Apache / Jserv Obtaining the Logfiles

Turn on debugging and please upload the zip file as asked in the format
that is explained in Step # 9 below.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
BEGIN -- Step by Step Instructions for Obtaining the Logfiles --
BEGIN

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

0. Make sure the iAS / Jserv have been shutdown prior to
implementing debugging.


1. Delete the existing logfiles.

( From an Unix shell where the Apps environment has been sourced )

a-1. $ cd $IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Apache/logs
b-1. $ pwd (verify that you are in the "logs directory")
c-1. $ rm -r *

a-2. $ cd $IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Jserv/logs/jvm
b-2. $ pwd (verify that you are in the "jvm" directory)
c-2. $ rm -r *

a-3. $ cd $IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Jserv/logs
b-3. $ pwd (verify that you are in the "logs" directory)
c-3. $ rm *


2. Edit the httpd.conf file to enable debug for apache.

Using your favorite text editor, find the following section in the apache
configuration file and set the LogLevel to debug. You may want to make a
backup of this file before you edit.


Sample Excerpt from .../iAS/Apache/Apache/conf/httpd.conf:
-----------------------------------------------------------------


# ErrorLog: The location of the error log file.
# If you do not specify an ErrorLog directive within a
# container, error messages relating to that virtual host will be
# logged here. If you *do* define an error logfile for a
# container, that host's errors will be logged there and not here.
#
ErrorLog /space/v1154/visora/iAS/Apache/Apache/logs/error_log

#
# LogLevel: Control the number of messages logged to the error_log.
# Possible values include: debug, info, notice, warn, error,crit,
# alert, emerg.
#
*** LogLevel debug

......


# Logging:
# The home of the dedicated SSL protocol logfile. Errors are
# additionally duplicated in the general error log file. Put
# this somewhere where it cannot be used for symlink attacks on
# a real server (i.e. somewhere where only root can write).
# Log levels are (ascending order: higher ones include lower ones):
# none, error, warn, info, trace, debug.
SSLLog /space/v1154/visora/iAS/Apache/Apache/logs/ssl_engine_log
*** SSLLogLevel trace



3. Edit the .../iAS/Apache/Jserv/etc/jserv.conf to enable debug for the jserv
module.

Again using your favorite text editor, find the following section
in jserv.conf and set the LogLevel to debug. Windows users be advised that
you also have a .../iAS/Apache/Jserv/conf/jserv.conf that should be ignored
in favor of the jserv.conf in the .../etc directory. You may want to make
a backup of this file before you edit.


Sample Excerpt from jserv.conf:
-----------------------------------------------------------------


# Note: when set to "DISABLED", the log will be redirected to Apache
# error log
*** ApJServLogFile /space/v1154/visora/iAS/Apache/Jserv/logs/mod_jserv.log

# Log Level for this module
# Syntax: ApJServLogLevel
# [debug|info|notice|warn|error|crit|alert|emerg]
# Default: info (unless compiled w/ JSERV_DEBUG, in which case it's
# debug)
*** ApJServLogLevel debug


4. Edit the .../iAS/Apache/Jserv/etc/jserv.properties to enable debug for the java
portion of the Apache jserv.

Once again using your favorite text editor, find the following section in
jserv.properties and set log=true, log.timestamp=true, and the logging for
the channels to true. You may want to make a backup of this file before
you edit.


Sample Excerpt from jserv.properties:
-----------------------------------------------------------------


# Enable/disable Apache JServ logging.
# WARNING: logging is a very expensive operation in terms of
# performance. You should reduced the generated log to a minumum or
# even disable it if fast execution is an issue. Note that if all log
# channels (see below) are enabled, the log may become really big since
# each servlet request may generate many Kb of log. Some log channels
# are mainly for debugging purposes and should be disabled in a
# production environment.
# Syntax: log=[true,false] (boolean)
# Default: true
*** log=true

# Set the name of the trace/log file. To avoid possible confusion about
# the location of this file, an absolute pathname is recommended.
#
# This log file is different than the log file that is in the
# jserv.conf file. This is the log file for the Java portion of Apache
# JServ.
#
# On Unix, this file must have write permissions by the owner of the JVM
# process. In other words, if you are running Apache JServ in manual mode
# and Apache is running as user nobody, then the file must have its
# permissions set so that that user can write to it.
# Syntax: log.file=[log path and filename] (String)
# Default: NONE
# Note: if the file could not be opened, try using absolute paths.
*** log.file=/space/v1154/visora/iAS/Apache/Jserv/logs/jserv.log

# Enable the timestamp before the log message
# Syntax: log.timestamp=[true,false] (boolean)
# Default: true
*** log.timestamp=true

......

# Enable/disable logging the channel name
# Default: false
*** log.channel=true

# Info channel - quite a lot of informational messages
# hopefully you don't need them under normal circumstances
*** log.channel.info=true

# Servlets exception, i.e. exception caught during
# servlet.service() processing are monitored here
# you probably want to have this one switched on
*** log.channel.servletException=true

# JServ exception, caught internally in jserv
# we suggest to leave it on
*** log.channel.jservException=true

# Warning channel, it catches all the important
# messages that don't cause JServ to stop, leave it on
*** log.channel.warning=true

# Servlet log
# All messages logged by servlets. Probably you want
# this one to be switched on.
*** log.channel.servletLog=true

# Critical errors
# Messages produced by critical events causing jserv to stop
*** log.channel.critical=true

# Debug channel
# Only for internal debugging purposes
*** log.channel.debug=true

# XML Gateway Parameters
*** wrapper.bin.parameters=-DOXTALogDebugMsg=true



5. Edit the .../iAS/Apache/Jserv/etc/zone.properties to enable
debug for framework provider in portal. Search for "OACore Framework"
and add the following line to the end of the section.

servlet.framework.initArgs=debuglevel=2


Sample Excerpt from zone.properties:
-----------------------------------------------------------------


# ----- OACore Framework -----

servlet.framework.code=oracle.apps.fnd.framework.provider.OAFrameworkHttpProvider


servlet.framework.initArgs=dbcFileName=/visappl/fnd/11.5.0/secure/buffett_lvis.dbc
servlet.framework.initArgs=sessiontimeout=1800000
servlet.framework.initArgs=appPath=/OA_HTML
servlet.framework.initArgs=appRealPath=/lviscomn/html
*** servlet.framework.initArgs=debuglevel=2



6. Start the apache server. UNIX users will typically use
"adapcctl.sh start" or "apachectl start" while windows users will simply start the
service from the services applet.

7. Reproduce the problem


8. Immediately shutdown the apache server as in step 1.


9. If you intend to upload these files to Metalink for analysis
by Oracle support it is vitally important that the above list of files
be obtained all at the same time. A disjointed collection of files
spanning several days is of little value, hence the careful detailing of this note!

Gather up all of the following logfiles and configuration files
for analysis put these into the following zip file, which will be placed
under /tmp directory...


zip -r /tmp/`uname -n`_`date +%m%d%y.%H%M`_iAS.zip \
$IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Apache/conf/* \
$IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Apache/logs/* \
$IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Jserv/etc/* \
$IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Jserv/logs/*



Note:
apache conf directory $IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Apache/conf
apache log directory $IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Apache/logs

jserv etc directory $IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Jserv/etc
jserv log directory $IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Jserv/logs


10. Remember to turn the more verbose aspects of logging off
before starting Apache again e.g.; set LogLevel to something like "warn",
log.channel.info to false, etc. When running something other than this simple
test (such as a live prod system) the highly verbose logging results in HUGE
logfiles and a corresponding performance drain.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
END -- Step by Step Instructions for Obtaining the Logfiles -- END
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Instance Information -- Simple Script

# *===============================================================+
# | USAGE
# | instance_info.sh
# |
# |
# +===============================================================+

clear

#================================
#= Variables Declaration=========
#================================

SID=$TWO_TASK
sid=`echo ${SID}|tr "[:upper:]" "[:lower:]"`
SIDC=`echo ${SID}|tr "[:lower:]" "[:upper:]"`
host=`hostname`
xml="${SID}_${host}.xml"
xml_loc=$APPL_TOP/admin
cfile=$CONTEXT_FILE
who=`whoami`
os=`uname`
apps_pwd=`grep password $IAS_CONFIG_HOME/Apache/modplsql/cfg/wdbsvr.app|head -1|awk '{print $3}`

#================================
#= ContextFile Verification =====
#================================

if [[ ! -z $CONTEXT_FILE && -f $CONTEXT_FILE ]]
then
cfile=$CONTEXT_FILE
elif [ -f "${xml_loc}/${xml}" ]
then
cfile=${xml_loc}/${xml}
elif [ -f "${xml_loc}/${SID}.xml" ]
then
cfile=${xml_loc}/${SID}.xml
else
cfile="Autoconfig not Enabled on this Instance."
fi

#================================
#==== Functions Declaration =====
#================================

get_langs()
{
sqlplus -s apps/${apps_pwd}@${SID} << ops
set feedback off heading off pagesize 0
select language_code from fnd_languages where installed_flag in ('I','B');
ops
}

get_appsversion()
{
sqlplus -s apps/${apps_pwd}@${SID} << ops
set feedback off heading off
select release_name from fnd_product_groups;
ops
}

get_dbversion()
{
sqlplus -s apps/${apps_pwd}@${SID} << ops
set feedback off heading off
select * from v\$version;
ops
}

get_dbhost()
{
sqlplus -s apps/${apps_pwd}@${SID} << ops
set feedback off heading off
select host_name from v\$instance;
ops
}

get_midtierhosts()
{
sqlplus -s apps/${apps_pwd}@${SID} << ops
set feedback off heading off
select node_name from fnd_nodes where node_name not in ('AUTHENTICATION');
ops
}

#==================================
#=== Midtier Components Version ===
#==================================

# === Jinitiator ===
jinit_rel=`grep -i s_jinit_ver_dot $cfile | cut -f2 -d ">" | cut -f1 -d "<"`

# === Developer6i ===
if [ -f "$ORACLE_HOME/bin/f60run" ]
then
f60_full=`$ORACLE_HOME/bin/f60run | head -1 | awk '{print $6}'`
f60_reqd=`$ORACLE_HOME/bin/f60run | head -1 | awk '{print $6}' | cut -f4 -d "."`
dev6i_ps=`expr $f60_reqd - 9`
dev6i_rel="PatchSet ${dev6i_ps} (${f60_full})"
else
dev6i_rel="Forms Executable f60run not found in ORACLE_HOME"
fi

# === Discoverer4i ===

if [ -f "$ORACLE_HOME/discwb4/bin/dis4ws" ]
then
disco_rel=`strings -a ${ORACLE_HOME}/discwb4/bin/dis4ws | grep -i 'Discoverer Version' | awk '{print $3}'`
else
disco_rel="Discoverer Component not found."
fi

# === IAS (Apache Version and Rollup Patchset) ===

if [ -f "$IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Apache/bin/httpd" ]
then
ias_rel=`$IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Apache/bin/httpd -v | tail -1 | cut -d "(" -f2 | cut -d ")" -f1`
else
ias_rel="Apache Executable not found."
fi


#==================================
#======== Instance Info ===========
#==================================

langs=`get_langs | tr "\n" ":" `
apps_rel=`get_appsversion | tr "\n" " "`
db_rel_full=`get_dbversion | grep -i Release | head -1`
db_hostfull=`get_dbhost | tr "\n" " "`
db_hostname=`echo $db_hostfull | cut -d "." -f1`
mid_hosts=`get_midtierhosts | tr "\n" " "`


echo " ========================================================================================== "
echo " `tput bold`INSTANCE INFORMATION: $SIDC`tput sgr0`"
echo " ========================================================================================== "
echo " This Host : $host "
echo " SID : $SID "
echo " DB Version : $db_rel_full "
echo " APPS Release : $apps_rel "
echo " "
echo " DB Host : $db_hostname "
echo " Mid Tiers : $mid_hosts "
echo " "
echo " Jinitiator Release : $jinit_rel "
echo " Developer6i Release : $dev6i_rel "
echo " Discoverer Release : $disco_rel "
echo " Apache Release : $ias_rel "
echo " "
echo " Languages Installed : $langs "
echo " Context File Location : $cfile "
echo " APPL_TOP Location : $APPL_TOP "
echo " 806 ORACLE_HOME Location : $ORACLE_HOME "
echo " iAS ORACLE_HOME Location : $IAS_ORACLE_HOME "
echo " ========================================================================================== "

Apps User Connection Details

This is going to be my first post... so I decided to bring a very useful SQL for apps DBA's.

