Feb 20, 2020

To:               Layer 7 API Gateway, Layer 7 Mobile API Gateway Customers

From:          Layer 7 API Management Product Management team

Subject:       Announcing EOS for Layer 7 Redhat Appliances

2019 was a great year for Broadcom, Layer 7 and our customers! Last year we delivered the latest features and capabilities in several releases of different Layer 7 products and saw remarkable improvement in customer satisfaction. Portal 4.4 was released in December 2019 to a very positive customer reception, thanks to exciting capabilities such as OpenAPI 3.0 support, significantly improved analytics performance, and integrated API monitoring. FY20 will see further evolution of our products, including unified product distribution, new licensing models, enhanced portal-gateway integration, support for latest technologies.

At the same time, however, we need to simplify distribution form factors. Today, we ship our product via software-only distribution, virtual appliances on Red Hat and CentOS, containerized packaging, and hardware appliances. Over the last several years, many of our customers have been moving away from Redhat appliances – either in favor of containerized deployments or open source CentOS appliances.

We are therefore announcing the End-of-Life of Layer 7 API Gateway support of Red Hat-based appliances and offering our customers an option to move to either CentOS based appliances, or a software/container base deployment. This also means that:

·  We’ll continue to support the API Gateway on Red Hat in the software form factor, but we will no longer support the Appliance form factor. The Appliance form factor will continue to be supported via our established CentOS based appliance, with updates for customers under an active maintenance contract. 

Layer 7 API Gateway Redhat-based appliance support is ending on Feb 25, 2021, for API Gateway 9.4 version. 

This will allow our development organization to effectively focus its resources on and add value to the existing CentOS-based appliances, container, software form factors.

This End-of-Support announcement applies to the following form-factors of the Layer 7 API Gateway combined with End of Support for the product versions, whichever comes first:

·  Layer 7 API Gateway Virtual Appliance RHEL

·  Layer 7 API Gateway Amazon Machine Image AMI RHEL

·  Layer 7 API Gateway Hardware appliance - RHEL Image

Broadcom has announced the End of Support for API Gateway version 9.3 and previous versions on January 10, 2021 in a separate announcement: https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/product-content/status/announcement-documents/2019/ca-api-gateway-9-x-eos-announcement.html

·  Starting with Gateway 10.0, scheduled to be released in March, CentOS will be the standard OS and only platform for Gateway appliances. Gateway 10.0 will also feature an upgrade tool to help customers migrate from Redhat to CentOS appliances. In addition, we are working with HCL and other partners to create migration services for customers.

·  RedHat will continue to be a supported platform for running Layer 7 API Gateway software – either as a software installation or containerized deployment. It is only the Redhat appliances (virtual or physical) that are being discontinued.

·  Going forward, Layer 7 API Gateway will provide support for Kubernetes- based container platforms, including RedHat OpenShift, as the primary supported container platform (as further detailed in our platform support matrix). We are investing in containerized implementations to support deployments in hybrid, multi-cloud, and multi-site environments - thereby giving customers a fully modernized platform, with more than one choice of Operating Systems.

We encourage you to plan for a system migration to the new, more stable and secure CentOS 7 appliance form factor of the Layer 7 API Gateway 10.0 release so that you can take full advantage of the latest features and enhancements that Broadcom has to offer. For additional information on Layer 7 API Gateway and Layer 7 API Management, please visit Broadcom support pages at https://support.broadcom.com/enterprise-software/product-page.html?productName=CA%20API%20Gateway

 Broadcom is working to make the upgrades as seamless and straightforward as possible: 

o Broadcom provides an accelerated appliance upgrade process for virtualized appliance form factors:

. Virtual Appliances

. Containers

. Software installation

This process is designed to enable customers to have a quicker and easier upgrade path between versions and form factors. This upgrade process is documented at https://techdocs.broadcom.com/content/broadcom/techdocs/us/en/ca-enterprise-software/layer7-api-management/api-gateway/9-4/install-configure-upgrade/upgrade-the-gateway/expedited-appliance-upgrade.html

o An automated upgrade solution will be available with the Layer 7 API Gateway 10.0 release, which can be used to upgrade any version of the CA API Gateway to version 10.0, by using Ansible playbooks, for both virtual and hardware appliances. These Ansible playbooks can be extended to use with future API Gateway upgrades and integration with existing CI/CD pipelines.

o Enterprise Studio by HCL Technologies is now available to provide consulting and upgrade services for any or all parts of the upgrade, including analysis of the current system, preparation for the upgrade, testing, and performing the upgrade.  Please visit https://www.hcltech.com/enterprise-studio/technologies/APIM/APIM-upgrade-migration-services for more information.

o A no-charge product upgrade (on applicable platforms) to Layer 7 API Gateway 10.0 is available for any customer with an active maintenance contract.  Please contact Broadcom Support at https://support.broadcom.com or your local Broadcom Account Manager for details on your upgrade options to Layer 7 API Gateway 10.0 when it becomes available.

o Where applicable, hardware upgrade options are available for Layer 7 API Gateway hardware appliances.  Please contact your local Broadcom Account Manager for details. 

