Rapid Home Provisioning and Maintenance (RHP) is a software lifecycle management method for provisioning and maintaining Oracle homes. RHP enables mass deployment and maintenance of standard operating environments for databases, clusters, and user-defined software types.

Rapid Home Provisioning and Maintenance enables you to install clusters, and provision, patch, scale, and upgrade Oracle Grid Infrastructure, Oracle Restart, and Oracle Database homes. The supported versions are 11.2, 12.1, 12.2, and 18c. You can also provision applications and middleware using Rapid Home Provisioning.

Rapid Home Provisioning and Maintenance is a service in Oracle Grid Infrastructure that you can use in either of the following modes:

• Central Rapid Home Provisioning Server

  The Rapid Home Provisioning Server stores and manages standardized images, called gold images. Gold images can be deployed to any number of nodes across the data center. You can create new clusters and databases on the deployed homes and can use them to patch, upgrade, and scale existing installations.

  The Rapid Home Provisioning Server can manage software homes on the cluster hosting the Rapid Home Provisioning Server itself, Rapid Home Provisioning Clients, and can also manage installations running Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g Release 2 (11.2) and 12c Release 1 (12.1). The Rapid Home Provisioning Server can also manage installations running without Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

  The Rapid Home Provisioning Server can provision new installations and can manage existing installations without requiring any changes to the existing installations. The Rapid Home Provisioning Server can automatically share gold images among peer servers to support enterprises with geographically distributed data centers.

• Rapid Home Provisioning Client

  The Rapid Home Provisioning Client can be managed from the Rapid Home Provisioning Server, or directly by executing commands on the client itself. The Rapid Home Provisioning Client is a service built into the Oracle Grid Infrastructure and is available in Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2) and later releases. The Rapid Home Provisioning Client can retrieve gold images from the Rapid Home Provisioning Server, upload new images based on the policy, and apply maintenance operations to itself.

Rapid Home Provisioning has several methods to provision and, optionally, configure Oracle Grid Infrastructure homes.

• To inform Rapid Home Provisioning the nodes on which to install Oracle Grid Infrastructure, and to configure Oracle Grid Infrastructure, you provide directions in a response file, as in the following example:

  $ rhpctl add workingcopy -workingcopy GI_HOME_11204_WCPY -image GI_HOME_11204 –responsefile /u01/app/rhpinfo/GI_11204_install.txt
    {authentication_option}

  The preceding command provisions the GI_HOME_11204_WCPY working copy based on the GI_HOME_11204 gold image to a target specified in the GI_11204_install.txt response file. In addition to identifying the target nodes, the response file specifies information about the Oracle Grid Infrastructure configuration, such as Oracle ASM and GNS parameters.

  Note:

  The oracle.install.crs.rootconfig.executeRootScript=xxx response file parameter is overridden and always set to false for Rapid Home Provisioning, regardless of what you specify in the response file.
• To provision an Oracle Grid Infrastructure home to a node or cluster that is currently running Oracle Grid Infrastructure:

  $ rhpctl add workingcopy -workingcopy GI_HOME_12201_PATCHED_WCPY -image GI_HOME_12201_PSU1 –client CLUST_002 -softwareonly

  The preceding command provisions a new working copy based on the GI_HOME_12201_PSU1 gold image to the Rapid Home Provisioning Client (that is running Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2)) named CLUST_002. When you provision to a target that is not running Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2) (such as, a target running Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 1 (12.1) or Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g release 2 (11.2)), use the -targetnode parameter instead of -client.

Rapid Home Provisioning provides three methods to patch Oracle Grid Infrastructure software homes: rolling, non-rolling, and in batches.

Rapid Home Provisioning has error prevention and automated recovery options to assist you during maintenance operations.

During maintenance operations, errors must be avoided whenever possible and, when they occur, you must have automated recovery paths to avoid service disruption.

If you are using Rapid Home Provisioning, then you can use a single command to upgrade an Oracle Grid Infrastructure home.

$ rhpctl upgrade gihome -sourcewc GIOH11204 -destwc GIOH12201

Use the rhpctl add workingcopy command to provision a working copy of a database home on a Rapid Home Provisioning Server, Client, or target.