This SQL shows details about users connected to the system (sid, responsibilty, form name, Oracle pid, Application pid and more..)

The parameters are Apps Username or Oracle Session Id (put % where you don't pass a parameter).

Very useful when you have a heavy session or when you have a DB lock and you want to know who is standing from behind (the applicative user)...

It contains 3 SQL's with unions:
1) 1st sql - OA Framework screens (login screen, iSupport etc...)
2) 2nd sql - Responsibility connection details (for Java Applet)
3) 3rd sql - Forms connection details


select usr.user_name "Apps Username"
,i.first_connect "First Connect Date"
,ses.sid
,ses.serial#
,ses.module
,v.spid "Oracle Server Process"
,ses.process "Application Server Process"
,rsp.responsibility_name "Responsibility Name"
,null "Responsibility Start Time"
,fuc.function_name "Function Name"
,i.function_type "Function Type"
,i.last_connect "Function Start Time"
from icx_sessions i
,fnd_logins l
,fnd_appl_sessions a
,fnd_user usr
,fnd_responsibility_tl rsp
,fnd_form_functions fuc
,gv$process v
,gv$session ses
where i.disabled_flag = 'N'
and i.login_id = l.login_id
and l.end_time is null
and i.user_id = usr.user_id
and l.login_id = a.login_id
and a.audsid = ses.audsid
and l.pid = v.pid
and l.serial# = v.serial#
and i.responsibility_application_id = rsp.application_id(+)
and i.responsibility_id = rsp.responsibility_id(+)
and i.function_id = fuc.function_id(+)
and i.responsibility_id not in (select t1.responsibility_id
from fnd_login_responsibilities t1
where t1.login_id = l.login_id)
and rsp.language(+) = 'US'
and usr.user_name like '&APPS_USER_NAME'
and ses.sid like '&SID'
union
select usr.user_name
,l.start_time
,ses.sid
,ses.serial#
,ses.module
,v.spid
,ses.process
,rsp.responsibility_name
,r.start_time
,null
,null
,null form_start_time
from fnd_logins l
,fnd_login_responsibilities r
,fnd_user usr
,fnd_responsibility_tl rsp
,gv$process v
,gv$session ses
where l.end_time is null
and l.user_id = usr.user_id
and l.pid = v.pid
and l.serial# = v.serial#
and v.addr = ses.paddr
and l.login_id = r.login_id(+)
and r.end_time is null
and r.responsibility_id = rsp.responsibility_id(+)
and r.resp_appl_id = rsp.application_id(+)
and rsp.language(+) = 'US'
and r.audsid = ses.audsid
and usr.user_name like '&APPS_USER_NAME'
and ses.sid like '&SID'
union
select usr.user_name
,l.start_time
,ses.sid
,ses.serial#
,ses.module
,v.spid
,ses.process
,null
,null
,frm.user_form_name
,ff.type
,f.start_time
from fnd_logins l
,fnd_login_resp_forms f
,fnd_user usr
,fnd_form_tl frm
,fnd_form_functions ff
,gv$process v
,gv$session ses
where l.end_time is null
and l.user_id = usr.user_id
and l.pid = v.pid
and l.serial# = v.serial#
and v.addr = ses.paddr
and l.login_id = f.login_id(+)
and f.end_time is null
and f.form_id = frm.form_id(+)
and f.form_appl_id = frm.application_id(+)
and frm.language(+) = 'US'
and f.audsid = ses.audsid
and ff.form_id = frm.form_id
and usr.user_name like '&APPS_USER_NAME'
and ses.sid like '&SID';

Upgrading Developer 6i with Oracle Apps 11i

In this post I will explain - step by step - how to upgrade an Oracle Applications 11i environment to the latest certified Developer 6i patchset - nowadays patchset 18.

In this post I assume you have an Oracle Applications 11.5.10.2 on Linux with autoconfig enabled.
Other OS needs another patches (take a look on note #125767.1).

So let's begin...

1) Stop all applications processes (adstpall.sh) on all application tier nodes.

2) Apply latest certified Developer 6i patchset 18 (4948577) on all application tier nodes.
- make sure ORACLE_HOME refer to 8.0.6 Oracle home.
- run ./patch_install.sh
- execute the following commands:
cd $ORACLE_HOME/procbuilder60/lib; make -f ins_procbuilder.mk install
cd $ORACLE_HOME/forms60/lib; make -f ins_forms60w.mk install
cd $ORACLE_HOME/graphics60/lib; make -f ins_graphics60w.mk install
cd $ORACLE_HOME/reports60/lib; make -f ins_reports60w.mk install
cp –b /developer6i_patch18/bin/genshlib $ORACLE_HOME/bin

3) Apply patch 5713544
- sh patch.sh
- adrelink.sh force=y "fnd f60webmx"

4) Apply patch 4261542
- cp -r $ORACLE_HOME/forms60/java/oracle/forms/handler/AlertDialog.class $ORACLE_HOME/forms60/java/oracle/forms/handler/AlertDialog.class.PRE_BUG4261542
- cp -r $ORACLE_HOME/forms60/java/oracle/forms/engine/Main.class $ORACLE_HOME/forms60/java/oracle/forms/engine/Main.class.PRE_BUG4261542
- cp /oracle/forms/engine/Main.class $ORACLE_HOME/forms60/java/oracle/forms/engine/Main.class
- cp /oracle/forms/handler/AlertDialog.class $ORACLE_HOME/forms60/java/oracle/forms/handler/AlertDialog.class

5) Apply patch 5216496
- sh patch.sh

6) Apply patch 5753922
- sh patch.sh
- adrelink.sh force=y "fnd f60webmx"

7) Apply patch 5355158
- cp -r $ORACLE_HOME/forms60/java/oracle/forms/handler/UICommon.class $ORACLE_HOME/forms60/java/oracle/forms/handler/UICommon.class.PRE_BUG5976594
- cp /oracle/forms/handler/UICommon.class $ORACLE_HOME/forms60/java/oracle/forms/handler/UICommon.class
- execute adadmin -> "Generate Applications Files menu" -> "Generate product JAR files"

8) Apply patch 5938515
- sh patch.sh
- adrelink.sh force=y "fnd f60webmx"

9) Apply patch 3830807
- sh patch.sh
- execute adadmin -> "Maintain Applications Files" -> "Relink Applications programs"

10) Apply patch 4586086
- mv env_forms60.mk env_forms60.mk.PRE_BUG4586086
- cp /env_forms60.mk $ORACLE_HOME/forms60/lib
- cd $ORACLE_HOME/forms60/lib
- make -f cus_forms60w.mk libso_install
- adrelink.sh force=y "fnd f60webmx"

11) Relink applications executables
- execute admin
- “Maintain Applications Files Menu”
- "Relink Applications program"
- List of product to link: “fnd”
- Generate specific executables ….: “y”
- Relink with debug: “n”
- Enter executables to relink: “f60webmx ar60run ar60runb ar60rund *”

12) Apply Apps Interoperability patch - 4888294
- adpatch...

13) execute adadmin -> "Generate Applications Files menu" -> "Generate product JAR files"

14) Start all applications processes (adstrtall.sh)

Now your system are upgraded with the latest Developer6i patchset.

Additional information you can find at Oracle Metalink Note #125767.1 - Upgrading Developer 6i with Oracle Applications 11i.

Gather statistics for Oracle Applications 11i

Following the last post Monitoring DML operations, In this post I'm going to talk about Gathering Statistics in Oracle Applications 11i system.

All of us gathering statistics in our databases, the question is whether it is the best way to do it?
We are struggling with a lot of questions regarding for which schema needs to run? How much percent sampling? In what frequency it considered enough? Etc...

So I will try to make some light in the dark...

The topics in this post will be:
• The classic way to gather statistics - by the "Gather Schema Statistics" concurrent with Gather Options parameter set to "GATHER".
• Using "Monitoring" with Gather Schema Statistics to enhance Gather Statistics run time and efficiency.

You can read more about monitoring in my previous post Monitoring DML operations

The Gather Schema Statistics concurrent, based on fnd_stats package, gather statistics for the required schema(s) with some additional parameters:

• Schema Name - the schema in which statistics should gathered. You can specify 'ALL' for gather statistics for all schemas registered in FND_PRODUCT_INSTALLATIONS table.

• Estimate Percent - The sampling percents. Default value is 10.

• Degree of parallelism - The degree of parallelism for gathering statistics. Default value is MIN (parallel_max_servers, cpu_count). (database init parameters)

• Backup Flag - Indicate whether to backup last statistics (current situation). BACKUP/NOBACKUP - indicate to save/not save current statistics.

• Restart Request Id - if Gather Schema Statistics concurrent failed, you can rerun it with this parameter set to the failed request_id. The concurrent will continue from where the failed request stopped.

• History Mode - indicate how much history will save. History includes for each object when statistics gather for it, when it ends and more info'. Parameter options are: LAST_RUN - will save history only for the last time for each object. FULL - will save additional history each run. None - don't save history.

• Gather Options - indicates for which objects statistics will gather. Parameter options are: GATHER (the classic & default) - gather stat' for all objects in the appropriate schema. GATHER_AUTO - This option considers how much DML operations executed on each object to decide whether gather statistics or not, I will explain later in details. GATHER_EMPTY - will gather stat only for tables/indexes with no statistics. LIST_AUTO - provide a list of objects for gather statistics if GATHER_AUTO is used. LIST_EMPTY - provide a list of objects for gather statistics if GATHER_EMPTY is used.

• Modifications Threshold - relevant only when using GATHER_AUTO/LIST_AUTO in the previous parameter. This parameter specifies the percentage of modifications on objects that must execute before gathering statistics. I will explain later in details.

• Invalidate Dependent - indicate whether to invalidate cursor for the analyzed objects. The default is 'Y'.

The Gather Schema Statistics concurrent should schedule to run periodically (usually once a week/2 weeks).
With gather options parameter set to GATHER and schema set to ALL, it will take a very long time to run since it gather statistics for all objects in database (for schemas registered in FND_PRODUCT_INSTALLATIONS table).


Using "Monitoring" with Gather Schema Statistics

To reduce Gather Schema Statistics concurrent run time, we can set the Gather Options parameter to "GATHER AUTO", it indicates to gather stats only for tables that have [Modifications Threshold] % changes since last analyze.

