Start your Java SAM journey with these steps: 

• Visualize your Java installations through Snow's SLM tool
• Publicly available update versions VS. Commercial update versions
• Java Mission Control (JMC), is it free or commercial?
• How to override license requirement for (JMC) in Snow's SLM tool

Visualize your Java installations through Snow's Snow License Manager (SLM) tool.

• Navigate to the all applications report.
• The key columns are name and license required

It is possible to save this filtered report for future use.

Publicly available update versions VS. Commercial update versions.

Publicly available update versions

• What is the difference between these two SLM filtered reports?  This criteria "Java SE"  filters the report to visualize all of your publicly available Java SE version Updates.
• These applications don't require any licenses until commercial features have been activated!

Commercial update versions

• This criteria "Java SE Support" filters the report to visualize all of your Java SE version Updates requiring commercial support licenses.

Useful sources

• Unofficial open source legacy release records.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_version_history
• Official Oracle release dates.
  https://www.java.com/en/download/faq/release_dates.xml
• Official Oracle End-of-Support dates (EoS) and End-of-Extended-Support dates (EoES).
  https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/java-se-support-roadmap.html

Java Mission Control (JMC), is it free or commercial?

Java (JDK) setup file

• Java Mission Control (JMC) is a program feature built-in by default in the Java (JDK) setup file.  From the version "Java SE 7 Update 40" and later JMC comes built-in by default in the Java (JDK) setup file.

Open-source

• The Java program feature; Java Mission Control changed their source code licensing to open-source May 5th 2018.  The (JMC) source code now practices under a dual licensing scheme consisting of BSD and UPL.  This open-source switch doesn't mean that (JMC) have become free for use, it still has to follow Oracle Java's default regulations.

Why has DIS chosen to display Java Mission Control as a standalone application and set it to license required?

• (JMC) is included in Oracle Java (JDK) setup files.  However the issue is that (JMC) as a feature, has to be configured and enabled to be used.  By default this feature is switched off, meaning that for the majority of customers, (JMC) should not require a license.
• When enabled, the commercial Feature then becomes license required.
• The issue is that the metadata we inventory and track, does not differentiate between these two states.  So from a recognition perspective we cannot determine whether the commercial Feature is enabled or not, and therefore what license requirement should be set by default.
• Due to these above reasons, we have set (JMC) to being "License required", as this is the most logical option for customers who have enabled the commercial Feature, to be able to assign licenses in Snow's SLM tool.
• Note that when you see a big list of (JMC) apps in your report for your company environment:  It means that from this point on and forward you will have to conduct some traditional SAM process investigations in order to find out which of these (JMC) risks in your report have activated the commercial Features in your Java installations.

How to override license requirement for (JMC) in Snow's SLM tool.

• Navigate to "Oracle Java Mission Control" or (JMC) apps and select Edit application.

• Under the License settings tab, select the No license required checkbox and hit Save.

• You know when you have performed the procedure correctly when the License, Coverage and Compliance boxes becomes grayed out.

• Make sure to Recalculate compliance to reflect your correct license requirements.

Summary

To summarize your very first steps in your Java SAM journey.  Here is a checklist to get you started with the basic Oracle audit questions.

1. Are you using Publicly available Java SE version Updates? = Java SE
2. Are you using Java SE version Updates requiring Commercial support licenses? = Java SE Support
3. How many of your Java installations are (JRE) and (JDK) or both?  This information might come in handy at later stages of an Oracle audit negotiation.
4. Java Mission Control (JMC) is a commercial feature built-in by default in the Java (JDK) setup file.  Was this feature selected to be installed during setup?
5. Did somebody activate Java's (JMC) commercial feature at a later time?
6. Override license requirements for Oracle Java Mission Control or (JMC) apps in Snow's SLM tool if Java hasn't activated this commercial feature.
7. Are the Java installations located on a Desktop or Server machine?  There is a big pricing difference and complexity between Desktop and Server installations.