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Check what Oracle must retain before cleanup
First establish which database and destinations the job will affect. Identify the installed Oracle Database release, whether the database is a CDB or non-CDB, all archive destinations, and whether it participates in Data Guard. Connect RMAN to the target database and to the recovery catalog if your site uses one.
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Review the configured backup retention policy and CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY. Also check the recovery plan and the actual state of restore points, Flashback Database, backup jobs, and standby shipping and application. Do not assume the defaults are still in effect: confirm configuration and recent job output on the system you intend to clean up.
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Oracle’s deletion policy determines when archived logs are eligible for deletion across archive destinations, including the fast recovery area (FRA). That eligibility is not a substitute for checking whether a log is still needed for recovery or a standby.
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Understand the deletion policy conditions
| Condition or setting | What it means for cleanup |
|---|---|
BACKED UP n TIMES TO DEVICE TYPE |
Logs become eligible only after the specified number of backups exists on the specified device type. For example, CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY TO BACKED UP 2 TIMES TO SBT; sets a two-backup condition for SBT. This is a syntax example, not a universal recommendation about how many copies to keep. |
APPLIED ON STANDBY |
Adds a condition that logs be applied on standby databases. The ALL variant extends the condition to all applicable remote destinations; check which destinations your topology requires. |
SHIPPED TO STANDBY |
Adds a condition that logs be transferred to standby destinations. The ALL variant extends the condition to all applicable remote destinations; verify that the required destinations are covered. |
Default NONE policy |
For FRA logs, a backup to disk or SBT, or being obsolete under the backup retention policy, can make a log reclaimable. Logs needed by a guaranteed restore point or Flashback Database are protected from being treated as obsolete. Outside the FRA, a manual RMAN delete under NONE follows the delete command’s own conditions. |
FORCE |
Overrides the archived-log deletion policy for the relevant deletion command. It bypasses a safeguard; do not use it for routine space cleanup. |
In Data Guard environments, do not assume that satisfying a local backup condition is enough. Determine whether policy must wait for transfer to remote destinations, application on standby databases, or both. Confirm whether the configured condition covers mandatory destinations or all applicable destinations before deleting logs.
Back up archived logs before deleting them
Use a device type and RMAN channel configuration that match your site’s backup architecture. Oracle documents BACKUP ARCHIVELOG ALL NOT BACKED UP 2 TIMES; as an example for targeting logs that need additional backups. The effect depends on the device and channel context, so confirm that the job is backing up to the intended destination and that the configured deletion policy will not cause required logs to be skipped.
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When using a backup-count policy, RMAN can skip logs that already meet the configured count during BACKUP ARCHIVELOG. Review the job output and backup records to verify what was actually backed up; a command completing is not by itself proof that every log you intended to protect received the required backup.
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| Clause | What RMAN deletes after backup | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
DELETE INPUT |
The particular archived-log copy RMAN used as the source for that backup set. Other copies at different archive destinations remain. | You want to remove the copy used for backup while retaining other destination copies. |
DELETE ALL INPUT |
Backed-up copies of each selected log from all log archiving destinations. | You have verified that removal of every such copy is intended and safe. |
The distinction is the deletion scope, not the backup destination. Oracle’s documented form below uses DELETE ALL INPUT, so it removes backed-up copies from all archive locations after the backup. Do not adopt that clause when the operational goal is to retain other destination copies.
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BACKUP DEVICE TYPE sbt
ARCHIVELOG ALL
DELETE ALL INPUT;Use the narrower DELETE INPUT clause instead when only the source copy should be removed. Adapt either form to the installed release, configured channels and deletion policy, and inspect the planned scope before running it against production logs.
Manage FRA space without bypassing recovery safeguards
The database automatically deletes only archived logs in the FRA. It tries to retain eligible files as long as possible and removes eligible logs when it needs additional space. RMAN deletion commands can also address archive locations inside or outside the FRA.
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Do not treat FRA eligibility as permission to delete files directly from the filesystem. Oracle recommends managing cleanup through the backup retention policy and archived-log deletion policy. If logs that you believe are safe to remove are not eligible, investigate the policy, backup plan, destination availability and FRA capacity rather than routinely using FORCE or operating-system deletion.
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Run the cleanup as a controlled operation
- Confirm the target and topology. Identify the database release, container setup, archive destinations, backup devices and any Data Guard relationships.
- Review policy and dependencies. Check the retention policy, archived-log deletion policy, restore points, Flashback Database needs, standby transfer and application requirements, and the recovery plan.
- Back up what needs protection. Run the archived-log backup using the intended device and channel configuration. Verify the logs and backup destination in the job output and repository records.
- Select the deletion scope. Choose
DELETE INPUTto remove the backup-source copy, or useDELETE ALL INPUTonly when backed-up copies at all archive destinations are meant to be removed. - Verify after the job. Check RMAN job results, backup and recovery status, and FRA capacity. If required logs remain ineligible, correct the underlying policy, backup, destination or capacity issue instead of bypassing safeguards.
Oracle describes configuring a fast recovery area, backup retention policy and archived redo log deletion policy together as its recommended maintenance strategy. Use the Backup and Recovery Reference for the installed release to confirm exact command behavior, particularly for Data Guard and third-party backup configurations.
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