4 Apply Technical Patch Bundles: P4FA

This section describes how to apply a Technical patch bundle (P4FA) to the Oracle Fusion Applications environment using FASPOT.

The concepts and tasks related to applying P4FA are as follows:

Anatomy of a Technical Patch Bundle (P4FA)

Patches for Fusion Applications (P4FA) are collections of one-off fixes and tech stack updates (e.g. Fusion MiddleWare, Database, Weblogic Server, etc.) compiled and certified for Fusion Applications where an installation of them improves system stability and performance substantially.

MANDATORY: Every Fusion Application release has its own set of P4FA patches and it is mandatory to apply them. P4FA patches are cumulative and administrators must always apply the most recent patch after becoming available on Oracle Support.

To ensure the successful and efficient application of a patch bundle, it is important to understand the directory structure. The procedure for understanding the directory structure is as follows:

  • After downloading the latest patch from My Oracle Support and unzipping it, the first component in the directory is the Patch Number, this changes with every new release of the patch. A new number gets assigned to the latest version of the P4FA Patch.

  • The second component under the actual Patch Number is the README File which contains the instructions to a successful application of a Patch Bundle.

  • Further down in the directory, /patch number/patches4fa/dist/ contains the following sub-components:

    • Prepatch provides some patches that need to be applied before applying the actual P4FA patch. Prepatches can be normally taken care of by FASPOT, unless they are Database patches, in which case, it remains a manual task for DBAs, per example:

      • The Exadata patches are applied for an specific type of hardware and they can be found on the/Exadata/ subdirectory.

      • The Database patches can be identified within the subdirectory as/RDBMS/database version/ , and to facilitate the manual process of applying the patches, start the application with the PSU patches, and then continue applying the rest of the One-Offs.

    • FASPOT is a utility used to automate the application of Oracle Fusion Middleware Patches.

    • Release Directory is the number that contains the rest of the patches normally applied by FASPOT.

The following directories and subdirectories should exist in the P4FA patch structure: 
|- Patch Number
        |- README.txt
                |- /patches4fa/dist
                        |- /Prepatch
                                        |- /RDBMS/database version
                                                |- /PSU
                                                |- /Exadata
                                        |- /generic/one_off_patches     
                        |- /FASPOT
                        |- /Release Directory

Download a Technical Patch Bundle (P4FA)

Download and unzip P4FA patches on a shared file system that is accessible by all hosts for Fusion Applications, IDM and OHS. To find patches in My Oracle Support (MOS), search using the standard naming conventions for Technical Patch Bundles. Technical Patch Bundles follow the naming convention of "P4FA System Patch Release.yymmdd”. For example, a technical patch bundle released for Release 9 on March 31, 2015 is named "P4FA System Patch 11.1.9.150315”.
Perform the following steps to find the latest technical patch bundle (P4FA):
  1. Log in to My Oracle Support (MOS) and navigate to “Patches and Updates”.
  2. On the Patch Search panel choose “Product or Family (Advanced)” and type “Oracle Fusion Applications Technology Patches” in the drop down list labeled "Product".
  3. Select the appropriate release for the P4FA patch.
  4. Select the appropriate platform for the P4FA patch.
  5. Click Search.

    Figure 4-1 Patch Search Tab


    Description of Figure 4-1 follows
    Description of "Figure 4-1 Patch Search Tab"
  6. The search results may include a CPU technical patch. In the Search Results screen, find the patches with the P4FA naming convention and choose the most recent one.

    Figure 4-2 Patch Advanced Search Results


    Description of Figure 4-2 follows
    Description of "Figure 4-2 Patch Advanced Search Results"
  7. Click Download.

    Figure 4-3 Download Manager for Patch Bundle P4FA


    Description of Figure 4-3 follows
    Description of "Figure 4-3 Download Manager for Patch Bundle P4FA"
  8. Wait for successful completion of the download.
  9. Unzip the downloaded zip files into the PATCH_DOWNLOAD_DIR directory.

What is FASPOT?

