Dung (Donny) Nguyen

Senior Software Engineer

Upgrading an Oracle Database Running in a Docker Container

Upgrading an Oracle Database running in a Docker container involves the following steps:

1. Understand the Current Setup

Identify the current Oracle Database version and the version you want to upgrade to.
Ensure you have the appropriate Docker image for the target Oracle Database version.
Back up your database.

2. Pull the New Docker Image

Download the Docker image for the new Oracle Database version from Oracle’s container registry or Docker Hub.
```
docker pull container-registry.oracle.com/database/enterprise:21.3.0.0
```

3. Backup the Current Database

Use Oracle’s RMAN or Data Pump utilities to create a backup of the database.
Alternatively, copy the data files and configuration files from the container to a safe location.

4. Stop the Current Container

Stop the running container of the current Oracle Database.
```
docker stop <container_name>
```

5. Create a New Container

Run a new container using the upgraded Oracle Database image.

docker run -d --name oracle-upgrade \
  -p 1521:1521 -p 5500:5500 \
  -e ORACLE_SID=ORCL \
  -e ORACLE_PDB=PDB1 \
  -e ORACLE_PWD=<password> \
  container-registry.oracle.com/database/enterprise:21.3.0.0

6. Migrate or Upgrade the Database

Option 1: Data Pump Export/Import
- Export the data from the old database.
- Import the data into the new container’s database.
Option 2: Manual Data Files Migration
- Stop the new container.
- Copy the old container’s data files to the new container’s data directory.
- Use Oracle’s DBUA (Database Upgrade Assistant) or command-line upgrade utilities inside the new container.

7. Validate the Upgrade

Connect to the upgraded database:
```
sqlplus / as sysdba
```
Verify the database version:
```
SELECT * FROM v$version;
```
Run post-upgrade scripts provided by Oracle to ensure the upgrade is successful.

8. Update Configuration Files (if necessary)

Update tnsnames.ora, listener.ora, or any other configuration files if required.

9. Test Applications

Ensure applications connected to the database are functioning correctly after the upgrade.

10. Cleanup (Optional)

If everything is working fine, you can remove the old container and its associated image:
```
docker rm <old_container_name>
docker rmi <old_image_name>
```