Question 1: What is Online Patching?

Answer:
Online patching is a new patching mechanism that is available with R12.2 that
allows the application of patches while the system is up and running, and the users
are working as normal.

Question 2: Which Oracle E-Business Suite releases Online Patching feature is

available?
Answer Online patching is used with Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2 and higher.

Question 3: What types of patch are applied online?

Answer: All Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2 patches are applied online. This
includes one-off patches, patch rollups, consolidated updates and security patches.

Question 4:What is the Online Patching cycle?

Answer: The Online Patching cycle is a sequence of inter-related steps (phases)
used to apply patches to an Oracle E-Business Suite system.

Question 5:What tool is used to apply online patches?

Answer: The AD Online Patching (adop) command-line utility is used to manage the
Online Patching cycle.adop invokes adpatch is the background only

Question 6: Is there any downtime in Online Patching?

Answer: There is a short period of downtime when the application tier services are
shut down and restarted. The database remains open all the time.

Key technology changes in E-business Suite R12.2

Question 7 Once I upgrade to Release 12.2, can I still apply patches in the
traditional way?
Answer :No. All patches for Release 12.2 will be online patches. The traditional,
pre-12.2 method of applying patches will not work.There are option like downtime
and hotpatch which works more like traditional way but they are used for patches
directed by Oracle

Question 8:What is the Online Patching infrastructure?

Answer :This infrastructure includes database objects edition and patch/run file
system components.

Question 9. Does Online Patching require the 11gR2 Oracle Database Edition Based
Redefinition (EBR) feature?
Answer Yes. Online patching depends on the Edition Based Redefinition (EBR) feature
that was introduced in the Oracle 11gR2 Database. Most notably, EBR allows
editioning of code objects in the database. To do this, it provides new object
types such as editions, editioning views, and cross-edition triggers, all of which
are part of the Online Patching infrastructure.

R12.2 edition determination and setup

Question 10. What are the phases that make up the Online Patching cycle?
Answer: The Online Patching cycle consists of the following phases:
1.Prepare a virtual copy (patch edition) of the running application (run edition).
2.Apply patches to the patch edition of the application.
3.Finalize the system in readiness for the cutover phase.
4.Cutover to the patch edition and make it the new run edition.
5.Cleanup obsolete definitions or data to recover space.
Oracle Ebuisness Suite Architecture in R12.2

Question 11.What downtime is required during an Online Patching cycle? or as the

name spells online,there is not downtime in the whole process
Answer The cutover phase requires a short period of downtime (typically a few
minutes) for transition tasks such as a restart of the application tier services.

Question 12. Is any downtime required for the database tier?

Answer: No. In fact, the database needs to be up and running during each phase of
the Online Patching cycle. Suite database.

Question 13.How does Online Patching work on the application tier?

Answer:During Release 12.2 installation, Rapid Install will lay down two copies of
the application tier file system. One of the copies will be labeled as the run file
system, and the other as the patch file system. Subsequently, when a patch is
applied, adop will:
1.Synchronize the contents of the run file system to the patch file system. This
happens during the prepare phase.
2.Perform patching actions on the patch file system. This happens during the apply
phase.
3.Finally, during the cutover phase, the adop utility restarts the application tier
services. The patch file system is then promoted to be the new run file system, and
the old run file system becomes the patch file system for the next patching cycle.

Note that a third file system, the non-editioned file system (fs_ne), is created to
store files containing data that is needed across all file systems,such as log
files.

R12.2 Online patching cycle Summary

Adop explained R12.2

Question 14.How do I apply Oracle Fusion Middle-ware patches in Oracle E-Business

Suite Release 12.2?
Answer: During the apply phase of an Online Patching cycle, you apply Oracle Fusion
Middle-ware patches to the Oracle homes of the patch edition file system. Then,
after the cut over phase is complete, you synchronize the file systems by
performing an fs_clone operation. (Also see My Oracle Support Knowledge Document
1355068.1, as listed in Appendix A.)

Question 15. Can I use the patch edition for testing and development purposes?
Answer As a specialized component of the Online Patching infrastructure, the patch
edition is not supported for use as a test environment. You should continue to
employ a separate, dedicated test environment.

Question 16.Can Online Patching be used with database technologies such as Active
Dataguard and Flashback?
Answer:Yes. Online patching can be used alongside Active Dataguard and Flashback.
Infact we can use flashback to rollback the changes after the final cutover
Question 17. What are the key differences between the DBA_OBJECTS, DBA_OBJECTS_AE,
and AD_OBJECTS tables?
Answer DBA_OBJECTS shows object information for the current edition, but the STATUS
column in this view may show the object as VALID even if the object actually needs
to be compiled before use.
DBA_OBJECTS_AE is similar to DBA_OBJECTS, but shows object information across all
editions. This has the drawback of showing objects in old editions that are no
longer accessible to the application.
AD_OBJECTS is the Oracle E-Business Suite workaround to the unreliable STATUS
column in DBA_OBJECTS. AD_OBJECTS shows the correct status for each object visible
in the current edition. It also shows whether the object is �actual� (a real
object) in the current edition, or a �stub� object (the object definition was
inherited from a previous edition). You can query AD_OBJECTS to locate objects that
need to be recompiled before use:
SQL>select owner, object_name, object_type
from ad_objects
where status = �INVALID�
order by 1,2,3
/

