Plan for Patching in E-Business Suite..

Create the Patch Plan:

A patch plan is a document or spreadsheet that details all of the information required to successfully apply a set of patches on a repeating basis. The plan itself will contain, but is not limited to, the following:

Ø  A Patch List: As patches are identified for a particular patching iteration, they are added to the plan

Ø  Patching Instructions: Each patch and its related documentation (READMEs etc.) should be analyzed with respect to the environment to which it will be applied and the relevant instructions extracted from the documentation and combined with any additional steps required for the successful application of the patch

There is a full example below as well.

• Patch number: The patch number
• Applies to: Where the patch applies to, which component of EBS. Patches can apply to the APPL_TOP, iAS Oracle Home, Tools Oracle Home, RDBMS Oracle Home
• Environment File: Which *.env file to use when applying the patch
• Merge: Can the patch be merged with other patches (Application patches only, using "admrgpch")
• Prereqs: Prereqs to be applied before the given patch can be applied.
• Pre-Patch steps: Any manual steps to be run before the patch is applied, called out by the patch README or other document.
• Patch order: The sequence in which the patch will be applied.
• Notes: Any notes taken during the patch application or any other information deemed worthy by the persons creating or applying the Patch Plan.
• Log location:  Name and location of the logs after the patch is completed.
• Failures: Notes about files which failed or errors encountered. Fixes may also be documented here.
• SR Number:  If an SR was generated for questions or failures about this patch.
• Impact Areas: Known areas of the application to be tested post-patch

Before Applying patches following things need to check:

1-      Find whether patch is applied or not?

Select * from ad_bugs where bug_number = &patch_number;

or

Select * from ad_applied_patches where patch_number = &patch_number;

2-      Read the Readme file of each patch for the pre-requisite and post-requisite and other information.

3-      Repeat Step 1 for the Pre-Requisite and Post-requisite Patches.

4-      Create the Patch Plan.

Step By Step Guide to apply the Patch:

1.                  Verify That Backup / Recovery Works

Before making any changes to the Production environment, verify that there is an up-to-date backup and verify that the plan for restoring from that backup is feasible to execute in the time lines provided. This information should be detailed in the Business Plan developed in the Evaluate phase. The backup / restore procedures should also, as a best practice, be tested in the Test phase.  

2.      Apply Patch Implementation Plan

At this stage you need to take into consideration the following:

• Quickly review the Patch Plan created in the previous phases for any last minute concerns
• Decide whether to proceed or abort
• Timelines and downtime should be approximated from patch timing documented during the Test phase.
• Apply the Patch Plan exactly as it was performed in the last test iteration

è Check for the invalid objects form the database.

Select * from dba_objects where status = ‘INVALID’;

è Shutdown the application tier services

è Enable the maintenance mode

è Apply the patches according to Patch Plan

è Disable maintenance mode

è Start the application services.

è Check for any new invalid objects.

3.      Verify Patch Install Has Been Successful

At this point in time do the following:

• Verify the patches installed as expected
• Check log files
• Perform pre-defined testing and diagnostics
• Use testing standards outlined in the Business Plan
• Any patch-specific testing documented in the Patch Plan
• Release instance to users
• Monitor instance for unforeseen issues

4.      Milestone Checklist and Feedback

At the end of the Implement phase stage of the lifecycle, the following is expected:

• Document all the patches which were applied, including dates, who applied them, any related issues and other notes 
• Gather feedback from all vested parties over the next few weeks 
• Document lessons learned
• Refine the Business Plan and Patch Plan guidelines as needed