Applying R12.AD.C.Delta.10 and R12.TXK.C.Delta.10 on EBS R12.2.x

Look on the bright side.

Downtimes are great times for taking care of patching. Ok, maybe it would have been better to avoid the downtime entirely, but critical patches need to get applied, no matter when or how you find the time.

Today, we’re going to review how to quickly, efficiently patch E-Business Suite 12.2 (EBS R12.2) using Online Patching tools in the Applications DBA (AD) and the EBS Technology Stack (TXK). Don’t forget that most recent AD and TXK patches will include new features related to patching in addition to the standard upgrades for security, performance, stability, etc. To be more specific, the TXK Delta 10 patch adds capabilities for highly requested features like parallel index optimization, seed data handling, and synchronization of theme files on cutover. So you’ll be doing yourself a favor and reducing your risks on the next patch.

In the instructions below, you’ll notice I have not included DB patch numbers and all as those will be specific to your environment.

New features in AD/TXK10 Patches:

[Ref Oracle E-Business Suite Applications DBA and Technology Stack Release Notes for R12.AD.C.Delta.10 and R12.TXK.C.Delta.10 (Doc ID 2295390.1)]

1. Thread Count Control for Application Tier Service Management Scripts :

A new context variable called s_srvctl_thread_count has been added to the application tier context file which allows you to start managed servers in batches. Adjusting this value could have a positive impact on performance, for example in a large server with 64 CPUs.

2. Script to Terminate Sessions Connected to Old Editions:

During a full cleanup operation, the adop utility can only drop old editions if those editions are not in use. A new script, ADZDKILLOLDSESSIONS.sql, provides a solution to let you terminate sessions that are connected to old editions.

Patching steps:

[Ref: Applying the Latest AD and TXK Release Update Packs to Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2 (Doc ID 1617461.1)]

Though above note says to apply DB ETCC missing patches, we have applied after AD/TXK application patches. This worked without any problem and helps us to achieve complete patching activity in one downtime.

Below are the steps followed:

1. Run ADOP PREPARE phase

adop phase=prepare

2. Apply Application side ETCC missing patches like, Oracle Home, Webtier, Oracle_Common and WLS on patch file system.

[This list can be checked by running checkMTpatch.sh from patch 17537119 on application tier]

3. Download and unzip the following patches:

Patch 25820806 (R12.AD.C.Delta.10)

Patch 27254132:R12.AD.C (CONSOLIDATED PATCH ON TOP OF AD DELTA 10)

Patch 25828573 (R12.TXK.C.Delta.10)

Patch 27294892:R12.TXK.C (CONSOLIDATED PATCH ON TOP OF TXK DELTA 10)

4. Run adgrants.sql script.

Copy the latest adgrants.sql from downloaded AD patches and copy to DB tier.

sqlplus /nolog

SQL> @$ORACLE_HOME/appsutil/admin/adgrants.sql apps

5. Apply AD 10 patch along with additional recommended patches

su – applmgr (run)

adop phase=apply patches=25820806,27254132,28394214,27638770,28714940,27868573,28986462,28882245 merge=yes

Apply Additional Critical Patches can be found in Section#4 as shown below.

4.1 Critical AD Patches

Patch 28394214:R12.AD.C

Patch 27638770:R12.AD.C

Patch 28714940:R12.AD.C

Patch 27868573:R12.AD.C

Patch 28986462:R12.AD.C

Patch 28882245:R12.AD.C

6. Apply TXK 10 patch along with additional recommended patches:

su – applmgr (run)

adop phase=apply patches=25828573,27294892 merge=yes

Apply Additional Critical Patches can be found in Section#4 as shown below.

4.2 Critical TXK Patches

There are no critical TXK patches.

7. Complete finalize phase.

adop phase=finalize

8. Complete cutover phase. Make sure to use mtrestart=no option as we are planning to apply DB patches now.

su – applmgr (run)

adop phase=cutover mtrestart=no

9. Run autoconfig on both DB and Apps tiers:

su – applmgr (run)

perl $AD_TOP/bin/admkappsutil.pl

scp $INST_TOP/admin/out/appsutil.zip oracle@:$ORACLE_HOME

su – oracle

cd $ORACLE_HOME

unzip -o appsutil.zip

cd appsutil/scripts/$CONTEXT_NAME

./adautocfg.sh

su – applmgr (run)

scrtop

./adautocfg.sh

10. Apply any DB or GI PSU patches if required.

11. Check for DB ETCC missing patches by running checkDBpatch.sh from patch 17537119 on database and apply them.

Apply the patches as per patches readme.

12. Startup applications services

su – applmgr (run)

cd $ADMIN_SCRIPTS_HOME

./adstrall.sh

13. Complete ADOP remaining phases.

su – applmgr (run)

adop phase=cleanup

adop phase=fs_clone

That should cover you so when the system comes up again you will be running the latest version at full capacity. Set aside some time to test out and get used to supporting the latest features. Check back here for more tips and advice on upcoming changes and updates. You can also go right to the source and see what that EBS development is up to now at Oracle’s Quarterly EBS Upgrade Recommendations report on