New Feature: Online Patching in 11g DB

Hello Everyone!!

Online Patching:
------------------

In this I will brief online patching capability of 11g DB.
As Apps DBA you might have done many times hotpatching using adpatch in applications.!!

In earlier releases, whenever you apply DB patches using Opatch, you will be bringing down the instance and apply the patches and bring up after the patching.

11g is having cool way of patching - online patching

Benefits:
----------

- doesn't require restart of DB/no downtime or interruption of service
- no relink required
- very fast install or uninstall
- works in RAC environment

considerations:
---------------
- Majority of the diagnostic patches are online patches
- not all the patches can be applied as online mode
- available for Linux x86/x86-64 , Sun SPARC

How to determine whether patch can be applied online or not?
---------------------------------------------------------------

opatch query -is_online_patch

-bash-3.00$ opatch query -is_online_patch 6353873/
Invoking OPatch 11.1.0.6.0

Oracle Interim Patch Installer version 11.1.0.6.0
Copyright (c) 2007, Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.


Oracle Home : /slot01/tkr12r3m/db
Central Inventory : /SLOTS/slot01/tkr12r3m/oraInventory
from : /etc/oraInst.loc
OPatch version : 11.1.0.6.0
OUI version : 11.1.0.6.0
OUI location : /slot01/tkr12r3m/db/oui
Log file location : /slot01/tkr12r3m/db/cfgtoollogs/opatch/opatch2008-01-03_02-15-59AM.log

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patch is a online patch: false

OPatch succeeded.
-bash-3.00$

Above command returns false. So this patch requires instance downtime.

Rollup Patching:
-----------------
In RAC environment You can have another benefit - Rollup patching to avoid downtime.

You may review 11G DB rollup patching which I have posted earlier.

How to determine Patch is Rollup patch or not?
-------------------------------------------------

-bash-3.00$ opatch query -is_rolling_patch 6353873/
Invoking OPatch 11.1.0.6.0

Oracle Interim Patch Installer version 11.1.0.6.0
Copyright (c) 2007, Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.


Oracle Home : /slot01/tkr12r3m/db
Central Inventory : /SLOTS/slot01/tkr12r3m/oraInventory
from : /etc/oraInst.loc
OPatch version : 11.1.0.6.0
OUI version : 11.1.0.6.0
OUI location : /slot01/tkr12r3m/db/oui
Log file location : /slot01/tkr12r3m/db/cfgtoollogs/opatch/opatch2008-01-03_02-15-44AM.log

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patch is a rolling patch: true


OPatch succeeded.
-bash-3.00$

I hope you got good info on online patching.

Happy Learning!!