Upgrade High-level Steps
Preparation (Lay Down 12c & R12.2) no downtime
· Plan & Prepare for Upgrade – We need to plan and also document all the issues reportedso that during the Final-Production upgrade downtime can be minimal. We needto plan and check all the intermediate versions are supported if not operational. That is the key point during planning.
· Prepare forUpgrade– This phase starts afterthe planning phase and includes Database and Application preparation for upgrade activity. This is the main upgrade phase where we perform allthe upgrade activities
Apply Latest CUP+other performance patches – no downtime
Online Clone Database + Upgrade to 12c
· Database Upgrade – Select the latest version for the database. If 11g database, consider for 11.2.0.4 versionor you can plan for 12c versions too. Also, apply the latest Consolidate patches as per the database versions. On the application side, we need to be on the Minimum baseline patchesas per the Oracle recommendations.
· File System Lay down- As weknow R12.2 comes with the latest technology and file-system, so we needto lay down the R12.2 file-system using the latest startCD. Currently,StartCD 51 is available.
Upgrade to 12.2.0- We need to first upgrade to 12.2.0 and need to apply AD and TXK patches on the 12.2 filesystems. As this is the intermediate stage we need toperform it as a pre-install activity. At this stage, the Application will not be operational.
Upgrade further to 12.2.X- We are at 12.2 withthe latest database now. Now on the application side, we can come to the latest version (12.2.10 Currently). We need to apply the latest technology patches (Delta 12 till now) and EBS RUP patches after that.
· Middle Tier patches -> 1594274.1
· AD-TXK RUP patches -> 1617461.1
EBS R12.2.X Document -> 12.2.9 or 12.2.10
· All the post-upgrade patches and steps
Apply Post – Upgrade Patch –
Enable Online Patching – As you know new feature of R12.2 is online patching so we need to enable our old instance for the same. (MOS ID: 1531121.1)
Deploy Customization & External Integration
· Translations – In the case of multiple languages are there then we need to take care of Translation patches as well. 12.2and then 12.2.X translated patches and also we needto apply TSP (Translation Sync Patches).
· Customization – Once standard/seeded codeis at R12.2.X level we need to take care ofthe customizationsin our old versions. For R12.2 we have new development standards and need to follow the same to get the custom code compliant with our applications.
Configuration:
· Check the Sizing’s
· Add Nodes for Horizontal Scale-up
· Add Managed Servers for Vertical Scale-up
Post – Upgrade Tasks
After the successful upgrade of your base version R12.0 to the version R12.2 orR12.2.x, we need to perform post-upgrade tasks which ensures the stability of thesystem and it includes:
· Minimize Downtime: MOS ID 1581549.1 Best Practices for Minimizing Oracle E- Business Suite Release 12 Upgrade Downtime
· Best Practices & Performance: MOS ID 1581549.1 Best Practices for Minimizing Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 Upgrade Downtime
· Troubleshooting & Logs
Oracle Support (EBS)
Oracle has announced on March 2021, they are following a “Continuous Innovation” release model for Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2, delivering ongoing applications and underlying technology stack updates for 12.2 without requiring a major upgrade. As well, 12.2 is the long-term support release for Oracle E-Business Suite, with Premier Support for 12.2 available through at least 2032, and there will be no 12.3 release. https://www.oracle.com/a/ocom/docs/support/advanced-customer-support/support-for-e-business-suite.pdf
Latest version: 12.2.12 release date: 23-12-2021
Application software support and maintenance (EBS)
Historical frequencies for Oracle E-Business Suite major upgrades
Contents for each release are based on bugs and enhancement requests logged by both existing customers (as part of their support provisions) and internal Oracle professionals. Oracle also has multiple user communities whereby representative customers from each major industry / business area will offer valuable suggestions for improvements in the application functionalities. Oracle takes feedback from our customers seriously when planning for each upgrade release. Each client is free to perform upgrade any time as they prefer based on their current needs and business requirements --- Oracle will NOT force our clients to perform upgrades just for the sake of it. Delivery method for future upgrades will be via Oracle Metalink requests or through Oracle Support.
Oracle Database Product Life Cycle Suppor:
19c & 21c Long Term & Innovation Releases:
Our suggest:
Oracle Database 19c
Reasons:
o long term release version
Suggestion: Run latest E-Business Suite on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is an IaaS platform for building and running applications such as E-Business Suite. OCI lets you use the computing, network, and storage capabilities of Oracle Cloud on a subscription basis, increasing automation, speed, and agility while minimizing the cost of hardware and routine maintenance.
OCI provides an infinite amount of capacity that automatically scales up and down. This provides increased performance, improved security, and reduced TCO. With OCI, Oracle manages an all-Oracle stack that includes hardware, database, and applications, which improves overall lifecycle management.
