Oracle Database 19c

Oracle Database 19c is supported on OL/RHEL 10

Many of you did wait for this – and since (I think) two weeks it is official. Oracle Database 19c is supported on OL/RHEL 10. Furthermore, I am going to show you how to find the certifications for Oracle AI Database 26ai since your search attempts may lead to different results depending on the filters you use.

 

How can you look up certification information?

You need to go to support.oracle.com, and then choose Resources and Product Certification Matrix as the picture below demonstrates.

Oracle Database 19c is supported on OL/RHEL 10

Resources page on support.oracle.com

You must hit the Visit button. Clicking on the larger …

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GI 19.31 and 19.32: trace file flooding in mgmtca.trc can happen

Thanks to Peter Lehmann who always alerts me about findings and encounters he had in his test and production RAC cluster environments. Peter dropped me an email the other day, and I share his suspicion that this may effect many in the coming weeks operating RAC environments. If you don’t have a RAC, you may not see this happening with GI 19.31 and 19.32: trace file flooding in mgmtca.trc can happen.

GI 19.31 and 19.32: trace file flooding in mgmtca.trc can happen

Photo by Giovanna Gomes on Unsplash

What happens?

It took me a bit of searching, and Peter collected a lot of information already.

Two months after patching GI …

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How to rollback an MRP

You know, I am not a fan of in-place patching. Actually, I think everyone should always patch out-of-place. But I know that for instance EBS with a 19c database requires in-place patching, and out-of-place will be supported only with 26ai for EBS. Therefore, in relation to an exercise I did over the weekend, let me share how to rollback an MRP.

How to rollback an MRP

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What is an MRP?

Very briefly, it stands for Monthly Recommended Patch – thus MRP. And it co-exists with CSPUs. I described the difference here. Read more if you are interested.

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New AutoUpgrade version 26.5 is available (plus 26.4)

I totally forgot to announce the 26.4 version of AutoUpgrade. And now, the new AutoUpgrade version 26.5 is available (plus 26.4) already. The AutoUpgrade Development team did an amazing job in shortening the release cycle. This way, we can deliver quick fixes faster to you. When you study the list of enhancements and fixes carefully, some of you will say: Great, this is what I was waiting for.

New AutoUpgrade version 26.5 is available (plus 26.4)

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Download AutoUpgrade

As I described already in AutoUpgrade Patching – From Zero to Hero – Part 1: Download AutoUpgrade, you have several ways to fetch …

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Long-Term Release Updates are paused

Since several customers asked me about it, I realized that I have never blogged about LTRUs – and as of now, Long-Term Release Updates are paused. Let me explain what the concept meant, where you can find information about it and what it would mean in your environment.

Long-Term Release Updates are paused

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Long-Term Release Update

The idea is smart for those customers who can’t move forward on Release Updates (RU) as quickly as we recommend it. Which means: apply them quarterly. Long-Term Release Updates (LTRU) seemed to be a good approach. You take an LTRU, and then we …

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CDB upgrades – explaining catctl_options

When you upgrade your entire CDB with AutoUpgrade, there is a parameter which allows you some tuning or tweaking. And I often see some misunderstanding here. Therefore, for CDB upgrades – explaining catctl_options is my focus today.

CDB upgrades - explaining catctl_options

Photo by Arthur Mazi on Unsplash

 

catctl_options – what it is meant for

This AutoUpgrade config file parameter allows you to set specific settings, mostly for tuning, but also to override some defaults. In the documentation you will find the whole list of options. You can set it in your AutoUpgrade config file, e.g.:

upg1.catctl_options=-T

 

catctl_options in CDB upgrades

Here, …

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AutoUpgrade Patching – From Zero to Hero – Part 4: Download Examples

Let me take off into the 4th part of this blog post series: AutoUpgrade Patching – From Zero to Hero – Part 4: Download Examples. I’d like to show you some of the most common examples and use cases we came across. And of course, I will add some additional (and hopefully useful) information on top.

AutoUpgrade Patching – From Zero to Hero – Part 4: Download Examples

The patch parameter

At first, in my previous blog post I used patch1.patch=RECOMMENDED (by the way, upper/lowercase does not matter). But I didn’t explain the whole extent and possibilities of the patch parameter to you.

Here’s a list of the most important parameter …

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AutoUpgrade Patching – From Zero to Hero – Part 3: Download Patches

You completed Part 1 and Part 2 of this blog post series already? Then you are ready for AutoUpgrade Patching – From Zero to Hero – Part 3: Download Patches. Let us start simple, and then increase the scope to fetch the patches for various operating system platforms in your local patching folder.

AutoUpgrade Patching - From Zero to Hero - Part 3: Download Patches

 

Which download?

Strange headline – but you’ll see what I mean. At first, we need to clarify the various download options for patches.

