A few words on Oracle Database Product Family

Oracle features and options are frequently changing, so please refer MOS note for the latest Oracle features and options packages.

Oracle Database is available in five editions, each suitable for different development and deployment scenarios. Oracle also offers several database options, packs, and other products that enhance the capabilities of Oracle Database for specific application purposes.

Oracle RDBMS editions:

• Oracle Enterprise Edition (EE) – Full featured edition of Oracle RDBMS which allows all core features along with the option to purchase add-on features (like Partitioning) and Management Packs (like the Diagnostics Pack).

• Oracle Standard Edition (SE) – A damped down of edition of Oracle which can run on a server with a maximum of four CPU sockets. It cannot take advantage of add-ons or Management Packs. It does, however, include Oracle RAC as long as all nodes combined have no more than 4 sockets.

• Oracle Standard Edition One (SE1) – A further reduced edition which shares the same features with SE but is limited to 2 CPU Sockets with no RAC option.

• Oracle Express Edition (XE) – A free use version of Oracle which can use a single CPU (though it can be installed on a server with as many CPUs as you want), 1GB RAM, and 11GB data.

• Oracle Personal Edition (PE) – Single User, Single Machine development/deployment license which can use any SE1, SE, or EE feature with the exception of RAC and Management Packs.

Database version history

The major Oracle versions, with their latest patch-sets are:

• Oracle v2 : 2.3
• Oracle v3 : 3.1.3
• Oracle v4 : 4.1.4.0-4.1.4.4
• Oracle v5 : 5.0.22, 5.1.17, 5.1.22
• Oracle v6 : 6.0.17-6.0.36 (no OPS code), 6.0.37 (with OPS)
• Oracle7: 7.0.12–7.3.4
• Oracle 8: 8.0.3 - 8.0.6
• Oracle 8i: 8.1.5.0 - 8.1.7.4
• Oracle 9i (Release 1): 9.0.1.0 - 9.0.1.4
• Oracle 9i (Release 2): 9.2.0.1 - 9.2.0.8
• Oracle 10g (Release 1): 10.1.0.2 - 10.1.0.5
• Oracle 10g (Release 2): 10.2.0.1 - 10.2.0.5
• Oracle 11g (Release 1): 11.1.0.6 - 11.1.0.7
• Oracle 11g (Release 2): 11.2.0.1 - 11.2.0.4
• Oracle Database 12c (Release 1): 12.1.0.1.0 - 12.1.0.2.0. (Recent release)

De-support dates

• Oracle 9iR2 was desupported on 31 July 2007. However, customers on Oracle 9.2.0.8 received free Extended Support until July 31, 2008.
• Oracle 10g Release 1 was desupported on 31 January 2009 and extended support ended on 31 January 2012.
• Oracle 10g Release 2 was desupported on 31 July 2010 and extended support ended on 31 July 2013.
• Oracle 11g Release 1 was desupported on 31 August 2012 and extended support will end on 31 August 2015.
• Currently, Oracle 11g Release 2 is fully supported until 31 January 2015 and Oracle database 12c is fully supported until 31-Jul-2018.