IBM Power Systems POWER8 scale-out (S812L / S814 / S822 / S824) support dates
| Milestone | Date | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Availability (S814 8286-41A, S822 8284-22A, S824 8286-42A) | 10 June 2014 | Vendor-publishedThe same GA date appears on all three IBM lifecycle pages (announcement letters 114-062 for the S814, 114-061 for the S822 and 114-059 for the S824). | IBM Power System S824 Server (8286-42A) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) |
| General Availability (S812L 8247-21L) | 29 August 2014 | Vendor-publishedAnnouncement letter 114-030. | IBM Power System S812L Server (8247-21L) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) |
| No longer available for order, Withdrawn from Market (S822 8284-22A, S824 8286-42A, S812L 8247-21L) | 28 February 2019 | Vendor-publishedAnnouncement letter 918-162. The same date appears on the S822, S824 and S812L lifecycle pages. | IBM Power System S822 Server (8284-22A) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) |
| No longer available for order, Withdrawn from Market (S814 8286-41A) | 31 May 2019 | Vendor-publishedAnnouncement letter 918-162. | IBM Power System S814 Server (8286-41A) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) |
| Transition to End of Support Services (S822 8284-22A) | 31 March 2024 | Vendor-publishedAnnouncement letter 922-117. Page last updated 16-Feb-2026. Letter 922-117 shows the same date for 8284-22A. | IBM Power System S822 Server (8284-22A) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) |
| Transition to End of Support Services (S824 8286-42A) | 31 March 2024 | Vendor-publishedAnnouncement letter 922-117. | IBM Power System S824 Server (8286-42A) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) |
| Transition to End of Support Services (S814 8286-41A) | 31 May 2024 | Vendor-publishedThis page cites letter AD22-0870 and the other POWER8 pages cite 922-117, but they are the same services-withdrawal letter: the letter page shows both numbers, 'AD22-0870[922-117]', published 15 November 2022. | IBM Power System S814 Server (8286-41A) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) |
| Transition to End of Support Services (S812L 8247-21L) | 31 May 2024 | Vendor-publishedAnnouncement letter 922-117. | IBM Power System S812L Server (8247-21L) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) |
| Transition to End of Support Services (related Linux model S822L 8247-22L; not in the batch list) | 31 March 2024 | Vendor-publishedAnnouncement letter 922-117. The letter gives the same date, March 31, 2024, for the S824L (8247-42L). | IBM Power System S822L Server (8247-22L) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) |
| Transition to End of Support Services (related model S812 8284-21A, 1-socket; not in the batch list) | 31 July 2025 | Vendor-publishedSCOPE TRAP: the S812 shares machine type 8284 with the S822 but has a later date. GA 17-Mar-2017; withdrawn from market 31-Aug-2020; EOS letter 923-0487. | IBM Power System S812 Server (8284-21A) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) |
Where the IBM Power Systems POWER8 scale-out (S812L / S814 / S822 / S824) stands today
The 2U S822 and the 4U S824 went first; the S814, built as a tower or a 4U rack-mount, and the S812L followed two months later. The S814's page cites letter AD22-0870 where the others cite 922-117, but IBM's letter page carries both numbers for one services withdrawal. After the effective date, the letter says, limited hardware maintenance continues 'if available' under the 'Withdrawal' section of a client's IBM terms, 'without lapse in coverage, for select machine types'; it names no separate paid extension offering and no term. IBM had withdrawn them from market in 2019: the S822, S824 and S812L on 28 February and the S814 on 31 May.
To confirm a particular box, take the machine type-model from its system label, for example 8286-42A, and find its 'Withdrawal notification' page in IBM Product Lifecycle. Read the suffix, not just the machine type: the one-socket S812 (8284-21A) shares type 8284 with the S822 but has a later date, 31 July 2025, under letter 923-0487. IBM marks these pages 'Announcement letter dates are US only', so a UK owner should confirm the local date with IBM.
IBM publishes one date per machine type-model (MTM), not per unit. Read the MTM from the system label (for example 8286-42A) and search for it in IBM Product Lifecycle at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/lifecycle/. Each MTM has a 'Withdrawal notification' page with its GA, withdrawn-from-market and 'Transition to End of Support Services' dates. The pages note that 'Announcement letter dates are US only', so a UK buyer should confirm the local date with IBM. Firmware eligibility is set per server by its Update Access Key, whose initial expiry is tied to warranty. Keys are replaced through the HMC or ASMI, using keys from IBM's key management website (http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/ess/index.wss), as described in IBM's SV8xx firmware history.
What still works after IBM support ends
IBM's POWER8 end-of-service article states what the date took away: 'EoS signifies that designated Power Systems will no longer receive full IBM maintenance services, including machine code updates and security patches addressing known potential vulnerabilities.' Downloads sit behind Fix Central: 'Machine Code updates for Power Systems and System Storage are available for IBM machines that are under warranty or an IBM hardware maintenance service agreement. Some exceptions apply.' The newest entry in IBM's SV8xx firmware history, which covers all four machine type-models here, is SV860_243_165 (FW860.B1), dated 2 June 2022, a HIPER fix for PowerVM/SR-IOV data corruption.
