private catalog. This version restriction does not affect RMAN client connections to an Oracle Database 11g base recovery catalog, even if the base catalog has virtual private catalog users.

• While backing up an Oracle Database 10g or later release with the Oracle9i RMAN client, you cannot include a control file that was created using COMPATIBLE=10.0.0 in a data file backup set. The workaround is to turn control file autobackup ON.

• Any release of Oracle Database can restore backup sets and copies created by any prior Oracle Database release.

Table B-2 shows version-specific requirements for RMAN components. The symbol >= before a release means all Oracle Database releases from this release or later along with their patches.

When using an older version of the RMAN client with a newer version of the database, you do not get the features added in the newer version.

B.4 Cross-Version Compatibility of Recovery Catalog Exports and Imports

Data Pump Exports of the recovery catalog are often used as a way to backup its contents. When planning to use Data Pump Export to make a logical backup of the recovery catalog, see Oracle Database Utilities for details on compatibility issues relating to the use of database exports across versions of Oracle Database.

Exports from a later version of the database cannot be imported into databases running under earlier versions. You must export your recovery catalog data using the export utility from the earliest version of Oracle Database that you use for a recovery catalog.

For example, to export the recovery catalog data from an Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2) database and import it into an Oracle Database 10g Release 1 (10.1.0.5) database for disaster recovery, you must use the export utility from Oracle Database 10g Release 1 (10.1.0.5) to perform the export operation. Otherwise, the import operation fails.

B.5 RMAN Compatibility: Scenario

Assume that you maintain a production databases of the following releases:

• Oracle Database 10g Release 2 (10.2)

• Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1)

• Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2)

• Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1)

You want to record RMAN repository data about these databases in a single recovery catalog database. According to Table B-2, you can use a single recovery catalog database whose version is Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1) with a catalog schema whose version is Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1) for all target databases. Ensure that the version of the RMAN client used to back up each target database meets the following requirements:

• Use the Oracle Database 10g Release 2 (10.2) RMAN client to back up the Oracle Database 10g Release 2 (10.2) database.

• Use either the Oracle Database 10g Release 2 (10.2) or Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1) RMAN client to back up the Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1) database.

• Use either the Oracle Database 10g Release 2 (10.2), Oracle Database 11g Release 1(11.1), or Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2) RMAN client to back up the Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2) database.

• Use the Oracle Database 12c RMAN client to back up Oracle Database 12c.