Best practise: validate/check backups are good

Hello all
Oracle 10g on Linux, Veritas NetBackup for Oracle - Release 6.5
How do you ensure that backups taken with rman are good?
Some ideas to discuss:
- restore/recover backups to a clone database after backup
- using command "validate backupset" (question remains: how to determine last written backupsets?)
see also Metalink 466221.1
Thanks Casi

RMAN has this capability built-in. Very simply:
BACKUP VALIDATE DATABASE;but there are numerous variations many of which I have captured here:
http://www.morganslibrary.org/reference/rman.html
at page bottom under the heading "Validate"
Equally important keep you eye on:
gv$backup_corruption
gv$copy_corruption
and
gv$database_block_corruption

Similar Messages

Best Practises for Backup & Recovery windows

Hi All,
Could you please let me know the following .
1. Best Practises to be followed for backup & recovery on windows server 2008
2. how to plan for the DR on windows
Regards
Mohammed. Abdul Muqeet

Mohammed Abdul Muqeet wrote:
Hi All,
Could you please let me know the following .
1. Best Practises to be followed for backup & recovery on windows server 2008
As far as the Oracle database is concerned, best practices on Windows server 2008 are exactly the same as for any other OS.
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E11882_01/backup.112/e10642/toc.htm
(and my own prejudice, developed over 30+ years in this industry and working with Oracle on Windows beginning with Oracle 7.3 on windows 3.11, is that best practice is to stay as far away from Windows as possible)
2. how to plan for the DR on windowsAs far as the Oracle database is concerned, best practices on Windows server 2008 are exactly the same as for any other OS.
Backup everything. Get the backups off site. Perform regular DR drills. Document everything. Keep a copy of the documentation off site. (Doesn't do any good to have the DR manual located such that it gets destroyed in the same disaster that takes out your data center. ) Have an off-site DR site.
While it isn't in your lane as a DBA, you need to keep reminding managment that DR is about more than just the database, and even more than just the data center itself. If there is a physical disaster (ask the people in Oklahoma City about that ... over the years - multiple F5 tornadoes, plus a truck bomb) all kinds of infrastructure and documentation issues. What about important records (like the DR manual) that exist only in someone's desk drawer? Where are the business units going to set up shop and how are they going to connect to the restored database at the DR site?
I've seen DR manuals that got down to the detail of temporary housing for employees and how to get coffee at the DR site.
>
>
Regards
Mohammed. Abdul MuqeetEdited by: EdStevens on May 23, 2013 7:44 AM

Backup validate check logical

hi,
An mssql dba asked me if oracle could do logical/physical corruption checking when performing backups. Im aware of BACKUP VALIDATE CHECK LOGICAL.
However, it doesn't create any backup. It just checks for corruption. If I remember, you can run BACKUP CHECK LOGICAL which will actually create the backup and check logical at the same time, but my question is...
Why would you not want one or both of these as standard? I get it that there's overhead, more so for VALIDATE, but would you really want backups that contain corruption? Even if you keep 30 days worth of backups, you could realise after 40 days that you had corruption, and not be able to restore.
Or is the reasoning behind not making it default, that you've got 'enough' backups that even if a datafile gets logical/physical corruption, you're bound to discover it before your backups become obsolete, and that it's then not worth the overhead of making it default?

You can have the settings with SET MAXCORRUPT FOR DATAFILE.
By default a checksum is calculated for every block read from a datafile and stored in the backup or image copy. If you use the NOCHECKSUM option, then checksums are not calculated. If the block already contains a checksum, however, then the checksum is validated and stored in the backup. If the validation fails, then the block is marked corrupt in the backup.
The SET MAXCORRUPT FOR DATAFILE command sets how many corrupt blocks in a datafile that BACKUP will tolerate. If a datafile has more corrupt blocks than specified by the MAXCORRUPT parameter, the command terminates. If you specify the CHECK LOGICAL option, RMAN checks for logical and physical corruption.
By default, the BACKUP command terminates when it cannot access a datafile. You can specify parameters to prevent termination, as listed in the following table.
If you specify the option ... Then RMAN skips...
SKIP INACCESSIBLE Inaccessible datafiles. A datafile is only considered inaccessible if it cannot be read. Some offline datafiles can still be read because they exist on disk. Others have been deleted or moved and so cannot be read, making them inaccessible.
SKIP OFFLINE Offline datafiles.
SKIP READONLY Datafiles in read-only tablespaces.

