ExaCC: Create a Custom Database Software Image

Overview:

• ExaCC users patch and provision their Oracle Database Homes using standard Oracle-published images
• Oracle makes the major Oracle database versions with the last 4 release updates available on control plane servers for download
• Custom database software images provide
  • Apply a standardized custom Database Software Image across multiple Database Homes for specific application needs
  • Move on-premise databases running custom one-off software updates to ExaCC
  • Build custom images within the ExaCC service without special entitlements required to download patches from MOS

In this blog, I’ll demonstrate the steps to create a custom database software image using the OCI console and then use the new image to create a database home.

Step #1: Create A  Custom Database Software Image

1.  Sign in to your OCI tenancy where your Exadata Database Service on Cloud @ Customer system is deployed.

2. Navigate to “Oracle Database” > “Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer“.

3. Under the “Resources” section, select “Database Software Images” then click the “Create Database Software Image” button.

4. In the “Create Database Software Image” screen, provide the required information then click the “Create Database Software Image” button.

•      Display Name: Image display name
•      Choose the right compartment
•      Choose a major database version
•      Choose a patch set update, proactive bundle patch, or release update
•      Enter one-off patch numbers (optional)

Once the database software image is completed, the image state will be “Available“

Step #2: Create A Database Home Using the New Image

1. Navigate to “Oracle Database” > “Oracle Exadata Database Service on Cloud@Customer“

2. Click on your VM cluster name

3. Under the “Resources” section, select “Database Homes” and then click the “Create Database Home” button

4. In the “Create Database Home” screen, enter database home, and click the “Change Database Image” button to select the database home image type from either “Oracle Provided Database Software Images” or “Custom Database Software Images“.

5. In the “Select a Database Software Image” screen

•     Image Type: select “Custom Database Software Images“
•     Choose a compartment: the compartment where you created the customized image
•     Select the image row from the list of available customized images

6. Click the “Create Database Home” button

Once the create database home is completed, the Oracle database home state will be “Available“

7. Connect to any of the VM cluster nodes and run “opatch lspatches” to confirm installed patches