All, We have an Oracle 10g prod database that is being backed up every night just past midnight using user managed backup method. I am trying to restore the files to a test server and create a new instance in the test server. The full backup started at 1240am at log sequence 11592 ended at 1:23am at sequence 11593. (See attachment of alert.log BELOW) I recreated the the control file with new names for database, datafiles, redo logs and arch logs, etc on the test server and mounted the database. While trying to open this is what happened: 16:49:56 SQL> select instance_name, status 16:50:02 2 from v$instance; more.. INSTANCE_NAME STATUS ---------------- ------------ HRDEV MOUNTED 16:50:06 SQL> recover database using backup controlfile; ORA-00279: change 11805525061 generated at 01/30/2008 00:40:01 needed for thread 1 ORA-00289: suggestion : /thrundo/oradata/HRDEV/arch/1_11592_620315068.dbf ORA-00280: change 11805525061 for thread 1 is in sequence #*11592* 16:50:26 Specify log: {<RET>=suggested | filename | AUTO | CANCEL} ORA-00279: change 11805558903 generated at 01/30/2008 01:23:32 needed for thread 1 ORA-00289: suggestion : /thrundo/oradata/HRDEV/arch/1_11593_620315068.dbf ORA-00280: change 11805558903 for thread 1 is in sequence #11593 ORA-00278: log file '/thrundo/oradata/HRDEV/arch/1_*11592_620315068.dbf' no longer* needed for this recovery 16:50:41 Specify log: {<RET>=suggested | filename | AUTO | CANCEL} cancel Media recovery cancelled. 16:50:52 SQL> *alter database open resetlogs; *alter database open resetlogs * ERROR at line 1: ORA-01113: file 1 needs media recovery ORA-01110: data file 1: '/thrsys/oradata/HRDEV/system01.dbf' 16:54:26 SQL> *recover database using backup controlfile*; ORA-00279: change 11805558903 generated at 01/30/2008 01:23:32 needed for thread 1 ORA-00289: suggestion : /thrundo/oradata/HRDEV/arch/1_11593_620315068.dbf ORA-00280: change 11805558903 for thread 1 is in sequence #11593 16:54:31 Specify log: {<RET>=suggested | filename | AUTO | CANCEL} ORA-00279: change 11805815756 generated at 01/30/2008 05:00:15 needed for thread 1 ORA-00289: suggestion : /thrundo/oradata/HRDEV/arch/1_11594_620315068.dbf ORA-00280: change 11805815756 for thread 1 is in sequence #11594 ORA-00278: log file '/thrundo/oradata/HRDEV/arch/*1_11593_620315068.dbf' no longer* needed for this recovery 16:54:35 Specify log: {<RET>=suggested | filename | AUTO | CANCEL} ORA-00279: change 11805870839 generated at 01/30/2008 05:32:08 needed for thread 1 ORA-00289: suggestion : /thrundo/oradata/HRDEV/arch/1_11595_620315068.dbf ORA-00280: change 11805870839 for thread 1 is in sequence #11595 ORA-00278: log file '/thrundo/oradata/HRDEV/arch/*1_11594_620315068.dbf' no longer* needed for this recovery 16:54:40 Specify log: {<RET>=suggested | filename | AUTO | CANCEL} CANCEL Media recovery cancelled. 16:54:49 SQL> 16:54:51 SQL> 16:54:51 SQL> alter database open resetlogs; alter database open resetlogs * ERROR at line 1: ORA-01113: *file 1 needs media recovery *ORA-01110: data file 1: '/thrsys/oradata/HRDEV/system01.dbf' 11593 and 11504 are from after 5am in the morning: total 4076436 -rw-rw---- 1 oracle10 dba 47044608 Jan 30 05:00 1_11593_620315068.dbf -rw-rw---- 1 oracle10 dba 47047680 Jan 30 05:32 1_11594_620315068.dbf Then I did this: 16:55:01 SQL> recover database using backup controlfile *until cancel*; *<<-- Remember doing that long ago somewhere *ORA-00279: change 11805870839 generated at 01/30/2008 05:32:08 needed for thread 1 ORA-00289: suggestion : /thrundo/oradata/HRDEV/arch/1_11595_620315068.dbf ORA-00280: change 11805870839 for thread 1 is in sequence #11595 17:12:00 Specify log: {<RET>=suggested | filename | AUTO | CANCEL} CANCEL Media recovery cancelled. 17:12:04 SQL> 17:12:05 SQL> 17:12:05 SQL> alter database open resetlogs; Database altered. 17:13:37 SQL> 17:13:38 SQL> 17:13:39 SQL> 17:13:39 SQL> select instance_name, status 17:13:44 2 from v$instance; more.. INSTANCE_NAME STATUS ---------------- ------------ HRDEV OPEN Why would oracle ask for a file that is from 5am when the backup finished at 1 30am. Is it the "UNTIL CANCEL" that made the difference? Thanks Ram. *From Alert log*: .... Tue Jan 29 22:02:41 2008 Thread 1 advanced to log sequence 11591 Current log# 1 seq# 11591 mem# 0: /phrredo/oradata/HRPRD/redo01.log Wed Jan 30 00:00:14 2008 Thread 1 advanced to log sequence 11592 Current log# 2 seq# 11592 mem# 0: /phrredo/oradata/HRPRD/redo02.log Wed Jan 30 00:40:01 2008 alter tablespace SYSTEM begin backup Wed Jan 30 00:40:01 2008 Completed: alter tablespace SYSTEM begin backup Wed Jan 30 00:40:01 2008 .. .. .. alter tablespace EOLARGE end backup Completed: alter tablespace EOLARGE end backup Wed Jan 30 01:23:31 2008 alter tablespace TEMP2 end backup ORA-3217 signalled during: alter tablespace TEMP2 end backup... Wed Jan 30 01:23:31 2008 alter tablespace TEMP3 end backup ORA-3217 signalled during: alter tablespace TEMP3 end backup... Wed Jan 30 01:23:32 2008 Thread 1 advanced to log sequence 11593 Current log# 3 seq# 11593 mem# 0: /phrredo/oradata/HRPRD/redo03.log Wed Jan 30 01:32:44 2008 alter database backup controlfile to trace Wed Jan 30 01:32:44 2008 Completed: alter database backup controlfile to trace Wed Jan 30 05:00:15 2008 Thread 1 advanced to log sequence 11594 Current log# 1 seq# 11594 mem# 0: /phrredo/oradata/HRPRD/redo01.log Wed Jan 30 05:32:08 2008 ...