Scheduling Downtime in R12 EBS

As busy DBAs, we often need to schedule maintenance activities outside of business hours to perform critical tasks such as patching and server moves. It is wise and crucial to deliver the news well in advance if possible to the user and management community before performing any event that causes downtime. With the Oracle Applications EBS Suite for Release 12, the maintenance schedule for downtime is an excellent way to notify users and management of scheduled downtime events. Let's take a look at how to set this feature up for R12 EBS.



The navigation path to the downtime feature is to first login with system administrator responsibility and then navigate to site map as follows:

System Administrator-> Oracle Applications Manager Dashboard-> Site Map

At the site map you have features to schedule various system and DBA functions and tasks.



Click on the Maintenance tab. Under Patching and Utilities go to Manage Downtime Schedules.




Now you can setup the downtime message and schedule.



You have a choice to either use the default notification message or to create your own custom message as well as time and date for the downtime message and contact information. In addition, you need to setup a warning message prior to the downtime.

Once we have created our downtime schedule, we confirm this.




Now we can review our downtime schedules on the main screen listed below.



You have the option to update the downtime schedule as well as to delete it.
Another nice added bonus is the notification webpage that will advise users of the downtime prior to the event as well as status of the maintenance activity. You can setup the URL for this maintenance page and direct users to it before and during the scheduled maintenance activity.





By using this tool with Release 12, you can add an extra measure of communication that will make your life easier as a busy Oracle Apps DBA as well as build trust with the management and user teams in your business environment.

Cheers,
Ben