First we should enable monitoring for the relevant schemas.
We can do it by executing the following:
exec fnd_stats.ENABLE_SCHEMA_MONITORING (SCHEMA_NAME);



You can specify ‘ALL’ as parameter to enable monitoring for all tables in registered schemas.

The Gather Schema Statistics concurrent will do the following:

• Flush database monitoring info from SGA to dba_tab_modifications view
• Gather statistics for tables that cumulative modifications compared to the dba_tables.num_rows are more than Modification Threshold percents.
• Gather statistics for table that never analyzed (last_analyzed in NULL)
• Gather statistics for tables which does not have monitoring enabled and afterwards enable monitoring for them so we have data in dba_tab_modifications next time we Gather Statistics.

As you can see, it’s not necessary to enable monitoring before gather statistics with Gather Auto option, since it does it anyway.
(But I did…:-))

In fact, gather schema statistics become significantly more efficient, less run time, since we gather statistics for heavy using tables only.
This enables us to run Gather statistics more frequently for less time.

ADPATCH with "options=prereq" - what really happens there?

With adpatch utility we have a possibility to ask for a prerequisite check prior to running patch driver files.
Actually, some patches must apply with prerequisite check before applying them.

The adpatch command should look like: adpatch option=prereq
This flag indicate to adpatch to check prerequisite before applying patch.

adpatch checks the prerequisite based on information from patch files and current snapshot on APPL_TOP.

When running adpatch with "prereq" flag, we might get an error message like:
Analyzing prerequisite patch information...
AutoPatch error: This patch has some prerequisites specified, but a "snapshot" of this APPL-TOP's file-system has never been taken, thereby rendering it impossible to check for the prerequisites.
Please take a "snapshot" of this APPL-TOP using "AD Administration" first.

This error message will show up if a snapshot on current APPL_TOP doesn't exists.

To create such snapshot on APPL_TOP:
1) run adadmin
2) Select "Maintain Applications Files menu"
3) Select "Update current view snapshot"
4) Rerun adpatch

**It might take couple of hours depends on your hardware and APPL_TOP size.


So how adpatch check the prerequisites?

1) Check if a snapshot on current APPL_TOP exist.
using sql script - adbkflsn.sql (if not, will terminate with above error message.....)

2) adpatch uploads a ldt file with FNDLOAD utility into system (bug-fixes).
ldt file name is: b[PATCH_NUMER].ldt - comes from patch root directory.

3) Execute the UMS analysis engine based on the snapshot and bug-fixes to check if all prerequisites exists.

Oracle APPS DBA Interview Questions

Q1. What is wdbsvr.app file used for? What's full path of this file? What's significance of this file ?

Ans: The wdbsvr.app is used by mod_plsql component of Apache to connect to
database. The File is located at $IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/modplsql/cfg .

Q2. Where would i find .rf9 file, and what execatly it does ?

Ans: These files are used during restart of patch in case of patch failure because of some reason.

Q3. Where is appsweb.cfg or appsweb_$CONTEXT.cfg stored & why its used?

Ans: This file is defined by environment variable FORMS60_WEB_CONFIG_FILE This is usually in directory $OA_HTML/bin on forms tier. This file is used by any forms client session. When a user try to access forms , f60webmx picks up this file and based on this configuration file creates a forms session to user/client.

Q4. Can you clone from multi node system to single node system & vice versa ?

Ans: Yes.

Q5. What is .dbc file , there are lot of dbc file under $FND_SECURE, How its determined that which dbc file to use from $FND_SECURE ?

Ans: dbc as name says is database connect descriptor file which stores database connection information used by application tier to connect to database. This file is in directory $FND_TOP/secure also called as FND_SECURE

Q6. Whats things you do to reduce patch timing ?

Ans: # Merging patches via admrgpch
# Use various adpatch options like nocompiledb or nocompilejsp
# Use defaults file
# Staged APPL_TOP during upgrades
# Increase batch size (Might result into negative )

Q7. Can you apply patch without putting Applications 11i in Maintenance mode ?

Ans: Yes, use options=hotpatch as mentioned above with adpatch. from AD.I onwards we need to enable maintenance mode inorder to apply apps patches.

Q8. adident utility is used for what ?

Ans: adident utility in oracle apps is used to find version of any file . AD Identification.
for ex. "adident Header

Q9. How can you licence a product after installation ?

Ans: By using ad utility adlicmgr to licence product in Oracle Apps.

Q10. What is MRC ? What you do to enable MRC in Apps ?

Ans: MRC also called as Multiple Reporting Currency in oracle Apps. Default you have currency in US Dollars but if your organization operating books are in other currency then you as apps dba need to enable MRC in Apps.

Q11. What is access_log in apache , what entries are recored in access_log ? Where is default location of this file ?

Ans: access_log in Oracle Application Server records all users accessing oracle applications 11i. This file location is defined in httpd.conf with default location at $IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Apache/logs. Entries in this file is defined by directive LogFormat in httpd.conf Typical entry in access_log is
198.0.0.1 - - [10/Sep/2006:18:37:17 +0100] "POST /OA_HTML/OA.jsp?.... HTTP/1.1" 200 28035
where 200 is HTTP status code & last digits 28035 is bytes dowloaded as this page(Size of page).

Q12. What is session time out parameter & where all you define these values ?

Ans: In order to answer first you have to understand what kind of seesions are in Apps 11i and what is Idle timeout ?
In Apps there are two broad categories of session
- Self Service Application Session ( Server by Web Server iAS Apache & Jserv, like iRecruitment, iProcurement)
-Forms session ( served by your form session, like system Administrator)

What is Session Idle time ?
If Oracle Apps client is not doing any activity for some time (when application user goes for coffee or talks over phone) session during that time is called as Idle Session & because of security reason, performance issues and to free up system resource Oracle Applications terminates client session( both forms & self service) after idle time value is reached to the one mentioned in configuration file.

From FND.G or 11.5.9 or with introduction of AppsLocalLogin.jsp to enter into application, profile option "ICX Session Timeout" is used only to determine Forms Session Idle timeout value . This might be confusing as earlier this profile option used to control forms as well as self service application(with session.timeout) session.timeout is used to control Idle session timeout for Self Service Applications ( Served by Jserv via JVM )

From where ICX : Session Timeout & session.timeout get values ?

Autoconfig determines value for profile option "ICX: Session Timeout" and "session.timeout" from entry in context file ( $APPL_TOP/admin/SID_hostname.xml ) with parameter s_sesstimeout where value mentioned is in milliseconds so profile option ICX: Session Timeout value should be s_sesstimeout/ (1000 * 60) which means here its 10 Minutes. This value is also set in zone.properties in $IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/Jserv where number mentioned is in milli second i.e. 600000 ( equal to 10 Minutes)session.timeout = 600000

session.timeout mentioned in zone.properties is in milli secondsICX Session Time out mentioned in profile option ICX: Session Timeout is in minutes so ICX session timeout=30 & session.timeout= 1800,000 are same 30 minutes

P.S. ICX Session time out was introduced in FND.D so if your FND version is below D you might not see this variable.

Important Things Apps DBA should consider while setting session timeout value ?
1.. If you keep session.timeout value too high , when some oracle application user accessing Self service application terminates
his session, so longer idle session will drain JVM resource & can result in Java.Lang No Memory available issues .
2. If you keep it too low, users going out for tea or sitting idle for some time have to login again into application & can be
annoying .

Thumb rule is session time out usually set to 30 minutes.

Q13. Where is applications start/stop scripts stored ?

Ans: $COMMON_TOP/admin/scripts/$CONTEXT_NAME


Q14. What are main configuration files in Web Server (Apache) ?

Ans: Main configuration files in Oracle Apps Web Server are

# httpd.conf, apps.conf, oracle_apache.conf, httpd_pls.conf
# jserv.conf, ssp_init.txt, jserv.properties, zone.properties
# plsql.conf, wdbsvr.app, plsql.conf

Q15. How to check if Apps 11i System is Autoconfig enabled ?

Ans: Under $AD_TOP/bin check for file adcfginfo.sh & if this exists use
adcfginfo.sh contextfile= show=enabled

If this file is not there , look for any configuration file under APPL_TOP if system is Autoconfig enabled then you will see entry like
# AutoConfig automatically generates this file. It will be read and .......

Q16. How to check if Oracle Apps 11i System is Rapid Clone enabled ?

Ans: For syetem to be Rapid Clone enabled , it should be Autoconfig enabled (Check above How to confirm if Apps 11i is Autoconfig enabled). You should have Rapid Clone Patches applied , Rapid Clone is part of Rapid Install Product whose Family Pack Name is ADX. By default all Apps 11i Instances 11.5.9 and above are Autoconfig & Rapid Clone enabled.

Q17. What is plssql/database cache?

Ans: In order to improve performance mod_pls (Apache component) caches some database content to file. This database/plssql cache is usually of type session & plsql cache
# session cache is used to store session information.
# plsql cache is used to store plsql cache i.e. used by mod_pls

Q18. How to determine Oracle Apps 11i Version ?

Ans: select RELEASE_NAME from fnd_product_groups;

You should see output like
RELEASE_NAME
-----------------------
11.5.9 or 11.5.10.2

Q19. What is RRA/FNDFS ?

Ans: Report Review Agent(RRA) also referred by executable FNDFS is default text viewer in Oracle Applications 11i for viewing output files & log files. As most of apps dba's are not clear about Report Server & RRA.

Q20. What is PCP in Oracle Applications 11i ? In what scenarios PCP is Used ?

Ans: PCP stands for parallel Concurrent processing.Usually you have one Concurrent Manager executing your requests but if you can configure Concurrent Manager running on two machines (Yes you need to do some additional steps in order to configure Parallel Concurrent Processing) . So for some of your requests primary CM Node is on machine1 and secondary CM node on machine2 and for some requests primary CM is on machine2 & secondary CM on machine1.

Scenario
********
Well If you are running GL Month end reports or taxation reports annually these reposrts might take couple of days. Some of these requests are very resource intensive so you can have one node running long running , resource intensive requests while other processing your day to day short running requets.
another scenario is when your requests are very critical and you want high resilience for your Concurrent Processing Node , you can configure PCP. So if node1 goes down you still have CM node available processing your requests.

Q21. Output & Logfiles for requests executed on source Instance not working on cloned Instance?

Ans: Here is exact problem description - You cloned an Oracle Apps Instance from PRODBOX to another box with Instance name say CLONEBOX on 1st of August. You can any CM logs/output files after 1st of August only becuase these all are generated on CLONEBOX itself, But unable to view the logs/output files which are prior to 1st August. What will you do & where to check ?
Log , Output file path & location is stored in table FND_CONCURRENT_REQUESTS. Check

select logfile_name, logfile_node_name, outfile_name, outfile_node_name from fnd_concurrent_requests where request_id=&requestid ;
where requestid is id of request for which you are not able to see log or out files. You should see output like
/u01/PRODBOX/log/l123456.req, host1,/u01/PRODBOX/out/o123456.out, host1 Update it according to your cloned Instance Variables.

Q22. How to confirm if Report Server is Up & Running ?

Ans: Report Server is started by executable rwmts60 on concurrent manager Node & this file is under $ORACLE_HOME/bin .execute command on your server like
ps -ef | grep rwmts60
You should get output like
applmgr ....... rwmts60 name=REP60_VISION
where VISION is your Instance name.
Else you can submit a request like "Active Users" with display set to PDF, check output & log file to see if report server can display PDF files.

Q23. What is difference between ICM, Std Managers & CRM in Concurrent Manager ?

