Migration and Maintenance Options for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Customers

Updated -

Environment

All Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 minor releases

Issue

End of Maintenance Support 2 (Product Retirement) is scheduled for November 30, 2020, for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 will enter Extended Life Phase which means users will receive the below support.

  • Limited technical support for existing Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 deployments.
  • Previously released bug fixes (RHBAs), security errata (RHSAs), and product enhancements (RHEAs).
  • Red Hat Knowledgebase and other content (white papers, reference architectures, etc.) found in the Red Hat Customer Portal.
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 documentation.
  • Add-Ons (e.g. High Availability Add-On) are not covered by ELS.

Resolution and Recommendations

Red Hat recommends that customers run software that is actively maintained in order to get the most benefit of bug fixes and security enhancements released. Customers have the below options to maintain their Red Hat Enterprise Linux environment.

Red Hat strongly suggests that customers migrate to a newer version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, version 7 or 8, to receive the latest features prior to November 30, 2020. If customers need additional migration time, customers may move to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) which delivers certain critical-impact security fixes and selected (at Red Hat discretion) urgent priority bug fixes the below support until June 30, 2024.

  • In order to receive the ELS maintenance stream, customers must move their Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 environment to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.10.
  • Customers should also budget for the cost of ELS as this offering is an Add-on and not part of the base Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription
  • The ELS Add-on is only available on Red Hat Enterprise Linux Standard and Premium Server Subscriptions
  • The ELS Add-On covers the IBM z Systems and the x86 architecture

Please see the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life Cycle page for additional details on ELS and active Red Hat Enterprise Linux life cycle dates. For an overview of the Extended Life Cycle Support Add-On offering please review this datasheet.

Your Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription also entitles you to advice for updating to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux version that is in maintenance. For complex or mission-critical updates you may consider Red Hat Consulting. If interested, take the first step by completing this form.

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