Which Databases are Reaching End of Life in March 2024

Technology, like all things, has a lifecycle. Databases—foundational to modern IT infrastructures—are no exception, and in March 2024, several databases are due to reach their end of life milestone. It’s not merely a line item on a calendar; it’s a complex issue that demands a comprehensive, strategic, and timely response. Failure to do so could compromise operational efficiency, data security, and regulatory compliance.

Amazon RDS for MySQL and Amazon RDS for MariaDB Versions Hitting End of Support in March 2024

The databases that are reaching their end of life period in March 2024 are:

• Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) for MySQL 8.0.28
• Amazon RDS for MySQL 8.0.31
• Amazon RDS for MariaDB 10.4.27
• Amazon RDS for MariaDB 10.4.28
• Amazon RDS For MariaDB 10.5.18
• Amazon RDS for MariaDB 10.5.19
• Amazon RDS for MariaDB 10.06.10
• Amazon RDS for MariaDB 10.06.11
• Amazon RDS for MariaDB 10.06.12

 
Please note that these dates are subject to change, as the service providers may shift the end of life period based on market demand. You can find the most recent list of supported database versions for Amazon RDS for MySQL here, and Amazon RDS for MariaDB here.

How to Prepare for End of Support Databases

Ideally, you start the planning process well in advance of the end of support date for the databases. We have an interactive calendar with key database end of support dates for 2024, so you have full visibility into the year ahead.

Perform a Database Assessment

The first step in preparing for a database migration is to conduct a thorough assessment of your current database environment. This involves identifying all databases affected by the end-of-life event and prioritizing them based on various criteria, such as the criticality of the data, the volume of transactions, the importance of the applications, and the architectural dependencies.

Understand Your Database Upgrade Options

Are you able to perform in-place upgrades for the impacted databases? Do you want to take this opportunity to consolidate databases? Should you think about migrating to a different database platform? How much downtime will be required for the upgrade? You should have the answers to all of these questions at the beginning of the database upgrade planning process.

Create a Communication Plan

Clear and timely communication is vital in change management. Develop a comprehensive plan for notifying stakeholders about the planned database upgrade, the timeline and the expected impact on business operations.

Develop a Database Upgrade Plan

Create an upgrade plan that outlines the steps required to transition each database to the new version. The plan should include a detailed timeline, resource allocation, and contingency measures to address unforeseen challenges.

Perform Testing and Validation

Testing is an essential part of the migration process to ensure that the new database version will support all necessary operations.

Put Database Monitoring In-place

Implement a robust monitoring solution to track the performance and health of the new database version. Define thresholds for alerts and establish procedures for troubleshooting common issues.

March is here and the databases we covered above are rapidly approaching their end of life dates. Make sure you keep our database end of life calendar close at hand (you can get a printable version here). Need to act fast? Connect with our database specialists to help you plan, execute, and manage your database upgrades.