Upgrade to E-Business Suite 12.1.3 or 12.2?

Which Oracle E-Business Suite Release Should You Target: 12.1 or 12.2?


12.2 is latest release of Oracle E-Business Suite, Customer who are in 11i (11.5.10.2) can directly upgrade to 12.2 instead of 12.1

But there is a general query on to upgrade to 12.1.3 now or directly upgrade to 12.2 which is latest of Oracle eBiz.

Consider targeting 12.1 if any of the following circumstances applies to your organization:

 You prefer to target a release on which Oracle has thousands of live customers.
 You would like to stay on 12.1 for 3-5 years before upgrading to 12.2.
 You need to move from a release below 11.5.10 with no direct upgrade to 12.2.

Consider targeting 12.2 if any of the following circumstances applies to your organization:

 You need the high availability provided by Online Patching.
 You want the functional enhancements that are in 12.2.
 You prefer to invest in a single project to upgrade directly to 12.2.

The above information is from Steven Chan Oracle blog (https://blogs.oracle.com/stevenChan/)

R12 12.2 Installation Error - Fatal Error: TXK Install Service

It was observed many facing this error during the installation of R12.2 "Fatal Error: TXK Install Service"

This issue is majorly related to the staging of the software, When the staging was not done properly, or you have downloaded the installation parts which are not required or missed to download which are required.

Please note that you should NOT download the following files while creating the  R12.2 Rapid install Stage:

These files DO NOT belong to the R12.2 shiphome.

 1. Oracle Database Lite 10g Release 3 (10.3.0.3.0) for Linux x86 V20223-01.zip

2. Oracle SOA Suite 11g Patch Set 5 (11.1.1.6.0) for Price Protection   
V29672-01_1of2.zip
V29672-01_2of2.zip
 
3. Oracle Data Integrator 11g (11.1.1.6.0) for Generic
V29762-01_1of2.zip
V29762-01_2of2.zip

4. Oracle Portal, Forms, Reports and Discoverer 11g (11.1.1.2.0) for Linux x86-64
V18772-01_1of4.zip
V18772-01_2of4.zip
V18772-01_3of4.zip
V18772-01_4of4.zip

5. Oracle Portal, Forms, Reports and Discoverer 11g Patch Set 5 (11.1.1.6.0) for  Linux x86-64 
V29883-01.zip

These files DO NOT belong to the R12.2 shiphome.

They should be downloaded to a different location than the R12.2 Rapid install stage.

Also IMPORTANTLY, note that these two components that at one stage were marked as  optional are ' Mandatory  ' and should be downloaded into the Rapid Install stage .

1. Oracle Fusion Middleware Web Tier Utilities 11g Patch Set 5 (11.1.1.6.0) for Linux x86-64 , V29764-01.zip
2. Oracle WebLogic Server 11gR1 (10.3.6) Generic and Coherence , V29856-01.zip
Once you have downloaded all the right zip files, rebuild the stage directory by running ' buildStage.sh'..

Cleanup the current install  (oraInventory, temp also) and re-install again.

libmawt.so: libXtst.so.6: cannot open shared object file

While launching R12 installer in RHEL6 encountered below issue.


# Exception in thread "main" java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: 

/d01/EBS_Software/R12Stage/startCD/Disk1/rapidwiz/jre/Linux_x64/1.6.0/lib/i386/xawt/libmawt.so: libXtst.so.6: cannot open shared object file: No such 

file or directory

FIX:
---
Install below missing two rpms in the same order.

# rpm -ivh libXi-1.3-3.el6.i686.rpm
warning: libXi-1.3-3.el6.i686.rpm: Header V3 RSA/SHA256 Signature, key ID fd431d51: NOKEY
Preparing...                ########################################### [100%]
   1:libXi                  ########################################### [100%]

# rpm -ivh libXtst-1.0.99.2-3.el6.i686.rpm
warning: libXtst-1.0.99.2-3.el6.i686.rpm: Header V3 RSA/SHA256 Signature, key ID fd431d51: NOKEY
Preparing...                ########################################### [100%]
   1:libXtst                ########################################### [100%]

R12 - 12.2 Upgrade Step By Step

Upgrading from from 12.2.0 to 12.2.2 Step by Step

1) Reset FND_SQLNET_ACCESS to ALLOW_RESTRICTED

2) Apply mandatory fs_clone fix - Patch 17064510:R12.TXK.C

cd 17064510
adop phase=apply hotpatch=yes


3) Run Database Patch Checker to identify the patches required on the DB node.

