Review this topic to understand Oracle requirements for multiple Oracle home support.
The Oracle home is the directory in which you install Oracle Database binaries, and from which Oracle Database runs. Use Oracle Appliance Manager ODACLI commands to create and manage multiple Oracle homes and databases on Oracle Database Appliance. Oracle Database Appliance Manager automatically creates an Oracle Database Oracle home that is compliant with Oracle’s Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA) standards.
Oracle Database Appliance supports multiple Oracle homes, including support of different release Oracle Database homes. Check the related readme files or the Release Notes to obtain information about the specific Oracle software releases supported for your Oracle Database Appliance platform.
For information about supported releases, refer to My Oracle Support note 888888.1:
https://support.oracle.com/CSP/main/article?cmd=show&type=NOT&id=888888.1
When you use ODACLI commands to create multiple homes on Oracle Database Appliance, the commands start the Oracle Home cloning process. In Oracle Database Appliance deployments, the user oracle is the software installation owner account that owns the Oracle homes.
Note:
If you are not upgrading from an earlier release, then download the Oracle Database Appliance End-User Bundle for the Oracle Database version that you want to install. See My Oracle Support note 888888.1 for more details:
https://support.oracle.com/CSP/main/article?cmd=show&type=NOT&id=888888.1
Use ODACLI commands to create, list, describe, and delete databases on Oracle Database Appliance. The command odacli create-database enables you to create a database with minimal user input. When you run this command without any additional options, the command creates a new database home (ORACLE_HOME). You can create a database in an existing home by using the odacli --dbhomeid command. To find the dbhomeid, use the odacli list-dbhomes command.
Alternatively, you can use the Web Console to create a database.
Caution:
Do not apply Oracle Database patches directly to Oracle Databases on Oracle Database Appliance. Only use Oracle Database Appliance patch bundles, which are tested to work across the whole software stack. If a one-off database patch is required, it may be applied to the Oracle Home. When you apply the Oracle Database Appliance patch bundle, it may cause a conflict and be required to roll back and then re-applied.
Only use the command-line interface or the Oracle Database Appliance Web Console to create new databases. To create databases on an existing Oracle Database Home, use the command-line interface. When you use the Web Console to create databases, a new home is created for each database.