  1. Download patches directly from MOS/ARU by yourself
    This usually means that you go to the various MOS notes, such as KB106822 /
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How to deal with statistics when you migrate?

Have you done migration projects in the past, or do you have some upcoming projects, and you wonder how you should treat all sorts of statistics in your database? What is the better option? Keep and migrate the existing ones? Regather them right away? A partial-move approach? How to deal with statistics when you migrate? Then this is for you. Sign up to our next Virtual Classroom Seminar on Thursday, June 18 at 14:00h CEST: Statistics and Migrations – Well-Kept Secrets Revealed

How to deal with statistics when you migrate?

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

What’s the topic?

Statistics and Migrations – Well-kept Secrets Revealed…

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CPU, CSPU, MRP, RU – some clarifications

I just returned from a 2 week vacation in Asia this weekend. And I was following from a distance. On May 28, the first CSPUs got released, some MOS notes got published. There are a lot of patching options now. CPU, CSPU, MRP, RU – some clarifications may be needed.

CPU, CSPU, MRP, RU - some clarifications

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The Prelude

On May 4, 2026, I published this blog post Patch your database against AI cybersecurity threads following these two announcements:

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DBMS_OPTIM_BUNDLE – what it shows, and what oradiff lists

I blogged multiple times about DBMS_OPTIM_BUNDLE, the package to work with the Fix Control Persistence (FCP) framework in the database. And we also gave recommendations over the years that you need to test carefully when you are going to enable the fixes while patching. But it is a good practice do enable them when you do upgrade testing, and also when you start creating new databases in a new environment. Just make sure you keep the settings equal across your environments. The other day I received a question from Dennis asking about DBMS_OPTIM_BUNDLE – what it shows, and what oradiff …

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Grid Infrastructure: Bye Tomcat – welcome Micronaut

Anil Nair wrote it in his MAA Blog Post on April 28: “Oracle is simplifying the software stack by replacing Apache Tomcat application server with Micronaut framework.”. And since some of you asked already, let me give you a bit more information about this change in 19.30 and 19.31 with Grid Infrastructure: Bye Tomcat – welcome Micronaut.

Grid Infrastructure: Bye Tomcat - welcome Micronaut

Photo by Hayrullah Gozcu on Unsplash – and I know, the jet in the picture isn’t an F-14 Tomcat 🙂 

It happens automatically

At first, no action is needed from your side. This behavior change happens automatically.

It is the …

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RU 19.31 has been put on hold and will be available soon again

Since several people mailed me yesterday and this morning about Release Update 19.31 been not available for download from My Oracle Support, here is a the explanation about why RU 19.31 has been put on hold and will be available soon again.

What has happened?

We released a MOS Note with detailed information: (KB888427) Oracle Database 19.31 Patch Hold Due to ORA-00600 Errors on Exadata 25.2:

Oracle Database 19.31 patches are currently on hold due to an issue affecting environments running Exadata Software Release 25.2.* and Oracle Database 19.31.

An updated version

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Patch your databases against AI-enabled cybersecurity threats

I guess you all read the announcements and predictions over the past weeks. New AI models and improvements to existing models may allow to find security issues in existing software much quicker. While this sounds alarming on one side (yes, it does), it also enables software vendors to secure their software. But in order to benefit from it, you must patch your databases against AI-enabled cybersecurity threats.

Patch your databases against AI-enabled cybersecurity threats

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

Read the official announcements

At first, please read the official announcements released here:

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Don’t use AI to build your AutoUpgrade config file, please!

Let me do a quick Friday rant. Many of you can easily ignore this. But regardless of whether you are a colleague, a friend, a customer, a partner or just exploring AutoUpgrade because it is the coolest small tiny little tool Oracle has to offer, don’t use AI to build your AutoUpgrade config file, please!

AI models are great … somehow …

No worries, I use AI tools as well, especially when I need to create some complex PL/SQL scripts. There is nothing wrong with it – unless you stay in control. I …

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What has happened to the 19.29 and 19.30 RUs?

Many of you mailed us asking why AutoUpgrade does not download 19.29 or 19.30 RUs anymore. Others just noticed that the RUs got pulled without further communication visible. And a few people informed me about an issue with the 19.30 RU when you don’t have OJVM configured but install the OJVM bundle. So, what has happened to the 19.29 and 19.30 RUs??

What has happened to the 19.29 and 19.30 RUs?

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Release Update 19.29 and 19.30

A fix for Bug 34352668 – LNX64-23.1-RAC: SVCB HIT ORA-600 [KCBGTCR_17] has been included into RUs 19.29 and 19.30 but unfortunately it could potentially cause a regression…

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ORA-43907: Potential behavior change with Oracle RU 19.28.0

As I said multiple times, we have the best and most knowledgeable customers out there. Julian Frey is one of them, and there is a good and legit reason why he is an ACE Director since (I think) two years. Julian alerted me the other day about an ORA-43907: Potential behavior change with Oracle RU 19.28.0. And I guess, some of you would like to learn about this, too.

