Opatchauto72030 Execute In Nonrolling | Mode Exclusive
In the high-stakes world of Oracle Database administration, patching is a necessary yet often dreaded task. The complexity increases exponentially when dealing with Oracle Grid Infrastructure (GI) and Real Application Clusters (RAC). Oracle provides the opatchauto utility to streamline this process, but within its syntax lies a specific, powerful, and potentially disruptive command: opatchauto72030 execute in nonrolling mode exclusive.
For many DBAs, this string of keywords looks like a cryptic incantation. However, understanding each component—opatchauto, 72030, execute, nonrolling, mode, and exclusive—is critical for successful patching, especially when applying Database Release Updates (RUs) or Bundle Patches.
This article will dissect this command, explain exactly when and why you would use it, walk through the step-by-step execution, and highlight the risks and best practices associated with it.
The command opatchauto72030 execute in nonrolling mode exclusive is not for the faint of heart. It represents the most aggressive patching strategy available to an Oracle DBA: full cluster shutdown, exclusive access to binaries, and forced execution of critical scripts.
When used correctly—following rigorous pre-checks, backups, and vendor guidelines—it is a powerful tool to apply complex, cross-node patches that rolling mode cannot handle. When used carelessly, it is a fast track to a weekend-long outage. opatchauto72030 execute in nonrolling mode exclusive
Always remember: The -exclusive flag locks others out. The -nonrolling flag locks your database out. Plan accordingly, test rigorously, and keep your crsctl commands ready.
Next Steps: Before your next patch cycle, practice this command in a lab, analyze the logs, and document exactly how long the execute phase takes for your specific workload. Your future self will thank you during the next critical security update.
Disclaimer: Oracle, RAC, and Grid Infrastructure are trademarks of Oracle Corporation. Always refer to the official Oracle Support document for your specific patch number.
export ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/19.3.0/dbhome_1
export PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/OPatch:$PATH
export ORACLE_SID=yourdb
It is mandatory to run the analyze phase first to detect conflicts without making changes. In the high-stakes world of Oracle Database administration,
# As root user
/export/home/grid/OPatch/opatchauto apply /path/to/72030 -analyze -nonrolling
Review Point: Ensure the output shows "0" conflicts. If conflicts are reported (e.g., conflicting patches), they must be resolved (rolled back) before the actual apply.
Navigate to the Grid home (or whichever home owns the CRS stack). Typically, opatchauto is run from the Grid home to patch the cluster.
cd $ORACLE_HOME (Grid home)
$ORACLE_HOME/OPatch/opatchauto apply /stage/72030 -nonrolling -exclusive
Wait a moment – notice I changed execute to apply. Why? In modern Oracle versions (12.2+), the execute command is often deprecated or merged into apply. The apply command with nonrolling exclusive will run the scripts automatically. However, if the patch documentation explicitly says opatchauto execute, then use it exactly as documented.
What you will see during execution:
OPatchauto session is acquiring exclusive mode...
Successfully acquired exclusive lock on home.
Validation in progress...
Shutting down Oracle Clusterware stack on all nodes...
Node1: CRS stopped.
Node2: CRS stopped.
Executing postpatch SQL scripts in exclusive mode...
Patch 72030 executed successfully.
| Feature | Rolling Mode | Non-Rolling Exclusive | |---------|--------------|------------------------| | Downtime | Minimal (per node) | Full cluster downtime | | Risk | Lower | Higher | | Speed | Slower (sequential) | Faster (parallel) | | Exclusive lock | No | Yes | | Use case | Production with HA | Maintenance window |
Exclusive access means the patching process takes full control of the Oracle home. No other operations (backups, other patches, or administrative tasks) can run concurrently. This ensures patch integrity.
After the command completes successfully:
# Check inventory
opatch lsinventory | grep 72030
# Start the cluster manually (if opatchauto didn't restart it)
crsctl start cluster -all
# Verify SQL changes
sqlplus / as sysdba
SQL> select patch_id, status from dba_registry_sqlpatch;