Ans: # ICM stand for Internal Concurrent Manager, which controls other managers. If it finds other managers down , it checks & try to restart them. You can say it as administrator to other concurrent managers. It has other tasks as well.
# Standard Manager These are normal managers which control/action on the requests & does batch or single request processing.
# CRM acronym for Conflict Resolution Manager is used to resolve conflicts between managers & request. If a request is submitted whose execution is clashing or it is defined not to run while a particular type of request is running then such requests are actioned/assigned to CRM for Incompatibilities & Conflict resolution.

Q24. What is use of Apps listener ? How to start Apps listener ? How to confirm if Apps Listener is Up & Running ?

Ans: Apps Listener usually running on All Oracle Applications 11i Nodes with listener alias as APPS_$SID is mainly used for listening requests for services like FNDFS & FNDSM.

Start
******
In Oracle 11i, you have script adalnctl.sh which will start your apps listener. You can also start it by command
- lsnrctl start APPS_$SID (Replace sid by your Instance SID Name)

Confirm
********
execute below command
lsnrctl status APPS_$SID (replcae SID with your Instance Name)
so If your SID is VISION then use lsnrctl status APPS_VISION out put should be like
Services Summary...
FNDFS has 1 service handler(s)
FNDSM has 1 service handler(s)
The command completed successfully

Q25. What is Web Listener ?

Ans: Web Listener is Web Server listener which is listening for web Services(HTTP) request. This listener is started by adapcctl.sh & defined by directive (Listen, Port) in httpd.conf for Web Server. When you initially type request like http://becomeappsdba.blogspot.com:80 to access application here port number 80 is Web Listener port.

Q26. How will you find Invalid Objects in database ? How to compile Invalid Objects in database ?

Ans: using query
SQLPLUS> select count(*) from dba_objects where status like 'INVALID';

Compile
********
- using ADADMIN
- using utlrp.sql which is shipped with Oracle.

Q27. How to compile JSP in Oracle Apps ?

Ans: Using ojspCompile.pl perl script shipped with Oracle apps to compile JSP files. This script is under $JTF_TOP/admin/scripts. Sample compilation method is
perl -v ojspCompile.pl --compile --quiet

Q28. What is difference between adpatch & opatch ? Can you use both adpatch & opatch in Apps ?

Ans: Yes , we can use both adpatch and opatch in Apps. adpatch is an ad utility used for applying apps patches, whereas opatch is a utility used to apply rdbms patches.

Q29. Where will you find forms configuration details apart from xml file ? What is forms server executable Name ?

Ans: Forms configuration at time of startup is in script adfrmctl.sh and appsweb_$CONTEXT_NAME.cfg (defined by environment variable FORMS60_WEB_CONFIG_FILE) for forms client connection used each time a user initiates forms connection.
- f60srvm is the forms executable name.

Q30. What are different modes of forms in which you can start Forms Server and which one is default ?

Ans: There are two modes in which we can start forms.
- Socket Mode
- Servlet Mode.

By Default forms are configured to start in socket mode.


Q31. How you will start Discoverer in Oracle Apps 11i ?

Ans: In order to start dicoverer you can use script addisctl.sh under $OAD_TOP/admin/scripts/$CONTEXT_NAME
or startall.sh under $ORACLE_HOME/discwb4/util (under Middle/Application Tier)

Q32. How many ORACLE HOME are Oracle Apps and whats significance of each ?

Ans: There are three $ORACLE_HOME in Oracle Apps, Two for Application Tier (Middle Tier) and One in Database Tier.
# ORACLE_HOME 1 : On Application Tier used to store 8.0.6 techstack software. This is used by forms, reports & discoverer.
ORACLE_HOME should point to this ORACLE_HOME which applying Apps Patch.
# ORACLE_HOME 2: On Application Tier used by iAS (Web Server) techstack software. This is used by Web Listener &
contains Apache.
# ORACLE_HOME 3: On Database Tier used by Database Software usually 8i,9i or 10g database.


Q33. Where is HTML Cache stored in Oracle Apps Server ?

Ans: Oracle HTML Cache is available at $COMMON_TOP/_pages for some previous versions you might find it in $OA_HTML/_pages

Q34. Where is plssql cache stored in Oracle Apps ?

Ans: sually two type of cache session & plssql stored under $IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/modplsql/cache

Q35. What happens if you don't give cache size while defining Concurrent Manager ?

Ans: Lets first understand what is cache size in Concurrent Manager. When Manager picks request from FND CONCURRENT REQUESTS Queues, it will pick up number of requests defined by cache size in one shot & will work on them before going to sleep. So in my views if you don't define cache size while defining CM then it will take default value 1, i.e. picking up one request per cycle.

Q36. What are few profile options which you update after cloning ?

Ans: Rapid clone updates profile options specific to site level . If you have any profile option set at other levels like server, responsibility, user....level then reset them.

- Site Name

Q39. How to retrieve SYSADMIN password ?

Ans: If forgot password link is enabled and sysadmin account is configured with mail id user forget password link else you can reset sysadmin password via FNDCPASS.

Q40. If you have done two node Installation, First machine : Database and concurrent processing server. 2nd machine: form,web Which machine have admin server/node?

Ans: Admin server will always reside on machine where Concurrent Processing Resides.

Q41. What is GWYUID, Where GWYUID defined & what is its used in Oracle Applications ?

Ans: GWYUID , stands for Gateway User ID and password. Usually like APPLSYSPUB/PUB
GWYUID is defined in dbc i.e. Database Connect Descriptor file . It is used to connect to database by think clients.

Q42. Whats is TWO_TASK in Oracle Database ?

Ans: TWO_TASK mocks your tns alias which you are going to use to connect to database. Lets assume you have database client with tns alias defined as PROD to connect to Database PROD on machine teachmeoracle.com listening on port 1521. Then usual way to connect is sqlplus username/passwd@PROD ; now if you don't want to use @PROD then you set TWO_TASK=PROD and then can simply use sqlplus username/passwd then sql will check that it has to connect to tnsalias define by value PROD i.e. TWO_TASK

Q43. What is difference between GUEST_USER_PWD (GUEST/ORACLE) & GWYUID ?

Ans: GUEST_USER_PWD(Guest/Oracle) is used by JDBC Thin Client where as GWYUID is used by Thick Clients like via Forms Connections.

Q44. How to check number of forms users at any time ?

Ans: Forms Connections initiate f60webmx connections so you can use
ps -ef | grep f60webmx | wc -l

Q45. What is 0 & Y in FNDCPASS, FNDLOAD or WFLOAD ?

Ans: 0 & Y are flags for FND Executable like FNDCPASS & FNDLOAD where
0 is request id (request ID 0 is assigned to request ID's which are not submitted via Submit Concurrent Request Form.
'Y' indicates the method of invocation. i.e. it is directly invoked from the command-line not from the Submit Request Form.

Q46. In a Multi Node Installation, How will you find which node is running what Services ?

Ans: You can query for table FND_NODES and check for column , SUPPORT_CP ( for Concurrent Manager) SUPPORT_FORMS ( for forms server) , SUPPPORT_WEB (Web Server), SUPPORT_ADMIN( Admin Server), and SUPPORT_DB for database tier.
You can also check same from CONTEXT File (xml file under APPL_TOP/admin)


Q47. If your system has more than one Jinitiator, how will the system know, which one to pick. ?

Ans: When client makes a forms connection in Oracle Applications, forms client session uses configuration file defined by environment variable FORMS60_WEB_CONFIG_FILE also called as appsweb config file. These days this file is of format appsweb_$CONTEXT.cfg The initiator version number defined by parameter jinit_ver_name in this file will be used

Q48. While applying Apps patch using adpatch, if you want to hide the apps password, how will that be possible ?

Ans: using flags=hidepw

Q49. What is importance of IMAP Server in Java Notification Mailer ?

Ans: IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol and Java Notification mailer require IMAP server for Inbound Processing of Notification Mails.

Q50. What is difference between Socket & Servlet Mode in Apps Forms ?

Ans: When forms run SOCKET Mode these are dedicated connection between Client Machine & Form Server (Started by adfrmctl.sh). When Forms run in servlet mode the forms requests are fulfilled by Jserv in Apache . There will be additional JVM for Forms Request in that case and you won't start form via adfrmctl.sh.

Q51. a. How to find OUI version ?
b. How to find Database version ?
c. How to find Oracle Workflow Cartridge Release Version ?
d. How to find opatch Version ?
e. How to find Version of Apps 11i ?
f. How to Discoverer Version installed with Apps ?
g. How to find Workflow Version embedded in Apps 11i ?
h. How to find version of JDK Installed on Apps ?

Ans: OUI
***
OUI stands for Oracle Universal Installer. In order to find Installer version you have to execute ./runInstaller -help ( From OUI location)
You will get output like
Oracle Universal Installer, Version 10.1.0.4.0 Production Copyright (C) 1999, 2005, Oracle. All rights reserved.
That means OUI version in above case is 10.1.0.4
OUI location is $ORACLE_HOME/oui/bin

DB
**
select * from v$version;

Oracle Workflow
***************
Log in to the database as the owf_mgr user and issue
select wf_core.translate('WF_VERSION') from dual;

Opatch
*******
$ORACLE_HOME/OPatch/opatch version

Apps
****
select RELEASE_NAME from fnd_product_groups;

Discoverer
**********
Discoverer with Apps installed in ORACLE_HOME same as 806 is usually 3i or 4i. To find Version login to Application Tier & go to $ORACLE_HOME/discwb4/bin and execute
strings dis4ws | grep -i 'discoverer version'

Workflow embedded in 11i
************************
Run following SQL from apps user ;
SQL>select TEXT from WF_RESOURCES where NAME='WF_VERSION';

You should see output like
TEXT
-----------------------
2.6.0
Which means you are on Workflow Version 2.6.0

You can also use script wfver.sql in FND_TOP/sql to find version of workflow in Apps.

JDK in Apps
***********
There might be multiple JDK installed on Operating System . Like JDK 1.3.1, 1.4.2 or 1.5 but in order to find which Version of JDK your Apps is using
Open your Context File $SID_$HOSTNAME.xml under $APPL_TOP/admin and look for variable
JDK_TOP oa_var="s_jdktop" what so ever value assigned against that parameter go to that directory & cd bin & execute command
./java -version so lets assume entry above is /usr/jdk then cd /usr/jdk/bin & ./java -version , you will see output like

java version "1.4.2_10"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.4.2_10-b03)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.4.2_10-b03, mixed mode)
Which means you are using JDK 1.4.2 in Oracle Applications 11i.

Q52. If by mistake you/someone deleted FNDLIBR can this executable be restored if Yes, How & if no, what will you do ?

Ans: Yes, you can restore FNDLIBR executables
Run adadmin on concurrent manager node
select option 2. Maintain Applications Files menu
then select 1. Relink Applications programs
when prompts for
Enter list of products to link ('all' for all products) [all]
select FND
when prompt for
Generate specific executables for each selected product [No] ? YES
select YES
& from list of executables select FNDLIBR
This will create new FNDLIBR executables.

Q53. What is .pls files which you see with apps ?

Ans: pls file stands for plsql files. In apps patch these files contain code to create package spec or package body or both.

Q54. What are .ldt & .lct files which you see in apps patch or with FNDLOAD ?

Ans: .ldt & .lct stands for Loader datafile & Loader configuration files, used frequently in migrating customization, profile options, configuration data, etc.. across Instances.

