The information in this news article is no longer accurate. For current details on this service please visit the Oracle Java Licensing page.
Do you use Oracle Java? Make sure you have the right license! As of April 16, 2019, Oracle made changes to their Java licensing. Applications using Oracle Java for university businesses now require a paid commercial license to receive patch updates without fines. This impacts many UBC applications, including software provided by third-parties. Without patching, your applications will not receive the latest security updates, which is a significant security risk to the university.
The Exceptions
Fortunately, if you are using Oracle Java for instructional and personal uses, you are not impacted by these licensing changes. However, it is still best practices that you have the latest license to meet security requirements (more below).
Applications on UBC IT’s EduCloud servers currently meet the requirements via its server license agreements. You do not need to take any action on these applications until December 2020.
Student Information System applications also currently meet the requirements via desktop license agreements. A future initiative will involve the community in migrating these applications to OpenJDK.
Recommended Solution
To ensure your applications meet security and licensing requirements, we recommend migrating to OpenJDK, an open source implementation of the Java Standard Edition platform with contribution from Oracle and the open Java community. Below are some suggested vendors that you can migrate to:
- Azul Zulu
- Amazon Corretto
- RedHat, through RHEL for RHEL systems only
- Oracle
Alternatively, you can also negotiate a paid commercial license with Oracle. However, we strongly encourage following the above recommendation. Any negotiations with Oracle should be checked and coordinated with UBC Procurement.
If you have any questions, please contact the IT Service Centre. For more information, please visit UBC IT Oracle Java page.
