Oracle Support and Maintenance Overview

Oracle’s support and maintenance policies are critical to owning Oracle software. Once you have licenses, keeping them supported ensures you have access to updates, patches, and assistance when issues arise. Oracle offers different support levels over a product’s lifecycle (Premier, Extended, Sustaining), each with scope and cost implications. This article provides an overview of Oracle’s support offerings, what each level includes, typical timelines for support, how support fees work (and grow), and when it might make sense to consider third-party support alternatives.

Understanding Oracle Support Levels

Oracle’s Lifetime Support Policy outlines three primary support levels for its on-premises software products:

• Premier Support: This is the initial, full support coverage Oracle provides for a new product release. It includes regular updates, security patches, bug fixes, and access to Oracle’s technical support. Premier Support is analogous to “mainstream support” and generally lasts 5 years from the product’s general availability (GA) date. When you purchase Oracle support (the 22% annual fee), you are in the Premier Support phase for any current release.
• Extended Support: After Premier Support ends, Oracle may offer Extended Support for certain product releases. Extended Support typically extends coverage for an additional 3 years beyond Premier. It includes bug fixes and security patches (often more limited, focusing on critical issues) and support assistance, but usually at an increased fee. Oracle charges a premium on top of the normal support price for Extended Support (often an extra 10% for the first year of extension, then 20% for subsequent years). Not all products or versions have Extended Support; Oracle announces which releases get it (commonly, major database versions, etc., get the full 3-year extension option).
• Sustaining Support: After Premier (and any Extended, if available) ends, the product release falls into Sustaining Support. Sustaining support is indefinite but limited. You can continue to receive support as long as you pay annual fees, but Oracle will not provide new updates, fixes, or certification for new tech on that release. You only get access to the existing knowledge base, previously released patches, and assistance with use – no new bug fixes. Sustaining Support is meant to help you “keep the lights on” for older software without any improvements.

In summary, for a typical Oracle software version, expect 5 years of Premier, optionally up to 3 years of Extended (at higher cost), and then Sustaining forever. Oracle publishes detailed Lifetime Support documents by product line that list the dates—it’s good practice to check those for the products you use (e.g., Oracle Database 19c Premier Support until 2024, Extended to 2027, etc., as per current policy).

Premier vs Extended vs Sustaining Support

Let’s delve a bit more into what you actually get (and don’t get) at each support level:

• Premier Support (Years 1-5 of a release):
  • Updates and Patches: You receive product updates, critical patch updates (security fixes, usually quarterly), bug fixes for all severity levels, and even minor feature enhancements or certifications. Oracle regularly releases Patch Set Updates (PSUs) or Release Updates for databases during Premier.
  • New Version Upgrades: If a new major version of the product comes out while you have support, you are entitled to upgrade to it (your license is generally version-flexible as long as you’re supported). For example, if you have Oracle DB 18c supported and 19c is released, you can download 19c and upgrade without buying a new license.
  • Technical Support: Access to Oracle’s Support engineers via My Oracle Support (web tickets) and phone for severity one issues 24/7. Premier includes all severity handling.
  • Certifications: During this time, Oracle will certify the product on new OS versions, new third-party software, etc. For example, if Windows or Linux releases a new version, Oracle might certify the database on it in a patch.
  • No Additional Fee beyond standard support: Premier is covered by your standard 22% support fee.
• Extended Support (Years 6-8, if offered):
  • Bug & Security Fixes: Oracle continues to deliver patches for critical issues. However, they may be more selective – e.g., perhaps only Severity 1 and some Security fixes, and might not fix lesser bugs unless there’s a big impact. The exact policy can vary by product/version (Oracle often documents which fixes are included or excluded in Extended).
  • No New Features: You typically won’t see any new minor enhancements. It’s mainly fixes.
  • Technical Support: Still have access to Oracle Support for issues.
  • Higher Cost: As noted, Extended Support comes at a premium. For instance, Oracle Database 11g Extended Support had an extra 20% fee from the second year onward (first year sometimes Oracle waived or discounted the uplift to encourage people to stay). So if you paid $100K/year for support, it might become $120K/year in Extended. This is effectively a penalty for not upgrading.
  • Time-bound: Extended is only for a set period (usually up to 3 years). Oracle expects customers to either upgrade to a newer release or accept moving to Sustaining after that.
• Sustaining Support (Year 9+ or when no Extended):
  • No new patches or fixes: This is key. Suppose a new security vulnerability is discovered in your product version, and you are on Sustaining. In that case, Oracle will not create a patch for you (since they stopped producing patches after Premier/Extended). This means your system could remain vulnerable unless you upgrade. Sustaining means use at your own risk with known fixes.
  • Knowledge Base and Existing Patches: You can access all prior patches and updates released while the product was in Premier/Extended. So you should apply the latest patch set before Premier support ended. Oracle Support can guide you to existing fixes if an issue arises that was solved in the past. They just won’t create new ones.
  • Technical Support Assistance: You can still log issues, ask questions, and get help with troubleshooting. Oracle will help you find if an existing patch resolves an issue or if there’s a workaround. But if it turns out to be a new bug, the answer will likely be “no fix available in Sustaining Support; please upgrade to a supported version.”
  • Indefinite duration: There’s no time limit; you can theoretically stay on Sustaining Support for decades, paying the annual fee. Some organizations do this for stable systems that they don’t want to touch (but it can be risky, as mentioned).