Q55. What are .odf file in apps patch ?

Ans: odf stands for Object Description Files used to create tables & other database objects.

Q56. What to find Form Server log files in forms ?

Ans: Form Server Start up log file default location is $OAD_TOP/admin/log/$CONTEXT_NAME/f60svrm.txt
Forms Run Time Diagnostics default location is $ORACLE_HOME/forms60/log/$CONTEXT_NAME

Q57. How to convert pll to pld file or pld file to pll ?

Ans: Pll->Pld f60gen module=MSCOSCW3.pll module_type=library userid=apps/ module_access=file output_file=MSCOSCW1.pld script=yes

Pld -> pll f60gen module=MSCOSCW3.pld userid=apps/ module_type=library module_access=file output_file=MSCOSCW1.pll parse=y batch=yes compile_all=special

Q58. Is APPS_MRC Schema exists for MRC in 11.5.10 and higher ?

Ans: No , apps_mrc schema is dropped with 11.5.10 Upgrade & 11.5.10 new Install. This is replaced by more Integrated Architecture.

Q59.If APPS_MRC schema is not used in 11.5.10 and higher then How MRC is working ?

Ans: For products like Payable, Recievables which uses MRC and if MRC is enabled then each transaction table in base schema related to currency now has an assoicated MRC Subtables.

Q60. When you apply C driver patch does it require database to be Up & Why ?

Ans: Yes , database & db listener should be Up when you apply any driver patch in apps. even if driver is not updating any database object connection is required to validate apps & other schema and to upload patch history information in database tables.

Q61. Can C driver in apps patch create Invalid Object in database ?

Ans: No , C driver only copies files in File System. Database Object might be invalidated during D driver when these objects are created/dropped/modified.

Q.62 Why does a worker fails in Oracle Apps Patch and few scenarios in which it failed for you ?

Ans: This question sounds stupid but this is asked quite often in Apps DBA Interview. Apps Patch worker can fail in case it doesn't find expected data, object, files or any thing which driver is trying to update/edit/modify. Possible symptoms may be underlying tables/objects are invalid, a prereq patch is missing , login information is incorrect, inconsistency in seeded data...

Q63. What is dev60cgi & f60cgi ?

Ans: cgi stands for Common Gateway Interface and these are Script Alias in Oracle Apps used to access forms server . Usually Form Server access directly via http://hostname:port/dev60cgi/f60cgi

Q64. What is difference between mod_osso & mod_ose in Oracle HTTP Server ?

Ans: mod_osso is Oracle Single Sign-On Module where as mod_ose is module for Oracle Servlet Engine.
mod_osso is module in Oracle's HTTP Server serves as Conduit between Oracle Apache Server & Singl Sign-On Server where as mod_ose is also another module in Oracle's HTTP Server serves as conduit between Oracle Apache & Oracle Servlet Engine.

Q65. What is difference between COMPILE_ALL=SPECIAL and COMPILE=ALL while compiling Forms ?

Ans: Both the options will compile all the PL/SQL in the resultant .FMX, .PLX, or .MMX file but COMPILE_ALL=YES also changes the cached version in the source .FMB, .PLL, or .MMB file. This confuses version control and build tools (CVS, Subversion, make, scons); they believe you've made significant changes to the source. COMPILE_ALL=SPECIAL does not do this.

Q66. What is ps -ef or ps command in Unix ? for work ex < 1 yr

Ans: ps is unix/linux utility or executable to find status of process. Used mainly to find if services/process is running or not.

Q67. What is GSM in Oracle application E-Business Suite ?

Ans: GSM stands for Generic Service Management Framework. Oracle E-Business Suite consist of various compoennts like Forms, Reports, Web Server, Workflow, Concurrent Manager ..
Earlier each service used to start at their own but managing these services (given that) they can be on various machines distributed across network. So Generic Service Management is extension of Concurrent Processing which manages all your services , provide fault tolerance (If some service is down ICM through FNDSM & other processes will try to start it even on remote server) With GSM all services are centrally managed via this Framework.

Q68. What is FNDSM ?

Ans: FNDSM is executable & core component in GSM ( Generic Service Management Framework discussed above). You start FNDSM services via APPS listener on all Nodes in Application Tier in E-Business Suite.

Q69. What is iAS Patch ?

Ans: iAS Patch are patches released to fix bugs associated with IAS_ORACLE_HOME (Web Server Component) Usually these are shiiped as Shell scripts & you apply iAS patches by executing Shell script. Note that by default ORACLE_HOME is pointing to 8.0.6 ORACLE_HOME and if you are applying iAS patch export ORACLE_HOME to iAS . You can do same by executing environment file under $IAS_ORACLE_HOME

Q70. If we run autoconfig which files will get effected ?

Ans: n order to check list of files changes during Autoconfig , you can run adchkcfg utility which will generate HTML report. This report will list all files & profile options going to change when you run AutoConfig.

Q71. What is difference between .xml file & AutoConfig ?

Ans: Autoconfig is Utility to configure your Oracle Application environment. .xml file is repository of all configuration from which AutoConfig picks configuration and polulates related files.

Q72. What is .lgi files ?

Ans: gi files are created with patching along with .log files . .lgi files are informative log files containing information related to patch. You can check .lgi files to see what activities patch has done. Usually informative logs.

Q73. How will you skip worker during patch ?

Ans: f in your adctrl there are six option shown then seventh is hidden option.(If there are seven options visible then 8th option is to Skip worker depending on ad version).

Q74. Which two tables created at start of Apps Patch & drops at end of Patch ?

Ans: FND_INSTALLED_PROCESSES &AD_DEFFERED_JOBS are the tables that get updated while applying a patch mainly d or unified driver.

Q75. How to compile an Oracle Reports file ?

Ans: Utility adrepgen is used to compile Reports. Synatx is given below

adrepgen userid=apps\ source = $PRODUCT_TOP\srw\filename.rdf dest=$PRODUCT_TOP\srw\filename.rdf stype=rdffile dtype=rdffile logfile=x.log overwrite=yes batch=yes dunit=character

Q76. What is difference between AD_BUGS & AD_APPLID_PATCHES ?

Ans: AD_BUGS holds information about the various Oracle Applications bugs whose fixes have been applied (ie. patched) in the Oracle Applications installation.
AD_APPLIED_PATCHES holds information about the "distinct" Oracle Applications patches that have been applied. If 2 patches happen to have the same name but are different in content (eg. "merged" patches), then they are considered distinct and this table will therefore hold 2 records.

Q77. What exactly happens when you put an Oracle Apps instance in maintenance mode ?

Ans: Maintenance mode provides a clear separation between normal runtime operation of Oracle Applications and system downtime for maintenance. Enabling the maintenance mode feature
a) shuts down the Workflow Business Events System and
b) sets up function security so that no Oracle Applications functions are available to users.

Used only during AutoPatch sessions, maintenance mode ensures optimal performance and reduces downtime when applying a patch. (Source Metalink Note: 233044.1)

Q78. What is profile options, What are various type of profile options ?

Ans:

Q79. If users complaining Oracle Applications 11i system is running slow , what all things you will check at broad level ?

Ans:

Q80. Why appsutil directory under Database ORACLE_HOME used for ?

Ans: All the template files, startup scripts , XML files are maintained here .

Q81. How to create User in Oracle Applications 11i ? Can you delete a User ?

Ans: New User can be created using security-->Define-->User menu. No , user cannot be deleted but can be end-dated.

Q82. What is Single Sign On ? ( If you are using portal 3.0.9 or 10G )?

Ans: As name says Single-Sign On Server is set of services (Software) which enables login to Application once which will allow you to login to Ppartner Applications with no need to login again. Lets assume I have configured single SSO Server for Portal , E-Business Suite, Collaboration Suite plus some other other applications, Now if I login to any one of them & after that if I wish to login to other applications I should be able to login without supplying passwords again.


Q83. How to configure portal with 11i ? ( If you are using portal 3.0.9 or 10G )?

Q84. What is content of dbc file & why its important ?

Ans: DBC file is quite important as whenever Java or any other program like forms want to connect to database it uses dbc file. Typical entry in dbc file is
GUEST_USER_PWD
APPS_JDBC_URL
DB_HOST

Q85. There are lot of dbc file under $FND_SECURE, How its determined that which dbc file to use from $FND_SECURE ?

Ans: This value is determined from profile option "Applications Database ID".
The name can be picked from s_dbc_file_name in XML file.

Q86. Info Regarding Inventory.

Ans: What is oraInventory ?
oraInventory is repository (directory) which store/records oracle software products & their oracle_homes location on a machine. This Inventory now a days in XML format and called as XML Inventory where as in past it used to be in binary format & called as binary Inventory.
There are basically two kind of Inventory Global Inventory (also called as Central Inventory) and Local Inventory also called as Oracle Home Inventory.

Global Inventory ?
Global Inventory holds information about Oracle Products on a Machine. These products can be various oracle components like database, oracle application server, collaboration suite, soa suite, forms & reports or discoverer server . This global Inventory location will be determined by file oraInst.loc in /etc (on Linux) or /var/opt/oracle (solaris). If you want to see list of oracle products on machine check for file inventory.xml under ContentsXML in oraInventory (Please note if you have multiple global Inventory on machine check all oraInventory directories)

You will see entry like
HOME NAME="ORA10g_HOME" LOC="/u01/oracle/10.2.0/db" TYPE="O" IDX="1"/
...
...

Local Inventory ?
Inventory inside each Oracle Home is called as local Inventory or oracle_home Inventory. This Inventory holds information to that oracle_home only.

Can I have multiple Global Inventory on a machine ?
- Quite common questions is that can you have multiple global Inventory and answer is YES you can have multiple global Inventory but if your upgrading or applying patch then change Inventory Pointer oraInst.loc to respective location. If you are following single global Inventory and if you wish to uninstall any software then remove it from Global Inventory as well.

What to do if my Global Inventory is corrupted ?
- No need to worry if your global Inventory is corrupted, you can recreate global Inventory on machine using Universal Installer and attach already Installed oracle home by option
-attachHome

./runInstaller -silent -attachHome -invPtrLoc $location_to_oraInst.loc
ORACLE_HOME="Oracle_Home_Location" ORACLE_HOME_NAME="Oracle_Home_Name"
CLUSTER_NODES="{}"

Do I need to worry about oraInventory during oracle Apps 11i cloning ?
- No, Rapid Clone will update both Global & Local Inventory with required information , you don't have to worry about Inventory during Oracle Apps 11i cloning.

Q87. What is the database holding Capacity of Oracle ?

- database holding capacity of oracle 9i is 512 pb(peta bytes)
- database holding capacity of oracle 10 g is 8 trillion tera bytes

Q88. How to find Operation System Version (Unix/Linux) ?

For solaris use command
uname -a
You will see output like
For Solaris SunOS servername 5.8 Generic_117350-23 sun4u sparc SUNW,Sun-Fire-V240
For RedHat Linux use command
cat /etc/*release*
You will see output like
Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS release 3 (Taroon Update 6)

Which means you are on Solaris 5.8 or Linux AS 3 resp.

Q89. How to find if your Operating System is 32 bit or 64 Bit ?

For solaris use command
isainfo -v
If you see out put like
32-bit sparc applications
That means your O.S. is only 32 bit but if you see output like

64-bit sparcv9 applications
32-bit sparc applications
above means your o.s. is 64 bit & can support both 32 & 64 bit applications

Q90. Can I run 64 bit application on 32 bit Operating system ?

