Oracle Fusion Middleware Upgrade: Best Practices & Strategy Renga Rengarajan - Oracle Director of Product Management and Architecture Michael Rubino – Oracle Senior Director Software Engineering

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Program Agenda Introduction & Strategy Using the Upgrade Assistant Developing an upgrade strategy Using the Upgrade Assistant Upgrading to the latest 11g patch release Upgrading to the 12c release

Terminology Upgrade  Moving from a previous major version to a new major version, (ie: 11g to 12c) OR a minor version to a new minor version (ie: 12.1.2 to 12.1.3) Patching Copies a small number of files over an existing installation. Updating from one patchset release to another patchset (ie: 11.1.1.4.0 to 11.1.1.5.0) Migration Migration typically involves moving from a third-party (non-Oracle) product to an Oracle product or across hardware platforms. Describe the differences between patching and upgrade. Explain that “Migration” is generally a different process.

Preservation of Artifacts 12c Upgrade – Features Upgrade Procedure Simplified upgrade steps with complete automation Consistent steps across all products Aggregate handling – upgrading domain as a whole User Experience No need for parallel infrastructure – “in-place” upgrade Separation of installation from upgrade Separation of mid-tier upgrade from schema upgrade Error recovery – re-runnable (idempotent) upgrade operations Preservation of Artifacts Complete preservation of user deployed artifacts – no redeployment Complete preservation of transactions and state information – no data loss Compatibility Complete public API backward compatibility Complete binary compatibility – no need to recompile

Developing an Upgrade Strategy Familiarize yourself with the Oracle Upgrade documentation. Consider compatibility and interoperability requirements Review the valid upgrade starting points Identify the tools needed for upgrade Understand the differences between source and target topologies (ie:FMW11g, FMW 12c) Develop a backup plan Remind audience that a successful upgrade depends on having a sound upgrade plan and strategy. Remind that a dry or test run is always part of good practice

Upgrade Documentation Library Explain how the 12c upgrade documentation library has been restructured. Highlight the new books and explain how they are meant to be used. Explain that there are product specific books

Consider Compatibility & Interoperability Requirements Collect the release and version numbers for installed products Check the “Supported Configurations” matrix (Available on Oracle Technology Network) Understand which components installed in your deployment will be upgraded Decide when components will be upgraded Check that any dependent databases are supported by the FMW release you are upgrading to. Upgrade underlying DB’s first. A possible method to determine if there will be compatibility and interop issues

Upgrade Starting Points You can upgrade to Oracle Fusion Middleware Release 12c (12.1.2) from the following previous versions of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g: Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.7.0) Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.6.0) WLS Domain Upgrade Starting Point Your WLS domain must be at least version 10.3.5 HTTP Server Upgrade Starting Point You can upgrade your Oracle HTTP Server 11g (11.1.1.6.0, 11.1.1.7.0) Explain what an upgrade starting point is. Explain the valid 11gstarting points available for a 12c upgrade. Explain that you must first upgrade to one of these valid starting points if at a previous version

Tools Used During the Upgrade Process Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) – The upgrade process begins by installing a new 12c product set Repository Creation Utility (RCU) – Use this tool to create schemas in your database. Certain schemas may need to be created before attempting an upgrade Oracle FMW Upgrade Assistant (UA) - Use this tool to upgrade your supported 11g schemas and WebLogic domain component configurations Oracle Reconfiguration Wizard - Use this tool to reconfigure the domain when upgrading WLS

Key Differences Between 11g & FMW 12c OPMN is no longer used in Oracle Fusion Middleware, replaced by Node Manager Redefinition of the Oracle home and elimination of the Middleware home Oracle Web Cache is no longer part of Oracle Fusion Middleware OPMN - OPMN is no longer used in Oracle Fusion Middleware. system components are managed by the WebLogic Management Framework. MW Home – This term is no longer used. It is replaced by Oracle Home, and the OH contains product directories. The term “instance” and “farm” are no longer part of the 12c vocabulary

Develop a Backup Plan Consider backing up your freshly installed 12.1.2 Oracle home directory and any other created artifacts. After stopping the 11g servers and processes, back up your 11g environment, including…. Middleware Oracle home directory, including the Oracle product home directories Local Domain home directory, your local Oracle instances, and remote Domain home and Oracle instances Schema Upgrades Often the underlying database must be upgraded first. Always backup the DB before upgrading the schemas. Explain that an upgrade process starts by installing a new 12.1.2 oracle home. Recommend that this should be backed up before an upgrade, as a restore can be quicker than a new install, should something go wrong.

Program Agenda Introduction & Strategy Using the Upgrade Assistant Developing an upgrade strategy Using the Upgrade Assistant Upgrading to the latest 11g patch release Upgrading to the 12c release

Tools For Patching and 11g Patchset Updates Description OPATCH Opatch copies a small collection of files over your existing installation WebLogic Server Upgrade Installer Updates your existing Oracle WebLogic Server installation to the latest available version Patch Set Installer Updates an existing product to the latest version. (ie: update to 11.1.1.6.0) Patch Set Assistant Updates database schemas to prepare them for use with the latest version of Oracle Fusion Middleware software. Explain that the UA is used to upgrade from 10g to the latest 11g patch release. Explain that the PSA is used to upgrade to the latest 11g release, from a prior 11g patch release. Explain that these two tools are combined into one for 12c

11gR1 Patchset Updates General Process Shut-down servers Update of the 11gR1 installation through patchset installers Perform in-place update of schemas through Patch Set Assistant Start-up servers Note No requirement to rebuild custom binaries (SOA composites, ADF applications, etc…) Best effort to minimize schema updates Best effort to minimize manual updates at the domain level

