How to set the date and time format for RMAN

setting the date and time format for RMAN 

You can set the date and time format for RMAN output using the NLS_DATE_FORMAT and NLS_LANG environment variables before starting RMAN.

For Unix/Linux:

export NLS_DATE_FORMAT='YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS'

export NLS_LANG=AMERICAN_AMERICA.AL32UTF8

rman target /

For Windows (Command Prompt):

set NLS_DATE_FORMAT=YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS

set NLS_LANG=AMERICAN_AMERICA.AL32UTF8

rman target /

[oracle@orcl dbs]$

[oracle@orcl dbs]$ export NLS_DATE_FORMAT='YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS'

[oracle@orcl dbs]$ export NLS_LANG=AMERICAN_AMERICA.AL32UTF8

[oracle@orcl dbs]$ rman target /

Recovery Manager: Release 19.0.0.0.0 - Production on Wed May 21 12:41:50 2025

Version 19.3.0.0.0

Copyright (c) 1982, 2019, Oracle and/or its affiliates.  All rights reserved.

connected to target database: DB1 (DBID=1788905834)

RMAN> list backup;

using target database control file instead of recovery catalog

List of Backup Sets

===================

BS Key  Type LV Size       Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time

------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ -------------------

1       Full    17.95M     DISK        00:00:01     2025-03-06 12:58:33

        BP Key: 1   Status: AVAILABLE  Compressed: NO  Tag: TAG20250306T125831

        Piece Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/autobackup/2025_03_06/o1_mf_s_1195045112_mwm6zsr4_.bkp

  SPFILE Included: Modification time: 2025-03-06 12:48:41

  SPFILE db_unique_name: DB1

  Control File Included: Ckp SCN: 2142808      Ckp time: 2025-03-06 12:58:32

BS Key  Type LV Size       Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time

------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ -------------------

2       Full    17.95M     DISK        00:00:01     2025-04-29 07:01:08

        BP Key: 2   Status: AVAILABLE  Compressed: NO  Tag: TAG20250429T070107

        Piece Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/autobackup/2025_04_29/o1_mf_s_1199689267_n10y9nxy_.bkp

  SPFILE Included: Modification time: 2025-04-29 05:55:51

  SPFILE db_unique_name: DB1

  Control File Included: Ckp SCN: 2493621      Ckp time: 2025-04-29 07:01:07

BS Key  Type LV Size       Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time

------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ -------------------

3       Full    17.95M     DISK        00:00:02     2025-04-29 07:11:13

        BP Key: 3   Status: AVAILABLE  Compressed: NO  Tag: TAG20250429T071111

        Piece Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/autobackup/2025_04_29/o1_mf_s_1199689871_n10ywkbc_.bkp

  SPFILE Included: Modification time: 2025-04-29 05:55:51

  SPFILE db_unique_name: DB1

  Control File Included: Ckp SCN: 2494671      Ckp time: 2025-04-29 07:11:11

BS Key  Type LV Size       Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time

------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ -------------------

4       Full    17.95M     DISK        00:00:02     2025-04-29 07:21:18

        BP Key: 4   Status: AVAILABLE  Compressed: NO  Tag: TAG20250429T072116

        Piece Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/autobackup/2025_04_29/o1_mf_s_1199690476_n10zhg00_.bkp

  SPFILE Included: Modification time: 2025-04-29 07:14:43

  SPFILE db_unique_name: DB1

  Control File Included: Ckp SCN: 2495971      Ckp time: 2025-04-29 07:21:16

BS Key  Type LV Size       Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time

------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ -------------------

5       Full    17.95M     DISK        00:00:02     2025-05-21 10:39:40

        BP Key: 5   Status: AVAILABLE  Compressed: NO  Tag: TAG20250521T103938

        Piece Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/autobackup/2025_05_21/o1_mf_s_1201689578_n2vccdph_.bkp

  SPFILE Included: Modification time: 2025-05-21 10:19:41

  SPFILE db_unique_name: DB1

  Control File Included: Ckp SCN: 2919395      Ckp time: 2025-05-21 10:39:38

BS Key  Type LV Size       Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time

------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ -------------------

6       Full    1.21G      DISK        00:00:38     2025-05-21 12:15:41

        BP Key: 6   Status: AVAILABLE  Compressed: NO  Tag: TAG20250521T121502

        Piece Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/backupset/2025_05_21/o1_mf_nnndf_TAG20250521T121502_n2vjy7y0_.bkp

  List of Datafiles in backup set 6

  File LV Type Ckp SCN    Ckp Time            Abs Fuz SCN Sparse Name

  ---- -- ---- ---------- ------------------- ----------- ------ ----

  1       Full 2923534    2025-05-21 12:15:03              NO    /u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/system01.dbf

  3       Full 2923534    2025-05-21 12:15:03              NO    /u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/sysaux01.dbf

  4       Full 2923534    2025-05-21 12:15:03              NO    /u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/undotbs01.dbf

  7       Full 2923534    2025-05-21 12:15:03              NO    /u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/users01.dbf

BS Key  Type LV Size       Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time

