FAQ: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On
Can you describe the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 life cycle?
Red Hat offers support and services for each major release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux throughout four phases: Production 1, 2, and 3 and the Extended Life Phase. For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, the Full/Maintenance Phases spans ten years, followed by an Extended Life Phase. Together, these four phases constitute the “life cycle.” The specific support and services provided during each phase is described in detail at Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life Cycle.
As Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 transitions into the Extended Life Phase, what is Red Hat’s suggested course of action for customers?
Your Red Hat subscription gives you continuous access to all active versions of the Red Hat software in both binary and source form, including all security updates and bug fixes. As Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 transitions from the Full/Maintenance Phases, we strongly recommend that you take full advantage of your subscription services and upgrade to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, which contain compelling new features and enablement for modern hardware platforms and ISV applications. If you must stay on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, we recommend that you add the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On subscription to your current Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription.
How can I continue to receive software maintenance (bug and security fixes) and full technical support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 once the product transitions to the Extended Life Phase?
If you require software maintenance and full technical support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, Red Hat strongly recommends that you add the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On subscription to your current Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription. The ELS Add-On offering complements your Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription and provides software maintenance services not otherwise available in the Extended Life Phase. Customers who purchase the ELS Add-On offering continue to receive software maintenance (critical impact security and selected urgent priority bug fixes) and technical support as provided in the Maintenance Support 2 Phase. ELS is available through November 30, 2020, and requires that you have an existing Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription with equivalent subscription terms and support level. An ELS Add-On subscription can be added to Red Hat Enterprise Linux Standard and Premium support subscriptions.
For more information about the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On, refer to Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life Cycle.
How can I purchase the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Extended Life Support (ELS) Add-On?
You can purchase ELS directly from Red Hat as well as from OEMs, channels, etc. To avoid any support issues, we recommend that you purchase ELS from the same vendor from whom you purchased your Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription. For pricing information about ELS, contact your Red Hat representative.
Are there any products or components not covered by the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On?
While ELS covers the vast majority of Red Hat Enterprise Linux software packages (rpms) and components, some packages are excluded. For more information, refer to the package inclusion list.
Note that the following products are not covered by the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ELS Add-On subscription:
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop 5
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 5
Does RHEL 5 ELS Add-on cover layered products or other Add-Ons?
No. The RHEL 5 ELS Add-On is only available for Server and does not apply to layered products like RHEL High Availability, Resilient Storage, and Load Balancer Add-On. During the Extended Life Phase (ELP) these Add-Ons will be entitled to the ELP support described in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life Cycle. This includes limited ongoing technical support, but no bug fixes, security fixes, hardware enablement or root-cause analysis will be available for these Add-Ons during this phase.
Will I need an active RHEL 5 ELS Add-on subscription to continue to have access to the RHEL 5 ELS content after the End of Extended Life-cycle Support date is reached?
Yes. To have access to the RHEL 5 ELS content you will need an active RHEL 5 ELS Add-On subscription. This is true even after the End of Extended Life-cycle Support is reached as documented in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life Cycle. Please note that no new critical impact security and selected urgent priority bug fixes will be released after the End of Extended Life-cycle Support is reached. However, all available content previously released will continue to be available to you with an active RHEL 5 ELS Add-on subscription.
How do I access the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ELS Add-On content on Red Hat Network?
The Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ELS Add-On content (critical impact security and selected urgent priority bug fixes) is available on Red Hat Network as a child channel of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 base channels. The child channel is located under the product “Red Hat Enterprise Linux ELS.”
Your systems remain registered to Red Hat Network after you purchase the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ELS Add-On; no re-registration is required. For more information on how to access Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ELS content on Red Hat Network (RHN), including how to access ELS via Red Hat Network Satellite, visit https://access.redhat.com/articles/2973131.
I’m running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 as a guest in a virtualization deployment. Is the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ELS Add-On available for guests running on Red Hat hypervisors and other Red Hat supported hypervisors?
Yes. ELS is available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 guests running on active, supported hypervisors. For example, a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 guest with an ELS subscription can be run and fully supported on Red Hat Virtualization . The full matrix of supported hypervisors is located at the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Virtualization Guest Matrix.
Can I buy only one year of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ELS Add-On while I continue to migrate to newer versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux?
Yes. The Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ELS Add-On is available as a one-year offering and is renewable as needed.
Can Red Hat Subscription Manager be used with the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ELS Add-On?
Yes. The Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ELS Add-On content (critical impact security and selected urgent priority bug fixes) is available on via Hat Subscription Manager as a child repo of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 base repo. The child repo is located under the product “Red Hat Enterprise Linux ELS”.
Your systems remain registered on Red Hat Subscription Manager after you purchase the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ELS Add-On; no re-registration is required. For more information on how to access Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ELS content on Red Hat Subscription Manager (RHSM), including how to access ELS via Red Hat Network Satellite, visit How do I access RHEL 5 ELS content after RHEL 5 transitions to Extended Life Phase?.
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