Changes in This Release for Oracle RAC

Following are the changes in Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation Guide for this release.

• Changes in Oracle Database 18c
  

Changes in Oracle Database 18c

The following are changes in Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation Guide for Oracle Database 18c.

• New Features
  New features for Oracle Database 18c.
• Deprecated Features
  Deprecated features for Oracle Database 18c.

New Features

New features for Oracle Database 18c.

• Simplified Image-based Oracle Database Installation

  Starting with Oracle Database 18c, the Oracle Database software is available as an image file for download and installation. Extract the image software into the directory where you want your Oracle home to be located, and then run the runInstaller script to start the Oracle Database installation.

  For more information, see About Image-Based Oracle Database Installation

• Read-Only Oracle Home

  Starting with Oracle Database 18c, if you choose a read-only Oracle home, then the database tools and processes write under the ORACLE_BASE path instead of under the Oracle home directory.

  A read-only Oracle home separates the software from the database configuration information and log files. This separation enables you to easily share the software across different deployments. A read-only Oracle home also simplifies version control and standardization.

  For more information, see Configuring Read-Only Oracle Homes

• Local Switch Home Command for Patching Databases

  Starting with Oracle Database 18c, the Oracle Database home includes a built-in tool, rhpctl, that enables you to switch from the current Oracle Database home to a patched Oracle Database home. Thus, you can provision the new home as a gold image, rather than cloning the existing home.

  This single rhpctl command also enables you to switch from the new home to the previous home if you decide to rollback the operation. rhpctl performs all of the steps for switching the home and the command also provides options for rolling or non-rolling of individual nodes or set of nodes in a cluster using session management.

  For more information, see Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide

Deprecated Features

Deprecated features for Oracle Database 18c.

The following feature is deprecated in this release, and may be desupported in another release. See Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for a complete list of deprecated features in this release.

• Flex Cluster (Hub/Leaf) Architecture

  Starting with Oracle Database 18c, Leaf nodes are deprecated as part of Oracle Flex Cluster architecture.

  With continuous improvements in the Oracle Clusterware stack towards providing shorter reconfiguration times in case of a failure, Leaf nodes are no longer necessary for implementing clusters that meet customer needs, either for on-premises, or in the Cloud.