Oracle RAC – Applying and Removing PSUs in Grid Infrastructure Home with Conflict Detection (12.1.0.2.0)

In this article we will present how to apply and remove PSU in Grid Infrastructure Home on only one node using the conflict resolution method with roll forward method. To do this we need a RAC of at least 2 nodes.

If you want to patch on Database Home in Oracle 12c then click here

Our environment:
• Grid Infrastructure Home is 12.1.0.2.0
• Oracle Home is 12.1.0.2.0
• 2 Node RAC

We need to initially download the desired PSU and My Oracle Support compatible OPatch utility (support.oracle.com).
• Doc ID 1454618.1 – Quick References to Patch Numbers for Database / GI PSU, SPU (CPU), Bundle Patches and Patchsets.
• Doc ID 274526.1 – How to Download and Install The Latest OPatch (6880880) Version.

Required:

• p24412235 – Oct 2016 PSU for GI
• p6880880 – latest OPatch Utility

The next step is to install OPatch on Grid Infrastructure Home:

• Find the GI Home;
• Make a backup of the old OPatch utility;
• Unzip the new OPatch.

After unpacking the new OPatch utility, check the version.

There are 3 main steps to applying the PSU:

• Detect and resolve conflicts.
• Apply Patch on GI Home.
• Uninstall Patch if necessary.

Now it is necessary to unpack the PSU, and to make sure that the directory where it is being unzipped is accessible to GI Owner and there is enough space in /tmp.

Conflict Detection and Resolution
This step must be performed before the PSU is applied in any environment.
The easiest and quickest way to determine if you have a patch already applied that will conflict with another that will still be applied is through the One-off Patch ConflictDetectionandResolution method.
If no conflict is found you can apply the patch, otherwise you need to resolve the conflicts.
Execute:

export ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/12.1.0.2/grid
export PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/OPatch:$ORACLE_HOME/bin:$PATH
$opatchauto apply /u01/soft/24412235 -analyze -oh /u01/app/12.1.0.2/grid

Note: The auto patch utility must be run as root.

Output Example:

Applying Patch on Grid Infrastructure Home
The OPatch utility automates the patch application for Oracle Grid Infrastructure Home and Oracle RAC Database Home. It operates by consulting the existing configuration and automating the steps required to patch both DB Home and GI Home.
The utility must be run by an Operating System user with root privileges and must still be run on each cluster node for GI Home or RAC DB Home if the latter is not on a shared filesystem. The utility should not run in parallel on other nodes in the cluster.
Run:

export ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/12.1.0.2/grid
export PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/OPatch:$ORACLE_HOME/bin:$PATH

#opatchauto apply /u01/soft/24412235 –oh /u01/app/12.1.0.2/grid

Note: The auto patch must be run as root.
Output Example:

Checking the Patch is applied

After applying the PSU to GI Home you can consult the list of patchsets applied using OPatch “lsinventory”.
Run:

$opatch lsinventory -oh /u01/app/12.1.0.2/grid

Output example:

Removing the Grid Infrastructure Patch Home
At this point we apply the PSU in Grid Infrastructure Home on only one cluster node. After verifying the performance, we identified some problems in our environment and decided to reverse the PSU that was applied.
The patch rollback instructions will be different for the GI and DB Home. The steps required for rollback in GI Home are listed below.
Run:

#export ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/12.1.0.2/grid
#export PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/OPatch:$ORACLE_HOME/bin:$PATH
#opatchauto rollback /u01/soft/24412235 –oh /u01/app/12.1.0.2/grid

Note: opatchauto must be run as root.
Output Example:

Repeat the same steps on other node as well.

Thanks for reading and hope you find this article useful. We invite you to continue following up on Oracle RAC publications.