AWS AmazonRDS documentation change
Summary
Updated documentation for Oracle minor version upgrades including revised scheduling mechanics, AWS Organizations rollout policy implementation details, notification message changes, and phased upgrade process explanations. Added version examples and removed outdated constraints.
Security assessment
The changes focus on operational processes and scheduling mechanics for minor version upgrades. There is no evidence of addressing specific vulnerabilities, CVEs, or security incidents. Updates describe version management procedures without explicit security context or vulnerability remediation.
Diff
diff --git a/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_UpgradeDBInstance.Oracle.Minor.md b/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_UpgradeDBInstance.Oracle.Minor.md index afad52eb8..9625495a8 100644 --- a//AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_UpgradeDBInstance.Oracle.Minor.md +++ b//AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_UpgradeDBInstance.Oracle.Minor.md @@ -5 +5 @@ -Release Updates (RUs) and Spatial Patch Bundles (SPBs)Turning on automatic minor version upgrades for OracleAWS Organizations upgrade rollout policyNotification of automatic minor version upgradesWhen RDS schedules automatic minor version upgradesManaging an automatic minor version upgrade +Release Updates (RUs) and Spatial Patch Bundles (SPBs)Turning on automatic minor version upgrades for OracleAWS Organizations upgrade rollout policyNotification of automatic minor version upgradesHow Amazon RDS schedules automatic minor version upgradesManaging an automatic minor version upgrade @@ -9 +9 @@ Release Updates (RUs) and Spatial Patch Bundles (SPBs)Turning on automatic minor -In RDS for Oracle, a minor version upgrade is an update to a major DB engine version. In RDS, a minor engine version is either a Release Update (RU) or Spatial Patch Bundle (SPB). For example, if your DB instance runs major version Oracle Database 21c and minor version 21.0.0.0.ru-2024-10.rur-2024-10.r1, you can upgrade your DB engine to minor version 21.0.0.0.ru-2025-01.rur-2025-01.r1. RDS for Oracle doesn't support minor version downgrades. +In RDS for Oracle, a minor version upgrade is an update to a major DB engine version. In RDS, a minor engine version is either a Release Update (RU) or Spatial Patch Bundle (SPB). For example, if your DB instance runs major version Oracle Database 19c and minor version 19.0.0.0.ru-2025-10.rur-2025-10.r1, you can upgrade your DB engine to minor version 19.0.0.0.ru-2026-01.rur-2026-01.r1. RDS for Oracle doesn't support minor version downgrades. @@ -29 +29 @@ Make sure that you thoroughly test any upgrade to verify that your applications - * When RDS schedules automatic minor version upgrades in RDS for Oracle + * How Amazon RDS schedules automatic minor version upgrades @@ -85,2 +84,0 @@ In an automatic minor version upgrade, RDS applies the latest available minor ve - * Your DB instance doesn't already have a pending upgrade scheduled. - @@ -94 +92 @@ To learn how to turn on automatic upgrades, see [Automatically upgrading the min -###### Important +Amazon RDS for Oracle supports AWS Organizations upgrade rollout policy to manage automatic minor version upgrades across multiple database resources and AWS accounts. This policy eliminates the operational overhead of coordinating automatic minor version upgrades either manually or through custom tools, while ensuring upgrades are first applied in non-production environments before being rolled out to production. When a new minor engine version becomes available, Amazon RDS upgrades your DB instances based on their configured upgrade rollout order: @@ -96 +94,5 @@ To learn how to turn on automatic upgrades, see [Automatically upgrading the min -For RDS for Oracle, you can use the upgrade rollout policy feature for auto minor version upgrade to any engine versions released after January 2026. You can't use upgrade rollout policy for auto minor version upgrade to the October 2025 Release Update. +Upgrade Rollout Order | Typical Use Case | When Upgrade Begins +---|---|--- +First | Development and Test Environments | Earliest - ideal for validating new versions +Second | Staging and Non-critical Production Environments | After "First" phase completes +Last | Critical Production Environments | After "Second" phase completes @@ -98 +100 @@ For RDS for Oracle, you can use the upgrade rollout policy feature for auto mino -Amazon RDS for Oracle supports AWS Organizations upgrade rollout policy to manage automatic minor version upgrades across multiple database resources and AWS accounts. This policy helps you implement a controlled upgrade strategy for your Oracle DB instances by automatically upgrading databases in a specified order (for example, development