gridSetup.sh -applyRU ERROR: The home is not clean. This home cannot be used since there was a failed OPatch execution in this home. Use a different home to proceed.

I plan to install RAC VM on my notebook. I created new VM from Oracle Linux 7.7 and unzipped 19.3 Grid home and need to apply 19.7 RU.

During the gridSetup.sh -applyRU procedure we sometime may obtain a failing message:

$ ./gridSetup.sh -silent -applyRU /stage/30899722

ERROR: The home is not clean. This home cannot be used since there was a failed OPatch execution in this home. Use a different home to proceed.

And some bloggers may give you the advice: "When the command gridSetup.sh fails,  it makes the NEW_HOME unusable. The only way to get around this issue currently is to clean the contents out of that HOME , and unzip the gold image again. "

There is another solution: add the Grid home to oraInventory and use the opatch apply.

I have fresh Oracle Linux 7.7. VM and Grid 19.3 base image and 19.7 patch.

 

[grid@node1 grid]$ opatch lspatches
Argument(s) Error... Oracle Home's central inventory is not found.
Please check the arguments and try again.
OPatch failed with error code 135

This error because there is no Grid home in fresh VM.

So we need to register Grid home in  Central Inventory.

[grid@node1 grid]$ mkdir /u01/app/oraInventory
 

[grid@node1 grid]$ $OH/oui/bin/runInstaller -silent -attachHome ORACLE_HOME="/u01/app/19.0.0/grid" ORACLE_HOME_NAME="OraGI197Home1" CRS="true"
 

Starting Oracle Universal Installer...

Checking swap space: must be greater than 500 MB.   Actual 5118 MB    Passed
The inventory pointer is located at /etc/oraInst.loc
You can find the log of this install session at:
 /u01/app/oraInventory/logs/AttachHome2020-09-09_10-13-14PM.log
Please execute the '/u01/app/oraInventory/orainstRoot.sh' script at the end of the session.
'AttachHome' was successful.
 

 [grid@node1 30899722]$ pwd
/stage/30899722

[grid@node1 30899722]$ ll
total 132
drwxr-x--- 5 grid oinstall     81 Apr 11 01:16 30869156
drwxr-x--- 5 grid oinstall     62 Apr 11 01:18 30869304
drwxr-x--- 5 grid oinstall     62 Apr 11 01:19 30894985
drwxr-x--- 4 grid oinstall     48 Apr 11 01:18 30898856
drwxr-x--- 2 grid oinstall   4096 Apr 11 01:20 automation
-rw-rw-r-- 1 grid oinstall   5054 Apr 11 04:37 bundle.xml
-rw-r--r-- 1 grid oinstall 122266 Apr 11 04:25 README.html
-rw-r--r-- 1 grid oinstall      0 Apr 11 01:20 README.txt

[grid@node1 30898856]$ opatch apply
Oracle Interim Patch Installer version 12.2.0.1.21
Copyright (c) 2020, Oracle Corporation.  All rights reserved.


Oracle Home       : /u01/app/19.0.0/grid
Central Inventory : /u01/app/oraInventory
   from           : /u01/app/19.0.0/grid/oraInst.loc
OPatch version    : 12.2.0.1.21
OUI version       : 12.2.0.7.0
Log file location : /u01/app/19.0.0/grid/cfgtoollogs/opatch/opatch2020-09-12_15-42-19PM_1.log

Verifying environment and performing prerequisite checks...
OPatch continues with these patches:   30898856

Do you want to proceed? [y|n]
y
User Responded with: Y
All checks passed.

Please shutdown Oracle instances running out of this ORACLE_HOME on the local system.
(Oracle Home = '/u01/app/19.0.0/grid')


Is the local system ready for patching? [y|n]
y
User Responded with: Y
Backing up files...
Applying interim patch '30898856' to OH '/u01/app/19.0.0/grid'

Patching component oracle.tomcat.crs, 19.0.0.0.0...
Patch 30898856 successfully applied.
Sub-set patch [29401763] has become inactive due to the application of a super-set patch [30898856].
Please refer to Doc ID 2161861.1 for any possible further required actions.
Log file location: /u01/app/19.0.0/grid/cfgtoollogs/opatch/opatch2020-09-12_15-42-19PM_1.log

OPatch succeeded.

