The difference between delete exipired and delete obsolete in RMAN

Delete expired

If you run CROSSCHECK, and if RMAN cannot locate the files, then it updates their records in the RMAN repository to EXPIRED status. You can then use the DELETE EXPIRED command to remove records of expired backups and copies from the RMAN repository.

Delete obsolete

The RMAN DELETE command supports an OBSOLETE option, which deletes backups that are no longer needed to satisfy specified recoverability requirements. You can delete files obsolete according to the configured default retention policy, or another retention policy that you specify as an option to the DELETE OBSOLETE command. As with other forms of the DELETE command, the files deleted are removed from backup media, deleted from the recovery catalog, and marked as DELETED in the control file.

Delete expired deletes the information that RMAN thought existed but has actually been deleted on disk or tape, deleting only the records in the RMAN database; delete obsolete deletes backup data that is older than the backup retention policy definition and updates the RMAN database and control files.

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EG:

# delete obsolete and expired backup and archivelog

Run {

Delete noprompt obsolete

Crosscheck archivelog all

Delete noprompt expired archivelog all

Crosscheck backup

Delete noprompt expired backup

}