Re: How to get Oracle server patch/update information?

See some of my embedded comments.

On Sun, 21 Jan 2001 12:49:18 +0800, Dino Hsu <dino1_at_ms1.hinet.net> wrote:

>Dear all,
>
>At present, I get Oracle server patch/update information from Oracle
>service persons, Oracle web site (www.oracle.com) and collegues from
>other countries. I have been through the following events:
>1.Windows NT SP4 is not certified for Oracle 8.0.5 (not any more now)
>2.The patch 8.0.5.2.6 can solve the 4G data file crash problem
>3.Microsoft released patch 6a, I don't know whether this is certified
>or not, and I don't why it's 6a, not 6

This is an update of SP6.0 also called SP 6.0a or 6a. This is in my opinion the most stable version of NT4

>4.I check up the Oracle web site for 8.0.5.2.6 (press download), but
>there are no 16M 8.0.5.2.6 any more, there is, stead, a 200M 8.0.6.

We use 8.0.5.x.x extensively with NT4 SP6a. Works very well.

>5.In the meantime, at least 3 Oracle 8i versions are released: 8.1.5,
>8.1.6, and 8.1.7, they are also called R1/R2/R3 of 8i (In this
>analogy, 8.0.6 should be Oracle8 R2?)
>

And every version gets bigger and bigger... And the utilities (now all in Java) get slower and slower,

>The problem is that I cannot have a whole picture about the history of
>the updates/patches, the choices that I have (to stay with the current
>installation, to upgrade with a patch, to upgrade with an update, or
>to upgrade to the next version) which we can make decisions according
>to requirements, disk space, and the man power and the amount of time
>we have to do the conversions. Moreover, I think we need to be
>notified of any update/patch events so that we know our choices in
>time. I know there are so many Oracle users out there, please kindly
>provide your precious ideas, opinions or advices. Thanks in advance.

My advice is briefly, and some of you guys may disagree, get a system to work and leave it alone. Do not upgrade or patch unless you need to solve a problem that you are *sure* will be fixed by the upgrade or patch. Don't upgrade just to make Larry Ellison richer or to give your DBA a new set of toys to play with.

>
>Regards,
>Dino

EMail: knijff_at_bigfoot.com Received on Sun Jan 21 2001 - 12:06:57 CST