Oracle archive log directory fills up.

ORA-00257: archiver error. Connect internal only, until freed.
There are a number of reason you might fill up your archive log directory. If this happens your database will hang until space is freed up. You quickly log into the server and delete a number of archive logs and wa-la, problem resolved. Ah ah... not so fast. If you use RMAN to backup your database you will receive errors when your backup runs because the catalog will be out of sync with your current archive logs on disk.

These are the steps I take:

1. Delete the archive logs from one or more directories.
2. Run the crosscheck RMAN command.
3. Backup your database.
   

This the RMAN command to run after manually deleting your archive logs.

RMAN>
RMAN> rman target / catalog rman/rman@rman
RMAN>change archivelog all crosscheck;
.
.
.
Crosschecked 598 objects
RMAN>exit

Run hot backup immediately after this.

Oracle RMAN Backup to disk.

Oracle 10R2 on Solaris.

I am using this method to back up a development database and delete the archivelogs on disk. Normally all backups are to tape, but on an occasion I need to backup up a development database, and backup to disk is the most effective solution for a quick backup.

# rman target / catalog login/password@rman;
.
.
connected to recovery catalog database

I always crosscheck the archive logs to be sure they are in sync with the catalog.

RMAN> change archivelog all crosscheck;
starting full resync of recovery catalog
full resync complete
.
.
RMAN>

To speed things up I like to use 4 channels for the backup. I set the configuration for the Disk Channels at the command line to not override the current RMAN settings.

RMAN> run {
2> ALLOCATE CHANNEL disk1 DEVICE TYPE DISK
3> FORMAT '/oracle_backups/DEV/rman/backups/DEV_%T_%U';
4> ALLOCATE CHANNEL disk2 DEVICE TYPE DISK
5> FORMAT '/oracle_backups/DEV/rman/backups/DEV_%T_%U';
6> ALLOCATE CHANNEL disk3 DEVICE TYPE DISK
7> FORMAT '/oracle_backups/DEV/rman/backups/DEV_%T_%U';
8> ALLOCATE CHANNEL disk4 DEVICE TYPE DISK
9> FORMAT '/oracle_backups/DEV/rman/backups/DEV_%T_%U';
10> BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG DELETE INPUT;
11> }

After the backup has competed I want to clean up prior backups still on disk and in the catalog.
Maintainance commands for crosschecks and deleting expired backups

RMAN> ALLOCATE CHANNEL FOR MAINTENANCE DEVICE TYPE DISK;
RMAN> CROSSCHECK BACKUP;
RMAN> DELETE NOPROMPT EXPIRED BACKUP;
RMAN> DELETE NOPROMPT OBSOLETE DEVICE TYPE DISK;
RMAN> CROSSCHECK ARCHIVELOG ALL;
RMAN> DELETE NOPROMPT EXPIRED ARCHIVELOG ALL;

The last 2 commands should return no output if you have deleted the archivelogs during the backup.