Oracle Database
Last updated on January 25, 2024
The Oracle Database is a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) primarily used for enterprise grid computing. With characteristics like strong security, transactional consistency, and high availability, it leverages Structured Query Language (SQL) for data administration and manipulation.
Support status guide
End of life (EOL) is the end of a product’s useful life. When a product reaches the end of its life cycle, the manufacturer no longer supports it. The following table explains the different phases of a product’s lifecycle. Testing status is when the product is initially released and EOL is when product support is no longer offered. The time between these two points is the support timeframe.
Testing
The software is not yet publicly available. It is in testing phase i.e., alpha, beta, release preview etc.
Active
The software is actively supported by the vendor.
Phasing Out
The software will soon reach its end of life. You need to look for upgrade or migration options. The software will automatically go into phasing out status 2 months before end of life.
End Of Life
The software is no longer supported by the vendor. You need to make sure your system and environment are safe.
Version
Released
Premier Support
Extended Support
(19 September 2023)
(30 April 2032)
(13 August 2021)
(30 April 2025)
(25 April 2019)
(30 April 2026)
(30 April 2027)
(23 July 2018)
(30 June 2021)
(1 March 2017)
(31 March 2022)
(25 June 2013)
(31 July 2018)
(31 July 2022)
(1 September 2009)
(31 January 2015)
(31 December 2020)
(9 August 2007)
(31 August 2012)
(31 August 2015)
(11 July 2005)
(31 July 2010)
(31 July 2015)
(8 September 2003)
(31 January 2009)
(1 January 2012)
(1 May 2002)
(31 July 2007)
(31 July 2010)
(1 June 2001)
(31 December 2003)
Oracle Database is offered as both cloud-based solutions and on-premise deployment.
Moreover, the enterprises can opt for their preferred support model, as Oracle offers 3 of those:
- Premier support: Comprehensive maintenance and software support for Oracle Database, Oracle Fusion Middleware, and Oracle Applications for five years from the General Availability (GA) date.
- Extended support: Additional maintenance and upgrades for Oracle Database, Oracle Fusion Middleware, and Oracle Applications for an additional fee.
- Sustaining support: Provides maintenance for as long as you use your Oracle software. Features include access to Oracle online support tools, upgrade rights, pre-existing fixes, and assistance from technical support experts.
The table above only lists the support lifecycle for on-premise deployments of Oracle Database for the Premier and Extended support models for Linux x86-64 devices.
In addition to these support options, Oracle offers two release channels:
- Long Term Release (LTR): These releases have at least 5 years of Premier Support followed by 3 years of Extended Support. When combined with Extended Support, customers typically have 4 or more years to upgrade from one Long Term release to the next Long Term release.
- Innovation Release: Supported for at least 2 years with Premier Support and have no Extended Support.
Oracle Database support can be complex to understand, especially considering the release cadence and the update release schedule.
Oracle Corporation published Critical Patch Updates (CPUs), Security Patch Updates (SPUs), and Security Alerts to address security vulnerabilities before Oracle Database 18c.
After Oracle Database 18c, Oracle Corporation delivered Release Updates (RUs) and Release Update Revisions (RURs). Security, regression (bug), optimizer, and functional fixes—which may even include feature extensions—are often included in the RUs. RURs only bring new security and regression fixes; all other fixes are carried over from the relevant RU. Nevertheless, neither a new optimizer nor any useful fixes are included.
Starting with Oracle Database 19c, oracle launched Monthly Recommended Patches (MRPs) that were issued for every RU for the next 6 months after its release. These include the fixes documented in “Oracle Database Important Recommended Patches“, critical fixes from the 19c Known issues MOS Note, plus the prior MRPs for the RU.
EOLs