environments before production). +###### Important @@ -100 +102,3 @@ Amazon RDS for Oracle supports AWS Organizations upgrade rollout policy to manag -For more information, see [Using AWS Organizations upgrade rollout policy for automatic minor version upgrades](./RDS.Maintenance.AMVU.UpgradeRollout.html). +If you do not configure an upgrade rollout order for your DB instance, it defaults to second. + +For detailed information about phase timing and duration, see How Amazon RDS schedules automatic minor version upgrades. For information about configuring upgrade rollout policies in AWS Organizations, see [Using AWS Organizations upgrade rollout policy for automatic minor version upgrades](./RDS.Maintenance.AMVU.UpgradeRollout.html). @@ -104 +108,3 @@ For more information, see [Using AWS Organizations upgrade rollout policy for au -RDS publishes an advance notice before it begins scheduling automatic upgrades. You can find the notification in the **Maintenance & backups** tab of the database details page. The message has the following format: +If automatic minor version upgrade is enabled on your DB instance, RDS for Oracle creates pending maintenance actions to notify you before applying upgrades. You can view these pending maintenance actions on the **Maintenance & backups** tab of your database details page in the Amazon RDS console. + +When a new minor version becomes available, RDS for Oracle publishes an early notification (pending maintenance action). The early notification has the following format: @@ -107 +113 @@ RDS publishes an advance notice before it begins scheduling automatic upgrades. - An automatic minor version upgrade to engine version will become available on availability-date and will be applied during a subsequent maintenance window. + An automatic minor version upgrade to engine-version will be applied during your maintenance window on apply-date based on the upgrade rollout order rollout-order. You can change the upgrade rollout order or apply this upgrade manually at any time before the scheduled date through the AWS console or AWS CLI. @@ -109 +115,6 @@ RDS publishes an advance notice before it begins scheduling automatic upgrades. -The `availability-date` in the advance notice is the date when RDS starts scheduling upgrades for DB instances in your AWS Region. It is not the date on which the upgrade of your DB instance is scheduled to occur. For example, if the `availability-date` is March 1, on this date RDS might schedule your upgrade for April 14. +`apply-date` in the early notification is the date when Amazon RDS will upgrade your DB instance. `rollout-order` is your upgrade rollout order (first, second, or last). If you have not configured an upgrade rollout policy, this value is second by default. For more information, see [Using AWS Organizations upgrade rollout policy for automatic minor version upgrades](./RDS.Maintenance.AMVU.UpgradeRollout.html). + +When the upgrade rollout phase begins, the pending maintenance action message changes to the following format: + + + Automatic minor version upgrade to engine-version @@ -111 +122,3 @@ The `availability-date` in the advance notice is the date when RDS starts schedu -You can also get the upgrade availability date by using the `describe-pending-maintenance-actions` command in the AWS CLI, as shown in the following example: +This message indicates that the upgrade has been scheduled and will be applied during your maintenance window on the scheduled apply date. You can check the scheduled apply date on the **Maintenance & backups** tab of your database details page in the Amazon RDS console or in the `CurrentApplyDate` field of the `describe-pending-maintenance-actions` API response. + +The following example shows you can get the details about pending maintenance actions by using the `describe-pending-maintenance-actions` command in the AWS CLI: @@ -116 +128,0 @@ You can also get the upgrade availability date by using the `describe-pending-ma - { @@ -124,2 +136 @@ You can also get the upgrade availability date by using the `describe-pending-ma - "CurrentApplyDate": "2024-12-02T08:10:00Z", - "OptInStatus": "next-maintenance" + "CurrentApplyDate": "2024-12-02T08:10:00Z" @@ -130 +141 @@ You can also get the upgrade availability date by using the `describe-pending-ma -The following table describes your options for each type of pending maintenance action message. +For more information about [describe-pending-maintenance-actions](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/rds/describe-pending-maintenance-actions.html), see the _AWS CLI Command Reference_. @@ -132,4 +143 @@ The following table describes your options for each type of pending maintenance -Pending maintenance action message | When message appears | Eligible to be applied at the next maintenance window? | Eligible