How to use createGoldImage For Cloning in 19c

According to the Oracle Database Upgrade Guide, the traditional clone.pl script has been officially deprecated. The modern standard for cloning Oracle software involves using the -createGoldImage flag within the installer and then deploying that image to the target location.

1. Cloning the Oracle Database Home (DB)

In this scenario, we are creating a gold image from an existing 19c Database Home and preparing it for a new destination.

Environment Details:

• Source: /u01/app/oracle/product/19.0.0/dbhome_1
• Target: /u01/app/oracle/product/19.0.0/dbhome_2

Creating the Gold Image

First, ensure the target directory exists and is empty. Then, run the runInstaller with the -createGoldImage flag.

[oracle@ol7-19-rac1 ~]$ ls -l /u01/app/oracle/product/19.0.0/dbhome_2/ total 0  [oracle@ol7-19-rac1 ~]$ $ORACLE_HOME/runInstaller -createGoldImage -destinationLocation /u01/app/oracle/product/19.0.0/dbhome_2 -silent Launching Oracle Database Setup Wizard...  [oracle@ol7-19-rac1 ~]$ ls -l /u01/app/oracle/product/19.0.0/dbhome_2/ total 3069584 -rw-r--r--. 1 oracle oinstall 3143250100 Oct 29 13:09 db_home_2019-10-29_12-59-52PM.zip 

Extracting the Software

Once the .zip file is created, navigate to the target directory and unzip the contents to complete the software deployment phase.

[oracle@ol7-19-rac1 dbhome_2]$ unzip -qo db_home_2019-10-29_12-59-52PM.zip [oracle@ol7-19-rac1 dbhome_2]$ ls -ld * drwxr-xr-x. 2 oracle oinstall 102 Oct  2 00:06 addnode drwxr-xr-x. 3 oracle oinstall  20 Oct  2 00:35 admin ... -rwxr-x---. 1 oracle oinstall 1783 Mar  8  2017 runInstaller 

2. Cloning the Grid Infrastructure Home (GI)

Cloning a Grid Infrastructure home follows a similar logic but utilizes the gridSetup.sh script.

Environment Details:

• Source: /u01/app/19.0.0/grid
• Target: /u01/app/19.0.0/grid5

Preparing the Target and Permissions

Before generating the image, create the target directory and ensure permissions are correctly set for the oracle user.

[root@ol7-19-rac1 ~]# mkdir -p /u01/app/19.0.0/grid5 [root@ol7-19-rac1 ~]# chmod 775 /u01/app/19.0.0/grid5 [root@ol7-19-rac1 ~]# chown oracle:oinstall /u01/app/19.0.0/grid5 

Generating the GI Gold Image

Run the gridSetup.sh script from the source home. Note that you may need to adjust permissions on specific log directories (like ol7-19-rac1 or procwatcher) if the installer encounters access issues during the image creation.

[oracle@ol7-19-rac1 ~]$ echo $ORACLE_HOME /u01/app/19.0.0/grid  [oracle@ol7-19-rac1 ~]$ $ORACLE_HOME/gridSetup.sh -creategoldimage -destinationlocation /u01/app/19.0.0/grid5 -silent Launching Oracle Grid Infrastructure Setup Wizard... Successfully Setup Software.  Gold Image location: /u01/app/19.0.0/grid5/grid_home_2019-10-29_04-36-47PM.zip 

Summary of Changes

Using createGoldImage is now the mandatory replacement for the deprecated clone.pl. This method encapsulates the current state of the Oracle Home—including patches and configurations—into a single distributable archive, making mass deployments much more consistent.

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