Update a DB System

This article describes the procedures to apply DB system updates and Database Home updates using the Console and the API.

Oracle recommends using only the dbcli utility to update the operating system (OS) of the DB systems, as the DB systems created after April 2022 will use an image based on the UEK5 kernel. The yum repo and versionlock files will not work with UEK5 systems, and Oracle recommends not using UEK4 versionlock in the UEK5 system.

Note:

A DB system that uses an image with the kernel version 4.14 is a UEK5 system.

Required IAM Policy

To use Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, you must be granted security access in a policy by an administrator. This access is required whether you're using the Console or the REST API with an SDK, CLI, or other tool. If you get a message that you don’t have permission or are unauthorized, verify with your administrator what type of access you have and which compartment to work in.

For administrators: The policy in Let database admins manage Oracle Cloud database systems lets the specified group do everything with databases and related Database resources.

If you're new to policies, see Getting Started with Policies and Common Policies. If you want to dig deeper into writing policies for databases, see Details for the Database Service.

Prerequisites

DB systems require access to the Object Storage, including connectivity to the applicable Swift endpoint for Object Storage. We recommend using a service gateway with the VCN to enable this access. For more information, see these topics:

Note:

In addition to the prerequisites listed in this section, ensure that the following conditions are met to avoid update failures:

  • The /u01 directory on the database host file system has at least 15 GB of free space to execute update processes.
  • The Oracle Clusterware is running on the DB system.
  • All DB system nodes are running.

Currently Available Updates

Version Architecture Type DB System Update Database Update
21.0.0.0 Linux.x64 October 2023, July 2023 October 2023, July 2023, April 2023, January 2023
19.0.0.0 Linux.x64 January 2024, October 2023 January 2024, October 2023, July 2023, April 2023
19.0.0.0 Linux.ARM Not applicable January 2024, October 2023 (first update)
18.0.0.0 Linux.x64 October 2021 (final update) October 2021 (final update)
12.2.0.1 Linux.x64 July 2023, April 2023 October 2023, July 2023, April 2023, January 2023
12.1.0.2 Linux.x64 Not applicable October 2023, July 2023, April 2023, January 2023
11.2.0.4 Linux.x64 Not applicable October 2023, July 2023, April 2023, January 2023

Note:

  • For DB systems running version 18.0.0.0 software, the October 2021 update is the final update that will be available.
  • For bare metal DB systems, the October 2022 update is the final update that will be available.

For guidelines on how to update Oracle Database releases 12.2, 12.1, and 11.2 for the January 2024 Release Update, see Patching Guidelines - Oracle Cloud Customers with lower database release version 18c and lower (Doc ID 2997504.1).

For a list of Release Updates and Release Update Revisions for Oracle Database 19c, see Oracle Database 19c Proactive Patch Information (Doc ID 2521164.1).

For more information, see:

About Updating DB Systems

Planning and Preparation

Updating a DB system requires a reboot, which can take several minutes. To minimize the impact on users, run the update at a time when the system has the fewest users. To avoid system interruption, consider implementing a high availability strategy such as Oracle Data Guard.

Oracle recommends that you back up your database and test the update on a test system before you apply the update.

Always update a DB system before you update the databases within that system. The Console displays the latest DB system update and the previous update. You can use either of these updates, but we recommend using the latest update when possible.

Update Availability for Older Oracle Database Software Versions

For the Oracle Database and Oracle Grid Infrastructure major version releases available in OCI, updates are provided for the current version plus the most recent older version (N and N - 1). For example, if an instance is using Oracle Database 21c, and the latest version of 21c offered is 21.9.0.0, updates are available for versions 21.8.0.0 and 21.7.0.0.

Apply a DB System Update

Perform the following steps to update a DB system.

  1. Open the navigation menu. Select Oracle Database, then select Oracle Base Database.
  2. Select your Compartment. A list of DB systems is displayed.
  3. In the list of DB systems, click the name of the DB system you want to update. Details of the DB system you selected are displayed.
  4. In the DB system information tab, under Version, click the View link beside the Latest update available field.
  5. Review the list of available updates for the DB system.
  6. Click the Actions menu for the update you are interested in, and then click one of the following actions:
    • Run precheck: Check for any prerequisites to ensure that the update can be successfully applied. To run precheck, click Run precheck and provide confirmation in the Confirm precheck dialog.
    • Apply: Applies the selected update. Oracle recommends that you run the precheck operation for an update before applying it. To update the DB system, click Apply and provide confirmation in the Apply update dialog.

In the list, the State displays the status of the operation. While an update is being applied, the State displays as Updating. The status of the DB system also displays as Updating. Lifecycle operations on the DB system and its resources might be temporarily unavailable. If the update completes successfully, the State changes to Applied and the status of the DB system changes to Available.

View the DB System Update History

Use the API

For information about using the API and signing requests, see REST APIs and Security Credentials. For information about SDKs, see Software Development Kits and Command Line Interface.

Use the following APIs to manage DB systems updates:

  • ListDbSystemPatches
  • ListDbSystemPatchHistoryEntries
  • GetDbSystemPatch
  • GetDbSystemPatchHistoryEntry
  • UpdateDbSystem

For the complete list of APIs for the Database service, see Database Service API.