You can run 32 bit application (like oracle application server, web server, all oracle application server are 32 bit ) on both 32 /64 bit operating system but a 64 bit application like 64 bit database can run only on 64 bit operating system.

Q91. How to find if your database is 32 bit or 64 bit(Useful in applying Patches) ?

execute "file $ORACLE_HOME/bin/oracle" , you should see output like

/u01/db/bin/oracle: ELF 64-bit MSB executable SPARCV9 Version 1
which means you are on 64 bit oracle
If your oracle is 32 bit you should see output like
oracle: ELF 32-bit MSB executable SPARC Version 1
Now you know what should be bit of patch to download

Useful Metalink NOTE ID's

RDBMS and E-Business Suite Installation and Configuration
*********************************************************
118218.1 11i. Installing a Digital Cerificate on both the Server and Client.
252217.1 Requirements for Installing Oracle 9iR2 on RHEL3
146469.1 Installation & Configuration of Oracle Login server & Portal3i
146468.1 Installation of Oracle9i Application Server(9iAS)
152775.1 XML gateway installation
165700.1 Multiple Jserv configuration
207159.1 Documentation of 9iAS
210514.1 Express Server WebIV Note numbers
170931.1 Notes on Motif troubleshooting
177610.1 Oracle Forms in Applications FAQ
258021.1 How to monitor the progress of a materialized view refresh (MVIEW)
330250.1 Tips & Tricks To Make Apache Work With Jserv
139684.1 Oracle Applications Current Patchset Comparison Utility - patchsets.sh
236469.1 Using Distributed AD in Applications Release 11.5.
96630.1 Cash Management Overview
233428.1 Sharing the Application Tier File System in Oracle Applications 11i
243880.1 Shared APPL_TOP FAQ
330250.1 Tips & Tricks To Make Apache Work With Jserv
241370.1 Concurrent Manager Setup and Configuration Requirements in an 11i RAC Environment
209721.1 How to Change the Port Number on one Machine, When we Use Multiple Collaboration Suite Tiers
177377.1 How to change passwords in Portal (Database and lightweight user passwords)
304748.1 Internal: E-Business Suite 11i with Database FAQ
166213.1 SPFILE internals ** INTERNAL ONLY **
216208.1 Oracle9i Application Server (9iAS) with Oracle E-Business Suite Release

11i Troubleshooting
*******************
186981.1 Oracle Application Server with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i

Physical Standby
*****************
Note:180031.1 Creating a Data Guard physical standby
Note:214071.1 Creating a Data Guard physical standby with Data Guard Manager
Note:232649.1 Configuring gap resolution
Note:232240.1 Performing a switchover
Note:227196.1 Performing a failover
Note:187242.1 Applying Patchsets with Physical Standby in Place

Logical Standby
****************
Note:186150.1 Creating a logical standby
Note:214071.1 Creating a logical standby with Data Guard Manager
Note:232240.1 Performing a switchover
Note:227196.1 Performing a failover
Note:233261.1 Tuning Log Apply Services
Note:215020.1 Troubleshooting Logical Standbys
Note:210989.1 Applying Patchsets with Logical Standby in Place
Note:233519.1 Known Issues with Logical Standby

Dataguard General Information
*****************************
Note:205637.1 Configuring Transparent Application Failover with Data Guard
Note:233509.1 Data Guard Frequently Asked Questions
Note:225633.1 Using SSH with 9i Data Guard
Note:233425.1 Top Data Guard Bugs
Note:219344.1 Usage, Benefits and Limitations of Standby RedoLogs
Note:201669.1 Setup and maintenance of Data Guard Broker using DGMGRL
Note:203326.1 Data Guard 9i Log Transportation on RAC
Note:239100.1 Data Guard Protection Modes Explained

Dataguard Configuration Best Practices
**************************************
Note:240874.1 Primary Site and Network Configuration Best Practices
Note:240875.1 9i Media Recovery Best Practices


Frequently Asked Questions
**************************
68993.1 Concurrent Managers on NT
1013526.102 Changing and Resetting Release 11 Applications Passwords
130608.1 ADPATCH BASICS
74924.1 ADI (Applications Desktop Integrator) Installation
61552.1 DIAGNOSING DATABASE HANGING ISSUES
114226.1 How to Set Up Apache and JSERV w/ Oracle XSQL, JSP, and Developer
146469.1 Installing and Configuring Oracle Login Server and Oracle Portal 3i with Oracle Applications 11i
146468.1 Installing Oracle9i Application Server 1.0.2.2.2 with Oracle Applications 11i
62463.1 Detailed Guide on How the Intelligent Agent Works
104452.1 Troubleshooting (Concurrent Manager Unix specific)
122662.1 How to change the hostname or domainname of your portal
231286.1 Configuring the Oracle Workflow 2.6 Java-based Notification Mailer with Oracle Applications 11i
230688.1 Basic ApacheJServ Troubleshooting with IsItWorking.class
204015.1 Export/Import Process for Oracle Applications Release 11i Database Instances Using Oracle8i EE
158818.1 Migrating the Workflow Mailer to the APPLMGR Account
185431.1 Troubleshooting Oracle Applications Manager OAM 2.0 for 11i
177089.1 OAM11i Standalone Mode Setup and Configuration
172174.1 WF 2.6: Oracle Workflow Notification Mailer Architecture in Release 11i
166021.1 Oracle Applications Manager 11i - Pre-requisite Patches
166115.1 Oracle Applications Manager 11i integrated with Oracle Applications 11i
165041.1 Generic Service Management Functionality
204090.1 Generic Service Management Configuration using Applications Context Files
139863.1 Configuring and Troubleshooting the Self Service Framework with Oracle Applications (latest version)
187735.1 Workflow FAQ - All Versions
166830.1 Setting up Real Application Cluster (RAC) environment on Linux - Single node
158868.1 Step by Step, Oracle 9iAS Installation Process
123243.1 Scheduling Web Reports Via Oracle Reports Server CGI
165195.1 Using AutoConfig to Manage System Configurations with Oracle Applications 11i

RMAN and Backup & Restore
**************************
60545.1 How to Extract Controlfiles, Datafiles, and Archived Logs from RMAN Backupsets

10gR2 Setup Installation, ASM,CRS, RAC , Troubleshooting
********************************************************
471165.1 Additional steps to install 10gR2 RAC on IBM zSeries Based Linux (SLES10)
407086.1 USING CLONING IN CRS/RAC WINDOWS ENVIRONMENTS TO ADD A NODE
414163.1 10gR2 RAC Install issues on Oracle EL5 or RHEL5 or SLES10 (VIPCA Failures)
467753.1 Veritas clusterware 5.0 not recognized by Oracle due to the fact that Veritas
467176.1 RAC: Installing RDBMS Oracle Home Hangs The Oui
466975.1 Step to remove node from Cluster when the node crashes due to OS or H/w
330358.1 CRS 10g R2 Diagnostic Collection Guide
401132.1 How to install Oracle Clusterware with shared storage on block devices
392207.1 CSSD Startup fails with NSerr (12532,12560) transport:(502,0,0) during Install
333166.1 CSSD Startup Fails with NSerr (12546,12560) transport:(516,0,0) During install
330929.1 CRS Stack Fails to Start After Reboot ORA-29702 CRS-0184
463255.1 Enable trace for gsd issues on 10gR2 RAC
338924.1 CLUVFY Fails With Error: Could not find a suitable set of interfaces for VIPs
462616.1 Reconfiguring the CSS disktimeout of 10gR2 Clusterware for Proper LUN Failover
461884.1 How To Disable Fatal Mode Oprocd On HP-UX Itanium 10gR2
404474.1 Status of Certification of Oracle Clusterware with HACMP 5.3 & 5.4
329530.1 Using Redhat Global File System (GFS) as shared storage for RAC
458324.1 Increased 'Log File Sync' waits in 10gR2
341214.1 How To clean up after a Failed (or successful) Oracle Clusterware Installation
454638.1 srvctl command failed - An unexpected exception has been detected in native
276434.1 Modifying the VIP or VIP Hostname of a 10g Oracle Clusterware Node
383123.1 PRKP-1001 CRS-215 srvctl Can not Start 2nd Instance
358620.1 How To Recreate Voting And OCR Disk In 10gR1/2 RAC
200346.1 RAC: Frequently Asked Questions
220970.1 RAC: Frequently Asked Questions
269320.1 Removing a Node from a 10g RAC Cluster
430266.1 How to install 10gR2 and 9iR2 on the same node with different UDLM requirement
283684.1 How to Change Interconnect/Public Interface IP Subnet in a 10g Cluster
391790.1 Unable To Connect To Cluster Manager Ora-29701
294430.1 CSS Timeout Computation in RAC 10g (10g Release 1 and 10g Release 2)
316583.1 VIPCA FAILS COMPLAINING THAT INTERFACE IS NOT PUBLIC
416868.1 CDMP DIRECTORIES AND TRW FILES ON RAC
414177.1 Executing root.sh errors with "Failed To Upg Oracle Cluster Registry Config
390483.1 DRM - Dynamic Resource management
390880.1 OCR Corruption after Adding/Removing voting disk to a cluster when CRS stack
309542.1 How to start/stop the 10g CRS ClusterWare
396643.1 CVU HAS INCORRECT ORA_CRS_HOME VARIABLE AFTER APPLYING CRS BUNDLE II
387205.1 The 10.1.0.4 DB Cannot Start With 10.2.0.2.0 CRS And ASM
270512.1 Adding a Node to a 10g RAC Cluster
395156.1 Startup (mount) of 2nd RAC instance fails with ORA-00600 [kccsbck_first]
363777.1 How to Completely Remove a Service so that its Service_id Can Be Reused
391112.1 Database Resource Manager Spins Lmon To 100% Of Cpu
365530.1 Permissions not set correctly after 10gR2 installation
357808.1 Diagnosability for CRS / EVM / RACG
284752.1 10g RAC: Steps To Increase CSS Misscount, Reboottime and Disktimeout
332180.1 ASMCMD - ASM command line utility
371434.1 Using Openfiler iSCSI with an Oracle database
338047.1 cluvfy ERROR: Unable to retrieve database release version
183408.1 Raw Devices and Cluster Filesystems With Real Application Clusters
367564.1 Server Reboots When Rolling Upgrading CRS(10gr1 -> 10gr2)
358545.1 Root.sh is failing with CORE dumps, during CRS installation
343092.1 How to setup Linux md devices for CRS and ASM
295871.1 How to verify if CRS install is Valid
331934.1 RAC Single Instance (ASM) startup fails with ORA-27300/ORA-27301/ORA-27302
341974.1 10gR2 RAC Scheduling and Process Prioritization
341971.1 10gR2 RAC GES Statistics
341969.1 10gR2 RAC OS Best Practices
341965.1 10gR2 RAC Reference
341963.1 10gR2 RAC Best Practices
313540.1 Manually running cvu to verify stages during a CRS/RAC installation
331168.1 Oracle Clusterware consolidated logging in 10gR2
339710.1 Abnormal Program Termination When Installing 10gR2 on RHAS 4.0
339383.1 CSSD FAILURE DOES NOT REBOOT THE NODE
337937.1 Step By Step - 10gR2 RAC with ASM install on Linux(x86) - Demo
280209.1 10g RAC Performance Best Practices


CLONING
*********
216664.1 FAQ: Cloning Oracle Applications Release 11i
230672.1 Cloning Oracle Applications Release 11i with Rapid Clone
135792.1 Cloning Oracle Applications Release 11i

