What does it mean when hardware is classified as "unmaintained" in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6+, 9.0 and newer?

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Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0 and newer
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 and newer

Issue

  • I recently noticed a classification of hardware in the Considerations in Adopting RHEL 9 guide called unmaintained. What does this classification mean for me in terms of hardware enablement and technical support?
  • After installing 8.6 I get the following events in my messages files, what do they mean? The RHEL 8 release notes - removed adapters indicate that LSI cards with PCI IDs 0073:1000 were removed and are unsupported.
    • Warning: Unmaintained hardware is detected: megaraid_sas:0073:1000 @ 0000:01:00.0

Resolution

Hardware that is, or was previously enabled in, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 and newer fits into one of five categories:

  1. Enabled and fully maintained - This is a device whose enabling driver(s) are shipped in Red Hat Enterprise Linux, with the driver(s) being tested and updated in a way that meets both market demand and the release's stage of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux lifecycle.
  2. Deprecated - This is a warning that, although the device is still tested and maintained, it is planned to become unmaintained, and eventually disabled, in a future major release. The device should not be used in new deployments, and a plan to replace it should be undertaken immediately. A list of currently-deprecated hardware is included in the release notes for each major/minor release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
    • Warning: Deprecated Hardware is detected: <driver-name>:<pci-vid:pci-did> @<pci-address> will not be maintained in a future major release and may be disabled
  3. Unmaintained - This device will no longer be tested or updated on a routine basis. Red Hat may fix serious bugs, including security bugs, at its discretion, but users should not expect updates on any planned cadence. The device should no longer be used in production, and it is likely to be disabled in the next major release. A list of hardware currently classified as unmaintained is included in the release notes for each major/minor release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
    • Warning: Unmaintained hardware is detected: <driver-name>:<pci-vid:pci-did> @<pci-address>
  4. Disabled - The device is no longer enabled and will not be usable.
    • Warning: Disabled Hardware is detected: <driver-name>:<pci-vid:pci-did> @<pci-address> is no longer enabled in this release.
  5. Removed - The device is no longer listed with driver's pci table: device is no longer recognized by the driver.

The third category of hardware, unmaintained, was introduced in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6. It covers items that, while still enabled, are no longer tested or updated on a routine basis. It creates a bridge between deprecation and disablement to allow customers additional time to migrate to an enabled solution before hardware becomes unusable.

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