Lesson 5	Use the Universal Installer to upgrade to the latest version of Oracle
Objective	Upgrade a database from Oracle8 to Oracle11g .

Oracle Universal Installer Upgrade

Questions:

What is the best way to upgrade to the latest version of Oracle?
For Oracle 13c, which tool or technology does Oracle use to upgrade the database?

When you install oracle, you will probably have an Oracle11g, 12c database that you wish to migrate along with the installation. This lesson shows you how to perform such an upgrade. There are many possible ways to do this, but for this demonstration we will choose most of the default selections. However, as we proceed, we will point out where you can make customized changes. This Slideshow illustrates the general flow of the installation process. More specifically, it will show you how to upgrade from Oracle8 to Oracle. The platform we are using is Windows NT; most platforms will look identical to this because the Universal Installer is Java based. It is possible to run this kind of installation in a silent mode, where all responses are predefined.

Using Universal Installer for Oracle in Silent Mode

Distributed databases have become almost commonplace in business systems. One of the problems with distributed databases is that you sometimes do not have a skilled Database Administrator (DBA) at every site. When it is time to upgrade your remote database, someone must tell the installation process what to do. Oracle Universal Installer lets you predefine the answers to questions that are usually defined during the installation process. Copy the example response file from the installation CD-ROM, customize it as needed, and then tell the Universal to use it. In Windows, the command for a silent installation is:

setup.exe -responseFilefilename -silent

On Solaris, the command is:

runInstaller -responseFile filename -silent

Replace filename with the name of the file that actually contains the predefined responses you need.
The following series of images provide legacy documentation for upgrading Oracle.

1) Before the upgrade, windows contains an Oracle database and software in a directory structure called Oracle Home

2) Early in the installation dialog, you create a new home called Oracle8Home, for Oracle8i software.

3) Later on, you can customize your installation by selecting and deselecting products in the installation window.

4) After the software has been installed, the Database Migration Assistant stars up so that you can migrate your database from Oracle 8 to Oracle 8i.

With installation and migration completed, your system contains an Oracle 8i database, the old Oracle 8 directories
and executable files, and the new Oracle 8i directories and executable files. — 5) With installation and migration completed, your system contains an Oracle 8i database, the old Oracle 8 directories and executable files, and the new Oracle 8i directories and executable files.

In the next lesson we will look at another tool that uses the Universal Installer for installations.
Click the link below to read more about Oracle upgrades.
Oracle Upgrade Steps