?

?

BP

?

?

?

?

PSU

?

?

?

?

SPU

?

?

• SPU contains only the CPU program security fixes
• PSU contains the CPU program security fixes and additional high-impact/low-risk critical bug fixes
• BP includes all PSU fixes along with additional high value fixes

An installation can only use?one?of the SPU,PSU or BP patching methods.

All methods allow “interim patches” to be installed,but the version of an interim patch required may vary depending on the patching method.?
Windows platforms are special in that they do not support normal “interim patches”.

See "More Information on Proactive Database Patches" near the end of this document for details of current and historic proactive patches.

Version Numbers

The various patching methods have different ways to indicate the version as detailed in the following table:

Term

Version Number

Example

Major Release

Designated by the first 2 fields of the version (fields are separated by decimal points)

11.2

Base Release

First 4 fields are the version of a Major Release

11.2.0.1

Patch Set Release (PSR)

Designated by the 4th field of the version

11.2.0.4

Patch Set Update (PSU)

Designated by 5^th?field of a version.

11.2.0.4.160419

Bundle Patch (BP)

Also designated by 5^th?field of a version but with text to indicate which series of bundle

Exadata Database Bundle Patch 11.2.0.4.160419

Security Patch Update (SPU)

Designated by a month/year

11.2.0.4 Jan 2015 SPU

As of November 2015,the version numbering for new Bundle Patches,Patch Set Updates,and Security Patch Updates for Oracle Database have a new format. This new format replaces the numeric 5th field of the bundle version with a release date in the form YYMMDD:

YY is the last 2 digits of the year
MM is the numeric month (2 digits)
DD is the numeric day of the month (2 digits)

Note that the release date is the release date of the main BP,PSU,or SPU.

This new version format makes it easier to see which bundle patches are from which time frame,and in particular,which patches are from the same Critical Patch Update release. For examples and more information,see My Oracle Support?Note 2061926.1,Oracle Database,Enterprise Manager and Middleware - Change to Patch Numbering from Nov 2015 onwards.

Note:

Only the first 4 fields of a version are shown in Database views / trace banners etc..? The 5th field and patching method can be verified by checking the inventory of an installation.?
eg: "opatch lsinventory" will show the Patch Set (or Base Release) level along with a list of patches installed. The patch listing usually shows a descriptive line/s for SPU/PSU/BP patches indicating what patch method and version is in use.

In earlier RDBMS Product versions (such as Oracle 8 and Oracle 9),this same version numbering system was referred to as "digits",as in "the version number 9.2.0.4 shows the Major Release is the first two digits of 9.2". Therefore,you may still find some legacy Oracle sources that refer to a version number such as 12.1.0.2,as "showing the Major Release is the first two digits of 12.1". Since "12.1" is technically 3 digits and *not* 2 digits,the term "field" used in the table above is preferred over the legacy term "digit".

Testing Overview

Oracle performs different types of testing on various patch types prior to their release:

• Functional tests
• • test specific areas of functionality against expected outcomes.
    An "area" may be a feature or subset of a feature (eg: Advanced Queueing or a specific functionality of Advanced Queueing)
  • functional tests include regression testing to ensure that results and behaviour of specific operations are as expected.

• Stress tests
  • test resilience of the database when pushed to its limit in resource utilization and in specific configurations
  • heavy destructive tests under high load

• Performance tests
  • test various workloads and features
  • measure the performance of specific operations to ensure that most common code paths have not degraded in performance (sometimes known as "atomics" tests)
  • test overall performance of specific workloads / features

The following table shows the level of testing performed by Oracle for the various patch types:

?Interim PatchPSU,SPU,Bundle??? Patch Set Release
Functional?Functional regression tests for the specific area of database functionality affected by the patch.
Complete set of functional regression tests
(tests all areas of database functionality).
Complete set of functional regression tests
(tests all areas of database functionality).
?Verification that the fix addresses the known symptoms of the bug issue.??StressNone.Subset of stress tests based on patch content.Full stress testing.PerformanceNone.Workload based performance regression testing.Full set of performance tests.OtherInstall testing in unpatched environment.Install testing in clean environment.Install & upgrade testing – many scenarios.Installation using EM CC patching.“Upgrading” from previous PSU,bundles.Deployed and used internally in Oracle
before release.?Installation using EM CC patching.Certification testing.

?

