SQL Server 2008 - now out of Mainstream Support with Microsoft!

Did you know that Mainstream Support for SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 has ended on July 8, 2014. Microsoft is ending support for these products as part of our Support Lifecycle policy, found here.

Customers are encouraged to prepare and execute on their upgrade and/or sustained engineering plans as early as possible for these SQL versions.  Remaining current on your SQL Server version ensures that your product remains supported per the Support Lifecycle policy.
Additionally, your software benefits from the many enhancements, fixes, and security updates provided through the latest releases.

For both SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2, Microsoft will continue to provide technical support which also includes security updates during the duration of extended support.  See the table below for extended support end date.  Non-security hotfixes for these versions will be offered only to customers who have an Extended Hotfix Support agreement.  Please refer to Extended Hotfix Support – Microsoft for more information.

  

Products Released	Lifecycle Start Date	Mainstream Support End Date	Extended Support End Date	Service Pack Support   End Date
SQL Server 2008	11/6/2008	7/8/2014	7/9/2019	4/13/2010
SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1	3/31/2009	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	10/11/2011
SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 2	9/24/2010	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	10/9/2012
SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 3	10/6/2011	Review Note	Review Note
SQL Server 2008 R2	7/20/2010	7/8/2014	7/9/2019	7/10/2012
SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1	7/12/2011	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	10/8/2013
SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 2	7/26/2012	Review Note	Review Note

What does this “end of support” mean to you?

• You cannot call or open a case with CSS for technical support if you are running these versions after the respective dates above. There are only 2 exceptions to this:
  • You are contacting CSS to get help with an upgrade to a supported version
  • You have a Premier Support Agreement and have purchased something called a Custom Support Agreement (CSA) (contact your Technical Account Manager if you want to consider this option)
• Microsoft won’t produce any hotfixes or security updates for these specific versions (Custom Support Agreement customers are the exception)

 What should you do about it?

Do you need help with planning and implementing upgrades - I'm your DBA! Please contact me if you require help in any way or need to discuss your options. If you do not have extended support you could be open to risk without security patches in the future!