Dell PowerEdge R940 end of life

PowerEdge R940 support dates

Where the PowerEdge R940 stands today

The absence of the *** discontinued-14G marker from the R940 row in Dell's Windows Server matrix is easy to over-read: it promises neither continued sale nor continued support, and its presence on the R940xa row sets no end date either. Dell's end-of-life product list (KB 000185734, current as of 2 October 2026) does not settle the question. It has no R940 row, and the rows that do name 14G hardware, such as 'Azure Stack Hub 14G R840' and 'PowerFlex Appliance R840', are for systems built on those servers rather than for the servers themselves.

For an individual R940 the date that counts is the one on its Service Tag. Dell's warranty and contract lookup shows coverage status and expiration for a given tag (KB 000132024), and renewal requests go to Dell, though Dell notes renewals are not available in all countries, and units bought through a reseller may have to be renewed by that reseller. The management controller runs to its own timetable: Dell ended iDRAC9 feature development for 14G on 30 June 2023 and states that software maintenance continues until 1 February 2027. Those dates cover iDRAC9 firmware, not the R940 hardware.

What still works after Dell support ends

Dell's download terms for the R940 rest on two statements: 'All drivers and firmware for Dell servers are available to download for free on the Dell Support website,' and 'Released iDRAC firmware updates are available regardless of support contract.' On 8 October 2026 Dell's UK drivers page offered the R940 BIOS at version 2.29.2, marked Recommended and dated that day. The same page carried one iDRAC package, 7.00.00.185 ('Urgent', 28 August 2026), the latest 14G build in Dell's iDRAC9 guide.

Those builds come with a narrowing commitment. Every 14G release since July 2023, 7.00.00.171 through 7.00.00.185, is listed as a 'Discretionary Sev1 security fix'. Beyond 1 February 2027, Dell's iDRAC Engineering 'is no longer obligated to maintain or repair the firmware'. For the hardware itself, Dell's route is to renew the warranty against the R940's Service Tag, which can cover Dell-branded hardware repairs or replacement parts in countries where renewal is offered and where that tag qualifies.

• Dell: 'All drivers and firmware for Dell servers are available to download for free on the Dell Support website.' (dell.com)
• iDRAC firmware: 'Released iDRAC firmware updates are available regardless of support contract.' (dell.com)
• iDRAC9 software maintenance for 14G servers continues until 2027-02-01. After that date Dell's iDRAC Engineering 'is no longer obligated to maintain or repair the firmware'. Since July 2023, every 14G release has been a 'Discretionary Sev1 security fix'. (dell.com)

Vendor support you can still buy

• Dell warranty renewal (per Service Tag) — Dell KB 000132024: warranties can be renewed to cover Dell-branded hardware repairs or replacement parts, but not in all countries. Whether a given R940 can be renewed depends on its Service Tag. (dell.com)

What a maintenance contract needs to cover on the PowerEdge R940

An R940 contract has to match the build, since the chassis comes in two configurations. The 8-drive version, without the Processor Expansion Module, takes two Xeon Scalable CPUs, 24 DIMMs and up to 3 TB of memory; the 24-drive version with the module takes four CPUs, 48 DIMMs and up to 6 TB. Memory is DDR4 RDIMM or LRDIMM, and the R940 also supports NVDIMM-N and DCPMM persistent memory, which should be named in the contract if fitted. Drive bays are 2.5-inch SAS, SATA or NL-SAS, and 24-bay variants take 4 or 8 NVMe drives in the last bays.

Power and storage control add more line items. The two hot-swappable PSUs may be 1100, 1600, 2000 or 2400 W AC Platinum, 1100 W DC, or 1100 W Mixed Mode HVDC (China and Japan only). Dell notes that 'PSUs rated for 1600 W and higher require high-line voltage (200-240 V) to supply their rated capacity', and at 100–120 V they are derated, the 2400 W unit to 1400 W, so replacement PSUs must suit the site supply as well as the server. Internal controllers include the PERC H330, H730P and H740P, the HBA330, S140 (NVMe only) and BOSS, with a PERC H840 or 12 Gbps SAS HBA for external storage, and iDRAC9 with Lifecycle Controller (Express or Enterprise) manages the system. Hardware break-fix support for a server like this generally means diagnosis, replacement parts and engineer attendance, and can continue after Dell cover ends.

Extend or refresh the PowerEdge R940?

There is a sound case for keeping an R940 on maintenance. Dell's December 2025 Windows matrix rates the R940 Qualified for the Standard and Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2016, 2019 and 2022, and its ESXi 8.x matrix (Rev A13, March 2026) lists it with Xeon SP 81xx/61xx/51xx and 82xx/62xx/52xx CPUs for ESXi 8.0 through 8.0 U3. An R940 on a qualified stack, with a Dell BIOS release dated 8 October 2026, can reasonably stay in service while parts such as the larger PSUs and any persistent memory can still be sourced.

