Administering Software Images

Oracle maintains a library of cloud software images and provides capabilities to view the library and download images to your Oracle Database Exadata Cloud at Customer instance. Using these facilities, you can control the version of Oracle binaries that is used when a new set of Oracle binaries is installed.

When you create a new database deployment with a new Oracle Home directory location, the Oracle Database binaries are sourced from a software image that is stored in your Exadata Cloud at Customer instance. Over time, the software images in your Exadata Cloud at Customer instance will become old if they are not maintained. Using an old software image means that you need to apply patches to newly installed binaries to bring them up to date, which is unnecessarily laborious and possibly prone to error.

Software image administration uses the dbaascli utility, which is part of the cloud-specific tooling included in Exadata Cloud at Customer. To use the latest enhancements, you should update to the latest version of the cloud tools. See Updating the Cloud Tooling on Exadata Cloud at Customer.

Note:

If you create a new database deployment in an existing Oracle Home directory location, the software version in the existing Oracle Home directory location must not be older than the current default software image. If the current default software image is newer than the software version in the existing Oracle Home directory location, then the database creation will fail.

To avoid this situation, you can use any of the following options:

Before you create the new database deployment, patch the existing Oracle Home directory location to bring it up to the release level of the default software image.
Before you create the new database deployment, activate the software image that matches the release level of the software in the existing Oracle Home directory location. Then, after creating the database deployment, re-activate the newer software image, if required.
Create the new database deployment in a new Oracle Home directory location, which will use the default software image.

Topics

Viewing Information About Downloaded Software Images

You can view information about Oracle Database software images that are downloaded to your Exadata Cloud at Customer environment by using the dbimage list subcommand of the dbaascli utility as follows:

Connect to a compute node as the opc user.

For detailed instructions, see Connecting to a Compute Node Through Secure Shell (SSH).
Start a root-user command shell:
```
$ sudo -s
#
```
Execute the dbaascli command with the dbimage list subcommand:
```
# dbaascli dbimage list
```
The command displays a list of software images that are downloaded to your Exadata Cloud at Customer environment, including version and bundle patch information.
Exit the root-user command shell:
```
# exit
$
```

Viewing Information About Available Software Images

You can view information about Oracle Database software images that are available to download to your Exadata Cloud at Customer environment by using the cswlib list subcommand of the dbaascli utility as follows:

Connect to a compute node as the opc user.

For detailed instructions, see Connecting to a Compute Node Through Secure Shell (SSH).
Start a root-user command shell:
```
$ sudo -s
#
```
Execute the dbaascli command with the cswlib list subcommand:
```
# dbaascli cswlib list [ --oss_uri download_location ]
```
The command displays a list of available software images, including version and bundle patch information that you can use to download the software image.

The --oss_uri option can be used to specify the location of the software image library. Normally, the --oss_uri option is not required because the location of the software image library is automatically derived from configuration information in the Exadata Cloud at Customer environment. However, if you experience any difficulties with the automatic location, you can lodge a service request (SR) with Oracle Support and they may instruct you to use this option to specify an alternate location. The download_location is specified as a uniform resource identifier (URI) to a cloud storage container that contains available software images.
Exit the root-user command shell:
```
# exit
$
```

Downloading a Software Image

You can download available software images and make them available in your Exadata Cloud at Customer environment by using the cswlib download subcommand of the dbaascli utility as follows:

Connect to a compute node as the opc user.

For detailed instructions, see Connecting to a Compute Node Through Secure Shell (SSH).
Start a root-user command shell:
```
$ sudo -s
#
```
Execute the dbaascli command with the cswlib download subcommand:
```
# dbaascli cswlib download --version software_version --bp software_bp [--bp_update ( yes | no )] [--cdb ( yes | no )] [--oss_uri download_location]
```
In the preceding command:
- software_version — specifies an Oracle Database software version. For example, 11204, 12102, 12201, 18000, 19000.
- software_bp — identifies a bundle patch release. For example, APR2018, JAN2019, OCT2019, and so on.
- --bp_update — optionally indicates whether the downloaded software image becomes the current default software image. Default is no.
- --cdb — optionally specifies whether the downloaded software image supports the Oracle multitenant architecture. Default is yes. If you specify --cdb no, then a separate software image is downloaded that contains binaries to support non-container databases (non-CDB).
- download_location — optionally specifies the location of the software image library. The location is specified as a uniform resource identifier (URI) to a cloud storage container that contains available software images.
  
  Normally, the --oss_uri option is not required because the location of the software image library is automatically derived from configuration information in the Exadata Cloud at Customer environment. However, if you experience any difficulties with the automatic location, you can lodge a service request (SR) with Oracle Support and they may instruct you to use this option to specify an alternate location.
Exit the root-user command shell:
```
# exit
$
```

Activating a Software Image

You can use the following procedure to activate a specific software image, making it the default software image for the corresponding software release in your Exadata Cloud at Customer environment:

Connect to a compute node as the opc user.

For detailed instructions, see Connecting to a Compute Node Through Secure Shell (SSH).
Start a root-user command shell:
```
$ sudo -s
#
```
Execute the dbaascli command with the dbimage activateBP subcommand:
```
# dbaascli dbimage activateBP --version software_version --bp software_bp [--cdb ( yes | no )]
```
In the preceding command:
- software_version — specifies the Oracle Database software version. For example, 11204, 12102, 12201, 18000, 19000.
- software_bp — identifies the bundle patch release. For example, APR2018, JAN2019, OCT2019, and so on.
- --cdb — optionally specifies whether to activate a software image that supports the Oracle multitenant architecture. Default is yes. If you specify --cdb no, then the command acts on the software image that contains binaries to support non-container databases (non-CDB).
The command fails and outputs an error message if the specified software image is not already downloaded to your Exadata Cloud at Customer environment.
Exit the root-user command shell:
```
# exit
$
```

Deleting a Software Image

You can use the following procedure to delete a software image from your Exadata Cloud at Customer environment:

Connect to a compute node as the opc user.

For detailed instructions, see Connecting to a Compute Node Through Secure Shell (SSH).
Start a root-user command shell:
```
$ sudo -s
#
```
Execute the dbaascli command with the dbimage purge subcommand:
```
# dbaascli dbimage purge --version software_version --bp software_bp [--cdb ( yes | no )]
```
In the preceding command:
- software_version — specifies the Oracle Database software version. For example, 11204, 12102, 12201, 18000, 19000.
- software_bp — identifies the bundle patch release. For example, APR2018, JAN2019, OCT2019, and so on.
- --cdb — optionally specifies whether to remove the software image that supports the Oracle multitenant architecture. Default is yes. If you specify --cdb no, then the software image that contains binaries to support non-container databases (non-CDB) is removed.
If the command will remove a software image that is not currently available in the software image library, and therefore cannot be downloaded again, then the command pauses and prompts for confirmation.

You cannot remove the current default software image for any software version. To avoid this restriction, you must make another software image the current default.
Exit the root-user command shell:
```
# exit
$
```