9i Database - Restore to a new host, validating RMAN backup

Question

Hi all,
I could use your help, for any of you who remember how to do this in 9i. On one of my production databases, running 9.2.0.6.0, I have a nightly RMAN script that writes the backup to a large shared drive (this is on a Windows 2003 server). This backup uses a recovery catalog.
I have a test server, and I want to try and restore last night's backup on this test server, without touching the recovery catalog - purely as a means to go through the recovery process, and to validate our backups (this is also for SOX compliance, as this database is for the financial system).
I have been looking through the 9i documentation, and was hoping to have some detailed steps here: http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/B10501_01/server.920/a96566/rcmrecov.htm#1007514
but I don't see a lot of information there.
I believe that this should be a rather simple process. On the test server, I have installed the 9.2.0.6 software, and created the Oracle Service using the same name as production. The test server can also see the shared drive that houses the backup files from the production system.
Here are the steps I am trying, please let me know what I need to change. Thanks all!!
rman target / nocatalog
RMAN> set DBID 3679803977
RMAN> startup nomount
RMAN> restore controlfile from autobackup; --- this throws errors, see below
Starting restore at 11-NOV-08
allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1
channel ORA_DISK_1: sid=12 devtype=DISK
channel ORA_DISK_1: looking for autobackup on day: 20081111
channel ORA_DISK_1: looking for autobackup on day: 20081110
channel ORA_DISK_1: looking for autobackup on day: 20081109
channel ORA_DISK_1: looking for autobackup on day: 20081108
channel ORA_DISK_1: looking for autobackup on day: 20081107
channel ORA_DISK_1: looking for autobackup on day: 20081106
channel ORA_DISK_1: looking for autobackup on day: 20081105
channel ORA_DISK_1: no autobackup in 7 days found
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03002: failure of restore command at 11/11/2008 16:43:18
RMAN-06172: no autobackup found or specified handle is not a valid copy or piece

Answer 1

Many thanks for the helpful replies so far, Hemant!! I had to shelve this issue for a few days, back at it today.
I have made some progress, I am able to restore the control file now - what I am doing, is copying the autobackup controlfile from the network drive over onto the server locally (E:\oracle\ora92\database\BACKUPCONTROL.ORA), then I am able to restore the controlfile with this:
restore controlfile from 'E:\oracle\ora92\database\BACKUPCONTROL.ORA';
And I can see that it restores all 3 of my controlfiles.
The next step would be to do the database restore. When I issue the "restore database;" command, I can see that it lists out all of the datafiles that it needs to restore from the backup set, but then after about a minute, I see these error messages pop up:
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03002: failure of restore command at 11/19/2008 10:55:54
ORA-19587: error occurred reading 0 bytes at block number 1
ORA-27091: skgfqio: unable to queue I/O
ORA-27067: skgfdisp: size of buffer is invalid
OSD-04026: Invalid parameter passed.
When I looked up those last 2 error codes on Metalink, I see document ID 213858.1 that looks like this normally happens when the backup piece that has Read-Only permissions. I have confirmed that the backup files on the network drive are not Read-Only, I have full Read/Write privileges on them. So once again, I am stumped.
Any thoughts? I might go ahead and log an SR for this, to try and get it resolved.
Thanks!