The same logic can be applied by running the script:

SQL>sqlplus apps/apps @$AD_TOP/sql/ADZDSHOWINVALID

Everything you would like to know about Create table in oracle

Oracle Indexes and index types

Question 18.Does Online Patching increase the network port requirements on an

Oracle E-Business Suite instance?
Answer: Yes. Online patching requires an additional set of network ports for the
Oracle WebLogic Server managed servers on the second file system. During the
cutover phase, the managed servers run simultaneously on the patch file system and
run file system for a brief period, in a rolling transition process.

Question 19.Is it possible to abort an Online Patching session?

Answer Yes. Up to cutover, you can run the abort phase to undo the changes made so
far in the patching cycle. It is not possible to back out patches once cutover is
complete.

Question 20.Is the shared APPL_TOP configuration supported with Online Patching?
Answer: Yes. A shared APPL_TOP configuration is supported and recommended for
multi-node application tier implementations in Release 12.2.

Question 21.How does adop work in a multi-node environment?

Answer The adop Online Patching tool uses remote APIs and ssh login to execute
patching operations on remote nodes in a multi-node environment. The node that
launches adop becomes the �master� node, and the remote nodes are referred to as
�slaves�.

Question 22.How do I determine the status of my Online Patching session?

Answer: You can run the adop -status command. This will display information that
includes phases completed and the time taken. If you want additional details of
operations performed, you can run the adop -status -detail command.

Question 23.What is downtime mode and when can it be used?

Answer: To optimize the process of upgrading to E-Business Suite Release 12.2, the
AD Delta 5 Release Update Pack introduced downtime mode, which is used as follows:

$ adop phase=apply patches=<patch_number> apply_mode=downtime

Downtime mode does not use an online patching cycle. The process of applying a
patch in downtime mode completes more quickly than in online mode, but at the cost
of increased system downtime.
When applying Oracle E-Business Suite patches in this mode, adop will first confirm
that the application tier services are down, and will then proceed to apply the
patch to the run edition of the Oracle E-Business Suite database and file system.
Downtime mode is supported for:
-All patching (including post-upgrade patching) that forms part of the Release 12.2
upgrade process and is completed before the system is scaled up, the application
tier services are started, and users log in to the upgraded system.
-Single-node development or test environments, where production support and high
availability are not required.

Downtime mode allows the 12.2 upgrade process to be completed as quickly as

possible. Once the upgrade is complete and users are online, all subsequent
patching on a production system should use online mode, not downtime mode, unless
the patch readme states otherwise.

Several restrictions apply to the use of downtime mode:

-You cannot validate successful patch application before cutover to the updated
code takes place.
-There is no capability to abort a failed patch and return to the existing run
edition.
-Release 12.2 patches are not normally tested in downtime mode.
-Use of downtime mode in a multi-node application tier environment is not tested or
supported.
Question 24. What can I do to reduce the time required for cutover?
Answer: It is important to distinguish between the time needed for the whole
cutover phase, and the downtime period within the phase. The actual downtime
(during which users cannot log in) is significantly shorter than the whole phase.
To help reduce the overall time taken by cutover, you can do three things:
-Run the finalize phase explicitly, to obviate the need for cut over to do so.
-Shut down the concurrent managers before running cut over, to avoid having to wait
for concurrent requests to complete. Alternatively, ensure no long-running
concurrent jobs are submitted while a patching cycle is in progress.
-Ensure you are using the maximum number of parallel workers your system will
support.

Question 25.What is fs_clone and how is it used?

Answer The command adop phase=fs_clone is a special command that is used to copy
the run file system to the patch file system. Also see previous question.

Question 26.Will AutoConfig and adadmin maintenance tasks such as adrelink,forms

compilation,report compilation be performed online?
Answer: Yes, these maintenance tasks will be performed online. The relevant
operations will be targeted to the patch file system, and should be performed
during a patching cycle. They will not have any impact on the run file system.

Question 27.Does Online Patching change the way data fix patches are applied to
Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2?
Answer Yes. Data fix patches (used to fix transactional data) require special
handling. The patch readme will give full instructions.

Question 28 How do I apply or patch my customizations in Oracle E-Business Suite

Release 12.2?
Answer You should apply your customizations to the patch edition during the apply
phase of the Online Patching cycle. Because this happens prior to the cutover
phase, your changes will be propagated to the new run edition (along with all the
fixes in the patches applied during the patching cycle).

