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Re: Patching Oracle without shutting down the database

From: <fitzjarrell_at_cox.net>
Date: 13 Nov 2006 07:07:58 -0800
Message-ID: <1163430478.764018.205880@m7g2000cwm.googlegroups.com>

Vsevolod Afanassiev wrote:
> Somehow it appears to be possible to patch Oracle on AIX 5.3 without
> shutting down the
> databases - and everything works fine!
> - We have several AIX 5.3 servers running Oracle 9.2.0.7.0 Enterprise
> Edition
> - Partitioning Option wasn't installed
> - I installed partitioning option by running 9.2.0.1.0 Installer, then
> 10g Installer then comes with 9.2.0.7.0 Patch Set, and then Patch
> 5496862 using OPatch - and then realised that the database was up.
> - Everything seems OK, there were no errors during installation,
> timestamp on the file $ORACLE_HOME/bin/oracle shows that it was
> re-created, I can shut down and start the database, partitioning works
> - The experiment was repeated on the second server with 6 databases
> running - same result.
>
> Is it a feature of AIX?
>
> Thanks
> Sev

I wouldn't consider any anomaly which would allow you to overwrite a running executable image a 'feature'. Data General provided the same 'wonderful option' of overwriting running executables with recompiles and relinks, but, of course, the running application would segmentation fault and dump core as it tried to read the now-reset memory pointers. I am surprised Oracle didn't do the same.

Modifying any executable while it is running is foolish, in my opinion, and anyone who knowingly does so is simply asking for trouble. Granted, the first time you didn't know Oracle was still running, so it was a mistake, and could have been a quite costly one; the second time you were fully aware of what you were doing and, yet, you did it anyway. That you suffered no *apparent* damage was sheer luck and nothing more. You still have no true idea if you DID create internal problems with this act; all you *do* know is problems which could have been caused by this unsupported patching methodology have yet to surface.

I wouldn't plan on modifying the accepted and supported patching method any time soon as I expect Oracle Support will take a dim view of this type of exercise. You could easily lose support because of your actions.

David Fitzjarrell Received on Mon Nov 13 2006 - 09:07:58 CST

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