Understanding these differences is crucial. Running mission-critical applications on Sustaining Support is generally not advisable because you won’t get new security patches, which could violate security compliance standards. Extended Support can cover you for a while if you need more time to upgrade, but it costs more.

Support Timelines and Policies

Oracle’s typical timeline (5+3 years) covers most products, but always consult the official support policy documents for specifics. For example:

• Oracle Database 19c (released 2019) is a Long Term Release with Premier Support through end of March 2024 and Extended through March 2027 (as an illustrative timeline).
• Oracle Database 21c was an Innovation Release with a shorter Premier (2 years) and no Extended (since it’s not Long Term) – Oracle does this for some in-between releases.

Oracle’s support policies also include some notable general policies:

• Error Correction Policy: Oracle will produce bug fixes only for a product’s current and certain previous patch levels. This means that even in Premier, if you’re on an old patch release, they might ask you to update to the latest patch before they troubleshoot further.
• Terminal Releases: Sometimes the last patch set of a version is the terminal release that gets all fixes until Extended ends. E.g., Oracle 11.2.0.4 was terminal patch for 11gR2 and got fixes through Extended period.
• Waived Extended Fees: Occasionally, Oracle waives Extended Support fees for the first year of extension for some products (they did for Database 12.1 for the first year, IIRC) to give people more breathing room to upgrade. Keep an eye on Support Policy updates or announcements.
• Lifetime Support Documentation: Oracle’s support site provides PDFs for each product line (Database, Middleware, Applications) that list each version and the Premier/Extended/Sustaining dates. These are very useful for planning upgrades.

Support Renewals: Oracle support contracts auto-renew yearly. The renewal quote typically comes from Oracle or a reseller listing the support fees for the next year. By default, Oracle will include the standard uplift (e.g., adding 4%). If you have a multi-year deal, sometimes they lock it for a period. Suppose you plan to terminate some support (e.g., you retired a system and don’t need the support for those licenses). In that case, you must inform Oracle before renewal and be prepared for their repricing policy. According to Oracle’s Technical Support policies, if you drop licenses, they can reprice the remainder on the list, which might negate savings. So often, unless you drop an entire Order or license set, you won’t save money by cutting partial licenses from support.

Matching Service Levels: Oracle generally requires that the licenses of a given program that you use must all be under the same support level. You shouldn’t have 50 DB licenses on support and 50 not on support but still deployed – that’s a compliance no-no in Oracle’s eyes (and potentially a breach of contract terms if you use unsupported ones in production). If you choose to terminate support on some licenses, you should theoretically stop using those licenses (or at least isolate them to non-production). Otherwise, Oracle can argue that you must support all or none of that program.

Hardware/Operating System Support: Note that Oracle’s software support policies assume you are running on a supported OS version, etc. If you run Oracle on a very old OS that even the OS vendor no longer supports, Oracle might limit its help. However, typically, they’ll still assist at the Sustain level—just won’t certify or guarantee anything.

In short, timeline management is crucial: Always know when Premier Support ends for your Oracle products, and have a plan (upgrade or budget for Extended or accept Sustaining risks).

