Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life Cycle

Overview

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 7 delivers ten years of support in Full Support, Maintenance Support 1 and Maintenance Support 2 Phases followed by an Extended Life Phase. In addition, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 customers may purchase annual Add-on subscriptions called Extended Life-cycle Support (ELS) to extend limited subscription services beyond the Maintenance Support 2 Phase.

Exception

  • Red Hat does not offer Extended Update Support or Extended Life cycle Support for version 7 of Red Hat Enterprise Linux for ARM, Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power LE (POWER9), Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM System z (Structure A) and Red Hat Enterprise Linux Atomic Host.

Life Cycleviii:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Version 8 and 9

Red Hat understands the importance of life cycle planning for our customers, partners, ISVs, and the Red Hat Enterprise Linux ecosystem. With the introduction of Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 8, Red Hat simplified the RHEL product phases from four to three: Full Support, Maintenance Support, and Extended Life Phase. We are also providing information on anticipated release dates and minor releases that will offer extended support.

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Version 8 and 9 delivers a ten year life cycle in Full Support and Maintenance Support Phases followed by an Extended Life Phase. In addition, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9 customers may purchase annual Add-on subscriptions called Extended Life-cycle Support (ELS) to extend limited subscription services beyond the Maintenance Support Phase.

Life Cycleviii:

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux life cycle phases are designed to reduce the level of change within each major releasei over time and make release availability and content more predictable.ii

Details

During the life cycle for each major version, software changes to Red Hat Enterprise Linux are delivered via individual updates known as errata advisories through the Red Hat Customer Portaliii or other authorized Red Hat portals. Errata advisories may be released individually on an as-needed basis or aggregated as a minor release. Errata advisories will contain security fixes (Red Hat Security Advisories or RHSAs), bug fixes (Red Hat Bug Fix Advisories or RHBAs), or feature enhancements (Red Hat Enhancement Advisories or RHEAs). Errata advisories are tested and qualified against the active Red Hat Enterprise Linux major release. (For example, a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 RHSA will be applied cumulatively to the latest Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 version and patch set.) Released errata advisories remain accessible to active subscribers for the entire Red Hat Enterprise Linux life cycle. Within each major release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, any errata advisory (including one released as part of a minor release) will be applied cumulatively to the latest release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, including any patch sets.

During the life cycle of a major Red Hat Enterprise Linux release, Red Hat makes commercially reasonable efforts to maintain binary compatibility for the core runtime environment across all minor releases and errata advisories. If necessary, Red Hat may make exceptions to this compatibility goal for Critical impact security or other significant issues. Furthermore, major releases of Red Hat Enterprise Linux contain a limited set of backward-compatible libraries included in previous major releases to allow for the easy migration of applications. Typically, Red Hat applies changes in such a way as to minimize the amount of change and to maintain binary compatibility. Exceptions may apply for controlled package re-bases under certain circumstances. The binary compatibility goal is extended to Red Hat Enterprise Linux for use in an application container. Additional details can be found in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7: Application Compatibility Guide, the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Application Compatibility Guide, or the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Application Compatibility Guide.

The following table details the subscription services, including support and software maintenance, performed during each phase of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux life cycle:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life Cycle
Description Full Support Maintenance
Support 1
(RHEL 7)12
Maintenance
Support (RHEL 8 & 9)13

Maintenance
Support 2
(RHEL 7)12
Extended Life Phase7 Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On8 Extended Update Support (EUS)
Add-On8

