PSU & CPU

What is a CPU (Critical Patch Update )?

A single CPU contains the repair of multiple security vulnerabilities and patches for the required non-security vulnerabilities. CPU usage is cumulative. You only need to install the latest CPU, including all previously released CPU usage. In fact, the security vulnerability modification before the CPU is also included in the CPU except for some exceptions. Oracle only provides CPU updates for products that are in the standard technical support and extended support period, and does not provide new CPU for products that are in the maintenance support range. (For versions earlier than 9.2, only CPU updates are provided for versions in the ECs and EMS periods .)

The CPU is generally provided for the current patch release and the previous version, but it is also limited to the exception of the current patch release. That is to say, the CPU is usually installed only after the latest SRs are installed. because it is a cumulative periodic release, for a certain version of a certain platform, if no new security vulnerabilities are found during the two CPU releases, then the newly released CPU is exactly the same as the previous version.

You can find the CPU release information in the following URL. You can receive the patch information by registering a user in Oracle for free. However, only technical support contract users can download patch files from Metalink.

Http://www.oracle.com/technology/deploy/security/alerts.htm

The CPU release date set by Oracle is around Tuesday 15, and.

Critical patch updates

Critical patch updates are the primary means of releasing security fixes for Oracle products to mers MERs with valid support contracts. They are released on the Tuesday closest to the 15th day
Of January, CMDL, July and October. starting 2011, the scheduled dates for the release of critical patch updates will be on the Tuesday closest
The 17th day of January, rjl, July and October. The next four dates are:

• 16 July 2013
  
• 15 October 2013
  
• 14 January 2014
  
• 15 then l 2014

Each CPU is accompanied by a Critical Patch Update note, which describes the installation process and precautions. Read this document carefully before installation. The document "Oracle Critical Patch Update mm yyyy known
Issues for Oracle Database ", which lists the new information not provided in the instructions.

What is a PSR (patch set release )?

8i, 9i, 10g, and 11G are major version numbers. Each version has two to three releases, such as 10.1, 10.2, and 11.1, 11.2 is the two releases of 10g and 11g respectively. Fix bugs found in each release software. Every certain period of time, all patches will be integrated into the software and released after integration testing.
Set release ). Take 10.2 as an example. 10.2.0.1.0 is the basic release version. So far, there have been three dsrs released, each of which changes the 4th bits of the 5-bit version number, and the latest 10.2 dsrs is 10.2.0.4.0. (11.1.0.6.0 is the basic release version of 11.1, and 11.1.0.7.0 is the first time in the case of a dashboard ).
A patch written after a specific dashboard is used as an interim patch before it is added to the next dashboard.
Patch) to the customer. An individual patch is a patch for a bug discovered by Oracle or reported by a customer. Conflicts may occur when multiple patches are installed together, that is, the same target module has been modified separately. In addition, even if no conflict is found during installation, and no strict integration test is conducted, it cannot be completely ruled out whether the interaction will occur unexpectedly during running.
In addition to patches for modifying functions and performance bugs, security patches for security vulnerabilities are also available. Oracle releases a security patch set on a regular basis (four phases a year), called a CPU (critical
Patch updates ).
Because of its core position in the information system, the database has high requirements on its performance and security. All important patches should be installed in a timely manner. In addition, for the same reason, the database system must be very stable, and system faults and performance degradation caused by patch installation are equally unacceptable. DBAs often face a very difficult choice: whether to install individual patches that fix important bugs. If you do not install the patches, you will lose the opportunity to prevent them from occurring. If any of these patches has regressing bugs or affect each other, in the future, when a fault occurs due to the installation of patches, you will have nothing to do! It usually takes another year to wait for the next one. Therefore, PSU (patch
Set Update ).

What is a Patch Set Update (PSU )?

Patch set updates (PSUs) are proactive cumulative Patches containing recommended bug fixes that are released on a regular and predictable schedule. PSUs are on the same quarterly schedule as the critical patch updates
(CPU ).