• Run the rhpctl add workingcopy command on a Rapid Home Provisioning Server, similar to the following example:

  $ rhpctl add workingcopy -image db12c -path /u01/app/dbusr/product/12.2.0/db12201
    -client client_007 -oraclebase /u01/app/dbusr/ -workingcopy wc_db122_1

  The preceding command example creates a working copy named wc_db122_1 on all nodes of the Rapid Home Provisioning Client cluster named client_007. The gold image db12c is the source of the workingcopy. The directory path locations that you specify in the command must be empty.

Create an Oracle Database on a working copy.

• After you create a working copy of a gold image and provision that working copy to a target, you can create an Oracle Database on the working copy using the rhpctl add database command, similar to the following command example, which creates an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) database called db12201 on a working copy called wc_db122_1:

  $ rhpctl add database –workingcopy wc_db122_1 –dbname db12201 -node client_007_node1,client_007_node2 -dbtype RAC -datafileDestination DATA007_DG

To patch an Oracle database, you move the database home to a new home, which includes the patches you want to implement.

1. Create a working copy of the Oracle Database that you want to patch, in this case DB122.
2. Apply the patch to the working copy you created.
3. Test and validate the patched working copy.
4. Use the rhpctl add image command to create a gold image (for example, DB122_PATCH) from the patched working copy.

   Note:

   The working copy you specify in the preceding command must be hosted on the Rapid Home Provisioning Server in Rapid Home Provisioning-managed storage.
5. Delete the patched working copy with the patched Oracle Database using the rhpctl delete workingcopy command.

   Note:

   Do not remove directly using the rm command or some other method, because this does not update the Rapid Home Provisioning inventory information.
6. Create a working copy from the patched gold image, (DB122_PATCH).
7. Move myorcldb to the working copy you just created.
8. When you are confident that you will not need to roll back to the working copy on which the database was running at the beginning of the procedure, delete that working copy using the rhpctl delete workingcopy command.

In addition to Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Database homes, Rapid Home Provisioning supports patching the Oracle Exadata components: database nodes, storage cells, and InfiniBand switches.

1. Import an image of the EXAPATCHSOFTWARE image type, using the rhpctl import image command, similar to the following:

   $ rhpctl import image -image EXA1 -imagetype EXAPATCHSOFTWARE -path /tmp/ExadataPatchBundle
     -version 12.1.2.2.3.160720

   Note:

   You must rename the patch zip files to include the words storage, database and, iso, so that Rapid Home Provisioning can distinguish among them.
2. If this is the first time you are using Rapid Home Provisioning to patch Oracle Exadata, then use the rhpctl add workingcopy command, as follows:

   $ rhpctl add workingcopy -image image_name -root {[-dbnodes dbnode_list]
     [-cells cell_list] [-ibswitches ibswitch_list]} [-fromnode node_name]
     [-unkey] [-smtpfrom "address"] [-smtpto "addresses"] [-precheckonly]
     [-modifyatprereq] [-resetforce] [-force]

   The preceding command stores the list of nodes (database nodes, cells, and InfiniBand switches) and the version of each node in Rapid Home Provisioning on the working copy, in addition to the type of node and the type of image.

3. For subsequent patching operations, after you create a gold image with updated database, storage cell, and switch files, run the rhpctl update workingcopy command to patch one, two, or all three Oracle Exadata components, as follows:

   $ rhpctl update workingcopy -image image_name -root {[-dbnodes dbnode_list] [-cells cell_list]
     [-ibswitches ibswitch_list]} [-fromnode node_name] [-unkey] [-smtpfrom "address"]
     [-smtpto "addresses"] [-precheckonly] [-modifyatprereq] [-resetforce] [-force]

   Note:

   The name of the working copy remains the same throughout the life cycle of patching the given Oracle Exadata target.

   You can choose to patch only the database nodes, cells, or InfiniBand switches or any combination of the three. Patching occurs in the following order: InfiniBand switches, cells, database nodes.

