6 Updating Oracle Database Appliance Software

To keep Oracle Database Appliance running with the latest software, check for and apply Oracle Database Appliance patch bundles when they are released.

About Updating Oracle Database Appliance Software

Oracle Database Appliance patching is done using the quarterly Oracle Database Appliance Patch Bundle.

The GI Clone Patch Bundle, also known as the Single Instance Bundle (SIB), for Oracle Database Appliance X6-2S, X6-2M, and X6-2L, contains the latest patches for DCS Agent, DCS Controller, OAK , GI and  RDBMS 12.1 and 11.2 homes, enhancements, and fixes.

The patch bundle provides all relevant patches for the entire system, including the following:

  • BIOS

  • Hardware drivers, Hardware Management Pack (HWM), and firmware drivers for various components

  • Oracle Appliance Manager

  • Oracle Linux

  • Oracle VM

  • Java Development Kit (JDK)

  • Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (Oracle ILOM)

  • Oracle Database Bundle patch (BP) and Oracle Database Patch Set Update (PSU)

  • Oracle Auto Service Request (Oracle ASR)

  • Oracle Grid Infrastructure

  • Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)

About Oracle Database Appliance Software Updates

To keep Oracle Database Appliance running with the latest software, check for and apply Oracle Database Appliance patch bundles when they are released. As well as offering new features, patches may improve the functionality of existing features.

Caution:

Do not patch Oracle Database Appliance using individual patches for Oracle Grid Infrastructure, Oracle Database, or Oracle Linux. Also do not use individual infrastructure patches, such as firmware patches. You must only use Oracle Database Appliance patches.

If you use patches that are not intended for Oracle Database Appliance, or if you use Opatch, or a similar patching tool, then Oracle Database Appliance inventory is not updated, and you cannot complete future patch updates.

Minimum Supported Appliance Manager Software Versions

The Oracle Database Appliance Release Notes include information about the latest Oracle Database Appliance patch bundle and a list of component versions in the patch bundle. Oracle recommends updating the appliance with the latest Oracle Database Appliance software version to take advantage of new features, fixes, and the latest supported component versions.

Table 6-1 Minimum Supported Appliance Manager Software Versions

Oracle Database Appliance Hardware Version Minimum Supported Software Version

X6-2S

12.1.2.8.0

X6-2M

12.1.2.8.0

X6-2L

12.1.2.8.1

Overview of the Patch Upgrade

Oracle Database Appliance Patch Bundle releases include new enhancements, including a comprehensive patching solution for Oracle Database Appliance X6-2S, X6-2M, and X6-2L. You must have a database deployed before updating the repository, agent, server, or database. Do not have any jobs running or pending during the update window.

Note:

If you are using Oracle Database Appliance 12.1.2.7, then you must upgrade the dcs-agent before installing the latest patch bundle. The dcs-agent upgrade includes changes that enable you to install the Oracle Database Appliance Patch Bundle. Use the odacli describe-job command to monitor the progress of each patching job.

All patching-related information is logged in the dcs-agent log file at /opt/oracle/dcs/log/dcs-agent.log.

Related Topics

Updating Oracle Database Appliance from the Web Console

Use the Web Console to update the patch repository and install the Oracle Database Appliance Patch Bundle.

Topics:

Updating the Patch Repository

Use the Web Console to view the current component versions, upload the Oracle Database Appliance Patch Bundle to the patch repository, and deploy the patch bundle.

The Web Console enables you to update the Patch Repository by selecting the files on your local system or designating a location on the appliance. When you download the Oracle Database Appliance Patch Bundle to an external client (your local system), you can save the files in a location on your local system or to an external storage device, such as a USB storage device. If you save the files on your local system, the files are automatically transferred to the appliance as part of the Update Patch Repository job.

On a new Oracle Database Appliance machine, confirm that the initial deployment is successfully completed and that the public network is configured. Patch Manager in Oracle Database Appliance is available beginning with the 12.2.1.2 release. You must update to 12.2.1.2 before Patch Manager is available.

  1. Download the Oracle Database Appliance patches from My Oracle Support and save them in a directory on the appliance.
    1. See the Oracle Database Appliance Release Notes for a list of available patches and links to download the patches.
    2. From an external client machine, log in to My Oracle Support, then locate the patch to download.
    3. Select the Oracle Database Appliance release.
    4. Click Download to download the zip file to your local system.
      If a patch download consists of more than one zip file, unzip the files, then concatenate the zip files.
    5. Upload the files from your local system to a temporary location in the /u01 directory in dom0 on Node 0 of the appliance. Use the /tmp directory as the target location.