Enahanced Extended Update Support (Enhanced EUS)
Add-On8
Access to Previously Released Content through the Red Hat Customer Portal Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Self-help through the Red Hat Customer Portal Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Technical Support1 Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Limited9 Unlimited Unlimited
Asynchronous Security Errata (RHSA)10 11 Yes Yes Yes No Yes8 Yes8
Asynchronous Bug Fix Errata (RHBA)2 11 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Minor Releases Yes Yes Yes (RHEL 7); Not applicable (RHEL 8 & 9) No No No
Refreshed Hardware Enablement3 Native Limited4 Native Using Virtualization Using Virtualization Using Virtualization Using Virtualization
Software Enhancements5 Yes6 No No No No No
Updated Installation Images Yes Yes Yes14 No No No
  1. Technical Support access depends on the Service Level included in your Red Hat Enterprise Linux Subscription.
  2. Red Hat may choose, as a temporary measure, to address those catastrophic issues with a significant customer business impact with a Hotfix while the Bug Fix errata advisory (RHBA) is being created.
  3. Native hardware enablement is provided by backporting hardware drivers, etc., to the relevant version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Hardware enablement using virtualization is achieved by running an earlier version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux as a virtual guest on a newer version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. See the Virtualization description below for details. NOTE: Hardware certification (including the associated hardware limits) applies to the version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux that is being used as the host.
  4. Native hardware enablement in the Maintenance Support 1 Phase is limited to hardware enablement that does not require substantial software changes. See the Maintenance Support 1 description below for details.
  5. Software enhancements are additions of new functionality beyond correcting defects or enabling previously existing functionality on a new hardware generation.
  6. Major releases are the primary vehicle for significant software enhancements, although low-impact software enhancement may also be delivered in minor releases.
  7. See the Extended Life Phase description below.
  8. Extended Update Support (EUS), Enhanced Extended Update Support (Enhanced EUS), and Extended Life-cycle Support (ELS) are available as optional add-ons. See the EUS, Enhanced EUS, and ELS descriptions below.
  9. For existing installations only. See details below for other limitations.
  10. See the Issue Severity Classification page for security severity classifications.
  11. All errata provided at Red Hat's discretion.
  12. Applies to RHEL version 7; does not apply to RHEL 8 & 9.
  13. Maintenance Support for RHEL 8 and 9 is the equivalent of Maintenance Support 2 for the entire maintenance phase.
  14. Updated installation image provided at first minor release GA date.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Production Phases

Full Support Phaseiv:

During the Full Support Phase, Red Hat defined Critical and Important Security errata advisories (RHSAs) and Urgent and Selected (at Red Hat discretion) High Priority Bug Fix errata advisories (RHBAs) will be released as they become available. Other errata advisories may be delivered as appropriate.

If available, new or improved hardware enablement and select enhanced software functionality may be provided at the discretion of Red Hat, generally in minor releases. Hardware enablement that does not require substantial software changes may be provided independent from minor releases at Red Hat's discretion.

Minor releases will also include available and qualified errata advisories (RHSAs, RHBAs, and RHEAs). Minor releases are cumulative and include the contents of previously released updates. The focus for minor releases during this phase lies on resolving defects of medium or higher priority.

Updated installation images will be provided for minor releases during the Full Support Phase.

Maintenance Support 1 Phasev:

During the Maintenance Support 1 Phase, Red Hat defined Critical and Important Security errata advisories (RHSAs) and Urgent and Selected (at Red Hat discretion) High Priority Bug Fix errata advisories (RHBAs) will be released as they become available. Other errata advisories may be delivered as appropriate.

If available, hardware enablement that does not require substantial software changes may be provided at the discretion of Red Hat, generally in minor releases. New software functionality is not available during this phase.

Minor releases will also include all available and qualified errata. Minor releases are cumulative and thus include the contents of previously released minor releases and errata advisories, including those from the Full Support Phase. The focus for minor releases during this phase lies on resolving urgent- or high-priority bugs.

Updated installation images will be provided at Red Hat's discretion for minor releases during the Maintenance Support 1 Phase only if required because of installer changes.

Maintenance Support Phase (RHEL 8 & 9) Phase / Maintenance Support 2 Phase (RHEL 7)vi:

During the Maintenance Support Phase for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Version 8 & 9, and Maintenance Support 2 Phase for Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 7, Red Hat defined Critical and Importantix impact Security Advisories (RHSAs) and selected (at Red Hat discretion) Urgent Priority Bug Fix Advisories (RHBAs) will be released as they become available. Other errata advisories may be delivered as appropriate.

New functionality and new hardware enablement are not planned for availability in the Maintenance Support (RHEL 8 & 9) Phase and Maintenance Support 2 (RHEL 7) Phase.

