9 Upgrading Oracle Key Vault Endpoints
This chapter enables you to plan an endpoint upgrade, and then describes how you can upgrade endpoints in different scenarios.
- About Upgrading Oracle Key Vault Endpoints
This topic introduces the process of upgrading Oracle Key Vault Endpoints. - Planning for Endpoints Upgrade
Planning endpoint upgrades helps you minimize downtime and facilitates a smooth upgrade process. - Endpoint Upgrade Considerations
The following topics describe how you can upgrade an endpoint by upgrading the endpoint software or by re-enrolling the endpoint. Additionally, information about the options that must be set to install endpoint software for use with Oracle Database 23ai or later, is included. - Understanding Endpoint Upgrade for TDE-enabled Databases
This topic introduces the upgrade process for TED-enabled endpoints. - Near-Zero Downtime Endpoint Upgrade
For endpoints used with Oracle Database 23ai and later, you can upgrade them with near-zero downtime of the database. - Upgrade the Endpoint
You can upgrade an endpoint by updating the endpoint software or by re-enrolling the endpoint.
9.1 About Upgrading Oracle Key Vault Endpoints
This topic introduces the process of upgrading Oracle Key Vault Endpoints.
When you upgrade the Oracle Key Vault server software appliance, also upgrade the endpoint software to get access to the latest enhancements.
Oracle Key Vault client software is backward-compatible. While older versions of Oracle Key Vault client software are fully functional with an upgraded Oracle Key Vault server, some new Oracle Key Vault features are only available with the current client software. For example, to use non-extractable TDE master key, the endpoint software must be upgraded to a release that supports the feature.
Parent topic: Upgrading Oracle Key Vault Endpoints
9.2 Planning for Endpoints Upgrade
Planning endpoint upgrades helps you minimize downtime and facilitates a smooth upgrade process.
- Choose Upgrade Approach: For minor version upgrades, updating the endpoint software is typically sufficient. Major version upgrades may require re-enrollment.
- Schedule and Coordinate: Plan upgrade activities during non-peak usage periods to minimize business impact, especially when database downtime is necessary to update libraries used by TDE-enabled databases.
- Leverage Near Zero Downtime Options: For Oracle Database 23ai and later, use the near-zero downtime upgrade scheme to further reduce or eliminate downtime.
Parent topic: Upgrading Oracle Key Vault Endpoints
9.3 Endpoint Upgrade Considerations
The following topics describe how you can upgrade an endpoint by upgrading the endpoint software or by re-enrolling the endpoint. Additionally, information about the options that must be set to install endpoint software for use with Oracle Database 23ai or later, is included.
- Upgrading Endpoint Software or Re-enrolling an Endpoint
You can upgrade an endpoint by upgrading the endpoint software or re-enrolling the endpoint. - Endpoint Software for Oracle Database 23ai or Later
Oracle Key Vault ships with newer endpoint software to use with Oracle Database 23ai or later.
Parent topic: Upgrading Oracle Key Vault Endpoints
9.3.1 Upgrading Endpoint Software or Re-enrolling an Endpoint
You can upgrade an endpoint by upgrading the endpoint software or re-enrolling the endpoint.
Upgrading the endpoint software does not affect the existing endpoint certificate or okvclient.ora
, the endpoint configuration file. Re-enrolling an endpoint invalidates an existing endpoint certificate, and a new endpoint certificate as well as okvclient.ora
are installed. Oracle recommends that you upgrade the endpoint software for minor version upgrades (for example, from 21.x to 21.y) and consider re-enrolling the endpoint when upgrading across major versions (for example, from 18.x to 21.y).
Before you re-enroll an endpoint for TDE-enabled database, you must shut down the database.
When you update the software for the TDE-enable database endpoint, you may either eliminate or minimize database downtime.
Parent topic: Endpoint Upgrade Considerations
9.3.2 Endpoint Software for Oracle Database 23ai or Later
Oracle Key Vault ships with newer endpoint software to use with Oracle Database 23ai or later.