      Note:

      If you have a multi-node system, then upload the patch to both nodes.
      Use a USB storage device, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) utility, or Secure Copy (scp) to copy the file from your local system to the appliance.
    6. Unzip the files.
  2. Log into the Web Console with the oda-admin user name and password.
    https://Node0–host-ip-address:7093/mgmt/index.html
  3. Click Patch Manager.
  4. Enter the absolute file path and patch name, then click Update Repository to start the update repository job.
    Use a comma separated list, without spaces, if there is more than one patch bundle.
  5. Click Activity to monitor the progress. When the job completes successfully, the Patch Repository is updated.

Updating the Agent, Storage, and Database Components

Use the Web Console to view the available Oracle Database Appliance component versions and deploy the patch bundle to update the components.

The Patches page on the Web Console displays a list of installed and available component versions. After reviewing the list, you can either update the Patch Repository with the latest Oracle Database Appliance Patch Bundle or upgrade the server, storage, and database components.

Note:

If your appliance has two nodes, you have the option to update both nodes at the same time or individually. If updating individually, update Node0 before updating Node1.

DCS agent is automatically updated when the server or storage is updated.

Perform the following tasks before updating Oracle Database Appliance:

  • On a new Oracle Database Appliance machine, confirm that the initial deployment completed successfully and that the public network is configured.

  • Confirm that you have a database deployed. To verify that the database is successfully deployed, run Oracle ORAchk and ensure that it completes successfully.

  • Do not have any jobs running or pending during the update window.

  • Disable (Turn Off) Auto Refresh.

  1. Click Patch Manager in the Web Console.
  2. Wait for the Component Details to load. If you just updated the Patch Repository, click Refresh in the Component Details section of the page.
    After the patch is uploaded to the Patch Repository, the Component Details on the page are updated with the Installed Version and Available Version for each component.
  3. Select Precheck, click Update Components, then click Submit to verify the patches in the repository and check for conflicts.
    When the job finishes, go to the next step. Click Activity for job status.
  4. On the Patch Manager page, Click Refresh to refresh the Component Details. Select Update Server, click Update Components, then click Submit to begin the job to patch the server components.
    When the job finishes, go to the next step. Click Activity for job status.
  5. On the Patch Manager page, Click Refresh to refresh the Component Details. Select Update Storage, click Update Components, then click Submit to begin the job to patch the storage components.
    Click Activity for job status.
  6. Review the Component Versions list.
  7. Select Update Server, then click Update Components to update the Server components.
    For multi-node systems, select the node to update: All Nodes (default), Node0, or Node1.
    The DCS agent is automatically updated whenever the Server or Storage components are updated.
  8. Click Activity to monitor the progress. When the job completes successfully, go to the next step.
  9. Click Patch Manager, then refresh the page.
  10. Select Update Storage, then click Update Components to update the Storage components.
    For multi-node systems, select the node to update: All Nodes (default), Node0, or Node1.
  11. Click Activity to monitor the progress.

Updating a Database Home

Update the version of a database home.

Before updating a Database Home, download the Oracle Database Appliance RDBMS Software Clone Files from My Oracle Support and update the patch repository.
  1. Log in to the Web Console:
    https://ip-address:7093/mgmt/index.html
  2. Click the Database tab, then click Patches on the left menu.
    When all database homes are using the latest version in the patch repository, a message appears on the page. If later Oracle Database Appliance RDBMS versions are available, add the patch to the Patch Repository, then click Refresh.
  3. Select the database home to patch, click Patch, then select Precheck.
    The precheck reviews the patch for conflicts. When the job completes successfully, go to the next step.
  4. Select the database home to patch, click Patch, then select Apply.
    When the job completes successfully, go to the next step.
  5. Click Refresh to verify that all database homes are updated to the latest version.

Related Topics

Updating Oracle Database Appliance from the CLI

Use the command-line interface (CLI) to update the patch repository and install the Oracle Database Appliance Patch Bundle.

Topics:

Step 1: Update the Patch Repository

Download the Oracle Database Appliance Patch Bundle from My Oracle Support and update the repository with the new patches.

