Network Equipment End of Life (EoL): What You Need to Know
·3 min read·428 words
The End-of-Life (EOL) and End-of-Sale (EOS) of network equipment affect security, compliance, and TCO. With the Cisco Catalyst 6500, Juniper EX4200, and many legacy FortiGate models reaching EoS, migration planning is critical. This 2026 EOL/EoS guide covers timelines, risks, and strategy.
Key concepts
- End-of-Sale (EoS): sales of new equipment end
- End-of-Software Maintenance: functional software patches end
- End-of-Vulnerability Support (EoVSS): security patches end
- End-of-Life (EOL): all support ends
- Last Date of Support: final date for renewing service
- From EoS to EOL: typically 5-7 years for Cisco
Major EoS/EOL milestones for 2025-2027
Cisco
- Catalyst 2960X/XR: EoS 2023, EOL 2028
- Catalyst 3650/3850: EOS 2022, EOL 2027
- Catalyst 4500-E Series: EOS 2022, EOL 2025
- Catalyst 6500-E: EOS 2021, EOL 2025-2026
- ISR 4000 series: partial EOS 2025 (successor: Catalyst 8000)
- Nexus 7000: EoS 2022, EOL 2027
Juniper
- EX4200: EOL 2023
- EX4300: EOS 2024 (replaced by EX4400)
- MX80: EOL 2024
- QFX5100: EOS 2025
FortiGate
- 60E/60E-POE: EOS 2023, EOL 2028
- 100E/200E: EOS 2023
- 300E/500E: EOS 2024
- Successors: F series (60F, 100F, 200F, etc.)
HPE Aruba
- 2530/2930F: EoS 2024
- 3810: EoS 2024
- Successors: CX 6200/6300
Risks associated with EOL equipment
- No security patches: critical vulnerabilities remain unpatched
- Non-compliance: NIS2/DORA/PCI-DSS require supported devices
- No TAC support: failed equipment cannot be replaced by the manufacturer
- IT insurance: coverage exclusions may apply to EOL equipment
- Performance: unable to handle modern traffic volumes (40/100G)
Migration strategies
Immediate replacement (recommended for recently discontinued equipment)
- Order successor equipment
- Phased migration by zone
- Budget: depreciation over 5 years
- Example: C2960X → C9200L
Certified refurbished equipment
- Equipment that recently reached EoS (2023+) is available refurbished
- OPTINOC guarantees 100% functionality and comprehensive testing
- Savings of 40-70% compared with new equipment
- OPTINOC hardware support for 12-36 months
Extended manufacturer support
- Cisco Service Extension: extends support for 1-3 years after EOL
- Juniper Extended Service: provides the same extension
- Cost: 2-3× standard SmartNet pricing
- Use case: migration cannot be completed within the required timeframe
Third-party support (Third-Party Maintenance — TPM)
- Park Place Technologies, Curvature, Service Express
- Savings of 40-60% compared with manufacturer SmartNet support
- No software patches, but hardware SLA coverage is provided
- Suitable after EoS and until full EOL
EoL management best practices
- Complete inventory (CMDB): serial numbers and EoS/EOL dates
- Rolling 3-5-year technology refresh roadmap
- Allocate 15-20% of annual infrastructure OpEx to a dedicated budget
- Set alerts 18 months before EoS to support planning
- Test successor models in a lab before production deployment
Order from OPTINOC
OPTINOC supplies new and certified refurbished equipment for Cisco, Juniper, and FortiGate products that have reached EoS. Turnkey migration with testing. Support for 12-36 months. Quote includes an inventory audit.