Software Lifecycle Support Statement
Release & support timeline and support guidelines for Cisco NSO software.
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Release & support timeline and support guidelines for Cisco NSO software.
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This software lifecycle support statement describes the release and support timeline and support guidelines for Cisco NSO Software. Prior to Cisco NSO v5.X, please refer to the .
Cisco NSO software is a time-based release model that delivers two to three releases each year. This approach enables Cisco to introduce stable and feature-rich software releases in a reliable and predictable cadence.
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Cisco has introduced an updated software release delivery model and specific End-of-Life (EoL) guidelines with the NSO v5.X software release. These updated EoL guidelines will apply specifically to the primary NSO server licenses, which will no longer be released for each new minor version. Additional EoL announcements may be released for other NSO components, such as Network Element Drivers (NEDs), Core Function Packs (CFPs), and/or device right-to-manage licenses.
The Cisco NSO Software Release Train model provides a distinct release vehicle, combining to regularly deliver new features two to three times each year with regular maintenance releases for fixes. The schedule specifies two to three individual software releases within a 12-month cycle. This cadence is repeated every year.
The Cisco NSO v5.X release is the first release that will adhere to the guidelines presented here.
The minor NSO versions v5.1, v5.2, v5.3, ... will continue to be released two to three times per year.
The EoL timeline, per the guidelines in , for minor NSO releases will begin at the First Customer Shipment (FCS) of each subsequent minor release. For example, upon FCS of NSO v5.2, the EoL timeline will begin for NSO v5.1. Upon FCS of NSO v5.3, the EoL timeline will begin for NSO v5.2.
There will no longer be separate EoL announcements for these minor versions.
Cisco NSO Software releases (NSO 5.X, 6.X, etc.) will be active and available for download (minor versions also) until the EoL announcement is published as per the guidelines in .
EoL announcement will only be published for major Cisco NSO Software releases (NSO 5.X, 6.X, etc.)
Customers are encouraged to migrate to Cisco NSO’s most recent release when the release becomes available. NSO customers with an active Cisco NSO support contract are eligible to download the latest releases from .
Beginning with NSO 5.7, NSO software will have two different support lifecycles:
Long-Lived Releases (LLR) will be supported 42 months after the EoL announcement date and will reach the End-of-Software-Maintenance (EoSM) milestone 30 months after the EoL announcement date.
Short-Lived Releases (SLR) will be supported 12 months after the EoL announcement and will reach EoSM at the same date.
Every third release will be a Long-Lived Release, and the two releases after a Long-Lived Release will be Short-Lived.
The life cycle version of the release will be shown in the table that summarizes the EoL announcement date, EoSM, and Last Date of Support (LDoS) milestones below.
Example of Long-Lived and Short-Lived Release Cadence: NSO 5.7 Long-Lived, 5.8 Short-Lived, 6.0 Short-Lived, 6.1 Long-Lived.
Table 1. Milestone Definitions for Cisco NSO Software
End-of-Life (EoL) Announcement Date
The date the document that announces the end of life of a product to the general public.
End-of-Software-Maintenance (EoSM) Release Date
The last date that Cisco Engineering may release any final software maintenance releases or bug fixes. After this date, Cisco Engineering will no longer develop, repair, maintain, or test the product software.
Last Date of Support (LDoS)
The last date to receive service and support for the product. After this date, all support services for the product are unavailable, and the product becomes obsolete.
Table 2 summarizes the End-of-Sale (EoS) and EoL milestones for the Cisco NSO software release (NSO 5.7, 6.x,...).
Table 2. Milestone Timing for Cisco NSO Software by Short-Lived and Long-Lived Releases
End-of-Life (EoL) Announcement Date
Will begin at FCS of each subsequent minor release.
Will begin at FCS of each subsequent minor release.
End-of-Software-Maintenance (EoSM) Release Date
Thirty (30) months after the EoL announcement date.
Twelve (12) months after the EoL announcement date.
Last Date of Support (LDoS)
Forty-two (42) months after the EoL announcement date.
Eighteen (18) months after the EoL announcement date.
Table 3 lists the release support timelines for NSO releases 5.7 and later.
Table 3. Release Support Timeline for Short-Lived and Long-Lived Releases from NSO 5.7
NSO 5.7 LLR
Aug 31, 2022
Apr 23, 2025
Apr 30, 2026
NSO 6.1 LLR
Nov 27, 2023
May 27, 2026
May 30, 2027
NSO 6.2 SLR
Apr 27, 2024
Apr 27, 2025
Oct 31, 2025
NSO 6.3 SLR
Feb 01, 2025
Feb 01, 2026
Aug 31, 2026
Table 4. Milestone Definitions for Cisco NSO Software
End-of-Life (EoL) Announcement Date
The date the document that announces the end of sale and end of life of a product is distributed to the general public.
End-of-Sale (EoS) Date
The last date to order the product through Cisco point-of-sale mechanisms. The product is no longer for sale after this date.
End-of-Software-Maintenance (EoSM) Release Date
The last date that Cisco Engineering may release any final software maintenance releases or bug fixes. After this date, Cisco Engineering will no longer develop, repair, maintain, or test the product software.
Note: After this date, Cisco Engineering will only provide fixes for security vulnerabilities as per the End-of-Version-Support (EoVS) milestone timeframe.
Last Date of Support (LDoS)
The last date to receive service and support for the product. After this date, all support services for the product are unavailable, and the product becomes obsolete.
Table 5 summarizes the End-of-Sale and EoL milestones for Cisco NSO software releases (NSO 5.X until NSO 5.6).
Table 5. Cisco NSO Software End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Milestones by Release (NSO 5.X, 6.X...)
End-of-Life (EoL) Announcement Date
Will begin at FCS of each subsequent minor release.
End-of-Sale (EoS) Date
Six (6) months from the EoL announcement date.
End-of-Software-Maintenance (EoSM) Release Date
Twelve (12) months after the EoS date.
Last Date of Support (LDoS)
Thirty-six (36) months after the EoS date.
Table 6 lists the release support timelines for NSO releases until NSO 5.6.
Table 6. Release Support Timeline for NSO Releases Until NSO 5.6
NSO 5.5
Sep 30, 2021
Mar 30, 2023
Mar 31, 2025
NSO 5.6
Dec 17, 2021
Jun 17, 2023
Jun 30, 2025
Customers are encouraged to migrate to Cisco NSO’s most recent release when the release becomes available.
For more information about the Cisco NSO product line, visit the following page:
Below is a list of terms used in this release statement.
EoL
End of Life
EoS
End of Sale
EoSM
End of Software Maintenance
EoVS
End of Version Support
FCS
First Customer Shipment
LDoS
Last Date of Support
LLR
Long-Lived Release
SLR
Short-Lived Release
Cisco NSO software releases (NSO 5.X, until NSO 5.6) will be supported for 42 months after the EoL announcement goes out for it. Customers with active service contracts will continue to receive support from the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC), as shown in below. After this date, all support services for the product are unavailable, and the product becomes obsolete.
.
.
.
NSO customers with an active Cisco NSO Support contract are eligible to download the latest releases from Cisco Software Download, located at .
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