No. Per the license agreement at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/licenses/xe-license-152020.html: Our technical support organization will not provide technical support, phone support, or updates to you for the programs licensed under this agreement.
Also, take a look at the landing page for XE, where the following is stated: Support is provided through a free Oracle Discussion Forum monitored by Oracle employees as well as community experts.
Yes, assuming the following is true:
- The original licensing terms granted perpetual use
- You never plan to upgrade, download/apply patches or call support
- You have no other software in the same License Set (e.g. shares the same code base) that will remain supported
- You are willing to commit in writing that numbers 2 and 3 are true
For that, you’ll have to buy me a beer.
According to a price list from 2001:
Named User – Single Server: is defined as an individual authorized by you to use the programs which are installed on a single server, regardless of whether the individual is actively using the program(s) at any given time. A non human operated device will be counted as a Named User – Single Server in addition to all individuals authorized to use the programs, if such devices can access the programs. If multiplexing hardware or software (e.g., a TP monitor or a web server product) is used, this number must be measured at the multiplexing front end.
Named User – Multi Server: is defined as an individual authorized by you to use the programs which are installed on multiple servers, regardless of whether the individual is actively using the programs at any given time. A non human operated device will be counted as a Named User – Multi Server in addition to all individuals authorized to use the programs, if such devices can access the programs. If multiplexing hardware or software (e.g., a TP monitor or a web server product) is used, this number must be measured at the multiplexing front end.
There was a 25% increase in list price from Single to Multi. The distinction was dropped in 2002 and came with a 7% increase in list price. The Plus distinction from Named User to Named User Plus was added soon after, along with an increase in the minimum per Processor requirement. 2008 brought a 19% price increase from $800 to $950 per Named User Plus.
Practically speaking, yes. Oracle’s Technical Support Policies make using its software effectively impossible (i.e. illegal) without paying support. This is due to the concepts of License Sets and Matching Service Levels, which together dictate an all-or-nothing approach to getting new releases, bug fixes and support.
No. Nor can you download and apply patches.
Licensing refers to the terms, conditions and rights granted towards the (often perpetual) use of software. Although the words buy, sell and own are often used within this context, no one but Oracle actually owns the software. You are paying Oracle for the rights to use its software per the Oracle License and Services Agreement (aka OLSA) and any nonstandard terms that were added to the original order document. Other than products, quantities, metric definitions, limited use language and price hold addenda, the OLSA and original order documents are boring/confusing lawyer stuff.
A support contract binds you to the terms outlined in Oracle Software Technical Support Policies on an annual basis and enables you to upgrade, download patches and call support. In my experience, these policies are infinitely more important to understand than the finer points of licensing. The infamous and oft-misunderstood concepts of repricing, matching service levels, license sets, reinstatement, etc., are all outlined in these policies. The connection between support and licensing is made within the technical support section of the OLSA.
Oracle defines a license set on page 2 of the technical support policies PDF.
In summary of that, a License Set refers to any software that can be associated in a few specific ways. For example, all the editions of the database (including Enterprise, Standard, Standard One and Personal) share the same code base and are therefore considered to be within a single License Set. This License Set also includes the extra-cost options (e.g. Partitioning) and managements packs (e.g. Diagnostics Pack).
License Set can also refer to any software that has been packaged into a third-party’s application.
The concepts of the License Set and Matching Service Levels, together, amount to an all-or-nothing policy with regards to support renewals.
* Disclaimer: These answers are not guaranteed to be correct in any way. Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you find an error.
2 comments
Arup Nanda
November 4, 2011 at 12:40 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
On the question “Can I upgrade without support?” and your answer “No. Nor can you download and apply patches.”.
It’s not entirely true. You can’t download patches and patchsets; but you can upgrade to the next base version. For instance you can upgrade from 11.1.0.2 to 11.2.0.1. No support contract is required for this since base are downloadable without a CSI#.
Eric Guyer
November 4, 2011 at 1:08 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the comment! You are correct in that the software is downloadable. In fact, all of Oracle’s software is freely available for download, installation and use, with or without a support agreement. Perhaps you should take a look at the last paragraph on page 3 of 19 from the technical support policies and we can discuss its interpretation in person. As a supplement, take a look at this post. Thanks!