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Fast Recovery Area (FRA)

The Fast Recovery Area (FRA) is a centralized storage location in Oracle used to store all essential recovery-related files. It simplifies backup and recovery operations by managing the following components in one place:

  • Control files
  • Online redo logs
  • Archived redo logs
  • Flashback logs
  • RMAN backups

FRA Configuration

-- Set FRA location and size
ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST = '/u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area' SCOPE=BOTH;
ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE = 20G SCOPE=BOTH;

-- Verify FRA parameters
SHOW PARAMETER DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST;
SHOW PARAMETER DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE;

Check FRA Usage

-- Check current usage statistics of FRA
SET PAGESIZE 20
SET LINESIZE 100
COLUMN NAME FORMAT A30
COLUMN SPACE_LIMIT_GB FORMAT 999.99
COLUMN SPACE_USED_GB FORMAT 999.99
COLUMN SPACE_RECLAIMABLE_GB FORMAT 999.99
COLUMN NUMBER_OF_FILES FORMAT 99999

SELECT NAME, 
       ROUND(SPACE_LIMIT/1024/1024/1024, 2) AS SPACE_LIMIT_GB, 
       ROUND(SPACE_USED/1024/1024/1024, 2) AS SPACE_USED_GB, 
       ROUND(SPACE_RECLAIMABLE/1024/1024/1024, 2) AS SPACE_RECLAIMABLE_GB, 
       NUMBER_OF_FILES
FROM V$RECOVERY_FILE_DEST;

Scenario 1: FRA is Full

Solution:

-- Check current FRA usage
SET PAGESIZE 20
SET LINESIZE 80
COLUMN SPACE_USED_GB FORMAT 999.99
COLUMN SPACE_LIMIT_GB FORMAT 999.99
SELECT ROUND(SPACE_USED/1024/1024/1024, 2) AS SPACE_USED_GB, 
       ROUND(SPACE_LIMIT/1024/1024/1024, 2) AS SPACE_LIMIT_GB 
FROM V$RECOVERY_FILE_DEST;

-- Identify reclaimable space
SELECT NAME, ROUND(SPACE_RECLAIMABLE/1024/1024/1024, 2) AS SPACE_RECLAIMABLE_GB 
FROM V$RECOVERY_FILE_DEST;

-- Crosscheck archive logs and backups to validate RMAN catalog
RMAN> CROSSCHECK ARCHIVELOG ALL;
RMAN> CROSSCHECK BACKUP;

-- Delete expired logs and backups from RMAN catalog
RMAN> DELETE EXPIRED ARCHIVELOG ALL;
RMAN> DELETE EXPIRED BACKUP;

-- Delete obsolete backups forcefully without prompt
RMAN> DELETE FORCE NONPROMPT OBSOLETE;

-- Delete obsolete backups based on retention policy
RMAN> DELETE OBSOLETE;

-- Manually remove old archive logs (if required)
HOST rm -rf /u01/app/oracle/fast_recovery_area/archivelog/*;

-- Increase FRA size if space still insufficient
ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE = 50G SCOPE=BOTH;

Scenario 2: Unable to Create New Archived Logs

Solution:

-- Crosscheck and clean up expired archived logs
RMAN> CROSSCHECK ARCHIVELOG ALL;
RMAN> DELETE EXPIRED ARCHIVELOG ALL;

-- Redirect archive logs to a new location
ALTER SYSTEM SET LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1 = 'LOCATION=/u02/app/oracle/archive_logs' SCOPE=BOTH;

Scenario 3: Flashback Logs Consuming Excessive Space

Solution: Clear flashback logs and manage retention

-- Disable flashback feature
ALTER DATABASE FLASHBACK OFF;

-- Delete all flashback logs without confirmation
RMAN> DELETE NOPROMPT FLASHBACK LOG ALL;

-- Set a lower flashback retention period (in minutes)
ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_FLASHBACK_RETENTION_TARGET = 60 SCOPE=BOTH;

Scenario 4: FRA Contention Slows Performance

Solution:

-- Improve performance by moving FRA and optimizing schedules

-- Relocate FRA to separate ASM diskgroup or faster storage
ALTER SYSTEM SET DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST = '+DATA_FRA' SCOPE=BOTH;

-- Run RMAN backups during non-peak hours (no specific command)
-- Ensure backup schedules avoid high-load periods

Best Practices for FRA Management

-- Configure RMAN to maintain 2 copies of backups
CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO REDUNDANCY 2;

-- Back up and delete archive logs regularly
-- Ensure space is reclaimed periodically

Useful FRA Queries

-- FRA space usage by file type
SET PAGESIZE 20
SET LINESIZE 80
COLUMN FILE_TYPE FORMAT A20
COLUMN PERCENT_SPACE_USED FORMAT 999.99
COLUMN PERCENT_SPACE_RECLAIMABLE FORMAT 999.99

SELECT FILE_TYPE, 
       ROUND(PERCENT_SPACE_USED, 2) AS PERCENT_SPACE_USED, 
       ROUND(PERCENT_SPACE_RECLAIMABLE, 2) AS PERCENT_SPACE_RECLAIMABLE 
FROM V$FLASH_RECOVERY_AREA_USAGE;

-- List old RMAN backup pieces
SET PAGESIZE 20
SET LINESIZE 80
COLUMN HANDLE FORMAT A50
COLUMN COMPLETION_TIME FORMAT A20

SELECT HANDLE, COMPLETION_TIME
FROM V$BACKUP_PIECE
WHERE COMPLETION_TIME < SYSDATE - 30;

-- Check current RMAN configuration settings
SHOW ALL;

Conclusion

The Fast Recovery Area (FRA) is vital for managing backups, archived logs, and recovery operations. Centralizing these files helps in maintaining database reliability and simplifies daily maintenance. Regular cleanup, size management, and monitoring ensure smooth database performance.

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