A P4FA contains several individual patches, which can result in complex and time consuming installations. FASPOT automates the P4FA patch installation, and its scripts are bundled with the P4FA patches. FASPOT is used to simplify the Fusion Applications tech stack patching process. Since P4FA patches are cumulative, subsequent patches will also include updates from previous patches although they only need to be applied once. 

FASPOT orchestrates the installation of the P4FA using ant and provides several targets. FASPOT requires preparation tasks, as described in the Prepare to Apply a P4FA With FASPOT section. After the preparation steps are complete, the patching installation process is performed by an ant script.

MANDATORY: FASPOT must run once on every server that hosts a component of the Fusion Applications tech stack.

FASPOT applies the patches to the following categories:

  • Fusion Middleware Components (including atgpf, ODI, oracle_common, SOA, webtier, BI, ECM, SES, WebCenter, wls)

  • Identity and Access Management (including OID & OHS)

The installation of RDBMS patches are not within the scope of FASPOT and remains a manual task for DBAs. These are out of scope for FASPOT. Number of combinations and variants of existing DB topologies would make it too complex to be automated by scripts. Usually DBA’s use their own mechanisms and best practices to perform DB life cycle management.

Overview of Installing a P4FA With FASPOT

The order of tasks during the installation of P4FA using FASPOT is critical because certain services must be either down or running depending on which patches are being applied. An overview of these tasks are as follows:

  1. Download and extract the P4FA patch, preferably on a shared file system accessible by all hosts for FA, IDM and OHS.

  2. Complete the preparation steps as described in the Prepare to Apply a P4FA With FASPOT section.

  3. Prepare the staging.

  4. Complete RDBMS P4FA patching manually for IDM and FA databases.

  5. Start both IDM and FA databases and their services.

  6. Run the IDM and FMW patch-apply targets.

  7. Start up IDM and FA completely.

  8. Run the IDM and FMW post-install targets to deploy various artifacts.

  9. Validate the results by performing functional tests.

For more information on how to download and extract the these patches, know the preparation steps, prepare the staging area, and run de IDM and FMW path-apply targets, review the information below in this section.

Prepare to Apply a P4FA With FASPOT

Ensure the FA and IDM databases have been patched, including the related post installation steps. Then perform the following preparation steps before applying a P4FA patch:

  1. Verify disk space availability to support a full installation of P4FA.

  2. Unzip the PATCH_DOWNLOAD_DIR/ FASPOT directory. This will now be referred to as FASPOT_HOME_DIR.

  3. Verify the Contents of FASPOT_HOME_DIR. The following files and directories should exist in FASPOT_HOME_DIR:

    |-   README.txt
|-   build.xml
|-   config
|- …
|-   env
|-   faspot.properties
|-   …
|-   faspot.sh
|-   patch_log_dir
|- …
|-   setEnv.sh
|-   tools
|- …
    The meaning of files and directories mentioned in this guide is as follows:

    • build.xml: The script that contains all targets and actions to perform while patching in a Fusion Applications environment.

    • README.txt: The documentation for each patch.

    • faspot.sh: The script that handles the ant calls for different targets, and is called to execute the ant targets.

    • setEnv.sh: The script to set the environment for the FASPOT utility execution.

    • env: The directory that contains property files that must be updated before script execution.

    • env/faspot.properties: Contains details about installed components and the patch download location.

    • env/faspot.properties.template: The sample template file used to populate the values and generate faspot.properties .

    • config: Contains product specific configuration files and templates that are generated during runtime.

    • tools: Contains ant libraries that are used for setting the ANT_HOME in setEnv.sh.

    • relnumoneoffs: Includes a subdirectory for each type of tech stack. For example, pfcore, weblogic, odi, and idm.

    • prepatch: Includes a subdirectory for each type of tech stack. For example, atgpf, ecm, odi, and soa.

  4. Create the two directories used by FASPOT as follows:

    • PATCH_WORK_DIR: This directory should be an external directory to be used during runtime by all pods and hosts. It will contain all of the extracted P4FA patches organized in the format required by the FASPOT script.

    • PATCH_LOG_DIR: This directory will be used to store logs generated during execution of the FASPOT script.

