Re: Upgrade from Oracle 9.2.0.1 to Oracle 9.2.0.3

From: Mark Bole <makbo_at_pacbell.net>
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 03:21:26 GMT
Message-ID: <WYVYb.27513$BB1.26205@newssvr25.news.prodigy.com>

Daniel Morgan wrote:

> kumu wrote:
>

>> Hello All,
>> I am trying to upgrade oracle 9.2.0.1 to new patchset 9.2.0.3 or
>> 9.2.0.4.  Please recommend which is better 9.2.0.3 or 9.2.0.4?
>>
>> Also I had a bad experience with my development server when applying
>> 9.2.0.3 patchset. Is there anything you recommend before I start
>> again?
>>
>> Thanks
>> Kumu

>
>
> 9.2.0.4. The only thing I would recommend is that you read the
> instructions before applying the patch. OPATCH is a very nasty
> piece of software that Oracle should have replaced long ago.
>

Definitely 9.2.0.4. You always want to go with the latest published patch, no matter how scary the list of bug fixes in the release notes might seem. ;-)

It is easier, IMHO, to create a new database under the latest release than it is to migrate from an older release, so take into account how many of each type (new vs. migrated) you have to deal with.

I have been mildly burned several times (comes with the territory), when picking a date for upgrading the production site a number of months in advance. After running through a gauntlet of testing, it seems no sooner do you complete the upgrade, than Oracle inevitably announces a new patch release, and at that point, any ORA-00600 or ORA-07445 errors are immediately met with, 'did you install the latest patch?'

To be fair to Oracle, I have at least once been successful in documenting a bug whose fix they consented to back-port to 9.2.0.3, even though the initial response was, "that is fixed in version 10". So, as previously stated, paid-for support in a commercial environment can actually be worth it.

--Mark Bole Received on Wed Feb 18 2004 - 21:21:26 CST