By default the update utility assumes you want to run as root. It is however possible to run the update utility as a non-root user from a remote host. It is also possible to run multiple invocations at the same time. This allows you to update multiple logical groups of Exadata Database Servers concurrently. To do this, you run the update utility with the --log_dir flag.

Ensure that ssh equivalence is set up for the current user to the root user of the Exadata database servers to be updated.

The following example shows the option of running as a non-root user and running multiple-invocations.

[oracle@nonExadataHost ]$ ./patchmgr --dbnodes ~/dbs_group --upgrade --repo /u01/ /p23557378_121223_Linux-x86-64.zip
 --target_version 12.1.2.4.0.160710 --log_dir auto

--log_dir specifies the absolute path to the log directory or the keyword autofor the utility to generate and set a path to the log directory that is based on the launch directory and content of nodes list file. If you want to make sure you are using the same log directory in later invocations where the list of Exadata database servers changes, use the --get log_dirflag to obtain the --log_dir location used on previous sessions. For example, if the following command:

[oracle@nonExadata ]$ ./patchmgr --dbnodes ~/dbs_group_test  --log_dir auto --get log_dir

This command returns output similar to the following:

log_dir=/u01/test/dbserver_patch_5.160715/log/dbm01_dbm02_e8f1f75

Use the log_dir value in subsequent commands. For example:

[oracle@nonExadata ]$ ./patchmgr --dbnodes ~/dbs_group_test --precheck 
--log_dir /u01/test/dbserver_patch_5.160715/log/dbm01_dbm02_e8f1f75 
--repo /u01/test/dbserver_patch_5.160715/p23557378_121223_Linux-x86-64.zip 
--target_version 12.1.2.2.3.160720 --allow_active_network_mounts