10 Upgrade the WebLogic Server Release for an Oracle Java Cloud Service Instance
For an existing Oracle Java Cloud Service instance, you can upgrade the WebLogic Server release from 12.2.1.0, or 12.2.1.2 to WebLogic Server release 12.2.1.4.
The manual upgrade process leverages the basic procedures for the on-premises upgrade, with some additional procedures.
Topics:
About Upgrading the WebLogic Server Release for an Oracle Java Cloud Service Instance
You can leverage Fusion Middleware tools to manually upgrade the WebLogic Server release 12c or WebLogic Server release 11g to either WebLogic Server release 12.2.1.4 or 12.2.1.3 for an existing Oracle Java Cloud Service instance.
Upgrading differs from patching. When upgrading you replace an existing WebLogic Server release, whereas patching only applies the latest patch set update (PSU). Unlike in patching, which applies updates in a rolling fashion, requiring no down time, upgrade requires downtime. No servers can be running during the upgrade process.
The following restrictions apply:
- You can't upgrade a service instance created before the Oracle Java Cloud Service release 17.4.1 (October 2017).
- The service instance can't be provisioned with Oracle SOA Suite.
- Only in-place binary installation is supported. The upgrade must use
/u01/app/oracle/middleware
as opposed to a new directory. - You can upgrade WebLogic Server 12c (12.2.1.2, or 12.2.1.0) or WebLogic Server 11g (11.1.1.7) to WebLogic Server release 12.2.1.4.
- You can upgrade WebLogic Server 12c (12.2.1.3) to WebLogic Server release 12.2.1.4.
- When upgrading to 12.2.1.3, you can't upgrade a service instance that includes an Oracle Traffic Director (OTD) load balancer. You must remove the OTD before performing the upgrade, then add the OTD back after the WebLogic Server nodes have been upgraded. The OTD added back is version 12.2.1.2.
- When upgrading to 12.2.1.4, you can upgrade a service that includes an OTD load balancer. Note, however, the following additional restrictions:
- The service instance must be running WebLogic Server release 12.2.1.3, 12.2.1.2 or 12.2.1.0. Both WebLogic Server and OTD versions are upgraded at the same time. You can't upgrade one component without upgrading the other component.
- For a service instance that's based on WebLogic Server 11g, you must remove the OTD before performing the upgrade, then add the OTD back after the WebLogic Server nodes have been upgraded. The OTD added back is version 12.2.1.4.
- These upgrade instructions are not applicable to Oracle Data Integrator (ODI) and Oracle WebCenter Portal (WCP) instances.
- Prior to upgrading, ensure that your version of Oracle Java Cloud Service is on the latest patch.
This upgrade process leverages the following Fusion Middleware tools:
- Reconfiguration Wizard: Helps you reconfigure the WebLogic domain.
- Upgrade Assistant: Helps you perform a readiness check, upgrade the infrastructure schemas, and upgrade the domain component configurations.
During the manual upgrade process, you will be referring to the WebLogic Server documentation. See Introduction to Upgrading Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure to 12c (12.2.1.4.0) or Introduction to Upgrading Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure to 12c (12.2.1.3.0) in Upgrading to the Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure.
Perform Prerequisite Tasks
Before upgrading your service instance, check whether there is
enough space for temporary backups, back up the database, and back up the
MIDDLEWARE_HOME
, JDK_HOME
, and
domain directories.
Download the Upgrade Software
Use the REST API to download the WebLogic Server 12.2.1.4 or 12.2.1.3 binaries to the specified Oracle Java Cloud Service instance.
The upgrade patch downloads the WebLogic Server 12.2.1.4 or 12.2.1.3 binaries to each virtual machine on the specified Oracle Java Cloud Service instance, then updates Oracle Java Cloud Service to indicate that the specified upgrade patch has been applied to the service instance.
Note:
Applying the upgrade patch does not perform the actual process of upgrading the WebLogic Server software to the 12.2.1.4 or 12.2.1.3 version. This is done later by manually installing the binaries and using the WebLogic Upgrade Assistant.Stop All WebLogic Server Processes
Before you upgrade the service instance, you must stop all Oracle WebLogic Server and Node Manager processes.
If you did not enable console access for this service instance, see Enable Console Access for a Service Instance.
