Applying a Patch

You can apply a patch that is associated with a database deployment by using the Oracle Database Classic Cloud Service console or, if desired, by using one of the ways listed in Other Ways to Apply a Patch at the end of this topic.

Note:

The Oracle Database Classic Cloud Service console does not currently reflect patching information if you apply a patch by using a command-line utility on a database deployment’s compute nodes.

Applying a Patch by Using the Oracle Database Classic Cloud Service Console

Before You Begin

Before you apply a patch, make sure the database deployment has the latest cloud tooling because some patches require a certain minimum level of cloud tooling. For more information, see Updating the Cloud Tooling on Database Classic Cloud Service.
Before you apply a patch, you should back up the deployment. For instructions, see Creating an On-Demand Backup.

Procedure

Go to the Patching page of the database deployment to which you want to apply a patch:
1. Open the Oracle Database Classic Cloud Service console.
  
  For detailed instructions, see Accessing the Oracle Database Classic Cloud Service Console.
2. Click the database deployment to which you want to apply a patch.
  
  The Oracle Database Classic Cloud Service Overview page is displayed.
3. Click the Administration tile and then click the Patching tab.
  
  The Oracle Database Classic Cloud Service Patching page is displayed. A list of patches you can apply appears in the Available Patches section.
Click the action menu () that is associated with the patch you want to apply, and then select Patch.

The Patch Service window displays.
If you want errors to be ignored during the patching operation, select the Force apply patch option. Then, click Patch.

If the Force apply patch option is selected, patch conflicts or errors discovered during the precheck stage of the patching operation are ignored and the patch will be applied (space permitting). If the option is not selected and conflicts or errors are discovered, the patch will not be applied.

The Patch Service window closes and the patching operation begins.

The Administration tile shows the starting time of the patching operation and a Patching... message replaces the Patch button.

When the patching operation completes, the Patching page shows the completion time of the patching operation, and a log of the operation’s activities appears in the Details of Last Patching Activity section. If the operation was successful, the patch is removed from the list of patches in the Available Patches. If the operation failed, the patch remains in the list. In this case, check the Details of Last Patching Activity section for information about the failure.

Note:

Patching operations are performed with a minimum of impact on the functioning of the database. For database deployments that include multiple compute nodes, patching operations are performed in a rolling manner, one compute node at a time, in order to minimize impact on the database.

Other Ways to Apply a Patch

For database deployments hosting single-instance databases, you can use the patch db apply subcommand of the dbaascli utility. See Applying a Patch by Using the dbaascli Utility.
For database deployments hosting an Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) database, you can use the raccli utility. See Applying a Patch by Using the raccli Utility.

Applying a Patch by Using the dbaascli Utility

You can use the patch db apply subcommand of the dbaascli utility to apply a patch to a database deployment hosting a single-instance database or an Oracle Data Guard configuration of single-instance databases.

Before you begin

Before you apply a patch, make sure the database deployment has the latest cloud tooling because some patches require a certain minimum level of cloud tooling. For more information, see Updating the Cloud Tooling by Using the dbaascli Utility.
Before you apply a patch, you should back up the deployment. For instructions, see Creating an On-Demand Backup.

Procedure

To apply a patch to a database deployment by using the patch db apply subcommand:

Connect to the compute node as the opc user.

For detailed instructions, see Connecting to a Compute Node Through Secure Shell (SSH).
Start a root-user command shell:
```
$ sudo -s
#
```
Apply the patch to the deployment using the patch db apply subcommand of dbaascli:
```
# dbaascli patch db apply
```
The patch db apply subcommand displays progress as the patch is applied.

The patch db apply subcommand is not yet available on Oracle Cloud at Customer. Instead, for a database deployment hosting a single-instance database you must use the dbaascli dbpatchm apply command, and for a database deployment hosting an Oracle Data Guard configuration of single-instance databases you must use the dbpatchmdg apply_async command.

Note:

Patching operations are performed with a minimum of impact on the functioning of the database. However, during part of the operation the database is shut down for a period of time, thus making it inaccessible.
Exit the root-user command shell:
```
# exit
$
```

Applying a Patch by Using the raccli Utility

This topic does not apply to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure or to Oracle Cloud at Customer.

You can use the apply patch subcommand of the raccli utility to apply a patch to a database deployment hosting an Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) database.

Before you begin

Before you apply a patch, make sure the database deployment has the latest cloud tooling because some patches require a certain minimum level of cloud tooling. For more information, see Updating the Cloud Tooling by Using the raccli Utility.
Before you apply a patch, you should back up the deployment. For instructions, see Creating an On-Demand Backup.

Procedure

To apply a patch to a database deployment by using the apply patch subcommand:

Connect to the compute node as the opc user.

For detailed instructions, see Connecting to a Compute Node Through Secure Shell (SSH).
Apply a patch using the apply patch subcommand for the database type you are patching:
- Database Clustering with RAC:
```
$ raccli apply patch -db -tag tag-name
```
- Database Clustering with RAC and Data Guard Standby:
```
$ raccli apply patch -db -tag tag-name -dg
```
Where tag-name is the name of the patch. To find out the tag name for the latest available patch, see What's New for Oracle Database Classic Cloud Service.

The Oracle Database home and Grid Infrastructure home are updated on both compute nodes of the deployment. The node from which you run the command is taken offline, patched, and then brought back online. Then the second node is taken offline, patched, and brought back online. For Data Guard configurations, the standby database nodes are patched first, followed by the primary database nodes.
Track the progress of the patching job to its completion by using the raccli describe job command.