Testing Recommendation by Patch Type

Customers are advised to perform testing of patches in a test environment prior to deployment to critical production environments.

The following table gives an overview of the level of testing recommended for each patch type:

?Interim PatchPSU,SPUBundle PatchPatch Set ReleaseInstall / RollbackYes?Yes?Yes?YesBug Fix Verification

Where possible and relevant???

Admin ActivitiesNot requiredBasicBasicFullApplication FunctionNot requiredCore applications onlyCore and non-core applicationsFullApplication PerformanceNot requiredNot requiredNot requiredFull

Where:

• Install / Rollback = basic testing that patch apply / rollback works. Patch installation and rollback should be tested for every type of patch.
  
  
• Bug Fix Verification =?If you are applying a patch for the purpose of installing a bug fix then you should verify that the bug fix addresses the specific bug issue.
  • For some fixes this may not be feasible - eg: if the fix addresses a rare race condition.
    
    
• Admin Activities = Software / system administration activities:
  • "Basic" is defined as common activities. ?
    For example,"Basic" admin activities would include validating Database and Grid Infrastructure shutdown and startup,validating monitoring
    
    
• Application Function = Functionality of your application. "Core" indicates business critical application functionality.
  
  

Which Patching Method to Use?

Oracle makes the following recommendation for which patch method to use for Database related installations:

• Every customer should at least install PSUs. Minimal testing required.
• 12.1.0.2 Customers wanting a more comprehensive set of fixes should install the Database Proactive Bundle patch. This requires a bit more testing than a Patch Set Update (PSU),but delivers a larger set of fixes.
• Since SPARC SuperCluster is an Engineered System that includes Exadata Storage Cells,SPARC SuperCluster follows a similar patch method to Exadata.

?

RELEASE

PLATFORM

Exadata

Exadata?

(when patching just Database and Grid Infrastructure)

All non-Exadata (RAC)

All non-Exadata (non-RAC)

Windows

12.1.0.2

Quarterly Full Stack Download Patch for Exadata?

Database Proactive Bundle Patch?¹

Database Proactive Bundle Patch?¹

Database Proactive Bundle Patch?¹

Windows Database Bundle Patch

12.1.0.1

Database Grid Infrastructure PSU

Database Grid Infrastructure PSU?
(GI PSU)

Database PSU

11.2.0.4 and earlier

Database Patch for Exadata

Database Grid Infrastructure PSU?
(GI PSU) Database PSU

¹?The "Database Proactive Bundle Patch" requires a bit more testing than a Patch Set Update (PSU) as it delivers a larger set of fixes.?

Additionally

• In all cases install the relevant OJVM PSU
  
  
• Install interim patches only for specific issues that you know will apply to your environment.
  • Keep the number of interim patches installed to a minimum.

Database SPU is still available as a valid patching method for 11g releases - it is recommended to transition to PSU patching model.?
(SPU might be considered lowest change risk,but it leaves you exposed to critical issues fixed in the matching PSU).

Altering the Patching Method

If you wish to change between patching methods then you can do this when upgrading to a new Patch Set Release (PSU). To change patching methods whilst staying on the same Patch Set Release / 4 field version you typically need to:

• Fully rollback the current method patch/es
  • This may need you to rollback some interim patches too – make a note of any interim patches rolled back
• Apply / install the new method patch/es to at least the same CPU cycle
• Acquire and apply any interim patches required to maintain the same fixes as were in place before

?

12.1.0.2 DBBP to 12.1.0.2 PSU

You cannot mix the?Database Proactive Bundle Patch?(DBBP) patching method and the DB PSU patching method in the same ORACLE_HOME.
eg: If you install?the DBBP?on a system,then you cannot subsequently install a later "Database PSU" (DB PSU) on top of that. You would need to stay on the DBBP path?OR?fully roll back all of the historical DBBP patches (iteratively - on at a time) and then apply DB PSU patches to switch patching methods.

Example:

• Moving from "Database Proactive Bundle Patch" to?"Database PSU":
  • Back up your current setup
  • Fully rollback / deinstall "Database Proactive Bundle Patch"
    • If using OJVM PSU that is likely to require OJVM PSU to be rolled out too
  • Apply / install the latest?"Database PSU"
  • Apply any interim patches also rolled out above (including OJVM PSU if that was installed)

  (changes involving rollback or install of OJVM PSU to the database will require a complete outage)

?

