RMAN question(s)

Hi all -

I inherited an RMAN environment and discovered something doing test
restores to a different server that I would like to bounce off those
smarter than I.  The current backups do a "backup database", "crosscheck
archivelog all", and then a "backup archivelog until time 'SYSDATE'
delete input".  This runs every night with no other backups.

What I found during testing is that the archivelog needed to make the
database consistent is not backed up until the following night's backup.
I added TAGs to the script to help me figure this out.  

Here is the *last* piece of the database backup.  Even though the
database backup starts at 2:32am, it doesn't get to the last piece until
2:47.  9.2.0.6, standard edition, only one channel allowed.  :-(

BS Key  Type LV Size       Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time     
------- ---- -- ---------- ----------- ------------ --------------------
52403   Incr 0  5G         DISK        00:11:35     26-AUG-2007 02:59:22
        BP Key: 52406   Status: AVAILABLE   Tag:
SUN_DB_L0_AUG_26_2007_0232AM
        Piece Name: /a2r1_05/backup/tiros/data/tiros_cciqan2j_1_1
  List of Datafiles in backup set 52403
  File LV Type Ckp SCN    Ckp Time             Name
  ---- -- ---- ---------- -------------------- ----
  4    0  Incr 286426915  26-AUG-2007 02:47:47
/a1r1_01/oradata/tiros/CC_ADMIN.dbf
  6    0  Incr 286426915  26-AUG-2007 02:47:47
/a1r1_01/oradata/tiros/CC_OP.dbf
  8    0  Incr 286426915  26-AUG-2007 02:47:47
/a1r1_01/oradata/tiros/CC_TYPELIST.dbf
  18   0  Incr 286426915  26-AUG-2007 02:47:47
/a2r1_04/oradata/tiros/NOLOG.dbf
  23   0  Incr 286426915  26-AUG-2007 02:47:47
/a2r1_02/oradata/tiros/rbs02_01.dbf
  25   0  Incr 286426915  26-AUG-2007 02:47:47
/a1r1_01/oradata/tiros/PRC.dbf
  26   0  Incr 286426915  26-AUG-2007 02:47:47
/a1r1_01/oradata/tiros/SHAREDDATA.dbf
  27   0  Incr 286426915  26-AUG-2007 02:47:47
/a1r1_03/oradata/tiros/users_02.dbf
  29   0  Incr 286426915  26-AUG-2007 02:47:47
/a1r1_01/oradata/tiros/CITIZENS.dbf
  30   0  Incr 286426915  26-AUG-2007 02:47:47
/a1r1_01/oradata/tiros/PSC01.dbf

And here is the *first* piece of the *next* night's archivelog backup:

BS Key  Size       Device Type Elapsed Time Completion Time     
------- ---------- ----------- ------------ --------------------
53164   387M       DISK        00:00:38     27-AUG-2007 03:00:45
        BP Key: 53171   Status: AVAILABLE   Tag:
MON_ARCH_AUG_27_2007_0232AM
        Piece Name: /a2r1_05/backup/tiros/arch/tiros_cniqdc5n_1_1

  List of Archived Logs in backup set 53164
  Thrd Seq     Low SCN    Low Time             Next SCN   Next Time
  ---- ------- ---------- -------------------- ---------- ---------
  1    83018   286424750  26-AUG-2007 02:38:10 286428432  26-AUG-2007
03:08:04
  1    83019   286428432  26-AUG-2007 03:08:04 286433420  26-AUG-2007
03:37:54
  1    83020   286433420  26-AUG-2007 03:37:54 286436504  26-AUG-2007
04:07:51
  1    83021   286436504  26-AUG-2007 04:07:51 286441043  26-AUG-2007
04:37:54
  1    83022   286441043  26-AUG-2007 04:37:54 286444458  26-AUG-2007
05:00:06
  1    83023   286444458  26-AUG-2007 05:00:06 286445803  26-AUG-2007
05:30:04
  1    83024   286445803  26-AUG-2007 05:30:04 286449765  26-AUG-2007
05:38:07
  1    83025   286449765  26-AUG-2007 05:38:07 286453481  26-AUG-2007
06:08:04
  1    83026   286453481  26-AUG-2007 06:08:04 286458548  26-AUG-2007
06:37:57

As noted above, the checkpoint time of the database backup is
"26-AUG-2007 02:47:47" and the low time of the archivelog backup is
"26-AUG-2007 02:38:10" so when I restore the database to the checkpoint
time RMAN wants/needs the archivelog from the *next* nights backup.  I
feel this opens me up to unnecessary exposure and am thinking of
changing the database backup to include "plus archivelog" so I can
guarantee I can recover to a consistent state with a single night's
backup.  Indeed, that is what I have always done in the past.  I will
probably add some archivelog backups during the day, as well.

My question is what do people around here do?  Backup database and
backup archivelog?  Backup database...plus archivelog?  I realize this
is somewhat "nuancy" but, personally, I like the idea of at least being
able to get the database back (and opened) with a single night's backup
that is copied to tape.  Opinions/thoughts/experiences?

Thanks,
-joe
 
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