Complete preupgrade tasks and checks to assist you with completing a successful upgrade.

This chapter provides information and procedures for the pre-upgrade tasks, including planning your upgrades, data-gathering, testing, installing the new Oracle software for the upgrade, using the Parallel Upgrade Utility to carry out your upgrade, and performing other checks and tasks.

• About Configuring an Oracle Home in Read-Only Mode
  Starting with Oracle Database 18c, you can simplify patching and mass rollouts of software across multiple database servers by deploying a read-only Oracle home as a software image.
• About Image-Based Oracle Database Installation
  Starting with Oracle Database 18c, installation and configuration of Oracle Database software is simplified with image-based installation.
• Tasks to Prepare for Oracle Database Upgrades
  Carry out these tasks to prepare your upgrade.
• Pre-Upgrade Information Tool Checklist
  To obtain a checklist of tasks you must complete before upgrading an Oracle Database on a physical server or virtual machine, run the Pre-Upgrade Information Tool (preupgrade.jar).
• Installing the New Oracle Database Software for Single Instance
  Use this procedure overview to assist you to install the software for the new Oracle Database release for a single instance deployment.
• Installing the New Oracle Database Software for Oracle RAC
  Use this procedure overview to assist you to install the software for the new Oracle Database release for an Oracle RAC .deployment.
• Database Preparation Tasks to Complete Before Starting Oracle Database Upgrades
  Ensure that you have completed these database preparation tasks before starting an Oracle Database upgrade.
• Preparing for Database Rolling Upgrades Using Oracle Data Guard
  If you use Database Upgrade Assistant (DBUA) with Oracle Data Guard to carry out a rolling upgrade, then you must move the Data Guard broker configuration files before starting your upgrade.
• Preparing the New Oracle Home for Upgrading
  After backing up the database that you want to upgrade, prepare the new Oracle home in a new location. Install the software for the new Oracle Database release into the new location.
• Prerequisites for Preparing Oracle Home on Windows
  Your system must meet these requirements before you can upgrade Oracle Database on Microsoft Windows platforms.
• Using the Pre-Upgrade Information Tool for Oracle Database
  Review these topics to understand and to use the Pre-Upgrade information tool (preupgrade.jar).
• Testing the Upgrade Process for Oracle Database
  Your test plan for Oracle Database upgrades should include these test procedures.
• Requirements for Upgrading Databases That Use Oracle Label Security and Oracle Database Vault
  You must complete these tasks before starting an upgrade with a database using Oracle Label Security or Oracle Database Vault.