Oracle Database Editions on Amazon RDS: Licensing and Availability

Oracle Database Editions on Amazon RDS

Amazon RDS supports several Oracle Database editions, but availability and licensing rules vary depending on your chosen edition.

Here’s how each Oracle Database edition is supported on RDS, explained with straightforward guidance:

Read Oracle on AWS Licensing FAQs 2 of 4

1. Standard Edition 2 (SE2)

Availability on RDS:

• Fully supported by Amazon RDS.
• Available in both License Included and BYOL models.

Key Points:

• License Included:
  • AWS provides SE2 licenses bundled with hourly RDS costs.
  • No separate Oracle licenses are required from you.
• Bring Your Own License (BYOL):
  • If you prefer using your existing Oracle SE2 licenses, BYOL is available.
• Limitations:
  • Maximum of 16 vCPUs per SE2 instance on RDS.
  • Oracle RAC (Real Application Clusters) is not supported in SE2.

Example Scenario:

• Deploying an SE2-based Oracle database quickly and affordably on RDS:
  • Use License Included for simplicity.
  • Use BYOL if leveraging existing SE2 licenses or discounts.

2. Enterprise Edition (EE)

Availability on RDS:

• Supported only in BYOL mode.
• AWS does not provide EE licenses, as the license is included.

Key Points:

• You must own sufficient Oracle EE licenses to cover the RDS instance vCPUs.
• If properly licensed, Most Oracle EE features (Partitioning, Advanced Security, Multitenant, etc.) can be used.
• Some EE features may have technical restrictions in RDS (limited SYSDBA access, no RAC).

Example Scenario:

• Deploying a mission-critical Oracle EE database on RDS:
  • BYOL is required to allocate Oracle EE licenses based on vCPU count (2 vCPUs = 1 EE processor license).
  • Optionally, add licenses for EE features you use (Partitioning, Multitenant, etc.).

3. Legacy Editions (Standard Edition 1 / Old SE)

Availability on RDS:

• Historically supported, but deprecated or not recommended for new deployments.
• Oracle Standard Edition 1 (SE1) and the original Standard Edition have been replaced by SE2 since 2015.

Key Points:

• SE1 licenses are no longer sold; AWS historically supported older versions as License Included.
• For legacy applications still on SE1:
  • Possible to run on older RDS instances, but AWS may phase these out over time.
• Recommended to migrate legacy deployments to SE2.

Example Scenario:

• Legacy SE1 application:
  • Continue temporarily if essential, but strongly consider migrating to SE2 due to deprecation risk.

Read Amazon RDS Custom for Oracle Licensing.

4. Express Edition (XE)

Availability on RDS:

• Oracle XE is not available on Amazon RDS.

Key Points:

• Oracle XE is a free edition with specific limitations.
• If XE is required, you must deploy it manually on an EC2 instance, not RDS.
• RDS only supports fully licensed Oracle editions (SE2 and EE).

Example Scenario:

• Development/test environments using Oracle XE:
  • Use EC2 instances directly (RDS XE deployment not available).

Read Oracle Licensing on Amazon RDS for Oracle.

5. Amazon RDS Custom for Oracle

Availability on RDS Custom:

• Supports Oracle EE and, in some scenarios, SE2.
• Always in BYOL mode—no License Included option.

Key Points:

• Provides more control over Oracle DB instances compared to standard RDS:
  • Grants necessary SYS/SYSTEM access.
  • Enables custom Oracle patches or configurations (ideal for Oracle E-Business Suite databases or specialized workloads).
• Managed by AWS but with greater flexibility and single-tenant infrastructure.

Example Scenario:

• Running Oracle E-Business Suite databases or highly customized Oracle setups:
  • RDS Custom provides flexibility that is not possible with standard RDS.
  • Must use your own Oracle licenses (BYOL).

6. Edition Switching and Upgrades on RDS

• In-place switching between editions is not supported:
  • You cannot directly upgrade from SE2 License Included to EE BYOL.
• Changing editions requires migrating data to a new RDS instance.

Example Scenario:

• Upgrading from SE2 to EE due to growth or additional feature needs:
  • Launch a new RDS EE instance (BYOL).
  • Migrate data from the existing SE2 instance.

7. AWS Outposts and RDS for Oracle

• Amazon RDS for Oracle is currently not supported on AWS Outposts (as of the latest updates):
  • RDS Oracle deployments must be in AWS public Regions.

Practical Summary: Oracle Editions Supported by RDS

Licensing Checklist for Oracle Editions on RDS

✅ Select the appropriate edition based on business and technical needs.
✅ Use License Included for simple SE2 deployments without owned licenses.
✅ Use BYOL mode for Enterprise Edition and EE features.
✅ Consider RDS Custom if you need greater flexibility or SYSDBA access.
✅ Migrate legacy SE1/SE instances to SE2 due to future deprecation.
✅ Deploy XE manually on EC2 if required (RDS does not support XE).

Common Misunderstandings Corrected

• Misconception: “All Oracle editions are available as license-included on RDS.”
  Reality: License Included is limited to SE2—EE and RDS Custom requires BYOL.
• Misconception: “Express Edition (XE) is available on RDS.”
  Reality: XE is not supported on RDS; use EC2 instead.
• Misconception: “You can easily upgrade editions on RDS.”
  Reality: Edition changes require migrating to new RDS instances.

Conclusion: Oracle Database Editions on Amazon RDS Explained

Amazon RDS supports key Oracle Database editions, each with specific licensing models and limitations:

• SE2: License Included or BYOL (easy deployment).
• EE: BYOL required (full-featured production use).
• Legacy editions: Not recommended (migrate to SE2).
• RDS Custom: BYOL offers greater flexibility.

Choosing the correct Oracle edition and licensing model ensures compliance, minimizes costs, and optimizes your Oracle Database deployment on AWS RDS.

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