The Horror Of Restore Validate For SBT_TAPE Backups

For the database environment, there are database backups to disk and tape.

I wanted to validate tape backup by using validate preview summary device type=SBT_TAPE.

I hit a brick wall as the restore was reading backups from both DISK and SBT_TAPE.

Here is the command used:

restore database until time "TRUNC(sysdate)" validate preview summary device type=SBT_TAPE;

Oracle support came through with the following info:

Reading from Disk because of the preview command.

The command is now replaced with:

restore database   until time "TRUNC(sysdate)" validate device type=SBT_TAPE;
restore archivelog until time "TRUNC(sysdate)" validate device type=SBT_TAPE;

Another option is to use RETENTION POLICY.

RMAN> show RETENTION POLICY;

RMAN configuration parameters are:
CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO RECOVERY WINDOW OF 7 DAYS;

RMAN> restore archivelog from time='SYSDATE-7' validate device type=SBT_TAPE;

Verify missing archivelog backup.

--- list backup of archivelog sequence 89961 thread 2;

RMAN-06025: no backup of archived log for thread 2 with sequence 3712 and starting SCN of 11284417423066 found to restore

How to Check/Validate that RMAN Backups Are Good (Doc ID 466221.1)

--- Report of backups that are used to do the restore and recover:
restore database preview;

--- Check the backup pieces are good:
restore database validate;

Works beautifully and learned something new today.