Perform the following tasks before updating Oracle Database Appliance:

  • On a new Oracle Database Appliance machine, confirm that the initial deployment completed successfully and that the public network is configured.

  • Confirm that you have a database deployed. To verify that the database is successfully deployed, run Oracle ORAchk and ensure that it completes successfully.

  • Do not have any jobs running or pending during the update window.

  1. Ensure that your appliance has at least version 12.1.2.8.0 of the agent.
    Oracle Database Appliance release 12.1.2.7 is no longer supported for the X6-2S and X6-2M models. Use the rpm –qa |grep dcs-agent command to check the dcs-agent version.
    #  rpm -qa |grep dcs-agent
dcs-agent-12.1.2.7.0_LINUX.X64_160601.x86_64

    If you have Oracle Database Appliance X6-2S or X6-2M with dcs-agent version 12.1.2.7, then you must download and apply patch 24391174 before updating to the latest release.

  2. From an external client machine, log on to My Oracle Support and locate patch 26433721 for Oracle Database Appliance.
  3. Select the patch version for Oracle Appliance Kit, then click Download to download both zip files onto your external client. 
    p26433721_1212110_Linux-x86-64.zip
  4. Use either a Secure Copy (scp) command or a USB storage device to copy the file from the external client to dom0 on Node 0. Use the /tmp directory as the target location.

    Note:

    If you use a USB drive to transfer the file, then format it first as FAT32, ext3, or ext4. NTFS file formats are not supported.

  5. Upload the files in a temporary location in the /u01 directory in Oracle Database Appliance, then unzip the files.

    When inflated, the files are two zippart files.

  6. Concatenate the two zip files together. 
    # cat oda-sm-12.1.2.12.0-170920-server_1of2.zippart oda-sm-12.1.2.12.0-170920-server_2of2.zippart > p26433721_1212120_Linux-x86-64.zip

    The new zip file is named p26433721_1212120_Linux-x86-64.zip

  7. Update the repository with the command odacli update-repository using the zip file name from the previous step.
    The command unpacks the patch bundle to the correct locations in the file system. You must include the fully qualified directory.
    # /opt/oracle/dcs/bin/odacli update-repository -f /u01/tmpdir p26433721_1212120_Linux-x86-64.zip

{   
"jobId" : "c5288c4f-4a0e-4977-9aa4-4acbf81b65a1",   
"status" : "Created",   
"message" : "/u01/tmpdir/p26433721_1212120_Linux-x86-64.zip",   
"reports" : [ ],   
"createTimestamp" : "October 7, 2017 06:52:01 AM WSDT",   
"resourceList" : [ ],   
"description" : "Repository Update",   
"updatedTime" : "October 7, 2017 06:52:01 AM WSDT" }
  8. Verify that the job completed successfully. 
    # odacli describe-job -i c5288c4f-4a0e-4977-9aa4-4acbf81b65a1  
Job details                                                      
----------------------------------------------------------------                      
ID:  c5288c4f-4a0e-4977-9aa4-4acbf81b65a1             
Description:  Repository Update                  
Status:  Success                 
Created:  October 7, 2017 6:52:01 AM WSDT                 
Message:  /u01/tmpdir/121212_patch.zip  
Task Name                        Start Time                                     End Time                                         Status 
-------------------- --------------------------------- ----------------------------------- -------
Unzip patch bundle      October 7, 2017 6:52:01 AM WSDT     October 7, 2017 6:52:31 AM WSDT      Success
Ensure the job completes successfully before proceed to the next step.

Related Topics

Step 2: Update the Agent

Run the update-dcsagent command to update the agent version.

Before updating the agent, ensure that you do not have any jobs running or pending during the update window. The update automatically restarts the DCS Agent.
  1. Log in as the root user.
  2. Run the update- dcsagent command to define the patch set bundle version and update the agent. 
    # /opt/oracle/dcs/bin/odacli update-dcsagent -v version
    As the patch runs, output displays advising you of the installation progress. After the update is applied, the agent automatically restarts. It takes a few minutes to reconnect to the dcs-agent. Wait until the agent shuts down and completes restarting before proceeding to the next step.
  3. Run the describe-job command for the patch job to verify that the update completed successfully. The jobID displays in the update-dcsagent output. You can also get the job ID by running the list-jobs command. 
    # /opt/oracle/dcs/bin/odacli describe-job -i jobid
    After the DCS Agent is updated, wait two (2) minutes before going to the next step.