12.1.0.2 PSU to 12.1.0.2 DBBP

Beginning in September 2018,Oracle now?supports?switching from the 12.1.0.2?"PSU" patching strategy to the 12.1.0.2 "DBBP" patching strategy simply by applying the latest quarterly "DBBP" patch using the latest version of the Opatch tool.? For assistance obtaining the newest version of the Opatch tool for Oracle 12.1.0.2 software,please refer to "OPatch - Where Can I Find the Latest Version of OPatch(6880880)?" [Video]Note 224346.1

?

11.2.0.4 PSU to 11.2.0.4 SPU or vice versa

It is not generally advisable to switch from "Database PSU" to "Database SPU" method.

?

Patch Conflict Resolution

If interim patches are used in conjunction with one of the proactive patching methods then there may be some patch conflicts.

For the quarterly proactive patches released as part of the Critical Patch Update program (DB PSU,Quarterly Database Patch for Exadata,and?Database Proactive Bundle Patch,Oracle proactively produces new interim patches for existing patches that would conflict. The new interim patches are usually released at the same time as the proactive bundles.

For information about resolving patch conflicts see the following documents:

• Document:1941934.1?My Oracle Support Patch Conflict Checker Overview?[Video]
• Document:1091294.1?How to Use the My Oracle Support Conflict Checker Tool for Patches Installed with OPatch [Video]
• Document:1321267.1?Database Patch Conflict Resolution

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Can I use "Quarterly Database Patch for Exadata" (11.2.0.x) on non-Exadata systems?
  • No,Oracle does not support this.
  • Most updates are delivered in bundle patches created specifically for Exadata for Oracle Database (DB_BP) and Oracle Clusterware (GI_BP).? Bundle patches contain no Exadata-specific code,however,they may only be installed on non-Exadata systems for testing purposes,or when providing disaster recovery support for an Exadata system.? Oracle will supply interim fixes on top of Exadata bundle patches for non-Exadata systems only when the non-Exadata system is being used in a Data Guard environment as the primary or standby system for an Exadata system.
    
    
• Can I use "Database Proactive Bundle Patch" (12.1.0.2+) on non-Exadata systems?
  • Yes. This patch is applicable for non-Exadata systems.?
  • The fix information for the bundle may include some "Exadata" specific fixes but that is because the bundle is also applicable to Exadata systems.?
  • Please refer to?Note 1937782.1?12.1.0.2 Database Proactive Bundle Patches / Bundle Patches for Engineered Systems and DB In-Memory - List of Fixes in each Bundle - List of Fixes in each Bundle for more information.
    
    
• Do proactive patches include optimizer fixes?
  • "Database SPU" and "Database PSU" do?not?include optimizer fixes
  • "Database Patch for Exadata"?can?include optimizer fixes for wrong results issues,but only in a form that allows them to be individually enabled/disabled as required.
  • "Windows Database Bundle Patch"?can?include optimizer fixes
    
    
• How can I tell what patching method an installation uses?
  • Review the opatch lsinventory output to see what patches are applied.?
    SPU,PSU and BP patches include a description of the patch name/version in the output.
    
    
• What is the difference between "Windows Database Bundle Patch" and "Database Patch for Exadata" etc.. ?
  • These BP are targeted? at different environments. The latest versions will include the same SPU and PSU content,but all other content is specific to the target environment - there may be some other common content but there will be differences in content.
    
    
• Do proactive patches affect the database version as reported in tracefiles and database views like V$VERSION?
  • No. The patch level is reflected in the opatch lsinventory data,and for some patch types is reflected in DBA_REGISTRY or DBA_REGISTRY_HISTORY
    
    

?

Current Database Proactive Patches

The following tables give information on currently available proactive database related patches,including some patch types that are no longer produced.

Proactive Database Patches by Platform / Environment / Version

Short names used in the "Method/s" column of the following table are expanded on in the next section.

