IBM Extended Support provides additional years of support once products have reached their completion of Base Support for a specific version or release.
Extended Support – Comparison with Base & Sustained Support
| S&S | Extended | Sustained | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifecycle Phase | Base Support | Transition Support for a Version/Release | Completion of Base Support of Last Version. The product is no longer commercially available, and all versions are no longer supported under Base Support |
| Prerequisites | Product License | Active S&S or Sustained Support | Product License |
| Length of time | 2/3/5 years based on Lifecycle | 4 years | 5 years |
| User need | Provides Customer full support during the base support period | Provides Customer additional time to migrate to a newer version of same product | Provides clients an option for support instead of choosing to go unsupported and go to a competitor. |
| Enhancements | Yes | No | No |
| Unlimited Technical Support Case Access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| New Defect Support | Yes | Critical Defect Support 1st year only | No |
| Usage & How to Support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| New Security Fixes | Yes | Includes Defect Support for First Year | No |
| Access to Existing Fixes in FixCentral | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Self-Help and Product Documentation | Yes | Yes | Yes |