Backup validate check logical database

What is exactly the following RMAN command do? I want to know Is it doing a full backup or not?
rman> backup validate check logical database' . Kindly help me.

RMAN does not physically backup the database with this command. But it reads all blocks and checks for corruptions.
If it finds corrupted blocks it will place the information about the corruption into a view:
v$database_block_corruption;
Now we can tell RMAN to recover all the blocks which it has found as being corrupt:
RMAN> blockrecover corruption list; # (all blocks from v$database_block_corruption)
Use below link for reference.
http://luhartma.blogspot.com/2006/04/how-to-check-for-and-repair-block.html
-Bharath

Liquid: What are the suggested best practises for multiple languages?

Right now we are doing this:
{% if globals.country == "EU" %}
{% assign login = "Log in" %}
{% assign userName = "Username" %}
{% assign password = "Password" %}
{% assign rememberMe = "Remember me?" %}
{% assign confirmLogout = "You are now logged out!" %}
{% endif %}
{{login}} would output "Log in"
Another thought would be to have it all in a string with commas and split it, like this:
{% if globals.country == "EU" %}
{% assign strings = "Log in;Username;Password;Remember me?;You are now logged out!" %}
{% assign lang = strings | split: ";" %}
{% endif %}
{{lang[0]}} Would output "Log in".
What are the best practises here?
I would imagine either being slower than the other as well, maybe Adobe have some input?

Hi Machinette,
Use your first option in my opinion:
A webapp where each item would contain a field for each language. i.e. item 1 name login; en -> Log in; es -> Iniciar sesion. item 2 name logout; en -> Log iout; es -> Cerrar sesion....
Here's an example of my multilingual web apps:
FAQs:
EN Question
JP Question
EN Answer
JP Answer
Testimonials:
Title-NZ
Title-JP
Quote-Preview-NZ
Quote-Preview-JP
Quote-Full-JP
How did you hear about us:
Title_En
Title_JP
Multilingual Text:
Text_En
Text JP
As you can see above, the items in the web apps form the different multilingual text - the different FAQs, the different Testimonials, the different Multilingual Text. The domain name needs to determine the language. Very important. And use a globals.site.countryCode to determine the language.
The key is when you want to reference that item. I think Abhishek was onto it using JSON files, easy to select the text you want. If JSON files don't work, here's what you do:
{module_webapps id="Multilingual Text" filter="i" itemId="4951580"}
{module_webapps id="Multilingual Text" filter="i" itemId="4951611"}
{module_webapps id="Multilingual Text" filter="i" itemId="4951612"}
Else place everything into a collection, but I have hundreds of items, so I don't want to collect too many records. Only the ones I need per page.
Finally, here's my code for one of the web apps, FAQs.
{% assign countrycode = globals.site.countryCode -%}
{% case countrycode -%}
{% when 'JP' -%}
<div class="faq-question">
    <h4>{{this['JP Question']}}</h4>
    <div class="faq-details">
        <div class="answer"><p>{{this['JP Answer']}}</p></div>
    </div>
</div>
{% else -%}
<div class="faq-question">
    <h4>{{this['EN Question']}}</h4>
    <div class="faq-details">
        <div class="answer"><p>{{this['EN Answer']}}</p></div>
    </div>
</div>
{% endcase -%}
http://www.samandmelenglish.com/faqs
http://www.samandmelenglish.jp/faqs
Hope this helps.
Stephen - Fuel Design

May CDs keep popping out when I place them in my desk top mac. What should I do? I checked to make sure the CDs are good and the right format.

CDs pop out of my deck top Mac as soon as they go in. They are good CDs and I tried many of them. Anyone have this same issue and what fixed the issue?

Hi there MRKwilson,
You may find the troubleshooting steps in the article below helpful.
Apple Computers: Troubleshooting the slot-loading SuperDrive
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2801
-Griff W.

What are good maintenance apps for Mac mini

What is a good free app for the Mac mini for maintenance?

