Updated: July 9, 2020 (December 20, 2010)
Charts & IllustrationsProduct Life-Cycle Phases and Options
Support for business and development software is retired in a series of phases. The phases described below apply to all of the products discussed in this Roadmap.
Microsoft’s support lifecycle policies are explained at support.microsoft.com/lifecycle. Specific product support deadlines are listed at support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselectindex
Microsoft offers customers of business and developer products, which include Windows client and server, the option of entering into a Custom support contract that provides support for legacy products during a product migration.
| Life-Cycle Phases and Options | Normal Duration | Product Support Options | Software Updates |
| Mainstream Support Phase | Five years from the date of general availability or two years after the release of a successor version, whichever is greater | – Free incident support (per warranty)
– Online support information – Fee-based support options (Professional support, Essential support, Premier support, Microsoft |
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