What Support Includes (and What It Doesn’t)

Under an active Oracle support contract (Premier/Extended), you are entitled to:

• Software Updates and Patches: This includes minor version updates, patch sets, security fixes (Critical Patch Updates quarterly), and even major version upgrades. For instance, support allows you to download any new product releases for which you have licenses. Suppose you have Oracle Database Enterprise Edition licenses, with support. In that case, you can download the latest version from Oracle Software Delivery Cloud and apply it – your license is valid for it, as long as it’s the same product and quantity.
• Technical Assistance: You can log support tickets 24/7 for critical issues. Oracle’s global support centers will troubleshoot problems, provide workarounds, and escalate to development if needed for bug fixes. The response times depend on severity: Sev1 (critical down) gets the fastest response (often within 1 hour initial response), Sev2 next, etc.
• My Oracle Support Portal: Access Oracle’s support portal where you can search the knowledge base (notes, docs, previously answered questions), download patches and updates, and interact with Oracle support engineers. This portal is a treasure trove of documentation, including installation guides, best practice notes, etc., available only to customers with support.
• Certification Information: Support provides documentation on what combinations of Oracle software and other software/hardware are certified. For example, is Oracle DB 19c certified on RHEL 8 or supported on VMware? The details are in the support notes.
• Non-technical benefits: Some support contracts (especially for applications) might include product support communities. Oracle sometimes offers minor perks like free training webinars for customers, but these are not guaranteed.

What Oracle Support does not include (common misconceptions to clarify):

• It’s not consulting or managed services: Oracle Support will not come and install your software, tune your database, or provide on-site assistance (unless you pay separately for Advanced Customer Support services). The standard support is reactive (you ask, they assist) and somewhat limited to break-fix and Q&A. They won’t design your architecture or do health checks for free.
• It doesn’t cover new product functionalities outside your license: If you didn’t buy a certain option, support won’t give it to you. For example, if you didn’t license the Diagnostics Pack for Oracle DB, you can’t get patches for that pack because you shouldn’t be using it in the first place.
• No support for custom code: If you build customizations or custom code with issues, Oracle will generally only help to tell you if the standard APIs are working. They won’t debug your PL/SQL procedure beyond showing that the Oracle engine functions as intended.
• Not unlimited: You have a finite number of named contacts who can file support tickets (Oracle usually limits how many people can open cases, based on your support agreement, but you can designate multiple).
• Support doesn’t mean free usage: Sometimes people think that if they keep paying support, they can use any Oracle product – not true, you must have licenses for whatever you use. Support doesn’t cover new licenses; it just helps with the ones you have.

Also note: If you lapse support, as mentioned, you lose access to patches and even the support portal downloads. Oracle’s policy states you’re not entitled to updates or new versions for unsupported programs. So, even with a perpetual license, Oracle won’t legally let you download a patch for it unless you have active support.

The Cost of Support

We touched on support cost earlier, but let’s reiterate with focus: Support is typically 22% of your net license fees, billed annually. This means after about 4.5 years, you’ve again paid 100% of the license in support. Support costs tend to increase yearly (compounded), so over a decade, you might pay 2-3 times the initial license cost in support.

From a budgeting perspective:

• Year 1: Pay license + support.
• Year 2: Pay support (+ uplift).
• Year 3: Pay support (+ uplift) … and so on.

If you expand your use (buy more licenses), your support base grows accordingly. Oracle’s business model relies heavily on these support renewals as a steady income.

Extended Support cost: As mentioned, if you go into Extended Support, add maybe 10-20% more on top. For example, Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1’s Extended Support was waived for the first year, then 20% extra. Oracle Database Extended Support is often 20% extra after a waived period.

Support Fee Control: Many large customers negotiate caps on annual support increases in their contracts (like “Oracle shall not increase support fees by more than 3% annually for 3 years” or similar). If you have a good relationship and a large spend, negotiating that in your order documents or as an amendment is worth negotiating.

Support Reinstatement: If you stop support and later want to resume, Oracle will charge back pay for the lapsed period plus a reinstatement fee (often 150% of the lapsed fees). For example, if you stopped support two years ago on a $50k/year support contract and now want support, you might pay $50k*2 (back fees) + 150% of $100k = $150k, then resume annual $50k. Essentially, Oracle discourages stopping and starting—they want continuity.

