As previously blogged in the EBS 11i and 12.1 Support Timeline Changes entry, two important changes to the Oracle Lifetime Support policies were announced at Oracle OpenWorld 2012 - San Francisco.  These changes affect E-Business Suite Releases 11i and 12.1.

Critical Patch Updates for EBS 11i during the Exception to Sustaining Support Period

You may be wondering about the availability of Critical Patch Updates (CPU) for EBS 11i during the Exception to Sustaining Support period.  The following details the E-Business Suite Critical Patch Update support policy for EBS 11i during the Exception to Sustaining Support period:

• Oracle will continue to provide CPUs containing critical security fixes for E-Business Suite 11i. 
  
• CPUs will be packaged and released as as cumulative patches for both ATG RUP 6 and ATG RUP 7.
  
• As always, we try to minimize the number of patches and dependencies required for uptake of a CPU; however, there have been quite a few changes to the 11i baseline since its release.  For dependency reasons the 11i CPUs may require a higher number of files in order to bring them up to a consistent, stable, and well tested level.
  
• EBS 11i customer will continue to receive CPUs up to and including the October 2014 CPU.

Where can I learn more?

There are two interlocking policies that affect the E-Business Suite:  Oracle's Lifetime Support policies for each EBS release (timelines which were updated by this announcement), and the Error Correction Support policies (which state the minimum baselines for new patches).

For more information about how these policies interact, see:

• Understanding Support Windows for E-Business Suite Releases

What about E-Business Suite technology stack components?

Things get more complicated when one considers individual techstack components such as Oracle Forms or the Oracle Database.  To learn more about the interlocking EBS+techstack component support windows, see these two articles:

• On Apps Tier Patching and Support: A Primer for E-Business Suite Users
• On Database Patching and Support: A Primer for E-Business Suite Users

Where can I learn more about Critical Patch Updates?

The Critical Patch Update Advisory is the starting point for relevant information. It includes a list of products affected, pointers to obtain the patches, a summary of the security vulnerabilities, and links to other important documents. 

Related Articles

• EBS 11i and 12.1 Support Timeline Changes
• Frequently Asked Questions about Latest EBS Support Changes
• Extended Support Fees Waived for E-Business Suite 11i and 12.0