Non-RAC : How to Perform out of Place Patching to Minimize DB Downtime (Doc ID 1389364.1)

Goal

Starting with 11gR2 patch set 1 (i.e 11.2.0.2.0), patch set installations can be done into either...

- existing Oracle Database home (In Place) where previous version of the same release (i.e. 11.2.0.x) exists
OR
- new Oracle Database home location (Out Of Place)

Using Out Of Place option , we can minimize the downtime of the database environment,  i.e time spent installing the software can be saved/reduced from the total database downtime required. However, some downtime is required for switching database services to the new oracle database home.

These database down time savings can also be achieved for previous releases, i.e. 11.1.0.x or 10.2.0.x using the clone option.  A basic overview of the steps include...

      - Clone the existing database home
      - Apply required patch set to the cloned database home
      - Switch the database services to the cloned database home
      - Complete the post installation tasks for the patch set applied

This logic can also be used to perform application of interim patches (PSU/CPU/one-off patches) to minimize database downtime, and can be thought of as Out Of Place patching.

This article provides the steps to perform the Out Of Place patching to minimize the database downtime required for interim patch (PSU/CPU/one-off-patches) activities. As of now, this logic can be used to patch Oracle Database homes running with versions 10.2.0.x, 11.1.0.x and 11.2.0.x.

Solution

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