How to maintain a Mac
1. Make two or more backups of all your files, keeping at least one off site at all times in case of disaster. One backup is not enough to be safe. Don’t back up your backups; all should be made directly from the original data. Don’t rely completely on any single backup method, such as Time Machine. If you get an indication that a backup has failed, don't ignore it.
2. Keep your software up to date. In the App Store or Software Update preference pane (depending on the OS version), you can configure automatic notifications of updates to OS X and other Mac App Store products. Some third-party applications from other sources have a similar feature, if you don’t mind letting them phone home. Otherwise you have to check yourself on a regular basis.
Keeping up to date is especially important for complex software that modifies the operating system, such as device drivers. Don't install such modifications unless they're absolutely necessary. Remove them when they are no longer needed. Before installing any Apple update, you must check that all system modifications that you use are compatible. Incompatibility with third-party software is by far the most common cause of problems with system updates.
3. Don't install crapware, such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” "boosters," “extenders,” “cleaners,” "doctors," "tune-ups," “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” commercial "virus scanners,” "disk tools," or "utilities." With very few exceptions, such stuff is useless or worse than useless. Above all, avoid any software that purports to change the look and feel of the user interface.
It's not much of an exaggeration to say that the whole "utility" software industry for the Mac is a fraud on consumers. The most extreme examples are the "CleanMyMac," "TuneUpMyMac," and “MacKeeper” scams, but there are many others.
As a rule, you should avoid software that changes the way other software works. Plugins for Photoshop and similar programs are an obvious exception to this rule. Safari extensions, and perhaps the equivalent for other web browsers, are a partial exception. Most are safe, and they're easy to get rid of if they don't work. Some may cause the browser to crash or otherwise malfunction. Some are malicious. Use with caution, and install only well-known extensions from relatively trustworthy sources, such as the Safari Extensions Gallery.
Only install software that is useful to you, not (as you imagine) to the computer. For example, a word processor is useful for writing. A video editor is useful for making movies. A game is useful for fun. But a "cache cleaner" isn't useful for anything. Cleaning caches is not an end in itself.
Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it. Otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve. Do not rely on "utilities" such as "AppCleaner" and the like that purport to remove software.
4. Don't install bad, conflicting, or unnecessary fonts. Whenever you install new fonts, use the validation feature of the built-in Font Book application to make sure the fonts aren't defective and don't conflict with each other or with others that you already have. See the built-in help and this support article for instructions. Deactivate or remove fonts that you don't really need to speed up application launching.
5. Avoid malware. Malware is malicious software that circulates on the Internet. This kind of attack on OS X was once so rare that it was hardly a concern, but malware is now increasingly common, and increasingly dangerous.
There is some built-in protection against malware, but you can’t rely on it—the attackers are always at least one day ahead of the defense. You can’t rely on third-party protection either. What you can rely on is common-sense awareness—not paranoia, which only makes you more vulnerable.
Never install software from an untrustworthy or unknown source. If in doubt, do some research. Any website that prompts you to install a “codec” or “plugin” that comes from the same site, or an unknown site, is untrustworthy. Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must come directly from the developer's website. No intermediary is acceptable, and don’t trust links unless you know how to parse them. Any file that is automatically downloaded from the web, without your having requested it, should go straight into the Trash. A web page that tells you that your computer has a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with it, is a scam.
In OS X 10.7.5 or later, downloaded applications and Installer packages that have not been digitally signed by a developer registered with Apple are blocked from loading by default. The block can be overridden, but think carefully before you do so.
Because of recurring security issues in Java, it’s best to disable it in your web browsers, if it’s installed. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This action is mandatory if you’re running any version of OS X older than 10.6.8 with the latest Java update. Note: Java has nothing to do with JavaScript, despite the similar names. Don't install Java unless you're sure you need it. Most people don't.
6. Don't fill up your disk/SSD. A common mistake is adding more and more large files to your home folder until you start to get warnings that you're out of space, which may be followed in short order by a startup failure. This is more prone to happen on the newer Macs that come with an internal SSD instead of the traditional hard drive. The drive can be very nearly full before you become aware of the problem.
While it's not true that you should or must keep any particular percentage of space free, you should monitor your storage use and make sure you're not in immediate danger of using it up. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of free space on the startup volume for normal operation.
If storage space is running low, use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper to explore the volume and find out what's taking up the most space. Move seldom-used large files to secondary storage.
7. Relax, don’t do it. Besides the above, no routine maintenance is necessary or beneficial for the vast majority of users; specifically not “cleaning caches,” “zapping the PRAM,” "resetting the SMC," “rebuilding the directory,” "defragmenting the drive," “running periodic scripts,” “dumping logs,” "deleting temp files," “scanning for viruses,” "purging memory," "checking for bad blocks," "testing the hardware," or “repairing permissions.” Such measures are either completely pointless or are useful only for solving problems, not for prevention.
To use a Mac effectively, you have to free yourself from the Windows mindset that every computer needs regular downtime maintenance such as "defragging" and "registry cleaning." Those concepts do not apply to the Mac platform.
A well-designed computing device is not something you should have to think about much. It should be an almost transparent medium through which you communicate, work, and play. If you want a machine that needs a lot of attention, use a PC.
The very height of futility is running an expensive third-party application called “Disk Warrior” when nothing is wrong, or even when something is wrong and you have backups, which you must have. Disk Warrior is a data-salvage tool, not a maintenance tool, and you will never need it if your backups are adequate. Don’t waste money on it or anything like it.

