Where to find Oracle RDBMS Gold Image (aka “Database Software Clone”) for Exadata?

For some unknown reason, the search on MOS (My Oracle Support) does not return any results when looking for the patch corresponding to a specific Oracle RDBMS Gold Image although it is essential when you want to deploy a new RDBMS version on an Exadata. You must know the corresponding patch number to be able to find it.

After some research, here is the simplest method I found.

Each time a new Gold Image is available, the “OEDA” tool is updated to include it in the list of deployable versions.
What is interesting here is that the “Read Me” of OEDA is also updated with the list of patches corresponding to the Gold Image.

So, to obtain the patch number corresponding to a specific version of an Oracle RDBMS Software Clone, you just have to read the “Read Me” of “OEDA” (patch number 30640393, this never changes between versions).

At the time I am writing this article, the versions are listed in the section 5 “Oracle Exadata Deployment Assistant Support for Oracle Virtual Machines”. For example:

5.1 Gold Image Patch Sets for Oracle Database 21c

Release             Database Patch     Grid Infrastructure Home Patch
21.5.0.0.220118     33742172           33742171
21.4.0.0.211019     33456945           33456944
21c                 30766663           30766659


5.2 Gold Image Patch Sets for Oracle Database 19c

Release             Database Patch     Grid Infrastructure Home Patch
19.14.0.0.220118    33742175           33742173
19.13.0.0.211019    33456947           33456946
19.12.0.0.210720    33117584           33117581
19.11.0.0.210420    32760863           32760862
19.10.0.0.210119    32372886           32372882
19.9.0.0.201020     32003212           32003210
19.8.0.0.200714     31601286           31601285
19.7.0.0.200414     31158495           31158493
19.6.0.0            30766422           30766421
19.5.0.0.191015     30397799           30397797
19.4.0.0.190716     30032931           30032930
19.3.0              29624531           29624542
19c                 29121739           29121728

(I reduced the number of lines for the example, but you can find all the patch numbers since Oracle 11g)

Once you have identified the patch number corresponding to the desired version, simply search on MOS with the patch number and, this time, the patch appears:

Note that it also works to find the patch numbers corresponding to the “Grid Software Clone”.

I hope you find this post useful. Feel free to let me know in the comments if you have other ways to do this!