End dates are coming for CentOS Stream 8 and CentOS Linux 7
We’ve got an important message for Developers, Administrators, and Users.
Time flies when you’re building RPMs…
...and install images... and containers... and cloud images... and so much more!
Time files when planning system migrations too - so start planning now!
But, before we get there, OS migration time is a wonderful opportunity to test out your disaster recovery plans! Often, without much extra work, you can treat an OS migration like a system loss and validate your documentation, provisioning, configuration, fail-over, and backup systems against something besides a set of test hosts. It is hard to test these in production, but you could test them in pre-production with this migration.
CentOS Stream 8 End of Builds: May 31, 2024
We expect this to correspond roughly to the release of RHEL 8.10. CentOS Stream 8 is where new features are developed for RHEL 8. With the release of RHEL 8.10, RHEL 8 will be considered largely feature complete.
When we announced CentOS Stream we noted that it was designed to serve "as the upstream (development) branch of Red Hat Enterprise Linux." With RHEL 8 transitioning to Maintenance phase, CentOS Stream 8 has fulfilled its purpose.
After May 31, 2024, CentOS Stream 8 will be archived and no further updates will be provided.
There are a few good options for planning your migrations.
Migration/Upgrade options:
- Migrate to CentOS Stream 9
- Convert to RHEL 8, there are no cost licenses for use under some conditions
- Convert to another operating system in the Enterprise Linux ecosystem. Several projects have derived new operating systems from the CentOS and RHEL sources
Don't forget to review the RHEL Lifecycle to help select the right option for your systems!
The packages will be archived on vault.centos.org after May 31, 2024.
CentOS Linux 7 End of Life: June 30, 2024
RHEL 7 reaches End of Maintance on June 30, 2024. After June 30, 2024, there will be no updates published for CentOS Linux 7.
If you want to stay within the RHEL ecosystem, you’ll need to decide if you want to move to a RHEL8 or a RHEL9 based distribution. You should carefully read each of these to help select the right platform for your systems:
The packages will be archived on vault.centos.org after June 30, 2024.
You can also convert to RHEL7 and purchase Extended Lifecycle Support if you are unable to migrate your system before June 30, 2024.
DO NOT FORGET TO MIGRATE YOUR CONTAINERS!
Always remember to update your containers regularly. Even though it is an image, it still has components that might contain (ha ha) security issues.
You may want to review the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Container Compatibility Matrix as you look at how best to perform these updates and establish a regular update strategy.
One of these days, someone out there will find a vulnerable container hooked up to an autoscaler. On that day, the cluster will scale up the vulnerable containers so the folks exploiting it get good performance! What’s worse, if this container is on a paid cloud service, not only is it compromised, but somebody will need to pay off the extra costs generated by cloud-native compromised containers at scale.
Remember: always set resource limits and autoscaler limits on your containers!
Remember: containers are Linux systems too, update them regularly!
Quick but important tweak to this:
In place conversions like the one you linked above aren't supported for CentOS Stream. The conversion tool (aka, convert2rhel) is designed to convert RHEL clones (CentOS 7.9, or Oracle 8, for example) to RHEL. The challenge with CentOS Stream is that we can't guarantee there won't be package incompatibilities in cases where the released RHEL packages are older than the Stream packages they are replacing.
That's not a knock on Stream, it's just not what the tool is designed to address.
Given the changes and uncertainties surrounding the CentOS project's direction and the end-of-life plans for CentOS Linux 7, it's important to consider the following steps:
1. **Assess Your Environment**: Evaluate your current infrastructure and applications that are running on CentOS 7. Identify any critical systems, services, and applications that might be impacted by the end-of-life of CentOS 7.
2. **Consider Alternatives**:
- **CentOS Stream**: Consider migrating to CentOS Stream 8, which serves as the upstream for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 8. This rolling-release distribution provides more current packages but may require adjustments in your update and testing processes.
- **RHEL**: If you require enterprise-level support and stability, consider migrating to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Keep in mind that RHEL comes with subscription costs.
3. **Migration Plan**:
- If you're considering CentOS Stream, ensure you have a plan in place to regularly update and test your applications against the rolling-release nature of CentOS Stream.
- For a migration to RHEL or another Linux distribution, plan the migration process carefully. Test the migration in a controlled environment before applying it to production.
4. **Backups and Testing**: Create backups of your existing CentOS 7 systems and test your migration or upgrade process in a sandbox environment before making changes in your production environment.
5. **Application Compatibility**: Check if your applications are compatible with the target distribution. Different distributions might have variations in package versions, libraries, and configurations.
6. **Security and Compliance**: Ensure that your chosen distribution receives security updates and meets any compliance requirements specific to your organization.
7. **Documentation**: Document your migration or upgrade process thoroughly. This will help you avoid pitfalls during the transition and will be valuable for future reference.
8. **Timeline**: Depending on the criticality of your systems, establish a timeline for the migration or upgrade. Start planning early to minimize any potential disruption.
9. **Community Resources**: Leverage community forums, documentation, and resources for the distribution you're considering. Many people share their experiences and best practices for migrations and upgrades.
10. **Seek Professional Assistance**: If your organization lacks the expertise or resources, consider engaging with consultants or experts who specialize in system migrations.
Remember that every organization's needs and circumstances are unique. It's important to make decisions based on your specific requirements, risk tolerance, and available resources. Stay informed by regularly checking the official CentOS website, Red Hat announcements, and relevant communities for the latest information on CentOS Stream, CentOS Linux 7, and any alternative distributions you're considering.
I live that CentOS Stream provides a rolling release model allowing easier access to new features and enhancements more quickly and that CentOS Stream closely tracks RHEL's development to help us stay aligned with RHEL's future releases and contribute to the development process.
While CentOS Stream has evolved as a more dynamic and forward-thinking choice compared to the traditional fixed-release CentOS 7/8, it's essential to recognize that there remains a valuable role for fixed-release CentOS. That said, I genuinely value the forward-thinking aspect of this shift.
As the tech world evolves, it's crucial to have reliable sources like CentOS keeping us in the loop. Your commitment to providing timely and accurate information is invaluable, turning what could be a daunting update into an opportunity for growth and adaptation.
Regarding the "Migrate to CentOS Stream 9" option: There is no link here and I can't find an official migration guide. I don't think this migration is supported in any way is it? I managed to migrate using a [third part guide] which was a bit scary and a lot more manual work than I had hoped for. I love Fedora Workstation as my daily driver and did my share of Debian server upgrades without hassle. Installing CentOS 8 on a server and upgrading it to Stream 8 feels like a mistake in retrospect. Not looking forward to the time when Stream 9 is EOL.
This article is misleading as it suggests an upgrade between stream versions would be supported and easily possible. Please communicate those shortcomings better and more clearly so that users can make the right choices for their use cases.
[third part guide]: https://ahelpme.com/linux/centos-stream-9/how-to-upgrade-to-centos-stream-9-from-centos-stream-8/
I took my chances and upgraded my CentOS Stream 8 servers using my own script. Check it out and upgrade under your own risk:
https://gitlab.com/-/snippets/2568867