How to apply patch in R12.2

How to apply patch in Oracle Apps R12.2

From R12.2 onwards oracle has introduced online patching functionality.

“ADOP” (AD Online Patching) is the new ad utility given by Oracle for patching the Oracle Apps R12.2 environments. ADOP is similar to our old adpatch.

Online Patching
Online patching uses the latest feature of the Oracle database 11gR2 which is called “Edition Based 
Redefinition” and also uses multiple file systems on the application side. During online patching, business application users continue using the Oracle application and simultaneously a patch or a sequence of patches can be applied to another edition of the same database and application. Another edition here means another exact copy of database and application. And once the patching is complete the users are switched over to a patched file system/database in cutover phase by just bouncing middle tier services.

Online patching is the most important new feature in Oracle EBS 12.2. It is the ability to patch a running system without having to take the system down for a significant period of time while the patches are applied. Even you can apply Maintenance Pack 12.2.2 or 12.2.3 or 12.2.4 once you install or upgrade to R12.2.0 base.

It will enable R12.2 PATCH Environment.

Dependancy on opatches. All Opatches must be applied before enabling ADOP.

Missing Opatches will be reported by EBS DB CodeLevel Checker script.

All AD_ZD packages should be valid before enabling them.

To implement Online Patching Run reports/scripts mentioned in Using the Online Patching Readiness Report in Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2 [1531121.1]

Once you enable ADOP i.e. Online Patching you cannot apply any patches through ADPATCH.

If you still want to apply any patch via adpatch, source ENABLE_ADPATCH=yes. (if oracle recommends)

All patches applied using adop utility will be applied to PATCH environment i.e. fs2.

When you want to make the patches live you can execute adop using cutover phase. It will switch filesystems.

To synchronize both filesystems i.e. fs1 and fs2 you can execute adop using fs_clone phase.

Phases:

adop phase=prepare -> copies the application code

adop phase=apply -> apply patches to PATCH Environment

adop phase=finalize -> makes ready the system for cutover

adop phase=cutover -> bounce the system and does filesystem switchover. fs2 becomes RUN environment.

adop phase=cleanup -> remove obsolete objects.

adop phase=fs_clone -> synchronize filesystems

File System
A R12.2.0 is installed with three file Systems.
1.FS1 – Production file system that is used by application users when system is being patched.

2.FS2 – Exact copy of production used by the patching tool. This copy is patched by the patching tool. It gets synchronised with FS1 by the patching tool before it gets updated by a patch. When patching is complete, the patching tool swaps the FS1 and FS2 file systems. FS2 file system becomes FS1 and FS1 is switched to FS2. This way, FS2 is again ready to be used for any future patching tasks.

3.FS-NE – This is a non-edition file system which stores data that is stored in a file system like data import/export files, report out and log files.

 Phases of ADOP(online patching)

ADPATCH utility is no longer used in R12.2.0 and is being replaced by ADOP – AD Online Patching. There are five phases or life cycles of ADOP which are:

a) PREPARE

b) APPLY

c) FINALIZE

d) CUTOVER

e) CLEANUP

Steps:-

1.            Download the patch and unzip on patch_top and go through the read me to check,what its going to do.

2.            Prepare the system for patching

a. Run environment file(optional)

Note: The adop utility sets its own environment. There is therefore no need to source the environment before running it.

b.adop phase=prepare

3.            Apply Phase -

adop phase=apply patches=, workers=

After patch has been successfully applied,complete the patch cycle

4. Finalize phase - Used to perform the final patching operations that can be executed while the application is still online:

adop phase=finalize workers= (called automatically)

5. Cutover phase - Used to perform the transition to the patched environment:

adop phase=cutover workers=

6.            Cleanup phase - Used to remove old objects that are no longer needed:

adop phase=cleanup (called automatically)

Now synchronise the technology level between patch and run fc_clone.

7. adop phase=fs_clone

 Abort phase - Used only if the online patching cycle needs to be terminated before completion:

$ adop phase=abort

  

Important: The abort phase can only be run after the prepare phase and before completion of the cutover phase. After the cutover phase completes, it is no longer possible to abort the online patching cycle.

