Database Reference
In-Depth Information
If you would like to update databases one by one, you should ensure that each database is running under its
own Oracle Home before you start applying an Oracle Database Appliance patch bundle. The Oracle Database
Appliance doesn't allow you to create previous versions Oracle Homes after you installed the new System and Grid
infrastructures. Therefore, it is important to separate databases to be executed under different Oracle Homes if you
would like to patch them separately before you start applying an ODA patch bundle. For instructions on how to move
an Oracle Database to be executed under a dedicated Oracle Home, please see the “Delayed RDBMS Update” section
from earlier in this chapter. After the Infrastructure components are updated to a new version (in this case, 2.7), we
update the Oracle Homes and their associated databases.
The other option to consider is to move databases one by one in between a previous Oracle Home version
and a target Oracle Home representing the new version. Such moves must be done manually, executing patching
steps necessary to update each database after you move it. In this case, you just follow generic Oracle database
patch guidelines to update an Oracle database from the source Oracle Home version to the destination version.
The advantage of this method is that you need just two homes: one for the source and another for the destination.
If you script and test all upgrade steps carefully, the timing of the database patching steps may be comparable or
even shorter than the OAK-automated update. However, you may find yourself investing significantly more effort by
implementing that approach.
Summary
The Oracle Database Appliance patching is a straightforward process. It significantly reduces the amount of time and
resources necessary to keep the Oracle clustered system up to the current patch version. In a simple case, it is possible
to update all the system's components by executing three simple commands within a two-hour maintenance window.
The fact that Oracle releases the Oracle Database Appliance patch bundles on a quarterly basis significantly simplifies
maintenance efforts and the associated resource planning. With the Oracle Database Appliance, an organization
doesn't need to involve several groups—such as storage, system administration, networking, and database
administration—to keep the clustered system up to date. The ODA thus delivers a significant economic advantage
over traditional systems.