If you have any questions regarding the support schedule, please contact CA Support at https://support.broadcom.com or your local Broadcom Account Manager.  

Your success is very important to us, and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership with you.

Community Blog Post: https://community.broadcom.com/blogs/amandeep-dhindsa1/2020/02/20/announcing-eos-for-layer-7-redhat-appliances

Layer7 Product Management Team

Frequently Asked Questions: 

Question: I am running Layer 7 API Gateway/MAG CentOS appliances, do I need to upgrade as well?

Answer: Yes, CentOS 6 Operating system will enter End-of-Life status on 30 November 2020 as per https://wiki.centos.org/About/Product. You should plan your upgrade to API Gateway 10.0 CentOS 7 Appliance, once it is released on 31 March 2020.

Question: As CentOS 6 is going End-of-Life on Nov 2020, will Broadcom provide extended support for CentOS 6 appliances beyond that?

Answer: No, Broadcom will not provide maintenance for API GW CentOS 6 appliance after 30 Nov 2020. You should plan your upgrade to API Gateway 10.0 CentOS 7 Appliance, once it is released on 31 March 2020.

Question: Should I stop running RHEL-based Layer 7 API Gateway/MAG appliances on/after the EOS date?

Answer: After the EOS date, you do not have to stop using the RHEL based appliance but can run them in unsupported or self-supported mode. RHEL usage would be governed by the standard open-source agreements and you would have to enter into an agreement with Red Hat to license RHEL directly. 

Questions:  I'm on a RHEL appliance, and have a corporate mandate to keep using RHEL. What are my paths forward?

Answer: You can run the RHEL appliance in the self-supported mode or convert to Software distribution. RedHat will continue to be a supported platform for running Layer 7 API Gateway software – either as a software form-factor installation or a containerized deployment. 

There are different options available for customers for migration to software or container deployments:

.  Enterprise Studio by HCL Technologies is available to provide consulting and upgrade services for any or all parts of the upgrade. Please visit https://www.hcltech.com/enterprise-studio/technologies/APIM/APIM-upgrade-migration-services for more information.

·  Fully documented expedited appliance upgrade process is available in Layer 7 techdocs, for migration to CentOS 7 appliance or to Software/Container form factors .

Question: I am running API Gateway RedHat appliances. How can I have a fully-managed API Gateway appliance going forward ?

Answer: CentOS 7 appliances for API Gateway version 10.0 will be a fully managed appliance available to customers going forward. Broadcom will continue to provide monthly maintenance patches and quarterly software updates for CentOS 7 appliances for customers having an active maintenance contract.

Question: I am running an older version of Layer 7 API Gateway. Can I directly upgrade to GW 10.0?

Answer: We recommend using the already provided in-place upgrades to upgrade from an older version of the API Gateway toto version9.4 and then make plans to upgrade to version 10.0 using automated or accelerated upgrade solutions.

Question: I am a Mobile API Gateway (MAG) Customer. Do I need to upgrade my Mobile API Gateways as well?

Answer: Yes, Mobile API Gateway runs on top of API Gateway virtual and hardware appliances. You should plan to upgrade to API Gateway 10.0 to get the latest features, performance improvements, and long-term support. The Mobile API Gateway can be upgraded using the above-mentioned upgrade options.

Question: RHEL 6 will be at the End of Service on Nov 2020. Will Broadcom provide extended support for RHEL 6 appliances until Feb 25, 2020?

Answer: Broadcom will provide monthly maintenance patches for API GW / MAG RHEL 6 appliances until Feb 25, 2021 for customers having an active maintenance contract.

Question: Layer 7 API Gateway and Layer 7 Mobile API Gateway (MAG) hardware appliances are using the RHEL 6 Image. Do we need to upgrade the Gateway software?

Answer: Yes, you should install new API Gateway 10.0 CentOS 7 image, when it becomes available. We recommend using the existing in-place upgrades to upgrade from the older Gateway version to version 9.4 and then using automated upgrade tools to upgrade to version 10.0. 

Enterprise Studio by HCL Technologies is available to provide consulting and upgrade services for any or all parts of the upgrade. Please visit https://www.hcltech.com/enterprise-studio/technologies/APIM/APIM-upgrade-migration-services for more information.

Question: When is the End of Service for API Gateway 9.4?

Answer: API Gateway 9.4 will be supported beyond the Feb 25, 2021 timeline and separate announcements will be made regarding its End-of-Service.

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