2. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Best Practices for Maintaining Oracle Fusion Middleware Rafael Ramirez Senior Principle Technical Support Engineer Oracle Fusion Middleware October 2015

3. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Safe Harbor Statement The following is intended to outline our general product direction. It is intended for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. It is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, and timing of any features or functionality described for Oracle’s products remains at the sole discretion of Oracle. 3

4. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Program Agenda Introduction - Oracle Services Overview Understanding Fusion Middleware Maintenance My Oracle Support Tools to Help You Resources to Help You Go Forward 1 2 3 4 4

5. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Program Agenda Introduction - Oracle Services Overview Understanding Fusion Middleware Maintenance My Oracle Support Tools to Help You Resources to Help You Go Forward 1 2 3 4 5

6. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Enabling the success of your Oracle hardware and software investments Oracle Services Oracle Experts Helping You Succeed with Your Oracle Investments Complete Support for Oracle Hardware, Software, and Engineered Systems Mission Critical Support Services for All Oracle Applications and Technologies Your Complete Training Source for Oracle Hardware and Software Extend Your Oracle Investments to the Cloud with Value, Choice, and Confidence

7. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Comprehensive Coverage Oracle Premier Support Service and Support Quickly diagnose and resolve issues Expert technical support Rapid-response field service Lifetime Support Tools and Resources Get the most of your Oracle products with proactive services Oracle knowledge base Product health checks My Oracle Support Community Product Innovation Keep pace with change and capitalize on new opportunities Updates New releases Tools to assist with patching and upgrades

8. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Get Proactive Portfolio—an integral component of your Premier Support Contract Helping you get the most value from Oracle Premier Support

9. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Program Agenda Introduction - Oracle Services Overview Understanding Fusion Middleware Maintenance My Oracle Support Tools to Help You Resources to Help You Go Forward 1 2 3 4 9

10. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Products and Components to Consider Oracle WebLogic Server Primary Oracle Fusion Middleware product(s) installed Bundled components which provide underlying features Database Client files (in addition to a remote Database Server) Java JDK/JRE (used by Oracle products and your applications)

11. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Why a Maintenance Strategy is Important Security Quickly address new issues Proactively fix known issues Keep your entire environment compatible between components Stay within Premier Support guidelines throughout the life cycle

12. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Lifetime Support Policy Dates – Premier and Extended dates – Sustaining Support is forever Error Correction Policy – Error correction available for the current release until end of Premier or Extended – Previous releases have a Grace Period date based on a subsequent release Doc ID 944866.1 helps planning by providing all Grace Period dates. 12 Lifetime Support and Error Correction

13. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Introduction to Patch Set Releases Patch Sets are planned releases to maintain a product though a product’s life cycle – To update existing installations (e.g. 11.1.1.6 to 11.1.1.7) – To install a new installation at the same level (e.g. 11.1.1.7 straightaway) Patch Sets are usually intended for bug fixes but also introduce new features, improved documentation and functionality Before installing Patch Sets, there must be an understanding of product documentation, important links, and their integration.

14. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Some Topics Which May Be Confusing Multiple downloads from various sources Following proper steps for a specific situation or component Integrating a Patch Set release within a new installation Integrated procedure with Oracle WebLogic Server Different Patch Set release schedules

15. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Download, Installation, and Configuration Readme Task 1: Review and Make Note of Your Operating System Capabilities (32-bit or 64-bit) Task 2: Review the Certification, System Requirements, and Interoperability Information Task 3: Understand the Types of Oracle Fusion Middleware Installers Available in This Release Task 4: Select an Oracle Fusion Middleware Software Download Site Task 5: Download the Software Required for Your Starting Point Task 6: Refer to the Installation and Configuration Documentation for Next Steps Oracle Confidential – Internal/Restricted/Highly Restricted15

16. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Other Utilities Used for Maintenance Repository Creation Utility (RCU) installs the schemas – May be run again to expand your environment Patch Set Assistant (PSA) updates existing schemas – After a Patch Set has been applied OPatch Utility installs interim patches – WLS has used Smart Update, 12c now uses OPatch – OPatch Installs Patch Set Updates (in between Patch Sets) – OPatch installs Bundle Patches – OPatch installs Security Patch Updates 16

17. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Java SE (JDK/JRE) Updates Are Separate Java updates are always recommended (e.g. Java 1.6.0_xx to 1.6.0_yy) Java upgrades are subject to certification (e.g. Java 6 to 7) Test features you use and your applications JDK location is in configuration files There can be more than one JDK on system Many products on system may be sharing a JDK 17 Considerations When Updating the JDK

18. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Tips for Maintaining Java with FMW/WLS Install a separate Java directory – Administer a directory specifically for FMW – Avoid unexpected system updates – Plan testing activities Choose a generic directory – Avoid continual config file updates – Just swap out directories – Set your PATH and JAVA_HOME Oracle Confidential – Internal/Restricted/Highly Restricted18

19. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Program Agenda Introduction - Oracle Services Overview Understanding Fusion Middleware Maintenance My Oracle Support Tools to Help You Resources to Help You Go Forward 1 2 3 4 19

20. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Topics for My Oracle Support Tools Get Proactive! Remote Diagnostic Agent (RDA) Oracle Configuration Manager (OCM) Certification Tool Lifecycle Advisors Recommended Patches

21. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Index page to most of the topics discussed in this presentation Help you solve problems without having to log a SR Streamline and simplify your daily operations Reduce risks and maximize up-time and lower your organizations costs through preventative maintenance Oracle Premier Support: Get Proactive! (Doc ID 432.1)432.1 Get Proactive

22. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | This note is index page to most of the topics discussed in this presentation Help you solve problems without having to log a SR Streamline and simplify your daily operations Reduce risks and maximize up-time and lower your organizations costs through preventative maintenance Oracle Premier Support: Get Proactive! (Doc ID 432.1)432.1 Get Proactive

23. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Topics for My Oracle Support Tools Get Proactive! Remote Diagnostic Agent (RDA) Oracle Configuration Manager (OCM) Certification Tool Lifecycle Advisors Recommended Patches

24. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Remote Diagnostic Agent (RDA) RDA is a command-line diagnostic tool Provides a unified package of support diagnostics tools and preventive solutions Captured data aids in problem diagnosis Can reduce Service Request resolution time Can see components installed and patches already applied Why is this related to maintenance?

25. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Configure RDA with Fusion Middleware 11g/12c 11g installed in ORACLE_HOME/rda – With all Fusion Middleware 11g products, except standalone WebLogic Server 12c installed in ORACLE_HOME/oracle_common/rda – With all Fusion Middleware 12c (12.1.2+), including standalone WebLogic Server Automatically updated quarterly if using Oracle Configuration Manager (OCM) in connected mode To configure RDA refer to: – Get Proactive with Fusion Middleware : Resolve Problems Faster! Use Remote Diagnostic Agent (Doc ID 1498376.1)1498376.1

26. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Topics for My Oracle Support Tools Get Proactive! Remote Diagnostic Agent (RDA) Oracle Configuration Manager (OCM) Certification Tool Lifecycle Advisors Recommended Patches

27. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | My Oracle Support Certification Certification – A certification is any combination of Oracle, third-party products and operating systems that Oracle has tested and confirms work together. My Oracle Support accessed via Certifications tab – Simple, easy to use, source of truth for certified Oracle Products – A must use tool for planning maintainable Oracle ecosystems Easy to lookup popular certifications Available on the newer versions of each product

28. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Certification Lookup Results Certification Questions? Try the New Middleware Certification Community! No Service Request Required Staffed with Oracle Support Engineers

29. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Topics for My Oracle Support Tools Get Proactive! Remote Diagnostic Agent (RDA) Oracle Configuration Manager (OCM) Certification Tool Lifecycle Advisors Recommended Patches

30. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Upgrade Lifecycle Advisors – Most Popular Upgrade Lifecycle Advisors follow a typical customer use case Upgrade Guidance from to Fusion Middleware 11g – From Oracle Application Server 10g or WebLogic Server 9.2 – Currently working on 12c Refers you to other Doc IDs, Multimedia & Manuals as required Step by step format (Doc ID 250.1)250.1

31. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Six Phases of Upgrade Upgrade Lifecycle Advisors – Navigation Demo Lifecycle Advisors

32. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Six Phases of Upgrade Lifecycle Advisors

33. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Six Phases of Upgrade Check of steps as you review them. Progress tracked between visits Step by Step Guide Lifecycle Advisors

34. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Six Phases of Upgrade Check of steps as you review them. Progress tracked between visits Step by Step Guide Lifecycle Advisors

35. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Six Phases of Upgrade Check of steps as you review them. Progress tracked between visits Available Multimedia Content Multimedia Training Lifecycle Advisors

36. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Six Phases of Upgrade Check of steps as you review them. Progress tracked between visits Available Multimedia content Multimedia Training Lifecycle Advisors

37. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Helps you to establish a patching strategy. Takes you through four phases of Evaluate, Plan, Test and Implement Contains inline Multimedia Content & Manuals as required Patching & Maintenance Lifecycle Advisor My Oracle Support

38. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Patching & Maintenance Lifecycle Advisor Covers patching tools and concepts such as: – Fusion Middleware 11g Patch Sets and Patch Set Installers – Fusion Middleware 11g Interim, Merge, Bundle and Backport Patches OPatch Smart Update – Critical Patch Updates (CPU) – PatchSet Updates (PSU) (Doc ID 305.1)305.1

39. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Topics for My Oracle Support Tools Get Proactive! Remote Diagnostic Agent (RDA) Oracle Configuration Manager (OCM) Certification Tool Lifecycle Advisors Recommended Patches

40. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Patch Recommendations List patches and updates for Oracle software Recommended Patches include: – Security Patch Updates (SPU) – PatchSet Updates (PSU) – Patch Bundles – Performance related patches My Oracle Support Recommended Patches for Oracle WebLogic Server & Oracle Fusion Middleware Products (Doc ID 859115.1)859115.1 (Doc ID 859115.1)859115.1

41. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Click the Patches & Updates Tab Then the Search Tab Patches and Updates Tab My Oracle Support

42. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Click the Patches & Updates Tab Click the Recommended Patch Advisor in the Patch Search Region Select your Product and Version then search Search Tab Has a Recommended Patch Advisor My Oracle Support Recommendations across all Systems (OCM only) 1. Click here for Manual Search 1. Click Patch Advisor 3. Search 2. Select Product & Version

43. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Program Agenda Introduction - Oracle Services Overview Understanding Fusion Middleware Maintenance My Oracle Support Tools to Help You Resources to Help You Go Forward 1 2 3 4 43

44. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | One Stop Shop: Information Center! 44

45. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Key My Oracle Support Documents Doc ID 1567707.1 - Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c Release Announcements1567707.1 Doc ID 1510284.1 - Oracle Identity Access Management 11g R2 (11.1.2) Announcements1510284.1 Doc ID 1373061.1 - Steps to Maintain Oracle Forms & Reports 11g Release 2 (11.1.2)1373061.1 Doc ID 1073776.1 - Steps to Maintain Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 (11.1.1)1073776.1 Doc ID 1591483.1 - What is Installed in My Middleware or Oracle home?1591483.1 Doc ID 1587524.1 - Using OPatch 13 for Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c (12.1.2+)1587524.1 Doc ID 1591487.1 - Using OPatch 11.1 for Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g (11.1.1/11.1.2)1591487.1

46. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Recap Recommendations Know about Oracle Services and Premier Support value Understand Basic Fusion Middleware maintenance concepts Take advantage of My Oracle Support Tools Use Support resources to help you 1 2 3 4 46

48. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Q/A - Need Help After This - See Below 48 Question/basic issue? Share your enquiry with My Oracle Support Community (MOSC)My Oracle Support Community (MOSC) Patch availability, behavior clarification, simple errors More involved questions / problems log a Service Request via My Oracle SupportMy Oracle Support Detailed consultative enquiries. Multiple / complex failures, errors, unexpected behaviour Cross suite questions or issues (e.g. Patch set planning / application, CPU questions) Community post: Choose “Oracle Application Server” Logging SR: Choose product “Oracle Fusion Middleware” Product specific questions / issues (e.g. bundle or interim patches) Community post or logging SR: Choose the appropriate product

49. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Oracle Support Stars Bar & Mini Briefing Center ASK THE EXPERTS Moscone West Exhibition Hall

50. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. |50 Extra: Every Wonder what all the different digits in a version mean? Both Patch Sets and Patch Set Updates have a direct impact. See the next two slides…

51. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Understanding Version Numbers (11g and 12c) 51 Major Version General identifier representing major new edition with significant new functionality. Minor Version First three decimal places together describe the minor version number of a major release. 11gR1 (11.1.1) and 11gR2 (11.1.2) are “minor” versions of 11g. “Minor” versions can contain significant new functionality as well as bug fixes Patch Set release number Patch sets primarily deliver bug fixes May include new features – notably WebCenter 11.1.1.8 Patch Set Update Number Patch Set Updates released via the “proactive patching program” are named by incrementing the fifth decimal place

52. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. | WebLogic Server Has New Version Format 52 Major + Minor Version Patch Set Update (PSUs) 0 = No Patch Sets released 2 = Two proactive bundles released Major Version The versioning system for 10.3 derives from earlier release structure. Patch Update Number Similar purpose to a Patch Set Often referred to as an Upgrade

53. Copyright © 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. |