From startCD/Disk1/rapidwiz/bin run the below as oracle user

$ ./addbptchk.sh

Enter the full path of rapidwiz location: /media/oracle/1222/1222_Stage

Enter $ORACLE_HOME value : /u01/TEST/oracle/11.2.0

Setting ORACLE_HOME to : /u01/TEST/oracle/11.2.0
Please confirm this is the correct value [y/n] :y

Enter database SID : TEST

Setting database SID to: TEST
Please confirm this is the correct SID [y/n] :y

Setting database context to: TEST_test.oracle.com
Please confirm this is the correct context [y/n] :n

Enter the correct db context : TEST_test

Setting database context to: TEST_test
Please confirm this is the correct context [y/n] :y

Looking for database context file /u01/TEST/oracle/11.2.0/appsutil/TEST_test.xml
Please confirm this is the correct file [y/n] :y

Found /u01/TEST/oracle/11.2.0/appsutil/TEST_test.xml...

The DB version is assumed to be 11.2.0.3.

 Pre-req Patch Testing Start Phase : Tue Sep 24 15:29:52 IST 2013
runProcess_1

Rapidwiz location from DB context file is /media/oracle/1222/1222_Stage/startCD/Disk1/rapidwiz

Copying templates to temp area

Executing Perl command:

perl -pi -e 's/txkTopology_R1220_DB11gR2_11202_Patches.xml/txkTopology_R1220_DB11gR2_11203.xml/g' 

Copying one-off patches to temp area

---------
----
---
---
Opatch is at the required version

All the required one-offs are present in Oracle Database Home

FINISHED Pre-req Patch Testing :  Tue Sep 24 15:32:07 IST 2013


4)Apply Database Patches from the above report , If there are any.


5)Apply below addtional Database Patches 

16702016 - ORA-7445 [KGLOBCL()+487]
16924879 - CLEAN UP OBSOLETE ORACLE/QSMA SYNONYMS FROM DB 11.2
17047617 - MERGE REQUEST ON TOP OF 11.2.0.3.0 FOR BUGS 15967134 12657924
17184721 - CLEAN UP OBSOLETE ORACLE/QSMA SYNONYMS POST INSTALL SCRIPT


6) Apply Application Tier Patches

i) Apply Consolidated Seed Table Upgrade Patch 16605855:12.2.0 (required for both VISION and PROD)

adop phase=apply hotpatch=yes


7) Applying the 12.2.2 AD and TXK Release Update Pack 


i) Download and unzip Oracle Applications DBA 12.2.2 Product Release Update Pack (R12.AD.C.Delta.2) , Patch 15955263.


Usage:

  1. Create $ORACLE_HOME/appsutil/admin on the database server.

  2. Copy the higher version of adgrants.sql (UNIX) to $ORACLE_HOME/appsutil/admin.
     
  4. Set the environment to point to ORACLE_HOME on the database server.

  5. Use SQL*Plus to run the script:

     UNIX:
     $ sqlplus /nolog
     SQL> @$ORACLE_HOME/appsutil/admin/adgrants.sql APPLSYS

cd 15955263   

$ adop phase=prepare

$ adop phase=apply 



ii)  Download and apply phase for R12.TXK.C.DELTA.2 Patch 15946788.

cd 15946788

$ adop phase=apply 

Note: R12.AD.C.DELTA.2 and R12.TXK.C.DELTA.2 must be applied in the same online patching cycle, without merging.

iii) Complete the online patching cycle by running the following commands in the order shown.

$ adop phase=finalize

-- Downtime Required Here

$ adop phase=cutover
$ adop phase=cleanup



8) Apply the 12.2.2 Suite-Wide Release Update Pack


i)Start an online patching cycle.

adop phase=prepare

ii) Apply Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.2 Patch 16207672 and Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.2 Online Help Patch 16207673.

