How To Catalog Backups / Archivelogs / Datafile Copies / Controlfile Copies in Oracle Database

The RMAN CATALOG command is used to accomplish the following:

• Add backup pieces and image copies on disk to the RMAN repository.
• Record a datafile copy as a level 0 incremental backup in the RMAN repository, which enables you to use it as part of an incremental backup strategy.
• Record the existence of the last user-managed datafile copies made after the final shutdown.

Restrictions and Usage Notes

• You must be connected to the target database, which must be mounted or open.
• If RMAN is connected to a recovery catalog, then the catalog database must be open.
• For a user-managed copy to be cataloged, it must be a datafile copy, control file copy, archived log, or backup piece.
• Accessible on disk.
• You cannot use CATALOG to catalog a file that belongs to a different database.

Note: RMAN treats all user-managed backups as image copies. Note that during cataloging, RMAN does not check whether the file was correctly copied by the operating system utility; it just checks the header.

Examples

1. Cataloging an Archived Redo Log:

This example assumes that you made operating system copies of archived logs or transferred them from another location, and then added them to the RMAN repository: 

RMAN> CATALOG ARCHIVELOG '?/oradata/archive1_30.dbf', '?/oradata/archive1_31.dbf', '?/oradata/archive1_32.dbf';

2. Cataloging a File Copy as an Incremental Backup:

The following example catalogs datafile copy users01.bak as an incremental level 0 backup:

RMAN> CATALOG DATAFILECOPY '?/oradata/users01.bak' LEVEL 0; 

Note that you can create datafile copies either using the RMAN BACKUP AS COPY command, or by using operating system utilities in conjunction with ALTER TABLESPACE BEGIN/END BACKUP.

3. Catlog a user managed controlfile copy in the RMAN repository

The folllowing example catalogs a user managed controlfile copy in the RMAN repository: 

sql> alter database backup controlfile to 'disk1/control01.ctl';

The command to catalog a controlfile copy is below:

RMAN> catalog controlfilecopy '/disk1/control01.ctl';

4. Cataloging Multiple Copies in a Directory:

The following example catalogs a directory full of archived logs that were copied into the /tmp/arch_logs directory with an operating system utility: 

RMAN> CATALOG START WITH '/tmp/arch_logs'; 

5. Cataloging Files in the Flash Recovery Area:

The following example catalogs all files in the currently enabled flash recovery area without prompting the user for each one: 

RMAN> CATALOG RECOVERY AREA NOPROMPT;

6. Cataloging Backup Pieces:

The following example catalogs a RMAN backup piece that was copied with an operating system utility:

RMAN> CATALOG BACKUPPIECE '?/oradata/01dmsbj4_1_1.bcp'; 

The below command will catalog the backup pieces held in the location set for db_recovery_file_dest parameter: 

RMAN> catalog db_recovery_file_dest;

 

Reference:

http://www.dba-oracle.com/t_rman_103_catalog_file_copy.htm