This section includes the following topics:
You can install maintenance packs (patch sets) using Smart Update, which enables you to retrieve code and media archives from My Oracle Support. Media archives can be retrieved only for components currently installed in the target Middleware home directory.
Note:
If you also need to install patch sets for other Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 products, such as SOA or WebCenter, that are installed in your WebLogic Server environment, refer to the Oracle Fusion Middleware Patching Guide before installing WebLogic Server patch sets or updating your WebLogic Server installation.For offline systems, you must acquire an upgrade installer. See "Downloading an Upgrade Installer From My Oracle Support" in Oracle WebLogic Server Installation Guide.
When installing a maintenance pack, Smart Update creates a backup file containing the state of the current installation and information about files that were added during the upgrade. This backup file is used to restore the system state if any errors occur during installation, and when you uninstall or roll back a maintenance pack installation.
For a typical upgrade installation of WebLogic Products and Oracle Service Bus, a minimum of 430 MB of available disk space is required.
When installing a maintenance pack, note the following important information:
If you are using Node Manager to manage your servers in a clustered environment, you should back up the following directory and files on all systems that are running the Node Manager before upgrading your installations:
Windows:
WL_HOME\common\nodemanager WL_HOME\server\bin\startNodeManager.cmd
UNIX:
WL_HOME/common/nodemanager WL_HOME/server/bin/startNodeManager.sh
In these path names, WL_HOME is the root directory of the product installation, for example, c:\Oracle\Middleware\wlserver_10.3.
After the upgrade installation is complete, you should restore these files.
For more information about Node Manager, see Node Manager Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebLogic Server.
All patch profiles are specific to a maintenance pack level of a product installation. When you upgrade the maintenance pack level of a product installation in which you have been using custom patch profiles, you must modify the appropriate WebLogic domain or server start scripts so that they no longer point to those custom profiles.
You can display the Maintenance Pack Update window periodically to check for available maintenance pack updates. When you log in to Smart Update, it checks the version numbers of the products associated with the current target installation, and then connects to My Oracle Support to check for available maintenance packs. The Maintenance Pack Update window includes three panes:
Installed Products—The left pane of the Maintenance Pack Update window which contains a tree displaying product and release information for products installed in the target installation directory.
Upgrade Options—The top-right pane, which lists the maintenance packs, if any, that are available for the installed products.
Downgrade Options—The bottom-right pane, which lists the versions of the product to which you can revert your installation, if applicable. For details about uninstalling maintenance pack upgrades using Smart Update, see Chapter 7, "Uninstalling Maintenance Packs and Patches."
Note:
Smart Update checks for only those products that are associated with the current target installation. If you have multiple Middleware home directories on your system, you must run Smart Update once for each directory to ensure that available maintenance packs are installed for each one. For more information about Middleware home directories, see Choosing a Target Installation.To install maintenance packs using the Maintenance Pack Update window, perform the following steps:
Note:
Verify if the install directory entry for Workshop for WebLogic inregistry.xml points to the correct location before upgrading. If not, correct it by manually editing registry.xml.Make backup copies of any files or applications that you have created in the product home directory; for example, in WL_HOME. (As part of the upgrade procedure, the installation program automatically overwrites any files, including applications, that you have created in this directory. Files that are outside of the product home directory—for example, in user_projects—are not affected.)
Shut down any servers that are running. Hot installation of a maintenance pack is not supported.
Start Smart Update, as described in Chapter 2, "Starting Smart Update."
In the Smart Update main window, choose Maintenance Packs > Update. This displays the Maintenance Pack Update window.
In the Installed Products pane of the Maintenance Pack Update window, select the release for the product you want to update.
If any maintenance packs are available, they are displayed in the Upgrade Options section of the window.
In the Upgrade Options pane, select the maintenance pack to be installed and click OK to begin the download.
The Oracle Installer Welcome window is displayed, from which you can proceed with the installation. You can cancel the installation at any time by clicking Exit.
After the installation is complete, the Maintenance Pack Update window is displayed, indicating the upgraded release level in the Installed Products pane. Choose Exit to close the Maintenance Pack Update window. The Smart Update main window reappears after quitting the Maintenance Pack Update window.
If you are using a Web server with the product installation, it is important that you keep your Web server up to date to ensure you have all the latest security patches and support. Updated Web server plug-ins are included when you upgrade your WebLogic Server installation. Although it is not required, you may want to replace the Web server plug-ins installed with your Web server with the updated versions.
For details about installing the Web server plug-ins, see Using Web Server Plug-Ins with Oracle WebLogic Server.