Tips on Successfully Upgrading to Applications 11i

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Tips on Successfully Upgrading to Applications 11i

• Christina Zanoni
• ALAS, Inc.

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Due to the never-ending workload, the light at
the end of the tunnel has been turned off until
further notice.
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Introduction

• Upgrade of Oracle Applications version 10.7NCA to
  11.5.3 on Windows NT in Chicago
• Upgrade of Oracle Applications version 10.7NCA to
  11.5.5 on Windows NT in Bermuda
• Systems Upgraded had very little customization

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Agenda

• Understanding the Upgrade Process
• Preparing for the Upgrade
• Server Configuration for Apps 11i
• Performing the Upgrade
• Tips on Solving Upgrade Issues
• The Importance of Documentation

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What is Oracle Applications?

• Set of financial management and accounting
  applications
• Provides over 150 modules
• Uses stored procedures and functions
• Concurrent managers - execution queues that
  process reports and complex tasks

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Oracle Applications Modules

• Data and code stored in individual schemas
• Dependent on other more general schemas
• Users access data in modules through granted
  Responsibilities (e.g. System Administrator,
  Receivables Manager)

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Oracle Applications Modules - Dependencies
Note This diagram does not include all
dependencies!
APPS
AP
AR
GL
CE
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Applications 11i Upgrade Process

• Objects are modified to provide 11i Functionality
• Upgrade process divided in Categories
• Each category divided into database upgrade,
  applications technology, and product specific
  tasks
• Each task consists of steps that run scripts or
  require user interaction

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Category Upgrade Steps

• Pre-upgrade Steps (Categories 1-3)
• Upgrade database
• Install 11i Software
• Apply Family Consolidated Patches in pre-install
  mode
• Prepare database for 11i upgrade
• AutoUpgrade upgrades data to 11.5.0
• Acts as a manager that coordinates WORKERS
• Assigns workers jobs to convert, compile,
  translate, or upgrade objects
• Workers need to be monitored with the AD
  Controller utility (ADCTRL) and fixed if necessary

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Category Upgrade Steps (continued)

• Post-upgrade Steps (Categories 4-6)
• Apply database driver to upgrade functionality of
  data to 11.5.X
• Run Rapid Install to configure and start server
  processes
• Complete remaining Post Upgrade Product Steps
• Finishing Your Upgrade Steps
• Remove obsolete database objects
• Delete 10.7NCA file structure
• Configure Online Help

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Required Reading

• Oracle Applications Concepts Manual
• Basic software database configuration for 11i
• Oracle Applications Upgrade Manual
• Category Steps to upgrade install of Oracle Apps
• Maintaining Oracle Applications Manual
• Defines AD Utilities utilized throughout the
  upgrade
• adaimgr
• adpatch
• adctrl

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Required Reading (continued)

• Oracle Applications Release 11i Notes
• Lists version of current Rapid Install patch and
  Consolidated Family Upgrade Patches
• Contains modifications to Upgrade/Installation
  steps
• Download most recent version of document from
  Metalink
• Oracle Applications Installation Manual
• Rapid Install process discussed
• Oracle Applications Installation Update Notes
• Platform specific updates to installing 11i
• Applications Issues Document on Metalink
• First resource when an error occurs

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Applications 11i Server Configuration 3 Tier
Database Tier
Database Server (Oracle8i Enterprise Edition)
Applications Technology Stack (8.0.6 Oracle
Home) (Includes the Admin, Concurrent Processing,
Forms, Reports, and Apache Web Servers)
Middle Tier
Desktop Tier
JInitiator within a Standard Web Browser
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ALAS Server Configuration Single Node Install
Database Server Applications Technology Stack
JInitiator within a Standard Web Browser (IE 5.5
256 MB RAM for desktops)

• Advantages
• Simple Maintenance
• Disadvantages
• Complex Application Tuning
• Fail Over Server does not exist

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Applications Release Maintenance

• Involves applying applications patches to
  installation
• ADPATCH used to apply drivers
• copy driver
• database driver
• generate driver
• Different types of patches
• Individual, One-off, stand-alone patch
• Mini Pack
• Family Pack
• Family Consolidated Upgrade Patch
• Maintenance Pack

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Apps Release Maintenance (continued)

• Required tools for Release Maintenance on Windows
  NT/2000
• Microsoft Visual C (Version 6 Service Pack 3 or
  higher)
• MKS Toolkit emulates the Unix environment
• gnu make 3.79.1
• Applications Patching Steps
• Back up Oracle Applications and database servers
• Shut down all forms services, web listener
  services, and concurrent manager services
• Verify that the database and database listeners
  are running
• Execute command file under APPL_TOP to set
  Applications Environment
• run ADPATCH

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Servers Used during 11.5.3 Upgrade
Applications 10.7NCA/Oracle 7.3.4 database server
(dual 350Mhz CPU, 1 GB RAM, 30 GB of hard disk
space)
Applications 10.7NCA/Oracle8i database server
(dual 500Mhz CPU server, 500 MB RAM, 30 GB of
hard disk space)
Applications 11i server (dual 500Mhz CPU server,
1 GB RAM, 54 GB of hard disk space added an
additional 18 GB after upgrade)
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Performing the Apps 11.5.3 Upgrade
Apps 10.7NCA/8.1.6

• Restore exact copy of Apps 10.7NCA/7.3.4 server
• Install Oracle 8.1.6

Apps 10.7NCA/7.3.4
Apps 11i

• Create full export of Oracle 7.3.4 database
• Copy export to 8.1.6 server

• Install Release Maintenance Tools
• Run Rapid Install
• Apply most current AD and family consolidated
  patches in pre-install mode

• Import Oracle 7.3.4 database export into Oracle
  8.1.6 database
• Run adprepdb apply Interop Patches
• Copy needed files from Apps 11i Server
• Categories 1-3 steps
• Copy dbf files to Apps 11i server

• Autoupgrade
• 11.5.0 to 11.5.3 database driver
• Categories 4-6 steps
• Final upgrade steps
• Production!

