Introduction

This document describes the Cisco Secure Endpoint Linux connector Long Term Support (LTS) commitments.

Cisco Secure Endpoint Connector Long Term Support

Cisco Secure Endpoint connector LTS is the time period in which a Linux distribution will only receive bug fixes and security patches, and will no longer receive any new features.

The connector LTS will only support the latest officially supported kernel on the Linux distribution. If a distribution has entered connector LTS then it is nearing its end of life as defined by the Distribution Vendor and customers will be required to update their endpoint to the latest officially supported version of the distribution and kernel available. Customers must also prepare to upgrade their endpoints to a newer distribution before connector LTS has ended.

The connector LTS aligns with the Distribution Vendor policy to only support the latest version of the end of life distribution version; for example, version 7.9, the last minor release of Enterprise Linux 7, is supported long term by the connector. This is in accordance with the Secure Endpoint Software Support Policy:

Secure Endpoint software support on all operating systems will align with the vendor’s published end-of-support schedule.

A Linux distribution that is used beyond the connector LTS period will lose support from Cisco Secure Endpoint. This is true for a Linux distribution that is no longer supported:

• Cisco Engineering will no longer develop, repair, maintain, or test the Secure Endpoint connector on these distributions.
• Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) will not provide support for the Secure Endpoint connector on these distributions.
• All support services for the product are unavailable, and the product becomes obsolete.

Note: Support continues under the terms and conditions of customers' service contract on supported operating systems and distributions for customers with active service and support contracts.

See Linux System Requirements and tables for RPM-based and Debian-based compatibility.

LTS Announcements

Legend

Enterprise Linux

Cisco Secure Endpoint connector LTS for Enterprise Linux (EL) encompasses these distros:

• Rocky Linux
• Alma Linux
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
• Oracle Linux (RHCK)
• CentOS Linux
• Oracle Linux

The "End of Maintenance Support" and "End of Extended Life Cycle Support" for RHEL is used to determine the connector LTS periods for EL based distributions.

Amazon Linux

SUSE Linux Enterprise and openSUSE Leap

Ubuntu LTS

Debian

Configure a Connector Long Term Support Policy

The connector downloads an update (xml) seed with every policy sync if the policy for this connector is for a greater version, however the connector will not update if the update seed is for a version greater than the connector LTS family. Customers who want to avoid unnecessary update seed downloads can place their legacy distributions currently in connector LTS in a separate policy whose version is the latest in the LTS family for that legacy distribution.

If you want to continue using a legacy distribution throughout its connector LTS period then it is recommended that you create a separate policy for the legacy distribution. See the "Enable Debug Mode Using the Secure Endpoint Console" section of the Cisco Secure Endpoint Connector for Linux Diagnostic Data Collection article for step-by-step instructions on how to duplicate a policy with new settings. When editing your policy you will take a few different steps:

1. On the Edit Policy page, select the Product Updates tab.
2. From the Product Version dropdown, select the latest product version in the connector LTS version family that aligns with your the legacy distribution.
   

See Also

• Cisco Secure Endpoint Connector for Linux Diagnostic Data Collection
• Secure Endpoint Software Support Policy
• Verify Secure Endpoint Linux Connector OS Compatibility