Example 6-1 Updating the DCS Agent Version

Run the following command to update the DCS Agent to version 12.2.1.1.0:

# odacli update-dcsagent -v 12.2.1.1.0
{
  "jobId" : "77e454d3-eb68-4130-a247-7633f8d6192b",
  "status" : "Created",
  "message" : null,
  "reports" : [ ],
  "createTimestamp" : "November 26, 2017 10:30:02 AM EDT",
  "description" : "DcsAgent patching",
  "updatedTime" : "November 26, 2017 10:30:02 AM EDT"
}

Example 6-2 Verifying the DCS Agent Version

The following example uses job ID 77e454d3-eb68-4130-a247-7633f8d6192b from the previous example to get the job details.

  # odacli describe-job -i "77e454d3-eb68-4130-a247-7633f8d6192b"  

Job details
----------------------------------------------------------------
                      ID: 77e454d3-eb68-4130-a247-7633f8d6192b
             Description: DcsAgent patching
                  Status: Success
                 Created: November 26, 2017 10:39:02 AM EDT
                 Message:
Task Name                                                                       Start Time                                          
-------------------            --------------------------------  
dcsagent rpm version checking   November 26, 2017 10:39:02 AM EDT 
Patch location validation               November 26, 2017 10:39:02 AM EDT
Apply dcsagent patch                    November 26, 2017 10:39:02 AM EDT

(Continued)
End Time                                                                                        Status
------------------------------          ------
November 26, 2017 10:39:02 AM EDT   Success
November 26, 2017 10:39:02 AM EDT   Success
November 26, 2017 10:39:02 AM EDT   Success

Step 3: Update the Server

Run the update-server command to update the operating system, firmware, Oracle Appliance Kit, Oracle Clusterware, and all other infrastructure components.

Patching information is logged in the dcs-agent log file (/opt/oracle/dcs/log/dcs-agent.log.)

Before executing the odacli update-server command, update the repository with the latest patch bundle, update the DCS Agent to the latest version, and ensure that the agent is running.
  1. Log in as the root user.
  2. Run the command update-server -v version, where version is the patch set bundle version. 
    # /opt/oracle/dcs/bin/odacli update-server -v version
    Observe the patch status reports. As the patch runs, it displays output that advises you of the installation progress.
  3. Run the describe-job command for the patch job to verify that the update completed successfully. The jobID displays in the update-server output. You can also get the job ID by running the list-jobs command. 
    # /opt/oracle/dcs/bin/odacli describe-job -i jobid
  4. Run the odacli describe-component command to verify that the components are on the latest version.
When the server is patched, proceed to the next step.

Example 6-3 Updating the Server Version

Run the following command to update the server to version 12.2.1.1.0:

# odacli update-server -v 12.2.1.1.0
{
  "jobId" : ""94685c73-55c2-40b1-a02e-265a23c45642",
  "status" : "Created",
  "message" : "Success of Server Update may trigger reboot of node after 4-5 minutes. Please wait till node restart",
  "reports" : [ ],
  "createTimestamp" : "November 26, 2017 14:13:45 PM CST",
  "resourceList" : [ ],
  "description" : "Server Patching",
  "updatedTime" : "November 26, 2017 14:13:45 PM CST"
}

Example 6-4 Verifying that the Server is on the Updated Version

The following example uses job ID 94685c73-55c2-40b1-a02e-265a23c45642 from the previous example to get the job details and status.

# /opt/oracle/dcs/bin/odacli describe-job -i "94685c73-55c2-40b1-a02e-265a23c45642"  

Job details 
----------------------------------------------------------------

              ID: 94685c73-55c2-40b1-a02e-265a23c45642
             Description: Server Patching
              Status: Success
              Created: November 26, 2017 11:02:30 AM EDT
             Message:

Task Name                            Start Time                      
-------------------------------      ------------------------------ 
dcscontroller rpm version checking    November 26, 2017 11:02:30 AM EDT 
Patch location validation             November 26, 2017 11:02:31 AM EDT 
Apply dcscontroller patch             November 26, 2017 11:02:31 AM EDT
dcscli rpm version checking           November 26, 2017 11:02:32 AM EDT
Patch location validation             November 26, 2017 11:02:32 AM EDT
Apply dcscli patch                    November 26, 2017 11:02:32 AM EDT
oak rpm version checking              November 26, 2017 11:02:33 AM EDT
Patch location validation             November 26, 2017 11:02:33 AM EDT
Apply oak patch                       November 26, 2017 11:02:33 AM EDT
Checking Ilom patch Version           November 26, 2017 11:03:02 AM EDT
Patch location validation             November 26, 2017 11:03:05 AM EDT
Apply Ilom patch                      November 26, 2017 11:03:05 AM EDT
Copying Flash Bios to Temp location   November 26, 2017 11:03:06 AM EDT
Patch application verification        November 26, 2017 11:03:06 AM EDT
Patch location validation             November 26, 2017 11:03:09 AM EDT
Opatch updation                       November 26, 2017 11:04:13 AM EDT
analyzing patch                       November 26, 2017 11:04:15 AM EDT
Apply gi patch                        November 26, 2017 11:04:50 AM EDT
Reboot Ilom                           November 26, 2017 11:16:17 AM EDT

(Continued)
End Time                      Status
---------------------------   ------
November 26, 2017 11:02:31 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:02:31 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:02:32 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:02:32 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:02:32 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:02:33 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:02:33 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:02:33 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:03:02 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:03:05 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:03:05 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:03:06 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:03:06 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:03:09 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:03:14 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:04:15 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:04:50 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:16:08 AM EDT  Success
November 26, 2017 11:16:17 AM EDT  Success

Step 4: Update Oracle Database

Run the update-dbhome command to update a specific RDBMS Home to the latest patch bundle version.

After patching, download the latest database end user bundles. You can use the odacli create-database command to create different versions of the database without downloading the latest database end user bundle.

Note:

Oracle recommends downloading the latest database bundle and use it to create any new databases.
  1. Log in as the root user.
  2. Run the odacli list-dbhomes command to get a list of database homes in the system and the dbhomeid for each database. 
    # /opt/oracle/dcs/bin/odacli list-dbhomes
  3. Run the command update-dbhome -i dbhomeid -v version, where dbhomeid is the Oracle Database Home to update and version is the Oracle Database Appliance patch set bundle version.

    Note:

    You cannot perform individual database updates for databases running in the same home. All databases running in the homes that you update are patched to the Oracle Database 12c release 1 patch for Oracle Database Appliance (12.1.0.2.170814). For Oracle Database 11.2, the database is patched to 11.2.0.4.170814.

    # /opt/oracle/dcs/bin/odacli update-dbhome -i dbhomeid -v version
    Observe the patch status reports. As the patch runs, it displays output that advises you of the job identifier (ID) and the installation progress.
  4. Run the describe-job command for the patch job to verify that the update completed successfully. The jobID displays in the update-dbhome output. You can also get the job ID by running the list-jobs command. 
    # /opt/oracle/dcs/bin/odacli describe-job -i jobid

Example 6-5 Getting a List of Database Home IDs

The following example shows how to get a database home ID using JSON output:

# /opt/oracle/dcs/bin/odacli list-dbhomes -j
 [ {
    "id" : "ab3cecaf-2223-4726-b95c-488f0aec914a",
    "name" : "OraDB12102_home1",
    "dbVersion" : "12.1.0.2.171017 ",
    "dbHomeLocation" : "/u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0.2/dbhome_1",
    "createTime" : "November 26, 2017 08:46:52 AM PDT",
    "state" : {
      "status" : "CONFIGURED"
   },
 "updatedTime" : "November 26, 2017 11:55:55 AM PDT"
 }, {
   "id" : "d5b01e27-799e-4e8a-bfe6-07a781f79526",
   "name" : "OraDB12102_home2",
   "dbVersion" : "12.1.0.2.171017 ",
   "dbHomeLocation" : "/u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0.2/dbhome_2",
   "createTime" : "November 26, 2017 22:34:31 PM PDT",   "state" : {
      "status" : "CONFIGURED"
   },
   "updatedTime" : "November 26, 2017 22:36:59 PM PDT"
 } ]

Example 6-6 Updating the Database Home Version

The following example updates database home ID d5b01e27-799e-4e8a-bfe6-07a781f79526 to Oracle Database Appliance version 12.2.1.1.0.