Is support mandatory? Not legally – you can choose not to renew support on perpetual licenses. But practically, running important software without vendor support is risky. Some companies do it to save costs, especially if the software is stable and not changing (and if they have other means to get help or if it’s non-critical). But you must be comfortable with no new patches (security!). Many compliance regimes (like PCI, HIPAA) would frown on using software that doesn’t receive security updates.

Support vs New Licenses trade-off: Sometimes companies face a situation where support on existing licenses becomes more expensive than potentially switching to a new product or re-buying licenses differently. For example, if you’re paying support on a bunch of unused licenses, that money could be better spent investing in new technology. This line of thought leads some to consider third-party support or dropping support for part of their portfolio to fund innovation.

Considering Third-Party Support Options

An alternative to Oracle’s support has emerged in the past decade: third-party support providers. Companies like Rimini Street and Spinnaker Support offer support services for Oracle products (as well as other enterprise software like SAP). These firms promise to maintain your Oracle systems (providing break-fix support, help with issues, and even create patches or workarounds) at a significantly lower cost, typically 50% of Oracle’s support fees.

Why would you consider third-party support?

• Cost Savings: The primary driver is cost. Third-party providers often charge half of what Oracle charges for annual support. For a large Oracle footprint, that’s substantial savings year over year. They also usually guarantee no annual increase or very low increases.
• Extended life for older systems: Third-party support will happily support your older Oracle version for as long as you need, without pressuring you to upgrade. They often create custom patches, especially for regulatory compliance (tax updates for EBS, etc.), when Oracle’s Sustaining Support would not. If you have a very stable environment and no need to upgrade, they keep it running.
• Customized Support: Some customers find third-party support more responsive or personalized. You often get a dedicated engineer or a small team that learns your environment. Rimini Street, for example, markets that their support has better SLA for response and more comprehensive troubleshooting since they cover custom code issues as well (Oracle support does not handle customizations beyond standard interfaces).

However, there are also serious considerations and drawbacks:

• No Oracle Upgrades/Patches: When you leave Oracle’s support, you lose the right to new patches and versions. Third-party support can only patch so much – they don’t officially have Oracle’s source code (though they might recreate fixes). You will be frozen on your current version (they can help you keep it running, but not move forward).
• Legal Considerations: Oracle has engaged in legal battles with Rimini Street over what constitutes lawful support. Rimini Street has had to adjust its processes but continues to operate. As a customer, using third-party support is legal as long as you own a perpetual license – there’s no law saying you must buy support from the vendor. But Oracle may try to audit you to ensure you’re not illegally using support-only deliverables. Documenting everything (what materials you have rights to, etc.) is wise.
• Future needs: If you want to upgrade to a new Oracle version in the future, you would likely need to reinstate Oracle support (with penalties as noted) or re-license. Some companies plan to stay on an older version indefinitely or until they migrate off Oracle entirely, in which case, third-party support is a bridge.
• Limited scope: Third-party support can fix bugs and provide workarounds, but if a new security vulnerability is discovered in the Oracle DB executable, they may or may not be able to provide a patch, whereas Oracle would (during Premier/Extended). Third parties often focus on application support (like EBS and PeopleSoft), where they can do tax and legal patches. For Oracle Database, the most they can do is help you with known issues and monitor for vulnerabilities – they might suggest config changes to mitigate security issues. Still, they can’t issue DB engine fixes like Oracle can.

When to consider third-party support:

• Suppose you are running an older Oracle product that is stable, has no plans to upgrade, or needs new features. For example, an older E-Business Suite instance where you just need it to run for 5 more years, and Oracle’s support has moved to Sustaining, third-party support can keep it compliant (tax patches, etc.) at a lower cost.
• If Oracle’s Extended Support costs are too high and you cannot upgrade quickly, a third party might cover you instead.
• If you have been through multiple Oracle audits and have a sour relationship, or simply want to reduce spend dramatically, you also have internal support expertise.
• As leverage: Some organizations use the credible option of third-party support as a negotiation tool with Oracle (“reduce my support costs or I might switch”). Oracle may offer discounts or other concessions to keep you (not guaranteed, but if you’re a big account, they might).

One should also consider partial third-party support: You don’t have to move all Oracle products to them. Some might keep databases on Oracle support (for latest patches) but move, say, Oracle EBS or Hyperion support to a third party after they stabilize on a final version.

