Epic Goal

This feature outlines a two-step strategy to end support for VMware vSphere/vCenter 7.x within OpenShift Container Platform (OCP).

• Step 1: Deprecation Announcement. This initial phase focuses on proactive communication. We will introduce non-blocking warnings in all installers (IPI, UPI, Assisted, ABI) and update official documentation to inform customers that support for vSphere 7.x is being deprecated. This provides users with ample time to plan for infrastructure upgrades.
• Step 2: Support Removal. In a subsequent OCP release, support will be formally removed. At this stage, the installers will actively block new installations and cluster upgrades on vSphere 7.x environments, ensuring that customers do not run OCP on an unsupported foundation.

This phased approach provides a clear and predictable lifecycle for platform support, aligns OCP with modern infrastructure, and helps customers maintain secure and supportable environments.

User Persona and Stories

• (For Step 1) As a Platform Administrator, I want to be proactively informed about the planned end-of-support for vSphere 7.x within the OpenShift installer and documentation, so that I can schedule and budget for my vCenter/ESXi upgrades to maintain a fully supported environment.
• (For Step 2) As a Platform Administrator, I want the OpenShift installer to prevent me from installing or upgrading on an unsupported platform like vSphere 7.x, so that I can avoid running in a failed or unsupportable state.

Step 1: Deprecation Announcement

Goals

• A Platform Administrator installing or managing OCP on vSphere is clearly notified about the deprecation of vSphere 7.x.
• The installer for IPI, Assisted Installer, and Agent-based Installer (ABI) displays a non-blocking warning message during installation on a vSphere 7.x environment.
• The deprecation notice is included in the release notes of all applicable OCP versions that are supported at the time of OCP 4.20 GA (October 2025).
• Official OCP documentation for all vSphere installation methods is updated with a prominent deprecation statement.

Requirements

• Functional:
• All installers (openshift-installer, Assisted Installer, ABI) must implement a pre-flight check to detect if the target vCenter version is 7.x.
• When vSphere 7.x is detected, the installer must display a clear, non-blocking warning message and proceed with the installation/workflow.

• Documentation:
• A standard deprecation notice will be drafted in collaboration with the documentation team.
• All relevant documentation for vSphere installations must be updated with this notice.
• Release notes for the target OCP versions must include the deprecation announcement.

Step 2: Support Removal

Goals

• Platform Administrators are actively blocked from installing new OCP clusters on vSphere 7.x environments.
• Platform Administrators are blocked from upgrading existing clusters to the target OCP release if the underlying infrastructure is vSphere 7.x.
• The OCP support matrix is updated to reflect that vSphere 8.x or higher is the minimum required version.

Requirements

• Functional:
• The pre-flight check implemented in Step 1 must be converted from a warning into a fatal error, blocking the installation.
• The error message must clearly state that vSphere 7.x is no longer supported and that an infrastructure upgrade is required.
• The OCP cluster upgrade process must incorporate a similar blocking check to prevent upgrades on vSphere 7.x.

• Maintainability:
• Any conditional code, workarounds, or tests specific to vSphere 7.x that are no longer necessary should be removed to simplify the codebase.

Questions to Answer

• What is the target OCP version for the implementation of Step 2 (Support Removal)?
• What is the exact wording for the fatal error message that will be displayed when an installation or upgrade is blocked in Step 2?
• What is the formal process for handling customer requests for support exceptions after the vSphere 7.x End of Technical Guidance date (April 2, 2027)?

Out of Scope

• Providing automated tools to assist customers in migrating from vSphere 7.x to a newer version.

Links

• VMware Announcement:[ Announcing Extension of VMware vSphere 7.x and VMware vSAN 7.x General Support Period|https://blogs.vmware.com/cloud-foundation/2024/07/25/announcing-extension-of-vmware-vsphere-7-x-and-vmware-vsan-7-x-general-support-period/]
• OCP Life Cycle Policy:[ OpenShift Container Platform Life Cycle|https://access.redhat.com/support/policy/updates/openshift]

  Done Checklist

• CI - CI is running, tests are automated and merged.
• Release Enablement <link to Feature Enablement Presentation>
• DEV - Upstream code and tests merged: <link to meaningful PR or GitHub Issue>
• DEV - Upstream documentation merged: <link to meaningful PR or GitHub Issue>
• DEV - Downstream build attached to advisory: <link to errata>
• QE - Test plans in Polarion: <link or reference to Polarion>
• QE - Automated tests merged: <link or reference to automated tests>
• DOC - Downstream documentation merged: <link to meaningful PR>