4 Upgrading Oracle Forms
- First upgrade to 12.2.1.4 by following the upgrade instructions in the 12.2.1.4 version of Installing Oracle Forms. Then, follow the steps provided in this section to upgrade to 12.2.1.19.
- Perform a fresh installation of 12.2.1.19 and manually configure the new environment, as required.
Note:
Although Oracle Reports is included in this release, it has been deprecated. Refer to the 12.2.1.3.0 Documentation Library for upgrade information specific to Oracle Reports.These topics are covered:
Planning an Upgrade of Oracle Forms
Upgrading to version 12.2.1.19.0 is only supported when the starting version is 12.2.1.3 or 12.2.1.4.
Before you continue, it is recommended that you first create a backup of the existing installation.
When planning an upgrade, you'll need to decide where to install the software. There are two options. You can install the software in the same Oracle Home directory where the previous version is installed. This is referred to as an "in-place" upgrade.
Or, you can instead install in a new Oracle Home directory. This is referred to as an "out-of-place" upgrade.
An in-place upgrade is simpler: All you have to do is rename the existing Oracle Home directory, install the software in the directory path that was previously used, then copy over any required files from the backup directory. This upgrade is particularly useful for multi-node environments since you can shut down and upgrade one node at a time, ensuring minimal to no downtime.
Out-of-place upgrades are used when you want to install Oracle Forms in a new directory. For this option, install the software as for a fresh install, then use the WLS Reconfiguration Wizard and Upgrade Assistant to complete the upgrade.
In both cases, you’ll need to complete the applicable configuration steps following the upgrade, as set out in this chapter.
The steps you’ll need to complete may depend on the type of upgrade you are doing as well as your starting version. Review the following sections carefully to determine which procedures are required for your environment.
If your current version is earlier than 12.2.1.3, you need to first upgrade to 12.2.1.4 before proceeding. Refer to version 12.2.1.4 of Installing Oracle Forms for information on how to upgrade to that version.
When you believe you have a working 12.2.1.4 environment, return to this document and continue.
Performing a Pre-Upgrade Readiness Check
To identify potential issues with the upgrade, Oracle recommends that you run a readiness check using the Upgrade Assistant before you start the upgrade process.
When you run the Upgrade Assistant in readiness mode, it performs a pre-upgrade check on the schemas and component configurations associated with a domain. When completed, the readiness check generates a formatted, time-stamped readiness report so you can address potential issues before you attempt the actual upgrade.
Oracle recommends that you read this report thoroughly before performing an upgrade.
If no issues are detected, you can begin the upgrade process.
Note:
Be aware that the readiness check may not be able to discover all potential issues with your upgrade. An upgrade may still fail, even if the readiness check reports success.Create Copies of Oracle Forms Template Files
Before you start an upgrade to the latest 12c release, it is recommended that you create copies of existing Forms template files.
This includes all files in the following directory: DOMAIN_HOME\user_projects\domains\base_domain\config\fmwconfig\components\FORMS\instances\<INSTANCE NAME>\server. If you are upgrading from a previous 12c release to the latest release, the files are located in the same directory as mentioned in the previous line.
The copy of template files will help you to restore user-specific customization in the new forms template files.
After you have completed the upgrade process, you should manually copy or merge user-specific customizations created in the earlier version to the new Forms template files.
Upgrading to Oracle Forms 12.2.1.19.0
Upgrade to Oracle Forms 12.2.1.19.0 by either installing the software in the same Oracle Home directory or installing in a new Oracle Home directory you create. After the upgrade, complete the applicable configuration steps.
If you plan to use the existing Oracle Home directory, follow the procedures for an "in-place"" upgrade. In this case, you'll back up the existing directory, install the software in the existing directory, then copy over any required files from the backup directory. See Performing an In-Place Upgrade.
This upgrade is particularly useful for multi-node environments since you can shut down and upgrade one node at a time, ensuring minimal to no downtime.
If you plan to create a new directory for this installation, follow the "out-of-place" procedures instead. This involves installing the software as for a fresh install, then use the WLS Reconfiguration Wizard and Upgrade Assistant to complete the upgrade. See Performing an Out-of-Place Upgrade.
Regardless of which upgrade path you choose, if the existing WLS domain was previously configured to use Forms Application Deployment Services (FADS), you must upgrade the Oracle SQL Developer version found in the Oracle Home directory to 21.4.3.
Download this version of Oracle SQL Developer from the Oracle SQL Developer Downloads 21.4.3 page. In the table, use the link for Other Platforms.
WARNING:
Do not upgrade Oracle SQL Developer to a version newer than 21.4.3.To get the Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure and Oracle Forms and Reports software, refer to Obtaining the Oracle Fusion Middleware Software.
When you have finished installing 12.2.1.19, you'll need to perform some additional tasks to complete the upgrade. See Completing the Upgrade.
This section includes these topics:
Performing an In-Place Upgrade
To perform an "in-place" upgrade, you'll back up the existing Oracle Home directory, install the latest versions of the required software in the existing directory, then copy over any required files from the backup directory.
In an in-place upgrade, you install the 12.2.1.19.0 software in the same Oracle Home path that 12.2.1.4.0 or 12.2.1.3.0 previously used. This upgrade is recommended for multi-node load balanced Forms deployment.
