Which_oracle_release_To_install...

To johnstone's point, much depends on your software that is the front end to the data.
Point being, if the front end software supports the newer version, updating all to the newest in the upgrade cycle, will avoid the necessity, complexity of having to transition shoukd the newer software distribution requires a newer version of oracle db.
Since you have redhat 5.1 suggests the system has been in place at least five years.

Does this mean if I installed 12.2 I would have to go upgrade the databases from 12.1. to 12.2 after copying database files to new machine?

If I installed 12.1 then I will not need an upgrade for databases?

Is this correct?

Is the upgrade easy to do?

You should double check best practices in transitioning oracle db server from server to server.

https://docs.oracle.com/en/database/oracle/oracle-database/12.2/install-and-upgrade.html

You may want to test your application with the new db server version using backup/restore ....



Not sufficiently familiar with oracle DB process dealing with hawrdware transition.

The biggest caveat moving between servers is Endian.  Likely isn't an issue in this case, but possible.  There is  a way to convert the datafiles with RMAN if needed.  If needed, this would have to be done regardless of whether or not you are upgrading the database, this is a difference in hardware that needs to be addressed.  Since you are going from RHEL to RHEL, there shouldn't be any other issues.

Only other issue I can think of with moving machines is renaming the datafiles (in the database) if the locations are not the same.

Yes, if you install 12.1, then a database upgrade wouldn't be necessary.  But, if you can, take the time to do it.  You have the downtime already.  This prevents a second downtime in the future.

Yes, you would need to upgrade all the databases on the server.  I would refer to the documentation link already posted as to available methods and what is involved.  As with any other change, do it on a test machine and test, then when you are done, test again.

my plan was to shutdown database on old machine and do a coy of files via SSH/SCP to new machine.
The directories are same structure.

I assume I can try copying binaries from old machine to new machine and see if it works. Oracle recommended reinstall since I am going from RHEL 5.11 to RHEL 7.2. I am not sure if the binaries or DLLs or links may not work properly later on.

Best go through install, to make sure user, group created correctly. And related.

IMHO copying files tends to over look permissions, setting.
Do you use a mounted filesystem or raw ocfs2?


The software you use, does the vendor release updates/upgrades or the same software has been used for the duration, no updates since?

I will second the install comment.  You could probably copy the binaries, but with a different OS version you would have to relink anyway.  Might as well do the full install.

There are additional directories outside the binary tree that need to be copied and those vary by OS.  If you aren't really familiar with where absolutely everything goes, install.

I think it is a mounted filesystem? How do you find that out?

The software is oracle and they release patches. I remembered that I installed Oracle 12.1 and applied some patches after that.
It might be easier just to install the latest 12.2 and skip any patches and then upgrade DB from 12.1 to 12.2.

I am also using oracle total recall for automatic startup so I would have to install grid software first.

df -k lists mounted partitions
Are the oracle partitions listed

My advise do not rush to upgrade the production just because you are considering installing the newer version on the newer server.

Use the new server setup to test/validate.....