Discoverer
************
139516.1 Discoverer 4i with Oracle Applications 11i
257798.1 Discoverer 10g (9.0.4) with Oracle Applications 11i
139516.1 Installation of Discoverer 4i

AutoConfig
************
165195.1 Using AutoConfig to Manage System Configurations with Oracle Applications 11i
218089.1 Autoconfig FAQ


Real Application Clusters(RAC)
*******************************
181503.1 Real Application Clusters Whitepapers (OTN)
280209.1 10g RAC Performance Best Practices (INTERNAL ONLY)
302806.1 IBM General Parallel File System (GPFS) and Oracle RAC on AIX 5L and IBM eServer pSeries
270512.1 Adding a Node to a 10g RAC Cluster
137288.1 Manual Database Creation in Oracle9i (Single Instance and RAC)
292776.1 10g RAC Lessons Learned
280216.1 10g RAC Reference (INTERNAL ONLY)
269320.1 Removing a Node from a 10g RAC Cluster
226561.1 9iRAC Tuning Best Practices (INTERNAL ONLY)
220178.1 Installing and setting up ocfs on Linux - Basic Guide
208375.1 How To Convert A Single Instance Database To RAC In A Cluster File System Configuration
255359.1 Automatic Storage Management (ASM) and Oracle Cluster File System (OCFS) in Oracle10g
341963.1 10gR2 RAC Best Practices (INTERNAL ONLY)
273015.1 Migrating to RAC using Data Guard
329530.1 Using Redhat Global File System (GFS) as shared storage for RAC
270901.1 How to Dynamically Add a New Node to an Existing 9.2.0 RAC Cluster
203326.1 Data Guard 9i Log Transportation on RAC
169539.1 A Short Description of HA Options Available in 9i
160120.1 Oracle Real Application Clusters on Sun Cluster v3
226569.1 9iRAC Most Common Performance Problem Areas (INTERNAL ONLY)
251578.1 Step-By-Step Upgrade of Oracle Cluster File System (OCFS v1) on Linux
247135.1 How to Implement Load Balancing With RAC Configured System Using JDBC
139436.1 Understanding 9i Real Application Clusters Cache Fusion
285358.1 Creating a Logical Standby from a RAC Primary Using a Hot Backup
222288.1 9i Rel 2 RAC Running on IBM’s General Parallel File System
226567.1 9iRAC Related Init.ora Parameters (INTERNAL ONLY)
210889.1 RAC Installation with a NetApp Filer in Red Hat Linux Environment
341965.1 10gR2 RAC Reference (INTERNAL ONLY)
341969.1 10gR2 RAC OS Best Practices (INTERNAL ONLY)
226566.1 9iRAC Related Latches (INTERNAL ONLY)
220970.1 RAC: Frequently Asked Questions
268202.1 Dynamic node addition in a Linux cluster
285455.1 HOW TO MAKE AN EXCLUSIVE INSTANCE AVAILABLE ON MULTIPLE CLUSTER NODES.
332257.1 Using Oracle Clusterware with Vendor Clusterware FAQ
245079.1 Steps to clone a 11i RAC environment to a non-RAC environment
235158.1 How To Enable/Disbale Archive Log Mode on Oracle9i Real Application Cluster
210022.1 How To Add A New Instance To The Existing Two Nodes RAC Database Manually
317516.1 Adding and Deleting a Cluster Node on 10gR2 / Linux
271685.1 How to Run Autoconfig for RAC Environment on Apps Tier Only
278816.1 How to Setup Parallel Concurrent Processing using Shared APPL_TOP for RAC Environment
334459.1 How to change hostname in RAC environment
250378.1 Migrating Applications 11i to use Oracle9i RAC (Real Application Clusters).
295998.1 How to solve corruptions on OCFS file system
345081.1 How to Rename a RAC Database in a 10g Real Application Clusters Environment
312051.1 How To Remove Ocfs From Linux Box.

PORTAL
*******
228516.1 How to copy (export/import) Portal database schemas of IAS 9.0.2 to another database
330391.1 How to copy (export/import) Portal database schemas of IAS 10.1.2 to another database


UPGRADES
*********
125767.1 Upgrading Devloper6i with Oracle Applications 11i
216550.1 RDBMS upgrade to 9.2.0
161779.1 Upgradation of HTTP Server
212005.1 Upgrade Oracle Applications to 11.5.8
139863.1 Self Servie Framework Upgrade
112867.1 Express Server & OFA upgrade
124606.1 Jinitiator upgrade
130091.1 JDK upgrade to 1.3
130091.1 Upgrading Oracle Applications 11i to use JDK 1.3
144069.1 Upgrading to Workflow 2.6 with Oracle Applications 11i
159657.1 Complete Upgrade Checklist for Manual Upgrades from 8.X / 9.0.1 to Oracle9i

EXPORT / IMPORT
***************
Note 230627.1 - 9i Export/Import Process for Oracle Applications Release 11i
Note 331221.1 - 10g Export/Import Process for Oracle Applications Release 11i
Note 362205.1 - 10g Release 2 Export/Import Process for Oracle Applications Release 11i
Note 277650.1 - How to Use Export and Import when Transferring Data Across Platforms or Acros...
Note 243304.1 - 10g: Transportable Tablespaces Across Different Platforms
Note 341733.1 - Export/Import DataPump Parameters INCLUDE and EXCLUDE - How to Load and Unload..

www.databasejournal.com/features/oracle/article.php/1580471

blogspot oracle

http://advait.wordpress.com/page/3/

9.2.0.X Upgrade to 9.2.0.7 Upgrade

1 Create 9.2.0.7 Oracle Home 5
1.1 Create Oracle Home 9.2.0.7 with 9i 9.2.0.1.0 Database 64-bit CD’s (3) 5
1.2 Apply 9.2.0.7 Upgrade Patch – 4163445 5
1.3 Install Opatch – 2617419 5
1.4 Apply Patch 4533592 6
1.5 Apply Patch 4622088 6
1.6 Apply Patch 4573980 6
1.7 Apply Patch 4651385 6
1.8 Apply Patch 4661160 6
1.9 Apply Patch 5049060 7
1.10 Apply Patch 4721492 7
1.11 Apply Patch 2300743 7
1.12 Apply Patch 5016142 7
1.13 Apply Patch 4696143 7
1.14 Apply Patch 4742607 7
1.15 Apply Patch 4451759 7
1.16 Apply Patch 4942939 7
1.17 Apply Patch 4594912 7
1.18 Apply Patch 3332598 8
1.19 Apply Patch 5103362 8
1.20 Apply Patch 3845730 8
1.21 Apply Patch 5059488 8
1.22 Apply Patch 5163411 8
1.23 Apply Patch 5368853 8
1.24 Apply Patch 4594917 8
1.25 Verify patch list 8
1.26 RAC Only – Copy executable to Oracle Home 10
1.27 ODM Only - Link Veritas ODM (Oracle Disk Manager) Library to Oracle – on all nodes. 10
1.28 RAC ONLY – Relink Oracle homes with UDP – NOT LLT – NOT DEFAULT!. 10
2 Upgrade Existing 9i Database(s). 11
2.1 Set Database to point to new ORACLE HOME 11
2.2 Verify/Change Init.ora parameters – first save off current Init.ora 11
2.3 Create Log Directory For Migration Log. 12
2.4 Startup Database for Migrate. 12
2.5 Drop SYS Stats 12
2.6 Run preliminary sqls. 12
2.7 Upgrade Database. 12
2.8 Compile Invalids. 13
2.9 Verify v$option and dba_registry and compare with the spool files taken before migration 13
2.10 Critical Patch Update Post-Installation Steps: 13
2.11 Gather SYS Stats: 14
2.12 Shutdown Database 14
3 Posts Database Migration 14
3.1 Revert Init.ora file – May vary with RAC 15
3.2 Modify Listener Configs as required 15
3.3 Make appropriate links to tnsnames.ora and listener.ora from $TNS_ADMIN 15
3.4 Get Statspack noresp sql from previous 9i home 15
3.5 Start The Database Normally 15


1 Create 9.2.0.7 Oracle Home

All patches located in /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7 directory. The result is a 9.2.0.7 Oracle Home. There are 5 major steps:

• Create 9i Oracle Home - /u01/app/oracle/product/9.2.0.7
• Apply 9i Release 2 Database Server Patch Set 6 (4163455)
• Add Opatch to oracle Home – (2617419)
• Apply additional patchs via Opatch
• Verify Installation
1.1 Create Oracle Home 9.2.0.7 with 9i 9.2.0.1.0 Database 64-bit CD’s (3)
• Install everything. – Enterprise Edition
• Verify rsh command across the Nodes before starting the Installer
• cd /opt/media2/oracle/oracle9.2.0.1_64/Disk1
• ./runInstaller
• If this is a RAC install, make sure installer recognizes all nodes and make sure to SELECT all nodes to install home.
• If this is a RAC install, make sure when prompted to provide a shared location for /var/opt/oracle/srvConfig.loc
1.2 Apply 9.2.0.7 Upgrade Patch – 4163445
• cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/Disk1
• ./runInstaller
• Select the products.xml file.
• Click Install.
• Run the $ORACLE_HOME/root.sh script from a root session when prompted by the installer. If you are applying the patch set in a cluster database environment, then the root.sh script should be run in the same way on both the local node and participating nodes.
• Click OK on the installer prompt window. Once the installation has completed successfully, it will display End of Installation
• Click Exit, and confirm to exit the Oracle Universal Installer.
1.3 Install Opatch – 2617419
• Go to 9.2.0.7 Oracle Home
• % mkdir OPatch
• % cd OPatch
• % cp –rp /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/Opatch/* .
• Place /u01/app/oracle/product/9.2.0.7/OPatch in $PATH – GEMS.profile.ora
• Create a set9207patch command that sets the LD_LIBRARY_PATH to $ORACLE_HOME/lib32: $ORACLE_HOME /srvm/lib. Make sure this is set when applying patches, especially in a RAC environment.
• In $ORACLE_HOME/oui/oraparam.ini - Required for RAC only
Comment the following line CLUSTERWARE={"oracle.crs","10.1.0.2.0"}
Add line
VENDORCLUSTERWARE=TRUE in oraparam.ini

For all below patches, some are considered “rolling” patches, and require a slightly different dialog requiring manual selection of each node to apply patch.
1.4 Apply Patch 4533592
• % /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4533592
• % opatch apply
• cd $ORACLE_HOME/install
• chmod 744 changePerm.sh
• ./changePerm.sh
• Enter y when prompted
1.5 Apply Patch 4622088
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4622088
• % opatch apply
1.6 Apply Patch 4573980
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4573980
• % opatch apply
1.7 Apply Patch 4651385
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4651385
• % opatch apply
1.8 Apply Patch 4661160
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4661160
• % opatch apply

1.9 Apply Patch 5049060
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/ 5049060
• % opatch apply
• Special Instructions – executed on each database - Critical Patch Update Post-Installation Steps - AFTER EACH Database Upgrade.
1.10 Apply Patch 4721492
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4721492
• % opatch apply
1.11 Apply Patch 2300743
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/2300743
• % opatch apply
1.12 Apply Patch 5016142
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/5016142
• % opatch apply
1.13 Apply Patch 4696143
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4696143
• % opatch apply
1.14 Apply Patch 4742607
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4742607
• % opatch apply
1.15 Apply Patch 4451759
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4451759
• % opatch apply
1.16 Apply Patch 4942939
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4942939
• % opatch apply
1.17 Apply Patch 4594912
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4594912/4599610
• % opatch apply
1.18 Apply Patch 3332598
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/3332598
• % opatch apply
1.19 Apply Patch 5103362
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/5103362
• % opatch apply
1.20 Apply Patch 3845730
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/3845730
• % opatch apply
1.21 Apply Patch 5059488
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/5059488
• % opatch apply
1.22 Apply Patch 5163411
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/5163411
• % opatch apply
1.23 Apply Patch 5368853
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/5368853
• % opatch apply
1.24 Apply Patch 4594917
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4605712
• % opatch apply
1.25 Apply Patch 4483951
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4483951
% opatch apply
1.26 Apply Patch 4651385
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4651385
• % opatch apply

1.27 Apply Patch 4661160
• % cd /admin/orapatch/oracle/patch/oracle64/9.2.0.7/patches/4661160
% opatch apply
1.28 Verify patch list
• % opatch lsinventory – should look something like below.


