It appears that Oracle has removed Oracle Database 19.27 and older RU images from OCI, leaving only newer versions available for provisioning and certain lifecycle operations.

This creates a significant challenge for organizations that have spent years stabilizing their environments on a specific RU version. In our case, we invested more than two years validating and fixing database-related issues on Oracle 19.27. During that time, multiple Oracle support dev team one-off patches were applied with assistance from Oracle Support and development teams to achieve a stable production platform.

The sudden removal of the 19.27 base image means customers may no longer be able to recreate, clone, or provision environments using the exact software baseline they have thoroughly tested and certified. For enterprises operating mission-critical applications, upgrading to a newer RU is not always a simple task—it often requires extensive testing, certification, and risk assessment.

Recommendation

If your organization is currently running Oracle Database 19.27 or any older RU version in OCI, review your upgrade and provisioning strategy immediately. Maintain detailed records of installed patches, backup software images where possible, and verify Oracle’s current image support policies before planning future deployments.

Just FYI: Before investing significant effort in certifying a particular RU version, ensure you understand Oracle’s image retention and lifecycle policies to avoid surprises later.