4. Display the list of nodes and their images, as follows:

   $ rhpctl query workingcopy -workingcopy working_copy_name

5. Delete the working copy, as follows:

   rhpctl delete workingcopy -workingcopy working_copy_name

Rapid Home Provisioning provides two options for upgrading Oracle Database. Both options are performed with a single command.

Run a zero-downtime upgrade using Oracle GoldenGate for replication.

• You can run the upgrade command on the Rapid Home Provisioning Server to upgrade a database hosted on the server, an Oracle Database 12c release 1 (12.1.0.2) target cluster, or a database hosted on a Rapid Home Provisioning Client 12c release 2 (12.2.0.1) or 18c. You can also run the command a Rapid Home Provisioning Client 18c to upgrade a database hosted on the client, itself.
  Use the upgrade command similar to the following:

  $ rhpctl zdtupgrade database -dbname sierra -destwc DB_Wcopy_121 -ggsrcwc
    GG_Wcopy_11g -ggdstwc GG_Wcopy_12c -targetnode 12102_cluster_node -root

  In the preceding command, 12102_cluster_node refers to the Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 1 (12.1.0.2) cluster hosting the database you want to upgrade.

Run a zero-downtime upgrade using Oracle Data Guard for replication.

• The following example of a zero-downtime upgrade using Oracle Data Guard upgrades an Oracle Database 11g release 2 (11.2.0.4), sierra, running on the target cluster, which includes a node, targetclust003, to an Oracle Database 12c release 1 (12.1.0.2) (the destination working copy, which was provisioned from a Gold Image stored on the Rapid Home Provisioning Server named rhps.example.com):

  $ rhpctl zdtupgrade database -dbname sierra -destwc WC121DB4344 -clonedatadg DBDATA -targetnode node90743 -root
  
  Enter user "root" password:
  node90753.example.com: starting zero downtime upgrade operation ...
  node90753.example.com: verifying patches applied to Oracle homes ...
  node90753.example.com: verifying if database "sierra" can be upgraded with zero downtime ...
  node90743: 15:09:10.459: Verifying whether database "sierra" can be cloned ...
  node90743: 15:09:10.462: Verifying that database "sierra" is a primary database ...
  node90743: 15:09:14.672: Verifying that connections can be created to database "sierra" ...
  < ... >
  node90743: 15:14:58.015: Starting redo apply ...
  node90743: 15:15:07.133: Configuring primary database "sierra" ...
  ####################################################################
  node90753.example.com: retrieving information about database "xmvotkvd" ...
  node90753.example.com: creating services for snapshot database "xmvotkvd" ...
  ####################################################################
  node90743: 15:15:33.640: Macro step 1: Getting information and validating setup ...
  < ... >
  node90743: 15:16:02.844: Macro step 2: Backing up user environment in case upgrade is aborted  ...
  node90743: 15:16:02.848: Stopping media recovery for database "xmvotkvd" ...
  node90743: 15:16:05.858: Creating initial restore point "NZDRU_0000_0001" ...
  < ... >
  node90743: 15:16:17.611: Macro step 3: Creating transient logical standby from existing physical standby ...
  node90743: 15:16:18.719: Stopping instance "xmvotkvd2" of database "xmvotkvd" ...
  node90743: 15:16:43.187: Verifying that database "sierra" is a primary database ...
  < ... >
  node90743: 15:19:27.158: Macro step 4: Upgrading transient logical standby database ...
  node90743: 15:20:27.272: Disabling service "sierrasvc" of database "xmvotkvd" ...
  node90743: 16:36:54.684: Macro step 5: Validating upgraded transient logical standby database ...
  node90743: 16:37:09.576: Creating checkpoint "NZDRU_0301" for database "xmvotkvd" during stage "3" and task "1" ...
  node90743: 16:37:09.579: Stopping media recovery for database "xmvotkvd" ...
  node90743: 16:37:10.792: Creating restore point "NZDRU_0301" for database "xmvotkvd" ...
  node90743: 16:37:11.998: Macro step 6: Switching role of transient logical standby database ...
  node90743: 16:37:12.002: Verifying that database "sierra" is a primary database ...
  < ... >
  node90743: 16:39:07.425: Macro step 7: Flashback former primary database to pre-upgrade restore point and convert to physical standby ...
  node90743: 16:39:08.833: Stopping instance "sierra2" of database "sierra" ...
  < ... >
  node90743: 16:41:17.138: Macro step 8: Recovering former primary database ...
  node90743: 16:41:19.045: Verifying that database "sierra" is mounted ...
  < ... >
  node90743: 17:20:21.378: Macro step 9: Switching back ...
  < ... >
  ####################################################################
  node90753.example.com: deleting snapshot database "xmvotkvd" ...

