Patchset vs patches

Question

Hi all,
I am not a DBA and am a bit confused about patches and patchsets.
I have read about them and I would just like confirmation, please.
From what I understand:
Patches are individual fixes for the Oracle database, which you can install one by one.
Patchsets instead contain all fixes to bugs that have been found in the version of Oracle Database in question, and get released not as frequently as Patches, i.e. once a quarterly.
If this is the case, can I assume that patchset for Oracle 11.2.0.2 released in July 2011 would contain all the fixes of individual patches for Oracle 11.2.0.2 released up to July 2011?
i.e. would this patchset coniatn the fix for Patch 9824435: ORA-600: INTERNAL ERROR CODE, ARGUMENTS: [KOKEGPINLOB1] that was released on 23rd March 2011?
My assumption is yes.
How can I determine what patchset has been installed against a DB (the opatch seems to only return patches) and what was fixed within that patchset?
Thanks very much in advance.

Answer 1

mBk77 wrote:
Could you just clarify, please:
The reply from 909592 seems to indicate that the July 2011 patchset would change the version from 11.2.0.1 to 11.2.0.2 applying all the individual fixes for 11.2.0.2. (11.2.0.1 not 0.2)Yes, if you apply all the patch sets till July 2011 then your db version will change to 11.2.0.1
The link from mbk77 seems to indicate that the July 2011 patchset may contain all the fixes for 11.2.0.2 up to July 2011. The article also seems to indicate that if you use PSU you should not go back to install individual patches.If you apply the all the CPU available then there is no need to apply the individual patches which were relesed prior to that.CPU contains only commulative cpu patches. And cpu patches are only security patches.
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So, if the DBA states that the install of 11.2.0.2 was done with all the psu up to and including July 2011, could I assume that patches released for 11.2.0.2 prior to July 2011 (as per the example earlier mentioned) have been included?Oracle Critical Patch Updates (CPU) will contain both the PSU and CPU, so the DBA may choose to apply a whole CPU or only the selected patches in the PSU patch bundle.This is not correct AFAIK. CPU doesn't contain PSU(patchset update , which includes the BUG fixes). CPU only contains the security patches. However PSU does contain the CPU patches.
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Go through the below doc once...
http://www.oracle.com/us/support/assurance/leveraging-cpu-wp-164638.pdf?ssSourceSiteId=otnen
@OP,
Its recommended to apply latest PSU based on your release i.e 11.2.0.2.0 (this will include all previouds PSU as well as CPU).
The Database Patch Set Updates and Critical Patch Updates that are released each quarter contain the same security fixes. However, they use different patching mechanisms, and Patch Set Updates include both security and recommended bug fixes. Consider the following guidelines when you are deciding to apply Patch Set Updates instead of Critical Patch Updates.
Critical Patch Updates are applied only on the base release version, for example 11.2.0.x.0
Patch Set Updates can be applied on the base release version or on any earlier Patch Set Update. For example, 11.1.0.7.2 can be applied on 11.1.0.7.1 and 11.1.0.7.0.
Once a Patch Set Update has been applied, the recommended way to get future security content is to apply subsequent Patch Set Updates. Reverting from an applied Patch Set Update back to the Critical Patch Update, while technically possible, requires significant time and effort, and is not advised.
Applying a Critical Patch Update on an installation with a Patch Set Update installed is not supported.
For more information on Patch Set Updates, see Note 854428.1, Patch Set Updates for Oracle Products.Hope this help