1. Patching Guide
  2. Prepare for Patching
  3. Prepare the Patching Environment

Prepare the Patching Environment

Patching operations rely on the same logic as upgrades, but use RPM packages provided through ULN channels instead of an ISO image. Before you start patching an Private Cloud Appliance you must ensure that all updated RPM packages are available in the appropriate locations, and that the Upgrader packages in use on the system are up-to-date.

No patching operations will be allowed to run if the system detects that the Upgrader is not the latest available version.

Caution:

To prevent inconsistencies while executing the upgrade plan later on, it is critical that both parts of the preparation process, Upgrade PreConfig and preUpgrade, are completed together in the specified order. If at any time you need to rerun the preUpgrade command, you must rerun the preceding command first.

Prerequisite Version

The latest Upgrader code automatically enforces prerequisite software versions on your Private Cloud Appliance. In the early stages of upgrade or patch preparation, the Upgrader service validates the currently installed appliance software version against the new target version. The preparation process (upgradePreConfig) documented in this section will only proceed if validation is successful.

If the appliance is not running at least the minimum required version, the Upgrader exits the process and rolls back the environment to its previous state. View the details of the failed upgrade job:

PCA-ADMIN> getupgradejob upgradeJobId=1700153626051-prepare-40046
Data:
  Log File = /nfs/shared_storage/pca_upgrader/log/pca-upgrader_prepare_environment_2023_11_16-16.53.46.log
  Arguments = [...]
  Status = Failed
[...]
  Tasks 23 - Name = Check Prerequisite Build Version
  Tasks 23 - Description = Check current build version not lower than prerequisite version
  Tasks 24 - Name = Check Prerequisite Build Version
  Tasks 24 - Message = (("Caught exception while checking prerequisite build number 
  Exception: Command: ['/usr/bin/python3', '/var/lib/pca-upgrader/prerequisite_build_validator.py', 
  'rack=PCA', 'upgrade=ISO'] failed (1): stderr: b'' stdout: b'PCA version is lower than prerequisite build, 
  must upgrade to prerequisite build 3.0.2-b799577 to proceed further upgrade\\n'",), {})
  Tasks 24 - Status = Failed

You must first install the prerequisite version, which is indicated by the error message in the upgrade job output.

Using the Service Web UI

  1. In the navigation menu, click Upgrade & Patching.

  2. In the top-right corner of the Upgrade Jobs page, click Create Upgrade or Patch.

    The Create Request window appears. Choose Upgrade as the Request Type.

  3. Select the appropriate upgrade request type: Upgrade PreConfig.

  4. Fill out the upgrade request parameters:

    • Option: Enter ULN.

    • Location: Enter the path to the ULN mirror in the data center, using its fully qualified domain name.

    • ISO Checksum: This parameter applies to upgrades from an ISO image and can be ignored.

    • Log Level: Optionally, select a specific log level for the upgrade log file. The default log level is "Information". For maximum detail, select "Debug".

    • Advanced Options JSON: Optionally, add a JSON string to provide additional command parameters.

    • Alternative ULN Channel: This parameter forces the request to use a non-standard ULN channel. Do not use this option unless Oracle explicitly instructs you to do so.

  5. Click Create Request.

    The new upgrade request appears in the Upgrade Jobs table. Package repositories are populated with the latest packages and the YUM configuration is updated as needed.

  6. When the previous upgrade job has completed successfully, create another upgrade request.

  7. Choose Upgrade as the Request Type again, but select a different upgrade request type: preUpgrade.

  8. Fill out the upgrade request parameters:

    • Action: Enter start to retrieve the new version of the upgrader. (To check the status of the previous preUpgrade job, enter status instead.)

    • Type: Enter ULN. The upgrader packages are picked from the appropriate mirrored ULN channel.

  9. Click Create Request.

    The new upgrade request appears in the Upgrade Jobs table. When the job has completed successfully, the upgrader is up-to-date and ready for use.

Using the Service CLI

  1. Populate the repositories with the latest packages and apply the latest YUM configuration. Use the pre-configuration command as shown below. Check that the job completes successfully.

    upgradePreConfig option=ULN location=https://host.example.com/yum
[...]
Data:
  Service request has been submitted. Upgrade Job Id = 1692849609034-prepare-45676 Upgrade Request Id = UWS-edfa3b32-c32a-4b67-8df5-2357096052bf

PCA-ADMIN> getUpgradeJob upgradeJobId=1692849609034-prepare-45676
[...]
  Status = Passed
  Execution Time(sec) = 616

  2. Enable the latest patching functionality using the pre-upgrade command. Check that the job completes successfully.

    PCA-ADMIN> preUpgrade action=start type=ULN

PCA-ADMIN> preUpgrade action=status
[...]
Data: 
   The previous pre-upgrade task succeeded!
   Pre upgrade status = SUCCESS