The server applies its own gate. POWER8 machines carry an update access key whose initial expiry is tied to the product warranty, and system firmware whose GA date falls after that expiry 'will not be processed'; expired keys are replaced through the HMC or ASMI with keys from IBM's key management website. IBM's article also warns that 'extending a maintenance contract often leads to increased costs and lacks essential benefits such as security patches' and that 'service extensions beyond the end date offer limited support, including constraints on parts availability'.
- IBM's SV8xx firmware history says: 'POWER8 (and later) servers include an "update access key" that is checked when system firmware updates are applied to the system. The initial update access keys include an expiration date which is tied to the product warranty. System firmware updates will not be processed if the GA date of the desired firmware level occurred after the update access key's expiration date.' Expired keys are replaced through the HMC or ASMI, using keys from IBM's key management website. (public.dhe.ibm.com)
- IBM's POWER8 end-of-service article says 'EoS signifies that designated Power Systems will no longer receive full IBM maintenance services, including machine code updates and security patches addressing known potential vulnerabilities.' (ibm.com)
- IBM Fix Central: 'Machine Code updates for Power Systems and System Storage are available for IBM machines that are under warranty or an IBM hardware maintenance service agreement. Some exceptions apply.' (ibm.com)
What a maintenance contract needs to cover on the IBM Power Systems POWER8 scale-out (S812L / S814 / S822 / S824)
A contract has to name the exact chassis. The S822 is a 2U rack server with one or two POWER8 modules of 4, 6, 8 or 10 cores and up to 1,024 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 ECC memory. The S824 is a 4U rack server with one or two modules, taking up to 1 TB of memory with one and 2 TB with two; the S814 has a single module and up to 1 TB, or 64 GB with the 4-core #EPXK, and comes as a tower or a 4U rack. Take an S812L's configuration from the system itself, as this page does not list its hardware.
On the S814 and S824 the storage backplane comes in two forms: 12 SFF bays on one integrated SAS controller without cache, with the bays able to be split across a second controller, or 18 SFF bays behind a pair of SAS controllers with cache, where the S824 gains an 8-bay 1.8-inch SSD cage and an EXP24S drawer can attach to the dual controllers. An S814 runs two supplies, 900 W AC, 1400 W AC or 1400 W 180-400 V DC; an S824 has four 900 W AC supplies, two to run a two-socket system and two for redundancy. Add the EnergyScale service processor with its two 1 GbE HMC ports, then request a quote through the maintenance coverage builder; IBM third-party maintenance explains how such cover is arranged.
| Specification | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor / sockets (S814) | Tower or 19-inch 4U rack-mount. One POWER8 processor module: 4-core 3.02 GHz, 6-core 3.02 GHz, or 8-core 3.72 GHz (8-core in the rack configuration only). | redbooks.ibm.com |
| Form factor / sockets (S824) | 19-inch 4U rack-mount. One or two POWER8 processor modules: 6-core or 12-core 3.89 GHz, 8-core or 16-core 4.15 GHz, or 24-core 3.52 GHz. | redbooks.ibm.com |
| Form factor / sockets / memory (S822) | 2U rack-mount. Single or dual POWER8 module (4-, 6-, 8- or 10-core modules). Up to 1,024 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 ECC memory. | redbooks.ibm.com |
| Memory (S814 / S824) | 1600 MHz DDR3 ECC with 16, 32, 64 or 128 GB features. S814: up to 1 TB (64 GB maximum with the 4-core #EPXK). S824: up to 1 TB with one module, 2 TB with two. | redbooks.ibm.com |
| Drive bays (S814 / S824) | Either 12 SFF bays with one integrated SAS controller without cache (the bays can be split across a second controller), or 18 SFF bays with a pair of SAS controllers with cache. On the S824 the 18-bay option also adds an 8-bay 1.8-inch SSD cage. An EXP24S drawer can attach to the dual controllers. | redbooks.ibm.com |
| Power supplies (S814 / S824) | S814: two supplies, either 900 W (100-127 V or 200-240 V AC), 1400 W (200-240 V AC) or 1400 W 180-400 V DC. S824: four 900 W AC supplies; a two-socket system needs two for normal operation, and the third and fourth provide redundancy. | redbooks.ibm.com |
| Management controller | Integrated service processor with EnergyScale, two HMC 1 GbE RJ45 ports and one RJ45 system port. | redbooks.ibm.com |
Extend or refresh the IBM Power Systems POWER8 scale-out (S812L / S814 / S822 / S824)?
Extending is reasonable for a POWER8 server running a settled workload on its installed firmware, behind other security controls and with a retirement date in view; the questions then are which parts the chassis uses and who fits them. Third-party maintenance generally provides fault diagnosis, replacement parts and engineers past a vendor's end of support, though it leaves the firmware position, set by Fix Central and the access key, unchanged.