------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ -------------------

7       Full    474.72M    DISK        00:00:11     2025-05-21 12:15:59

        BP Key: 7   Status: AVAILABLE  Compressed: NO  Tag: TAG20250521T121502

        Piece Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/2FACECCE69615207E0630400040AB366/backupset/2025_05_21/o1_mf_nnndf_TAG20250521T121502_n2vjzns9_.bkp

  List of Datafiles in backup set 7

  Container ID: 3, PDB Name: PDB

  File LV Type Ckp SCN    Ckp Time            Abs Fuz SCN Sparse Name

  ---- -- ---- ---------- ------------------- ----------- ------ ----

  9       Full 2627500    2025-04-30 06:56:07              NO    /u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/pdb/system01.dbf

  10      Full 2627500    2025-04-30 06:56:07              NO    /u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/pdb/sysaux01.dbf

  11      Full 2627500    2025-04-30 06:56:07              NO    /u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/pdb/undotbs01.dbf

  12      Full 2627500    2025-04-30 06:56:07              NO    /u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/pdb/users01.dbf

BS Key  Type LV Size       Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time

------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ -------------------

8       Full    481.67M    DISK        00:00:10     2025-05-21 12:16:24

        BP Key: 8   Status: AVAILABLE  Compressed: NO  Tag: TAG20250521T121502

        Piece Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/33E6395D57264163E0630400040A2C41/backupset/2025_05_21/o1_mf_nnndf_TAG20250521T121502_n2vk0g8j_.bkp

  List of Datafiles in backup set 8

  Container ID: 4, PDB Name: DEMO1

  File LV Type Ckp SCN    Ckp Time            Abs Fuz SCN Sparse Name

  ---- -- ---- ---------- ------------------- ----------- ------ ----

  16      Full 2915005    2025-05-21 10:08:05              NO    /u01/app/oracle/oradata/demo1/system01.dbf

  17      Full 2915005    2025-05-21 10:08:05              NO    /u01/app/oracle/oradata/demo1/sysaux01.dbf

  18      Full 2915005    2025-05-21 10:08:05              NO    /u01/app/oracle/oradata/demo1/undotbs01.dbf

BS Key  Type LV Size       Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time

------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ -------------------

9       Full    553.92M    DISK        00:00:21     2025-05-21 12:17:00

        BP Key: 9   Status: AVAILABLE  Compressed: NO  Tag: TAG20250521T121502

        Piece Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/2FAC79D13BBE3BB3E0630400040A98FA/backupset/2025_05_21/o1_mf_nnndf_TAG20250521T121502_n2vk17nv_.bkp

  List of Datafiles in backup set 9

  Container ID: 2, PDB Name: PDB$SEED

  File LV Type Ckp SCN    Ckp Time            Abs Fuz SCN Sparse Name

  ---- -- ---- ---------- ------------------- ----------- ------ ----

  5       Full 2137894    2025-03-06 12:44:14              NO    /u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/pdbseed/system01.dbf

  6       Full 2137894    2025-03-06 12:44:14              NO    /u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/pdbseed/sysaux01.dbf

  8       Full 2137894    2025-03-06 12:44:14              NO    /u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/pdbseed/undotbs01.dbf

BS Key  Type LV Size       Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time

------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ -------------------

10      Full    17.95M     DISK        00:00:02     2025-05-21 12:17:06

        BP Key: 10   Status: AVAILABLE  Compressed: NO  Tag: TAG20250521T121704

        Piece Name: /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/autobackup/2025_05_21/o1_mf_s_1201695424_n2vk22pc_.bkp

  SPFILE Included: Modification time: 2025-05-21 10:55:24

  SPFILE db_unique_name: DB1

  Control File Included: Ckp SCN: 2923603      Ckp time: 2025-05-21 12:17:04

RMAN>

How to configure rman configuration settings ?

Configure and clear rman configuration settings

You can configure RMAN settings to control how backups are performed and managed. These settings are persistent and stored in the database. Here are some common RMAN configuration commands:

1. View Current Configuration

RMAN> SHOW ALL;

2. Set Default Backup Destination

RMAN> CONFIGURE DEFAULT DEVICE TYPE TO DISK;

3. Set Backup Retention Policy

By Recovery Window (e.g., 7 days):

RMAN> CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO RECOVERY WINDOW OF 7 DAYS;

By Redundancy (e.g., 2 copies):

RMAN> CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO REDUNDANCY 2;

4. Configure Control File Autobackup

RMAN> CONFIGURE CONTROLFILE AUTOBACKUP ON;

5. Set Backup Location

RMAN> CONFIGURE CHANNEL DEVICE TYPE DISK FORMAT '/backup/rman/%U.bkp';

6. Configure Compression

RMAN> CONFIGURE COMPRESSION ALGORITHM 'BASIC';

RMAN> CONFIGURE DEVICE TYPE DISK PARALLELISM 2 BACKUP TYPE TO COMPRESSED BACKUPSET;

7. Clear a Configuration Setting

RMAN> CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY CLEAR;

How to run sql commands from rman prompt ?

