Quest maintenance

Keeping current

Intent

• We want to ensure Quest is ‘current’ and we define current as:
  • Having the latest Critical Patch Update (CPU) applied.
  • Being no more than one application bundle behind.
  • Having PeopleTools (PT) on a supported release.
• We want to get to the point where we are applying CPUs/bundles four times a year.
• We will apply a PeopleTools upgrade no more than once a year.
• We will upgrade Oracle, the operating system and hardware, as required by the PeopleTools upgrade.

Current environment (November 2012)

• Peoplesoft Campus Solutions 9.00.01
• PeopleTools 8.51.19
• Bundle #23 (applied June 2012)
• Oracle 10.2.0.4.0

Current methodology

• We have been applying several Maintenance Packs at a time.
• Maintenance Packs contain several bundles.
• Maintenance Packs also contain necessary upgrades to the Human Capital Management (HCM) component of the product.
• Applying several bundles at a time requires extensive testing, and reapplication of customizations.
• By the time we have finished one upgrade we are again already out of date.

Critical Patch Updates (CPUs)

• Oracle generally releases CPU four times a year.
• CPUs may be released at any time if there is a need i.e. urgent security fix.
• CPUs may consist of patches for several products i.e. Java, webserver, etc.
• We will apply a new CPU no more than two months after its release. January’s CPU will be applied in February/March; April’s CPU in May/June, etc.

Application bundles

• Oracle releases bundles in January, April, July and October.
• We will apply the previous bundle no more than two months after current bundles is released. January’s bundle will be applied in May/June, April’s bundle in September/October, etc.

PeopleTools releases

• Oracle intends to release a new PeopleTools (PT) version every 12-18 months.
• Support will continue on the previous version for a period of two years after a new release.
• We are currently on PT 8.51.
• We intend to go to PT 8.52 in June of 2013.
• PT 8.53 is scheduled for release Apr 2013.
• PT 8.54 is scheduled for release May 2014.
• PT 8.55 is scheduled for release June 2015.
• PT 8.56 is scheduled for release June 2016.
• PT 8.57 is scheduled for release June 2017.

Database/Hardware implications

• We are currently on Oracle 10.2.0.4.0.
• Oracle 11g was released several years ago.
• PT 8.5.3 requires Oracle 11g.
• Oracle 11g may require operating system and hardware upgrades.

Bundles schedule