HP-UX/Oracle Upgrade

[Ashish Anand]

We are currently running HP-UX10.20 with the following softwares :
-Oracle 7.3.4.
-MC/Service Guard A.10.06
-Omniback A.2.55
-SNA Plus

We have to upgrade to HP-UX11.00, Oracle8.1, MC/Service Guard latest version, SNA latest version and Omniback3.5.
What is the best way to approach these upgrades?
Or Is it better if I do a fresh install of OS 11.00 with all the packages?

Please share your experieces with the upgrades.

Thanks,
Ash

[Uday_S_Ankolekar]

Hi,

I would go for fresh install. There has been always some or the other problems in direct upgrade. Better do a fresh install rathen than troubleshoot the update problems later on

Goodluck,
-USA..

[Rusty Sapper]

I've done this same kind of upgrade in the past. On a high level, this is what I did, and it worked well.
take a complete backup of the system, do a make_recovery if you don't have one.
follow the HP instructions on upgrading from 10.20 to 11.00
then, you should have been shipped the 11.00 Application CD with the latest Apps with MC service guard and the other HP apps you are using. you can install those.
then Patch the system and apps with the latest support plus cd.
Then you need to upgrade Oracle which is a whole other operation if you have current databases that need to be upgraded.


HTH

-Rusty

[Helen French]

Hi Ashish,

I 've recently did a lot of OS updates like this. I would suggest you to go for a cold install instead of an upgrade. Eventhough it takes some time, you won't face any issue is future. Some useful steps:

1) Create 2 good recovery tapes
2) Create 2 good full backup of the system.
3) Make both hard and soft copy of the system configuration files ( from /etc, /var, /opt, /stand )
4) Make copy of the profiles and scripts.
5) Make copy of system specific and network details.
6) Make copy of MC/SG details, LVM details etc.
7) Export the VGs with mapfiles.
8) Test the new root HDD before install.
9) Install fresh OS ( latest OS media), latest patches and applications.
10) Configure the system.

HTH,
Shiju

[Santosh Nair_1]

To further Shiju's suggestion, if your root disk is mirrored, then break the mirror and do the fresh install of the OS on the other half of the mirror. This way, if you run into any problems, you could always recover back to 10.20 by rebooting off the primary boot disk.

In general, I've tended to do fresh installs of the OS mainly because it tends to be much smoother, i.e. don't run into conflicting library/drivers/software situations.

Just my 2 cents.
-Santosh

[harry d brown jr]

PLEASE follow the advice, especially Shiju Wilson's list, or you will spend countless hours wondering what went wrong. To add to the list, GET the LATEST 11.00 - Mar 2002.

And with Oracle8, I think you need to use the 64bit option. What kind of Hardware do you have?

live free or die
harry

[Alexander M. Ermes]

Hi there.
Do a full export of your Oracle database.
Do an export ( ascii ) of your OmniBack database.
then go for the plans with backups and fresh installs.
If your new system is up, you can restore your OmniBack database as well as your Oracle database. Create a new Oracle database and import the data into it. Attention !
Prepare a compiling script, that you start from cron every minute ( if you go the import way ) to compile invalid objects. Otherwise your import might get stuck.
Just my 0.02 ???
Rgds
Alexander M. Ermes

[Alberto Ochoa]

Hi,
I agree in going for the fresh install in O.S. Although you don't mention your server model, if you want to go to HP 11. 64 bit, and you have an old server model (i.e. K-460), check your firmware release, you may need to upgrade it, otherwise you could be able to go to 32 bit only.
On regards with the oracle release, I have gone from 7.3.4 to 8.0.6 via upgrade after performed cold installation in HP-UX 11.0. with no problem although the process is not simple.
After performed backups (I would follow advises posted here to be as protected as possible), having all Oracle CD's needed and following HP-UX installation and Oracle upgrade procedures:
1.- Performed HP-UX 11.0 64 bit cold installation and postinstallation (i.e. patches, scripts, etc)
2.- Recreated Oracle structure (file systems).
3.- Restored Oracle data from backup. At this point Oracle 7.3.4 was for HP-UX 10.20. It was not operational, but company data needed was there.
4.- Ugraded to Oracle 7.3.4 for HP-UX 11 according to Oracle manuals, and started up DB to check it.
5.- Migrated to Oracle 8.0.6 32 bit .
6.- Migrated to Oracle 8.0.6 64 bit and applied required Oracle patches.
Fortunatelly I have not had to recover DB, but in the worst case I was able to restore my system as it was before. Hope this can provide you with some idea, although you are going to Oracle 8.1