Refresh is the answer where a server still needs security patches: IBM's article lists them among the full maintenance services that designated Power Systems no longer receive after EoS, and the newest SV8xx firmware entry dates from June 2022. Choose the target with care. IBM's lifecycle pages list POWER9 machines as 'Recommended replacement' (9009-41A for the S814, 9009-22A for the S822, 9009-42A for the S824), yet those passed their own end of standard service on 31 January 2026. Letter 922-117 names Power10 systems instead: the Power S1014 for the S814, the S1022s or S1014 for the S812L, the S1022s or S1022 for the S822, and the S1024 or S1022 for the S824.
- Newest entry in IBM's POWER8 (SV8xx) firmware history: SV860_243_165 / FW860.B1, dated 06/02/22 (2 June 2022), a HIPER fix for PowerVM/SR-IOV data corruption. The history covers 8247-21L/22L/42L, 8284-21A/22A and 8286-41A/42A. (public.dhe.ibm.com)
- IBM's services-withdrawal letter 922-117 (AD22-0870) says that after the effective date 'IBM will no longer offer full hardware maintenance service for the listed machine types. If available, clients will continue to receive limited hardware maintenance service as described in the "Withdrawal" section of your terms with IBM, without lapse in coverage, for select machine types.' It names no separate paid extension offering and no term. (ibm.com)
- IBM's lifecycle pages give a POWER9 model as the 'Recommended replacement' (S824 to 9009-42A, S822 to 9009-22A, S814 to 9009-41A), while the EOS letter 922-117 names Power10 models. Those POWER9 models reached their own end of standard service on 31-Jan-2026. (ibm.com)
- IBM's own article warns that 'extending a maintenance contract often leads to increased costs and lacks essential benefits such as security patches' and that 'service extensions beyond the end date offer limited support, including constraints on parts availability'. No date is shown on the page; its metadata gives datePublished 2024-11-04 and dateModified 2025-11-19. (ibm.com)
Keep your IBM Power Systems POWER8 scale-out (S812L / S814 / S822 / S824) 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
POWER8 scale-out spanned more models than the four here. The S822L (8247-22L), a related Linux model, shares the 31 March 2024 date, and letter 922-117 gives the same for the S824L (8247-42L). The generation IBM's lifecycle pages steered S814, S822 and S824 owners towards is on the POWER9 scale-out end-of-life page, and the server end-of-life checker lists further platforms.
Look up another model in the server & network end-of-life checker, or read what third-party maintenance covers.
Questions people ask about the IBM Power Systems POWER8 scale-out (S812L / S814 / S822 / S824)
When did IBM end support for the POWER8 S824?
IBM's lifecycle page for the S824 (8286-42A) gives 'Transition to End of Support Services' as 31 March 2024, the same date as the S822 (8284-22A). The S814 (8286-41A) and S812L (8247-21L) followed on 31 May 2024. Both dates come from IBM services-withdrawal letter 922-117 (AD22-0870).
Can I still download firmware for a POWER8 server?
IBM Fix Central makes Power Systems machine code available to machines under warranty or an IBM hardware maintenance service agreement, with some exceptions. The server also checks its update access key and will not process firmware whose GA date falls after the key's expiry; expired keys are replaced through the HMC or ASMI. The newest entry in IBM's SV8xx firmware history is FW860.B1, dated 2 June 2022.
Does IBM still maintain POWER8 hardware after 2024?
Letter 922-117 says IBM no longer offers full hardware maintenance after the effective date and that, if available, clients continue to receive limited hardware maintenance under the 'Withdrawal' section of their terms, for select machine types. The letter names no separate paid extension and no term, so ask IBM what applies to your machine type and contract.
What replaced the IBM Power S814, S822 and S824?
Letter 922-117 names Power10 systems: the S1014 for the S814, the S1022s or S1022 for the S822, the S1024 or S1022 for the S824, and the S1022s or S1014 for the S812L. IBM's lifecycle pages separately list the POWER9 9009-41A, 9009-22A and 9009-42A as 'Recommended replacement', and those reached end of standard service on 31 January 2026.
Can I get third-party maintenance for a POWER8 S822?
Third-party maintenance generally covers fault diagnosis, replacement parts and engineer visits, and it can run past a vendor's end of support. For an S822, the request should list the processor modules, memory and drive configuration, bearing in mind that firmware access stays subject to IBM's rules. A quote can be requested once those details are listed.
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.
- IBM Power System S824 Server (8286-42A) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) — ibm.com
- IBM Power System S812L Server (8247-21L) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) — ibm.com
- IBM Power System S822 Server (8284-22A) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) — ibm.com
- IBM Power System S814 Server (8286-41A) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) — ibm.com
- IBM Power System S822L Server (8247-22L) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) — ibm.com
- IBM Power System S812 Server (8284-21A) - Withdrawal notification (IBM Product lifecycle) — ibm.com
- public.dhe.ibm.com — public.dhe.ibm.com
- ibm.com — ibm.com
- ibm.com — ibm.com
- redbooks.ibm.com — redbooks.ibm.com
- redbooks.ibm.com — redbooks.ibm.com
- ibm.com — ibm.com
Last reviewed 7 October 2026. Lifecycle dates for the IBM Power Systems POWER8 scale-out (S812L / S814 / S822 / S824) are re-verified against IBM's own notices at each review; a date a vendor has not published is never filled in.