The arguments for refresh are about the future platform. The 14G table in Dell's Windows matrix has no Windows Server 2025 column, and Dell's ESXi 9.x matrix (Rev A03, May 2026) has no 14G section, so the R940 is not listed for ESXi 9.0 or 9.1. Dell's obligation to maintain 14G iDRAC9 firmware lapses after 1 February 2027. The PowerEdge R960 is the next model in the same line, but Dell's R960 Technical Guide compares it with the R940xa rather than the R940, so sizing a move should start from your own core, memory and drive counts. The refurbished PowerEdge configurator is another place to look at alternatives.

• Windows Server: Dell's LTSC support matrix (PDF dated Dec 2025) lists the R940 as Qualified for the Standard and Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2016, 2019 and 2022. The 14G table has no Windows Server 2025 column. (dl.dell.com)
• VMware: Dell's ESXi 8.x compatibility matrix (Rev A13, March 2026) lists the R940 with Xeon SP 81xx/61xx/51xx and 82xx/62xx/52xx CPUs for ESXi 8.0 through 8.0 U3. (dl.dell.com)
• VMware: Dell's ESXi 9.x compatibility matrix (Rev A03, May 2026) has no 14G (yx4x) section. The R940 is not listed for ESXi 9.0 or 9.1. (dl.dell.com)
• iDRAC9: on 8 Oct 2026, Dell's UK drivers page for the R940 offered a single iDRAC firmware package, 7.00.00.185 ('Urgent', dated 28 Aug 2026). That matches the latest 14G build in Dell's iDRAC9 support guide. Dell's iDRAC9 versions KB 000178115 (last modified 10 Sep 2026) still shows 7.00.00.183, so that KB lags the download page. (dell.com)
• BIOS: on 8 Oct 2026, Dell's UK drivers page for the R940 offered 'Dell Server PowerEdge BIOS R740/R740xd/R640/R940/7920R' version 2.29.2 (Recommended, dated 08 Oct 2026). One BIOS package covers the R740, R740xd, R640, R940 and 7920R. (dell.com)
• Dell's 14G BIOS/iDRAC9 update KB (000215873, last modified 23 Jun 2026) still lists the R940 among affected products. (dell.com)
• Power: Dell says 'PSUs rated for 1600 W and higher require high-line voltage (200-240 V) to supply their rated capacity.' At 100–120 V they are derated, for example the 2400 W unit to 1400 W. (dl.dell.com)

Specifications for the replacement: PowerEdge R960 datasheet.

Keep your PowerEdge R940 covered

Tell us how many you run and when your current cover ends, and we will come back with a like-for-like maintenance quote for that estate. Your model and its support status are attached to the enquiry automatically, so there is nothing to re-type.

Related models

ChannelLife reported on 14 July 2017 Dell EMC's announcement that the R940, R740, R740xd, R640 and C6420 were 'now available worldwide'. The R940 still shares a BIOS package with the R740, R740xd, R640 and 7920R. A Dell Info Hub test report comparing the R930 and R940 calls the R930 'previous-generation' and says moving to the R940 could give 'up to 16 percent more cores per processor'. The same Service Tag check covers any other PowerEdge in the estate; see PowerEdge R730 end of life for one example.

• PowerEdge R440 end of lifeNo model-wide date published — check your unit
• PowerEdge R540 end of lifeNo model-wide date published — check your unit
• PowerEdge T440 end of lifeNo model-wide date published — check your unit
• PowerEdge T640 end of lifeNo model-wide date published — check your unit
• PowerEdge R340 end of lifeNo model-wide date published — check your unit
• PowerEdge T340 end of lifeNo model-wide date published — check your unit

Look up another model in the server & network end-of-life checker, or read what third-party maintenance covers.

Questions people ask about the PowerEdge R940

Sources

Every date, rule and specification above was checked against these on 8 October 2026 by an independent verification pass. Vendors revise lifecycle notices; this page is re-checked by 8 January 2027.

1. Dell End-of-Life Product List for Converged Infrastructure and Storage (KB 000185734) — dell.com
2. PowerEdge: Dell iDRAC9 Support and Management Guide for PowerEdge Servers (KB 000178016, last modified 1 Oct 2026) — dell.com
3. PowerEdge R940 release — channellife.com.au
4. dell.com — dell.com
5. Dell warranty renewal (per Service Tag) — dell.com
6. dl.dell.com — dl.dell.com
7. i.dell.com — i.dell.com
8. dl.dell.com — dl.dell.com
9. dl.dell.com — dl.dell.com
10. dl.dell.com — dl.dell.com
11. dell.com — dell.com
12. dell.com — dell.com
13. delltechnologies.com — delltechnologies.com

Last reviewed 7 October 2026. Lifecycle dates for the PowerEdge R940 are re-verified against Dell's own notices at each review; a date a vendor has not published is never filled in.