Extended Life Phase:

During the Extended Life Phase, a Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription provides continued access to previously released content on the Red Hat Customer Portal, as well as other content such as documentation and the Red Hat Knowledgebase. Advice for migrating to currently supported Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions may also be provided.

For versions of products in the Extended Life Phase, Red Hat will provide limited ongoing technical support. No bug fixes, security fixes, hardware enablement or root-cause analysis will be available during this phase, and support will be provided on existing installations only.

Red Hat reserves the right to terminate the ongoing support in the Extended Life Phase for a particular version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux at any time.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9 Life Cycle

Red Hat is providing further predictability for Red Hat Enterprise Linux customers, partners, and ISVs. The below map provides details on when minor releases are planned, and which minor releases will include Extended Update Support and Update Services for SAP Solutions. Minor releases are planned for release every six months through the Full Support phase.

RHEL 8 Planning Guideviii

RHEL 9 Planning Guideviii

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Application Streams Life Cycle

The vast majority of packages in Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 8 & 9, including most Application Streams, will be maintained for the full 10 year Red Hat Enterprise Linux life cycle. Specified life cycle components, however, will be maintained for less than 10 years, with a specified life cycle often matching the upstream life of the component.

Application Streams will adhere to the errata criteria for the Production Phase of the major release. For example, errata released for an Application Stream for RHEL 8 or 9 during the Maintenance Support Phase will be confined to Red Hat defined Critical and Importantix impact Security Advisories (RHSAs) and selected (at Red Hat discretion) Urgent Priority Bug Fix Advisories (RHBAs). Similarly, no new Application Streams will be released during the Maintenance Support Phase and Extended Life Phase since Software Enhancements are not permitted during these phases. However, to achieve the 10 years support criteria for RHEL, one version of each Application Stream will be identified at the start of the Maintenance Support Phase and that version will receive maintenance as described by the support phases.

For example, most databases are supported upstream for 5 years and maintenance of their Application Stream in RHEL 8 or 9 will align with their upstream support. There will be overlapping PostgreSQL Application Streams in RHEL 8, with each stream maintained for 5 years. Customers may select the Application Stream version that best meets their needs. They can install an older version, install a newer version and stay on it for the full 5 years, or update to the latest stream with each release, whatever best fits their use case. Customers never have to update, they can update at their own convenience. If a customer asks for support beyond the specified life of an Application Stream, they may be asked to move to a newer Application Stream to take advantage of bug fixes and CVE advisories.

Please see the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Application Streams Life Cycle page for more information.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Extended Maintenance

Extended Update Support Add-onvii

Red Hat offers the Extended Update Support (EUS) Add-On to a Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription for those customers who wish to standardize on a specific minor release for an extended period of time. The EUS Add-On allows customers the flexibility to decide when to take advantage of new Red Hat Enterprise Linux features, including new hardware enablement.

Under a Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription, all available RHSAs and RHBAs are provided for the current active minor release until the availability of the next minor release. By contrast, EUS —for a specific minor release—an independent, extended stream of those Red Hat defined Critical and Importantix impact RHSAs and selected (at Red Hat discretion) Urgent Priority RHBAs that are available after that specific minor release and in parallel to subsequent minor releases. See the list of packages included for RHEL 7 here. Please reference the RHEL 8 and 9 EUS Support Maintenance Policy below.

Each Red Hat Enterprise Linux EUS stream is available for 24 months from the availability of the minor release.

EUS is not offered on:

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and 8 for Workstations
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop (All RHEL Versions)

Note: EUS is included with x86-64 Red Enterprise Linux Server Premium subscriptions. EUS may be purchased as an Add-on to x86-64 Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server standard subscriptions, Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM Power LE, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM z Systems subscriptions. In Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 7, EUS has been retired for all minor releases.

Note: RHEL 7.9 is the final RHEL 7 release and maintenance is defined by the Maintenance Support 2 Phase policy above.

In Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, EUS is available for:

  • 8.4 (ended May 31, 2023)
  • 8.6 (ends May 31, 2024)
  • 8.8 (ends May 31, 2025)

In Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, EUS is available for:

  • 9.0 (ends May 31, 2024)
  • 9.2 (ends May 31, 2025)

In Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, EUS is planned for RHEL 9.4, 9.6, and 9.8 (see above chart).

