[Announcement] Amazon RDS for Oracle - End of Support Timeline for 12.1.0.2 and 12.2.0.1 Major Versions

Revision:
Updated Feb 1, 2022
Change in Timeline summary:
• February 14, 2022 - You can upgrade 12.2.0.1 snapshots manually to the version of your choice.
• February 14, 2022 - Amazon RDS for Oracle disables new instance creates on 12.2.0.1, but you will be able to continue to restore 12.2.0.1 DB snapshots without being auto upgraded until March 31, 2022.

Revision:
Updated November 11, 2021
Second round of communication is sent out to all customers in 12.1 and 12.2 - 10/05

RDS for Oracle

Revision:
Updated March 30, 2021
Reflected are the timelines based on the End of Support date for 12.1.0.2 and 12.2.0.1 - July 31, 2022 and March 31, 2022 respectively.

This post covers the deprecation timeline for the 12.1.0.2 & 12.2.0.1 versions by Amazon RDS for Oracle

Oracle Corp. has announced the end of support for version 12.1.0.2 of Oracle Database by July 31, 2022, after which Oracle Support will no longer release Critical Patch Updates for this database version. Based on this end of support timeline, Amazon RDS for Oracle will end the support for version 12.1.0.2 of Oracle Database on July 31, 2022.

Oracle Corp. has announced the end of support for version 12.2.0.1 of Oracle Database by March 31, 2022, after which Oracle Support will no longer release Critical Patch Updates for this database version. Based on this end of support timeline, Amazon RDS for Oracle will end the support for version 12.2.0.1 of Oracle Database on March 31, 2022.

Amazon RDS for Oracle will begin auto upgrading all 12.1.0.2 DB instances to 19c starting on August 1, 2022 and all 12.2.0.1 DB instances to 19c starting on April 1, 2022. These auto upgrades may not happen in your maintenance window. If you need the upgrades to happen during your maintenance window, please schedule the upgrade accordingly as soon as possible.

If you have already upgraded your DB instance(s) to 19c, no further action is required. We highly recommend you upgrade your existing 12.1.0.2 and 12.2.0.1 DB instances to version 19c and validate your applications before the automatic upgrades begin.

Please keep in mind the following timeline for the 19c version:
• 19c: The Premier Support for Oracle Database 19c ends on April 30, 2024, while the Extended Support ends on April 30, 2027. Amazon RDS for Oracle plans to support Oracle Database 19c until April 30, 2027.

As part of deciding which version to upgrade to, please keep in mind the following timelines:

12.1.0.2 Deprecation Timeline by Amazon RDS for Oracle (for both BYOL and LI):
• Now - July 31, 2022 - You can upgrade 12.1.0.2 DB instances manually to the version of your choice.
• June 1, 2022 - You can upgrade 12.1.0.2 snapshots manually to the version of your choice.
• June 1, 2022 - Amazon RDS for Oracle disables new instance creates on 12.1.0.2, but you will be able to continue to restore 12.1.0.2 DB snapshots without being auto upgraded until July 31, 2022.
• August 1, 2022 - Amazon RDS for Oracle starts automatic upgrades of 12.1.0.2 DB instances to 19c.
• August 1, 2022 - Amazon RDS for Oracle starts automatic upgrades to 19c of DB instances restored from 12.1.0.2 snapshots.

12.2.0.1 Deprecation Timeline by Amazon RDS for Oracle (for both BYOL and LI):
• Now - March 31, 2022 - You can upgrade 12.2.0.1 DB instances manually to the version of your choice.
• February 14, 2022 - You can upgrade 12.2.0.1 snapshots manually to the version of your choice.
• February 14, 2022 - Amazon RDS for Oracle disables new instance creates on 12.2.0.1, but you will be able to continue to restore 12.2.0.1 DB snapshots without being auto upgraded until March 31, 2022.
• April 1, 2022 - Amazon RDS for Oracle starts automatic upgrades of 12.2.0.1 DB instances to 19c.
• April 1, 2022 - Amazon RDS for Oracle starts automatic upgrades to 19c of DB instances restored from 12.2.0.1 snapshots.

Additional Notes
After the upgrade, if the SQL statements perform in an unexpected manner due to the change in the plans by the 19c optimizer, you can use the OPTIMIZER_FEATURES_ENABLE parameter to retain the behavior of the 12c optimizer.

There is no impact to your current RIs due to the engine version deprecation of 12.1.0.2 and 12.2.0.1.

For versions in Extended Support, BYOL model customers must have purchased Extended Support agreements from Oracle Support or upgrade to a version for which they have support. For the details on the Licensing and Support requirements for the BYOL model customers, refer to the Amazon RDS for Oracle FAQs [1].

To learn more about upgrading Oracle major versions in RDS, review the documentation [2].

Please contact us through AWS Support [3] should you have any questions or concerns.

References
[1] https://aws.amazon.com/rds/oracle/faqs/
[2] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_UpgradeDBInstance.Oracle.html
[3] https://aws.amazon.com/support