Release Update 19.18 Features

All Time Zone Files (DST) Included in Release Updates (RUs)

Starting with Oracle Database 19c RU 19.18.0, all available DST patches are installed with the RU, and deployed into the Oracle_home/oracore/zoneinfo directory. Installing DST patches does not affect database operation. However, installing the patches with the RU makes it easier for you to adjust the timezone version of your database, if you have a requirement to do so. For example, if you are using Transportable Tablespaces, or Full Transportable Export/Import, then you must ensure that your source and target databases are using identical character sets and identical time zone settings. With this change, you can more easily choose to change your destination database to use a different time zone file version than the default.

By default, AutoUpgrade changes the database time zone to the latest available level. If you don’t want the time zone to be upgraded, then you must explicitly set the local parameter timezone_upg in your AutoUpgrade configuration file to no. For example:

upg1.timezone_upg=no

If you choose to use an older database time zone file, then set the database environment variable ORA_TZFILE to the older time zone file. The time zone files are located in Oracle_home/oracore/zoneinfo. By using the environment variable ORA_TZFILE, you can override the default of using the highest-numbered time zone file.