Oracle’s virtualization technology of choice is Oracle Linux KVM (Kernel-based Virtualization Machine), which is the standard hypervisor used in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Exadata, and several other Oracle products. Oracle Database Appliance (ODA) has completed the transition from the Xen-based Oracle VM to Oracle Linux KVM with ODA 19.13 release.
One key question that comes up is regarding support for OVM on ODA and how that is impacted by the end of support for OVM itself beyond March 2021. I want to clarify here that the end of support for OVM in March 2021 has no bearing on the supportability of OVM on ODA. However, some key points need to be highlighted concerning OVM on ODA support.
- ODA 19.13 is the final software release (December 2021) with OVM for all supported models (ODA X8, X7, X6, and X5).
- Customers will continue to get premier support on ODA systems running OVM after December 2021 and until June 2024 (when OVM Extended support ends). Customers are encouraged to migrate to KVM as soon as they are able. See the table below for more details.
- Prior to June 2024, customers can manually patch their databases and operating system in case they choose to remain on OVM on ODA (see the Deployment and User’s Guide). ODA customers will continue to receive support for the ODA platforms running OVM, as long as the customer is on a support contract for their Oracle Database Appliance systems.
ODA customers can refer to the following MOS note to get premier support status for their specific platform. Below is a screenshot of the Oracle Database Appliance premier support status table.
MOS Note: List of Supported Oracle Hardware (With Last Ship Dates Announced) (Doc ID 1450710.1)
