How does one clone/duplicate a database with RMAN?

The first step to clone or duplicate a database with RMAN is to create a new INIT.ORA and password file (use the orapwd utility) on the machine you need to clone the database to.

Review all parameters and make the required changed. For example, set the DB_NAME parameter to the new database's name.

Secondly, you need to change your environment variables, and do a STARTUP NOMOUNT from sqlplus. This database is referred to as the AUXILIARY in the script below.

Lastly, write a RMAN script like this to do the cloning, and call it with "rman cmdfile dupdb.rcv":

connect target sys/secure@origdb
connect catalog rman/rman@catdb
connect auxiliary /
run {
set newname for datafile 1 to '/ORADATA/u01/system01.dbf';
set newname for datafile 2 to '/ORADATA/u02/undotbs01.dbf';
set newname for datafile 3 to '/ORADATA/u03/users01.dbf';
set newname for datafile 4 to '/ORADATA/u03/indx01.dbf';
set newname for datafile 5 to '/ORADATA/u02/example01.dbf';
allocate auxiliary channel dupdb1 type disk;
set until sequence 2 thread 1;
duplicate target database to dupdb
logfile
GROUP 1 ('/ORADATA/u02/redo01.log') SIZE 200k REUSE,
GROUP 2 ('/ORADATA/u03/redo02.log') SIZE 200k REUSE;
}

The above script will connect to the "target" (database that will be cloned), the recovery catalog (to get backup info), and the auxiliary database (new duplicate DB). Previous backups will be restored and the database recovered to the "set until time" specified in the script.

Notes: the "set newname" commands are only required if your datafile names will different from the target database. The newly cloned DB will have its own unique DBID.