  5. Edit the faspot.properties file as follows:

    The faspot.properties file contains information about the Fusion Applications installation such as host names, directory names, user names, and passwords. This file should be edited for each specific P4FA patch application.

    1. Copy the properties template file FASPOT_HOME_DIR/env/faspot.properties.template to FASPOT_HOME_DIR/nv/faspot.properties so the new file can be edited. Before editing it, make a copy of FASPOT_HOME_DIR/env/faspot.properties

    2. Edit both variables for the P4FA download directory and the patch staging directory, as shown in the following example: 
      PATCH_DOWNLOAD_DIR=P4FA_PATCH_EXTRACTION_DIR/patches4fa
PATCH_WORK_DIR=any_directory_to_run_patches_from
    3. Update the remaining properties in env/faspot.properties. As a general rule, replace all placeholder %<value>%with values that are specific to the environment. The following example of the faspot.properties file shows sample values for each property: 
      #############GENERAL#########################################
#PATCH_DOWNLOAD_DIR should contain the following folders
### 1)reloneoffs
#############################################################
PATCH_DOWNLOAD_DIR=/u01/fastage/p4fa/19290105/patches4fa/dist
PATCH_WORK_DIR=/u01/fastage/p4fa/19290105/patches4fa/workdir
#############################################################
############FA(FMW COPONENTS)################################
#atgpf - ATGPF
#############################################################
ATGPF_HOST_NAME=fusionhost.mycompany.com
ATGPF_ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/fa/fusionapps/atgpf
ATGPF_JDK_LOC=/u01/app/fa/fusionapps/jdk6
ATGPF_DEFAULTS_FILE=/u01/app/fa/config/atgpf/admin/defaults.txt
ATGPF_ADPATCH_WORKERS=4
ATGPF_FA_DB_SID=slc01hye
ATGPF_FA_DB_USER=fusion
ATGPF_FA_DB_PASSWD=Welcome1
ATGPF_FUSION_ORA_ESS_USER=fusion_ora_ess
ATGPF_FUSION_ORA_ESS_PASSWORD=Welcome1
ATGPF_FUSION_RUNTIME_USER=fusion_runtime
ATGPF_FUSION_RUNTIME_PASSWORD=Welcome1
ATGPF_SYSTEM_PASSWORD=Welcome1
ATGPF_SYS_PASSWORD=Welcome1
ATGPF_MIDDLEWARE_HOME=/u01/app/fa/fusionapps
ATGPF_WEBLOGIC_HOME=/u01/app/fa/fusionapps/wlserver_10.3
#############################################################
#bi - BI
#############################################################
#P4FA patching is done from Primoridal host.
#Enter PRIMORDIAL_HOST_NAME for BI_HOST_NAME
BI_HOST_NAME=fusionhost.mycompany.com
BI_ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/fa/fusionapps/bi
BI_JDK_LOC=/u01/app/fa/fusionapps/jdk6prepare-patch-stage
BI_WL_ADMIN_USER=FAAdmin
BI_WL_ADMIN_PASSWD=Welcome1
BI_WL_ADMIN_URL=t3://fusionhost.mycompany.com:10201
      MANDATORY: The previous example does not include all of the sections in the faspot.properties file which must be edited. The remaining sections that must be edited are as follows:

      • ECM

      • ODI

      • OSN

      • ORACLE COMMON – FA(FMW)

      • SES

      • SOA

      • PFCORE

      • WEBCENTER

      • WEBTIER-ADMIN

      • WEBTIER-APPSOHS

      • WEBLOGIC

      • DATABASE

      • OHS – IDM

Prepare the Patch Staging Area

To prepare the patch staging area, perform the following steps:

  1. Create the staging area by running the prepare-patch-stage target, which extracts the P4FA patches from PATCH_DOWNLOAD_DIR into the directory that is specified by the PATCH_WORK_DIR property in the faspot.properties file. To run the prepare-patch-stage, as follows:

    cd FASPOT_HOME_DIR
sh ./faspot.sh -Dlogfile=prepare-patch-stage prepare-patch-stage > prepare-patch-stage-stdout.log 2>&1

