FAQ: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On
Can you describe the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 life cycle?
Red Hat offers support and services for each major release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux throughout four phases: Production 1, 2, and 3 and the Extended Life Phase. For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, the Full/Maintenance Phases span seven years, followed by an Extended Life Phase. Together, these four phases constitute the “life cycle.” The specific support and services provided during each phase is described in detail at This content is not included.This content is not included.http://redhat.com/rhel/lifecycle.
As Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 transitions into the Extended Life Phase, what is Red Hat’s suggested course of action for customers?
Your Red Hat subscription gives you continuous access to all active versions of the Red Hat software in both binary and source form, including all security updates and bug fixes. As Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 transitions from the Full/Maintenance Phases, we strongly recommend that you take full advantage of your subscription services and upgrade to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 or 7, which contain compelling new features and enablement for modern hardware platforms and ISV applications. If you must stay on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, we recommend that you add the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On subscription to your current Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription.
How can I continue to receive software maintenance (bug and security fixes) and full technical support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 once the product transitions to the Extended Life Phase?
If you require software maintenance and full technical support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, Red Hat strongly recommends that you add the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On subscription to your current Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription. The ELS Add-On offering complements your Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription and provides software maintenance services not otherwise available in the Extended Life Phase. Customers who purchase the ELS Add-On offering continue to receive software maintenance (critical impact security and selected urgent priority bug fixes) and technical support as provided in the Production 3 Phase. ELS is available through March 31, 2017, and requires that you have an existing Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription with equivalent subscription terms and support level. An ELS Add-On subscription can be added to Red Hat Enterprise Linux Standard and Premium support subscriptions.
For more information about the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On, refer to This content is not included.This content is not included.http://www.redhat.com/products/enterprise-linux-add-ons/extended-lifecycle-support/.
How can I purchase the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Extended Life Support (ELS) Add-On?
You can purchase ELS directly from Red Hat as well as from OEMs, channels, etc. To avoid any support issues, we recommend that you purchase ELS from the same vendor from whom you purchased your Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription. For pricing information about ELS, contact your Red Hat representative.
Are there any products or components not covered by the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On?
While ELS covers the vast majority of Red Hat Enterprise Linux software packages (rpms) and components, some packages are excluded. For more information, refer to the package This content is not included.exclusion list.
Note that the following products are not covered by the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ELS Add-On subscription:
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop 4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 4
- Red Hat Cluster Suite 4
- Red Hat Global File System (GFS) 4
Note also that the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ELS Add-On is available for the x86, x86-64, and Itanium architectures only.
How do I access the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ELS Add-On content on Red Hat Network?
The Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ELS Add-On content (critical impact security and selected urgent priority bug fixes) is available on Red Hat Network as a child channel of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 base channels. The child channel is located under the product “Red Hat Enterprise Linux ELS.”
Your systems remain registered to Red Hat Network after you purchase the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ELS Add-On; no re-registration is required. For more information on how to access Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ELS content on Red Hat Network (RHN), including how to access ELS via Red Hat Network Satellite, visit This content is not included.This content is not included.https://access.redhat.com/kb/docs/DOC-70098.
I’m running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 as a guest in a virtualization deployment. Is the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ELS Add-On available for guests running on Red Hat hypervisors and other Red Hat supported hypervisors?
Yes. ELS is available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 guests running on active, supported hypervisors. For example, a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 guest with an ELS subscription can be run and fully supported on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 KVM hypervisor. The full matrix of supported hypervisors is located at the This content is not included.Red Hat Enterprise Linux Virtualization Guest Matrix.
Can I buy only one year of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ELS Add-On while I continue to migrate to newer versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux?
Yes. The Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ELS Add-On is available as a one-year offering and is renewable as needed.
Can Red Hat Subscription Manager be used with the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ELS Add-On?
Red Hat Subscription Manager is not supported with the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ELS Add-On.