Oracle Database Migration from Windows to Linux Using RMAN

RMAN (Recovery Manager) is a powerful Oracle tool used for backup, recovery, cloning, and database migration. In this article, we will demonstrate how to migrate an Oracle database from Windows to Linux using RMAN in two scenarios:

RMAN Windows to Linux Migration (Same Version) – Migrating a 12c database on Windows to 12c on Linux.
RMAN Windows to Linux Migration (Higher Version) – Migrating a 12c database on Windows to 19c on Linux.

RMAN Windows to Linux Migration (Same Version)

Prerequisites

Ensure both source (Windows) and target (Linux) database versions are the same (12c in this case).
Confirm that both platforms use the same endian format using the following query:

COL platform_name FOR A35

SET pagesize 1000

SELECT * FROM v$transportable_platform ORDER BY 2;

The output should confirm that both Windows and Linux use little-endian format.

Step 1: Set Source Database to Read-Only Mode

SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
STARTUP MOUNT;
ALTER DATABASE OPEN READ ONLY;

Step 2: Check for Compatibility

Run the following to check if the database can be transported:

SET SERVEROUTPUT ON
DECLARE
  v_return BOOLEAN;
BEGIN
  v_return := dbms_tdb.check_db('Linux x86 64-bit');
END;
/

If nothing is returned, the database is ready for migration.

Check for external objects, directories, and BFILEs:

DECLARE
  v_return BOOLEAN;
BEGIN
  v_return := dbms_tdb.check_external;
END;
/

Step 3: Create PFILE from SPFILE

CREATE PFILE FROM SPFILE;

Step 4: Convert Database Using RMAN

Run RMAN to convert the database:

rman target /

CONVERT DATABASE NEW DATABASE 'orcl'
TRANSPORT SCRIPT 'C:\Clone\transport.sql'
DB_FILE_NAME_CONVERT 'C:\app\oracle\oradata\orcl' 'C:\Clone'
TO PLATFORM 'Linux x86 64-bit';

Step 5: Copy Files to Target Host

Transfer the following files to the Linux machine:

All datafiles (located in C:\Clone on Windows)
PFILE to $ORACLE_HOME/dbs
TRANSPORT.SQL to /tmp

Step 6: Prepare Target Database

Create necessary directories:

cd $ORACLE_BASE
mkdir -p admin/orcl/adump admin/orcl/bdump
mkdir -p admin/orcl/cdump admin/orcl/udump
mkdir -p oradata/orcl/
mkdir -p fast_recovery_area/orcl

Step 7: Modify PFILE and Transport Script

Edit the PFILE and update:

adump location
control_files location

Edit TRANSPORT.SQL to reflect the new file paths for:

Datafiles
Redo log files
Control files

Step 8: Execute Transport Script

Set the ORACLE_SID and execute the script:

SQL> @/tmp/TRANSPORT.SQL

RMAN Windows to Linux Migration (Higher Version)

This scenario involves migrating a 12c database on Windows to 19c on Linux.

Step 1-7: Follow the Same Steps as Above

Perform the same steps as same version migration.
After copying files, modify the TRANSPORT.SQL script and remove lines after STARTUP UPGRADE.

Step 8: Run Transport Script on Target

SQL> @/tmp/TRANSPORT.SQL

Step 9: Upgrade Database to 19c

Navigate to the upgrade directory and run the upgrade script:

cd $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin
$ORACLE_HOME/perl/bin/perl catctl.pl catupgrd.sql

This process takes approximately 40-50 minutes.

Step 10: Finalize Migration

Once the upgrade is complete:

CREATE SPFILE FROM PFILE;

Run utlrp.sql to recompile invalid objects:

SQL> @?/rdbms/admin/utlrp.sql

Upgrade Timezone for the database.

Click here to refer on upgrading timezone.

Oracle database has now been successfully migrated from Windows to Linux, either on the same version (12c to 12c) or an upgraded version (12c to 19c). Always test migration in a non-production environment before moving to production.

Please note this method I also used to migrated my On-prem database ot OCI DBCS.

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Oracle Database Migration from Windows to Linux Using RMAN