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Upgrade Timing by Category(Apps 10.7NCA to Apps
11.5.3)

• Oracle 8.1.6 database upgrade 8 hrs
• Categories 1 and 2 steps 4 hrs
• Category 3 steps 8 hrs
• AutoUpgrade 13 hrs
• Database driver for 11.5.3 upgrade 15 hrs
• Post Category and Finishing Your Upgrade Steps
  3 hrs
• Fix Acceptance testing issues 5 hrs
• Run Gather Schema Statistics for All Schemas 4
  hrs
• Address new issues during production upgrade 36
  hrs
• Total Time 96 hours

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Summary of 11.5.3 Upgrade

• Started at 600pm on Friday and completed at Noon
  on Wednesday
• Data file sizes
• 7 GB prior to upgrade
• 14 GB after upgrade
• 8 weeks of acceptance testing prior to Upgrade
  found most issues
• 6 weeks of parallel testing after Upgrade found
  very few issues

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Servers Used during 11.5.5 Upgrade
Applications 10.7NCA database server (dual
900Mhz CPU, 1 GB RAM, 40 GB of hard disk space)
Applications 11i server (Four 700Mhz CPU server,
1 GB RAM, 70GB of hard disk space)
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Performing the Apps 11.5.5 Upgrade
Apps 11i
Apps 10.7NCA

• Install Release Maintenance Tools
• Run Rapid Install
• Apply most current AD and family consolidated
  patches in pre-install mode
• Install Oracle 8.1.7.4 db patch

• Restore exact copy of production 10.7NCA database
  server
• Create full export of Oracle 7.3.4 database
• Install Oracle 8.1.7 8.1.7.4 patch
• Import Oracle 7.3.4 database export into Oracle
  8.1.7.4 database
• Run adprepdb apply Interop Patches
• Copy needed files from Apps 11i server
• Categories 1-3 steps
• Copy dbf files to Apps 11i server

• Autoupgrade
• Apply AD.F Patch
• 11.5.0 to 11.5.5 database driver
• Categories 4-6 steps
• Final upgrade steps
• Production!

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Upgrade Timing by Category(Apps 10.7NCA to Apps
11.5.5)

• Apps 11i Server Install application of Family
  Consolidated patches 5 hrs
• Oracle 8.1.7 database upgrade 8 hrs
• Categories 1 and 2 steps 3 hrs
• Category 3 steps 7 hrs
• AutoUpgrade 6 hrs
• AD.F Patch prerequisite Patches 2 hrs
• Database driver for 11.5.5 upgrade 12 hrs
• Post Category and Finishing Your Upgrade Steps
  6 hrs
• Total Time 49 hours
• Does not include time for installation of OS
  software on 11i Server restore of 10.7NCA
  database server

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Summary of 11.5.5 Upgrade

• Started at 900am on Thursday and completed at
  600pm on Sunday
• Oracle utilized 4 CPUs efficiently using 8
  workers
• AutoUpgrade took 6 hours on 4 CPU server (8
  workers) vs. 13 hours on dual CPU server (4
  workers)
• d107_to_1155.drv took 12 hours on 4 CPU server
  vs. 15 hours for d107_to_1153.drv on Dual CPU
  server
• No workers failed during AutoUpgrade
• Applied fixes learned during 11.5.3 Upgrade

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Comparing Upgrade Paths

• Apps 10.7NCA ? 11.5.3 ? 11.5.5 Upgrade
• Apps 10.7NCA? 11.5.3 upgrade took four days in
  August 2001
• 8.1.7 Database upgrade 11.5.5 Maintenance pack
  took two weekends in March 2002
• Oracle 8.1.7 database upgrade Apps 11.5.5
  Maintenance Pack Application ran smoothly
• Apps 10.7NCA ? 11.5.5 Upgrade
• less time to complete
• documentation improvements
• Apps 10.7NCA? 11.5.3? 11.5.5 upgrade experience

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Solving Upgrade Issues

• Search Metalink notes and bugs for solutions
• Example of solving an upgrade issue
• Received an oracle error ORA-25150 that caused
  all the workers to fail during AutoUpgrade
• Logged on to Metalink and searched on ORA-25150
  

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Solving Upgrade Issues(continued)

• Creating an iTar
• Information to submit
• Category Step
• Log files, including adpatch.log adwork0x.log
• Script name and header information that caused
  error
• List of patches applied
• Updating an iTar
• 3 updates immediate call back status

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The Importance of Documentation

• Document each pre-category, category, and
  post-category step of the upgrade in detail
• Document the amount of time that each step took
  to complete
• Document every issue and solution
• Follow the exact steps in your documentation
  during the production upgrade

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Summary

• Prepare before starting the upgrade
• Have a solid understanding of the components and
  configuration for Apps 11i server
• Document each upgrade step and timing in detail
• Allow enough time to address any issues that
  arise during the upgrade
• Practice, Practice, Practice

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• Questions?
• Email cmzanoni_at_alas.com