Know More About RHEL 8 End Of Life

Know More About RHEL 8 End Of Life

Know More About RHEL 8 End Of Life - RHEL usage is increasing yearly as many users apply this Linux operating system to support their devices. So far, RHEL has nine versions, with 9.3 being their latest release. Are you still using the RHEL 8? Then you should know more about RHEL 8 end of life! 

Red Hat Enterprise Linux end-of-life is part of the RHEL life cycle that the users should know about. The life cycle indicates how Red Hat has a limited duration of the support and updates they give for each RHEL version.

RHEL 8 end-of-support shows how users cannot gain any more support, such as official assistance, updates, or security patches for bug fixes from RHEL. Therefore, users should know the RHEL 8 life cycle phase to make the mitigation plan! 

About RHEL 8 Product Phases  

Red Hat's official website has provided you with the complete guide through Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 end-of-life, so you don’t have to be confused about it! It is important to know about it so you can plan and budget for it. 

By knowing when RHEL 8 goes to end-of-life, you will acknowledge what you should do to support it. You will gain a deeper understanding of your IT infrastructure. You will know your decision when RHEL 8 goes to end-of-life.

1. Full Support 

Full support is the first phase you will face in your first five years of using RHEL 8. In this phase, Red Hat has specifically explained how users will gain Critical and Important Security errata advisories (RHSAs).

The High Priority Bug Fix Errata advisories (RHBAs) will also be available for users in  RHEL 8 end of support first phase. In addition, Red Hat also promised users new features or improved the existing ones that come in bundled. Here’s the benefit you will get,    

1. During this full support as RHEL 8 eol phase, users will receive security updates, such as regular ones. The updates will include fixes for vulnerabilities. As a result, your system will be protected from any kind of threat. 
2. This first five years in RHEL 8 end of life will lead you to bug fixes support by addressing Urgent and Selected High Priority Bugs. This support could help you minimise disruptions and improve your system performance.
3. Another benefit you will receive is the cumulative updates. It benefits users as it simplifies the update process for every user. You only need to install the latest minor release without worrying about such complicated steps!
4. Updated installation images are another benefit you will get from full support. It means users have the privilege of installing the latest version and fixes of the software with better hardware compatibility 
5. Hardware support is also one of the benefits that will provide you with improved hardware enablement during the full support phase. It means you have the privilege to take advantage of the latest hardware innovations 

2. Maintenance Support 1 Phase   

Before getting to the phase of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8's end-of-life, users will receive maintenance support in phases for five years after the first one. In this phase, you still receive Critical and Important Security Updates and Urgent Bug Fixes, which are essential. 

During this RHEL 8 EOL phase, you won’t get any new features, but Red Hat will provide you with updates for hardware compatibility. In this phase, RHEL focuses on minor releases solely based on resolving bugs that are considered urgent or high priority. 

3. Maintenance Support Phase RHEL 8 Phase    

In this third RHEL 8 EOL phase, users will receive similar support to the full support they received in the first one. However, as the years pass, the support will become limited in some aspects until it reaches the time when RHEL 8 goes to end-of-life. 

Don’t worry-you still could receive Critical and Important Security Advisories and selected Urgent Priority Bug Fixes Advisories from the first phase. The difference here is the limitation when Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 is end-of-life. 

1. Just like the full support, you will still receive RHSAs and RHBAs 
2. The point of difference is the limitation of how users won’t get any improvement or new features such as hardware compatibility on this phase of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 end-of-life
3. The focus of this phase before getting to the RHEL 8 end of life is to maintain stability and security. They have shifted their focus from adding new features and functionality to users on this last stage when RHEL 8 goes to end-of-life 

4. Extended Life Phase     

You’re in the last phase of RHEL 8 end of life, the extended-life phase. This phase offers you a longer subscription to Red Hat Enterprise Linux, so you can still access the Red Hat Customer Portal even though Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 is end-of-life. 

When RHEL 8 goes to end-of-life, and you still want to use it for your system, you should learn how to migrate your RHEL to the newer version. But the main problem of this phase is how your support will be very limited, such as, 

1. When you reach this phase in years 11th, 12th, and 13th, you must be prepared not to receive any bug fixes, security patches, updates for your hardware, or even assistance to analyse your root cause problem. 
2. The only support you will receive during this RHEL 8 EOL phase is for existing installations, which can be accessed through the Red Hat Customer Portal, which also contains documentation and a knowledge base. 

Know About RHEL 8 Planning Guide   

As users who enjoy the benefits of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, many customers want to ensure the continuity and sustainability of support. Knowing the RHEL 8 planning guide is essential when you lack support when RHEL 8 goes to end-of-life.  

Understanding the plan before the phase for RHEL 8 end of life could give users a safer option, especially in mitigating risks. It could also benefit organisations or businesses that use RHEL since they can allocate resources effectively.   

1. Planning An Upgrade 

The first thing you should consider to put into action is planning an upgrade. This will help you ensure the continuity of using RHEL 8 and handle the time when it's the time for RHEL 8 end of life. Please read the official RHEL website for a more accurate guide. 

The steps are not complex, though. You just have to fulfill the requirements and follow the guide. The easiest step is to use Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS), which will add four years to your 10-year life cycle. 

1. Extended life cycle support, or ELS, is the key to upgrade planning. It is a good risk mitigation for handling RHEL 8 end-of-support, which means you could extend the life of RHEL 8 with four additional years through an ELS add-on subscription 
2. To support the planning of RHEL’s continuity, you need to use Extended Update Support or EUS, which applies to premium subscriptions. This step is suggested for users who need to stick with a specialised version of RHEL
3. By using EUS, the RHEL 8 end-of-life RHEL version won’t happen early time soon since it extends to 48 months of support for a minor release 
4. If you don’t have the premium support, you could buy it by yourself as an add-on subscription through a standard support subscription
5. When planning an upgrade, you must acknowledge the exact date RHEL 8 will be end-of-life. Red Hat has stated that for RHEL 8, the full support will end on May 31st, 2024, and the ELS on May 31, 2032
6. The final minor release that will be going to be published in the 8.10 version

 2. More About Extended Update Support Add-On

As mentioned before, planning for an upgrade requires using an extended update support add-on. This add-on is essential for maintaining continuity and facing RHEL 8's end of life. By using it, you don’t need to worry about the sustainability of your RHEL. 

You know that RHEL 8's end-of-support will happen in 10 years, and the RHEL 8 EOL phase, known as the extended life phase, will offer users an extended update through the Red Hat Customer Portal. Therefore, it's important to know more about the extended update offer. 

1. Using EUS will allow users to select which new features they want to adopt in RHEL, such as the hardware support when RHEL 8 goes to end-of-life. 
2. You won’t miss any updates since using EUS to handle RHEL 8 end of life will provide you with an extended stream of updates, so you will know and be reminded when Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 end-of-life happens. 
3. Don’t be careless when using EUS because EUS cannot be applied to RHEL 7 and 8 for Workstations or RHEL Desktop since it is included in premium subscriptions unless you have purchased an add-on for a standard server. 
4. In the RHEL 8 end of life context, EUS is available for 8.4, 8.6, and 8.8 with different support dates. 

RHEL 8 end of life might make you feel concerned since it consists of the RHEL 8 EOL phase, which includes the timeline of how you will gain less support, features, and updates as the years go by in ten when RHEL 8 goes to end-of-life.