End of support

[Sara von Hofsten]

Hello!

Does the end of support date for server editions mean that you cannot access your instance after that date or does it only include end off upgrades and patches?

[Rilwan Ahmed · Accepted solution]

Hi @Sara von Hofsten ,

You will be able to use you instance, but Atlassian and Marketplace Partners will no longer offer technical support, security updates, or bug fixes for critical vulnerabilities. You cannot even upgrade your instance without applying proper license. 

[Sara von Hofsten]

Thanks!

Does changing the license from server to data center without clustering mean that you only need to switch license and no new installation is needed? *

[Rilwan Ahmed]

yes, that's easy way to migrate to Data center. Just change the license key.
If you currently have apps installed on your server installation, you’ll also need to upgrade your apps to the Data Center version – if one is available.
https://confluence.atlassian.com/adminjiraserver/running-jira-data-center-on-a-single-node-993929595.html 

When you have second node ready, you can add it later. 

More details in https://confluence.atlassian.com/adminjiraserver/adding-and-removing-data-center-nodes-993929601.html 

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

There's a couple of other things to be aware of:

You cannot change tiers of licences on perpetual server systems - if you've got 250 users now, you can't change to 100 or 500, you are stuck with the current tier.

Whilst you can simply convert a server system to a single-node DC system by giving the application (and apps) DC licences, a server installation is not suitable to be used as a node in a DC cluster.  If you're going to use your current server as a DC node, you are going to need to re-install it as a DC node, or mess with the configuration to make it suitable.

[StephanieC]

Also remember that you will not be able to purchase any plug-ins or update any that you currently have. 

One additional and critical consideration is that if there are any security vulnerabilities introduced you would not be able to upgrade to get the fix, which would put your organization at risk. 

If you need backing on taking either the Data Center (quick, painless) upgrade or the Cloud upgrade (could be more painful depending on your use of plug-ins and their compatibility with Cloud options) be sure to consult your legal or Risk Management department with the latter consideration.