Configuring the Oracle Agent on Windows computers

Before you can back up or restore Oracle databases, you must use the Remote Agent Utility to do the following:

Whenever Oracle instance information changes, you must update the Remote Agent Utility. If credential information is not updated or is incorrect, the error "Unable to attach to a resource..." may appear when you run a backup job.

For Oracle RAC, run the Remote Agent Utility on each node and add information about the instances. When Oracle RAC nodes are added or removed, you must enter information about any changes to instances in the Remote Agent Utility.

Note:

When you use the Remote Agent Utility, the user account with which you are logged on should be a member of the Oracle DBA group.

You must have administrator privileges to run the Remote Agent Utility.

To configure the Oracle Agent on Windows computers

  1. On the computer on which the Remote Agent is installed, on the taskbar, click Start > All Programs > Symantec Backup Exec for Windows Servers > Backup Exec Remote Agent Utility.

    When the Remote Agent Utility is running, an icon appears in the system tray. You can double-click this icon to view the utility.

  2. Click the Oracle tab.

    Any instances that currently exist on the computer appear on the tab. You can edit or delete these instances, or view information about the instances.

  3. Do one of the following:

    To add an Oracle instance

    Do the following in the order listed:

    • Click New.

    • Go to step 4.

    To edit an existing Oracle instance

    Do the following in the order listed:

    • Select the instance that you want to edit.

    • Click Edit.

    • Go to step 4.

    To delete an Oracle instance

    Do the following in the order listed:

    • Select the instance that you want to delete, and then click Delete.

    • Go to step 5.

  4. Complete the appropriate options as follows:

    Local instance name

    To add an instance, enter the name of the Oracle instance. If you are editing an instance, you cannot change the instance name.

    For Oracle RAC nodes, enter the name of each physical node and the name of the virtual node.

    The virtual node name appears on the media server in the Backup Selections tree, under Oracle Real Application Clusters.

    The name is in the format RAC-<dbname>-<dbid>, where dbname is the database name, and dbid is the database ID.

    User name

    Type the user name for the Oracle instance.

    If the credentials for the Oracle instance change, you must update the credentials in this field.

    For Oracle RAC nodes, enter the same set of credentials for all of the nodes.

    Password

    Type the password for the Oracle instance user name.

    Confirm password

    Type the password again to confirm it.

    Use recovery catalog

    Check Use recovery catalog if you plan to use the Oracle recovery catalog.

    The Oracle Agent supports the use of the RMAN recovery catalog to manage the backup, restore, and recovery of Oracle databases. If you choose not to use a recovery catalog, RMAN uses the target database control file as the sole repository of metadata.

    TNS name

    Type the Oracle Net Service name.

    User name

    Type the user name for the Oracle recovery catalog.

    Password

    Type the password for the Oracle recovery catalog.

    Confirm password

    Type the password for the recovery catalog again to confirm it.

    Media server name or IP address

    For DBA-initiated jobs, type the name or IP address of the Backup Exec media server where you want to send the DBA-initiated backup jobs.

    You must use the same form of name resolution for all operations. For example, if you use the IP address of this computer for backup operations, you must also use the IP address for restore operations. If you use the full computer name for backup operations, you must also use the full computer name for restore operations.

    Job template name

    Type the name of the Backup Exec job template that you want the DBA-initiated job to use for backup and restore operations. You create the job template on the DBA-initiated Job Settings dialog box on the Backup Exec media server. If you do not specify a job template, the default job template is used.

    See Configuring DBA-initiated job settings for Oracle.

  5. Click OK.

To configure database access for Oracle operations on Windows computers

  1. On the computer on which the Remote Agent is installed, on the taskbar, click Start > All Programs > Symantec Backup Exec for Windows Servers > Backup Exec Remote Agent Utility.

    When the Remote Agent Utility is running, an icon appears in the system tray. You can double-click this icon to view the utility.

  2. Click the Database Access tab.

  3. Complete the appropriate options as follows:

    Enable media server authentication for Oracle and DB2 operations

    Check Enable media server authentication for Oracle and DB2 operations to enter the credentials that the media server will use for all operations on the Oracle server, including DBA-initiated operations. The media server also uses these credentials for authentication of the Oracle server.

    You must check this option to enable Oracle operations between the media server and this computer.

    User name

    Type a user name that has administrative rights to this computer. This logon account is what the media server uses when it connects to this computer.

    If you specify an IP address or a fully qualified computer name as part of the user name, the Remote Agent Utility may not be able to verify the user account. If the credentials are incorrect, the error "Unable to attach to a resource..." may appear when you run a backup or restore job.

    You must add this computer name and logon account to the list of authentication credentials for Oracle servers.

    See Configuring database access on the media server for Oracle operations.

    If the authentication fails when the Oracle resources are backed up, the backup job fails. If the authentication fails when you browse the backup sets for a restore job, then the backup sets become unavailable, and you must run a DBA-initiated restore job to restore data.

    Password

    Type the password for this logon account, and then confirm it.

    For security reasons, the logon credentials are not stored on the remote computer.

    Use the full computer name or IP address for Oracle and DB2 operations

    Check Use the full computer name or IP address for Oracle and DB2 operations to use either the full computer name or IP address for operations between the remote computer and the media server. You must use the same form of name resolution for all Oracle operations.

    For example, if you use the IP address of this computer for backup operations, you must also use the IP address for restore operations. If you use the full computer name for backup operations, you must also use the full computer name for restore operations.

    Name or IP address

    Type the full computer name or IP address for this computer.

    For full computer names, the following rules apply:

    • The maximum number of characters for each label (the text between the dots) is 63

    • The maximum total number of characters is 254, including the dots, but excluding the \\

    • The name cannot include the following characters: * | < >?

    Use a custom port to connect to the media server during Oracle and DB2 operations

    Check Use a custom port to connect to the media server during Oracle and DB2 operations to change the port that is used for communications between this computer and the media server during Oracle operations. By default, port 5633 is used.

    If you change the port number on this computer, you must also change it on the media server, and then restart the Backup Exec Job Engine Service on the media server.

    See Setting default backup network and security options.

    Port number

    Type the port number to use for operation requests that are sent to the media server.

  4. Click OK.

  5. For Oracle RAC installations, type the media server name or IP address that you want to publish to.

    The media server that you publish to lists the RAC databases in its backup selection tree, under the node named Oracle Real Application Clusters.

    If you do not enter a media server name or IP address to publish to, the RAC databases are not listed in the media server's backup selection tree.

    See Publishing the remote Windows computer to media servers.

  6. On the media server, add the name of the Oracle server and the user name that you entered on the Database Access tab to the media server's list of authentication credentials.

More Information

Configuring database access on the media server for Oracle operations

About backing up Oracle resources

About backing up Oracle RAC resources

Configuring DBA-initiated job settings for Oracle

Setting application defaults for Oracle