to be applied immediately? | Eligible to have the opt-in undone? ----|---|---|---|--- -An automatic minor version upgrade to `engine-version` will become available on `availability-date` and should be applied during a subsequent maintenance window. | 4-6 weeks before automatic upgrades are scheduled. | Yes | Yes | Yes -Automatic minor version upgrade to `engine-version` | On or after `availability-date`. RDS automatically applies this upgrade in the next maintenance window of the DB instance. | Yes | Yes | No +## How Amazon RDS schedules automatic minor version upgrades @@ -137 +145 @@ Automatic minor version upgrade to `engine-version` | On or after `availability- -For more information about [describe-pending-maintenance-actions](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/rds/describe-pending-maintenance-actions.html), see the _AWS CLI Command Reference_. +When you use AWS Organizations upgrade rollout policy, Amazon RDS upgrades DB instances in phases based on their configured rollout order. This section describes the timing and duration of each phase. @@ -139 +147 @@ For more information about [describe-pending-maintenance-actions](https://docs.a -## When RDS schedules automatic minor version upgrades in RDS for Oracle +**Phase 0: Early Notification** @@ -141 +149 @@ For more information about [describe-pending-maintenance-actions](https://docs.a -When the availability date for automatic upgrades arrives, RDS begins scheduling upgrades. For most AWS Regions, RDS schedules your upgrade to the latest quarterly RU approximately four to six weeks after the availability date. The scheduled date varies depending on the AWS Region and other factors. For more information about RUs and RURs, see [_Amazon RDS for Oracle Release Notes_](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/OracleReleaseNotes/Welcome.html). +When RDS for Oracle releases a new minor version (typically 3 to 4 weeks after Oracle's quarterly RU release), all DB instances with auto minor version upgrade enabled receive an early notification. This notification appears on the **Maintenance & backups** tab of the database details page in the Amazon RDS console and in the `describe-pending-maintenance-actions` API response. The early notification phase lasts 2 weeks. During this phase, no automatic upgrades occur. @@ -143 +151 @@ When the availability date for automatic upgrades arrives, RDS begins scheduling -When RDS schedules the upgrade, the following notification appears in the **Maintenance & backups** tab of the database details page: +**Phase 1: Upgrade Rollout Order First** @@ -144,0 +153 @@ When RDS schedules the upgrade, the following notification appears in the **Main +At the end of the early notification phase, RDS for Oracle begins upgrading DB instances with the upgrade rollout order first. This phase lasts 2 to 3 weeks for the January, April, July quarterly minor versions, and 7 to 8 weeks for the October quarterly minor version. The extended period for the October minor version provides sufficient time to test the new minor version during the year-end holiday season. New DB instances created during this phase with the upgrade rollout order first will be upgraded automatically. @@ -146 +155,3 @@ When RDS schedules the upgrade, the following notification appears in the **Main - Automatic minor version upgrade to engine-version +**Phase 2: Upgrade Rollout Order Second** + +At the end of phase 1, RDS for Oracle begins upgrading DB instances with upgrade rollout order second. This phase lasts 2 weeks for all quarterly minor versions. New DB instances created with upgrade rollout order first or second during this phase will be upgraded automatically. @@ -148 +159 @@ When RDS schedules the upgrade, the following notification appears in the **Main -The preceding message indicates that RDS has scheduled the upgrade of your DB engine in the next maintenance window. +**Phase 3: Upgrade Rollout Order Last** @@ -150 +161 @@ The preceding message indicates that RDS has scheduled the upgrade of your DB en -Sometimes a new minor version becomes available before RDS applies a previous minor version. For example, your instance is running `minor-version-1` when both `minor-version-2` and `minor-version-3` are available as upgrade targets. In this situation, to avoid unnecessary downtime for your DB instances, RDS schedules the automatic minor version upgrade to the most recent version, skipping the upgrade to the previous version. In this example, RDS upgrades your instance from `minor-version-1` directly to `minor-version-3`. +At the end of Phase 2, RDS for Oracle begins upgrading DB instances with upgrade rollout order last. This phase lasts until the next quarterly minor version release. New DB instances created with upgrade rollout order first, second, or last during this phase will