Next patch 30898856:

[grid@node1 30899722]$ ll
drwxr-x--- 5 grid oinstall     81 Apr 11 01:16 30869156
drwxr-x--- 5 grid oinstall     62 Apr 11 01:18 30869304
drwxr-x--- 5 grid oinstall     62 Apr 11 01:19 30894985
drwxr-x--- 4 grid oinstall     48 Apr 11 01:18 30898856
drwxr-x--- 2 grid oinstall   4096 Apr 11 01:20 automation
-rw-rw-r-- 1 grid oinstall   5054 Apr 11 04:37 bundle.xml
-rw-r--r-- 1 grid oinstall 122266 Apr 11 04:25 README.html
-rw-r--r-- 1 grid oinstall      0 Apr 11 01:20 README.txt
 

[grid@node1 30899722]$ pwd
/stage/30899722

[grid@node1 30899722]$ opatch lspatches
30898856;TOMCAT RELEASE UPDATE 19.0.0.0.0 (30898856)
29585399;OCW RELEASE UPDATE 19.3.0.0.0 (29585399)
29517247;ACFS RELEASE UPDATE 19.3.0.0.0 (29517247)
29517242;Database Release Update : 19.3.0.0.190416 (29517242)

OPatch succeeded.
 

[grid@node1 30899722]$ cd 30869304
[grid@node1 30869304]$ opatch apply
Oracle Interim Patch Installer version 12.2.0.1.21
Copyright (c) 2020, Oracle Corporation.  All rights reserved.


Oracle Home       : /u01/app/19.0.0/grid
Central Inventory : /u01/app/oraInventory
   from           : /u01/app/19.0.0/grid/oraInst.loc
OPatch version    : 12.2.0.1.21
OUI version       : 12.2.0.7.0
Log file location : /u01/app/19.0.0/grid/cfgtoollogs/opatch/opatch2020-09-12_16-17-11PM_1.log

Verifying environment and performing prerequisite checks...
OPatch continues with these patches:   30869304

Do you want to proceed? [y|n]
y
User Responded with: Y
All checks passed.

Please shutdown Oracle instances running out of this ORACLE_HOME on the local system.
(Oracle Home = '/u01/app/19.0.0/grid')


Is the local system ready for patching? [y|n]
y
User Responded with: Y
Backing up files...
Applying interim patch '30869304' to OH '/u01/app/19.0.0/grid'

Patching component oracle.usm, 19.0.0.0.0...
Patch 30869304 successfully applied.
Sub-set patch [29517247] has become inactive due to the application of a super-set patch [30869304].
Please refer to Doc ID 2161861.1 for any possible further required actions.
Log file location: /u01/app/19.0.0/grid/cfgtoollogs/opatch/opatch2020-09-12_16-17-11PM_1.log

OPatch succeeded.

[grid@node1 30869304]$ opatch lspatches
30869304;ACFS RELEASE UPDATE 19.7.0.0.0 (30869304)
30898856;TOMCAT RELEASE UPDATE 19.0.0.0.0 (30898856)
29585399;OCW RELEASE UPDATE 19.3.0.0.0 (29585399)
29517242;Database Release Update : 19.3.0.0.190416 (29517242)

OPatch succeeded.

...

And after apply all 4 patches:

[grid@node1 30869156]$ opatch lspatches
30869156;Database Release Update : 19.7.0.0.200414 (30869156)
30894985;OCW RELEASE UPDATE 19.7.0.0.0 (30894985)
30869304;ACFS RELEASE UPDATE 19.7.0.0.0 (30869304)
30898856;TOMCAT RELEASE UPDATE 19.0.0.0.0 (30898856)

And the last step - Detach Grid home from Central Inventory:

[grid@node1 30869156]$ $OH/oui/bin/runInstaller -silent -detachHome ORACLE_HOME="/u01/app/19.0.0/grid" ORACLE_HOME_NAME="OraGI197Home1"
Starting Oracle Universal Installer...

Checking swap space: must be greater than 500 MB.   Actual 5118 MB    Passed
The inventory pointer is located at /etc/oraInst.loc
You can find the log of this install session at:
 /u01/app/oraInventory/logs/DetachHome2020-09-12_04-33-16PM.log
'DetachHome' was successful.

$ opatch lspatches
Inventory load failed... LsPatchesSession::loadAndPrintInstalledPatch()
LsPatchesSession failed: OPatch failed to locate Central Inventory.
Possible causes are:
    The Central Inventory is corrupted
    The oraInst.loc file specified is not valid.

OPatch failed with error code 2

I'm not sure the way described above is suppported solution.

The solution give us the Note Executing "gridSetup.sh" Fails with "ERROR: The home is not clean" (Doc ID 2279633.1)