BEST PRACTISE on users deletions HR/SU01

Hi
we use CUA/SSO.
The records are fed from HR records and sent to Active Directory (AD)
AD brings backs the records and creates/changes users in SU01
A function module populates the CVR (timesheet) parameter dependent on whether you are an employee or a contractor
Occasionally, our HR department request records to be deleted from the SAP Support team - for example if the employee or contractor hasn't in fact joined the company.
Until some time ago, the deletion was causing problems because:
a) the record does not get deleted in AD and there is no way to send the deletion across after
b) when AD tries to reprocess that specific record, LDAP connector will not find it as HR record so what happens in SU01 for some reasons, the VALID from field gets wiped out and the CVR parameter for Timesheet also...
We have changed the process for the deletion however, I would like to ask if you know what is the best practise for this?? HR want to delete the record so it can be re-utilised
I cannot delete those records from UMR unless I am 100% sure they have never used the system (will have to check that)
I hope I have provided enough info on what the issue is..
Thank you
Nadia

Best practice is not to delete.
> HR want to delete the record so it can be re-utilised
So many people with the same name? Perhaps a suffix of 2 numbers when the ID naming convention produces a clash. Besides, do your AD admins not want unique names in the AD as well?
E.g. (just an imperfect example)
MUSTERMA = Alfred MUSTERMan
MUSTERMM = Manfred MUSTERMan
MUSTER01 = Mechtilde MUSTERMuller
> I cannot delete those records from UMR unless I am 100% sure they have never used the system (will have to check that)
Surest way is to determine that they have never logged on before. But that does not exclude that records might exist for them, which may eventually do a "user existence check" to be read. One such example is the Security Audit Log, e.g. there may have been failed login attempts.
Good luck,
Julius

Validate rman backups

Hi,
oracle 9.2.0.1
rman Incremental cumalative backups
HI,
i do incremental cumalative backups. Full Level 0 on friday, level 1 incremental done Mon - Thurs.
i noticed that if i run a RESTORE DATABASE VALIDATE command, it checks/uses all the pieces that are part of the FULL LEVEL 0 only. But this does not tell me if the incremental backup pieces created are good or not.
How (without actually restoring to test server) can i test/validate up-to the latest incremental daily backup?
J

RESTORE VALIDATE will only do full backups, LEVEL 0 backups, controlfiles, spfile, datafile copies and archivelogs. However, you can VALIDATE a LEVEL 1 backupset with simply:
RMAN> VALIDATE BACKUPSET <backupset_#>;

What is the best online malware check to use

What is recommended as the best online malware check on the IMAC?

