Re: Linker concerns while installing and distributing to other machines - patching later

On 20 Jul 2004 15:04:39 -0700, jason.buchanan_at_gmail.com (Jason Buchanan) wrote:

>I'm trying to determine what level of concern there is for installing
>Oracle database on one machine and then copying the installed files to
>another server. Specifically, one machine is a Solaris 2.8 machine
>whose last recommended patch bundle was applied about 2 years ago
>(yeah, I know but I was overridden on that)... another machine is a
>Solaris 2.8 machine whose last recommended patch bundle was applied
>about 6 months ago but was also jumpstarted from a later Solaris
>release.
>
>Now, my concern is that when the installer is doing the linking
>process (unsure what this does exactly) that tar'ing up what is
>installed on the older OS and plopping it in the same place on the
>newer OS is asking for trouble.
>

Moreover, Oracle doesn't support this 'installlation procedure'

>I'm told that it makes no difference but to me it seems like it is not
>wise to do so because a machine whose kernel sits at 108528-12 will
>have old libraries, etc. and bringing across the Oracle install to a
>machine at 108528-29 will introduce the same problems that the
>108528-12 machine has.
>

Officially Oracle doesn't certify against patchlevels. Yet, Oracle may require patches, usually outlined in docs, you didn't install. I would make sure I get a signature of your boss, assuming full responsibility, for not patching the O/S. Also Sun is very sensitive aabout not patching Solaris, they might even not support you at all.

>
>Doesn't it seem like the only way to do this correctly is to do a
>fresh install for each machine so that the linker links against the
>system's set of libraries?
>

All other 'methods' are not supported and asking for trouble, when Murphy strikes.

>Which brings up another point - what happens when you apply the
>recommended patch bundle a year after the initial install of Oracle -
>what happens to all of those things that Oracle linked against 12
>months prior?

You might want to relink Oracle after patching, depending on the patches installed.

>
>
>Thanks!

--
Sybrand Bakker, Senior Oracle DBA