$ cd 16207672
adop phase=apply 

$ cd 16207673
adop phase=apply 


iii)Instantiate the Oracle HTTP Server configuration files ssl.conf and mod_wl_ohs.conf.

 Source the patch edition environment file:

. $PATCH_BASE/EBSapps/appl/APPS$CONTEXT_NAME.env


$ . $PATCH_BASE/EBSapps/appl/APPS$CONTEXT_NAME.env
$ $ADJVAPRG oracle.apps.ad.autoconfig.InstantiateFile -e $CONTEXT_FILE -d $FND_TOP/admin/driver/ohstmpl.drv -tmpl 

$FND_TOP/admin/template/ssl_conf_FMW.tmp
Enter the APPS password : 
$ $ADJVAPRG oracle.apps.ad.autoconfig.InstantiateFile -e $CONTEXT_FILE -d $FND_TOP/admin/driver/ohstmpl.drv -tmpl 

$FND_TOP/admin/template/mod_wl_ohs_conf_FMW.tmp
Enter the APPS password : 


4.  Complete the online patching cycle by running the following commands in the order shown

. $RUN_BASE/EBSapps/appl/APPS$CONTEXT_NAME.env
adop phase=finalize

--Downtime Required Here

adop phase=cutover
adop phase=cleanup

4)  Post-Update Steps

Synchronize file systems

adop phase=fs_clone

R12 Online Patching ? ADOP AD Online Patching replaces adpatch in 12.2.

Online Patching ? ADOP AD Online Patching replaces adpatch in 12.2.


Online Patching is new feature which  is major change with R12 12.2 for DBA's , as downtime would be reduced for any patching activity from hours to few minutes.

Now it is possible to apply even upgrade patches in Online Patching mode minimizing downtime to very low, But please note upgrade to 12.2 is not possible via online patching from lower versions . 

On the technology part  of online patching, It is some what similar to Stage Appl TOP, But in online patching database objects also will maintain two copies to support this method. i.e run file system and run edition of DB, patch file system and patch edition of DB.

In applications  contains two setf of file systems patch and run file system, run is where actually applications is running from and patch is used for patching the applications when it is running. in database we have edition based concept, where we contain patch edition and run edition.

Actually the base for the online patching concept came into picture with 11GR2 database version , Where there is concept called "Edition Based Redefinition", Online patching database part is based on it.

Online Patching in 12.2. is done using adop utility (No Longer adpatch), But this utility calls internally the required patching(adpatch) or other  utilities.

and all the patches need to be applied using adop only, Other methods are not supported. But we can apply the patches in hot patch mode using adop, But in this method , The online patching concept will not come into picture , It is traditional way of applying patch directly on the run file system and run edition of the database when applications and DB is running.


Online Patching (adop) runs in different phases, The below are phases and syntax of adop.

prepare
apply
finalize
cutover
cleanup


1) prepare  Phase
--------------

patch edition and run editions are synchronized in incremental synchronizations of files changed in the run file system.

patch edition is created in th database

How to run this , Syntax: $ adop phase=prepare

2)apply phase 
-----------

patches are applied to patch patch edition in the database and patch file system in the applications.

adpatch is called internally by adop to apply the patches.

production application is un effected by these changes, and multiple patches can be applied.

How to run this , Syntax: $ adop phase=apply


3)finalize phase 
-------------

Performs all the activities which can be done when applications is up & running.

example: compile invalids,generate objects,pre-compile DDL

How to run this , Syntax: $ adop phase=finalize


This stage we can stay as long as we want, until once we have downtim to move the changed in the cutover stage , 


4)cutover phase
------------

This is a stage where where actual changes reflects and downtime is required for this stage. 

Users are logged off during this stage.

patch file system is promoted to be the run file system

patch database edition is promoted to the run database edition.

users are actually broght back on online on the patched system.

How to run this , Syntax: $ adop phase=cutover


5)cleanup phase
------------

Cleanup happens once users online on the system


There are no cleanup on the file system , Only it happens on the database where it deletes the code objects from old editions of the database where patching happened.

How to run this , Syntax: $ adop phase=cleanup


syntax of patch application in 12.2 using adop is : $ adop phase=apply patches=123456