The new endpoint software for Oracle Database 23ai or later is required to support the database running in FIPS mode using OpenSSL libraries and the improved version of local auto login wallets. The new endpoint software for Oracle Database 23ai or later includes additional libraries and is supported on the Linux-x64 platform only.
To install the endpoint software for use with Oracle Database 23ai or later, specify the following options during installation:
- Use the
-arch db23ai
option when installing with theokvclient.jar
file. - Use the
--arch db23ai
option when installing with theokv admin endpoint provision
command.
Parent topic: Endpoint Upgrade Considerations
9.4 Understanding Endpoint Upgrade for TDE-enabled Databases
This topic introduces the upgrade process for TED-enabled endpoints.
When you upgrade a TDE-enabled database endpoint, complete the following steps:
- Updated the endpoint software or re-enroll the endpoint.
- Install the PKCS#11 library by running the
root.sh
orroot.bat
scripts.
Oracle Database does not use the PKCS#11 library from the $OKV_HOME/lib
directory. You can install the PKCS#11 library to a standard location, or to an Oracle Key Vault release-specific location (for Oracle Database 23ai or later).
- Using the PKCS#11 Library from a Standard Location
This topic describes how to use the PKCS#11 library from a standard location. - Using the PKCS#11 Library from an Oracle Key Vault Release-specific Location
This topic describes steps to use the PKCS#11 library from an Oracle Key Vault Release-specific location.
Parent topic: Upgrading Oracle Key Vault Endpoints
9.4.1 Using the PKCS#11 Library from a Standard Location
This topic describes how to use the PKCS#11 library from a standard location.
/opt/oracle/extapi/64/hsm/oracle/1.0.0/liborapkcs.so
To update the PKCS#11 library at the standard location, run the root.sh
(or root.bat
) script without any arguments.
/opt/oracle/extapi/64/pkcs11/okv/<okv_version>/lib
- All such databases on the same host must use the same version of the endpoint software.
- All such databases on the host must be shut down before installing the PKCS#11 library at the standard location.
- Upgrade the endpoint software for all such databases on a host before running the
root.sh
orroot.bat
scripts. While you may upgrade the endpoints one by one, do not run theroot.sh
orroot.bat
scripts until all endpoints are upgraded. Database shutdown is not required during endpoint software upgrades. A shutdown is only required before running theroot.sh
orroot.bat
scripts, which must be run only once per host. - Use this approach for databases that do not support the database parameter
PKCS11_LIBRARY_LOCATION
.
Parent topic: Understanding Endpoint Upgrade for TDE-enabled Databases
9.4.2 Using the PKCS#11 Library from an Oracle Key Vault Release-specific Location
This topic describes steps to use the PKCS#11 library from an Oracle Key Vault Release-specific location.
For Oracle Database 23ai and later, Oracle recommends that you install the liborapkcs.so
library in an Oracle Key Vault release-specific location.
root.sh
script with the --okv_pkcs11_library_location
option:root.sh --okv_pkcs11_library_location
liborapkcs.so
library and other libraries at the Oracle Key Vault release-specific location:/opt/oracle/extapi/64/pkcs11/okv/<okv-version>/lib
/opt/oracle/extapi/64/pkcs11/okv/21.12.0.0.0/lib
To use the PKCS#11 library from the Oracle Key Vault release-specific path, set the PKCS11_LIBRARY_LOCATION
database parameter to the new library location. Perform this step, which requires the database to be restarted, only once when switching from the standard location to the Oracle Key Vault release-specific path for the first time.
For subsequent endpoint upgrades, switching to the newer PKCS#11 library from its release-specific path does not require a database shutdown. Run the ADMINISTER KEY MANAGEMENT SWITCHOVER
command to begin using the updated library.
- You can implement near-zero downtime upgrades for endpoints.
- When upgrading multiple endpoints on the same host, you can upgrade each endpoint independently without affecting other endpoints. For each release, install the PKCS#11 library in its release-specific path only once.
