Dear Valued Customer,

This forum post is to inform you of a significant update regarding our support for legacy operating systems.

Effective December 31, 2024, Patch Manager Plus will officially discontinue support for Windows XP, Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, macOS 10.11, macOS 10.12 and macOS 10.13. 

This decision has been made to ensure the highest levels of security, performance, and reliability across our services.

Why have we decided to end support?

1. Security: The operating systems mentioned above pose significant security risks as they no longer receive the latest security updates, making them vulnerable to modern threats.

2. Compliance: End-of-support (EoS) operating systems might not adhere to various compliance standards, as they are outdated without the latest security updates, thereby being non-compliant.

3. Support for new features: Newer features releases as well as certain fixes might not be compatible with the listed OS. Further, existing capabilities might not be fully effective in these operating systems.

What happens to devices being managed?

1. Devices running Windows XP, Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, macOS 10.11, macOS 10.12, and macOS 10.13 cannot be managed after December 31, 2024.

2. Agent/Distribution Server upgrades on devices with these operating systems will fail when updating to the latest build.

FAQ:

• Does having EoS OS machines utilize licenses? 

• Yes, as long as the systems have an agent present, they'll be using a license. To avoid unnecessary license usage, it is recommended to either uninstall the agents or remove these machines from the console.

• What happens to systems that have the Distribution Server (DS) installed and are running on these EoS operating systems? 

• Devices running on end-of-support (EoS) operating systems can no longer be used as Distribution Server. Additionally, Patch Manager Plus cannot be hosted on machines running these operating systems. Steps to move Distribution Server from one to another computer.

• Will the agents be automatically uninstalled from devices running these EoS operating systems? 

• No, the agents will not be automatically uninstalled. Instead, they will become idle (disabled) and cannot function in these systems. These systems will still be listed in the Computers view, where you need to uninstall the agents manually.

We understand that this change may impact some of our customers, and we are committed to supporting you through this transition. If you have any clarifications, please do not hesitate to contact us at patchmanagerplus-support@manageengine.com.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Best regards,

Team ManageEngine