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What does end of life mean for enterprise Linux users? Read this comprehensive guide to find out.
Extended Lifecycle Support for End-of-Life Linux
Is your Linux distribution or language already beyond its end-of-life date – or fast approaching it?
The manufacturer’s security updates will stop, but TuxCare’s won’t. We’ll provide you with automated vulnerability patches for your end-of-life system for up to 4 years after its vendor-supported lifecycle.
End-of-Life Products Supported by TuxCare
Linux Distributions
- Gain years of security patches for end-of-life Linux
- Buy yourself plenty of time to migrate
- Quickly receive extensively-tested patches
An Unsupported Operating System is a Ticking Time Bomb
Organizations often need to use Linux distributions or languages after the manufacturer ends security support – but cybercriminals continue to look for and exploit vulnerabilities after these products reach end of life (EOL).
With TuxCare’s Extended Lifecycle Support, you can continue to use these systems for up to 4 years past the end-of-life date while we provide you with automated vulnerability patches that are extensively tested before going into the production repository.
High and Critical CVEs Patched by TuxCare since EOL
Need to Buy Some Time to Migrate?
Don’t put your business at risk by carrying on with an unsecured OS.
What’s Included in Extended Lifecycle Support?
Easy Setup, No Migration Needed
Simply run a single script to install. No reboot is necessary, so you never interrupt your operations. Just sync to a new repository file and you’re ready to go.
4 Years of Support
Migrating to a supported OS can be a lengthy and expensive process. With TuxCare, you’ll receive automated patches for 4 years past the end-of-life date.
Critical Package Updates
Your Extended Lifecycle Support subscription includes regular kernel updates plus updates for critical packages including Apache, PHP, MySQL, glibc, OpenSSL/SSH, and more.
Running a supported Linux distribution too?
TuxCare delivers automated patches without reboots or downtime for:
All Popular Linux Distributions
TuxCare live patches 40+ distros, including the most widely-used enterprise Linux systems, without reboots or downtime.
Learn more
Shared Libraries
With the LibCare add-on, TuxCare keeps shared libraries like OpenSSL and glibc updated with the latest patches.
Learn more
IoT Devices
With KernelCare IoT, manufacturers can live ARM64-based connected devices in embedded Linux ecosystems.
Learn more
Virtualization Systems
Automated, rebootless patching for virtual machines in OpenStack, ProxMox or OpenNebula with TuxCare’s QEMUCare.
Learn moreWhy TuxCare?
We’ve released over 80,000 patches – and growing – without reboots
Infrastructure agnostic: on-premise or cloud compatible
Out-of-the-box integration with automation tools, vulnerability scanners, and more
Deployment assistance and 24/7 priority support 365 days a year
Need ongoing security patches for
your end-of-life OS or language?
Schedule a chat with one of our end-of-life Linux patching experts
Ready to start securing your environment?
Sign up today and begin your journey to receiving quick,
automated CVE patches for your end-of-life systems
Frequently Asked Questions
Extended Lifecycle Support services provide updated security patches for:
- The Linux kernel
- Common shared libraries like glibc, openssh, openssl, and zlib. httpd, mysql, php.
- Userspace packages.
- Other packages, including: acl, acpid, at, attr, audit, authconfig, basesystem, bash, bc, blktrace, bridge-utils, busybox, bzip2, crash, cyrus-imapd, cyrus-sasl, db4-utils, device-mapper, dhclient, dhcpv6, dmidecode, dos2unix, dovecot, ed, gcc, gd, gdb, glib2, groff, info, Iptstate, logrotate, lslk, lvm2, makedev, nfs4-acl-tools, nfs-utils, nspr, ntp, opensp, pam, perl, procmail, procps, python, rcs, rds-tools, rhnlib, rsync, rsyslog, setroubleshoot, setserial, setup, sos, stunnel, tzdata, vim, wget, yum-metadata-parser, yum-rhn-plugin
We currently support CentOS 6, CentOS 7, CentOS 8, Oracle Linux 6, and Ubuntu 16.04. If you have a specific use case for a distribution that is not yet supported, get in touch with us and we’ll see if we can help you keep your unique systems running smoothly and safely.
Applying our Extended Lifecycle Support service only requires running a single command that changes the location of key repositories. Full implementation instructions are provided when your servers are registered with TuxCare.
Each end-of-life enterprise Linux environment is unique. To get a custom quote, please contact the TuxCare team. Volume discounts and bundle pricing are available.
Before each package goes into the production repository, we run extensive testing to verify that our updates have zero unintended consequences. We also maintain a stable beta repository that we use for testing.
The installation is completed through a simple script that exchanges your current, no longer maintained, repositories for TuxCare’s ELS repositories. Your system will continue receiving updates just as it did up to that point, using exactly the same tools and commands, but now directly from TuxCare.
Extended Lifecycle Support service varies depending on the Linux OS that you are covering with extended support. Commonly, you can expect Extended Lifecycle Support to last for at least three years – for example, at the time of writing, CentOS 6 Extended Lifecycle Support support lasts until November 2024.
No. You are not migrating your operating system or making any changes to the way your workload is handled. Enabling Extended Lifecycle Support involves a single command that changes the location of repositories. There is no reboot, downtime, disruption of operations, or degradation of server performance.
TuxCare continuously monitors critical Linux kernel vulnerabilities and security concerns associated with the OS covered by your Extended Lifecycle Support contract. We release patches for security risks and general maintenance issues as soon as they are completed and tested.
