Oracle linux server update
This chapter discusses the different stages of a system upgrade, which are the assessment phase and the upgrade phase. The main commands to use for these stages are leapp preupgrade and leapp upgrade , respectively, and followed by command arguments. For a list of these arguments, use the -help or —help argument, for example:
sudo leapp preupgrade --help
Unless specified otherwise, all of the procedures for upgrading an Oracle Linux 8 system also apply to upgrading an Oracle Linux 8 instance on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
Assessing the Capability of the System for Upgrading
The preupgrade phase enables you to check whether the system is fully ready for the upgrade.
Refer also to Known Issues to better prepare your system for a Leapp upgrade.
Running the Preupgrade
The preupgrade phase enables you to check whether the system is fully ready for the upgrade.
Running the preupgrade phase is recommended to ensure that the system is cleared of issues that might impede the upgrade. In this phase, you generate an assessment report that identifies risks to upgrading. The report also provides recommendations for resolving those risks.
- If you are using a proxy server, edit the /etc/yum.repos.d/leapp-upgrade-repos-ol9.repo by adding the proxy setting for each repository entry. To add the setting in a single operation, you can run the following command:
sudo sed -i '/^enabled=0.*/a proxy=http://proxy-host:proxy-port' /etc/yum.repos.d/leapp-upgrade-repos-ol9.repo
sudo leapp preupgrade --oraclelinux [--enablerepo repository] sudo leapp preupgrade --oci [--enablerepo repository] For detailed information about the arguments, see Using Command Arguments to Enable Repositories.
This process generates a process log, a report, and a file called answerfile .
Analyzing the Leapp Report
The /var/log/leapp/leapp-report.txt identifies potential risks to the upgrade. The risks are classified as high, medium, or low. A high risk that would prevent an upgrade will be further classified as an inhibitor. The report summarizes the issues behind the identified risk and also suggests remediations if any are needed.
Ensure that you complete the recommended remedies to clear particularly those risks that are labeled high and can inhibit the upgrade process.
After addressing the reported risks, run the preupgrade command again. In the regenerated report, verify that all serious risks are cleared.
To better illustrate the contents of the report, consider the following examples:
GPG Key Issue
The report might warn about the gpg-pubkey .
Risk Factor: high Title: Packages not signed by Oracle found on the system Summary: The following packages have not been signed by Oracle and may be removed during the upgrade process in case Oracle-signed packages to be removed during the upgrade depend on them: - gpg-pubkey
To resolve this issue, run the following command:
sudo rpm -qa | grep gpg-pubkey
If the command output lists only the Oracle Linux 8 public key gpg-pubkey-ec551f03-53619141 , the issue can be safely ignored. Otherwise, any other unsigned packages or gpg-pubkey entries in the report must be manually analyzed, as they might be removed during the upgrade.
Btrfs File System Issue
On aarch64 systems, the Leapp report might report the following:
Title: UEKR6 has been found and BTRFS filesystem is in use. Summary: Upgrade process was interrupted because btrfs is enabled and UEKR6 has been found.
The page size for aarch64 systems has changed from 64 KB to 4 KB in UEK R7. For more information about issues that involve this feature, see the list of Arm Features in Oracle Linux 9 in Oracle Linux 9: Release Notes for Oracle Linux 9.
If your aarch64 system that is running UEK R6 is configured with the Btrfs file system, then you cannot use Leapp to upgrade to Oracle Linux 9. For more information about issues that involve upgrading aarch64 systems that use the Btrfs file system, see Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 7: Release Notes (5.15.0-0.30).
If your aarch64 system is running UEK R6 but does not use the Btrfs file system, then, for the upgrade to proceed, confirm and accept the page size change that takes effect as a result of the upgrade. You can confirm the page size change in the answer file or by running the following command:
leapp answer --section confirm_UEKR7_install_pagesize_4k.confirm=True
However, if your Oracle Linux 8 aarch64 system is already running UEK R7, then the upgrade to Oracle Linux 9 proceeds normally. No confirmation of the page change is required.
OSMS Managed Instances
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure instances that are managed by Oracle Cloud OSMS service are inhibited from upgrading. Refer to the contents of the /var/log/leapp/leapp-report.txt for details.
The existence of /etc/yum.repos.d/*.osms-backup files also indicates this issue.
To further investigate, go to the instance’s terminal window and check for osms-agent -specific processes on the instance.
root 10873 10835 0 18:16 ? 00:00:00 /usr/bin/sudo -n /usr/libexec/oracle-cloud-agent/plugins/osms/osms-agent root 10886 10873 0 18:16 ? 00:00:00 /usr/libexec/oracle-cloud-agent/plugins/osms/osms-agent root 10887 10886 1 18:16 ? 00:00:01 /usr/libexec/oracle-cloud-agent/plugins/osms/osms-agent
If the instance is not actively managed by OSMS, disable the OSMS Agent if it is running. Refer to the steps in Preparing for the Upgrade.
