RE: Applying patches - minimizing database down time

(Not a sales pitch)

Talk to your Quest rep about a product they are working on or is already available which will allow you to do upgrades/patches with no or minimal downtime. It involves a kind of replication. The way I see it is you must have some kind of replication if you want to make upgrades or patches truly transparent (ie. no or minimal downtime). I would not make a database to the users will running catalog, catproc, etc.

HTH
Gerardo

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 10:23 AM To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

Attention all installation gurus/hacks...

I'm looking for suggestions, experiences, and best practices on safely applying Oracle patches and minimizing database down time. By way of example let's say we're going from server version 8.1.6.0.0 to 8.1.6.3.0. Let's also say we're going to apply the 8.1.6.3.0 interMedia patchset. Here are some generalized steps:

1. Uncompress/untar the patchsets to a staging area.
2. Whilst the database is up, run the installer to install all the requisite software to a new $ORACLE_HOME. old $ORACLE_HOME = /u01/app/oracle/product/8.1.6 new $ORACLE_HOME = /u01/app/oracle/product/8.1.6.3.0 export ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/8.1.6.3.0 /u01/app/oracle/product/8.1.6/bin/runInstaller
3. Whilst the database is up, copy interMedia executables and libraries to the appropriate sub-directores of the new $ORACLE_HOME.
4. Whilst the database is up, run the installer to install the new patches pointing it to the staging area in step 1.
5. Shut everything down. Shutdown Oracle dependent processes like ctxsrv. Shutdown the listener. Shutdown the database: alter system checkpoint; shutdown abort; startup; shutdown immediate; Do not make any cold backups. Depend on RMAN backups for recovery should anything go awry.
6. Relink oracle. make -f ins_rdbms.mk ioracle
7. Change the PATH and oratab to reflect the new $ORACLE_HOME.
8. Startup the database, listener, and ctxsrv to make the application available.
9. With everything up, run the SQL scripts to complete the patch:
   @catalog.sql
   @catproc.sql
   @catrep.sql
   create or replace java system;
   • interMedia stuff
     @dr0pkh.sql
     @dr0plb.sql
     @dr0type.plb
     
10. scan/recompile invalid objects.

HERE'S THE PIVOTAL ISSUE...
Depending on resources step 9 could take about two hours. What are the effects of executing this while the application is running? Comments and suggestions?

TIA,
Steve Orr

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