You can customize zero-downtime upgrades using the user-action framework of Rapid Home Provisioning.

• To register a plugin to be run during a zero-downtime upgrade, run the following command:

  $ rhpctl add useraction -useraction user_action_name -actionscript script_name
    {-pre | -post} -optype {ZDTUPGRADE_DATABASE | ZDTUPGRADE_DATABASE_SNAPDB |
     ZDTUPGRADE_DATABASE_DBUA | ZDTUPGRADE_DATABASE_SWITCHBACK}

  You can specify run-time input to the plugins using the -useractiondata option of the rhpctl zdtupgrade database command.

Provision Oracle Grid Infrastructure software on two nodes that do not currently have a Grid home, and then configure Oracle Grid Infrastructure to form a multi-node Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation.

• From the Rapid Home Provisioning Server, run the command:

  $ rhpctl add workingcopy -workingcopy GI122 -image GI_HOME_12201 –responsefile /u01/app/rhpinfo/GI_12201_install.rsp {authentication_option}

  GI122 is the working copy based on the image GI_HOME_12201

  /u01/app/rhpinfo/GI_12201_install.rsp is the response file location.

  Cluster Verification Utility checks for preinstallation configuration as per requirements. Rapid Home Provisioning configures Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

This procedure provisions Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2) software and creates Oracle Database instances.

1. From the Rapid Home Provisioning Server, provision the Oracle Database home software:

   $ rhpctl add workingcopy -image db12201 -path /u01/app/dbusr/product/12.2.0/db12201
     -client client_001 -oraclebase /u01/app/dbusr/ -workingcopy db122 

   The command provisions the working copy db122 to the specified path on the cluster client_001, from the image db12201 .
2. Create the database instance:

   $ rhpctl add database -workingcopy db122 -dbname db -dbtype RAC

   The command creates an Oracle RAC database instance db . You can use the add database command repeatedly to create more instances on the working copy.

This procedure uses Rapid Home Provisioning to upgrade your Oracle Grid Infrastructure cluster from 11g release 2 (11.2.0.4) to 12c release 2 (12.2).

1. Provision a working copy of the Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2.0.1) software:

   $ rhpctl add workingcopy -workingcopy GI122 -image GI_HOME_12201 {authentication_option}

   GI122 is the working copy based on the image GI_HOME_12201.

2. Upgrade your target cluster to the GI122 working copy:

   rhpctl upgrade gihome -sourcewc GI11204 -destwc GI122

   Rapid Home Provisioning identifies the cluster to upgrade based on the name of the source working copy, and upgrades to the working copyGI122.

This procedure explains how to patch Oracle Grid Infrastructure without changing the Grid home path.

• To move a non-OLFS-compliant Grid home to an OLFS Grid home, from the Rapid Home Provisioning Server, run two commands similar to the following:

  $ rhpctl add workingcopy -workingcopy GI_HOME_12201_PSU1 -aupath
    /u01/app/orabase/product/12.2.0.1/aupath -image image_name
    -client client_name -softwareonly

  $ rhpctl move gihome -srcwc GI_HOME_12201 -destwc GI_HOME_12201_PSU1 -agpath
    /u01/app/orabase/product/12.2.0.1/agpath -path
    /u01/app/orabase/product/12.2.0.1/grid

• To move an OLFS-compliant Grid home to a patched version, run two commands similar to the following:

  $ rhpctl add workingcopy -workingcopy gihome12201_psu1_lpm -aupath
    /u01/app/orabase/product/12.2.0.1/aupath -image image_name -client
    client_name -softwareonly

  $ rhpctl move gihome -sourcewc gihome12201_lpm -destwc gihome12201_psu1_lpm

This procedure patches Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Databases on the cluster to the latest patch level without cluster downtime.