VIRUSES
No viruses that can attack OS X have so far been detected 'in the wild', i.e. in anything other than laboratory conditions.
It is possible, however, to pass on a Windows virus to another Windows user, for example through an email attachment. To prevent this all you need is the free anti-virus utility ClamXav, which you can download for Tiger and Leopard from:
http://www.clamxav.com/
The new version for Snow Leopard and Lion is available here:
http://www.clamxav.com/index.php?page=v2beta
Note: ClamAV adds a new user group to your Mac. That makes it a little more difficult to remove than some apps. You’ll find an uninstaller link in ClamXav’s FAQ page online.
If you are already using ClamXav: please ensure that you have installed all recent Apple Security Updates and that your version of ClamXav is the latest available.
Do not install Norton Anti-Virus on a Mac as it can seriously damage your operating system. Norton Anti-Virus is not compatible with Apple OS X.
FAKE ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE and associated MALWARE
Do not be tricked by 'scareware' that tempts computer users to download fake anti-virus software that may itself be malware.
Fake anti-virus software that infect PCs with malicious code are a growing threat, according to a study by Google. Its analysis of 240m web pages over 13 months showed that fake anti-virus programs accounted for 15% of all malicious software.
Scammers trick people into downloading programs by convincing them that their PC is infected with a virus.
Once installed, the software may steal data or force people to make a payment to register the fake product.
Beware of PDF files from unknown sources. A security firm announced that by its counting, malicious Reader documents made up 80% of all exploits at the end of 2009.:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9157438/in which Rogue_PDFs_account_for_80_of_all_exploits_says_researcher
TROJANS and RE-DIRECTION TO FAKE WEBSITES
The appearance of Trojans and other malware that can possibly infect a Mac seems to be growing, but is a completely different issue to viruses.
If you allow a Trojan to be installed, the user's DNS records can be modified, redirecting incoming internet traffic through the attacker's servers, where it can be hijacked and injected with malicious websites and pornographic advertisements. The trojan also installs a watchdog process that ensures the victim's (that's you!) DNS records stay modified on a minute-by-minute basis.
You can read more about how, for example, the OSX/DNSChanger Trojan works (by falsely suggesting extra codecs are required for Quicktime) here:
http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/trojan_osx_dnschanger.shtml
SecureMac has introduced a free Trojan Detection Tool for Mac OS X. It's available here:
http://macscan.securemac.com/
First update the MacScan malware definitions before scanning. You can also contact their support team for any additional support - [email protected]
The DNSChanger Removal Tool detects and removes spyware targeting Mac OS X and allows users to check to see if the trojan has been installed on their computer; if it has, the software helps to identify and remove the offending file. After a system reboot, the users' DNS records will be repaired.
(Note that a 30 day trial version of MacScan can be downloaded free of charge from:
http://macscan.securemac.com/buy/
and this can perform a complete scan of your entire hard disk. After 30 days free trial the cost is $29.99. The full version permits you to scan selected files and folders only, as well as the entire hard disk. It will detect (and delete if you ask it to) all 'tracker cookies' that switch you to web sites you did not want to go to.)
A white paper was published on the subject of Trojans by SubRosaSoft, available here:
http://www.macforensicslab.com/ProductsAndServices/index.php?main_page=document_ general_info&cPath=11&products_id=174
Also, beware of MacSweeper and MacDefender (also goes under the name of MacProtector, MacGaurd, MacSecurity or MacShield) :
These are malware that misleads users by exaggerating reports about spyware, adware or viruses on their computer in an attempt to obtain payment.
Mackeeper is equally worthless and should also be avoided. Again, the developer seeks to obtain payment for an application that does nothing that free utilities do not also offer, and in many cases it will also mess up your system.
You can keep up to date, particularly about malware present in some downloadable pirated software, at the Securemac site:
http://www.securemac.com/
HOW TO AVOID RE-DIRECTION
Adding Open DNS codes to your Network Preferences, should give good results in terms of added security as well as speed-up:
Open System Preferences/Network. Double click on your connection type, or select it in the drop-down menu, and in the box marked 'DNS Servers' add the following two numbers:
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
