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Several patches that I need to install have this caveat in their READ
ME files:

You must have NO OTHER PATCHES installed on your Oracle server
since the latest patch set...

How does one install all needed patches when this disclaimer exists?

On 3 Sep 2004 10:20:46 -0700, kybyrd@mail.med.upenn.edu (Karen Byrd)
wrote:

>Several patches that I need to install have this caveat in their READ
>ME files:
>
> You must have NO OTHER PATCHES installed on your Oracle server
> since the latest patch set...
>
>How does one install all needed patches when this disclaimer exists?

As far as I know almost all patches are cumulative, ie they go back to
the initial release. Your readme will also state which minimum version
you need to have. If you have 9.2.0.1 now, and 9.2.0.4 is cumulative,
you install 9.2.0.4 (or better still 5 as that is available for most
platforms) straightaway and forget about the other patches.


--
Sybrand Bakker, Senior Oracle DBA

Karen Byrd wrote:
> Several patches that I need to install have this caveat in their READ
> ME files:
>
> You must have NO OTHER PATCHES installed on your Oracle server
> since the latest patch set...
>
> How does one install all needed patches when this disclaimer exists?

Normally, in text should be somewhere that in this case before
applaying, you should get positive response from Oracle Support...

I think that's the point. Probably you could get, in various conditions,
unexpected results from mix of different back-port/problem-specific
patches...

Igor

Igor Racic <igor.racicC@freesurf.fr_no_C> wrote in message news:<4138e7a2$0$13697$636a15ce@news.free.fr>...
> Karen Byrd wrote:
> > Several patches that I need to install have this caveat in their READ
> > ME files:
> >
> > You must have NO OTHER PATCHES installed on your Oracle server
> > since the latest patch set...
> >
> > How does one install all needed patches when this disclaimer exists?
>
> Normally, in text should be somewhere that in this case before
> applaying, you should get positive response from Oracle Support...
>
> I think that's the point. Probably you could get, in various conditions,
> unexpected results from mix of different back-port/problem-specific
> patches...
>
> Igor

such as:

call us on Tuesday with anything other than a sev-1 TAR?

support thyself, unless its an ora-600.
test it yourself with your app, your app schema.

-bdbafh

> such as:
>
> call us on Tuesday with anything other than a sev-1 TAR?
>
> support thyself, unless its an ora-600.
> test it yourself with your app, your app schema.
>
> -bdbafh

I tried to find explaination why this thing is there.
Of course you would test it yourself before putting anywhere.
Probably I didn't get your point.

Igor

Igor Racic <igor.racicC@freesurf.fr_no_C> wrote in message news:<41399e8d$0$13689$636a15ce@news.free.fr>...
> > such as:
> >
> > call us on Tuesday with anything other than a sev-1 TAR?
> >
> > support thyself, unless its an ora-600.
> > test it yourself with your app, your app schema.
> >
> > -bdbafh
>
> I tried to find explaination why this thing is there.
> Of course you would test it yourself before putting anywhere.
> Probably I didn't get your point.
>
> Igor

the main Oracle us support office is closed due to hurricane Frances.
They are supposedly not accepting level2-4 iTARs.

All of the one-off patchsets have that disclaimer - its "boilerplate".
It doesn't mean anything, other than "don't apply this unless you need
it".

Oracle has strongly recommended that the patchsets issued in Oracle
Security Alert #68 be applied as soon as possible to your respective
app and/or db server software (version).

read it for yourself at
http://www.oracle.com/technology/dep...ity/alerts.htm

-bdbafh

Sybrand Bakker <sybrandb@hccnet.nl> wrote in message news:<d5phj0h8qgsdbh750uodnd2nmbcl9dvi8o@4ax.com>. ..
> On 3 Sep 2004 10:20:46 -0700, kybyrd@mail.med.upenn.edu (Karen Byrd)
> wrote:
>
> >Several patches that I need to install have this caveat in their READ
> >ME files:
> >
> > You must have NO OTHER PATCHES installed on your Oracle server
> > since the latest patch set...
> >
> >How does one install all needed patches when this disclaimer exists?
>
> As far as I know almost all patches are cumulative, ie they go back to
> the initial release. Your readme will also state which minimum version
> you need to have. If you have 9.2.0.1 now, and 9.2.0.4 is cumulative,
> you install 9.2.0.4 (or better still 5 as that is available for most
> platforms) straightaway and forget about the other patches.

