Since several customers asked me about it, I realized that I have never blogged about LTRUs – and as of now, Long-Term Release Updates are paused. Let me explain what the concept meant, where you can find information about it and what it would mean in your environment.
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Long-Term Release Update
The idea is smart for those customers who can’t move forward on Release Updates (RU) as quickly as we recommend it. Which means: apply them quarterly. Long-Term Release Updates (LTRU) seemed to be a good approach. You take an LTRU, and then we offer Monthly Recommended Patches (MRP) for a duration of 18 months instead of the usual 6 months on top.
MOS Note: KB625385 describes the concept of LTRUs.
The first LTRU is Oracle Database 19c Release Update 19.28. LTRUs exist on x86-64 Linux only. LTRUs are currently not available on any other operating system platform.
This means that you must apply MRPs going forward. The MRPs contain:
- 19c regression fixes
- RAC-rolling fixes published in MOS Note: KB188772 (formerly known as 555.1)
- Security fixes that can be delivered as an Interim Patch (MRPs released in Jan, Apr, Jul and Oct will include information on CVEs included)
- Critical Security Patch Update (CSPU) fixes
You can find more about Long Term Support Releases and Long Term RUs in MOS Note: KB106822.
How does the schedule differ from a regular RU?
LTRUs sound quite attractive. Hence, you may compare the schedules for MRPs below.
This is the normal release schedule. We release quarterly RUs, and then on top of them for Oracle Database 19c and Oracle AI Database 26ai on x86-64 Linux-only the so called Monthly Recommended Patches (MRP). 6 MRPs get released per RU on top. They are cumulative, meaning MRP5 for 19.30 contains the fixes from MRP1-MRP4 on top of 19.30 as well. But the fixes are supposed to be included in the next or the subsequent RUs, 19.31 and 19.32 as well.
Monthly Recommended Patches on Linux for Oracle Database 19c
The basic mechanism is the same for LTRUs with one difference: You can get MRPs on top of an LTRU for a duration of 18 months. The MRP schedule will extend beyond the picture below as there will be 18 MRPs on top of the LTRU, 19.28.
Long-Term Release Update with 18 MRPs on top
This means that you will receive MRPs with the most important fixes on top of Release Update 19.28 until the end of 2026.
Well, but the end of this calendar year is already near. So, strategically, there is no point of settling on 19.28 as of now anymore. In addition, compared to 19.31, you will miss over 1000 fixes – and those 1000 fixes aren’t part of the MRPs.
If you wonder how CSPUs fit into this concept, then please read CPU, CSPU, RU, MRP – some clarifications.
LTRUs are paused for now
Now you know a lot about Long-Term Release Updates already. But you can put all this information to the side as the headline of this blog post indicates.
Why?
As you can read in MOS Note: KB625385 – Long Term Release Updates, LTRUs are paused for now. This means, Release Update 19.28 is the only LTRU at the moment. No further announcements have been made for the next LTRU.
NOTE: As of May 1st, 2026, the Long Term Release Update (LT RU) program is paused. No new LT RUs will be identified. However, MRPs for the current LT RU 19.28 will continue to be delivered through January 2027.
If you wonder why we paused it, my guess is that we strongly focus on security patching. Plus, the introduction of CSPUs for all other platforms except Linux needs to get rolled out as well. We will see if there will be another LTRU, or whether Release Update 19.28 will remain the first and the last LTRU.
Further Links and Information
- MOS Note: KB625385 – Long Term Release Updates
- MOS Note: KB188772 (formerly known as 555.1)
- MOS Note: KB106822 – Long Term Support Releases and Long Term RUs
- CPU, CSPU, RU, MRP – some clarification
–Mike
Hello Mike,
Thank you so much for bringing this change to our attention!
But let it be said that Oracle pausing the LTRU program is very, very bad news, IMHO.
The CSPU program has brought a major improvement: having security fixes included in MRPs (at last!), as opposed to delivered in the latest RU only as previously. However, that improvement is best complemented by having LTRUs, because LTRUs enable clients to keep receiving security fixes (along with other high-priority fixes) monthly over an extended period, while being able to remain on one LTRU for up to 18 months. This model brings at lot of flexibility, and minimizes the risks inherent in patching to a fresh RU, as clients can adopt a new LTRU when it has already reached MRPn (typically MRP6), with high confidence that early issues have been eliminated, and that they still have 18 minus n (typically 12) months of MRPs remaining, during which they will get security and other important fixes. So it’s really a best-of-both-worlds model, in which clients may both patch regularly (albeit minimally) and remain on a proven, highly stable, Long-Term Release Update.
Remove LTRUs from the picture, and what we have is a serious dilemma: we need to patch regularly, if only for security reasons, and thanks to the CSPU program we now receive security fixes in MRPs. On the other hand we don’t want to adopt RUs too fast, in order to avoid early issues. As a consequence, by the time we have finished patching to a new RU, the RU that we have just adopted has only a very limited number of remaining MRPs, if any. What happens next, if a major CVE is disclosed when our newly adopted RU has already received its sixth and last MRP?
The result of this is an insane addition of patching pressure, as it takes at lot more work for us to switch to a new RU (out-of place) than it takes to simply apply the latest MRP (in-place), and not all deployments can afford that.
Meanwhile, if I understand correctly, the upcoming LTRU was supposed to be 19.32… And thankfully, the LTRU program will nevertheless continue on RU 19.28, as originally promised, until it reaches MRP18 on January 2027. At that time, RU 19.32 will have received MRP6, and it’s only in February 2027 that it should reach, per the LTRU schedule, MRP7. This means Oracle still has a few months to listen, change its mind, and finally decide to continue the much needed LTRU program on RU 19.32.
Obviously, the LTRU program supposes that Oracle backports fixes to a fifth RU, in addition to the four latest RUs, but the inconvenience for Oracle should be far outweighed by the huge benefits for Oracle clients.
Thanks again for bringing this to our attention.
Best regards,
Hi Rvo,
thanks for your feedback – and I will bring this up in an internal discussion we actually have later today.
I see and understand all your points – absolutely.
Cheers,
Mike