CentOS 8.x CentOS 8 Now End Of Life (EOL)

CentOS Linux 8 is officially End Of Life (EOL).
CentOS 8 is no longer supported nor maintained.

CentOS 8 was a Linux distribution that provided a free and open-source operating system, compatible with its downstream source, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 (RHEL). Or in brief: CentOS developers simply used Red Hat's open-source code to rebuild Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and rebrand it as CentOS 8.

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Most CentOS 8 based servers will continue to run.
With just a single simple migration script. The server continues to run up-to-date where it left off.

Below a few drop in replacements, binary compatible with CentOS and Red Hat Enterprise Linux:

AlmaLinux
Rocky Linux
Oracle Linux
VzLinux
Circle Linux
Navy Linux
EuroLinux
SUSE Liberty Linux

The show must go on!
If you are currently a CentOS 8 user.
It is time to take action and migrate to another distribution as soon as (reasonably) possible.

Because CentOS 8 is no longer supported nor maintained.
Over time, a current CentOS 8 based server could become susceptible to security vulnerabilities (CVE) or other software related issues. Security fixes, bug fixes and feature enhancements are no longer released for CentOS 8.

The migration script from CentOS 8 to .... is distribution dependent and is available via the respective vendor website, at your choice as listed above.

 

Because it's a discussion about CentOS 8 its EOL.
I hope that responding to one's own comment is allowed.
Although I see it as a addition.

I am very curious to see what will happen to CentOS on January 1, 2022.
CentOS has a strong, well-known, interesting name marketing-wise.
It seems weird to me if they get rid of this name.

I am not surprised if after December 2021.
CentOS Stream will be named CentOS.
And as a final CentOS 8 old style update, a repo update to Stream.

Provided that it is clearly stated, this yields a very large number of new (beta test) users.

You will then receive the following products:

1. CentOS 7 rebuild from RHEL 7 and will be the same
2. CentOS 8, the unofficial beta version of RHEL 8.*
3. CentOS 9, the unofficial beta version of RHEL 9.*

 

Yeah there are a lot of managed servers like cPanel or custom made where the customer has no influence and where the supplier is likely to transfer in stages.
Partly for that reason, I expect quite a few transfers after January 2021 and after releasing EL 8.6 again. When users don't receive 8.6, and start investigate what is/has happened.
You can already see a dip in CentOS 8 servers in the chart below.

 

There are even extended lifecycle support services for CentOS 8 if wanted or needed.
So if for whatever reason a repo upgrade is already too risky. There is a solution for these cases as well.

 

Few days left for CentOS support.
The CentOS team has a new marketing blogpost: Upstream vs downstream

The bottom line, in maaaaaaany words, is that CentOS Stream is actually not different from CentOS. That both have been rigorously tested. Only the timing is different. The question then remains why CentOS doesn't just stay CentOS. After all, it doesn't differ much, does it? Well everyone can answer that it seems to me

I'm curious after January 1. I still think CentOS Stream is going to be CentOS, at some point. The name is too valuable. There is no mention anywhere that the name will not change. Only that CentOS will no longer be released in its current form.

 

As CentOS 8 will be end of life (EOL) within a single day. Herewith a discussion topic.
It looks like most 8 users are still on CentOS. A Fedora engineer has posted a couple of interesting DNF (=>8) statistics. About which systems sign up to download EPEL packages, nowadays.

Of course, it's not a academic fixed fact but it seems that no major shifts are taking place yet. Fair is fair. I would have expected a few more systems to have been transferred.

The graph also gives a good idea of why Red Hat wants to get rid of CentOS.
There are simply way too many CentOS systems in comparison with Red Hat Enterpise Linux. The difference is huge.

Aside. And this surprises me.
36.8% of CentOS 8 users surveyed from a poll indicated that they are switching to CentOS Stream.

There are a lot of them.
Well done marketing department of Red Hat. It's fair to say that, too.

However, you see it more often.
That most users don't switch or can't switch until EOL is actually in effect.
You can see a slight shift of systems after November.
Migration seems to have begun.

 

It looks like Red Hat staff are personally threatened and insulted because of the CentOS EOL. Of course, you can disagree with the choice. Everyone is free to think whatever they want to do.

But this does not make sense. It is ridiculous.

 

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is migrating servers already running CentOS Linux 8 to CentOS Stream 8.

 

Johnny Hughes: Software Engineer at Red Hat, CentOS Project developer and also one of the directors from The CentOS Board. Has his preferences for AlmaLinux. For anyone who wants to move from CentOS Linux 8 to another binary compatible Red Hat Enterprise Linux distribution.

 

Interesting view on Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux from Rich Bowen, community manager at Red Hat:

 

Whoo whoo whoo this is totally interesting m8, about AlmaLinux from Rich Bowen, community manager at Red Hat:

 

From what I have heard from Red Hat employees I have business contact with (without naming names).
Is that the choice to shift the CentOS Project to CentOS Stream came straight from the top.

That marketing drivel about how much CentOS Stream is better than the original CentOS with Continuous Delivery, ahead of RHEL, Always Ready RHEL, RHEL/CentOS differs mostly in the timing in which things happen and all that stup*** cra*** is purely to show unity.

But there is no such thing as unanimous unity. Far from it even.
Perhaps that is why Red Hat members, unofficially, are working very closely with AlmaLinux.
So you achieve the same thing under a different name or thing or whatever you want to name it.

 

I suspect so. Even I, unfortunately, have a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
I may not work on similar projects in my own spare time, may not start a start-up in the same industry, may not transfer to a direct competitor, may not take certain knowledge, yet use it at the competitor etc etc. Companies are so afraid you'll run away these days.

And therein lies the crux. According to various open source licenses, Red Hat should provide the source back to the community should it use open source.
And that is strictly what is happening here: make sure that AlmaLinux have what they need: the open source code.

This gives Red Hat employees the freedom to be allowed to do a little extra anyway. Without the hassle.

After all, you can send the source once a year or with every change. Since most open source developers, embrace open source. You can already guess which form of manners will be used.

 

Seems clear to me how the Rocky Project thinks about certain things