Security Support for Debian 4.0 to be terminated

January 21st, 2010

Security Support for Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 to be terminated on February 15th

One year after the release of Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 alias lenny and nearly three years after the release of Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 alias etch the security support for the old distribution (4.0 alias etch) is coming to an end next month. The Debian project is proud to be able to support its old distribution for such a long time and even for one year after a new version has been released.

The Debian project released Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 alias lenny on the 15th of February 2009. Users and distributors have been given a one-year timeframe to upgrade their old installations to the current stable release. Hence, the security support for the old release of 4.0 is going to end in February 2010 as previously announced.

Previously announced security updates for the old release will continue to be available on security.debian.org.

Security Updates

The Debian Security Team provides security updates for the current distribution via <http://security.debian.org/>. Security updates for the old distribution are also provided for one year after the new distribution has been released or until the current distribution is superseded, whatever happens first.

Upgrading to Debian 5.0 alias lenny

Upgrades to Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 from the previous release, Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 alias etch, are automatically handled by the aptitude package management tool for most configurations, and to a certain degree also by the apt-get package management tool. As always, Debian GNU/Linux systems can be upgraded painlessly, in place, without any forced downtime, but it is strongly recommended to read the release notes for possible issues, and for detailed instructions on installing and upgrading.

About Debian

Debian GNU/Linux is a free operating system, developed by more than thousand volunteers from all over the world who collaborate via the Internet. Debian's dedication to Free Software, its non-profit nature, and its open development model make it unique among GNU/Linux distributions.

The Debian project's key strengths are its volunteer base, its dedication to the Debian Social Contract, and its commitment to provide the best operating system possible. Debian 5.0 is another important step in that direction.

Contact Information

For further information, please visit the Debian web pages at https://www.debian.org/ or send mail to <press@debian.org>.