- TDE-enabled databases on the same host can use different versions of Oracle Key Vault endpoint software.
Parent topic: Understanding Endpoint Upgrade for TDE-enabled Databases
9.5 Near-Zero Downtime Endpoint Upgrade
For endpoints used with Oracle Database 23ai and later, you can upgrade them with near-zero downtime of the database.
The endpoint upgrade is termed near-zero downtime because you need to shut down the database once during initial setup. For subsequent endpoint upgrades, you do not need to shut down databases, effectively making them zero downtime endpoint upgrades.
- Install the PKCS#11 library in an Oracle Key Vault release-specific directory.
- Configure the database to use the PKCS#11 library from the release-specific location.
- Installing the PKCS#11 Library in an Oracle Key Vault Release-specific Location
This topic describes how you can install theliborapkcs.so
library to implement a near-zero downtime endpoint upgrade. - Configuring the Database to use the PKCS#11 Library from a Custom Location
This topic describes how to enable near-zero downtime endpoint upgrade for Oracle Database 23ai and later. - Library Switchover for Subsequent Endpoint Upgrades
This topic describes how you can complete subsequent endpoint upgrades without any database downtime.
Parent topic: Upgrading Oracle Key Vault Endpoints
9.5.1 Installing the PKCS#11 Library in an Oracle Key Vault Release-specific Location
This topic describes how you can install the liborapkcs.so
library to implement a near-zero downtime endpoint upgrade.
To take advantage of a near-zero downtime endpoint upgrade, install the liborapkcs.so
library in the Oracle Key Vault release-specific location.
root.sh --okv_pkcs11_library_location
liborapkcs.so
library and other libraries at the OKV release-specific location:/opt/oracle/extapi/64/pkcs11/okv/<okv-version>/lib
When you install the latest liborapkcs.so
library in the Oracle Key Vault release-specific location, it does not overwrite the liborapkcs.so
library from a previous Oracle Key Vault version. Databases that are currently using the previous version of the library remain unaffected by the endpoint software upgrade.
Parent topic: Near-Zero Downtime Endpoint Upgrade
9.5.2 Configuring the Database to use the PKCS#11 Library from a Custom Location
This topic describes how to enable near-zero downtime endpoint upgrade for Oracle Database 23ai and later.
PKCS11_LIBRARY_LOCATION
database parameter.
- Log in to the CDB Root as a user with the
ALTER SYSTEM
privilege. - Set the static initialization parameter
PKCS11_LIBRARY_LOCATION
to point to theliborapkcs.so
library from the Oracle Key Vault release-specific library location. For example:ALTER SYSTEM SET PKCS11_LIBRARY_LOCATION=’/opt/oracle/extapi/64/pkcs11/okv/21.12.0.0.0/lib/liborapkcs.so’ SCOPE=SPFILE SID=’*’;
- Restart the database for the parameter to take effect.
After the restart, the database starts using the PKCS#11 library from the specified Oracle Key Vault release-specific path.
The database is now set to switch to a newer PKCS#11 library without requiring a shutdown.
Parent topic: Near-Zero Downtime Endpoint Upgrade
9.5.3 Library Switchover for Subsequent Endpoint Upgrades
This topic describes how you can complete subsequent endpoint upgrades without any database downtime.
PKCS11_LIBRARY_LOCATION
parameter.
ADMINISTER KEY MANAGEMENT SWITCHOVER TO LIBRARY
instructs the database to switch over from the current PKCS#11 library to a new PKCS#11 library without undergoing system downtime. After running this command, database foreground and background processes are gradually switched over to the new library.
You can use the database view V$PKCS11_PATH
to monitor the PKCS#11 library that is used by each database process.
Parent topic: Near-Zero Downtime Endpoint Upgrade
9.6 Upgrade the Endpoint
You can upgrade an endpoint by updating the endpoint software or by re-enrolling the endpoint.
Parent topic: Upgrading Oracle Key Vault Endpoints