Overview:
In my previous article I have shown you how to rebuild a physical standby database using RMAN full database backup. Please refer below link for same.

Rebuild Physical Standby using RMAN full backup

Rolling forward a standby using RMAN full database backup can be time consuming and take several hours based on the size of the database. RMAN offers a flexibility to take the SCN based backup that can be used to incrementally roll forward a standby database. Using RMAN incremental backup to roll forward a standby database is the easiest and quickest way to sync a standby database.

Environment Details

Hostname	Primary server :– lnx-nsm-prod01/ lnx-nsm-prod02 Standby Server :– lnx-nsm-dr01/ lnx-nsm-dr02
Operating system	Linux
Database Environment	NSMDB and NSMDR

Get the current SCN from standby database, we will use this SCN for the incremental backup from primary.

SQL> select current_scn from v$database;

Take a control file backup from NSMDB primary.

$ rman target /

RMAN> backup current controlfile for standby format ‘/backup/nsmdb/nsmdb_stby_ctl’;

Create backup directory and take an incremental backup from primary, use the SCN from standby in step 1.

$ mkdir -p /backup/nsmdb/

$ rman target /

RMAN> run {

allocate channel c1 device type disk format ‘/backup/nsmdb/nsmdb_%U’;

allocate channel c2 device type disk format ‘/backup/nsmdb/nsmdb_%U’;

allocate channel c3 device type disk format ‘/backup/nsmdb/nsmdb_%U’;

allocate channel c4 device type disk format ‘/backup/nsmdb/nsmdb_%U’;

allocate channel c5 device type disk format ‘/backup/nsmdb/nsmdb_%U’;

allocate channel c6 device type disk format ‘/backup/nsmdb/nsmdb_%U’;

allocate channel c7 device type disk format ‘/backup/nsmdb/nsmdb_%U’;

allocate channel c8 device type disk format ‘/backup/nsmdb/nsmdb_%U’;

backup incremental from scn scn_from_step_1 database;

}

Get datafile file# and name from primary database, and spool output to text file f1.txt for reference.

SQL> select file#, name from v$datafile order by 1;

Copy the backup pieces to standby hosts in the same location.

$ mkdir -p /backup/nsmdb

Stop mrp at the standby.

DGMGRL> edit database nsmdr set state=APPLY-OFF;

Get datafile file# and name from standby database, and spool output to text file f2.txt for reference.

SQL> select file#, name from v$datafile order by 1;

Bring down standby database, all instances.

$ Srvctl stop database –d nsmdr

Start the standby database instance in nomount and restore the controlfile.

$ rman target /

RMAN> startup nomount

RMAN> restore standby controlfile from ‘/backup/nsmdb/nsmdr_stby_ctl’;

Mount the standby database, stop MRP, catalog the backup pieces.

SQL> alter database mount standby database

SQL> ALTER DATABASE RECOVER MANAGED STANDBY DATABASE CANCEL;

$ rman target /

RMAN> sql ‘alter database mount’;

RMAN> catalog start with ‘/backup/nsmdb’;

Catalog data files and switch the files to copy.

RMAN> catalog start with ‘+DATA/nsmdr/datafile’;

RMAN> SWITCH DATABASE TO COPY;

Recover the standby database.