8.1 About Updating Exadata Software

Exadata software updates apply to three major components:

• Exadata storage servers
• Exadata database servers
• Exadata RDMA Network Fabric switches

Exadata storage server and Exadata database server updates generally contain updates for:

• Oracle Linux operating system
• Oracle Exadata System Software
• Firmware (for example: disk, flash, RAID controller, ILOM, HCA)

The updates do not modify the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home, Oracle Database home (other than relinking during the dbnodeupdate.sh -c step), or customer-installed software.

While it is generally recommended for components to stay in step with the recommended minimum release, you can choose to update different components at different times. For example, you could update RDMA Network Fabric switches at a later time than Exadata storage servers and Exadata database servers. However, you must check My Oracle Support Doc ID 888828.1 for any dependencies.

It is not mandatory to apply each and every Oracle Exadata System Software update that comes out. For example, you can skip two or three releases and update directly to a newer release. Oracle recommends that you update database servers twice a year.

Upgrading is allowed under the following circumstances:

1. The product version of the target release is higher than the installed software, and
2. The date code of the target release is higher than the installed software.

For example, consider a system that is currently running image version 12.1.1.1.2.150411, which consists of product version 12.1.1.1.2 and date code 150411.

• Upgrading to 12.1.2.1.2.150617.1 is allowed because both rules are satisfied.
• Upgrading to 12.1.2.1.1.150316.2 is not allowed because date code 150411 of the installed software is higher than date code 150316 of the target release.

• About Upgrading to Oracle Linux 8 on Exadata Servers
  When you upgrade to Oracle Exadata System Software release 23.1.0, the Oracle Linux version is upgraded to Oracle Linux 8 with Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK) 6.
• About Upgrading to Oracle Linux 7 on Exadata Servers
  When you upgrade to Oracle Exadata System Software release 19.1.0, the Oracle Linux version is upgraded from Oracle Linux 6 to Oracle Linux 7.