When does VMware’s Support Lifecycle begin?
Lifecycle Phase Definitions
General Support Phase
The General Support phase begins on the date of general availability of a Major Release (“GA”) and lasts for a fixed duration. During the General Support phase, for customers who have purchased VMware support, VMware offers maintenance updates and upgrades, bug and security fixes, and technical assistance as per the Support and Subscription Terms and Conditions.
Technical Guidance Phase
Technical Guidance, if available, is provided from the end of the General Support phase and lasts for a fixed duration. Support Services available are reduced where products are in the Technical Guidance Phase. Customers are encouraged to use the Self-Help portal as priority. If required, customers can open a support request online via their Customer Connect portal to receive support and workarounds for low-severity issues on supported configurations only.
During the Technical Guidance phase, VMware does not offer new hardware support, server/client/guest OS updates, new security patches or bug fixes unless otherwise noted. This phase is intended for usage by customers operating in stable environments with systems that are operating under reasonably stable loads. (See Lifecycle Support Summary Table)
End of Support Life (EOSL)
A product has reached its end of support life when it is no longer generally supported by VMware. End of support life for a specific product is either end of General Support or end of Technical Guidance, if available for that specific product.
End of Availability (EOA) / End Of Distribution (EOD)
A product has reached its end of availability when it is no longer available for purchase from VMware. A product has reached its end of distribution when VMware can no longer make it available as a download from vmware.com or distribute the product in other ways. The end of availability and end of distribution may coincide.
| Features | General Support Phase | Technical Guidance Phase |
| Maintenance updates and upgrades | X | |
| New security patches |
X | |
| New bug fixes | X | |
| New hardware support | X | |
| Server, Client and Guest OS updates | X | |
| File a Support Request | Phone and Web | Web only |
| Existing security patches | X | X |
| Existing bug fixes | X | X |
| severity 1 | X | |
| Workarounds for low-severity issue (severity 2, 3, and 4) | X | X |
| Self-help web-based support | X | X |
| Access to VMware Customer Connect | X | X |
| Policy | General Support Phase | Technical Guidance Phase |
| Enterprise Infrastructure Policy (EIP) | X | X |
| Enterprise Desktop and Mobility Policy (EDP) |
X | X |
| Enterprise Network Policy (ENP) | X | X |
| Enterprise HCI Policy (EHP) | X | X |
| Application Platform Policy (APP) | X | X |
| Enterprise Application Policy (EAP) | X | |
| N-2 Policy (N-2) | X | |
| Personal Desktop Policy (PDP) | X | |
| General Support Policy (retired) (GSP) | X | |
| VMware Infrastructure 3 Support Policy (retired) (VI3P) | X |
The information contained herein is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication, but updates and revisions may be posted periodically and without notice. VMWARE DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY WARRANTIES COVERING THIS INFORMATION AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, AND SPECIAL DAMAGES, IN CONNECTION WITH THE INFORMATION PRESENTED HERE.
Lifecycle FAQ
VMware’s Support Lifecycle begins on the general availability date of the product.
Does VMware’s Support Lifecycle Policy apply globally?
Yes. VMware’s Support Lifecycle Policy is a worldwide policy. Local laws and market conditions that require deviations from the standard policy will be accommodated through specific support contracts between VMware and its customers.
Does VMware’s Support Lifecycle Policy specify which OEM systems will be supported?
No, the System Compatibility Guide specifies which OEM systems are supported.
Does VMware provide notification to customers when the next phase of the support lifecycle is about to begin or end of support is about to arrive?
VMware will post the general availability, end of support and end of technical guidance dates for each of its software releases on the VMware Support web site.
Are there different support lifecycles for different support offerings?
No. VMware’s Support Lifecycle is based on the general availability of a product release and not support offerings.
Does VMware provide different levels of support throughout the support lifecycle?
Yes. VMware’s Support Lifecycle is divided into phases, each offering different levels of support. Phases vary by product in an effort to meet different market needs.
What are the criteria for determining if a bug is critical or non-critical (as specified by the Support Lifecycle Policy)?
Critical bugs are deviations from specified product functionality that cause data corruption, data loss, system crash, or significant customer application down time. A bug is considered critical if it meets the mentioned criteria and there is no work-around that can be implemented.
Are there any resources available once VMware’s End of Support phase has been reached?
Yes. Customers can access VMware Customer Connect through all three phases of the support lifecycle, General Support, Technical Guidance and End of Support. Please note VMware makes no commitment to retain or update content related to end of support offers. To learn more about VMware Customer Connect, read the KB article here.