There is a big difference between patches and patchsets. Patchsets
are cumulative but patches are one off sets of modified oracle
executables (usually).

The standard disclaimer that oracle gives on the patches means that
you may shoot yourself in the foot by applying a patch if it is based
on some oracle executable that you have a different version of
(because you have already applied another patch to that executable).

Would it have made everyone's life easier if the security alert that
just came out was distributed in a patchset instead of individual
patches. You betcha.

The security alert that just went out has (usually depending on
platform) 2 patches that can only be applied by opatch on top of
(various) different release and patchset combinations.

Opatch of course is not well integrated with the universal installer
so as someone noted previously test this carefully in your own
environments. Start off by backing up everything in your oracle
home(s) along with your oracle repository -- if you don't know that
this means, better open a TAR with oracle support to get help.

snip

>
> Opatch of course is not well integrated with the universal installer
> so as someone noted previously test this carefully in your own
> environments. Start off by backing up everything in your oracle
> home(s) along with your oracle repository -- if you don't know that
> this means, better open a TAR with oracle support to get help.

Sorry that's supposed to be backup your oracle home(s) and oracle
INVENTORY (* not repository).

Then test test test and consider carefully the pros and cons of
whether the fix that is being supplied is likely to improve (or not)
any production environments before thinking/planning a rollout. Many
organizations have strict policies that determine the criteria needed
to apply software vendor maintenance to production environments -- if
not, do you need such a policy?

More technical clarification -- the patches oracle supplies are based
on oracle changes to (various) release levels and previous patchsets.
The patches you (intend to ) apply must be downloaded against
(corresponding to) specify base releases or patchset releases.

Patches are NOT cumulative they depend on what you are running on.
Patchsets are cumulative but keep in mind 2 things -- 1) patchsets may
cause you to lose patches that have been previously applied unless
those fixes have already been rolled into the (whatever it is)
patchset that you are checking AND 2) (often) after you apply a
patchset then you later find yourself applying (hopefully not too
many) patches against that patchset.

Granted oracle has a lot of ground to cover in maintaining software
against multiple releases and multiple hardware platforms -- but
sometimes it seems like there might be (quite a bit) of room for
improvement in how software updates are supplied by oracle -- but
that's a different topic eh?

kybyrd@mail.med.upenn.edu (Karen Byrd) wrote in message news:<9ca71242.0409030920.42f3e332@posting.google. com>...
> Several patches that I need to install have this caveat in their READ
> ME files:
>
> You must have NO OTHER PATCHES installed on your Oracle server
> since the latest patch set...
>
> How does one install all needed patches when this disclaimer exists?

My understanding is stand-alone patches are not necessarily tested for
compatibility with each other. That's why this standard warning in
readme's.

We already have a patch installed on top of 9.2.0.4 patchset so I
opened a TAR to confirm two security patches could be applied on top.
Now waiting.

Regards,
Igor

johnbhurley@sbcglobal.net (John Hurley) wrote in message news:<d4d6f278.0409060937.73efdae4@posting.google. com>...
> Then test test test and consider carefully the pros and cons of
> whether the fix that is being supplied is likely to improve (or not)
> any production environments before thinking/planning a rollout.

This advice is easy to say, but is hard to do it, especially if we're
talking about recent security alerts. There are no supplied
information with them, only: "Severity 1, must apply". We do not know
what it is patching, why, is it really serious for all configurations,
is it fixing remote exploit or only local one etc. So applying of
these patches is more or less the matter of trust (in Oracle) and not
a considering of pros/cons.

--
Dusan Bolek
http://www.db-support.com

Email: spambin@seznam.cz
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