Note: EUS may now be purchased as an Add-on to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 for Workstations.

Please see this Knowledgebase Article for more details on EUS.

Enhanced Extended Update Support Add-on

Red Hat offers the Enhanced Extended Update Support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Add-on subscription for those customers who wish to standardize on a specific minor release for an extended period of time. The Enhanced Extended Update Support for RHEL Add-On allows customers the flexibility to decide when to take advantage of new Red Hat Enterprise Linux features, including new hardware enablement.

Under a Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription, all available RHSAs and RHBAs are provided for the current active minor release until the availability of the next minor release. By contrast, Enhanced Extended Update Support for RHEL —for a specific minor release—an independent, extended stream of those Red Hat defined Critical and Importantix impact RHSAs and selected (at Red Hat discretion) Urgent Priority RHBAs that are available after that specific minor release and in parallel to subsequent minor releases. Please reference the RHEL 8 and 9 EUS Support Maintenance Policy below.

Each Enhanced Extended Update Support for RHEL stream is available for 48 months from the availability of the minor release.

Enhanced Extended Update Support is only available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 9.

Enhanced EUS is not available for:

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server self-support subscriptions
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop

Enhanced Extended Update Support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux may be purchased as an Add-on to x86-64 Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server standard or premium subscriptions, Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM Power LE, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM z Systems subscriptions.

Note:Enhanced Extended Update Support for RHEL is not included with RHEL Premium Subscriptions

In Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Enhanced EUS is available for:

  • 9.0 (ends May 31, 2026)
  • 9.2 (ends May 31, 2027)

In Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Enhanced EUS is planned for RHEL 9.4, 9.6, and 9.8 (see above chart).

Please see this Knowledgebase Article for more details on RHEL 9 EUS and Enhanced EUS.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 EUS Maintenance Policy; and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 EUS/Enhanced EUS Maintenance Policy

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Extended Update Support maintenance policy; and the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Extended Update Support/Enhanced Extended Update Support maintenance policy consist of addressing (a) security related issues for active software packages in Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 8 & 9, and (b) Urgent bugs for a specified list of packages as detailed below.

Security Maintenance

  • Red Hat may provide security fixes for Red Hat defined Critical and Important CVEs for packages within Red Hat Enterprise Linux as long as the package is not in end of life.
  • Packages within RHEL 8 or 9 Application Streams may have a shorter life cycle than a specific RHEL minor release
    • Please refer to the Application Streams life cycle section for more details
  • The policy applies ONLY on current active minor releases per the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life Cycle policy
  • Definition of Critical and Important Impact CVEs is defined by the Red Hat Security Policy

Bug Fix Maintenance

  • The inclusions list below is a minimum set of packages that apply to Urgent bug fixes.
    • bind, bash, chrony, grub2, grubby, glibc, gnutls, httpd, kernel, libgcrypt, libvirt, nss, openssh, openssl, python 3.6 (RHEL 8), python 3.9 (RHEL 9), qemu-kvm, rpm, sudo, systemd, wget, yum / dnf
  • Urgent bugs not on the list may be addressed at Red Hat discretion.
  • The policy applies ONLY on current active minor releases per the Red Hat Enterprise LInux Life Cycle Policy.

Note: Active minor releases refers to the period of time a specific minor release is maintained. For example, RHEL 9.0 with EUS is active for 24 months from general availability.

Update Services for SAP Solutions

Red Hat offers Update Services for SAP Solutions (E4S) on a Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP Solutions subscription for those customers who wish to standardize on a specific minor release for an extended period of time. The Update Services for SAP Solutions allows customers the flexibility to decide when to take advantage of new Red Hat Enterprise Linux features, including new hardware enablement.

Under a Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription, all available RHSAs and RHBAs are provided for the current active minor release until the availability of the next minor release. By contrast, EUS and Update Services for SAP Solutions deliver—for a specific minor release—an independent, extended stream of those Red Hat defined Critical and Importantix impact RHSAs and selected (at Red Hat discretion) Urgent Priority RHBAs that are available after that specific minor release and in parallel to subsequent minor releases. For EUS and Update Services for SAP Solutions subscribers, Red Hat generally will continue to proactively provide Red Hat defined Critical and Importantix impact RHSAs independent of customer requests if and when available. See the list of packages included for RHEL 7 here. Please reference the RHEL 8 and 9 EUS Support Maintenance Policy above.

