How to Upgrade from RHEL 8 to RHEL 9 using Leapp
If you would like to upgrade from RHEL 8 to RHEL 9, please bookmark this article as a reference to guide you to documentation, tools, and troubleshooting that you will need to complete the upgrade.
RHEL 8 Lifecycle
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.
Start the RHEL Upgrade Process with LEAPP
Leapp is the supported tool for in-place RHEL upgrades. Leapp allows customers to retain the original subscription (that is attached to the system), system configurations, and custom repositories and 3rd party application. Leapp is only supported for some upgrade paths.
- Can you use Leapp? Read this detailed breakdown of whether you can use Leapp for your upgrade.
- Learn about an in-place upgrade
Red Hat also offers interactive tools to help you evaluate how to begin:
- The RHEL Upgrade Helper to discover potential blockers to your upgrade
- The Red Hat Upgrade Assessment can help you evaluate your systems
Ensuring continual support while upgrading from RHEL 8 to RHEL 9
In order to continue to receive support from Red Hat, please review and comply with the RHEL In Place Upgrade Support Policy.
You must have valid and tested backups in place prior to attempting the In-Place Upgrade.
Creating backups is described in documentation about system backup and recovery.
When to consider more help
Red Hat offers additional help for users who are tasked with an upgrade:
- If you are new to RHEL, please consider making time in your upgrade schedule for training. Red Hat offers training on upgrading and migrating RHEL.
- If you have a Technical Account Manager, they may be able to help you through the first stages of your upgrade. Please do not hesitate to reach out to them.
- If you are working on a large, enterprise installation and are under a tight deadline, you may want to consider consulting to help expedite your upgrade.
Key references during your upgrade
Getting Started
- Video: Upgrade from RHEL 8 to RHEL 9 with Leapp - This 5 minute video gives you an overview for the upgrade process for RHEL 8 to 9
- Best Leapp Practices - Best practices throughout an in-place upgrade using the Leapp tool.
- RHEL Upgrade Helper Lab - to discover potential blockers to your upgrade.
- Interactive Lab App to Perform In place Upgrade with Leapp - simulates the in-place upgrade process
Documentation
- Product Documentation for RHEL 8 Upgrade - Step-by-step instructions for most upgrade scenarios.
- Product Documentation - Considerations in adopting RHEL 9 - An overview of changes in RHEL 9 for those familiar with RHEL 8, as well as changes relevant to evaluating an upgrade.
Scenarios
- How to in-place upgrade an offline / disconnected RHEL 8 machine to RHEL 9 with Leapp?
- Upgrading SAP environments from RHEL 8 to RHEL 9
- For “Unable to install RHEL X userspace packages” error message
Troubleshooting, FAQs, and Other Information
- Leapp Upgrade FAQ
- Troubleshooting common issues while upgrading from RHEL 8 to RHEL 9 - An updated list of troubleshooting resources for the pre-upgrade and post-upgrade steps of the process
- Upgrade Your Red Hat Enterprise Linux Infrastructure - A non-technical overview of the why and how to upgrade that contains key links and can be shared with engineers and business stakeholders alike.
Extended Life Support
- Purchasing Extended Life Support
- How to access RHEL Extended Life Support Content
- Extended Lifecycle Support Policy
Didn't find your error? Try searching the customer portal or start a discussion to chat with other customers.
Comments