When choosing an operating system for enterprise environments, one of the most critical questions is: “How long can we receive support, and at what cost?” If you’re running Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), understanding the licensing policies and end-of-support schedules is absolutely essential.

With RHEL 7 reaching end of maintenance support on June 30, 2024, many organizations are simultaneously reviewing licensing costs and migration plans. Today, we’ll systematically cover everything IT professionals need to know about RHEL licensing structures and lifecycle management.

 

1. Red Hat Enterprise Linux(RHEL) Licensing Policy Fundamentals

The Subscription-Based Model

RHEL operates on an annual subscription model rather than traditional perpetual licensing. This isn’t simply purchasing software—it’s subscribing to a comprehensive service package.

Core Services Included in Subscriptions:

• Download access to Red Hat tested and certified enterprise software
• Continuous security updates and bug fixes
• Technical support services based on your chosen level
• Access to the Red Hat Customer Portal
• Comprehensive documentation and knowledge base
• Participation in Red Hat community and partner ecosystem

Detailed Analysis of Major Subscription Types

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server

• Annual Price: $349
• Coverage: Physical systems, cloud, virtualization environments
• Includes: Management tools, development tools, basic technical support
• Best For: Standard server environments

Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Virtual Datacenters

• Features: Unlimited guest access in dense virtualized environments
• Supported Hypervisors: OpenShift Virtualization, Red Hat Virtualization, VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V
• Use Case: Organizations running large-scale virtualization infrastructure

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation

• Starting Price: $179 (annual)
• Specialized Features: Optimized for high-performance graphics, animation, and scientific computing
• Included Tools: All RHEL Desktop capabilities + provisioning and management development tools
• Target Users: Developers, researchers, designers

Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM Power Systems

• Price: $269 (annual)
• Supported Architecture: POWER8-based little endian
• Features: Open-source solutions optimized for IBM Power Systems

Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP Solutions

• Features: Dedicated optimization for SAP workloads
• Additional Benefits: Extended support options and SAP-certified stack

In-Depth Virtualization Licensing Policy

RHEL’s virtualization licensing has a unique and flexible structure:

Core Principles:

• Per-VM Licensing: Subscriptions required for each virtual machine, not physical servers
• Hypervisor Agnostic: Same rules apply regardless of virtualization platform (VMware, Hyper-V, KVM, etc.)
• Flexible Scaling: Subscriptions can be adjusted as VMs are added or removed

Real-World Application:

• 1 physical server running 5 RHEL VMs → 5 subscriptions required
• Cloud bursting with temporary VMs → Additional subscriptions for the duration only

Support Level Service Differences

Support Level	Self-Support	Standard	Premium
Online Support	✓	✓	✓
Phone Support	✗	✓	✓
Response Time	–	Business Hours	24×7
Severity 1 Response	–	1 hour	1 hour
EUS Included	✗	Add-on	✓ (x86-64 only)
Technical Account Manager	✗	✗	Add-on Available

 

 

2. Structural Understanding of RHEL Lifecycle Policy

The 3-Phase Lifecycle Model

Starting with RHEL 8, Red Hat simplified the lifecycle to 3 phases:

Phase 1: Full Support Phase

• Duration: Approximately 5 years from release
• Services Provided:
  • Critical and Important security fixes (RHSA)
  • Urgent and selected High Priority bug fixes (RHBA)
  • New hardware enablement and feature enhancements (RHEA)
  • Regular minor releases (6-month cycle)

Phase 2: Maintenance Support Phase

• Duration: Approximately 5 years after Full Support ends
• Services Provided:
  • Critical and Important security fixes only
  • Selected Urgent Priority bug fixes
  • Limitations: No new features, no new hardware enablement

Phase 3: Extended Life Phase

• Services Provided:
  • Access to existing documentation and knowledge base
  • Limited technical support (existing installations only)
  • Important: No security patches, bug fixes, or root cause analysis

Application Streams Lifecycle

Application Streams introduced in RHEL 8/9 have separate lifecycles:

• Basic Principle: Most packages follow the same 10-year support as the RHEL major version
• Exceptions: Specific components follow shortened support aligned with upstream lifecycles
• Example: PostgreSQL has 5-year support with overlapping stream versions ensuring continuity

 

 