Providing Information to the Leapp Answerfile
In addition to completing the recommendations of /var/log/leapp/leapp-report.txt , you must also provide answers to all of the items in /var/log/leapp/answerfile .
An inhibitor might be reported both in /var/log/leapp/answerfile and /var/log/leapp/leapp-report.txt , with the latter file providing an alternative remedy. Despite overlapping contents, always examine both files to ensure a successful upgrade.
The /var/log/leapp/answerfile file consists of specific verification checks that Leapp performs on the system. A verification check contains information about the system and also prompts you for confirmation on the action to be performed. The file provides context and information to help guide you on the response required.
All verification checks listed in the answerfile must be answered. Unanswered items cause the upgrade process to halt.
The following is a sample entry from /var/log/leapp/answerfile :
[remove_pam_pkcs11_module_check] # Title: None # Reason: Confirmation # =================== remove_pam_pkcs11_module_check.confirm ================== # Label: Disable pam_pkcs11 module in PAM configuration? If no, the upgrade process will be interrupted. # Description: PAM module pam_pkcs11 is no longer available in RHEL-8 since it was replaced by SSSD. # Type: bool # Default: None # Available choices: True/False # Unanswered question. Uncomment the following line with your answer # confirm =
Based on the example, each verification check is identified with a section heading in square brackets, such as remove_pam_pkcs11_module_check . The heading is followed by descriptions of the issue and the valid responses to address the issue.
To provide responses to answerfile , choose from one of the following methods:
- Use the leapp answer command. Run this command on the specific section that needs to be addressed. For example, to confirm the PAM module verification, you would type:
sudo leapp answer --section remove_pam_pkcs11_module_check.confirm=True
Performing the Upgrade
After you have properly completed the /var/log/leapp/answerfile and verified that /var/log/leapp/leapp-report.txt no longer reports risks, upgrade the system as follows:
- Using a console, connect to the system or the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure instance that you are upgrading.
- If you are upgrading a remote system configured with a VNC server, connect to the system by using a VNC client.
- If you are working on an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure instance, connect to the instance through the console connection you previously created in Preparing for the Upgrade. For instructions, see Connecting to the Serial Console in https://docs.oracle.com/iaas/Content/Compute/References/serialconsole.htm#Instance_Console_Connections . For example, on a local terminal window, the command that is provided to connect to the instance might resemble the following syntax:
ssh -o ProxyCommand='ssh additional-commands If the command does not work at first use, you might need to specify the -i path-to-key option, for example:
ssh -i path-to-key -o ProxyCommand='ssh -i path-to-key additional-commands
sudo leapp upgrade --oraclelinux
For detailed information about the command arguments, see Using Command Arguments to Enable Repositories.
Caution: Do not interrupt the ongoing processes at this stage. Wait until the login screen appears, which indicates that the entire upgrade process has completed. Only then can you begin to use the system.
After the completion of an instance upgrade, the instance retains its Oracle Linux 8 base image on the Instance Details page of the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure console, for example, Oracle-Linux-8.6-2022.05-27-0 . You can apply a custom tag so you can track the upgrades that have been performed on the instance since its creation.
Refer to Oracle Linux 9 documentation for information about new features, changes, and deprecated items in Oracle Linux 9 . Thus, you can identify post upgrade tasks that you might need to complete.
Verifying the Upgrade
Upon completion, the upgrade process generates the same files as the preupgrade phase: a process log, a report, and the /var/log/leapp/answerfile . On the console, perform the following steps:
- Examine the /var/log/leapp/leapp-report.txt and fulfill any important recommendations to be completed after the upgrade process.
- Perform the following verifications: To verify the system’s new OS version, type:
To check the system’s kernel version, type this command and verify that the kernel contains the el9 substring:
sudo grubby --default-kernel
Oracle linux server update
How to Update the Oracle Linux Operating System
You must already have Oracle Linux installed on your server.
- Choose a method for updating your Oracle Linux operating system:
- For Oracle Unbreakable Linux Network (ULN) installations, create local yum repositories and configure yum and up2date to install update packages from them.http://www.oracle.com/technology/tech/linux/htdocs/yum-repository-setup.html.
- For Oracle Linux installations without Unbreakable Linux Network support, use the Oracle Public yum server and a yum client to install updates.http://public-yum.oracle.com/.
Note — This yum server is offered without support of any kind. If you require errata, security patches, and other updates, you should use Oracle Unbreakable Linux Network (ULN) available from the online store, or your sales representative.