1. Database Upgrade Guide
  2. Introduction to Upgrading Oracle Database
  3. About Upgrading Platforms for a New Oracle Database Release

About Upgrading Platforms for a New Oracle Database Release

Review these topics if you upgrade your operating system or hardware for a new Oracle Database release.

Parent topic: Introduction to Upgrading Oracle Database

About Upgrading Your Operating System

Check operating system requirements for new releases, and if necessary, upgrade your operating system before upgrading Oracle Database.

When you upgrade to a new release of Oracle software, the operating system requirements may have changed. If required, upgrade the operating system before upgrading Oracle Database.

See Also:

  • Oracle Database Installation Guide for your platform to obtain a list of supported operating systems

  • Your operating system-specific documentation for information about how to perform an operating system upgrade

Parent topic: About Upgrading Platforms for a New Oracle Database Release

Options for Transporting Data to a Different Operating System

If you want to perform a cross-platform upgrade, then check for platform-specific differences that can cause issues with data transport, particularly platform endianness.

You cannot directly migrate or transport data in a database on one operating system to a database on another operating system. For example, you cannot migrate data in Oracle Database on Oracle Solaris to an Oracle Database on Microsoft Windows. You must follow procedures specific to your operating system platforms.

To see the platforms that support cross-platform data transport, run the following query using SQL*Plus:

SELECT * FROM V$TRANSPORTABLE_PLATFORM ORDER BY PLATFORM_NAME;

Oracle provides options that you can use to transport tablespaces in a database that runs on one platform into a database that runs on a different platform, such as Recovery Manaager (RMAN), and methods such as using image copies.

Note:

If the source platform and the target platform are of different endianness, then you cannot use the RMAN CONVERT DATABASE command. This process requires both the source and target platform to be the same endian value. Your available options are Oracle Data Pump replication, Oracle Data Pump export/import, or Transportable Tablespace, using RMAN CONVERT TABLESPACE. If the platforms are of the same endianness, then no conversion is necessary, and data can be transported as if on the same platform.

Review the relevant documentation to assist you with cross-platform data transport.

Related Topics

Parent topic: About Upgrading Platforms for a New Oracle Database Release