3. RHEL Version EOS (End of Support) Schedule

Current Supported RHEL Versions Comprehensive Status

Version	Release Date	Full Support End	Maintenance Support End	Extended Life End	Current Phase
RHEL 6	2010-11-10	2015-11-30	2020-11-30	2024-06-30 (ELS)	Extended Life
RHEL 7	2014-06-10	2019-08-06	2024-06-30	2028-06-30 (ELS)	ELS Available
RHEL 8	2019-05-07	2024-05-31	2029-05-31	2032-05-31 (Planned)	Maintenance
RHEL 9	2022-05-18	2027-05-31	2032-05-31	2035-05-31 (Planned)	Full Support
RHEL 10	2025-05-20	2030-05-31	2035-05-31	2038-05-31 (Planned)	Full Support

Critical Milestones for 2024-2025

June 30, 2024 (Already Passed)

• RHEL 7: Official end of maintenance support
• RHEL 6: Complete end of ELS (Extended Life-cycle Support)
• Impact: RHEL 7 users must either purchase ELS subscriptions or migrate

May 31, 2025 (Approaching)

• RHEL 8.8: End of EUS (Extended Update Support)
• RHEL 9.2: End of EUS
• Impact: Users locked to these minor versions must upgrade or move to newer EUS versions

May 31, 2029 (Medium-term)

• RHEL 8: Planned end of maintenance support
• Plan: 3-year ELS provision expected

 

 

4. In-Depth Analysis of Extended Support(ELS) Options

ELS (Extended Life-cycle Support) Detailed Guide

RHEL 7 ELS Revolutionary Features

• Support Period: July 1, 2024 ~ June 30, 2028 (4 years)
• Improvements Over Previous Versions:
  • Extended security update scope to include Important-level CVEs (was Critical only)
  • Includes Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP Solutions
  • Supports High Availability and Resilient Storage add-ons
• Supported Architectures: x86 (64-bit), IBM Z Systems
• Limitation: Only available on RHEL 7.9

ELS Purchase Considerations

• Pre-purchase Required: Purchasing before ELS start date (June 30, 2024) avoids backdating costs
• Post-purchase Penalty: Purchasing after start date requires payment backdated to start date
• Eligibility: Only Standard or Premium subscriptions eligible for ELS (excludes Desktop/Workstation)

EUS (Extended Update Support) Strategic Utilization

Core Value of EUS

• Stability: Fixed support for specific minor releases for 24 months
• Predictability: Planned upgrade cycles minimize operational risk
• Selective Application: EUS for critical systems, regular updates for general systems

Current EUS Availability

RHEL 8 EUS:

• 8.4 (ended May 31, 2023)
• 8.6 (ended May 31, 2024)
• 8.8 (ends May 31, 2025) – Final EUS version

RHEL 9 EUS:

• 9.0 (ended May 31, 2024)
• 9.2 (ends May 31, 2025)
• 9.4 (ends April 30, 2026)
• 9.6, 9.8 (planned for future release)

Enhanced EUS – New Option for RHEL 9

Enhanced EUS Differentiators

• Support Duration: 48 months (double the standard EUS)
• Current Availability:
  • 9.0: Until May 31, 2026
  • 9.2: Until May 31, 2027
  • 9.4: Until April 30, 2028

Enhanced EUS Limitations

• Excludes Self-support subscriptions
• Excludes Workstation and Desktop
• Not included with Premium subscriptions (separate add-on purchase required)

Update Services for SAP Solutions (E4S)

Dedicated extended support for SAP environments:

• Support Duration: 48 months
• RHEL 8 E4S: 8.1~8.8 (8.4 ends May 31, 2025)
• RHEL 9 E4S: 9.0, 9.2, 9.4 and future 9.6, 9.8

 

 

5. Major Policy Changes for 2024-2025

Cloud Partner Pricing Policy Innovation

New Pricing Structure Effective April 1, 2024

• Target: All CCSP (Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Provider) partners
• Major Clouds: AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform
• Key Improvements:
  • Flexible scaling aligned with customer consumption patterns
  • Elastic pricing for peak/off-peak periods
  • Streamlined procurement processes

Practical Impact

• More economical options for RHEL usage in cloud environments
• Improved cost predictability in auto-scaling environments

RHEL 10 Release and Strategic Significance

RHEL 10 Key Features

• Release Date: May 20, 2025 (announced at Red Hat Summit)
• Technical Foundation: Linux kernel 6.12.0-55.9.1.el10_0
• Support Duration: Until May 31, 2038 (13 years)
• Major Improvements:
  • Expanded support for latest hardware platforms
  • Enhanced container and cloud-native technologies
  • AI/ML workload optimization

 

 

6. Cost Optimization and Migration Strategies

Strategic Options for RHEL 7 Users

Option 1: ELS Subscription (Short-term Strategy)

• Pros: Immediate security update continuity, time to develop migration plans
• Cons: Additional costs, no new features or hardware support
• Suitable For: Legacy applications, complex dependencies, phased migration plans

