Update Manager Action Overview

This section provides an overview of the Update Manager action.

This section describes the tools used in applying updates with the PeopleSoft Update Manager (PUM). In a typical update process, you will use these tools to:

  1. Locate, download, and install the PeopleSoft Update Image for your PeopleSoft application. This is the PUM Source environment.

  2. Set up a Microsoft Windows client with Change Assistant, PeopleTools client and database client utilities for your environment.

  3. Enable the Environment Management Framework on the target environment.

  4. Configure Change Assistant with information about the source and target environments, and define a new change package.

  5. Use the PeopleSoft Update Manager PIA Application to search for updates and create a custom change package.

See Quick Start for a list of steps and links.

PeopleSoft Update Image

PeopleSoft Update Images (PI) are fully functioning instances of the PeopleSoft environment made up of PeopleSoft deployment packages (DPKs). They can be deployed using Oracle VM VirtualBox to host the PeopleSoft (DPKS). Alternatively, you can install and configure PeopleSoft environments on Microsoft Windows or Linux hardware or virtualization platforms using the DPKs. The DPKs that are deployed using Oracle VM VirtualBox are referred to as "VirtualBox DPK," and those that are deployed directly onto Microsoft Windows, Linux, AIX or Solaris operating systems are referred to as "Native OS DPK."

Oracle delivers a complete and current PeopleSoft Update Image on a regular schedule for each PeopleSoft application database instance, for example: FSCM, HCM. The delivery schedules and the PI will be posted on My Oracle Support (MOS). Customers must download the image and deploy the image locally before they can run Update Manager or create a custom change package.

The most current PeopleSoft Update Image will be delivered on the most current PeopleTools release. It is not necessary to upgrade PeopleTools on your target environment in order to use the current Image. The PeopleSoft Update Image supports multiple releases.

Note: It is recommended that customers download PeopleSoft Update Images when they are available, this will avoid the need to do a large download when a current image is needed to resolve a critical production issue.

The PeopleSoft Update Manager Home Page( My Oracle Support, Document 1641843.2) is the central location for all things related to PeopleSoft Update Manager (PUM) and PeopleSoft Update Images (PIs).

  • Hardware and Software Requirements are available from the left-hand side of the PeopleSoft Update Manager Home Page.

  • The PeopleSoft Update Image Home Pages tab provides links for you to locate the PeopleSoft Image and additional information for your application.

    The Update Image Homepage for your application will contain links to all the relevant information for the PI you are downloading. The Installation Documentation section on the page contains a link to PeopleSoft Deployment Packages Installation (PeopleSoft PeopleTools 8.56).

  • The Best Practices provides information to help you plan for and determine the maintenance strategy and best practices your organization.

See Installing PeopleSoft Update Imageand Configuring the Microsoft Windows Client Running Change Assistant.

Change Assistant

Install Change Assistant on the Microsoft Windows client machine. The Update Manager action in Change Assistant is used to:

  • Upload Target Database information to the PeopleSoft Update Image, including products and maintenance logs. Once the database information is uploaded, the database will be available in PeopleSoft Update Manager as a target database.

  • Create a custom change package based on the change package definition created in PUM. Since Change Assistant has all of the target database information, this custom change package is automatically filtered for database platform and installed products.

  • Apply updates to the target database.

  • Create the reconciled or modified change package that can then be applied without compare into all other customized environments, assuming these customized environments are at the same release/patch level.

  • Deploy updates to additional target environments using the reconciled change package.

  • Update PeopleSoft Update Image with PeopleSoft Release Patchsets (PRP).

  • Apply change package for PeopleTools patch.

  • Apply change package for new PeopleTools release.

  • Apply application upgrade.

See Opening Change Assistant the First Time

Environment Management Framework (Optional)

Environment Management Framework (EMF) gathers and publishes configuration and setup information about the file servers, the web servers, the application servers, the individual hosts, and the PeopleSoft Process Scheduler servers that comprise your PeopleSoft system. Change Assistant uses the information gathered by EMF to identify the available target databases when applying updates.

Configuring and running EMF is optional, EMF is only required to automate the file deploy process. If EMF is not configured and running, you will need to deploy files manually when you apply an application update.

See Configuring the Environment Management Hub

PeopleSoft Update Manager PIA Application

The PeopleSoft Update Manager PIA application runs on the PeopleSoft Update Image (PI) virtual machine. The Update Manager Dashboard provides pivot grids to determine the current status of your target databases and also provides folders with links to the Update Manger pages. The Define Change Package folder contains links to wizards that will lead you through the process of selecting updates and defining custom change packages for your environment. It provides a wide array of search options for selecting the updates to apply to your environment. It lets you review the details of the changes for each update before creating the change package definition, shows you what has already been applied to your environment, and automatically includes requisite updates based on what you selected and what is already applied to your environment.

