Cloning

Database 19c Out-of-Place Patching.

You can use install_base.sh script to execute out-of-place patching for the existing 19c database software. The required steps are:

Create a gold image of the existing ORACLE_HOME.
Create a new ORACLE_HOME using the gold image from the previous step.
Patch the new created ORACLE_HOME.
Use the new ORACLE_HOME on this server or create a new gold image and use it on another servers.

Creating a new gold image.

Set ORACLE environment and run the following steps to create a new gold image in the directory /u01/oracle/images.

cd $ORACLE_HOME
./runInstaller -silent -createGoldImage -destinationLocation /u01/oracle/images

The created gold image has the automatically generated file name. Usually would like to rename it. In the example below we would rename it to dbhome01.zip:

cd /u01/oracle/images
mv GoldImageName.zip dbhome01.zip

Create a new ORACLE_HOME using the gold image.

At first you have to prepare a new environment file with required environment variables for the Oracle installation. For instance, you can use such example file /home/oracle/inst_dbhome02 to install Oracle database software into the new directory /u01/oracle/dbhome_02 :

cat /home/oracle/inst_dbhome02
#!/bin/bash

export ORACLE_BASE=/u01/oracle
export ORACLE_HOME=$ORACLE_BASE/dbhome_02
export TMP=/tmp
export TMPDIR=/tmp
umask 022

chmod 755 ~/inst_dbhome02

This command would start the database installation:

./install_base.sh -e ~/inst_dbhome02 -i /u01/oracle/images/dbhome01.zip

After the installation you have to run the root.sh script as root user.

Sometimes you have to use -g option to specify another UNIX groups. Don’t forget to use *-r" option for RAC installations.

Install Oracle patches into the new ORACLE_HOME.

Now you can set the environment variables for the new ORACLE_HOME and install the required patches using OPatch utility.

You can use this example script /home/oracle/set_dbhome02 to set your environment variables:

cat ~/set_dbhome02
export ORACLE_BASE=/u01/oracle
export ORACLE_HOME=$ORACLE_BASE/dbhome_02
export PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/bin:$PATH
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
export VISUAL="$(which vi)"

chmod 755 ~/set_dbhome02

Usually you would at first download and install OPatch utitlity (database patch with the id 6880880) in the new ORACLE_HOME. You can find OPatch in MOS: Download OPatch

. ~/set_dbhome02
cd $ORACLE_HOME
unzip -o /PatchToPatches/p6880880_190000_Linux-x86-64.zip

RAC Database Release Update.

On RAC you have to use the GI release update on each node using opatchauto utility as root user.

As oracle user:

mkdir GI_RU_Patch_Path_Directory
cd GI_RU_Patch_Path_Directory
unzip Path_to_GI_RU_PATCH

As root user:

export PATH=/u01/oracle/dbhome_02/OPatch:$PATH
opatchauto apply GI_RU_Patch_Path_Directory/PatchNumber -oh /u01/oracle/dbhome_02

Single Instance Database Release Update.

As oracle user:

mkdir DB_RU_Patch_Path_Directory
cd DB_RU_Patch_Path_Directory
unzip Path_to_DB_RU_PATCH
cd PatchNumber

After that you can use *opatch apply" to apply the patches as usual.

Create a new gold image.

Now you have got a new patched ORACLE_HOME. If you like, you can create a new gold image to use it on this server later or on another servers.

Move database(s) to the new ORACLE_HOME.

Please make sure, that all required files from $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin and $ORACLE_HOME/dbs are copied to the new ORACLE_HOME. Sometimes you have to modify these network files to set the new ORACLE_HOME.

If you use RAC, you have to run srvctl to set the new ORACLE_HOME:

srvctl modify database -db mydb -oraclehome /u01/oracle/dbhome_02

For a single instance database you have to copy the spfile and password files to the new $ORACLE_HOME/dbs directory.

How to patch RAC faster?

On RAC you have to install and patch every node. It could be sometimes faster to use a gold image for the installation on the first node only (-l option)

./install_base.sh -r -l ...

You have to specify both -r (RAC) and -l (local node only) options.

After running root.sh you would install all patches on this RAC node only. In the next step you can create a new gold image from it. Now you could delete the local installed ORACLE_HOME and use the created gold image to install on all RAC nodes.

./install_base.sh -r ...

The -r option (RAC) installs per default on all cluster nodes.

Examples of out-of-place patching.

Sinlge Instance Out-Of-Place Cloning and Patching Database_Creation