NewsPublished 28 Feb 2017Updated 21 Nov 2025

Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 One-Month Retirement Notice

Affects Red HatSource GCVE Database

Description

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 reached the end of its Production Phase 3 support on March 31, 2017. Until that date, Critical impact security patches and selected Urgent priority bug fixes were provided for RHEL 5.11, the final release in the RHEL 5 series. After this date, active support ended, but customers could purchase an Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) Add-On subscription to receive critical fixes and urgent bug fixes until November 30, 2020. Customers are encouraged to migrate to newer supported versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux for continued comprehensive support.

Impact

After March 31, 2017, Red Hat ceased providing active support and security updates for RHEL 5 except for customers who purchased the Extended Life Cycle Support Add-On. Without this subscription, systems running RHEL 5 may be exposed to unpatched critical vulnerabilities, increasing security risks. The availability of ELS mitigates this risk for subscribing customers until November 30, 2020. Customers remaining on RHEL 5 without ELS support face increased exposure to security threats due to lack of patches.

Defensive guidance

Customers should migrate from Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 to a currently supported RHEL release to maintain comprehensive security support. For those who must remain on RHEL 5, purchasing the Extended Life Cycle Support Add-On subscription provides critical security patches and urgent bug fixes through November 30, 2020. Red Hat provides tools and documentation to assist with migration, including the Pre-upgrade Assistant tool and migration instructions. No further active support is available beyond these options.

Summary

This advisory announces the retirement of support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 as of March 31, 2017, marking the end of Production Phase 3. Up to that date, Red Hat provided critical security patches and urgent bug fixes for RHEL 5.11. Post-retirement, customers can opt for an Extended Life Cycle Support subscription to receive critical updates until November 30, 2020. The advisory also encourages migration to more recent RHEL releases and provides resources to assist with upgrading from RHEL 5 to RHEL 7.

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Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 13 Nov 2026, 18:47 UTC

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