8.5.12 Updating Individual Packages on Exadata Database Servers

Subject to the following requirements and limitations, you can update individual general-purpose Linux software packages (RPMs) that are supplied with the Oracle Exadata System Software release on Exadata database servers.

• Customizing the system by updating individual packages may introduce dependencies that a subsequent Oracle Exadata System Software update cannot handle. Oracle therefore recommends updating individual packages only when necessary. Before updating an individual package, check whether an Exadata update includes the required package update. If it does, apply the Exadata update instead. Where possible, use Exadata Live Update to apply the latest Exadata security updates while maximizing system availability.

• Individual package updates to Oracle Linux kernel packages and RDMA Network Fabric packages are not permitted under any circumstances. A separate mechanism exists for qualified online Oracle Linux kernel updates using Ksplice. See Installing Kernel Updates on Exadata Database Servers.

• Updated packages must be from the same major Oracle Linux release used on the system. For example, you cannot use a package from Oracle Linux 9 to update a system using Oracle Linux 8.

• You are responsible for validating individual package updates. As is the case with every Oracle Exadata System Software update, it is highly recommended to validate the update on a test system before performing it on a production system.

• You are responsible for orchestrating individual package updates, including stopping and restarting relevant processes and services.

• To update an Exadata-supplied package you must first remove the relevant exadata-*-computenode-exact RPM from your system. Removing the RPM does not impact any functionality, but it removes a logical lock allowing you to update specific individual Linux RPMs. The relevant RPM depends on your system configuration:

  • exadata-ib-computenode-exact: Bare-metal system with InfiniBand Network Fabric.

  • exadata-sun-computenode-exact: Bare-metal system or KVM host with RoCE Network Fabric.

  • exadata-sun-kvm-computenode-exact: Virtual machine (VM) guests on Oracle Linux KVM.

  • exadata-sun-ovs-computenode-exact: Oracle VM Server (OVS) management domain (Dom0).

  • exadata-sun-vm-computenode-exact: Oracle VM Server (OVS) user domain (DomU).

  For example, to remove the RPM from a KVM host, run:

  [root@dm01]# rpm -e exadata-sun-computenode-exact

  Note:

  • Do not use yum or dnf, as these commands may also remove other RPMs in the dependency chain.

  • When updating to a new Oracle Exadata System Software release, the patchmgr update utility attempts to restore the relevant exadata-*-computenode-exact package. If the exadata-*-computenode-exact RPM cannot be restored, the update utility falls back to using the exadata-*-computenode-minimum RPM.

• Ensure that all package installations strictly enforce dependencies. Unless directed by Oracle Support Services, never use dependency-bypass options, such as --nodeps or --skip-broken, with any package management tool.

To find information about and download available Oracle Linux packages:

1. Log on to ULN at https://linux.oracle.com/.

2. Navigate to Channels.

3. In the Find a Channel search interface:

   • Enter a term in the search field.

     If you want to find the latest packages in an Oracle Linux release, search for baseos_latest.

     If you want to find packages in a specific Oracle Linux release, search for Oracle Linux <Release>, where <Release> is the relevant Oracle Linux release. For example, Oracle Linux 8.10.

     If you want to find packages in an Exadata database server image, search for Exadata release <Release>, where <Release> is the relevant Oracle Exadata System Software release number. For example, Exadata release 26.1.

   • Optionally select the appropriate release from the drop-down list of Oracle Linux releases. For example, Oracle Linux 8.

   • Select x86_64 from the drop-down list of platform architectures.

   Then, click View Channels.

4. In the resulting list, click the link for the channel that you want to access.

5. The resulting page lists the packages in the channel. You can browse the list or use the Find a Package search interface to find a specific package.

6. Click the link for a specific package to view the package details page. In the package details page you can view information about the package including its contents and dependencies. You can also download the software package.

As an alternative to downloading individual packages, you can mirror the channel containing the relevant packages to a local repository. See Using Software Distribution Mirrors in Managing Software in Oracle Linux.