Systems

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM)
Munki Mac Endpoint Management

Affected Customers

University of Illinois IT Pros leveraging MECM and/or Munki Mac Endpoint Management systems, hosted by Technology Services Endpoint Services team

Actions

• General Information
• EPS Packages
• Purchasing Commercial Licenses
• Getting Help

General Information

In late 2018, Oracle announced an end to free, public updates of Java 8. The January 15, 2019 release of Java 8u201 was the last one under the free, general-purpose desktop- and server-use license, which has been the Oracle JDK license for many years.

Beginning with the 8u211 release in April 2019, Oracle Java 8 became available under a new license, and is free only for individual/personal use; for use in instructional computing labs; or for development, testing, prototyping, and demonstration purposes. According to Oracle, administrative use at the University of Illinois is considered commercial, and therefore requires a license purchase. Exceptions are for instructional computing labs and for the scenario of "a professor/staff member using Java for academic purposes”, which is considered personal use and therefore free under the new license.

Java 8 version 8u201 and prior may continue to be used indefinitely under the original license terms, although running unpatched Java should not be considered a viable option.

The EPS team encourages stakeholders to evaluate their continued need for Java on managed endpoints. If commercial licenses are required by individuals or units wishing to use Java 8 under the new license, they may be purchased from the CDWG punch-out on iBuy.

As with other EPS-provided software titles requiring license purchases, unit IT Pros are responsible for ensuring that their Java deployments adhere to Oracle’s new licensing terms and are therefore legal.

EPS Packages

The EPS team packages Java 8 updates for MECM and Munki stakeholder use under the Oracle license terms, providing a single package for both free and licensed versions. In addition, in keeping with previous releases, all MECM and Munki-provided versions will have updates disabled.

• MECM stakeholders with continued need for Oracle Java 8 will find it under “\Software Library\Overview\Application Management\Applications\MANAGED APPLICATIONS\Java\Licensed Java - RESEARCH AND LAB USE ONLY\*”.

• Munki stakeholders with continued need for Oracle Java 8 should have replaced oracle_java_8 with oracle_java_8_research_and_lab, or oracle_java_8_jdk with oracle_java_8_jdk_research_and_lab, in their unit manifest(s). They will continue to receive updates per the established testing and release schedule.

• The same packages may be used for both free and licensed deployments.

• The EPS team recommends uninstalling Java 8 version 8u201 and prior, and removing all references to it from within your managed environment (e.g. Munki manifests) wherever it is not needed.

• The UofI Webstore has provided the following information regarding purchasing commercial licenses: if commercial licenses are required by individuals or units wishing to use Java 8 under the new license, they may be purchased from the iBuy CDWG punch-out. Unit IT Pros should use their normal purchasing channels for these licenses.

• Unit IT Pros are responsible for ensuring that their Java deployments adhere to Oracle’s licensing terms and are therefore legal.

Getting Help

For MECM- or Munki-related questions concerning Oracle Java, contact the EPS team.

For questions concerning AITS and Enterprise Application compatibility with regards to Java, view this KB article.

Contact the EPS team