Oracle SOA Suite 11g Patchset Update 5 3 2 4

Program Agenda Introduction & Strategy Using the Upgrade Assistant Developing an upgrade strategy Using the Upgrade Assistant Upgrading to the latest 11g patch release Upgrading to the 12c release

Tools For Upgrading to 12c Description Oracle Universal Installer Used to install 12c Fusion Middleware Productsincluding WebLogic Server Repository Creation Utility (RCU) Used to create schemas in the database. Certain schemas may need to be created before attempting an upgrade Upgrade Assistant (UA) Updates database schemas as well as Fusion Middleware component configuration Reconfig Wizard Updates the WebLogic Server domain configuration for the latest release

12c Upgrade – High Level Flow Prepare Stop all 11g servers Take a complete backup of 11g environment Pre-upgrade Install 12c products into a new Oracle Home Create any new schemas – RCU Upgrade Upgrade Schemas – Upgrade Assistant Reconfigure domain – Reconfig Wizard Start Admin Server Upgrade Config – Upgrade Assistant Post-upgrade Propagate upgraded domain config to other nodes – Pack/Unpack Start the upgraded servers

12c Upgrade – “In-place” and “out-of-place” Binary installation is out-of-place As in previous releases, schema upgrades are either in-place or out-of- place, depending on the schema being upgraded – this is automatically determined by the system Config upgrades, including the domain, are upgraded in-place Creation of a parallel destination configuration (domain, system components, etc… is no longer required) Existing domains can be reconfigured as part of the in-place upgrade flow Note: If desired, an “out-of-place” upgrade may be accomplished by creating a comparable target destination, and running an upgrade in that environment

FMW 12c Upgrade Assistant FMW Upgrade Assistant redesigned for 12.1.2 release Complete separation of installation from upgrade Complete separation of mid-tier upgrade from schema upgrade Two-phase upgrades through examination phase Simplify – Combine UA & PSA into single tool Full GUI support for upgrading & patching Highlight upgrade dependencies Choosing SOA, highlights need for dependent MDS upgrade Ability to upgrade more than one schema at a time Upgrade Assistant supports Edition Based Redefinition (EBR) for FMW DB schemas to provide high availability upgrade of FMW components.

Upgrade Candidates The UA provides a list of components that are candidates for upgrade Run the UA from the oracle_common/upgrade/bin directory of your FMW 12c (12.1.2) installation For schema upgrade: The UA examines install directories and identifies all possible candidate schemas to be upgraded. When a schema is chosen, any dependent schema will also be selected. For component configuration upgrades: The UA prompts for, and connects to the WebLogic Administration Server to determine the list of components that are configured and candidates for upgrade.

12c Upgrade – Directory Structure Oracle Home ODI Product Home SOA Product Home Oracle Common UA Binaries Point SOA Binaries SOA UA Plugin ODI Binaries ODI UA Plugin UA Descriptor files $OH/upgrade/bin directory $OH/plugins/upgrade/ Infrastructure UA Plugins $OH/plugins/upgrade/ $OH/plugins/upgrade/ $OH/plugins/upgrade/ UA Descriptor files UA Descriptor files UA Descriptor files

Schema Upgrade Schema Selection Upgrade Assistant will be installed into the oracle_common area of the FMW home in the  oracle_common/upgrade/bin   directory. On Unix, start the UA by typing: ./ua UA will provide a list of all schemas available for upgrade Choose one or more schemas Remind users that they must run domain reconfiguration AFTER running the UA to upgrade schemas

Component Configuration Upgrade Weblogic Component Configuration This option is available when the UA is run from an Oracle home that contains managed WebLogic domain components Enter credentials for the domain you want to upgrade In release 12.1.2 use this option to upgrade: Oracle HTTP Server Oracle Web Services Manager All candidates are upgraded when performing a configuration upgrade Remind users that they must first reconfigure the domain BEFORE running the UA again

Standalone System Component Upgrade Standalone Components This option is available if running the UA from an Oracle home that contains standalone system components. Standalone components are not associated with a managed WebLogic domain in 11g OHS, for example, may be configured to run standalone Explain when you would choose “Create a New Domain” vs “Update Existing”, ie: First time through, you must create a domain for the standalone systems to be associated. Explain that this is not A true WLS domain.

Standalone System Component Upgrade (2) Node Manager In addition to creating a domain, you must create a new node manager Specify the credentials for the node manager to be created

Examining Components Examine Phase The UA examines and verifies that components are ready for upgrade. You should ensure all components are ready for upgrade before proceeding Examine is a “read-only” operation. No changes are made to the source or target Explain the purpose of the examine phase, and the concept/benefits of a 2 phase upgrade. Users should understand the value of correcting an error now, before proceeding with an upgrade. There are 5 status states from examine (succeeded, failed, pending, in-progress, not-needed)

Upgrading Components Performing the upgrade Review the “Upgrade Summary” screen carefully, ensuring the correct components and options are selected Select the “Save Response File” option to create a response file for later use Click “Upgrade” to start the process Talk about response files, and running the UA in “batch mode” at a later time. Response files can be created and edited. Emphasize that nothing happens until the upgrade button is pressed, but once pressed, the upgrade has begun and restoration from backup may be needed in the event of an error/failure

Silent Upgrades With Response Files Using UA Response files Response files collect all the information entered through the UA GUI, and can perform them later -response (specifies response file name) -examine (Optionally perform examine phase only) -loglevel , –logdir (Optional logging parameters to specifiy level of log detail and directory)

Post Upgrade Steps & Verification Completing the upgrade Ensure all components were successfully upgraded Check the documentation to see if any post upgrade manual operations are required Verify that the upgraded environment functions as expected

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