PlatformEnvironmentDB VersionMethod/s Microsoft Platforms Any 10.2.0.4 - 12.1.0.2 Windows Bundle,TZ Unix Platforms Exadata 12.1.0.1 - 12.1.0.2 DBBP,QSFDP for Exadata,OJVM PSU,TZ 11.1.0.7 - 11.2.0.4 ExaDBBP,TZ RAC 12.1.0.1 - 12.1.0.2 GI PSU,Combo,TZ 11.2.0.1 - 11.2.0.4 GI PSU,TZ 10.2.0.4 - 11.1.0.7 DB PSU,CRS PSU,TZ Non-RAC 12.1.0.1 - 12.1.0.2 DB PSU,TZ 10.2.0.4 - 11.2.0.4 DB PSU,TZ Other Platforms Any Any No new bundles

More Information on Proactive Database Patches

Database Patch Set UpdateShort Name DB PSU Target environment/s Non-RAC DB installations on Unix platforms. Unix DB client installs. Versions DB versions 10.2.0.4 - 12.1.0.2 Platform/s Unix platforms Released Released quarterly Patch Content Critical fixes for Database and Database client. Includes security (CPU) content. No optimizer fixes. See Note:854428.1?Patch Set Updates for Oracle Products ? Note:756671.1?Master Note for Database Proactive Patch Program Recommended Version Recommend to be on the latest version Notes? ? ? Database Grid Infrastructure Patch Set UpdateShort Name GI PSU Target environment/s RAC DB installations on Unix platforms (including single instance RAC). DB Versions DB versions 11.2.0.1 - 12.1.0.2 Platform/s Unix platforms Released Released quarterly Patch Content Patches include critical fixes for Grid Infrastructure and include the matching DB PSU but *not* any OJVM PSU See Note:854428.1?Patch Set Updates for Oracle Products ? Note:756671.1?Master Note for Database Proactive Patch Program Recommended Version Recommend to be on the latest version Notes? ? ? OJVM Patch Set UpdateShort Name OJVM PSU (Oct 2014 also has a separate "JDBC Patch") Target environment/s Any DB installation using OJVM. DB Versions DB versions 11.1.0.7,11.2.0.3,11.2.0.4,12.1.0.1 - 12.1.0.2 Platform/s All platforms. Note that Windows platforms have special OJVM PSU overlay patches to apply on top of a Windows BP Released Released quarterly Patch Content OJVM PSU introduced Oct/2014 but had separate patches for OJVM and JDBC.?
Jan/2015 onwards the OJVM PSU patch includes JDBC fixes for the database home.? See Note:1929745.1?OJVM PSU Information ? Note:756671.1?Master Note for Database Proactive Patch Program Recommended Version Recommend to be on the latest version OR have mitigation patch installed and enabled where that is not possible Notes There is a "mitigation patch" that can be used in place of OJVM PSU ? OJVM PSU is NOT RAC Rolling and NOT Standby First installable ? Oct 2014 also has a separate "JDBC Patch" ? ? OJVM Patch Set Update "JDBC Patch" (Oct 2014 only)Short Name JDBC Patch Target environment/s Any DB,DB client,instant client or Grid Infrastructure installation using JDBC DB Versions JDBC versions 11.1.0.7,12.1.0.1 Platform/s All? platforms Released Was released as a separate patch just for October 2014 Patch Content JDBC security fixes See Note:1929745.1?OJVM PSU Information ? Note:756671.1?Master Note for Database Proactive Patch Program Recommended Version Recommend to install this patch wherever JDBC is used,or the latest JDBC component of OJVM PSU Notes From Jan 2015 onwards the JDBC fixes are included in OJVM PSU patch ? ? Combo PatchesShort Name COMBO Patch Target environment/s Depends on the content - COMBO patches are convenience patches that group patches together DB Versions DB versions 11.1.0.7,12.1.0.1 - 12.1.0.2 Platform/s Unix platforms Released Released quarterly Oct 2014 onwards Patch Content Includes Patch Set Updates for the different components in a single download See Note:756671.1?Master Note for Database Proactive Patch Program ? See notes on the included components (DB PSU,GI PSU,OJVM PSU) Recommended Version See recommendation notes on included components Notes Oct/2014 omitted JDBC patches from the Combo patches ? ? Windows Database Bundle PatchShort Name Windows Bundle Patch Target environment/s DB and DB client installs on Microsoft platforms DB Versions All DB versions Platform/s Microsoft platforms only ReleasedRelease interval depends on the database version.?Patch Content Miscellanoues bug fixes.? See Note:161549.1?Oracle Database,CRS,ASM,Networking and EM Agent Patches for Microsoft Platforms Recommended Version Recommend to be on latest quarterly release or later NotesWindows Database Bundle Patches do not include OJVM PSU fixes.?
There are separate OJVM PSU patches available. ? ? Database Patch for ExadataShort Name ExaDBBP (or just BP) Target environment/s Exadata Database installations DB Versions DB Versions 11.2.0.1 - 12.1.0.2? Platform/s Exadata systems only Released Released quarterly Patch Content Critical and security content quarterly See Note:888828.1Exadata Database Machine and Exadata Storage Server Supported VersionsRecommended Version Recommend to be on latest quarterly release NotesEach quarter the latest Exadata BP is included in the "Quarterly Full Stack Download Patch for Exadata" ? ? Quarterly Full Stack Download Patch for ExadataShort Name QFSDP for Exadata Target environment/s Exadata systems only DB Versions DB Versions 11.2.0.1 - 12.1.0.2 Platform/s Exadata systems only Released Released quarterly Patch ContentGrid Infrastructure Release Update and other Exadata component patchesSee Note:888828.1?Exadata Database Machine and Exadata Storage Server Supported Versions Suggested Level of Testing Includes more fixes than just PSU fixes. Testing recommended. Recommended Version Recommend to be on latest release Notes? ? ? Database Proactive Bundle PatchShort Name DBBP Target environment/s