Install the Upgrade Software
Replace the current Oracle Fusion Middleware (FMW) and Java Development Kit (JDK) software installations in your service instance with the new versions of this software.
Perform a Readiness Check
Perform a readiness check to determine if your service instance is ready for upgrade.
Upgrade the Infrastructure Database Schemas
After you perform a readiness check, use the Upgrade Assistant to upgrade the infrastructure database schemas. The procedures for upgrading from a previous WebLogic Server 12c release and a WebLogic Server 11g release differ, so they are presented in different topics.
Topics:
Upgrade the WebLogic Server 12c Infrastructure Database Schemas
Upgrade the previous WebLogic Server 12c database schemas by using the Upgrade Assistant (UA).
Note:
Use this procedure when upgrading from WebLogic Server release 12.2.1.0, 12.2.1.2, or 12.2.1.3.The Upgrade Assistant creates missing or required schemas by using the default schema settings.
Upgrade the WebLogic Server 11g Infrastructure Database Schemas
Upgrade the previous WebLogic Server 11g database schemas by using the Upgrade Assistant (UA).
Note:
Use this procedure when upgrading from WebLogic Server release 11g (11.1.1.7).The Upgrade Assistant creates required WebLogic Server 12c schemas by using the default schema settings.
One of the missing schemas is the Service Table schema (<prefix>_STB
), which is new in WebLogic Server 12c and is required for domain-based upgrades. The Service Table schema stores basic schema configuration information (for example, schema prefixes and passwords) that can be accessed and used by other Oracle Fusion Middleware components when creating the domain. The WebLogic Services schema (<schema_prefix>_WLS
) is also new in WebLogic Server 12c and is required for domain-based upgrades.
Reconfigure the Domain
After you upgrade the infrastructure database schemas, use the Reconfiguration Wizard to reconfigure the domain. The procedures for reconfiguring the WebLogic Server 12c (12.2.1.0, 12.2.1.2, or 12.2.1.3) and WebLogic Server 11g (11.1.1.7) domains differ, so they are presented in different topics.
Topics:
Reconfigure the WebLogic Server 12c Domain
Reconfigure the domain by using the Reconfiguration Wizard.
Note:
Do not reconfigure the domain if you are upgrading an existing
WebLogic Server release 12.2.1.3 to WebLogic Server release 12.2.1.4 for an
existing Oracle Java Cloud
Service instance. If you skip this step in the upgrade process, the domain
config.xml
, specifically, the
domain-version
is not updated, and you still see the
earlier version. This is a known issue and you need not run the upgrade
again. See Incorrect Version Numbers
After a Reduced Downtime Upgrade . After the upgrade is complete,
you see the correct version in the admin server logs and in the WebLogic
Server Administration Console.
However, if your service instance is based on WebLogic Server 12.2.1.3, 12.2.1.2, or 12.2.1.0, and you have configured Oracle Traffic Director (OTD) for the service instance, you must reconfigure the domain on your OTD instances. See also Reconfiguring the Existing Oracle Traffic Director Domain in Graphical Mode.
Reconfigure the WebLogic Server 11g Domain
Reconfigure the WebLogic Server 11g domain by using the Reconfiguration Wizard.
Note:
Use this procedure if you are upgrading from WebLogic Server 11g (11.1.1.7).Upgrade the Domain
Use the Upgrade Assistant to update the domain component configurations to match the updated domain configuration.
Restart the Administration Server Node
After you complete the upgrade of your service instance, restart the Node Manager and WebLogic Server processes on the first node in your instance.
Update and Restart the Managed Server Nodes
If your service instance has one or more Managed Server nodes, then update the domain on these nodes before restarting the Managed Servers.
Perform Post-Upgrade Tasks
Perform any needed post-upgrade tasks.
After upgrading the WebLogic Server release for your Oracle Java Cloud Service instance, perform only those tasks described in Upgrading to the Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure that apply to your upgraded environment.
- Upgrade to 12.2.1.4 - Tasks to Perform After Upgrade
- Upgrade to 12.2.1.3 - Tasks to Perform After Upgrade
For example, see the topics Using the Upgrade Validation Checklist, Verifying the Domain-Specific-Component Configurations Upgrade, and Reapplying Custom Configuration Settings to setDomainEnv.
Roll Back an Upgrade
If the upgrade fails, you can roll back the upgrade.