(You can also enter them if you click on Advanced and then DNS)
Sometimes reversing the order of the DNS numbers can be beneficial in cases where there is a long delay before web pages start to load, and then suddenly load at normal speed:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2296
There may be other ways of guarding against Trojans, viruses and general malware affecting the Mac, and alternatives will probably appear in the future. In the meantime the advice is: be careful where you go on the web and what you download!
WHAT TO DO IF YOU THINK YOUR MAC HAS BECOME 'INFECTED'
If you think you may have acquired a Trojan, and you know its name, you can also locate it via the Terminal:
http://theappleblog.com/2009/04/24/mac-botnet-how-to-ensure-you-are-not-part-of- the-problem/
Although any content that you download has the possibility of containing malicious software, practising a bit of care will generally keep you free from the consequences of anything like the DNSChanger trojan.
1. Avoid going to suspect and untrusted Web sites, especially p'orn'ography sites.
2. Check out what you are downloading. Mac OS X asks you for you administrator password to install applications for a reason! Only download media and applications from well-known and trusted Web sites. If you think you may have downloaded suspicious files, read the installer packages and make sure they are legit. If you cannot determine if the program you downloaded is infected, do a quick Internet search and see if any other users reported issues after installing a particular program.
3. Use an antivirus program like ClamXav. If you are in the habit of downloading a lot of media and other files, it may be well worth your while to run those files through this AV application.
4. Use Mac OS X's built-in Firewalls and other security features.
5. Peer-to-peer sharing applications and download torrents (such as the now defunct LimeWire) supplying pirated software, movies etc are hotbeds of potential software issues waiting to happen to your Mac. Everything from changing permissions to downloading trojans and other malicious software can be acquired from using these applications. Similar risks apply to using Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube and similar sites which are prone to malicious hacking: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8420233.stm
6. Resist the temptation to download pirated software. They can contain Botnet Trojans. SecureMac offer a simple and free tool for the removal of the iBotNet Trojan available here:
http://macscan.securemac.com/files/iServicesTrojanRemovalTool.dmg
YOUR PRIVACY ON THE INTERNET and the latest risks to look out for:
There is the potential for having your entire email contact list stolen for use for spamming:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/technology/internet/20shortcuts.html?_r=1
And if you are using iPhone Apps you are also at risk of losing all privacy:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/03/hacker-claims-third-party-iphone-apps-can-tra nsmit-udid-pose-se/
The advent of HTML5 may also be a future threat to internet privacy:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/11/business/media/11privacy.html?_r=1&hp
Security of OS X generally:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/what-is/security.html
http://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/os/applemac/I731-007R-2007.pdf
Security Configuration for Version 10.5 Leopard:
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Leopard_Security_Config_2nd_Ed.pdf
NOTE: Apple's Snow Leopard and Lion operating systems silently update the malware protection built into Mac OS X to protect against a backdoor Trojan horse that can allow hackers to gain remote control over your treasured iMac or MacBook: Macs running Snow Leopard or Lion now check for new malware definitions daily, allowing Apple to quickly deploy protection from threats before they have a chance to spread.
Few malicious titles actually exist for Mac OS X, and those that do rely almost entirely upon duping users to install software that pretends to be legitimate.
http://www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2010/06/18/apple-secretly-updates
However, if you are running Lion Server:
Apple's new server operating system -- OS X Lion -- is so inherently insecure that Stamos recommends keeping it off the network altogether and using Macs only as standalone machines connected to IP or Windows networks, not those designed for Macs.
The Mac Server's networking protocols -- especially DHX User Authentication -- are designed for ease of use, not security. It is trivial, Stamos said, for hackers to set up a Mac user to download a file that will overflow the buffer protecting the heap segment of the server's memory, allowing the file's malicious payload to run uncontrolled in the server's memory and give itself whatever access rights it wants.
http://www.macworld.co.uk/mac/news/index.cfm?newsid=3301796&olo=email

