Migrate from CentOS Linux to Red Hat Enterprise Linux

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CentOS Linux end of life

On June 30, 2024, CentOS Linux 7 will reach End of Life (EOL).

Organizations running CentOS Linux must migrate to a new operating system (OS) to continue receiving updates, security patches, and new features.

What does this mean for your existing systems? If you’re on CentOS Linux 7, now is the time to prepare and get your migration plans in place. We can show you how.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Third Party Linux Migration is a new offering that enables CentOS Linux 7 users to maintain continuity in their environment after the EOL date, whether they’re on premise or in the cloud.

Icon-Red_Hat-Media_and_documents-Quotemark_Open-B-Red-RGB If you’re on CentOS Linux 7, now is the time to prepare and get your migration plans in place

Why migrate to Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Migrating to Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® is a direct migration path for CentOS Linux users. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a fully supported production-grade OS available on premises and in the cloud. It’s the best long-term migration option for production use.

To understand this process more deeply, learn how Red Hat Consulting can help your team map your move from CentOS Linux 7 to Red Hat Enterprise Linux on AWS.

To plan and evaluate your options for your migration, consider using the CentOS Linux migration online assessment. This 6-question assessment is designed to provide immediate, personalized guidance for a smooth transition to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Similar user experience, more value.

Because CentOS Linux was derived from Red Hat Enterprise Linux sources, users migrating to Red Hat can continue to use many of the same techniques and elements with minimal training, while also gaining more features, tools, support, and value.

Open hybrid cloud

Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides consistency across open hybrid cloud environments, whether organizations are deploying new applications, moving existing workloads and applications from the datacenter to the cloud, or migrating from another Linux distribution.

If you’re still unsure about migrating, learn why Red Hat Enterprise Linux is your best next step. Video duration: 2:12

Converting CentOS Linux to Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Features and benefits

Cost savings

Red Hat Enterprise Linux has a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) over time, streamlining conversion, maintenance, and overall management for your IT team. According to IDC, organizations that purchase Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscriptions versus using a free, unsupported OS see a greater return on investment, with a 540% three-year ROI.

Cloud provider committed spend programs

If your instances are in the public cloud, take advantage of committed spend programs with AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Qualifying organizations can also benefit from the Red Hat Hybrid Committed Spend program, which spans multiple cloud partners and includes on-premise deployments.

Certified for SAP HANA

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is one of only two OS options certified for integration with SAP S/4HANA®. It provides the secure, scalable, and reliable OS foundation you need to support the specific requirements of SAP business critical workloads.

Streamlined migration with minimal disruption

The Red Hat migration tool, Convert2RHEL, enables a streamlined migration by automatically determining the conversion path based on the CentOS Linux version. It prepares the system for conversion and replaces CentOS Linux packages with Red Hat Enterprise Linux equivalents while maintaining your customizations, configurations, and preferences.

Analytics, automation and management

Red Hat Enterprise Linux includes built-in analytics, automation, and other tools that increase efficiency and performance. Red Hat Insights is included in your subscription and continuously analyzes platforms and applications to predict risk, recommend actions, and track subscriptions so enterprises can better manage hybrid cloud environments.

Built-in security and compliance capabilities

Security features like kernel live patching, security profiles, security standards certification, and a trusted software supply chain help you meet today’s high security and compliance expectations.

Additional features:

Long-term lifecycle support with up to 10 years of support for major releases and two years of support for minor releases. 

Extensive partner ecosystem with 5,000+ certified third-party hardware vendors, 4,500+ certified third-party software vendors, and 1,400+ certified cloud and service providers.

Portability with the ability to move existing Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscriptions to the cloud environment of your choice via Red Hat Cloud Access.

5 surprising benefits of moving from CentOS Linux to Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Customer story

Salesforce transitions from CentOS Linux to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

The company is migrating over 200,000 systems to streamline IT operations and enhance customer experiences.

How to migrate

Streamline your CentOS Linux migration with Red Hat

Whether you’re using only CentOS Linux or are an existing Red Hat Enterprise Linux customer, and also have CentOS Linux, we have a streamlined migration solution for your needs.

Use the Convert2RHEL tool

Convert2RHEL is a command line utility that converts a RPM-based Linux OS to a fully supported Red Hat Enterprise Linux OS.

The do-it-yourself tool provides an automated way to convert to Red Hat Enterprise Linux—instead of manually redeploying all your workloads. Convert2RHEL minimizes the need for costly redeployment projects and reduces administrative burden by maintaining existing OS customizations, configurations, and preferences during the conversion.

Check out our interactive lab for a step-by-step demonstration of how Convert2RHEL works.

Convert2RHEL provides a path to quickly convert other Linux operating systems to fully supported Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

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Use Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Third Party Linux Migration

Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Third Party Linux Migration helps users maintain continuity after CentOS Linux 7 reaches end of life (EOL) on June 30, 2024. This offering includes tooling and best practices to convert in-place instances of CentOS Linux 7 to Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It also allows users to receive software updates and patches for four additional years after the EOL date.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Third Party Linux Migration is available on the AWS Marketplace and Azure Marketplace.

Time's ticking on CentOS Linux 7. Learn how to prepare your migration plans to RHEL with a new, competitively priced offer. Video duration: 5:22

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Use Red Hat Insights

It’s no secret that moving from one Linux distribution to another can be a complex task, but there are steps that can make the process and outcomes more predictable and reduce risk. Organizations migrating to Red Hat Enterprise Linux from CentOS Linux 7 now have a simpler way to convert using Red Hat Insights:

  1. Register CentOS Linux 7 systems to display in the Insights inventory list.
  2. Initiate a pre-conversion analysis of selected CentOS Linux 7 systems and receive remediation advice to help address issues that could complicate or prevent conversion to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Complete your conversion to Red Hat Enterprise Linux directly from Red Hat Insights after you resolve any issues identified in the pre-conversion analysis. Watch this process in action.

Red Hat Insights helps you prepare for your move to Red Hat Enterprise Linux, then complete it from the same interface. Learn how with our video walkthrough. Video duration: 7:47

Need help getting started?

Engage Red Hat Consulting to help accelerate your migration or connect with one of our many certified partners.

Frequently asked questions

What is replacing CentOS Linux 7?

CentOS Linux 7 is not being replaced. Updates and releases will end on June 30, 2024.

What is the EOL of CentOS Linux 8?

Updates, patches and new features for CentOS Linux 8 ended on December 31, 2021.

Is CentOS going away?

Updates for CentOS Linux 7 will end on June 30, 2024. However, the CentOS Project and associated community are not going away. Community contributors can continue to collaborate on the development of future versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux via CentOS Stream, which will remain an important part of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux development process.

Is there a CentOS Linux 9?

There will not be a CentOS Linux 9.