Time to upgrade your Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® infrastructure

With the end of maintenance for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 quickly approaching on 30 June 2024, you need to plan your upgrade now. If you’re not sure how, we’re here to help.

Jump to section

Upgrading will allow you to take full advantage of new features, bug fixes, ongoing support and more, as it will deliver the following benefits:

  • Consistent enterprise-level security with system-wide cryptographic policies and Linux kernel live patching
  • Greater efficiency thanks to a combination of automated, repeatable workflows and web-based Linux administration
  • Intelligent analytics and remediation using Red Hat Insights
  • Improved IT life cycle planning thanks to Red Hat’s published, predictable release cadence
  • Container-ready tools to create, run and manage consistent Linux containers with an enterprise life cycle
  • Accelerated innovation via Application streams

While upgrading to the closest version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux may seem like the obvious choice, an even later version might actually make more sense. To help you decide, take a look at ‘Which version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is best for me?

Red Hat can help with either an in-place upgrade or a fresh install. In planning your upgrade, please consider the following questions:

Is an in-place upgrade best for you?

An in-place upgrade with leapp allows you to retain your existing infrastructure environment and configuration settings. You can also run a pre-upgrade analysis report and receive remediation advice that you may consider automating to perform upgrades at scale. This is Red Hat’s recommended upgrade method. 

Is a fresh install best for you?

A fresh install involves launching a new deployment of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and manually configuring your workloads. 

Will you use in-house resources for your upgrade project, or will you need assistance?

Red Hat Consulting Services can help you complete your upgrade project with expert support.  

Do you have time to complete your upgrade before the RHEL 7 End of Maintenance deadline?

If not (or if you’re not sure), consider purchasing a Red Hat Enterprise Linux Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-on. Get up to 4 years of extended support.

More about RHEL 7 End of Maintenance deadline

For more information about upgrading, including the creation of a pre-upgrade analysis report, a detailed view on the top reasons to upgrade, and which version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is best for you, check out the supporting information provided here:

Need more help?

For more help regarding the Red Hat Enterprise Linux migration process, visit our Red Hat Enterprise Linux upgrade page located at https://red.ht/upgraderhel.

If you’d like some assistance or guidance to help you get there, and possibly save you time and money in the process - speak to us today.