12.1.0.2
Applicable to both Database and Grid homes.

DB Versions 12.1.0.2 Platform/s Unix platforms Released Released monthly. Patch Content Includes miscellaneous fixes for Engineered Systems along with fixes for Database In-Memory.??
Critical Patch content is included quarterly.
Also includes fixes for the Grid home for Exadata and RAC systems. See Note:888828.1?Exadata Recommended Patch Information ? Note:756671.1?Master Note for Database Proactive Patch Program Recommended Version Recommend to be on the latest quarterly release NotesFrom April 2016 onwards new name is "Database Proactive Bundle Patch" Instead of "Database Patch for Engineered Systems and Database In-Memory". ? ? Timezone PatchesShort Name TZ patch Target environment/s DB and DB client installs where latest timezone data is important DB Versions All DB versions Platform/s All platforms Released Released half yearly Patch Content Patches only contain timezone data See Note:412160.1Updated DST Transitions and New Time Zones in Oracle RDBMS and OJVM Time Zone File PatchesRecommended Version No recommendations - use of this patch depends much on the application and whether latest timezone information is important OR not. where it is important recommend to be on the latest release across the enterprise. Notes There are special considerations when patching for timezone updates as communicating systems should use the same TZ information. ?? ? ? Database SPU (previously known as CPU patches)Short Name SPU (formerly CPU) Target environment/s DB installs on Unix and VMS platforms DB Versions All DB Versions up to 11.2.0.4 Platform/s Unix and VMS platforms Released Released quarterly Patch Content SPU patches are critical / security fix content only. This delivery model is not used for 12c onwards - instead critical / security content is included as part of the other delivery models. See Note:467881.1? Contains links to the latest SPU information Recommended Version Recommend to use "Database PSU" rather than SPU. If SPU is preferred Recommend to be on latest release Notes This delivery model is not used for 12c onwards - instead critical / security content is included as part of the other delivery models. ? ? CRS Patch Set UpdateShort Name CRS bundle Target environment/s RAC systems up to 11.1.0.7 DB Versions DB versions 10.2.0.4 to 11.1.0.7 Platform/s Unix platforms Released No more releases Patch Content For CRS stack only. For 11.2.0.1 onwards uses GI PSU instead See Note:756671.1?Master Note for Database Proactive Patch Program Recommended Version Upgrade to 11.2 or later Notes? ? ? Interim PatchesShort Name Interim Patch (or one-off or PSE) Target environment/s Various? DB Versions Various? Platform/s Various? Released Released as required / on request Patch Content Fixes for one or more specific issues See?Recommended Version It is recommended to avoid installing too many non-standard interim patches. NotesFunctional testing relating to the issue being addressed recommended.