Server 2008 - how to validate the backup will restore in an emergency

So you have server 2008 backup regularly backing up to a set of rotated USB drives...and the alternate(s) are safely stored (offsite or firesafe)
How do you confirm the backup will restore when you need it? Guaranteed (if the drive is readable the restore will produce a working server)
There are no ECC codes on the backup that I know of. I regularly restore random large zip files from the backups (to alternate folders) and check their ZIP check sums (thus the contents are good for that one file), but do I know the restore of the
system files and most importantly the exchange database will work?
I would prefer to have a piece of software validate the drive rather than getting alternate test hardware and trying to restore every 6 months. How many small companies can buy a test restore server just to validate the backup?
Some concerns...I've read other articles that mention that if de-fragmentation is run on the server drives that the next stored backup may well trash earlier backed up files, does that mean only the most recent backup is valid (and again how to validate
it)?

Since you are in the SBS forum, we'll assume that you're using SBS 2008 and the built in backup
Unfortunately short of restoring to other hardware...and occasionally restoring files...thats about all the checks you get
So you need something more robust.
My suggestion is StorageCraft SBS Edition
http://www.storagecraft.com/shadow_protect_SBS.php
Provides verification and re-verification...plus lots of other tools
Cris Hanna [SBS - MVP] (since 1997)
Co-Contributor, Windows Small Business Server 2008 Unleashed
http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Small-Business-Server-Unleashed/dp/0672329573/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217269967&sr=8-1
Owner, CPU Services, Belleville, IL
A Microsoft Registered Partner
MVPs do not work for Microsoft
Please do not submit questions directly to me.
<BenThere2> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
So you have server 2008 backup regularly backing up to a set of rotated USB drives...and the alternate(s) are safely stored (offsite or firesafe)
How do you confirm the backup will restore when you need it? Guaranteed (if the drive is readable the restore will produce a working server)
There are no ECC codes on the backup that I know of. I regularly restore random large zip files from the backups (to alternate folders) and check their ZIP check sums (thus the contents are good for that one file), but do I know the restore of the
system files and most importantly the exchange database will work?
I would prefer to have a piece of software validate the drive rather than getting alternate test hardware and trying to restore every 6 months. How many small companies can buy a test restore server just to validate the backup?
Some concerns...I've read other articles that mention that if de-fragmentation is run on the server drives that the next stored backup may well trash earlier backed up files, does that mean only the most recent backup is valid (and again how to validate
it)?
Cris Hanna, Microsoft SBS MVP, Owner-CPU Services, Belleville, IL

Any best practise to archive PO's which does not have corresponding invoice

Hello,
As part of initial implementation and conversion, We have a lot of PO's / LTA created but their corresponding invoices were never converted into SAP from legacy system. SAP archiving program tags those as not business complete as the invoice qty does not match with po qty (there are no invoices to start with). Just flagging 'delivery complete and final confirmation' of PO does not help. Anybody ran into similar situation and how did they resolve it? I am reluctant to enhance standard SAP archiving program to bypass those checks and that is my only last option. Any SAP recommended Note / best practise etc would help.
Satyajit Deb

Where is the invoice posted?
was the invoice posted in the legacy system?
Clearance of GR/IR account with MR11 will usually close such POs.

Edge and Next are good for the corporations but are they good for the consumer?

Ok so I have never paid full price upfront for a phone! Ever since my first phone from VoiceStream I have opted for what ever phone was "free" because way back then (I blush as I type) I actually thought the phone was "free!!!" Ah, to be naive again!! But as we all know the phones never were nor will they ever be free.
However I say programs like Verizon's Edge and AT&T's Next are good for the corporation if they weren't they would not exist. The first reason I say this is because Edge and Next allow the cellular service provider to easily recoup the entire cost of the phone in a clear way unlike with subsidized phones that muddy the profit water. For example, the Verizon 64GB iPhone 5s retails for $849.99, currently with a two year contract you pay $399.99 for that 64GB iPhone 5s. The EFT for that phone is $350 (minus $10 per month of post paid service). If you on the 15th the day after you got your phone you paid the EFT but kept service you only paid $749.99 for that $849.99. Sure you still pay for service but you can leave when ever and Verizon cannot say hey you owe us $100 more for you phone. Its yours and they can't take it back and the only way Verizon will get that $100 back is though another customer that subsidized a much lower cost phone that at the completion of that contract Verizon will more than recoup the cost of that lower priced unit. To top that off you could turn around and sell the phone for $800 go back to Verizon or another provider buy a $450 phone and break even. I'm not suggesting that people do that or that it may prove to be a big hassle for some that went through all the trouble. Its just a point to show that subsidized phones make the profits less clear for the service provider to see at first glance.
Second reason these programs are good for the corporation is they allow the service providers to get a better grasp on the true cost of maintaining their networks and providing us the consumer access to their networks. Third reason it good for the corporation is the people that feel the need to upgrade every six months to a year are required to pay at least 50% of the retail cost of the phone at the same time they must surrender that device in exchange for the new device. So the service provider then has the phone refurbished certified to be in "like new condition" and sell it again potentially making more than retail cost when the profits of both sales of the same handset are factored together.
That being said what will the impact of programs like Edge and Next have on cost of future cellular service plans and smartphones? Over time will the service provider give us the best per line access fee (not likely but maybe)? Or will people upgrading their smartphones at faster intervals cause the cost of the smartphones to drop over time? What are your thoughts?