  2. Prepare the local environment by creating the required configuration files under the FASPOT_HOME_DIR/config directory. All required instance information needed by other patch application targets is derived from these configuration files. Run the following command from the FASPOT_HOME_DIR directory:

    cd FASPOT_HOME_DIR
sh ./faspot.sh -Dlogfile=prepare-local-env prepare-local-env > prepare-local-env-stdout.log 2>&1

    If a failure occurs while running prepare-local-env that requires an update to faspot.properties, run prepare-local-env again. The instance specific configuration files under FASPOT_HOME_DIR/config are generated by the prepare-local-env target, so any subsequent changes in faspot.properties have no impact on the execution of FASPOT targets until prepare-local-env runs successfully after the updates to faspot.properties.

  3. Confirm the primordial host and APPOSH hosts are ready for the P4FA application by running the environment checking target. This target checks the existence of prerequisite patches, the directory paths that are specified in the properties file, connectivity to the databases, and any locks that may prevent patching. Run the following command from the FASPOT_HOME_DIR directory:

    cd FASPOT_HOME_DIR
sh ./faspot.sh -Dlogfile=fmw-prereq-check fmw-prereq-check > fmw-prereq-check-stdout.log 2>&1

  4. Verify the log file after target execution for any failures. In the case of any wrong values provided in faspot.properties, change the values and rerun prepare-local-env as explained in Step 1. Repeat the fmw-prereq-check target execution until all failures are resolved.

  5. Confirm the AUTHOHS, OAM, and OID hosts are ready for the P4FA application by running the environment checking target. Run the following command from the FASPOT_HOME_DIR directory:

    cd FASPOT_HOME_DIR
sh ./faspot.sh -Dlogfile=idm-prereq-check idm-prereq-check > idm-prereq-check-stdout.log 2>&1

  6. Verify the log file after target execution for any failures. In the case of any wrong values provided in faspot.properties, change the values and rerun prepare-local-env as explained in Step 1. Repeat the idm-prereq-check target execution until all failures are resolved.

Apply Patches with FASPOT

Ensure all preparation steps were successful before applying patches with FASPOT. The generic syntax for applying patches is as follows: 
cd FASPOT_HOME_DIR
sh ./faspot.sh -Dlogfile=<target-name> <target-name> > <target-name>-stdout.log 2>&1
The following are the existing standard targets, which must be applied in the correct order and on the correct host:
  1. On the IDM host, run idm-patch-apply.
  2. On the FA host, run fmw-patch-apply.
  3. On the FA host, run fmw-patch-postinstall.
  4. On the IDM host, run idm-patch-postinstall.

Run the IDM and FMW patch-apply Targets

Perform the following in order to apply the P4FA patches:

  1. Run idm-patch-apply on the IDM host by performing the following:

    cd FASPOT_HOME_DIR
sh ./faspot.sh -Dlogfile=idm-patch-apply idm-patch-apply > idm-patch-apply-stdout.log 2>&1

  2. Run fmw-patch-apply on the FA host by performing the following:

    cd FASPOT_HOME_DIR
sh ./faspot.sh -Dlogfile=idm-patch-postinstall patch-postinstall > patch-postinstall-stdout.log 2>&1

  3. Start the IDM and Fusion Applications Databases

Perform the IDM and FMW Post-Install Tasks

Perform the following tasks to apply the P4FA patches:

  1. Run fmw-patch-postinstall on the FA host by performing the following:

    cd FASPOT_HOME_DIR
sh ./faspot.sh -Dlogfile=idm-patch-postinstall patch-postinstall > patch-postinstall-stdout.log 2>&1

  2. Run idm-patch-postinstall on the IDM host by performing the following:

    cd FASPOT_HOME_DIR
sh ./faspot.sh -Dlogfile=idm-patch-postinstall patch-postinstall > patch-postinstall-stdout.log 2>&1

Validate Results with Functional Tests

It is necessary to perform various functional tests in order to ensure that the patches have been applied correctly and that the Fusion Applications environment is performing as intended. Validation tests vary by specific business needs, but typical tests include such tasks as logging in to the home page, submitting an ESS job to verify the scheduler is working, and checking the status of various services.

Verify Whether FASPOT Was Successful