IBM i · Upgrades & End of Support
IBM i 7.4 End of Support: Plan Your Upgrade
IBM i 7.4 standard support ended on September 30, 2026, and IBM i 7.6 does not run on Power9. SIS helps AS400 shops weigh the Service Extension against upgrading, prove application readiness, and cut over to 7.6 on Power10 or Power11 without disrupting the business.
- Application readiness testing
- Service Extension vs. upgrade analysis
- Works with your IBM Business Partner
Two support deadlines landed in the same year.
On January 31, 2026, IBM ended standard service for its first-generation Power9 scale-out servers (the S914, S922, and S924, machine types 9009-41A, 9009-22A, and 9009-42A). After that date IBM stopped providing new fixes, including security fixes, for those models under standard service.
On September 30, 2026, IBM i 7.4 reached the end of standard support. IBM now offers a paid Service Extension for 7.4 from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2029, and independent sources report it is priced at a premium over standard software maintenance. Software vendors are following: some have announced end-of-support dates for their own products on 7.4.
The catch is the upgrade path. IBM i 7.6 runs only on Power10 (firmware FW1060 or later) and Power11, not on Power9, and IBM supports upgrading to 7.6 from 7.4 or 7.5. Many AS400 shops on 7.4 and Power9 therefore face a hardware and an operating system decision at once. SIS focuses on the part that decides whether that upgrade is uneventful: your applications, integrations, and data.
Key dates
Last verified
| First-generation Power9 scale-out (S914, S922, S924) | Standard service ended January 31, 2026 |
|---|---|
| IBM i 7.4 standard support | Ended September 30, 2026 |
| IBM i 7.4 Service Extension (paid) | October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2029 |
| IBM i 7.6 hardware | Power10 (FW1060+) and Power11 only |
| IBM i 7.5 and 7.6 end of support | Not yet announced by IBM |
Sources: IBM i release life cycle · IBM i 7.6 supported hardware · IBM Power9 end of standard service notice
You need an upgrade plan if any of these apply.
You are still on IBM i 7.4 or earlier
You are now paying a Service Extension premium, or running without standard fixes, every month you wait.
Your production box is a Power9
First-generation Power9 servers are out of standard service and cannot run IBM i 7.6.
Nobody has tested the applications
Custom RPG, CL, and third-party software have not been validated on a newer release.
Vendors are setting deadlines
ISVs that run on your IBM i are announcing their own end-of-support dates for older releases.
The last upgrade was painful
The team remembers a long outage or surprises in integrations and is reluctant to try again.
Leadership is asking whether to stay
The hardware refresh has reopened the question of modernizing, moving to the cloud, or replacing IBM i.
Upgrade services focused on what can break.
Hardware supply and installation usually come from your IBM Business Partner. SIS works alongside them on everything that determines whether your applications keep running.
Upgrade readiness assessment
Inventory of releases, PTF levels, licensed programs, ISV software, custom code, and integrations, with risks ranked.
Service Extension vs. upgrade analysis
A cost and risk comparison of staying on 7.4 under extension, upgrading to 7.5 or 7.6, or moving workloads to the cloud.
Application compatibility testing
Test plans and execution for custom RPG, CL, Db2 for i SQL, and third-party applications on the target release.
Integration and interface validation
End-to-end testing of APIs, file transfers, message queues, and downstream systems such as WMS, eCommerce, and finance.
Cutover and rollback planning
A rehearsed cutover runbook with timing, checkpoints, and a rollback path that fits your maintenance window.
Post-upgrade stabilization
Performance checks, issue triage, and production support through the first business cycles on the new release.
How an IBM i upgrade runs with SIS.
- 01
Assess
Inventory the environment, confirm hardware and release options, and identify application and vendor risks.
- 02
Decide
Compare extension, upgrade, and cloud options on cost, risk, and timeline, and agree on the target.
- 03
Test
Validate applications, integrations, and performance on the target release before production moves.
- 04
Cut over
Execute the rehearsed runbook with your Business Partner, then stabilize in production.
Modernizing a 20-year retail platform while preserving business continuity
$5B global fashion retailer. Upgrading core merchandise and financial stock ledger from Island Pacific v1.5 (2001) to v19.1, without touching high-volume sales or merchandise processing.
Disciplined scope, tool-assisted impact analysis, and production support running in parallel are how SIS delivered a 20-year platform upgrade with zero impact on sales. The same discipline applies to release and hardware upgrades.
Read the case study- Sales disruption
- 0Sales disruption
- Custom objects updated
- 1,280Custom objects updated
- Future upgrade cost cut
- ~30%Future upgrade cost cut
Upgrade partners who know the applications.
Application-first
Hardware swaps are routine. Surprises come from custom code and integrations, which is where SIS spends its time.
Decades of IBM i
Our consultants have supported IBM i through many release cycles since the AS400 era.
A chance to modernize
A forced upgrade is a natural moment to retire dead code, add APIs, and document critical programs. We help you use it.
Headquartered in the Columbus, Ohio metro and working on-site with clients across the United States. Where we work
IBM i upgrade and end-of-support questions
When did IBM i 7.4 end support?
IBM i 7.4 reached the end of standard support on September 30, 2026. IBM offers a paid Service Extension for IBM i 7.4 from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2029.
Can we keep running IBM i 7.4 after September 2026?
Yes, the system keeps working. But without the paid Service Extension you no longer receive standard fixes and support from IBM, and some software vendors are ending support for their products on 7.4. Most organizations treat the extension as a bridge to an upgrade, not a long-term plan.
Can IBM i 7.6 run on Power9?
No. IBM i 7.6 is supported only on Power10 servers with firmware FW1060 or later and on Power11. Shops on Power9 need new hardware, or a cloud option such as IBM Power Virtual Server, to move to 7.6. IBM i 7.5 is the latest release that runs on Power9.
Can we upgrade directly from IBM i 7.4 to 7.6?
Yes. IBM supports upgrading to IBM i 7.6 from 7.4 or 7.5, provided the hardware is Power10 or Power11. Application, ISV, and integration testing should come first.
Which Power9 servers lost standard service in January 2026?
IBM ended standard service on January 31, 2026 for the first-generation Power9 scale-out models S914 (9009-41A), S922 (9009-22A), and S924 (9009-42A). Check IBM's notices for your exact machine type and model, since later Power9 models were on a different schedule.
Do you sell IBM Power hardware?
No. SIS focuses on applications, integrations, testing, and cutover. We work alongside your IBM Business Partner or cloud provider, which keeps our advice on extension, upgrade, and cloud options independent.
Get an upgrade readiness review.
Tell us your IBM i release, hardware, and key applications. A senior SIS IBM i consultant will follow up within one business day with next steps.