Every release of i5/OS and OS/400 software has a finite support period. The End of support date for each software release is announced either with the initial release announcement or twelve months prior to becoming effective. When a software release reaches the End of support date, direct upgrades to subsequent releases are only available for a limited time.
Monitor the End of support dates in the table below to avoid the following, potentially costly, situations.
If a direct upgrade to the latest software release is not available, you need to conduct a multiple-step upgrade. This requires upgrading to an interim release to enable upgrading to the latest release.
If all direct upgrades to subsequent software releases have been withdrawn, there is no supported way to upgrade the system. The only alternative is to perform a labor-intensive manual upgrade, which typically requires hiring custom services.
The following table provides information on supported releases and subsequent upgrades to newer releases. A dash (-) in the column indicates a direct upgrade to the specified release is not available.
Release upgrade and support information
Release¹
End of support
Upgrade to V5R2
Upgrade to V5R3
Upgrade to V5R4
Upgrade to V6R1
V5R1
30 Sep 2005
Withdrawal date 01 Oct 2005
Withdrawal date 04 Jan 2008
-
V5R2
30 Apr 2007
-
Withdrawal date 04 Jan 2008
Withdrawal date to be announced
i5/OS V5R3
30 Apr 2009
-
-
Withdrawal date to be announced
Withdrawal date to be announced
i5/OS V5R4
To be announced
-
-
-
Withdrawal date to be announced
i5/OS V6R1
To be announced
-
-
-
-
¹ Upgrades from previous software releases not shown in this table are no longer available. For more information, see Release life cycle.