be upgraded automatically. @@ -152 +163,6 @@ Sometimes a new minor version becomes available before RDS applies a previous mi -To ensure certain frequency of minor version upgrades, you can upgrade your instances manually instead of using the automatic upgrade mechanism. To schedule an upgrade for the next maintenance window, specify `--no-apply-immediately` when you upgrade to a minor version using `modify-db-instance`. To upgrade immediately, specify `--apply-immediately` instead. For more information, see [Manually upgrading the engine version](./USER_UpgradeDBInstance.Upgrading.html#USER_UpgradeDBInstance.Upgrading.Manual). +Phase | When it starts | Duration | Pending maintenance action message +---|---|---|--- +Phase 0: Early Notification | When RDS for Oracle releases a new minor version | 2 weeks | An automatic minor version upgrade to `engine-version` will be applied during your maintenance window on `apply-date` based on the upgrade rollout order `rollout-order`. You can change the upgrade rollout order or apply this upgrade manually at any time before the scheduled date through the AWS console or AWS CLI. +Phase 1: Upgrade Rollout Order First | End of early notification phase | 2 to 3 weeks for January/April/July minor versions, 7 to 8 weeks for October minor version | Automatic minor version upgrade to `engine-version` +Phase 2: Upgrade Rollout Order Second | End of Phase 1 | 2 weeks | Automatic minor version upgrade to `engine-version` +Phase 3: Upgrade Rollout Order Last | End of Phase 2 | Until the next quarterly minor version release | Automatic minor version upgrade to `engine-version` @@ -156 +172,3 @@ To ensure certain frequency of minor version upgrades, you can upgrade your inst -When a new minor version becomes available, you can upgrade your DB instance to this version manually. The following example upgrades the DB instance named `orclinst1` immediately: +When auto minor version upgrade is enabled on your DB instance, Amazon RDS automatically upgrades your DB instance to the latest minor version during your maintenance window. However, you can choose to apply the upgrade manually before the scheduled date using the AWS CLI or on the **Maintenance & backups** tab of the database details page. + +To upgrade your DB instance immediately instead of waiting for the scheduled maintenance window: @@ -164 +182 @@ When a new minor version becomes available, you can upgrade your DB instance to -To opt out of an automatic minor version upgrade that hasn't been scheduled yet, set `--opt-in-type` to `undo-opt-in`, as in the following example: +To apply the upgrade during your next maintenance window instead of the scheduled apply date: @@ -170 +188,3 @@ To opt out of an automatic minor version upgrade that hasn't been scheduled yet, - --opt-in-type undo-opt-in + --opt-in-type next-maintenance + +To opt out of an automatic minor version upgrade, modify your DB instance and turn off the automatic minor version upgrade option. This unschedules any pending automatic upgrade. @@ -172 +192 @@ To opt out of an automatic minor version upgrade that hasn't been scheduled yet, -If RDS has already scheduled an upgrade for your DB instance, you can't use `apply-pending-maintenance-action` to cancel it. But you can modify your DB instance and turn off the automatic minor upgrade feature, which then unschedules the upgrade. +To learn more about how to turn off automatic minor version upgrade, see [Automatically upgrading the minor engine version](./USER_UpgradeDBInstance.Upgrading.html#USER_UpgradeDBInstance.Upgrading.AutoMinorVersionUpgrades). If you need assistance with turning off automatic minor version upgrade, please reach out to the AWS Support. @@ -174 +194 @@ If RDS has already scheduled an upgrade for your DB instance, you can't use `app -To learn how to turn off automatic minor version upgrades, see [Automatically upgrading the minor engine version](./USER_UpgradeDBInstance.Upgrading.html#USER_UpgradeDBInstance.Upgrading.AutoMinorVersionUpgrades). For more information about [apply-pending-maintenance-action](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/rds/apply-pending-maintenance-action.html), see the _AWS CLI Command Reference_. +Sometimes a new minor version becomes available before RDS applies a previous minor version. For example, your instance is running on `21.0.0.0.ru-2025-07.rur-2025-07.r1` when `both 21.0.0.0.ru-2025-10.rur-2025-10.r1` and `21.0.0.0.ru-2026-01.rur-2026-01.r1` are available as upgrade targets. In this situation, to avoid unnecessary downtime for your DB instances, RDS schedules the automatic minor version upgrade to the most recent version, skipping the upgrade to the previous version. In this example, RDS upgrades your instance from `21.0.0.0.ru-2025-07.rur-2025-07.r1` directly to `21.0.0.0.ru-2026-01.rur-2026-01.r1`.