These are good new in case you plan to use Oracle Database 12.1.0.2 longer in production. Just last week we extended the Extended Support for Oracle Database 12.1.0.2 by one additional year.
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Extended Support Extension for Oracle 12.1.0.2
Before, the Extended Support for Oracle 12.1.0.2 ended end of July 2021. Now you can purchase it until end of July 2022. For those of you who have it included in your contract anyway (for instance if you have a ULA or PULA), these are great news.
Please see:
for all the details.
And please note, that “Oracle 12.1” applies only to Oracle Database 12.1.0.2, the terminal patch set for Oracle 12.1.
Very important:
The last year of Extended Support July 31-2021 through July 31-2022 will not include Microsoft Windows 2008 platforms or Apple Mac Clients.
Further Clarification
In the past weeks we clarified generally some documents. At first, the official Lifetime Support Policy document (see page 6) differs now between Oracle 12.2.0.1, Oracle 18c and Oracle 19c. Before, it had only a single line for Oracle 12.2 which included Oracle 12.2.0.1, Oracle 18c and Oracle 19c pointing to MOS Note: 742060.1.
Please see also that neither Oracle Database 12.2.0.1 nor Oracle Database 18c will offer a possibility to purchase Extended Support. You will only be able to include Extended Support – as usual and as in all previous releases as well – for the terminal patch set. And this, in the Oracle 12.2 release family, is Oracle 19c.
Summary
We just added another possible year of Extended Support for Oracle Database 12.1.0.2. In addition, we clarified the Extended Support offerings for Oracle 12.2.0.1, Oracle 18c and Oracle 19c in the official documents. The dates before were correct of course, but they way it was presented lead to potential confusion.
I tried to update the information on my blog as well. If you come across any incorrect information based on the current state, please let me know.
More Information
- Extended Support Fee waived for EBS customers
- To which Release should you upgrade to? Plus: Extended Support
–Mike
Indeed good news
Hi Mike.
I appreciate your thorough write-up to argue that 18c and 19c are basically 12.2 but newer patches. However, I do not agree. And, I base that on a simple test: does my company’s software work with 18c (let alone 19c) the same as it does with 12cR2. It does not.
Using the same setup of my software’s server and pointing its configuration to my 12cR2 instance, the software deploys perfectly fine. Changing only the instance to which it points, it does not deploy with 18c.
What is needed to get things to work is a whole new set of compiling actions of my company’s software. And, we are working on that with the next target being 19c, as we are leaping over 18c as we code and QA our changes.
But, again, having tested identical setups with only the instance of 12cR2 or 18c, they behave differently.
Hi Alan,
if you’d like to, please send me an email with more details. We have a special team in Development with exactly the task to help software vendors to avoid such issues. Email: mike.dietrich -.— at —– oracle.com
Cheers,
Mike
Hello Mike,
While I was scrolling the doc: “ORACLE INFORMATION-DRIVEN SUPPORT” I came across the information that “upgrade scripts” are supported under Extended Support. Could you clarify a little bit on this? Does the upgrade scripts actually stand for catupgr.sql that comes with all releases and is basically used to upgrade the database? If so I was wondering if the Lifecycle Support Policy allows us to do direct upgrades from 11.2.0.4 to 19c without ES or ULA w/ES enabled. I mean that the “upgrade script” of 19c was released after the end of the 11.2 premier support (Jan 2015) and sustaining support doesn’t allow using “new upgrade scripts” then we’re not allowed to do direct-path upgrade, right?
regards \Michal Aniol
Hi Michal,
this is very simple to answer:
The upgrade scripts are part of ?/rdbms/admin of the release you are upgrading to. Hence, there shouldn’t be an issue. When 19c enter ES in 2023, everything including the upgrade scripts is under ES if you require a fix. If you have an ULA or PULA, the same applies as to previous releases: You need to contact your Oracle sales person and they need to ensure that ES gets enabled for your ULA/PULA at no extra cost. So you’ll be safe until 2026 for sure.
Cheers,
Mike
Hi Mike,
A quick one I hope – your post has a note that extended support for Oracle 12c until 2022 is not extended to “Microsoft Windows 2008 platforms or Apple Mac Clients”.
Is this still the case? Does it include Windows 2012+?
Many Thanks
Hi Grant,
this is what MOS 742060.1 says:
Premier Support (PS) ended Jul 31, 2018 and one year of free Extended Support (ES) was in effect until July 31, 2019.
ES fees or a ULA was required beginning 01-Aug-2019 through 31-Jul-2022. Without paid ES or ULA, patching ends 31-Jul-2019.
We have a global ES fee waiver in place for E-Business customers, see details and dates of expiration see: Extended Support Fee Waiver for Oracle Database 12.1 and 11.2 for Oracle E-Business Suite (Doc ID 2522948.1) or Technical Support Policy Document.
* One additional year (01-Aug-2021 through 31-July-2022) has been added to the 12.1.0.2 DB Extended Support time frame with the following exceptions: For Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh platforms, the patching end date (Error Correction end date) is still July 31, 2021.
Cheers,
Mike
Hey Mike,
Thanks for the reply.
I believe we’ve found documentation from Dec 2019 where Windows 2008 was an exception but there was no mention of any other windows version not being supported — where as now, all Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh platforms are listed as an exception.
Do you know when that changed by any chance?
Thanks again,
Grant
Hi Grant,
it may have been precised but I’m not sure as I don’t keep copies of the note.
Cheers,
Mike
Hi Mike,
To follow up on Grants comment for windows 2012 R2 servers is the following relevant?
* One additional year (01-Aug-2021 through 31-July-2022) has been added to the 12.1.0.2 DB Extended Support time frame with the following exceptions: For Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh platforms, the patching end date (Error Correction end date) is still July 31, 2021
Some documents still state
“Microsoft Windows 2008 platforms or Apple Mac Clients”
Thanks
Hakan
Hi Hakan,
we call MOS 742060.1 the “Single Source of Truth” as this is the central note we all rely on.
Cheers,
Mike