This procedure uses a two-node environment as an example: A primary node, named "node1", with Admin Server, Forms (managed Server WLS_FORMS and System component forms1) and Oracle HTTP Server (OHS); and a secondary node, named "node2", with Forms Instance (managed Server WLS_FORMS and System component forms1).
For single node configurations, complete steps 1 - 8. For each additional node, complete steps 9 - 12.
To perform an in-place upgrade:
Performing an Out-of-Place Upgrade
To perform an "out-of-place" upgrade, you'll install the software as for a fresh install, then use the WLS Reconfiguration Wizard and Upgrade Assistant to complete the upgrade.
In an out-of-place upgrade, you install the 12.2.1.19.0 software in a new Oracle Home directory rather than the one used by the 12.2.1.4.0 or 12.2.1.3.0 install.
Install the Software in a New Oracle Home
Install the Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure 12.2.1.4 and Forms 12.2.1.19 software into a new Oracle home directory.
After installing the software, skip any additional steps and return here to update your existing WLS domain. Do not create new Repository schemas and do not run the Configuration Wizard.
Refer to the Installing and Configuring Oracle Forms chapter starting with Installing Oracle Forms in a New Oracle Home for the steps to install the software.
Reconfiguring the Domain using the WLS Reconfiguration Wizard
You have to reconfigure the domain using the WLS Reconfiguration wizard.
To reconfigure the domain:
Running the Upgrade Assistant to Upgrade the Components Configuration
To upgrade the Components configuration, complete a series of steps using the 12.2.1.19.0 Upgrade Assistant.
To upgrade the Components configuration:
Starting Oracle Forms After an Upgrade
After you have installed the Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure and Oracle Forms software and run both the WLS Reconfiguration wizard and the Upgrade Assistant, you'll need to start Oracle Forms.
Completing the Upgrade
After you upgrade Oracle Forms to 12.2.1.19.0, you may need to perform these additional steps depending on your configuration.
Forms Application Services (FADS) Configuration
If Forms Application Services (FADS) was configured in the 12.2.1.4.0 or 12.2.1.3.0 domain, you'll need to run the FADS configuration script (fads_config.py) with the upgrade option:
- Run the following command: ORACLE_HOME/oracle_common/common/bin/wlst.sh fads_config.py upgrade
- Complete the prompts.
Userid Encryption
If upgrading from 12.2.1.3.0, enable encryption for the userid parameter and grant access to the Forms application keystore.
Note:
These steps are not necessary if upgrading from 12.2.1.4.0.To enable encryption for the userid parameter:
- ("Out-of-place" upgrade only) Set the
forms.userid.encryption.enabledserver parameter totruefor the Admin Server and the Forms managed servers.Refer to Customizing Domain Wide Server Parameters in Administering Server Startup and Shutdown for Oracle WebLogic Server.
Here is a sample of the
setUserOverridesLate.shfile (usesetUserOverridesLate.cmdfor Windows), where theforms.userid.encryption.enabledparameter is enabled.echo "" echo "*****************************************************" echo "** Executing setUserOverridesLate.sh" echo "*****************************************************" # specify additional java command line options for all servers EXTRA_JAVA_PROPERTIES="${EXTRA_JAVA_PROPERTIES} -Dforms.userid.encryption.enabled=true" export EXTRA_JAVA_PROPERTIES echo "USER_MEM_ARGS=\"${USER_MEM_ARGS}\"" echo "EXTRA_JAVA_PROPERTIES=\"${EXTRA_JAVA_PROPERTIES}\"" echo "" echo "*****************************************************" echo "** End of setUserOverrideLate.sh" echo "*****************************************************" echo "" - Run the following commands using WLST (online mode) to provide grants to the forms application or mbeans to access the Forms application keystore.
grantPermission(codeBaseURL="file:${common.components.home}/../forms/provision/forms-config-mbeans.jar", permClass="oracle.security.jps.service.keystore.KeyStoreAccessPermission",permTarget="stripeName=formsapp, keystoreName=formsks,alias=*", permActions="*") grantPermission(codeBaseURL="file:${domain.home}/servers/${weblogic.Name}/tmp/_WL_user/formsapp_12.2.1/-", permClass="oracle.security.jps.service.keystore.KeyStoreAccessPermission", permTarget="stripeName=formsapp, keystoreName=formsks,alias=*",permActions="*") - Restart the Node Manager, the Admin Server, and Forms managed server(s).
Post-Upgrade Steps after Upgrading Oracle Forms
After using the Upgrade Assistant to upgrade Oracle Forms, you'll need to perform a number of post-upgrade tasks.
Complete these tasks:
- Regenerate the Forms application files (
fmx,mmx, andplx) to run on Oracle Forms Services 12.2.1.19.0. - If you deployed the Oracle Forms Services J2EE custom application
earfile (formsapp.ear) file to override the context root or Forms servlet alias, you should perform similar steps in the 12.2.1.19.0 Oracle WebLogic Server domain, see Custom Deployment of Forms Java EE Application. For more information, see Oracle Forms Configuration Helper Script in the Working With Oracle Forms guide. - Manually copy any customizations made to provided shell script to the new environment as necessary.
- Be sure to copy any custom files stored in the old Oracle Home into the corresponding directories of the new installation.
Note:
It may be necessary to stop the servers before copying the old files into the new directories in order for the new servers to become aware of their existence.