On Sun, Dec 20, 2020 at 10:23 PM Mark Mielke <mark.mielke at gmail.com> wrote: > Once RHEL 7.9 is out, RHEL 7.8 is "end of life", and similarly, CentOS > 7.8 is also "end of life". Once RHEL 7.9 is out, the "c7" branches are > updated to reflect RHEL 7.9, and follow the RHEL 7.9 branch, as CentOS > 7.9. If there was a RHEL 7.10, then it would be on a private 7.10 > branch in RHEL, and run in parallel to the 7.9 that is being imported > into CentOS 7.9. Here is a picture for you: https://access.redhat.com/support/policy/updates/errata#RHEL8_Life_Cycle See how the "RHEL" in dark blue "Minor Release" are not overlapping. This RHEL is what is used to produce CentOS. All RHEL changes are published to the CentOS branches, and built into CentOS a short time later. This includes backported security fixes and other critical fixes that are received throughout the active life of every minor release. The RHEL/CentOS branch is a stabilized branch that has already gone through all design processes including a public beta and a milestone release with release notes documenting the changes that may cause breakage for users. Gordon and Matthew are referring to the "RHEL EUS", which is the lighter blue. This is a separate subscription type from RHEL, and it is NOT published to the CentOS branches. You must pay extra to gain access to RHEL EUS. It requires either a Premium subscription, or an add-on "Extended Update Support" subscription. This separate subscription type does allow you to stay specific previously active minor releases and continue to receive critical updates without having to upgrade to the next RHEL minor release. I think if we were in a room with a whiteboard - many of these confusions could be much more easily dispelled. A lot of what is going on is simply misinformation and wishful thinking. It's not intentional - it's just that you never knew the things I'm trying to share with you. -- Mark Mielke <mark.mielke at gmail.com>