Like all software, Microsoft Server products have a lifecycle. It starts when the product is released and ends when extended support ends. This article will provide an overview of the support phases for BizTalk Server.
* all dates in MM/DD/YYYY format
During this phase, customers can open support tickets, get security update support, request non-security fixes, design changes and feature requests. BizTalk Cumulative Updates (CUs) are released periodically.
Customers can still open support tickets and get security update support but cannot request non-security fixes, design changes and feature requests. If you run into an issue in the product that would require a code fix to address, you will need to either use a workaround or move to a newer version of BizTalk where you can request a non-security fix. BizTalk Cumulative Updates (CUs) are no longer released once this phase has been reached.
End of extended support is considered end of life. Microsoft will no longer support the product and no support tickets can be created with Microsoft Support.
It is strongly advised to move to a newer version of the product prior to the end of support. Note that the end of support for BizTalk does not have to be the only driver for an upgrade. New features in the latest Biztalk version can be a reason to upgrade. Another reason can be to upgrade other Microsoft platform components that BizTalk may depend on. For instance, an enterprise may want to upgrade to a SQL Server version that is not supported by their current version of BizTalk Server. This will lead to an upgrade of BizTalk in order to upgrade the SQL Server it uses.
For information regarding BizTalk Product Lifecycle and versions see:
Another important place to find a huge amount of BizTalk related articles is the TechNet Wiki itself. The best entry point is BizTalk Server Resources on the TechNet Wiki!