Upgrading Oracle APEX to 24.1 and ORDS to 24.2 on Windows

Upgrading Oracle APEX (Application Express) and ORDS (Oracle REST Data Services) on Windows is a straightforward process. Here’s a detailed guide to help you with the upgrade.

Step-by-Step Upgrade Guide

1. Create Tablespace (Optional)

If you wish to keep your APEX schemas in a dedicated tablespace, you can create one before proceeding with the installation.

CREATE TABLESPACE apex DATAFILE 'apex01.dbf' SIZE 1G AUTOEXTEND ON;

2. Install APEX 24.1

Navigate to the directory where the APEX 24.1 installation files are located and run the installation script. Make sure to specify the correct image prefix.

1. Open Command Prompt.

2. cd C:\apex2401\apex

3. Run the following command:

sqlplus \nolog
login using sys
set contianer if installing on pdb
@apexins APEX2401 APEX2401 TEMP /i_2401/

3. Configure Tomcat for New APEX Images

Stop the Apache Tomcat service, then create a new folder for the APEX images in the webapps directory.

1. Stop Tomcat:

2. Create the directory for APEX 24.1 images:

   • Navigate to the Tomcat webapps directory.

   • Create a new folder named i_2401.

   • Copy the APEX images to the new directory.

3. Start Tomcat:

   • login tomcat manager

   • stop old images

4. Grant ACL to APEX 24.1 Schema

Grant the necessary ACL (Access Control List) permissions to the APEX 24.1 schema.

BEGIN
  DBMS_NETWORK_ACL_ADMIN.APPEND_HOST_ACE(
    host => '*',
    ace => xs$ace_type(privilege_list => xs$name_list('connect'),
                       principal_name => 'APEX_240100',
                       principal_type => xs_acl.ptype_db));
END;
/

5. Keep Old APEX Schema for Safety

It’s a good practice to retain the old APEX schema (e.g., APEX 23.2) for some time to ensure that everything is working correctly with the new version.

Updating ORDS to 24.2

1. Set JAVA_HOME Environment Variable

Ensure that your Java home environment variable is set to the correct JDK version. 13 or 17 or 21

1. Right-click on "This PC" and select "Properties."

2. Click on "Advanced system settings."

3. Click on "Environment Variables."

4. Under "System variables," click "New" and add:

Variable name: JAVA_HOME
Variable value: C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-17.0.5

5. Add the bin directory to the PATH variable:

Variable name: PATH
Variable value: C:\ords2402\bin

2. Install ORDS 24.2

Navigate to the ORDS installation directory and run the installation command with the appropriate configuration directory.

1. Open Command Prompt.

2. Navigate to the ORDS 24.2 bin directory.

3. Run the following command:

ords --config C:\ords2402\ords_config install

3. Select TNS and Set Password

During the installation process, you’ll be prompted to:

• Select the TNS location

• Insert the SYS password

• Choose installation options (e.g., standalone mode)

4. Deploy ORDS on Tomcat

Copy the ORDS WAR file to the Tomcat webapps directory. For better identification, you can rename the ords.war file to something more recognizable, like your company name.

1. Copy and rename ORDS WAR file:

copy C:\ords2402\ords.war C:\path\to\tomcat\webapps\mycompany.war

5. Access ORDS

After starting Tomcat, access your ORDS instance through the browser using the new alias.

http://localhost:8080/mycompany

Tips

• Always back up your database and current APEX/ORDS configurations before starting the upgrade.

• Test the new APEX and ORDS versions in a development environment before applying changes to production.

• Keep detailed logs of the upgrade process for troubleshooting purposes.

By following these steps, you can successfully upgrade to Oracle APEX 24.1 and ORDS 24.2, ensuring your applications run on the latest and most secure versions of these tools.