What you may see?

Oracle Database 19c Release Update 19.28 contains a fix for Bug 36386077 – ORA-43907 NEEDS TO BE RAISED FOR CONVERSION …

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DB_LOST_WRITE_PROTECT default change in RU 19.26.0

ORAdiff is an amazing tool I use at least once a day. And if you did the same before applying 19.26.0 or moving from 19.25.0 to 19.27.0, you may have spotted this change as well. There is a DB_LOST_WRITE_PROTECT default change in RU 19.26.0.

DB_LOST_WRITE_PROTECT default change in RU 19.26.0

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

What is DB_LOST_WRITE_PROTECT?

This is quite a useful parameter, especially for Data Guard environments. The parameter enables or disabled the data block write-protection. It is meant to prevent such situations: A data block lost write occurs when an I/O subsystem acknowledges the completion of the block write, while in …

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How do find new features in Oracle Release Updates (RUs)?

I know, not everybody is a huge fan of new features in RUs. But how do find new features in Oracle Release Updates (RUs)? Are the listed anywhere? They are, no worries. At least since Oracle Database 19c.

New Features in RUs?

I can already sense that some of you will be tempted to comment and tell me that you don’t like any new features in Oracle Database Release Updates, in short: RUs. But on the other hand there is also something good with it. Rather than waiting for the next full database release …

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Should you attempt double-hop Oracle Database upgrades?

A long while ago I wrote a blog post about multiple-hop upgrades. And just recently I received many questions about whether one could skip Oracle Database 19c, and rather move into Oracle Database 23ai directly. So, the ask is: Should you attempt double-hop Oracle Database upgrades? 

Should you attempt double-hop Oracle Database upgrades?

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What is a double-hop or multiple-hop upgrade?

Let me clarify the self-invented term here at first. In every Oracle database release we define the minimum database version you can directly upgrade from. With “upgrade” we refer to using the scripts or tools such as AutoUpgrade. Please …

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Virtual Classroom Seminar 21: One-Button Patching

It’s time for our next Virtual Classroom Seminar 21: One-Button Patching – and how it will make the life easier for every DBA with AutoUpgrade. So, this seminar is clearly for you. And we plan to constrain it this time to only 60 minutes with a heavy focus on demos.

Date, Time and Registration

Episode 21 of our Virtual Classroom Series will happen on:

  • October 24, 2024 – 14:00h CET (5:30pm IST – 1:00pm BST – 8am EDT)
    Registration Link

 

Why do YOU have to attend?

Oracle AutoUpgrade has been patching databases for …

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Different handling of UNLIMITED QUOTA when you revoke the DBA role between 11.2.0.4 and future releases

“Oh heck” you may think. “Why is he blogging about 11.2.0.4?”. But as a matter of fact, I work right now with a customer in Germany where we try to lift a fairly large database into Autonomous Database Serverless (ADB-S). And as I love to learn new things every day but (as most of us) have just limited brain capacity, I prefer to put things on the blog. Only challenge as Klaus from our team demonstrated to me yesterday: I need to remember that I wrote something about it. Anyhow, since we still have a number of customers on Oracle …

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Reuse Object IDs in Oracle Database 19c and 23ai

I love to learn something new every day. And thanks to my Dutch friend, Robert Pastijn, I learned about a limitation of how many objects you can create in an Oracle database. Nothing to worry about, the limit is very high at a little bit over 4.2 billion. But in order to prevent hitting it, we introduced a mechanism to Reuse Object IDs in Oracle Database 19c and 23ai.

Reuse Object IDs in Oracle Database 19c and 23ai

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What is the mechanism?

First of all, this is ON and enabled in Oracle Database 23ai by default. But in case you need this …

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Oracle Database 19c is certified on OL9 and RHEL9

I know, many of you were asking several times already about the certification of the Oracle Database on Oracle Linux 9 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9. And originally I think an announcement was planned for Oracle Cloud World in Las Vegas. But certification mean that you really certify, and not just wave things through. We’ve done thorough testing, and some issues were found which needed to be fixed at first. Good news: Oracle Database 19c is certified on OL9 and RHEL9.

Certification Tab

You can check certifications quickly on MyOracle Support by yourself. …

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Oracle Database 19c on Arm platform is available

I knew it would come – but we couldn’t tell you. And there were some rumors for a longer time. Anyhow, last week at the end of June 2023 Oracle Database 19c on Arm platform is available for download and in the Oracle Cloud. In case you wonder why I write “Arm” – I learned last week that the writing has been changed a while ago from ARM to Arm.

Oracle Database 19c on Arm platform is available

Where can you download it?

It is available for download already.

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