Per Jeremiah Wilton's helpful web page:
http://www.speakeasy.org/~jwilton/oracle/hot-backup.html I think I may have stumbled into another reason for this misconception. Some platforms "hide" the fact that changes are being made. I have been using tar to warm backup active db files for awhile under Digital/Compaq/HP Unix directly to tape media. The ADVFS must have been helping me out, perhaps not checking the the ctime on files; no restore problems, no error messages. As soon as I tried this on Solaris I got: /opt/gnu/bin/gtar: db09/oradata/nemisys/ne_data01.dbf: file changed as we read it /opt/gnu/bin/gtar: Error exit delayed from previous errors /opt/gnu/bin/gtar: CHILDSTATUS 3941 2 child process exited abnormally Doc ID: 33167.1 says to make a copy of the file and back the copy up. I have yet to test it, but the gtar flag --ignore-failed-read may get around this. I never had to with DEC providing this false "buffered" feeling. =============================================================== Ray Stell [EMAIL PROTECTED] (540) 231-4109 KE4TJC 28^D -- Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com -- Author: Ray Stell INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: (858) 538-5051 San Diego, California -- Public Internet access / Mailing Lists -------------------------------------------------------------------- To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).