Example: A large enterprise running Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1 decided not to upgrade to 12.2. Oracle’s Premier ended, and Extended was costly. They switched to Rimini Street. Rimini now provides tax and regulatory updates for their ERP and support for any issues at half the cost, buying the company time and saving money until they eventually move to a different ERP. This is a common use case cited where customers saved 50% of support fees.

Switching to third-party support does not cancel your license – you still own the Oracle license (perpetual). You’re just not paying Oracle, so Oracle will consider you unsupported (and not give you benefits). You must notify Oracle (or rather, just not renew). Oracle might attempt to reacquire you later, but that’s up to you.

Recommendations

For Oracle support and maintenance management, consider the following next steps:

• Map Out Support Dates: Create a support lifecycle calendar for all your Oracle products. Identify when Premier Support ends for each and the plan (upgrade, pay Extended, retire, etc.). It is recommended that upgrade projects be started well before the deadline (at least 1-2 years prior) to avoid Extended Support fees where possible.
• Review Support Renewal Line Items: At each annual renewal, scrutinize what you’re paying for; if there are products or licenses you no longer use in production, consider whether you can drop support on them. If Oracle’s repricing policy makes dropping uneconomical, you might decide to keep them, but at least you know. In some cases, consolidating multiple support contracts into one can give you negotiation leverage for better terms.
• Negotiate Support Caps: If you are a significant Oracle customer, negotiate to cap or freeze support price increases for a period. Oracle sometimes agrees to terms like a fixed 0% increase for 2 years in exchange for a multi-year renewal commitment. This can save a lot of time.
• Establish an Upgrade Policy: To avoid falling into expensive Extended or vulnerable Sustaining support, establish an internal policy to stay within Premier Support when feasible. That means planning regular upgrades (which might be painful, but you trade that effort for money saved and better security). For databases, Oracle now releases “Long Term Release” (like 19c), which they support longer, vs “Innovation Release” (like 21c). Prefer the long-term ones for production to maximize the support runway.
• Consider Third-Party Support Selectively: Evaluate your Oracle portfolio for any candidate to move to third-party support:
  • If a system is stable and does not need Oracle’s updates (maybe it’s already on Sustaining from Oracle’s view), get quotes from providers like Rimini Street. See if the cost savings are worth it. Ensure you have no near-term need to upgrade that system because you’d be pausing upgrades.
  • If you decide to switch, strategize the timing (do it at support renewal time, and coordinate not to violate any notice periods). Also, communicate internally that Oracle will no longer support that system, and any new requirements must be met by either the third party or not at all (e.g., a new feature won’t come until you possibly re-contract with Oracle).
  • Keep compliance in mind: You still must adhere to Oracle licensing rules. Third-party support doesn’t shield you from usage audits; it only replaces support services. If you leave, Oracle might scrutinize you more (some anecdotal evidence of increased audit frequency), so ensure your license compliance is solid.
• Leverage Premier Support Fully: Use it if you’re paying for support! Encourage your DBAs and developers to search My Oracle Support for patches and known issues. Log SRs (service requests) when you hit a snag – even if it’s just to ask, “Is there a patch for this bug?” or a performance issue. Oracle’s support might not always solve everything to your satisfaction, but you should get the value you’re paying for by getting their input, especially for tough issues. Also, apply the security patches Oracle provides; not doing so defeats a big reason for paying for support.
• Evaluate Support Alternatives for Databases: If you only keep Oracle support to get security patches, consider that many security issues can be mitigated with network controls or minor version upgrades. Some companies go without Oracle database support and rely on in-house expertise and defensive security. This is risky, but if budgets force it, at least ensure you have a plan (like use Oracle’s free XE edition in dev to test things, or have a consultant available for emergencies). A safer alternative is third-party support rather than none at all.
• Stay Educated on Oracle Policies: Oracle occasionally updates its support policies (for example, introducing the Continuous Innovation model for applications, or changes in Java support, etc.). Stay informed via Oracle announcements or user groups. Being aware of policy changes (like if Oracle decides to extend support for a version due to customer pressure) can save money, e.g., Oracle extended support dates for EBS 12.2 Premier out to 2032 under a continuous innovation plan, meaning no Extended fees in that period.

Managing support is about balancing cost, risk, and operational needs. By proactively handling support renewals and exploring alternatives, you can control maintenance costs while keeping your Oracle systems reliable and secure.