The difference between EOS, EOL, EOA and EOSL
EO = End Of - but End Of What?
Doing research on storage, network, and server devices for your company’s data centre infrastructure can yield some confusing and seemingly redundant results. One of the major concerns of businesses is the knowledge of when the products they use, or plan to use, reach their “ End Of Support Life.” Being aware of this date is vital, since it has ramifications that have to be considered if a company wants to have ongoing success. However, if you are doing research of your own, you are likely to find multiple variations of what seems like the same term. EOS , EOSL , EOA and EOL all appear frequently, and seem to mean the same thing. Nonetheless, the nuances between them are important for any business to understand. Unfortunately, sometimes different OEM s ( Original Equipment Manufacturer s) have their own definitions too. This article breaks them down.
EOL - End of Life or EOS - End of Sale
These terms mean that the OEM will no longer produce or sell the equipment. You will still be able to buy it on the secondary market, new and preowned, but the OEM will no longer manufacture this equipment after this date. When an OEM announces the EOL or EOS , this generally starts a 5-year phase-out of the equipment. Hardware and software support may still be available at this time from the OEM, but often for a premium price.
Note that Honeywell uses EOS to stand for End of _ SERVICE _– see EOSL below.
EOSL – End of Support Life / Service Life
EOSL stands for “ End Of Support Life ,” or, “ End Of Service Life.” It is the term you are most likely to see if your company is doing research on devices you plan to utilise in keeping your data centre running for the long term. Generally speaking, what EOSL means for a product is that its original manufacturer will no longer be offering support for it, technical or otherwise. Even when they continue to offer support, the OEM will probably try to push you towards purchasing their newest devices.
EOA – End of Availability
End of availability means just what it sounds like. Once a device’s EOA date is reached, it cannot be purchased straight from an OEM. However, new unused or reconditioned units may still be available from Third Party Supplier s ( TPS s)
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