 

run sql commands from rman prompt 

[oracle@orcl dbs]$

[oracle@orcl dbs]$

[oracle@orcl dbs]$ rman target /

Recovery Manager: Release 19.0.0.0.0 - Production on Wed May 21 12:22:35 2025

Version 19.3.0.0.0

Copyright (c) 1982, 2019, Oracle and/or its affiliates.  All rights reserved.

connected to target database: DB1 (DBID=1788905834)

RMAN> select dbid , name ,open_mode from v$database;

using target database control file instead of recovery catalog

      DBID NAME      OPEN_MODE

---------- --------- --------------------

1788905834 DB1       READ WRITE

RMAN>

*Note - not all sql commands will run from rman prompt 

Backup Oracle database using rman

Backup an Oracle database using RMAN

1. Connect to RMAN

Open a terminal or command prompt and connect to RMAN as a user with the necessary privileges:

rman target /

2. Perform a Full Database Backup

At the RMAN prompt, run:

BACKUP DATABASE;

3. (Optional) Backup Archive Logs

To include archived redo logs in your backup:

BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG;

4. (Optional) Specify Backup Location

To specify a different backup location:

BACKUP DATABASE FORMAT '/backup/yourdb_%U.bkp';

5. (Optional) Backup Control File Separately

BACKUP CURRENT CONTROLFILE;

Note:

Make sure your database is in ARCHIVELOG mode for point-in-time recovery.

Schedule regular backups as per your organization’s policy.

Example 

RMAN> backup database ;

Starting backup at 21-MAY-25

allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1

channel ORA_DISK_1: SID=42 device type=DISK

channel ORA_DISK_1: starting full datafile backup set

channel ORA_DISK_1: specifying datafile(s) in backup set

input datafile file number=00001 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/system01.dbf

input datafile file number=00003 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/sysaux01.dbf

input datafile file number=00004 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/undotbs01.dbf

input datafile file number=00007 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/users01.dbf

channel ORA_DISK_1: starting piece 1 at 21-MAY-25

channel ORA_DISK_1: finished piece 1 at 21-MAY-25

piece handle=/u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/backupset/2025_05_21/o1_mf_nnndf_TAG20250521T121502_n2vjy7y0_.bkp tag=TAG20250521T121502 comment=NONE

channel ORA_DISK_1: backup set complete, elapsed time: 00:00:45

channel ORA_DISK_1: starting full datafile backup set

channel ORA_DISK_1: specifying datafile(s) in backup set

input datafile file number=00010 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/pdb/sysaux01.dbf

input datafile file number=00009 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/pdb/system01.dbf

input datafile file number=00011 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/pdb/undotbs01.dbf

input datafile file number=00012 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/pdb/users01.dbf

channel ORA_DISK_1: starting piece 1 at 21-MAY-25

channel ORA_DISK_1: finished piece 1 at 21-MAY-25

piece handle=/u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/2FACECCE69615207E0630400040AB366/backupset/2025_05_21/o1_mf_nnndf_TAG20250521T121502_n2vjzns9_.bkp tag=TAG20250521T121502 comment=NONE

channel ORA_DISK_1: backup set complete, elapsed time: 00:00:25

channel ORA_DISK_1: starting full datafile backup set

channel ORA_DISK_1: specifying datafile(s) in backup set

input datafile file number=00017 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/demo1/sysaux01.dbf

input datafile file number=00016 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/demo1/system01.dbf

input datafile file number=00018 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/demo1/undotbs01.dbf

channel ORA_DISK_1: starting piece 1 at 21-MAY-25

channel ORA_DISK_1: finished piece 1 at 21-MAY-25

piece handle=/u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/33E6395D57264163E0630400040A2C41/backupset/2025_05_21/o1_mf_nnndf_TAG20250521T121502_n2vk0g8j_.bkp tag=TAG20250521T121502 comment=NONE

channel ORA_DISK_1: backup set complete, elapsed time: 00:00:25

channel ORA_DISK_1: starting full datafile backup set

channel ORA_DISK_1: specifying datafile(s) in backup set

input datafile file number=00006 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/pdbseed/sysaux01.dbf

input datafile file number=00005 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/pdbseed/system01.dbf

input datafile file number=00008 name=/u01/app/oracle/oradata/DB1/pdbseed/undotbs01.dbf

channel ORA_DISK_1: starting piece 1 at 21-MAY-25

channel ORA_DISK_1: finished piece 1 at 21-MAY-25

piece handle=/u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/2FAC79D13BBE3BB3E0630400040A98FA/backupset/2025_05_21/o1_mf_nnndf_TAG20250521T121502_n2vk17nv_.bkp tag=TAG20250521T121502 comment=NONE

channel ORA_DISK_1: backup set complete, elapsed time: 00:00:25

Finished backup at 21-MAY-25

Starting Control File and SPFILE Autobackup at 21-MAY-25

piece handle=/u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/DB1/autobackup/2025_05_21/o1_mf_s_1201695424_n2vk22pc_.bkp comment=NONE

Finished Control File and SPFILE Autobackup at 21-MAY-25

RMAN>