Re: The old raw devices chestnut.

"Data Goob" <datagoob@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:tk0fc.52615$F63.39763@fe11.usenetserver.com... > Andrew, > The real question is, how will you backup, much less restore > raw device databases? Are you prepared to deal with the > inflexibility it presents? Have you ever run Informix or > other vendor database through a complete backup and restore, > testing all the options with raw-device dbspaces? Most DBAs > I've run into have never had to restore a database at any > time in their career much less even test it. Is that amazing > or what! Any of Oracle, Informix or DB2 will cope with this equally as well as if on "cooked" disk. Informix will even let you restore a dbspace held on cooked chunks to be restored to a raw disk (or vice versa). The others may do too although I think there is more fannying around needed. Finally you describe EMC Timefinder: provided you block the database (onmode -b) for the few seconds the Timefinder split takes, you can then spool the BCV copy out to tape and use this as the basis for an external restore. > Consider too, clustering of systems and disks, and the > administrative challenges associated with that. Add raw > devices to multitudes of servers and it becomes more risky ... If you don't know what you're doing .... :-)