In the spirit of #ThanksODC, here's a quick blog around one of the features that has definitely made life much easier in the Exadata space.I've been fortunate to have worked with/on Exadata systems since 2012 and more recently became brave enough (By necessity to be honest) to run with the patching process myself. Patching is offered as part of the Platinum Support included with the purchase of any Oracle engineered system and while that team do an excellent job, due to timing or other reason(s)...sometimes you have to roll-up your sleeves and get your hands dirty yourself!Fortunately, patching an Exadata system is no longer a cauldron of dark magic and hidden commands that need to be executed under a full moon. The introduction of the patchmgr utility has really, REALLY simplified the process. As long as you've read the documentation and all of your pre-checks are green, it's a smooth and painless process.Patchmgr takes care of the following Exadata components

Database server operating system
Exadata storage server
Infiniband switch

Here's a screenshot of having implemented the July 2018 QFSDP on an X3-2 (Yes, it still works for this "old" machine) quarter rackSo much love to the development team responsible for producing and maintaining the patchmgr utility...you guys and girls rock!! ✊🏽

Musings around the #Oracle database