Backing up an Oracle Data Guard environment

A switchback operation is nothing more than a subsequent switchover operation to return the roles to
their original state.
Failover
Failover is the operation of taking the primary database offline on one site and bringing one of the
standby databases online as the new primary database. A failover operation can be invoked when
an unplanned catastrophic failure occurs on the primary database.
DG failover is a series of steps to convert a standby database into a production database. The
standby database assumes the role of production. After the failover, the secondary site contains the
production database. The former production database needs to be recreated as a new standby
database.
In a Data Guard environment, backups of data files and archive logs taken on the primary or standby
system are usable on either system for recovery. The process of backing up data files and archive logs
can be offloaded to the standby system to minimize the impact of backup operations on the
production system. These backups can be used to recover the primary or standby database.
Both the primary database and standby database should use the same recovery catalog. Even though
these databases share the same DBID, RMAN is able to differentiate the standby database from the
primary. Note that you do not need to register the standby database in the catalog, just the primary
database.
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