Option 2: RHEL 8 Upgrade (Balanced Strategy)

• Pros: Stable support until 2029, proven technology stack
• Cons: Potential legacy compatibility issues
• Suitable For: Stability-focused environments, gradual technology adoption

Option 3: RHEL 9 Upgrade (Future-oriented Strategy)

• Pros: Long-term support until 2032, access to latest features
• Cons: More extensive compatibility validation required
• Suitable For: Modern workloads, container-based applications

Option 4: RHEL 10 Adoption (Innovation Strategy)

• Pros: Latest technology stack, ultra-long support until 2038
• Cons: Initial stability validation needed, extensive testing required
• Suitable For: New projects, AI/ML workloads

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Analysis Framework

TCO Components:

1. Direct Costs
   • Subscription costs (Server, EUS, ELS, etc.)
   • Additional costs by technical support level
   • Training and certification costs
2. Indirect Costs
   • Migration project costs (personnel, time, testing)
   • Business impact from downtime
   • Compatibility issue resolution costs
3. Opportunity Costs
   • Innovation delays from maintaining legacy systems
   • Competitive disadvantage from not utilizing latest features

Cost Optimization Checkpoints:

• [ ] Review appropriateness of current subscription levels
• [ ] Distinguish systems requiring EUS from those that don’t
• [ ] Analyze VM count optimization opportunities in virtualized environments
• [ ] Analyze cost changes with cloud migration

 

 

7. Step-by-Step Action Plan for Version Migration

Phase 1: Current State Assessment and Risk Evaluation (Execute Immediately)

Build System Inventory

# Check RHEL version
cat /etc/redhat-release

# Check subscription status  
subscription-manager status

# Check EUS application
subscription-manager repos --list-enabled | grep eus

Risk Assessment Matrix

• High: RHEL 7 systems past maintenance support end (ELS not applied)
• Medium: Systems with EUS ending in 2025 (8.8, 9.2)
• Low: Systems within current support periods

Phase 2: Migration Planning Development (1-2 months)

Application Dependency Analysis

• Verify RHEL version requirements for each application
• Review third-party software compatibility matrices
• Plan compatibility testing for custom applications

Migration Priority Determination

1. Tier 1: Business-critical, high security requirements
2. Tier 2: Important but temporary interruption acceptable
3. Tier 3: Development/test environments, internal tools

Phase 3: Testing and Validation (2-3 months)

Test Environment Setup

• Configure test environments identical to production
• Develop automated test scripts
• Establish and validate rollback procedures

Performance and Functionality Validation

• Confirm normal application functionality
• Compare performance benchmarks (old vs. new versions)
• Validate security settings and compliance requirements

Phase 4: Phased Migration Execution (3-6 months)

Blue-Green Deployment Strategy

• Build new version environments
• Gradually transition traffic
• Maintain immediate rollback capability

Change Management and Communication

• Share progress with stakeholders
• Establish user training and support systems
• Define escalation procedures for issues

 

 

8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What risks exist if we continue using RHEL 7 without ELS? A: You’ll be exposed to new vulnerabilities without security patches, face compliance issues, and lose Red Hat technical support, making recovery difficult during outages.

Q2: How are licenses calculated in virtualized environments? A: Based on the number of running RHEL VMs, not physical servers. For example, 1 physical server running 5 RHEL VMs requires 5 subscriptions.

Q3: What’s the practical difference between EUS and standard subscriptions? A: Standard subscriptions continuously update to the latest minor versions, while EUS provides fixed support for specific minor versions for 24 months. EUS is useful when you need to maintain specific versions for stability.

Q4: Are licensing policies different when using RHEL in the cloud? A: Basic principles remain the same, but more flexible pricing policies apply for purchases through cloud partners starting in 2024. Elastic billing based on usage provides more cost optimization opportunities.

 

 

Many enterprises currently face crossroads due to RHEL 7’s end of maintenance support. While ELS provides a tactical solution buying time, long-term migration to newer versions offers better choices for technological innovation and cost efficiency.

Red Hat’s announced 3-year ELS plans for RHEL 8/9 and the RHEL 10 release provide opportunities to establish infrastructure strategies from a more systematic, long-term perspective. We recommend developing optimal RHEL strategies that comprehensively consider each organization’s business requirements, technical constraints, and budget situations. Build stable yet innovative IT infrastructure to secure competitiveness in the digital transformation era.

 

 

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References

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life Cycle Policy
• Red Hat Subscription Guide
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux End of Life Information
• Red Hat Customer Portal
• Red Hat Store – Linux Platforms