Question 29. If custom code is installed on a separate database schema, do I have

to edition-enable my custom database schema?
Answer The coding standards in the Oracle E-Business Suite Developer�s Guide state
that the first step to any custom application development is to register the custom
Oracle schema with the Oracle E-Business Suite applications. The Online Patching
enablement patch enables editioning on all the schemas registered with the
application. If you follow this process, your schema will be edition-enabled
automatically.
Question 30. Are there any special considerations for creating custom patches that
are compliant with Online Patching?
Answer Yes. There are some special considerations for creating custom patches that
are compliant with Online Patching. Refer to the Patching Standards section of
Oracle E-Business Suite Developer�s Guide.

Question 31: How is a non Oracle E-Business Suite database schema able to access
the Oracle E-Business Suite tables?
Answer Any third-party schema, either from third-party products or custom code,
must access Oracle E-Business Suite tables via the synonyms in the APPS schema.
Direct access to Oracle E-Business Suite tables may produce incorrect results.

Question 32: What are the main technological difference between R12.2 and R12.1
Answer: R12.2 uses weblogic while R12.1 uses OC4J. Apart from that we have online
patching feature in r12.2 using edition and patch/run file system

R12.1 Techstack

R12.2 techstack

Question 33: How to change the apps password in R12.2?

Answer: apps password is same as R12.1 with the exception of changing that in
weblogic console also.

Question 34: where are the log files stored for adop?
Answer: It is stored in the third filesystem which is non edition filesystem

Question 35. how do you connect to the patch edition?

Answer: Source the env using patch option
/u71/R122/EBSapps.env patch

Question 36: How to determine the weblogic version in R12.2

Answer How to find Weblogic Version

Question 37. How to increase the manage node in R12.2?

Answer

How to add the manage server in R12.2

How to delete the manage server in R12.2

Question 38. Where are the log file located in R12.2 Apache and Weblogic

Answer
Apache Logs

$IAS_ORACLE_HOME/instances//diagnostics/logs/OHS/EBS_web_/*log

OPMN Log
$IAS_ORACLE_HOME/instances//diagnostics/logs/OPMN/opmn/

Weblogic Logs

$IAS_ORACLE_HOME/../wlserver_10.3/common/nodemanager
$EBS_DOMAIN_HOME/servers/oa/logs/
$EBS_DOMAIN_HOME/servers/forms/logs/
$EBS_DOMAIN_HOME/servers/AdminServer/logs/*
$EBS_DOMAIN_HOME/sysman/log/*

Question 39. How to stop and start the services in R12.2

Answer

When we want to stop all application services using script adstpall.sh , we provide
apps password in R12.1.3.But in R12.2 it will ask weblogic admin password in
addition to bring down to all services .

We need to provide Weblogic admin password

Component Command
Node Manager $adnodemgrctl.sh start Enter Weblogic Admin Password:
Weblogic Admin Server $adadminsrvctl.sh start Enter Weblogic Admin Password:
Application Listener $adalnctl.sh start
Oracle Process Manager $adopmnctl.sh start
Apache Services $adapcctl.sh start
Managed Server for OACORE Services $admanagedsrvctl.sh start oacore_server1 Enter
Weblogic Admin Password:
Managed Server for FormsServices $admanagedsrvctl.sh start forms_server1 Enter
Weblogic Admin Password:
Managed Server for Fusion MiddleWare Services $admanagedsrvctl.sh start
oafm_server1 Enter Weblogic Admin Password:
Managed Server for Forms web Services $admanagedsrvctl.sh start forms-
c4ws_server1 Enter Weblogic Admin Password:
Concurrent Manager Service $adcmctl.sh start apps/apps
Fullfillment Serer Services $jtffmctl.sh start
Stop
When we want to stop all services adstpall.sh apps/apps again it is going to ask
weblogic password

Component Command
Fullfillment Serer Services $jtffmctl.sh stop
Concurrent Manager Service $adcmctl.sh stop apps/apps
Managed Server for Forms web Services $admanagedsrvctl.sh stop forms-
c4ws_server1 Enter Weblogic Admin Password:
Managed Server for Fusion MiddleWare Services $admanagedsrvctl.sh stop
oafm_server1 Enter Weblogic Admin Password:
Managed Server for FormsServices $admanagedsrvctl.sh stop forms_server1 Enter
Weblogic Admin Password:
Managed Server for OACORE Services $admanagedsrvctl.sh stop oacore_server1 Enter
Weblogic Admin Password:
Apache Services $adapcctl.sh stop
Oracle Process Manager $adopmnctl.sh stop
Application Listener $adadlctl stop
Weblogic Admin Server $adadminsrvctl.sh stop Enter Weblogic Admin Password:
Node Manager $adnodemgrctl.sh stop Enter Weblogic Admin Password:
Admin scripts in R12.2
Question 40. Do we need to copy the Oracle fusion middleware in R12.2 cloning?
Answer It is not required in R12.2 cloning as adpreclone copies the Oracle fusion
middle in compressed format on the application tier