Backup archive log with delete all input clause

Question

Our database is 10.2.0.3 RAC db and database server is window 2003.
Our RMAN catalog db was down for a couple of weeks. During this two weeks period we use control file instead. But when I compare the log files before using control file and after going back to catalog db I found the following differences. I also pasted backup script below. It looks like that after we reuse the catalog db it is able to delete all archive logs as soon as it is backed up. The only change I can think of is one of the archive log destination is changed from F:\archive to G:\archive. This db has a physical standby db which is not up to date. Can you help me to figure out why this differences in the backup process since I am kind of worried if we bring the standby db up to date we will not be able to ship the archive log since they are deleted from the backup process. Thank you so much for your help. Shirley
10> resync catalog;
11> #change archivelog all crosscheck;
12> crosscheck archivelog all;
13>
14> #Backup Database and archive log files.
15> backup as compressed backupset
16> incremental level 0 format 'F:\backup\%d_LVL0_%T_%u_s%s_p%p' filesperset 5 tag 'INDRAC'
17> database plus archivelog format 'F:\backup\%d_LVL0_%T_%u_s%s_p%p'
18> filesperset 10 tag 'INDRAC'
19> delete all input;
Before using control file:
channel ORA_DISK_2: finished piece 1 at 24-MAY-08
piece handle=F:\BACKUP\PRODRAC_LVL0_20080524_04JH7588_S41988_P1 tag=INDRAC comment=NONE
channel ORA_DISK_2: backup set complete, elapsed time: 00:04:17
RMAN-08137: WARNING: archive log not deleted as it is still needed
archive log filename=F:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_04966_0575926036.ARC thread=4 sequence=4966
RMAN-08137: WARNING: archive log not deleted as it is still needed
archive log filename=E:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_04966_0575926036.ARC thread=4 sequence=4966
RMAN-08137: WARNING: archive log not deleted as it is still needed
archive log filename=F:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_04967_0575926036.ARC thread=4 sequence=4967
RMAN-08137: WARNING: archive log not deleted as it is still needed
archive log filename=E:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_04967_0575926036.ARC thread=4 sequence=4967
After went back to catalog:
channel ORA_DISK_2: backup set complete, elapsed time: 00:02:47
channel ORA_DISK_2: deleting archive log(s)
archive log filename=G:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_05760_0575926036.ARC recid=51689 stamp=660017344
archive log filename=E:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_05760_0575926036.ARC recid=51688 stamp=660017344
archive log filename=G:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_05761_0575926036.ARC recid=51697 stamp=660032069
archive log filename=E:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_05761_0575926036.ARC recid=51696 stamp=660032069
archive log filename=E:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_05762_0575926036.ARC recid=51704 stamp=660051690
archive log filename=G:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_05762_0575926036.ARC recid=51705 stamp=660051690
archive log filename=E:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_05763_0575926036.ARC recid=51710 stamp=660061718
archive log filename=G:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_05763_0575926036.ARC recid=51711 stamp=660061718
archive log filename=E:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_05764_0575926036.ARC recid=51716 stamp=660069980
archive log filename=G:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_05764_0575926036.ARC recid=51717 stamp=660069980
archive log filename=E:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_05765_0575926036.ARC recid=51720 stamp=660081117
archive log filename=G:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_05765_0575926036.ARC recid=51721 stamp=660081117
archive log filename=G:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_05766_0575926036.ARC recid=51723 stamp=660087215
archive log filename=E:\ARCHIVE\PRODRAC_004_05766_0575926036.ARC recid=51722 stamp=660087214
channel ORA_DISK_1: finished piece 1 at 14-JUL-08
piece handle=F:\BACKUP\PRODRAC_LVL0_20080714_1MJLG8GQ_S45110_P1 tag=INDRAC comment=NONE
channel ORA_DISK_1: backup set complete, elapsed time: 00:04:43

Answer 1

Shirley,
If there was no change to the E: then the logs should have been kept (RMAN-8137) unless they were possibly aged out of the controlfile (unlikely since it defaults to 65K) or have been applied already. (The F: logs would have been marked as EXPIRED at the next crosscheck). Check to see which are EXPIRED:
RMAN> list expired archivelog all;
To see the earliest log:
select sequence# from v$log_history where rownum <2;
Have you checked the V$MANAGED_STANDBY to insure they were not already applied? Given that your latest rman log shows logs being deleted with no RMAN-8137 raised would indicate that they are not needed for the standby.