In this Document

Applies to:

Purpose

This document lists things to check, known issues to avoid, and areas to consider to have smooth upgrade to 11.2.0.3/11.2.0.4 Grid Infrastructure.

It includes instruction to run CVU pre-upgrade check and list of mandatory/recommended patches that should be applied for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle ASM upgrade.

Scope

This document is intended for Oracle Clusterware Administrators and Oracle Support engineers.

For Exadata, refer to the following note for details:

Document 1373255.1 - 11.2.0.1/11.2.0.2 to 11.2.0.3 Database Upgrade on Exadata Database Machine

Details

11.2.0.3/11.2.0.4 is a full release, any pre-11.2 Oracle Clusterware (CRS) can be upgraded to 11.2.0.3/11.2.0.4 directly; also started from 11gR2, in-place patch set upgrade is not supported, any patch set must be installed into a new HOME (out-of-place upgrade).

A. Run CVU pre-upgrade check tool

Execute runcluvfy.sh in unzipped GI software location as grid user to confirm whether the environment is suitable for upgrading:

For example, to upgrade a 3-node Oracle Clusterware in /u01/app/11.1 to 11.2.0.3 in /u01/app/grid in rolling fashion, execute the following:

Any error from CVU should be fixed before upgrade is attempted. Use CVU option "-fixup" to generate runnable script for fixable issues, other errors that can not be be fixed by CVU should be fixed manually.

If pre-req patch is not installed, the following will be reported when running rootupgrade.sh:

However, more often, the above error is caused by CVU issues, refer to Document 1452184.1 for details.

B. Ensure consistent network setting

Refer to Document 1386709.1 to ensure network information in Oracle Clusterware is consistent with the setting on OS level on all nodes

C. Mandatory/Recommended patches for upgrade

The following table lists the required/recommended patches which should be applied to pre-upgrade clusterware home prior to the upgrade. The table is categorized by Exadata and non-Exadata environment.

The "Minimum source version" indicates prerequisite patches, which must be patched before mandatory upgrading patches being applied, or else patching or installation may fail.

The "Required PSU or one off patch" indicates mandatory patches that must be applied.

If mandatory patch is not installed, the following error will be reported:

D. Install pre-req patch

In 11.2.0.3/11.2.0.4, CVU/OUI validates existing setup based on instruction in CVU pre-req xml, it's recommended to use Software Update Option to download and apply latest pre-req xml to ensure proper check up, refer to Document 1289738.1 for details of this feature.

Note: Software Update Option consumes OUI patch which is packaged differently than regular patches

E. ASM memory_max_target and memory_target

In 11.2.0.3/11.2.0.4, init.ora parameter "processes" will be default to "available CPU cores * 80 + 40". As the default value for "memory_target" is based on "processes", it can be insufficient if there's large number of CPU cores or large number of diskgroups which could cause issues (i.e. GI stack fails to stop with ORA-04031 etc), it's recommended to increase the value of memory_max_target and memory_target before upgrading to 11.2.0.3/11.2.0.4(does not apply to 10g ASM):

Log in to ASM:

SQL> show parameter memory_target

If the value is smaller than 1536m, issue the following:

SQL> alter system set memory_max_target=4096m scope=spfile;
SQL> alter system set memory_target=1536m scope=spfile;

The number 1536m has proven to be sufficient for most environment, the change will not be effective until next restart.

If rootupgrade.sh already failed due to insufficient memory_target setting, refer to Document 969254.1 to proceed.

F. Execute rootupgrade.sh as real root user - not through sudo etc

When switching to the root user to execute rootupgrade.sh, "su -" or "su - root" provides the full root environment, while sudo, pbrun, "su root" or "su" or similar facilities don't. It is recommended to execute rootupgrade.sh with full root environment to avoid issues documented in the following notes:

• Document 1315203.1 - ACFS Drivers Fail To Install During Root.Sh Execution Of 11.2.0.2 GI Standalone On AIX

• Document 1235944.1 - 11gR2 root.sh Fails as crsd.bin Does not Come up due to Wrong ulimit

• Document 1210883.1 - 11gR2 GI HAIP - Section "bug 12674817"

• Document 1259874.1 - root.sh Fails as the ora.asm resource is not ONLINE or PROTL-16 due to Wrong umask

G. HACMP/PowerHA special consideration

If upgrading a cluster with IBM HACMP/PowerHA, refer to Document 1443814.1 for special consideration.

Appendix 1. Known Issues

• Note 1379498.1 - 11.2.0.3 VIP/SCAN VIP is Not Pingable After Failover Leads to Connection Issue
• Note 1493255.1 - Random Node Eviction When Upgrading 10.2.0.5 CRS to 11.2.0.3 GI 
• Note 1392633.1 - Things to Consider Before Upgrading to 11.2.0.3 to Avoid Poor Performance or Wrong Results

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References