Cloud Compute CentOS 7 End-of-Life (EOL) | cPanel/WHM 110 Upgrade Blocker | cPanel ELevate Print

CentOS 7 and CloudLinux 7 have reached End-of-Life (EOL) support as of June 30, 2024 by their respective upstream vendors. This means that after that date, these operating systems will no longer receive security updates from upstream vendors, making them more vulnerable to potential security issues. To address this, cPanel has introduced ELevate, and they have also introduced an Extended Lifecycle Support for CentOS 7 and CloudLinux 7 through January 1st, 2026.

As of July 1st, 2024, all customers are automatically enrolled in Extended Lifecycle Support, and their computes will continue receiving OS and cPanel/WHM security updates through January 1st, 2026.

You may see the following notice when logging into your compute's WHM:

There are two methods to resolving this issue, and Hawk Host support is available for both options.

Option 1: Use cPanel ELevate to upgrade your existing compute OS

cPanel ELevate (Link) is an official cPanel tool which allows you to upgrade your existing CentOS 7 OS to AlmaLinux 8. As this work is done on your existing compute there are no data migrations, IP changes, or credential changes. While ELevate is an official cPanel tool, there is still a risk of data loss or complete OS corruption during the process, and as such it is critically important you have up-to-date backups of any data stored on the compute before proceeding with ELevate.

If you would like Hawk Host's assistance in using ELevate on your compute, please follow the below steps:

1. Open a ticket with our support department through https://my.hawkhost.com/submitticket.php with your request for assistance in using ELevate on your compute. Please provide your compute IP as part of this ticket.
2. ELevate is not a perfect tool. There is a risk of data loss or complete OS corruption when using ELevate. Make sure you have up-to-date backups of any data that you consider critical on this compute. You can use cPanel's native Backup tool (Link) to download full backups of your existing cPanel accounts.
3. Your upgrade will need to be scheduled during a planned window, as only our senior support team is available for ELevate support requests. Our available migration windows are between 10:00AM - 3:00PM EDT Monday through Friday.

If you would like to complete an ELevate upgrade yourself without our team's assistance, you can find cPanel's official guide here: Upgrade from CentOS 7 to AlmaLinux 8 with cPanel ELevate

Option 2: Use WHM Transfer Tool to migrate your data

WHM Transfer Tool (Link) is a utility that allows you to move data between two cPanel systems. In the context of upgrading from CentOS 7 to AlmaLinux 8, this method is safer as there is no risk of data loss as part of this process. However, this method requires you purchase a new compute with AlmaLinux 8 as its OS, and your IP would also change as part of this migration option. Our billing team will ensure you receive a pro-rated account credit for any unused time on the CentOS 7 compute once the migration is completed and you have submitted a cancellation request.

If you would like Hawk Host's assistance in using ELevate on your compute, please follow the below steps:

1. Purchase your new AlmaLinux 8 compute with cPanel/WHM through our site at https://hawkhost.com/cloud-compute
2. Open a ticket with our support department through https://my.hawkhost.com/submitticket.php requesting assistance in migrating from your existing compute to your new compute. In your ticket, please provide our team the root password of both the CentOS 7 and AlmaLinux 8 computes.
3. Our team will review the details of your migration request and advise the approximate time it will take to complete the request. If desired, we can schedule the migration for a specific date and time so you can ensure your side is able to make the necessary IP/DNS changes as part of the move between computes.
4. Once the migration is completed, our team will suspend the CentOS 7 compute to ensure a complete and proper migration.
5. You would submit a cancellation request for the CentOS 7 compute, and at that time you'd receive a pro-rated account credit for unused paid time.

If you would like to complete a WHM Transfer yourself without our team's assistance, you can find cPanel's official guide here: WHM Transfer Tool

Resources

cPanel ELevate project GitHub: Link | Link
Completing an ELevate upgrade: Link
cPanel Extended Lifecycle Support: Link
cPanel CentOS7 / WHM 110 Deprecation Plan: Link