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介绍各种补丁集的使用方法： Oracle Database - Overview of Database Patch Delivery Methods - 12.1.0.2 and older (Doc ID 1962125.1)? APPLIES TO: Oracle Database - Enterprise Edition - Version 10.2.0.3 to 12.1.0.2 [Release 10.2 to 12.1] Oracle Database - Standard Edition - Version 10.2.0.3 to 12.1.0.2 [Release 10.2 to 12.1] Oracle Database - Personal Edition - Version 10.2.0.3 to 12.1.0.2 [Release 10.2 to 12.1] Oracle Database Cloud Schema Service - Version N/A and later Oracle Database Exadata Cloud Machine - Version N/A and later Information in this document applies to any platform. PURPOSE This document gives an overview of the main patch delivery methods used for the Oracle Database. It gives an overview of the main characteristics of Patch Set Updates,Bundle Patches etc.. and explains which method applies to which environment. SCOPE This document is intended for Oracle Database DBAs responsible for database software patching. It gives an overview of the various patch delivery methods that exist for patching on top of a database Base Release or Patch Set Release (PSR). It does not discuss about Base Releases nor Patch Set Releases,and only discusses the Oracle Database. It does not discuss Enterprise Manager. DETAILS ? ? Oracle Database - Overview of Database Patch Delivery Methods - 12.1.0.2 and older (Doc ID 1962125.1) This NOTE covers Database Patch Delivery Methods for 12.1.0.2 and older versions. If you are interested in Methods for 12.2.0.1 and later versions,please see MOS? Note 2337415.1. Oracle Database - Overview of Database Patch Delivery Methods - 12.1.0.2 and older (Doc ID 1962125.1) Post Release Patch Delivery Methods Types of Proactive Patch (SPU / PSU / Bundle Patches) Version Numbers Testing Overview Testing Recommendation by Patch Type Which Patching Method to Use? Altering the Patching Method Patch Conflict Resolution Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Current Database Proactive Patches proactive Database Patches by Platform / Environment / Version More Information on Proactive Database Patches Post Release Patch Delivery Methods Oracle provides patches for both proactive and reactive maintenance: Reactive Patches: are usually delivered as “Interim Patches” were historically known as “one-off” patches are provided on demand for a given “defect,version,platform” combination go through basic sanity tests fixes will usually be included in the next relevant Patch Set Release Each Patch Set has a "code freeze" date beyond which only "show-stopper" fixes are included. If a fix misses the the next Patch Set it will be included in the subsequent Patch Set (if there is one) Proactive Patches address high impact bugs that affect a given configuration contain proven low risk fixes go through extra levels of testing,determined by the feature(s) affected are available on "My Oracle Support" by clicking on the "Patches & Updates" tab Types of Proactive Patch (SPU / PSU / Bundle Patches) There are different types of proactive patch available. This section gives a summary of the main proactive patching methods: Security Patch Update (SPU) a cumulative collection of security fixes released as part of Oracle‘s Critical Patch Update (CPU) program delivered on pre-defined quarterly schedule Database SPU are always RAC Rolling and Standby First installable Note:?Database SPUs are being phased out from Database Release 12c - CPU program security?content will be delivered in the appropriate Bundle Patch or PSU?(see below). Patch Set Update (PSU) a cumulative collection of fixes for proven high impact bugs encountered in the field includes the security fixes that are released as part of the CPU program guaranteed not to contain any changes to the optimizer or fixes which change application behaviour may span multiple stack components For example: "Database Grid Infrastructure PSU" (GI PSU) includes fixes for both the Grid Infrastructure and the Database delivered on pre-defined quarterly schedule Database PSU and Database Grid Infrastructure PSU are always RAC Rolling and Standby First installable. OJVM PSU is neither RAC Rolling nor Standby First installable Bundle Patch (BP) a cumulative collection of fixes to address bugs in a given feature,product,or configuration For example: Windows Database Bundle Patch,Database Patch for Exadata,?Database Proactive Bundle Patch a superset of PSU may span multiple stack components For example: "Database Patch for Exadata" includes fixes both Database and Grid Infrastructure delivered on pre-defined schedule,which may be more frequent than PSU releases are always RAC Rolling and Standby First installable As of April 2016,the Database Patch for Engineered Systems and Database In-Memory has been renamed to "Database Proactive Bundle Patch" "Quarterly Full Stack Download Patch" / "Combo Patch" delivers a number of different patches packaged together For Example: "Quarterly Full Stack Download Patch for Exadata" includes "Quarterly Database Patch for Exadata" along with OJVM PSU and other Exadata system patches in a single download. Other Proactive Patches Oracle produces some proactive patches for very specific purposes outside of the normal SPU/PSU/BP cycle.? For example: special time-zone patches are released every 6 months for customers that require systems to use latest time-zone data Such patches are usually delivered as "Interim Patches" ? Database patch content for the various proactive patch methods might be visualized like this: