Upgrading Oracle Database Using Fleet Patching and Provisioning

In Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2) and later releases, you can use Fleet Patching and Provisioning to upgrade an earlier release Oracle Database.

You upgrade a database with Fleet Patching and Provisioning by creating a copy of the new or upgraded Oracle Database release, and using the command rhpctl upgrade database to upgrade the earlier release Oracle Database in a fleet image deployment. The upgrade is an out-of-place upgrade. After the upgrade is complete, listeners and other initialization variables are set to point to the new Oracle home.

Use this overview of the steps to understand how to upgrade an earlier Oracle Database release by using Fleet Patching and Provisioning:

1. Install a new Oracle Database release.

2. Patch, test, and configure the database to your specifications for a standard operating environment (SOE).

3. Create a Fleet Patching and Provisioning Gold Image from the SOE release Oracle Database home.

4. Complete an upgrade to a new Oracle Grid Infrastructure release on the servers where the databases you want to upgrade are located. You can complete this upgrade by using Fleet Patching and Provisioning. (Note: Your Oracle Grid Infrastructure software must always be the same or a more recent release than Oracle Database software.)

5. Deploy a copy of the new release Oracle Database Fleet Patching and Provisioning gold image to the servers with earlier release Oracle Databases that you want to upgrade.

6. Run the Fleet Patching and Provisioning command rhpctl upgrade database. This command uses the new release Fleet Patching and Provisioning gold image to upgrade the earlier release databases. You can upgrade one, many, or all of the earlier release Oracle Database instances on the servers provisioned with the new release Oracle Database gold image.