# odacli update-dbhome -i d5b01e27-799e-4e8a-bfe6-07a781f79526 -v 12.2.1.1.0

{   
  "jobId" : "576cdbfa-ece4-4e5f-becd-9bc6e6bf430b",
   "status" : "Created",
   "message" : null,
   "reports" : [ ],
   "createTimestamp" : "November 26, 2017 11:08:35 AM PDT",
   "description" : "DbHome Patching: Home Id is d5b01e27-799e-4e8a-bfe6-07a781f79526",
   "updatedTime" : "November 26, 2017 11:08:35 AM PDT" 
}

Example 6-7 Verifying that Database Home is Updated

The following example uses job ID 576cdbfa-ece4-4e5f-becd-9bc6e6bf430b from the previous example to get the job details.

# /opt/oracle/dcs/bin/odacli describe-job -i "576cdbfa-ece4-4e5f-becd-9bc6e6bf430b"  
Job details
 ----------------------------------------------------------------
                      ID: 576cdbfa-ece4-4e5f-becd-9bc6e6bf430b
             Description: DbHome Patching: Home Id is d5b01e27-799e-4e8a-bfe6-07a781f79526
                  Status: Success
                 Created: November 26, 2017 11:08:35 AM PDT
                 Message: 

Task Name                          Start Time                    
--------------------------------- -------------------------------
Patch application verification     November 26, 2017 11:08:35 AM PDT
location validation                November 26, 2017 11:08:37 AM PDT
updateOpatch                       November 26, 2017 11:09:41 AM PDT
analyzing patch                    November 26, 2017 11:09:43 AM PDT
Apply db patch                     November 26, 2017 11:10:17 AM PDT  

(continued)
End Time                          Status
-------------------------------   --------
November 26, 2017 11:08:37 AM PDT   Success
November 26, 2017 11:08:42 AM PDT   Success
November 26, 2017 11:09:43 AM PDT   Success
November 26, 2017 11:10:17 AM PDT   Success
November 26, 2017 11:14:13 AM PDT   Success

Updating Components Without Using a Patch Update

The patch bundle updates provide all relevant patches for the entire system and are designed to work with Oracle Database Appliance and future update patch bundles.

The patch bundle includes relevant patches, including the following:

  • BIOS

  • Hardware drivers, Hardware Management Pack (HWM), and firmware drivers

  • Oracle Appliance Manager

  • Oracle Linux

  • Oracle VM

  • Java Development Kit (JDK)

  • Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (Oracle ILOM)

  • Oracle Database Bundle patch (BP)

  • Oracle Auto Service Request (Oracle ASR)

  • Oracle Grid Infrastructure

  • Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)

Caution:

Do not patch Oracle Database Appliance using individual patches for Oracle Grid Infrastructure, Oracle Database, and most Oracle Linux RPM updates. Do not use individual infrastructure patches, such as firmware patches. You must only use Oracle Database Appliance patches.

If you use patches that are not intended for Oracle Database Appliance, or if you use Opatch, or a similar patching tool, then you can encounter problems with storage, communication, and applying patch updates in the future.

Updating Oracle Linux RPMs

While not recommended, you can update some Oracle Linux RPMs for database nodes. Do not update or customize Oracle Linux kernel, Oracle Optimal Flexible Architecture, Oracle InfiniBand, or related software.  Other software may be installed, updated, or customized.  However, the Oracle Database Appliance update may not carry newer version dependencies of customized components. Therefore, you might be required to remove and subsequently reapply site-specific changes to successfully update Oracle Database Appliance in the future.

Caution:

For database nodes, do not update the following:

  • Oracle Linux Kernel (kernel*)

  • Oracle Optimal Flexible Architecture (ofa*)

  • Oracle InfiniBand-related packages (ofed*)

For storage, do not apply any RPM updates.

Using a Different Version of Java Development Kit (JDK)

Oracle Database Appliance depends on a specific version of JDK. If you want to use a different version of JDK for a specific application, then install it in a different directory and only point to it for that application.

Performing a Bare Metal Restore

Reimage Oracle Database Appliance to perform a bare metal restore of Oracle Database Appliance.

About Performing a Bare Metal Restore

Bare metal operating system (OS) re-imaging installs Oracle Database Appliance operating system software on the local (boot) drive.

Bare Metal is a non-virtualized Oracle Database Appliance configuration. Oracle Database Appliance ships from the factory with a bare metal configuration, default ISO image and Appliance Manager installed.