Oracle releases a patch once a quarter for its products, including bug fixes. Oracle selects patches that have been downloaded by a large number of users and have been verified to have a low risk and placed in the PSU of each quarter. Each PSU contains not only bug fixes but also the latest CPU (Critical Patch Update ).

I. Patch set updates (PSUs) offer the following features and benefits:
-Low-risk, high-value content
-One integrated, well tested patch
-Baseline version for easier tracking


Ii. Patch set updates (PSUs) also include Critical Patch Update (CPU) fixes.


Iii. See the following notes for further information:

Document 854428.1-Patch set updates for Oracle Products

Document 783141.1-reference list of Critical Patch Update availability (CPU) and Patch Set Update (PSU) documents for Oracle database and fusion middleware Product

What is the difference between a Patch Set Update (PSU) and a Critical Patch Update (CPU )?

A Patch Set Update (PSU) consists of high value low risk fixes + CPU fixes.
A critical patch updates (CPU) is a patch or patchset consisting of just security fixes.

PSU includes both high-value and low-risk bug patches and CPU patches.

The CPU only includes security patches.

Shocould we apply a Critical Patch Update (CPU) or a Patch Set Update (PSU) to an Oracle Clinical instance?

The short answer is to apply what development cer=on. Every quarterly Oracle Clinical patchset is certified with a Critical Patch Update eg the 4.6.4 patchset is
Certified with the October 2011 Critical Patch Update. Therefore when applying 4.6.4 you shoshould also apply the patches mentioned in the October 2011 Critical Patch Update note.

Having said this we have a adopted a psu approach at the database level in our critical patch updates for the OC 4.6.2 release. Therefore our Critical Patch Update notes are actually a hybrid for the 4.6.2 release
Where we apply CPU patches to the application tier and a psu patchset at the database level.

PSU solves the following problems:

1. Reduce the impact of delayed updates due to a long time-on-the-contrary state;

2. Solve multiple patch conflicts and mutual impacts;

3. reduce the burden on DBA to install patches: Number of patches installed, and occasionally check for patch releases.

PSU has the following features:

1. PSU is a supplement to this function. Multiple PSUs are released between the two release of this service to accelerate the update speed. Each PSU modifies the 5th bits of the 5-bit version number. For example, after the PSU is installed, version 11.1 is upgraded to 11.1.0.7.1, and Version 10.2 is 10.2.0.4.2.

2. Each PSU contains 25 to 100 important patches, which are used as a whole for rigorous testing to resolve conflicts and ensure system stability. PSU includes not only general patches for function and performance fixes, but also security patches.

Third, PSU is released on a regular basis and is scheduled to be distributed four times a year. The release date is the same as the CPU release date. Because PSU includes the CPU released during the same period, you only need to install PSU. (For some platforms, separate CPUs are still provided for customers to choose from)

Fourth, PSU is a cumulative type, just like a VPC and a CPU. That is, if the latest PSU is installed, all the content of the previous PSU is automatically included.

Fifth, use the opatch tool that DBA is already familiar with to install/delete PSU. The command is still apply and rollback. A psu can be regarded as a separate patch, which is easy to install and delete.

Sixth, the relationship between the existing patches and PSU is divided into three types: completely independent, part of PSU, and conflict with PSU. The patch and PSU of the first type have no influence on each other and can be installed or deleted independently. For the second type, it is not necessary to install PSU after installation. If you have installed PSU before, it is automatically deleted when you install PSU. For the third type of individual patch, such as installed before PSU, you must delete it when installing PSU. The customer can apply to the Technical Support Department of Oracle to provide the corresponding new version installed on PSU, which is not in conflict with PSU.

PSU restrictions:It must be a version (11.2, 11.1, and 10.2) that is within the scope of normal technical support, and PSU can only be installed on the latest dsrs.

Refer:

Dave's blog: http://blog.csdn.net/tianlesoftware/article/details/5809526

Mos: Information on patch set updates (PSU)/critical patch updates (CPU) for Oracle Clinical [ID 1399880.1]