Database Reference
In-Depth Information
If you're accessing your target database remotely via Oracle Net, you will need a password file on the target server
and will also need to specify a connection string as follows:
$ rman target <user with sys* priv>/<password>@<database connection string>
You can also invoke RMAN and then connect to your target database as a second step, from the RMAN prompt:
$ rman
RMAN> connect target /
To exit RMAN, enter the
exit
command as follows:
RMAN> exit
■
on Linux systems, when typing in the
rman
command from the oS prompt, if you get an error, such as
“rman: can't open target,” make sure your path variable includes oraCLe_hoMe/bin directory before the /usr/X11r6/bin
directory.
Tip
(NOt) CaLLING rMaN FrOM SQL*pLUS
i teach oracle B&r classes at a local institute of higher learning. nearly every term, one of the students asks why
the following rMan command doesn't work:
SQL> rman
SP2-0042: unknown command "rman" - rest of line ignored.
the answer is short: the
rman
client is an oS utility, not an SQL*plus function. You must invoke the
rman
client
from the oS prompt.
Notice that when connecting to RMAN, you do not have to specify the
sys*
clause (like you do when connecting
as a
SYSDBA
privileged user via SQL*Plus). This is because RMAN always requires that you connect as a user with
sys*
privileges. Therefore, you must connect to RMAN with either a user who is OS authenticated or a username/password
with
sys*
privileges granted to it (and therefore exists in the password file). This is unlike SQL*Plus, where you have
the option of connecting as a non-privileged user. In SQL*Plus, if you want to connect as a user with
sys*
privileges,
you are required to specify a
sys*
clause when connecting.
If you attempt to connect to RMAN without the proper privileges, you'll receive this error:
ORA-01031: insufficient privileges
A useful way to troubleshoot the root cause of an
ORA-01031
error is to attempt to log in to SQL*Plus with the
same authentication information as when trying to connect through RMAN. This will help verify either that you are