1. Prepare target Oracle homes as follows:
   1. Provision software-only Grid home on the cluster to be patched:

      $ rhpctl add workingcopy -workingcopy GI_HOME_12201_PATCHED_WCPY 
        -image GI_HOME_12201_PSU1 –client CLUSTER_005 -softwareonly

   2. Provision each release Database home, without database instances, to be patched:

      $ rhpctl add workingcopy -workingcopy DB_HOME_12201_PATCHED_WCPY 
        -image DB_HOME_12201_PSU1
      $ rhpctl add workingcopy -workingcopy DB_HOME_12102_PATCHED_WCPY 
        -image DB_HOME_12102_PSU5

2. Patch Oracle Grid Infrastructure and all Oracle RAC Databases on node1 as follows:

   $ rhpctl move gihome -sourcewc GI_HOME_12201_WCPY -destwc GI_HOME_12201_PATCHED_WCPY -auto
     -dbhomes DB_HOME_12102_WCPY=DB_HOME_12102_PATCHED_WCPY,DB_HOME_12201_WCPY=DB_HOME_12201_PATCHED_WCPY  -targetnode node1 {authentication_option}

   When you run the command, you move your active Oracle Grid Infrastructure from working copy GI_HOME_12201_WCPY to GI_HOME_12201_PATCHED_WCPY, Oracle RAC Database db1 from DB_HOME_12201_WCPY to DB_HOME_12201_PATCHED_WCPY, and Oracle RAC Database db2 from DB_HOME_12102_WCPY to DB_HOME_12102_PATCHED_WCPY.

This procedure explains how to patch Oracle Database 12c release 1 (12.1.0.2) with the latest patching without bringing down the database.

1. To patch an Oracle Database home managed by Rapid Home Provisioning, and there exist working copies of the source and destination databases, run:

   rhpctl move database -sourcewc db12102 -patchedwc db12102_psu

   db12102 is the source working copy of the database being patched

   db12102_psu is the working copy of the Oracle Database software with patches applied, based on the image DB12102_PSU.

2. To patch an unmanaged Oracle Database home (source working copy does not exist because the Oracle home is not managed by Rapid Home Provisioning), run:

   rhpctl move database -sourcehome /u01/app/orabase/product/12.1.0.2/dbhome_1
    -patchedwc db12102_psu -targetnode node1

   targetnode specifies the node on which the database to be upgraded is running, because the source Oracle Database is on a 12.1.0.2 cluster.

   /u01/app/orabase/product/12.1.0.2/dbhome_1 is the path of the database being patched

   db12102_psu is the working copy of the Oracle Database software with patches applied, based on the image DB12102_PSU.

   Use the saved gold image for standardized patching of all your databases of release 12c release 1 to the same patch level.
3. If for some reason, you want to rollback the patches applied to an unmanaged Oracle Database home, run:

   rhpctl move database -patchedwc db12102_psu 
   -sourcehome /u01/app/orabase/product/12.1.0.2/dbhome_1
    targetnode node1

This procedure describes how to upgrade an Oracle database from Oracle Database 11g release 2 (11.2) to 12c release 2 with a single command, using Rapid Home Provisioning, both for managed and unmanaged Oracle homes.

1. From the Rapid Home Provisioning Server, run one of the following commands as per your source and destination database:
   1. To upgrade an Oracle home managed by Rapid Home Provisioning, and there exist working copies of the source and destination databases, run:

      $ rhpctl upgrade database -dbname test_database -sourcewc db112 -destwc db122
        {authentication_option}

      test_database is the name of the database being upgraded.

      db112 is the source working copy of the pre-upgrade database.

      db122 is the working copy of the upgraded Oracle Database software.