Go to the link I provided and click on "Check upgrade eligibility"

Advice or best practise information about 1 or 2 clients in SAP R/3 DEV

I'm searching for advice or best practise information about clients in a SAP R/3 development system.
Reason for this is that we are up to refresh our SAP R/3 development system and up to now we have two clients on it:
- One customizing/development client without master data, transaction data et cetera
- One local test client with master data, transaction data and so on
One of our developers suggested to only have one client on development, where we could customize, program and test. So that client would be with master data, transaction data et cetera.
What would be your advice or what would be best practise for the development system: 1 client (with data) or 2 clients (one clean customizing and one with data). And what are the most important reasons to do it so.
Maybe there is already some good (SAP) information about this specific subject, but up to now I havenu2019t found it yet.

Maybe I've asked my question too broad. I'll try to narrow it down.
Up to now we always had two clients on our SAP R/3 development system:
- Client 200 - Customizing/development only. No other data in this client
- Client 400 - Local test client with master data and transaction data. New customizing is copied from client 200 to test
The reason for having those two clients are:
- It feels someway good to have a customizing-only client
- We've always done this before
A developer suggested to only have one client in our SAP R/3 development system for the following reason:
- You'll never need to copy the customizing (tr.SCC1) first to be able to test it
- You can work in one client and don't need to login in the other client to test it (for example: ABAP reports)
- For customizing of easy setting (for example producthiërarchie, as we don't test it everytime in client 400) it is possible to forget copying it into client 400 (test client). With one client, you can not forget it
The reasons of this developer seems very valid and up to now we haven't found a convincing/compelling reason to make a good choice for one or two clients.
Please, try to convince us with good reasons to choose for one or two clients.

Experiences on SAP Best Practise packages?

We are considering applying a specific SAP Best Practise package on top of ECC6. It will be a new ECC6 installation.
I have read the BP faq pages http://help.sap.com/bp_bw370/html/faq.htm and read note 1225909 - How to apply SAP Best Practices - and the specific note and the specific installation guide for required Best Practise package.
I understand that applying a BP package is something not that easy but should speed up the implementation process.
If you have been participating in a project that implemented SAP Best Practises on ERP, would you please share your experiences with me.
Here are some topics for discussion:
(BP=SAP Best Practise package)
BP implementation could make constraints to your future EHP or SP upgrades, while BP is tightly linked to certain EHP and SP-level?
SAP support?
Installation process including config steps according BP installation guide is longer than usual, while there can be multiple activation and configuration steps done by others than basis consultants?
BPs are country dependent. What if your application is used multinationally?
What if you later find BP unneccessary?
generate difficulties in the beginning but did considerably speed up reaching the final goal compared to ECC6 without BP.
traps to fall in?
typical issues that basis staff has to notify when preparing/installing a ERP system to be with BP?
positive/negative things
I am not saying above statements are true or false. Just wanted to charge you giving comments.
Br: KimZi
Edited by: Kimmzini Siewoinenski on Aug 11, 2009 8:35 PM

Hi,
Make sure your web service URL correct in Live Office connection and also in Xcelsius data manager.
Did you check all connection in refresh button proprties? you may try selecting "Refresh after component are Loaded" in Refresh button properties Behavior tab.
I think Xcelsius refresh are serial refresh so it may be possible that first component refresh is still in progress but you are expecting other component to refresh.
Click on "Enable Load Cursor" in data manager's Usage tab, it will give you visibility of refresh. If anything refreshing you will see hour glass.
Cheers

Best practise: validate/check backups are good

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