8.5.7 Recommended Timeline for Updating Exadata Database Servers

Oracle recommends the following timeline for updating Exadata database servers. By following this approach, you allow yourself time to perform any necessary corrective actions.

Note:

Before making any changes, including prerequisite check, you should make a backup.

Table 8-9 Timeline for Performing Updates

When	Tasks
Weeks to days before the update	Download the latest dbserver.patch.zip from My Oracle Support note 1553103.1. Download the latest Exachk from My Oracle Support note 1070954.1. Research release-specific My Oracle Support note for known issues. Research Exadata Critical Issues from My Oracle Support note 1270094.1. Run Exachk. Perform a first prerequisite check. For details, see Running Prerequisite Checks.
Just before the update	Download the latest dbserver.patch.zip from My Oracle Support note 1553103.1. Download the latest Exachk from My Oracle Support note 1070954.1. Research release-specific My Oracle Support note for known issues. Research Exadata Critical Issues from My Oracle Support note 1270094.1. Run Exachk and perform corrective actions as needed.
At update time	Perform a “backup only” run using the -backup flag. See Backing up Exadata Database Servers Before Planned Maintenance for details. Perform a second prerequisite check. Remove any blocking rpms and re-run the prerequisite check to validate if all changes are complete. Perform the update. Use the -nobackup flag to skip the backup because you already made a “backup only” run. See Running the Update for details.
After the update	Run Exachk. Reinstall any non-Exadata rpms that you removed before the Exadata update.