ESU availability and deploymentĮSUs are available to customers running their workload in Azure, on-premises, or hosted environments. Microsoft can't provide technical support for SQL Server instances (both on-premises, and in hosting environments) that aren't covered with an ESU subscription.

Alternatively, if you're hosting on Azure, you can use an Azure Support plan to get technical support. Therefore, there's no regular release cadence for SQL Server ESUs.ĮSUs don't include technical support, but you can use an active support contract such as Software Assurance or Premier/Unified Support to get technical support on workloads covered by ESUs if you choose to stay on-premises. For more information, see the Prerequisites later in this article.ĮSUs are made available if needed, once a security vulnerability is discovered and is rated as Critical by the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC). The instance will be added in a disconnected state. Manually add your instance using a process similar to the deprecated SQL Server registry. You'll benefit from the features that Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server provides.

Install the Azure Connected Machine agent along with the Azure extension for SQL Server, with direct connectivity to Azure. There are two ways to use Azure Arc:Ĭonnected. You'll download updates when they're available. Purchased for your on-premises or hosted environment. You can receive Extended Security Updates in several ways:Īzure Arc. Once SQL Server has reached the end of its support lifecycle, you can sign up for an Extended Security Update (ESU) subscription for your servers and remain protected for up to three years, until you're ready to upgrade to a newer version of SQL Server or migrate to Azure SQL. See the Overview for more information.įor more information about other options, see End of support options.

Customers on SQL Server 2008 (10.0.x) and SQL Server 2008 R2 (10.50.x) can migrate to Azure services if they wish to continue receiving Extended Security Updates, until July 12, 2023.

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