Once the Target information has been uploaded to the PI, you can directly signon to the PI at any time to search for updates and create change package definitions without using Change Assistant. However, when you access Update Manager PIA application directly, the maintenance log details of that target will not be updated. Target database details are updated when:

  • The task Upload Target Database Information to PUM Source is run.

  • The step SyncDatabaseInfoToPUMSource in the change package template is executed.

    Note: This step is included in the change package if the option Synchronize Target Metadata (Requires Source) is selected on the Change Package Settings page when apply the update.

Change Assistant is updated when:

  • The database is defined.

  • The step SyncDatabaseInfoToCA in the change package template is executed.

When you are ready to create and apply the change package, the change package definition will be available from Change Assistant.

Change Packager

Change Packager is the software update tool that will automatically create your change package based on the change package definition. For change packages defined using PeopleSoft Update Manager PIA application, the change packager is invoked automatically by Change Assistant when you select to apply the change package.

Update Manager Action includes the following sections:

  • Update Manager Tasks

    These are the tasks associated with defining and applying application updates from the PeopleSoft Update Image. The tasks include:

    • Validate Change Assistant EMF Settings

    • Upload Target Database Information to PUM Source

    • Define or Create New Change Package

    • Apply Change Package

    • Apply Translation Delta Package

    • Apply Downloaded PeopleSoft Release Patchset to PeopleSoft Update Image

  • Application Upgrade Tasks

    Upgrade to New Application Release

  • PeopleTools Tasks

    These are the tasks associated with applying PeopleTools patches and upgrades. The tasks include:

    • Apply a Patch to Your Current PeopleTools Release

    • Upgrade to a New Release of PeopleTools

    • Apply Tools Delta Package

Validate Change Assistant EMF Settings

EMF is used with the Update Manager action to identify the file servers for your target environment. If you configured the EM Hub option for your environment, use this to validate the EMF settings.

Upload Target Database Information to PUM Source

The Upload Target Database Information to PUM Source is used to upload the target database information to the PeopleSoft Update Image, including products and maintenance logs. Once the database information is uploaded, the database will be available in PeopleSoft Update Manager as a target database.

Note: In previous releases of Change Assistant, the target information was uploaded to the PUM source when you were creating a new change package in Change Assistant or when the PUMMaintenanceLogSync step was executed in Change Assistant. The PUMMaintenanceLogSync step has been replaced by the steps SyncDatabaseInfoToPUMSource and SyncDatabaseInfoToCA.

Define or Create a New Change Package

The Define or Create a New Change Package option is used to:

  • Define your target databases in Change Assistant and open a browser session to the PeopleSoft Update Image database (PUM source).

  • Define change package definition using PeopleSoft Update Manager PIA application on the PeopleSoft Update Image.

  • Create the change package in Change Assistant.

  • Apply the change package to the target database.

See Defining a New Change Package,

Apply Change Package

The Apply Change Package option is used to:

  • Apply the custom change package to a target environment.

  • Apply custom change package to additional target environments.

See Applying Change Package

Apply Translation Delta Package

The Apply Translation Delta Package option is used to:

  • Apply translation delta package to a target environment.

  • Apply translation delta package to additional target environments.

Apply Downloaded PeopleSoft Release Patchset to PeopleSoft Image

The Apply Downloaded PeopleSoft Release Patchset to PeopleSoft Update Image is used to apply PeopleSoft Release Patches (PRP) to the PeopleSoft Update Image.

See Applying Downloaded PeopleSoft Release Patchset to PeopleSoft Image

Upgrade to New Application Release

The Upgrade to New Application Release is used to upgrade to application 9.2.

Apply a Patch to Your Current PeopleTools Release

PeopleTools patches deliver fixes between PeopleTools minor releases. PeopleTools patches are posted to My Oracle Support, as they become available. PeopleTools patches are cumulative. They include all fixes from all previous patches for the specified release.

A PeopleTools patch contains the PeopleTools binaries and database changes. The database changes are delivered in a change package located in the PS_HOME\PTP directory. The Apply a Patch to Your Current PeopleTools Release option is used to apply this change package.

Upgrade to a New Release of PeopleTools

A PeopleTools upgrade consists of the new PeopleTools release and PeopleTools upgrade change package that contains all the database changes. After installing the new release and downloading the upgrade change package, this option is used to apply the upgrade change package.

Apply Tools Delta Package

The Apply Tools Delta Package option is used to:

  • Apply the tools delta package to a target environment.

  • Apply the tools delta package to additional target environments.

See Creating and Applying Tools Delta Package