# Using the dnf supportinfo Plugin The dnf-plugin-support-info package provides the `dnf supportinfo` command for AL2023. Use this command to query lifecycle and support information for packages: find out whether a package is currently supported, what severity levels receive patches, and when support status changes. For a summary view of all package support statements, see [AL2023 Support Statements](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/linux/al2023/release-notes/support-information.html) in the *AL2023 Release Notes*. **Important** The v2 plugin ships with `legacy = 1` in `/etc/dnf/plugins/supportinfo.conf`. In this mode, output uses the v1 field names and format. In a future AL2023 quarterly release, the default changes to `legacy = 0`, switching to the v2 output format documented on this page. To start using v2 output now, set `legacy = 0` in your configuration. For details on what changes, see [Migrating from dnf-plugin-support-info v1 to v2](dnf-supportinfo-migrate-v1-v2.md). **Topics** + [Prerequisites](#dnf-supportinfo-prerequisites) + [Getting Started](#dnf-supportinfo-getting-started) + [Query Packages](#dnf-supportinfo-query-packages) + [Filter Packages](#dnf-supportinfo-filter-packages) + [Structured Output](#dnf-supportinfo-structured-output) + [Manage the Cache](#dnf-supportinfo-manage-cache) + [Non-root Usage](#dnf-supportinfo-non-root) + [Configuration Reference](#dnf-supportinfo-configuration-reference) + [Output Fields Reference](#dnf-supportinfo-output-fields) + [Schema](#dnf-supportinfo-schema) + [Migration from Legacy Plugin](#dnf-supportinfo-migration-from-legacy) + [Troubleshooting](#dnf-supportinfo-troubleshooting) + [Additional Resources](#dnf-supportinfo-additional-resources) ## Prerequisites + AL2023 instance + The dnf-plugin-support-info package (available from default AL2023 repositories) + No root privileges required (except for `--sync` in [legacy mode](#dnf-supportinfo-migration-from-legacy)) ## Getting Started 1. Install the plugin. ``` sudo dnf install dnf-plugin-support-info ``` 1. Query a package to verify the installation. ``` dnf supportinfo --pkg glibc ``` The output shows the package's support status and timeline: ``` Name : glibc Version : 2.34-231.amzn2023.0.4 State : installed Current Status : Supported Patch Priority : Full Support Support Level Description : Full security and bug fix support for all severities Covered Severities : Low, Medium, Important, Critical Origin : Amazon Linux 2023 Core Support Timeline : from 2023-03-15 : supported : from 2029-06-30 : unsupported ``` ## Query Packages Pass `--pkg` with one or more package names to display their support information. ``` dnf supportinfo --pkg {{PACKAGE}} [{{PACKAGE}} ...] ``` ### To Query a Specific Package The following `dnf supportinfo` example queries a package that has reached end of life: ``` dnf supportinfo --pkg php8.1 ``` ``` Name : php8.1 Version : 8.1.34-1.amzn2023.0.1 State : available Current Status : End of Life Patch Priority : End of Support Support Level Description : End of support - no further updates Origin : Amazon Linux 2023 Core Support Timeline : from 2023-03-15 : supported : from 2025-12-31 : unsupported Package Note : Upstream end-of-life for PHP 8.1 (php8.1) is 2025-12-31 ``` ### To Query Multiple Packages ``` dnf supportinfo --pkg glibc bash openssl ``` ## Filter Packages The `--show` flag filters packages by state, support level, or both. ``` dnf supportinfo --show {{FILTER}} [{{FILTER}} ...] ``` ### Filter Types | Category | Values | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | State filters (fixed) | installed, available, unavailable, all | Built into the plugin | | Support level filters (dynamic) | Varies. For example, full\_support, eos | Loaded from entries in the support info XML | **Note** Support level filters are dynamic. They come directly from the support info XML data defined by the OS vendor. The available values depend on what AL2023 currently defines. Run `--list-filters` to see the current set of valid filter values. For information about how these levels are declared, see [SupportInfo XML Structure](dnf-supportinfo-xml-structure.md). ### Filter Logic + Multiple state filters combine with OR: `--show installed available` matches packages that are installed OR available. + Multiple support level filters combine with OR: `--show full_support eos` matches packages at the `full_support` OR `eos` support level. + When you combine both types, they combine with AND: `--show installed eos` matches packages that are installed AND at the `eos` support level. **Note** If a filter name exists in both state and support