Interim patches

Applies to:

Oracle Server - Enterprise Edition - Version: 10.2.0.1 to 11.1.0.6
Oracle Universal Installer - Version: 10.2.0.1 to 11.1.0.6
Information in this document applies to any platform.

Purpose

This note explains about the frequently asked questions related to Interim (One-off patches)

Questions and Answers

What is an interim patch ?

• Interim patches are bug fixes that are made available to customers in response to specific bugs.
• They require a particular base release or patchset to be installed before they can be applied.
• They generally address specific bugs for a particular customer.
• These patches are not versioned and are generally made available in a future patchset as well as the next product release

How to install/Rollback an interim patch ?

Interim patches can be installed/Rollbacked using the patching tool called opatch.Opatch can be found under the Oracle_Home/Opatch (by default)
Note 224346.1 Opatch - Where Can I Find the Latest Version of Opatch?

How can you list all the installed patches in your oracle home?

Interim patches can be listed using the patching tool called opatch.Opatch can be found under the Oracle_Home/Opatch (by default).  You can use the command

% opatch lsinventory -all

What is the Structure of an interim patch ?

• Interim patches generally come in a zipped format.
• You need to unzip them before you apply a patch.
  The following figure illustrates the structure of the interim patch.
  

What are the contents of an interim patch ?

The interim patches have the following contents :

• Patch Metadata: This contains information on the patch ID, the bugs fixed, the files affected, and the actions to be performed.
• Payload: This contains the files that will be modified by OPatch.
• Custom Scripts: Pre-processing and post-processing scripts that needs to be run before and after patching.

How to download a patch?

• To obtain a patches from MetaLink:
• Select the Patches and Updates tab after logging in to Oracle MetaLink.
• Click Simple Search.
• In the Search By field, select Patch Number from the list.
• Enter the patch number. The patch number may be different for different product releases and platforms
• Select the platform.
• Click Go.
• Read any applicable notes before downloading, then click the Download button.

Note: Please review the Readme file for instructions on how to install the patch.

What is the difference between an interim patch and a Patchset ?

Patchset are a small collection of files that are copied over an existing installation. They are associated to particular versions of Oracle Products. Patch set , when applied to the correct version of an installed product, results in an upgraded version of the product.

Interim patches are bug fixes that are made available to customers in response to specific bugs. They require a particular base release or patchset to be installed before they can be applied. They generally address specific bugs for a particular customer.These patches are not versioned and are generally made available in a future patchset

Is CPU (Critical Patch Update) an Interim patch ?

Yes, CPU is an Interim patch 

• A Critical Patch Update (CPU) is a collection of patches for multiple security vulnerabilities. 
• Oracle provides CPUs for all product offerings on a quarterly schedule. 
• CPU is cumulative patch.

For more details please refer to the Note 360470.1( Security Alerts and Critical Patch Updates-Frequently Asked Questions )