Migrating from Windows to Linux
All,
I'm hoping for some information related to migrating a database from Windows to Linux. I have an installation of 9.2.0.8 (Standard Edition) running on Microsoft Server 2003 32-bit. We've recently procured funds to purchase a new, 64-bit server and have upgraded our 9i license to 10g. The new server has been racked and has OEL 5u2 (x86_64) installed with default-RPMs. Soon I will be putting 10.2.0.1 on it and patching to 10.2.0.4.
This is all fairly straight forward, and I have a handle on it up to this point. However, I'm wondering what the migration path from the 9i instance on 32-bit Windows will be to the 10g instance on 64-bit Linux. I have a Windows to Linux variable, a 32-bit to 64-bit variable and then the 9i to 10g variable all in play at the moment.
Now, I'm reading that I can use RMAN to move my Windows database to Linux using the RMAN CONVERT DATABASE command (http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/B19306_01/backup.102/b14191/dbxptrn002.htm#CHDCFFDI). What isn't very to clear to me at the moment is if this will work going from 9i to 10g, as well as going from 32-bit to 64-bit.
I talked to some Oracle staff in Orlando at a seminar they were giving on the new features of 11g about the best way to move from 9i to 10g. I was told that creating a new 10g instance (and migrating the data into it with imp/exp) would be preferable to upgrading the 9i database in place due to the fact that the in-place upgrade might have to be backed out if there were any problems, and that the in-place upgrade would not use any of the new 10g database settings (ie SGA_TARGET) and that I would have to go through the 10g documentation and manually set many of the database options. However, at the time there was no plan to move to Linux or 64-bit, so the recommendation was made without this knowledge.
Does anybody have some experience doing this, or know of some good reference material I can look at to help me determine the best way to do this move? I would greatly appreciate any input.