   2. To upgrade an unmanaged Oracle home (source working copy does not exist because the Oracle home is not managed by Rapid Home Provisioning), run:

      $ rhpctl move database -sourcehome /u01/app/orabase/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1
        -destwc db122 -targetnode node1 {authentication_option}

      /u01/app/orabase/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1 is the path of the database being upgraded.

      db122 is the working copy of the upgraded Oracle Database software.

      targetnode specifies the node on which the database to be upgraded is running, because the source Oracle Database is on a 11.2.0.4 cluster.

To your two-node cluster, you can add a new node, and extend an Oracle RAC database to the new node, using Rapid Home Provisioning.

1. From the Rapid Home Provisioning Server, run the following command to add a node to the existing Oracle Grid Infrastructure working copy:

   rhpctl addnode gihome -workingcopy GI_HOME_12202_WCPY -newnodes n3:n3-vip {authentication_option}

   The command extends the cluster by adding node3.
2. Add instances to the administrator-managed Oracle RAC database on the new node:

   rhpctl addnode database -workingcopy DB_HOME_12202_WCPY -dbname db321 -node n3 {authentication_option}

   The command extends the database home on the node3 and creates database db321 on this node.

Create gold images of software home and store them on the Rapid Home Provisioning Server, to use later to provision Oracle homes.

1. Import an image from an installed Oracle home on the Rapid Home Provisioning Server:

   rhpctl import image -image db12201 -path /share/software/122/dbhome -imagetype ORACLEDBSOFTWARE 

   The gold image of imagetype Oracle Database 12c release 2 software is created and stored on the Rapid Home Provisioning Server.

   You can also create by gold images of Oracle Grid Infrastructure or any other software by specifying -imagetype as ORACLEGISOFTWARE or SOFTWARE respectively.

2. Import an image from an installed Oracle home on a Rapid Home Provisioning Client by running the following command from the Rapid Home Provisioning Client:

   rhpctl import image -image db12201 -path /u01/app/dbusr/product/12.2.0/

   The command creates and adds the image db12201 based on the local Oracle home installed in the specified path.

You can install and configure any type of software using Rapid Home Provisioning user actions. Review this procedure to automate deployment of Apache Web Server using Rapid Home Provisioning.

1. Create the script to install Apache Web server:
   1. On the Rapid Home Provisioning Server, download and extract the Apache Web server installation kit.
   2. Create the script to install, configure, and start the Apache Web server.
2. Register the script as a user action with Rapid Home Provisioning. Run the following command from the Rapid Home Provisioning Server:

   rhpctl useraction -useraction apachestart 
   -actionscript /user1/useractions/apacheinstall.sh 
   -post -optype ADD_WORKINGCOPY -onerror ABORT

   The command adds the apachestart user action for the action script stored in the specified directory. As per the specified properties, the user action runs after the ADD_WORKINGCOPY operation and aborts if there is any error.

3. Create an image type and associate the user action with the image type:

   rhpctl add imagetype -imagetype apachetype -basetype SOFTWARE 
   -useraction "apachestart"

   The command creates a new image type called apachetype, a derivative of the basic image type SOFTWARE with an associated user action apacherstart.

4. Create a gold image of the image type:

   rhpctl import image -image apacheinstall -path /user1/apache2219_kit/ 
   -imagetype apachetype

   The command creates a gold image apacheinstall with the script for Apache Web server installation, in the specified path based on the imagetype created earlier.

   To view the properties of this image, run the rhpctl query image -image apacheinstall command.
5. Deploy a working copy of the gold image on the target:

   rhpctl add workingcopy -workingcopy apachecopy -image apacheinstall 
   -path /user1/apacheinstallloc -sudouser user1 
   -sudopath /usr/local/bin/sudo -node node1 -user user1 
   -useractiondata "/user1/apachehome:1080:2.2.19

   Rapid Home Provisioning provisions the software to the target and runs the script apachestart specified in the user action. You provide the Apache Web server configuration details such as port number with the useractiondata option. If the target is a Rapid Home Provisioning Client, then you need not specify sudo credentials.