While cloning a database to another system through RMAN in an 11.2 database on a Linux system, there was a need to catalog the backups after putting the destination instance in mount status, before the restore/recover process could be started.





During the phase of cataloging, got the following error:

RMAN-07518: Reason: Foreign database file DBID

Upon checking, it was learned that there was a mismatch of database incarnation at the source and the destination databases.

RMAN> LIST INCARNATION;

In order to resolve this error, you need to make sure that the incarnation number of both source and destination databases is same. So check what's the Current Incarnation Number at the source database, and then reset the incarnation of destination to the same.

For example if the incarnation number at the source is 3, you can reset the incarnation of destination in RMAN by:

RMAN> reset database to incarnation 3;

Now the cataloging the backup files worked fine.

Cheers.