IBM Support for
Java Runtimes

IBM® Support for Runtimes is an IBM Selected Support offer that allows you to purchase support for your externally sourced Java™ (OpenJDK with Eclipse Open J9), Node.js, and Swift runtimes with optional support for associated web frameworks.

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Java Runtime Support FAQ

Why Should I Buy This Product?

Flexible: Pay only for the environments where you want defect support. Security updates remain free!
Open: Based on open source code from the OpenJDK project and the Eclipse OpenJ9 project.
Efficient: Highly performant with ability to monitor and manage your Java application’s resources.
Reliable: Instead of relying on the open source community, the customer has access to dedicated devs at IBM

Where Can I Download the Binary?

The latest version as well as the latest build for a long-term release can be downloaded without login from the following page:

Download Here

What Does Java Runtime Support Cover?

Here's what the offering provides with regard to fix capability for supported OpenJDK 8 with OpenJ9 builds:

If a customer has a bug that has a workaround (i.e. low priority), then we'd work on that and point the customer to the upcoming quarterly release which will have the "rolled-up" fix contributed to OpenJDK.
If the customer has a severe and urgent bug (i.e. high priority) then we'd work on that and point the customer to the next available nightly build containing the proposed fix contained in our extensions repository for classes or OpenJ9 repository (for the JVM). The actual fix will be worked at OpenJDK/OpenJ9, and be available in a subsequent release. This is how many OpenJDK distributors work e.g. Red Hat, Amazon.
Needless to say, if there is a significant bug uncovered that affects all users, (examples in the past have included the string concat bug, or XML parsing vulnerability), we would work a fix for that at OpenJDK directly, and in collaboration with the project lead produce a new release. Thankfully, there are very few examples of when Java has had to respin a full release for a serious defect.

How Are Runtime Security Fixes Distributed?

Q. How do I get fixes on open source runtimes and frameworks?
A. If a common code or IBM platform-specific code fix is needed, IBM will submit a change and work with the community to get the change accepted.

The fix will be made to the master branch of the runtime codebase, then back-ported to the service branch for the LTS level.

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How to Migrate From Oracle JDK to IBM Runtimes for Business?

Both Oracle Java and the Java supported by IBM Runtimes for Business use the OpenJDK giving the same function and behaviour
No application changes will be required (in almost all cases)
IBM Runtimes for Business support channel will provide optimization and tuning guidance and help