Use the OS ISO Image to restore the OS to the "shipped from factory" state. Use only when necessary. Reimaging does not patch the firmware or update the component versions, it only re-images the local system disk from an OS perspective. After imaging is completed, redeploy the End User image, then restore from backup, as needed.

The following are some of the reasons that you might want to reimage to perform a bare metal restore:

  • Deploy Bare Metal with latest Oracle Database Appliance software.

    In some cases, the Oracle Database Appliance machine is shipped from the factory with an earlier release of Oracle Database Appliance software. To deploy the machine with the latest software, you can perform an update or you can reimage the machine.

  • Roll back to an earlier version of Oracle Database Appliance software.

    Re-imaging with older release of Oracle Database Appliance software does not rollback the firmware version.

Use the Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) interface to reimage the Oracle Database Appliance node.

Downloading the ISO Image for Bare Metal Restore

Download the Oracle Database Appliance 12.2.1.1.0 Bare Metal ISO image to your desktop or external client to prepare for a bare metal restore on Oracle Database Appliance.

Before downloading the image, ensure that the initial network connection is configured. To use scp or sftp, you must first set up a static IP address (for example, oda_host) and configure Oracle Database Appliance with that address by using the configure-firstnet command. This command ensures the system is available in your network, enabling you to use the Oracle Appliance Manager Web Console to deploy Oracle Database Appliance.

  1. From an external client machine, log on to My Oracle Support. Locate patch 23530609 for the Oracle Database Appliance Bare Metal ISO Image.
  2. Select the patch version for Oracle Appliance Kit 12.2.1.1.0, then click Download to download the zip files onto your external client. 
    p23530609_122110_Linux-x86-64.zip
  3. Use either a Secure Copy (scp) command or a USB storage device to copy the file from the external client to dom0 on Node 0. Use the /tmp directory as the target location.

    Note:

    If you use a USB drive to transfer the file, then format it first as FAT32, ext3, or ext4. NTFS file formats are not supported.

  4. Unzip the patch bundle. 
    # cd /tmp
# unzip p23530609_122110_Linux-x86-64.zip

Related Topics

Re-imaging Oracle Database Appliance

Re-image Oracle Database Appliance to perform a bare metal restore of Oracle Database Appliance.

Bare metal restore uses Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) to re-image the Oracle Database Appliance node. The ILOM must be configured before performing a bare metal restore or re-image. Generally, the ILOM is configured as part of readying for deploying Oracle Database Appliance.

Download the Oracle Database Appliance Bare Metal ISO image to your local machine before you launch the ILOM console.

  1. Open a browser and connect to Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) on Node 0 as root.
    https://ilom-ip-address
  2. Launch the Remote Console.
    1. Expand Remote Control in the left navigation.
    2. Click the Redirection tab.
    3. Click Launch for the Remote Console in the Actions menu.
      The state of the system determines what appears on the Console page.
  3. Add the image.
    1. Click the KVMS tab, then select Storage.
    2. Click Add.
    3. Browse to the Oracle Database Appliance Bare Metal ISO Image, highlight the image, then click Select.
    4. Click Connect.
      The mounting of the ISO image is successful when the Connect button changes to a Disconnect button.
    5. Click OK
      The CD-ROM icon in the top right corner is highlighted.
  4. Configure the CD-ROM as the next boot device.
    1. Expand Host Management in the left menu of the ILOM Remote Console tab.
    2. Click Host Control.
    3. Select CDROM from the Next Boot Device menu, then click Save.
  5. Power cycle the node.
    1. Click Power Control in the Host Management menu.
    2. Select Power Cycle , then click Save.

    When the node comes back after the power cycle, re-imaging starts automatically. The Oracle Linux page appears, followed by the Running Post-Install scripts page.

    The Running Post-Install scripts page is a static page and might give the impression that the re-imaging process is not progressing. The post-install process during re-imaging will wait until the synchronization between the partitions of the two mirrored local hard disks is complete, which can take 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

    To check the progress of re-synchronization, press the ALT-F2 key combination to open a second console and enter the following command:

    # cat /proc/mdstat

    When the re-synchronization is complete, re-imaging is completed and the machine restarts.

After the machine restarts, the system is ready for you to deploy the Oracle software on the appliance to create an Oracle Database Appliance bare metal platform.