Debian 11 (Bullseye) approaching EOL

[Andrew David Wong]

Dear Qubes Community,

The Debian Project currently [estimates](https://wiki.debian.org/DebianReleases) that Debian 11 (Bullseye) will reach EOL (end-of-life) sometime around July 2024 (approximately two months from now). Please upgrade all of your Debian 11 templates and standalones to [Debian 12 (Bookworm)](https://www.qubes-os.org/news/2023/08/27/debian-12-templates-available/) by then. For general information about upgrading, see [Upgrading to avoid EOL](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/how-to-update/#upgrading-to-avoid-eol).

There are two ways to upgrade a template to a new Debian release:

- *Recommended*: [Install a fresh template to replace the existing one.](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/templates/debian/#installing) *This option may be simpler for less experienced users.* After you install the new template, redo all desired template modifications and [switch everything that was set to the old template to the new template](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/templates/#switching). You may want to write down the modifications you make to your templates so that you remember what to redo on each fresh install. In the old Debian template, see `/var/log/dpkg.log` and `/var/log/apt/history.log` for logs of package manager actions.

- *Advanced*: [Perform an in-place upgrade of an existing Debian template.](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/templates/debian/in-place-upgrade/) This option will preserve any modifications you've made to the template, *but it may be more complicated for less experienced users.*

## Note on Qubes 4.2

Please note that Qubes 4.2 does not support Debian 11 templates (see [Supported releases](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/supported-releases/#templates) and [Qubes OS 4.2 release notes](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/releases/4.2/release-notes/#notes)). If you have any Debian 11 templates on Qubes 4.2 (e.g., as a result of upgrading from Qubes 4.1), please upgrade them to Debian 12 immediately.

## Note on Debian LTS

Debian releases have two EOL dates: regular and [long-term support (LTS)](https://wiki.debian.org/LTS). See [Debian Production Releases](https://wiki.debian.org/DebianReleases#Production_Releases) for a chart that illustrates this. Qubes OS support for Debian templates ends at the regular EOL date, not the LTS EOL date.


This announcement is also available on the Qubes website:
https://www.qubes-os.org/news/2024/05/22/debian-11-approaching-eol/