How to Patch Oracle 19c to Release 19.29 – A Complete Step-by-Step Blog

 

How to Patch Oracle 19c to Release 19.29 – A Complete Step-by-Step Blog

 

Introduction

I recently had to patch one of my Oracle 19c databases from 19.28 to 19.29. As always, the goal was simple — stay secure, stable, and aligned with Oracle’s quarterly patch cycle. Since this is something we DBAs do every few months, I decided to write down the exact steps I followed. The procedures are the same for all 19c versions.

This is more than just a technical dump. I will walk through all the practical, step-by-step guide, including downloads, checks, patching, verification required for the patching.

Note: On production systems, please do not follow this mindlessly. Always apply on test/dev first!

 

How to Apply Oracle 19.29 Patch – Full Walkthrough

Let’s dive into the actual process.

---

1. Download the Patch and OPatch Utility

• Log in to Oracle Support using your org credentials.
• Select Patches & Product certification matrix from search box
• Provide patch no : 38291812 , 6880880
• Select your platform: For e.g. Linux x86-64
• Download & review the README file 
• Download:
• Patch file: p38291812_190000_Linux-x86-64.zip
• OPatch utility: p6880880_190000_Linux-x86-64.zip

 

  

2. Check and  update OPatch Utility

In the server:

[oracle@ocisoumya ~]$cd $ORACLE_HOME/OPatch [oracle@ocisoumya ~]$./opatch version

 You need version 12.2.0.1.48 or higher.

If it doesn’t show above version, update opatch

[oracle@ocisoumya ~]$mv OPatch OPatch_backup1 [oracle@ocisoumya ~]$cp p6880880_190000_Linux-x86-64.zip $ORACLE_HOME [oracle@ocisoumya ~]$cd $ORACLE_HOME [oracle@ocisoumya ~]$ unzip p6880880_190000_Linux-x86-64.zip

 

Update your .bash_profile to run opatch globally:

[oracle@ocisoumya ~]vi /home/oracle/.bash_profile PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/OPatch:$PATH :wq [oracle@ocisoumya ~]  . ~/.bash_profile

 

3. Prepare the Patch Directory

[oracle@ocisoumya ~]mkdir /home/oracle/patch [oracle@ocisoumya ~] chmod -R 777 /home/oracle/patch

 

Transfer both ZIP files (Patch + OPatch) to this directory using WinSCP or similar.

4. Unzip the Patch

[oracle@ocisoumya ~]cd /home/oracle/patch [oracle@ocisoumya ~]unzip p38291812_190000_Linux-x86-64.zip [oracle@ocisoumya ~]cd 38291812

 

5. Run Pre-checks

Before applying the patch, check for conflicts:

[oracle@ocisoumya ~] ./opatch prereq CheckConflictAgainstOHWithDetail -ph ./

 

If you see “Success”, you’re good to go.

6. Stop Database and Listener

[oracle@ocisoumya ~]sqlplus / as sysdba SQL> shutdown immediate SQL> exit [oracle@ocisoumya ~] lsnrctl stop

 

Verify that all services are down.

---

7. Clean Up Inactive Patches (Optional)

[oracle@ocisoumya ~]cd $ORACLE_HOME/OPatch [oracle@ocisoumya ~]./opatch util listOrderedInactivePatches [oracle@ocisoumya ~]./opatch util deleteInactivePatches

 

8. Make Sure You Have Enough Space

You’ll need at least 12 GB free in /home.

[oracle@ocisoumya ~] df -h

---

9. Apply the Patch

[oracle@ocisoumya ~]cd /home/oracle/patch/38291812 [oracle@ocisoumya ~] ./opatch apply

 

Watch for success messages during the patch process.

---

10. Run DataPatch

This registers the patch inside the database:

[oracle@ocisoumya ~]cd $ORACLE_HOME/OPatch [oracle@ocisoumya ~] ./datapatch -verbose

 

Start Database and Verify Patch

[oracle@ocisoumya ~]sqlplus / as sysdba SQL>startup SQL> select * from v$version; SQL> select * from dba_registry_sqlpatch;

 

You should see 19.29.0.0.0 listed in the output!

 

Final Tips

•  Always patch standby first in Data Guard setups.
•  Never patch production first — test on a non-prod clone.
•  Always read the README.
•  Share this guide if it helped!