The transition away from FTP access in My Oracle Support (MOS) several years ago introduced a significant hurdle for DBAs: how to download patches directly to a server without a browser. Common workarounds, such as using VNC desktops or manually editing WGET scripts on a workstation, are cumbersome and inefficient.
To eliminate browser dependency entirely, I’ve developed a shell script, getMOSPatch.sh, designed specifically for Linux environments to streamline the patching process.
1) Installation and Initial Setup
The script utilizes standard Linux utilities like awk, sed, grep, and wget. You can download the script directly to your server using the following command
[oracle@mel1 Patches]$ wget --no-check-certificate -nv https://raw.github.com/MarisElsins/TOOLS/master/Shell/getMOSPatch.sh [oracle@mel1 Patches]$ chmod u+x getMOSPatch.sh
Configuring Platforms and Languages
The first time you run the script, or when you use the reset=yes parameter, it will prompt you to select your target platforms and languages. These settings are saved in a local configuration file for future use
[oracle@mel1 Patches]$ ./getMOSPatch.sh reset=yes Oracle Support Userid: your_email@example.com Oracle Support Password: Getting the Platform/Language list Available Platforms and Languages: ... 226P - Linux x86-64 912P - Microsoft Windows (32-bit) ... 4L - German (D) ... Comma-delimited list of required platform and language codes: 226P,4L
2) Core Features and Parameters
Once configured, downloading patches is as simple as providing the patch numbers. The script handles search and retrieval automatically based on your saved preferences.
Key Functional Logic:
- Automatic Selection: If only one file matches the patch number, it downloads automatically.
- User Choice: If multiple files are found (e.g., for different Oracle releases), the script prompts you to choose.
- Automated Downloads: Use
download=all to bypass prompts and download every matching file found.
- Regex Filtering: Use the
regexp parameter to filter by filename—ideal for Apps DBAs needing specific R12 versions (e.g., regexp=".*B_R12.*").
- Credential Handling: Set the environment variables
mosUser and mosPass to bypass manual login prompts.
3) Real-World Examples
Example A: Downloading a Specific CPU Patch
This example shows a standard download for the October 2013 CPU patch on Linux x86-64
[oracle@mel1 Patches]$ ./getMOSPatch.sh patch=16902043 Getting patch 16902043 for "Linux x86-64" p16902043_112030_Linux-x86-64.zip completed with status: 0
Example B: Choosing from Multiple Release Options
When downloading OPatch, multiple versions often exist for the same platform. The script allows for manual selection
[oracle@mel1 Patches]$ export mosUser=your_email@example.com [oracle@mel1 Patches]$ ./getMOSPatch.sh patch=6880880 1 - p6880880_112000_Linux-x86-64.zip 2 - p6880880_111000_Linux-x86-64.zip 3 - p6880880_121010_Linux-x86-64.zip Comma-delimited list of files to download: 3
Example C: Mass Downloads with Regex Filtering
For E-Business Suite environments, you can combine multiple patch numbers with regex filters to target specific release levels (e.g., R12.1) across all chosen languages
[oracle@mel1 Patches]$ ./getMOSPatch.sh regexp=".*B_R12.*" patch=10020251,10141333 download=all Getting patch 10020251 for "Linux x86-64" p10020251_R12.AR.B_R12_LINUX.zip completed with status: 0
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