오라클 12c EOS - olakeul 12c EOS

Effective July 31, 2022, Extended Support for Oracle Database Enterprise Edition 12.1.0.2 and Oracle Database Standard Edition 2 (SE2) 12.1.0.2 ends.

Extended Support is offered for the period August 2021 through July 2022 for the following platforms: Linux x86-64, Linux on IBM Z, IBM AIX on POWER Systems (64 bit), HP-UX Itanium, Fujitsu BS2000, Oracle Solaris on SPARC, Oracle Solaris on x86-64 and Microsoft Windows x64.

Oracle Lifetime Support Policies explain Premier Support as full support for 5 years from the general availability date, Extended Support as equivalent to Premier Support, almost fully supported, and Sustaining Support as Knowledge Base support for as long as you use your Oracle software.

The latest version of Oracle Database is Oracle Database 21c and the current long-term release is 19c.

For the Lifetime Support Policy on Oracle Technology Products such as Oracle Database editions, please visit: https://www.oracle.com/us/assets/lifetime-support-technology-069183.pdf.

For a compilation of resources concerning Oracle Lifetime Support Policies, please visit: https://www.oracle.com/support/lifetime-support/resources.html.

For a comparison of the different stages of Lifetime Support for Oracle software, please visit: https://www.oracle.com/support/lifetime-support/software.html.

For a post on the availability of Oracle Database 21c, please visit: https://www.schneider.im/oracle-database-21c-available/.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Oracle 12c (version 12.2.0.1) was released in March 2017 and is widely used across businesses in both Standard and Enterprise Edition versions. As with all Oracle database releases, there is a Premier Support period that runs for a minimum of two years.

As such, Oracle 12c users will have known for a while that the Premier Support comes to an end on 30th November 2020 (although there is a Limited Error Correction Period which runs to 31st March 2022 – see here for details Oracle Lifetime Support Policy).

In these days of strict governance around any data storage, the vast majority of businesses will need to upgrade to a more contemporary software version to ensure ongoing compliance. Auditors will put a big red mark against any out-of-support systems.

What are the recommended options?

Oracle 18c is the next upgrade release but since that went into general availability in July 2018, the Premier Support period runs until June 2021.

So if you are going to go through a major upgrade along with the associated application testing, it’s likely that you’ll want to skip 18c and upgrade to a newer version for the longevity of the support period.

As this post is being written, it is probable then that your best upgrade option is 19c which includes useful enhancements around ease of management and automation (in both the on-prem and Oracle Cloud versions).

Oracle has always focussed on high availability along with DR options and 19c continues this theme with enhancements to its “pluggable database” functions.

For those of you who are using Oracle SE2, you’ll be aware of the two socket / 16 CPU threads limitation. Whilst this is adequate for many applications serving the mid-market enterprise, if you need more horsepower you’ll need to upgrade to Enterprise Edition which will amplify your licence cost significantly.

What to do if you’re using an Oracle RAC cluster

It is also worth noting that with Oracle 19c there have been further changes to the SE2 version in the clustering options. In previous SE2 versions, you could deploy an Oracle RAC cluster as long as you comply with the maximum socket/CPU thread rules across the 2-nodes.

With 19c SE2, Oracle have done away with the RAC option, so if you are currently using RAC as part of your DR strategy, you’ll need to consider:

• Opt to stay on 18c (but be mindful of the upcoming end-of-support date).
• Convert the RAC environment to a non-clustered configuration (Dbvisit for example provide a really useful alternative with their Dbvisit Standby solution).
• Upgrade SE2 to Enterprise Edition (great for HA but very costly if you are used to a Standard Edition cost model).
• Modernise your environment and migrate to a cloud platform (Oracle OCI is an obvious first option if you are wedded to Oracle).

Is it time to progress your database modernisation plans?

Of course, as you plan your Oracle upgrade options, it is an opportune time to look at the wider modernisation considerations which will include where your databases should be hosted. Is it time to move off-prem and migrate to Azure or AWS? What are the pros and cons?

The other option is whether or not Oracle is the right database for your workloads. Oracle is typically considered one of the most expensive aspects of a technology stack. You might want to start looking at alternative platform options which may reduce your cost model without compromising performance or functionality.

So, lots to consider. We frequently help our customers rethink their database environments to ensure effective ongoing modernisation.

If you are currently running Oracle 12c and are considering your upgrade plan, please feel free to contact me for an impartial discussion around the potential options.