Oracle Applications 12.

2 upgrade
– challenges and solutions of
implementing the online
patching
Lóránt Miklós, National Instruments, Oracle DBA

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 National Instruments

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 Agenda

• Oracle EBS Support Timeline - why should we upgrade?

• Architecture Changes
• Online Patching Cycle Overview
• Challenges with the upgrade
• Pre Upgrade Steps
• Q&A

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 Oracle EBS Support Timeline - why should we
upgrade?
• Premier/Extended Support ending for older releases
• Difficulty going forward with OS/HW releases

Source: Oracle Lifetime Support Policy

http://www.oracle.com/us/support/library/lifetime-support-applications-069216.pdf
** For more detailed information on EBS 12.0 and 12.1 bug fixing and for Extended Support minimum patch pre-requisites,
please refer to the

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 Oracle EBS Support Timeline - why should we
upgrade?
• Sustaining Support does not include
• New updates, fixes, security alerts,
data fixes, critical patch updates
• New tax, legal and regulatory
updates
• New upgrade scipts
• Certification with new third-party
products
• Certification with new Oracle
products

Source: E-Business Suite Releases - Support Policy FAQ (Doc ID

1494891.1)

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 Architecture Changes
• EBS Release 12.2 Technology Stack
• Better GUI
• Weblogic Server (replaces Fusion Middleware 10g Oracle
Containers for Java (OC4J) )

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 Architecture Changes
• Edition-Based Redefinition
• Dual File System

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 Architecture Changes
• Run file system
• Used by online users
• Stores a complete copy of all Application and Middle Tier code
• Logically mapped to either fs1 or fs2
• Patch file system
• Used by patching tools
• Stores a complete copy of all Application and Middle Tier code
• Logically mapped to either fs1 or fs2
• Non-Editioned file system
• Used for data files, eg.: import/export files, log files, report
output files

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 Online Patching Cycle Overview

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 Getting Started With Your Install or Upgrade

Source: Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2: Technical Planning, Getting Started, and Go-Live Checklist (Doc ID 1585857.1)

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 Getting Started With Your Install or Upgrade

Source: Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2: Technical Planning, Getting Started, and Go-Live Checklist (Doc ID 1585857.1)

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 Challenges with the upgrade
• Online patching readiness report “failed” on many
objects
• 12c database and Rapid Install StartCD 49/50 never
worked
• Rapid Install StartCD 50 for EBS 12.2 comes with a
11.2.0.3 database

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 Challenges with the upgrade
• Since Feb. 22, 2016, Rapid Install StartCD 51 is available.
It comes with 12.1.0.2 DB. You can download as Patch
22066363
• Different OS on DB/apps tier level
• Rapid Install is not user friendly
• Progress bar of the installer is not informative
• You have add ebs_patch to your service_names parameter
• db_domain parameter have to be set to null
• You have to resolve every issue detected by the installer
• RDA - Health Check / Validation Engine Guide (Doc ID 250262.1)

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 Challenges with the upgrade
• When Rapid Install performs the installation of the
database software its cluster verification utility can result
in an error on Oracle Linux / Red Hat Linux 6.3 or higher

Workaround from Checks and Potential Issues Installing EBS

R12.2 on RAC Cluster using Rapid Install (Doc ID 1595139.1)
mv /usr/sbin/nslookup /usr/sbin/nslookup.orig
echo '#!/bin/bash
/usr/sbin/nslookup.orig $*
exit 0' > /usr/sbin/nslookup
chmod a+x /usr/sbin/nslookup

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 Challenges with the upgrade
• Configuration issues with the apps tiers
• Missing rpms
• Kernel parameter changes
• Swap space was not set to 16 GB

See Oracle E-Business Suite Installation and Upgrade

Notes Release 12 (12.2) for Linux x86-64 (Doc ID
1330701.1)

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 Challenges with the upgrade
• Cleaning Up A Failed Install Attempt

There is no rapidwiz -restart option available with R12.2, you have to

clean up the failed install manually
a) Restart the server or make sure to kill ALL oracle and applmgr
processes.
b) Delete the install directory, oraInventory and /tmp.
c) Run rapidwiz to start installation again.

(based on R12.2: How To Create the Stage In Preparation For

Installation (Doc ID 1596433.1))

• Vision Install’s weblogic pwd was different from the one, that
the doc. mentioned
See page 3-36 within the Oracle E-Business Suite Setup Guide >>
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E26401_01/doc.122/e22953.pdf

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 Challenges with the upgrade
• AD_ZD_PREP is Invalid after R12.2 Upgrade

Solution (based on Online Patch Enabling Patch Is Failing on

ADZDPREP.sql (Doc ID 1606431.1))
1. Check whether adgrants.sql is run.
2. Check whether all patches are applied as per below document
along with post install steps: Database Preparation Guidelines for
an E-Business Suite Release 12.2 Upgrade (Doc ID 1349240.1)
3. GRANT SELECT, UPDATE, DELETE, INSERT on
sys.xdb$moveSchemaTab to apps;
4. Restart the worker.

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 Challenges with the upgrade
• Full Compliance vs Runtime Compliance

• Full Compliance • Runtime Compliance

• Development meets all • A subset of the full
standards to support runtime compliance standards that
and online patching allow a product to operate
operations correctly in R12.2
• Specialized deploy • Customizations and third-
methodology to implement party tools may only meet
changes in the patch runtime compliance
edition/file system
o See Doc ID 1577661.1 for all
online patching compliance
standards
• All Oracle eBusiness Suite
products meet full
compliance

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 Challenges with the upgrade
• A minimal set of standards must be followed for custom
code
• All code must access the data model through the APPS synonym
• Table names must be unique at 29 bytes
• Column names must be 28 characters or fewer
• Column names must not use the # as the last character
• Third party products and integrations must be validated
as well
• Online Patching Readiness Reports
• Online Patching Standards Checkers
• See EBS Developer's Guide Release 12.2, Chapter 7 for
full standards list Planning and Preparing for Your Upgrade
to Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2

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 Challenges with the upgrade
• FS1 vs FS2
• Unix level: use environment variables rather than fully qualified
filepaths
DON’T: /opt/apps/r12/d1ebiz/apps/fs1/EBSapps/appl/nimfg/12.0.0/
DO: $NIMFG_TOP/
• Application level: use environment variables for PROFILE OPTIONS
values
• FS2 is not a rollback plan
• Patch Edition is not a testing environment
• Application tiers cannot be run against the PATCH edition
• Patches must be tested on a test instance with a complete Online
Patching cycle
• Risk of Editioning
• If an edition object is created, replaced or dropped while a patch
edition exists, then the action must be replicated in the patch
edition

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 Pre Upgrade Steps
• Run Online patching readiness report - available for all releases prior
to 12.2. These highlight all cases in Oracle E-Business Suite code or
custom code where a non-editioned object references an editioned
object.
(See details at Oracle E-Business Suite Concepts Release 12.2 Part Number E22949-11)
• Adopt the new 12.2 development standards
• Deploying Customizations in Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2 (Doc ID
1577661.1)
• Upgrade to the latest supported database versions
• 11gR2: 11.2.0.4
• 12c: 12.1.0.2 database
• Upgrade the Oracle Single Sign-On component to Oracle Access
Manager
(See details at Overview of Single Sign-On Integration Options for Oracle E-Business Suite (Doc
ID 1388152.1))
• Upgrade desktop OS to Win 7 or 8.1 ad browser to IE 11
• Upgrade to the latest JAVA
• Move to FNDLOAD

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 Questions

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