backup of large databases

[Ed Lewis]

Hello,     I'm curious how people handle the backups for     large/very large databases; 200gb or greater.           My questions are not targeted towards any     specific hardware platform, but we are using     Oracle 8.1.7. I'm assuming that archiving is enabled.       Are backups done nightly, or because of     time constraints are they done weekly ?     If weekly, do you feel comfortable having to possibly     apply a week of archives, in the case of a recovery ?        Do you use disk or tape ?        Do you use RMAN or other backup tools ?       What are the customer's expections for recovery and     how do they effect your backup strategy ?        I appreciate your input.                   ed