Lifecycle
Microsoft Lifecycle Policy
Microsoft has clearly defined a lifecycle policy for operating systems (see here). A difference is made between a modern and a fixed policy, depending on the type of operating system. The operating systems distributed by Beckhoff are subject to the fixed policy. Operating systems in the fixed policy are always assigned to one of the following lifecycle phases:
- Mainstream Support
- Extended Support
- Beyond End of Support
Each lifecycle phase provides a different type of support. You can get an overview of these types here. In the following, the types of support are described briefly:
Lifecycle phase | Type of support |
|---|---|
Mainstream Support | Requests to change product design and features, security updates and non-security updates |
Extended Support | Security updates, non-security updates are no longer available free of charge and on a regular base |
Beyond End of Support | Security and non-security updates are no longer available free of charge and on a regular base |
Beckhoff provides an up-to-date overview of the availability of operating systems used and distributed by Beckhoff in Industrial PCs.
Finding Microsoft lifecycle information
You can find the individual support dates that apply to the available operating systems on the Microsoft website in the product search section. The support dates include the start date of the operating system and the end dates of the lifecycle phases.
In the following you will find the steps to find the support dates of your operating system. Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2019 LTSC is used as an example:
- 1. Enter the Search by Product page (see fig. 2).
- 2. Search for your operating system (see fig. 3).
- 3. Look up the support dates (see fig. 4).
