RMAN cannot be used to create backups which rely on SnapShot/SnapClone/BCV/ShadowImage technologies. DBAs must still put the databases in Backup mode and create the "copied" image of the database. Hemant At 02:57 AM Saturday, Bobak, Mark wrote: Carel-Jan, It's interesting that Oracle provided this enhancement. The message I thought I was hearing (with the introduction of RMAN, and then with the requirement to use RMAN if you go w/ ASM), was that conventional backups were *eventually* going away. Perhaps the rumors of the conventional backup's demise have been a bit exaggerated..... -Mark Hemant K Chitale http://web.singnet.com.sg/~hkchital -- //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l