Last two commands for adop

a. adop -help

b. adop -examples

 Patch Log Files:-

To review the relevant log files after any patching operation. The adop log files are located on the non-editioned file system (fs_ne), under:

$NE_BASE/EBSapps/log/adop//__//log

Merging Apps Patches in Oracle EBS R12.2

“ADOP” (AD Online Patching) is the new ad utility given by Oracle for patching the Oracle Apps R12.2 environments. ADOP is similar to our old adpatch.

Merging patches is done using same utility as in earlier versions called “admrgpch”. Except that there are few extra steps needed after merging the patches.

In EBS 12.2 after merging the patches using admrgpch, we need to copy the actual unzipped patches that we merged also into the destination directory. This is required as adop utility seems to be looking for these patches during the prepare phase. If you don’t copy the unzipped patch directories, you can still apply the patches. But when you run adop=prepare during next patching cycle,  it will fail as it will look for actual patch directories inside the merged patch dir.

Here is how a sample merging procedure will look like in EBS R12.2

# merge patches 111111 & 222222

$ pwd

  /u01/EBS/fs_ne/EBSapps/patch

$ ls

  111111 222222 

$ mkdir dest

$ admrgpch -s /u01/EBS/fs_ne/EBSapps/patch -d /u01/EBS/fs_ne/EBSapps/patch/dest

$ cd dest

$ pwd

  /u01/R122_EBS/fs_ne/EBSapps/patch/dest

$ ls

  fnd u_merged.drv 

# After admrgpch is finished, we need to copy patch directories into the dest dir

$ cd ..

$ mv 111111 /u01/EBS/fs_ne/EBSapps/patch/dest

$ mv 222222 /u01/EBS/fs_ne/EBSapps/patch/dest

$ cd /u01/EBS/fs_ne/EBSapps/patch/dest

$ ls

  111111 222222 fnd u_merged.drv

Now you can the patches using 

# adop=apply

R12.2 ONLINE PATCHING (ADOP) QUESTIONS & Answer.

WHAT IS THE CONCEPT OF ADOP?

Online patching is the most important new feature in Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2. It is the ability to patch a running system without having to take the system down for a significant period of time while the patches are applied.

‘adop’ is the utility you use to apply patches in R12.2.

 WHAT IS PATCH TOP DIRECTORY IN R12.2?
In R12.2 there is a new directory location environment variable called $PATCH_TOP which points to $NE_BASE/EBSapps/patch
$NE_BASE points to <Non-Editioned-filesystem-directory>

Download the patch into the patch top directory and unzip it. This is the default location where the adop will look for patch files.
If you are planning to put patches in non-defualt location then you need to use adop parameter ‘patchtop=<patch_path>’ to explicitly define this location.

HOW IS PATCH MERGING DONE IN ADOP? IS ADMRGPCH COMMAND USED IN EARLIER EBS RELEASES STILL VALID IN R12.2?
In earlier EBS releases, the AD Merge Patch tool was used to merge multiple patches into a single patch, so that the common tasks only needed to be performed once.
In Oracle EBS 12.2, all the functionality of AD Merge Patch has been included in the adop patching tool itself.By default, adop will automatically merge all patches specified with the ‘patches’ parameter.You can still use earlier AD Merge Patch tool but you should disable adop’s merging of patches, by adding to the adop command line > ‘merge=no’.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ADOP COMMAND IS RUN?
adop will perform all the tasks required to apply the patch:

> Reads patch metadata to determine patch dependencies and requirements
> Attempt to recover previously failed patching session (if any)
> Reads and validate the patch/product driver files
> Compares version numbers of existing files against the patch files and Backs up all existing files that will be changed by the patch
> Copies files
> Archive files in libraries
> Relinks executables, Generates forms, reports, messages, graphics, and Java archive (JAR) files
> Compiles JSP files and invalid database objects. Updates database objects
> Runs AutoConfig if required
> Saves patch information to the database.All tasks are similar to what adpatch utility used to do earlier.
FROM WHICH FILESYSTEM ADOP COMMAND SHOULD BE RUN?
We always run adop utility from the run edition file system. The adop process automatically sets its environment correctly, regardless of the edition it is run from.