Each Red Hat Enterprise Linux Update Services for SAP Solutions stream is available for 48 months from the availability of the minor release.

For Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP Solutions, on RHEL 7, Update Services for SAP Solutions is available for the following releases:

  • 7.7 (ends August 30, 2023; Final RHEL 7 Update Services for SAP Solutions Release)

Note: RHEL 7.9 is the final RHEL 7 release and maintenance is defined by the Maintenance Support 2 Phase policy above.

For Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP Solutions on RHEL 8, Update Services for SAP Solutions is currently available for the following releases:

  • 8.1 (ended November 30, 2023)
  • 8.2 (ends April 30, 2024)
  • 8.4 (ends May 31, 2025)
  • 8.6 (ends May 31, 2026)
  • 8.8 (ends May 31, 2027)

For Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP Solutions on RHEL 9, Update Services for SAP Solutions is currently available for the following releases:

  • 9.0 (ends May 31, 2026)
  • 9.2 (ends May 31, 2027)

In Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Update Services for SAP Solutions is also planned for RHEL 9.4, 9.6, and 9.8 (see above chart).

Extended Life-cycle Support Add-On:

Extended Life-cycle Support (ELS) is an optional Add-On subscription for certain Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscriptions. The ELS Add-on is available during the Extended Life Phase for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 and will be available for RHEL 7 when RHEL 7 enters Extended Life Phase.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 ELS delivers certain Red Hat defined Critical and Important security fixes and selected (at Red Hat discretion) urgent priority bug fixes and troubleshooting for the last minor release.

For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, the ELS Add-On covers the IBM z Systems and the x86 architecture, both 32-bit and 64-bit variants. Add-Ons are not covered by ELS.

For guidance on how to best modernize your Red Hat infrastructure with a solution that meets your business needs, contact Red Hat Consulting.

Note: Only Standard or Premium subscriptions to RHEL Server are eligible for ELS Support. RHEL Desktop or RHEL Workstation subscriptions are not eligible for ELS.

Virtualization

Virtualization provides hardware abstraction for guest operating systems. Abstraction allows a guest that is running an older version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux that does not support the latest server hardware to be easily deployed on a virtualization host that does. In this way, a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 guest can be hosted by Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 on a latest-generation processor.

Red Hat intends to support those versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux that are still within the Production or Extended Life Phase when run as virtualized guests on later versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux virtualization support matrix provides details on the supported combinations of operating systems, versions, and hardware architectures.

Life-cycle Dates

All future dates mentioned for "End of Full Support" and "End of Maintenance Support 1" are close approximations, non definitive, and subject to change.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life-cycle Dates

Retired Life Cycle Dates

To see the Life-cycle dates for older major, minor, and extended maintenance versions which are no longer receiving updates, please refer to https://access.redhat.com/articles/4038291

Other Related Products

For information on the life cycle of Red Hat Software Collections, please see https://access.redhat.com/support/policy/updates/rhscl/.

For information on the life cycle of Red Hat Enterprise Linux Extras, please see https://access.redhat.com/support/policy/updates/extras/.

For information on the life cycle of Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Real Time, please see https://access.redhat.com/support/policy/updates/realtime

  1. Major releases are denoted by a whole number, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.
  2. Red Hat publishes this life cycle in an effort to provide as much transparency as possible although reserves the right to make exceptions from these policies as conflicts arise.
  3. Red Hat Network (RHN) can be accessed through the Red Hat Customer Portal.
  4. The Full Support Phase was formerly called the "Production 1" Phase.
  5. The Maintenance Support 1 Phase was formerly called the "Production 2" Phase.
  6. The Maintenance Support 2 Phase was formerly called the "Production 3" Phase.
  7. For details on the EUS Add-On, please refer to https://access.redhat.com/node/4082531
  8. The life-cycle time spans and dates are subject to adjustment.
  9. Applies to Important CVEs that occur on or after October 1, 2019