Installed Patch List:
=====================
1) Patch 5368853 applied on Thu Jul 27 17:05:33 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 4402255 5201089 5007265 4673610 4047167 4949040 4632780 4928144 4752555 4863048 4607458 4684373 3865608 3328894 5368853 4658188 ]
2) Patch 4605712 applied on Thu Jul 20 23:14:13 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 4594917 ]
3) Patch 5163411 applied on Mon Jun 26 17:00:10 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 5163411 ]
4) Patch 3332598 applied on Fri May 26 06:25:17 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 3332598 ]
5) Patch 5103362 applied on Fri May 26 06:13:33 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 5103362 ]
6) Patch 3845730 applied on Fri May 26 06:10:16 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 3845730 ]
7) Patch 5059488 applied on Fri May 26 06:04:06 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 5059488 ]
8) Patch 5049060 applied on Fri May 26 05:57:22 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 4754842 5021058 4547566 2701372 4567971 4567854 4516151 3119415 5049060 4572340 5049062 4121749 4049345 4547641 4751923 ]
9) Patch 4599610 applied on Fri Apr 21 17:58:46 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 4594912 ]
10) Patch 4942939 applied on Fri Apr 21 17:51:11 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 4942939 ]
11) Patch 4451759 applied on Fri Apr 21 17:38:53 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 4451759 ]
12) Patch 4742607 applied on Fri Apr 21 17:33:09 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 4742607 ]
13) Patch 4696143 applied on Fri Apr 21 17:27:07 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 4696143 ]
14) Patch 5016142 applied on Fri Apr 21 17:17:40 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 5016142 ]
15) Patch 2300743 applied on Fri Apr 21 16:32:28 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 2300743 ]
16) Patch 4721492 applied on Sat Feb 25 00:33:46 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 4721492 ]
17) Patch 4533592 applied on Sun Jan 29 19:32:00 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 4533592 ]
18) Patch 4661160 applied on Sun Jan 29 19:13:20 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 4661160 ]
19) Patch 4651385 applied on Sun Jan 29 19:09:46 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 4651385 ]
20) Patch 4573980 applied on Sun Jan 29 18:19:24 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 4573980 ]
21) Patch 4622088 applied on Sun Jan 29 18:12:24 GMT 2006
[ Base Bug(s): 4192148 ]
1.29 RAC Only – Copy executable to Oracle Home
cp $ORACLE_HOME/lib/libskgxn9.so $ORACLE_HOME/lib/libskgxn9.so.ora
cp /opt/ORCLcluster/lib/9iR2/libskgxn2_64.so $ORACLE_HOME/lib/libskgxn9.so

Only execute the following if LLT install. Skip if UDP install
cp $ORACLE_HOME/lib/libskgxp9.so $ORACLE_HOME/lib/libskgxp9.so.ora
cp /opt/ORCLcluster/lib/9iR2/libskgxp92_64.so $ORACLE_HOME/lib/libskgxp9.so
cp $ORACLE_HOME/lib/libskgxpu.so $ORACLE_HOME/lib/libskgxpu.so.ora
cp /opt/ORCLcluster/lib/9iR2/libskgxp92_64.so $ORACLE_HOME/lib/libskgxpu.so

1.30 ODM Only - Link Veritas ODM (Oracle Disk Manager) Library to Oracle – on all nodes.
Login as oracle
Set environment
cd $ORACLE_HOME/lib
mv libodm9.so libodm9.so.ora
ln -s /opt/VRTSodm/lib/sparcv9/libodm.so libodm9.so

This is required for RAC if using Veritas DBE/AC, but ODM (like Quick IO), can be used on any database if installed. When Oracle databases are started up, look for the following entry in the alert.log file:

Oracle instance running with ODM: VERITAS X.X ODM Library, Version X.X
1.31 RAC ONLY – Relink Oracle homes with UDP – NOT LLT – NOT DEFAULT!.
Only do this step if prescribed to be UDP install.
cd $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/lib
make -f ins_rdbms.mk rac_on ipc_udp ioracle

When Oracle databases are started up, look for the following entry in the alert.log file:

cluster interconnect IPC version:Oracle UDP/IP with Sun RSM disabled

With UDP, additional interconnect statements need to be added to init.ora’s

Example:
glrac1.cluster_interconnects=192.168.200.3:192.168.201.3
glrac2.cluster_interconnects=192.168.200.6:192.168.201.6
glrac3.cluster_interconnects=192.168.200.9:192.168.201.9

You will need to ping the interconnect IP’s from each node:

e.g.
From glrac1’s server
ping 192.168.200.3
192.168.200.3 is alive
ping 192.168.201.3
192.168.201.3 is alive

2 Upgrade Existing 9i Database(s).

2.1 Set Database to point to new ORACLE HOME
Change Oracle Home for database in oratab in /var/opt/oracle and set environment. Verify following variables are pointing to the new Oracle Home:
$ORACLE_HOME, $LD_LIBRARY_PATH, $ORA_NLS33, $PATH

Link $ORACLE_HOME/dbs/init${ORACLE_SID}.ora to $ORACLE_ADMIN/${ORACLE_SID}/pfile/ init${ORACLE_SID}.ora
cd $ORACLE_HOME/dbs
ln –s /u01/app/oracle/admin/{ORACLE_SID}/pfile/init${ORACLE_SID}.ora

Set environment and verify following variables are pointing to the new Oracle Home:
$ORACLE_HOME, $LD_LIBRARY_PATH, $ORA_NLS33, $PATH
2.2 Verify/Change Init.ora parameters – first save off current Init.ora
cd $ORACLE_ADMIN/$ORACLE_SID/pfile (may have to be modified for RAC)
cp –p init$ORACLE_SID.ora init$ORACLE_SID.ora_$DATE_Bkp_Pre_mig

shared_pool_size - at least 150Mb
java_pool_size 250MB - at least
large_pool_size 20MB – at least
remote_login_password_file=none
nls_length_semantics=byte
aq_tm_processes = 0
job_queue_processes = 0
system_trig_enabled=false
If RAC Database also:
*.cluster_database=FALSE
*.cluster_database_instances=1
in init${ORACLE_SID}.ora

2.3 Create Log Directory For Migration Log.
mkdir $ORACLE_ADMIN/${ORACLE_SID}/create/9207_migration

2.4 Startup Database for Migrate.
sqlplus "sys as sysdba"
startup migrate
2.5 Drop SYS Stats
execute dbms_stats.delete_schema_stats(‘SYS’);
2.6 Run preliminary sqls.
Execute the following sqls and spool the out put
Spool option_pre.lst
col parameter format a40
col value format a30
select * from from v$option
spool off
spool dba_registry_pre.lst
select * from dba_registry;
spool off

spool invalid_pre_$ORACLE_SID.lst
@$dbsql/apps_obj.sql
@$dbsql/apps_obj_all.sql
Column owner format a12
Column object format a30
Column type format a30
Select substr(owner,1,12) owner, Substr(object_name,1,30) object,
Substr(object_type,1,30) type from dba_objects where status <>'VALID'
order by owner, object_name ;
Select substr(owner,1,12) owner, Count(*) from dba_objects where status <>'VALID'
group by owner
order by owner;
spool off

2.7 Upgrade Database.
spool patch_${ORACLE_SID}.log
@$ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/catpatch.sql
spool off

Review the patch_${ORACLE_SID}.log file for errors and re-run the catpatch script after correcting any problems.

2.8 Compile Invalids.
@$ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/utlrp.sql

2.9 Verify v$option and dba_registry and compare with the spool files taken before migration
Spool option._post.lst
col parameter format a40
col value format a30
select * from from v$option
spool off
spool dba_registry_post.lst
select * from dba_registry;
spool off
2.10 Critical Patch Update Post-Installation Steps:
(Please Note for RAC specific instances - The parameter cluster_database has to be "FALSE" and cluster_instances=1 )

Exit of of sqlplus

cd /u01/app/oracle/product/9.2.0.7/cpu/CPUJan2006 ( Make sure present working directory is /u01/app/oracle/product/9.2.0.7/cpu/CPUApr2006 before running catcpu.sql)

sqlplus "sys as sysdba"
@catcpu.sql

Following errors can be ignored:
ORA-00942: table or view does not exist
ORA-00955: name is already used by an existing object
ORA-01430: column being added already exists in table
ORA-01432: public synonym to be dropped does not exist
ORA-01434: private synonym to be dropped does not exist
ORA-01435: user does not exist
ORA-01917: user or role 'XDB' does not exist
ORA-01920: user name '' conflicts with another user or role name
ORA-01921: role name '' conflicts with another user or role name
ORA-02303: cannot drop or replace a type with type or table dependents
ORA-02443: Cannot drop constraint - nonexistent constraint
ORA-04043: object does not exist
ORA-06512: at line . If this error follow any of above errors, then can be safely ignored.
ORA-14452: attempt to create, alter or drop an index on temporary table already in use
ORA-29809: cannot drop an operator with dependent objects
ORA-29830: operator does not exist
ORA-29832: cannot drop or replace an indextype with dependent indexes
ORA-29844: duplicate operator name specified
ORA-29931: specified association does not exist

Number of Invalids may increases after this script. So

@$ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/utlrp.sql

Verify catcpu.sql using
select * from sys.registry$history ;
ACTION_TIME ACTION NAMESPACE
--------------- ------------------------------ ------------------------------
VERSION ID
------------------------------ ----------
COMMENTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20-APR-06 CPU
5049060
CPUApr2006

2.11 Gather SYS Stats:
execute dbms_stats.gather_schema_stats ('SYS',degree=>20,cascade=>TRUE);

2.12 Shutdown Database
shutdown immediate;

3 Posts Database Migration

3.1 Revert Init.ora file – May vary with RAC
cd $ORACLE_ADMIN/${ORACLE_SID}/pfile/
cp init$ORACLE_SID.ora_$DATE_Bkp_Pre_mig init$ORACLE_SID.ora

3.2 Modify Listener Configs as required
Add the 9207LISTENER entry in the lisnrtab – as required
Change the listener.ora file – as required

3.3 Make appropriate links to tnsnames.ora and listener.ora from $TNS_ADMIN

3.4 Get Statspack noresp sql from previous 9i home
sptrunc_noresp.sql
spreport_noresp.sql
sprepins_noresp.sql
sppurge_noresp.sql
3.5 Start The Database Normally
Add the entry of the event
Tnsnames.ora to be moved before startup migrate if the TNS_ADMIN is not /var/opt/oracle