TL;DR
HPE has ended standard support for HP-UX 11i v3 on Dec. 31, 2025, moving the operating system into a mature-support phase without sustaining engineering through at least Dec. 31, 2028. The platform's decline follows the disappearance of compatible Itanium processors and a long hardware and architecture evolution dating back to the early 1980s.
What happened
HPE marked the end of standard support for HP-UX 11i v3 (11.31) on December 31, 2025, according to its publicly available HP-UX support matrix. The vendor updated the product status to "Mature Software Product Support without Sustaining Engineering" through at least December 31, 2028. The final release identified by reporting is HP-UX 11i v3 release 2505.11iv3, which HPE issued on May 22, 2025 for its Integrity server line. HP-UX’s trajectory has been tied closely to hardware platforms: the OS family traces back to the early 1980s and shifted across multiple CPU architectures over decades, from HP’s FOCUS processors to Motorola 68000, then PA-RISC and finally Intel’s Itanium-based Integrity servers. Intel stopped shipping Itanium processors in 2021, removing a source of new hardware for HP-UX and contributing to the platform’s gradual wind-down. Community and vendor reactions include commentary marking the end of an era and Linux vendors positioning migration paths.
Why it matters
- Organizations still running HP-UX need to plan migrations or extended support arrangements as standard vendor support has ended.
- The product is in a mature-support tier without sustaining engineering through at least 2028, which may limit new fixes or engineering changes.
- HP-UX’s fate was closely tied to Itanium; Intel stopped shipping Itanium processors in 2021, reducing options for new compatible hardware.
- Third-party Linux vendors and community projects are positioning themselves as migration destinations for affected workloads.
Key facts
- HPE lists HP-UX 11i v3 (11.31) as having standard support through 31-Dec-2025.
- Product status is now "Mature Software Product Support without Sustaining Engineering" through at least 31-Dec-2028, per HPE.
- The last identified HP-UX release was 2505.11iv3, published on May 22, 2025 for Integrity servers.
- HP-UX originated in the early 1980s and ran on multiple CPU generations, beginning with HP’s FOCUS-based HP 9000 Series 500 systems.
- The OS later appeared on Motorola 68000-based machines and was rewritten for HP’s PA-RISC architecture before moving to Intel’s Itanium (EPIC) processors.
- Intel discontinued Itanium shipments in 2021, removing a source of new servers for HP-UX.
- Community projects and distros continue some Itanium-related work: the EPIC Linux project maintains out-of-tree support and the T2 Linux distribution still supports Itanium; René Rebe is cited as leading Itanium support in GCC.
- Media and community responses noted the end of support and suggested migration pathways, including commentary from SUSE promoting Linux as an option.
What to watch next
- Whether HPE will alter the product’s support status after the stated 31-Dec-2028 horizon — not confirmed in the source.
- How many enterprises accept vendor migration offers (for example from Linux vendors) versus pursuing third-party or in-house maintenance — not confirmed in the source.
- The availability and lifecycle of remaining Itanium hardware in customer estates and secondary markets — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- HP-UX: A proprietary Unix operating system developed by Hewlett-Packard and later HPE, historically used on HP server hardware.
- Itanium (EPIC): A family of 64-bit processors using Intel’s EPIC architecture that was used in HPE Integrity servers; Intel ceased shipments in 2021.
- PA-RISC: HP’s proprietary RISC processor architecture that hosted several generations of HP-UX deployments before the move to Itanium.
- End of life (EOL): The point at which a vendor ceases standard support and updates for a product; post-EOL options vary by vendor and product.
- Mature Software Product Support: A support designation indicating ongoing availability of some support services but typically without active development or sustaining engineering.
Reader FAQ
Has HP-UX reached end of life?
Standard support for HP-UX 11i v3 ended on 31-Dec-2025; the product is in a mature-support tier without sustaining engineering through at least 31-Dec-2028, per HPE.
Why is HP-UX support ending now?
The platform’s decline is tied to its dependency on Itanium-based hardware, for which Intel stopped shipments in 2021; HP-UX also migrated across multiple architectures over decades, and the last releases targeted Itanium servers.
Are there migration options for HP-UX users?
Some vendors, including SUSE, have promoted Linux as a migration path; detailed migration offers and enterprise plans are not confirmed in the source.
Will community projects keep supporting these workloads?
The source notes that EPIC Linux and the T2 Linux distribution still provide Itanium support and that René Rebe works on Itanium support in GCC, but whether those projects will replace HP-UX support for specific customers is not confirmed in the source.
OSES The last supported version of HP-UX is no more Remember when HP made its own CPUs and Unix? We wonder if it does Liam Proven Mon 5 Jan 2026 // 16:04 UTC The…
Sources
- The last supported version of HP-UX is no more
- HP-UX 11i v3 2025 Operating Environment Update …
- HP-UX hits end-of-life today, and I'm sad
- HP-UX EOSL (End of Support Life)
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