11i different Patching Options

By default adpatch does not take any clauses but there are some clauses that you could use with adpatch

Running a patch in test mode

You can use apply clause with adpatch to specify weather to run the patch in TEST mode or not, when you run the patch in the test mode it does not do any changes but run generates a log file with all the actions it would have performed

$adpatch apply=n/y  default is apply=y

Pre-Install mode

You can also run a patch in pre install mode this would be done normally during an upgrade or consolidated update. When a patch is applied in a preinstall mode the all AD utilities are updated before the upgrade or update.

$adpatch preinstall=y   default preinstall=n

Other options with adpatch

 You can use options clause to specify some of the other options available with adpatch.

Autoconfig

You can use the options=noautoconfig top specify autopatch that you do not wish to run autoconfig as a part of patch application. This can be useful when applying a large number of patches when they are not merged. By default autoconfig is run as a part of adpatch.

$adpatch options=noautoconfig Checkfile

The checkfile option of adpatch tells adpatch to check for already executed exec,SQL, and exectier commands. You can use options=nocheckfile skips this check, however this can cause performance overhead so should be used only when specified.

$adpatch options=nocheckfile

Compile Database
By default autopatch compile invalid objects after patch application, in casuse you wish not do so you can specify options=nocompiledb along with auotpatch

$adpatch options=nocompiledb

Compile JSP
By default autopatch compile jsp pages after patch applyed, in case you dont wat to do so 
optios=nocompilejsp along with autopatch.
$adpatch options=nocompilejsp

Copy Portion

If you wish adpatch not to execute the commands present in the copy driver portion of the patch you can use the options=nocopyportion

$adpatch options=nocopyportion

Database Portion

If you wish adpatch not to execute the commands present in the Database driver portion of the patch you can use the options=nodatabaseportion.

$adpatch options=nodatabaseportion

Generate Portions

If you wish adpatch not to execute the commands present in the Generate driver portion of the patch you can use the options=nogenrateportion.

$adpatch options=nogenerateportion


Maintenance

If you wish to apply patch regardless of the system being in maintenance mode you can use options=hotpatch

$adptach options=hotpatch

Integrity

If  you wish to check the integrity of the patch you can use the options=integrity

default is noitegrity
$adpatch options=integrity

Maintain MRC

You can use the maintainmrc option to specify weather you wish adpatch to execute the maintainmrc schema as part oth patch application or not. By default maintainMRC is done for standard patches and is disabled for translation ad documentation patches.

$adpatch options=nomaintainmrc

Pre requisite Patch Check

If you wish to adpatch not to check Pre requisite patches before application  of the mai patch you can use options=noprereq by default Pre requisite checking is enable.

Validate Schemas

If you wish adpatch to explicitly validate all the registed schemas by makig a connection you can use options=validate. bye default this validation is not performed.

$adpatch options=validate

Java Classes
if you wish adpatch not to copy new java classes from the patch you can use the options
adpatch options=nocopy

Force Copy

by default adpatch copies the file with out check the version of the existing giles already present on the system. If you do no wish the newer version of the file to be replaced by the older version contained in the patch use.

options=noforcecopy

Relinking

if you wish adpatch not do perform relinking you can use options=nolink

$adpatch option=nolink

Generate forms
if you wish adpatch not to generate forms files you can specify 
options=nogenform

$adpatch options=nogenform

Generate Reports
If you wish adpatch not to generate reports files you can specify
options=nogenrep

You can specify multiple options at the command line using as below

$adpatch options=hotpatch,nocopy,nogenereate

Merging Patches:

admrgph utility is used to merge two or more patches in oracle apps. The advantge of the merging patches is that it reduces downtime as the repetitive task of compiling invalid database objects, generae forms and reports ,jar files etc

How to use Admrgpch to merge patches

Down laod the patches in /patch directory. Now create 2 sumdirectories in /patch say mergsource-- which contains the unzipped pathes to be merged and mergedest-- which contains the merged patch. Please note that both mergesource and mergedest should be created as immidiate child of same parent directory say /patch. Now you can execue the fallowing command to merge the patches

admrgpch -s <source> -d <dest> -merge_name <mergename>

For Example:
admrgpch -s </patch/mergesource> -d </patch/mergedest> -merge_name <amebrup2>
Please make sure the merge path log file admrgpch.log does not contain any error.

Now go to destination merge patch directory say "mergedest". You can see that the admrgpch already created tbe driver with name "u_<mergename>.drv" when prompted.

Restriction of admrgpch


It will not merge patches of different releases,platforms,different parallel modes, Also do not use admrgpch to mrg AD and Non-AD patches.