level categories, the plugin matches against both. Use prefix syntax to disambiguate: `state:{{NAME}}` or `support:{{NAME}}`. ### To List Available Filters Run `--list-filters` to see all valid filter values grouped by category: ``` dnf supportinfo --list-filters ``` Example output: ``` State filters: all - All packages (installed, available, and unavailable) available - Packages available in repositories but not installed installed - Packages currently installed on the system unavailable - Packages in support info but not in any repository Support level filters: eos - End of support - no further updates full_support - Full security and bug fix support for all severities ``` ### To Filter Installed Packages ``` dnf supportinfo --show installed ``` The output lists each package in a table with its support level and current status: ``` Package Version State Support Level Current Status Until (Next Phase) Note redis6 6.2.20-2.amzn2023.0.1 installed End of Support End of Life Upstream end-of-life for Redis 6 (redis6) is 2026-01-31 bash 5.2.15-1.amzn2023.0.2 installed Full Support Supported 2029-06-30 (unsupported) glibc 2.34-231.amzn2023.0.1 installed Full Support Supported 2029-06-30 (unsupported) ... ``` ### To Filter Installed Packages at a Specific Support Level ``` dnf supportinfo --show installed eos ``` ### To Use Prefix Syntax for Disambiguation ``` dnf supportinfo --show state:installed support:full_support ``` ## Structured Output For scripting and automation, `--showjson` and `--showxml` produce machine-readable output. ### To Get JSON Output ``` dnf supportinfo --pkg nodejs20 --showjson ``` The output contains the package's current phase, origin, and full timeline with support level details: ``` { "name": "nodejs20", "version": "20.20.2-1.amzn2023.0.2", "state": "available", "current_phase": "unsupported", "origin": "Amazon Linux 2023 Core", "phases": [ { "name": "supported", "start_date": "2023-10-24", "patch_priority": "Full Support", "support_level_description": "Full security and bug fix support for all severities", "covered_severities": "Low, Medium, Important, Critical" }, { "name": "unsupported", "start_date": "2026-04-30", "patch_priority": "End of Support", "support_level_description": "End of support - no further updates" } ], "note": "Upstream end-of-life for Node.js 20 (nodejs20) is 2026-04-30" } ``` ### To Get XML Output ``` dnf supportinfo --pkg nodejs20 --showxml ``` The output is an XML document with a `` root containing one `` element per lifecycle, each with its phases, start dates, and support level details. For the full schema reference, see [SupportInfo XML Structure](dnf-supportinfo-xml-structure.md). ## Manage the Cache The plugin caches the support info XML locally to reduce network requests. ### Cache Behavior When the cache expires: 1. The plugin checks whether the remote file has changed (using HTTP ETag). 1. If unchanged, it extends the cache without re-downloading. 1. If changed, it downloads the updated file. 1. On network errors, it falls back to the cached file if one exists. ### To Sync the Cache Download and cache the latest support info data: ``` dnf supportinfo --sync ``` Use this for automation and cron jobs that need up-to-date support data without running a full query. ### To Clear the Cache ``` dnf supportinfo --clean-cache ``` ## Non-root Usage All commands work without root privileges. When run as root, the cache is stored at `/var/cache/dnf/support-info/`. When run as a non-root user, the cache goes to `/var/tmp/dnf-{{username}}-*/support-info/`. This follows DNF's standard convention for per-user temporary directories. **Note** If you enable [legacy mode](#dnf-supportinfo-migration-from-legacy), run `sudo dnf supportinfo --sync` once to create the legacy file. After that, non-root queries work normally. ## Configuration Reference The plugin reads configuration from `/etc/dnf/plugins/supportinfo.conf`. The following example shows the recommended configuration with legacy mode disabled: ``` [main] # Required: URL to support info XML (DNF variables like $awsregion are resolved) baseurl = https://cdn.amazonlinux.com/al2023/core/AL2023-supportinfo-1.0.xml # Optional: XSD schema for validation templateurl = https://cdn.amazonlinux.com/al2023/core/supportinfo-1.0.xsd # Optional: Cache duration in seconds (default: 1800 = 30 minutes) metadata_expire = 1800 # Legacy mode (default: 1). Set to 0 to use v2 format. legacy = 0 ``` | Option | Description | Default | | --- | --- | --- | | baseurl | URL to the support info XML file. Supports DNF variables such as $awsregion. | Required | | templateurl | URL to the XSD schema for validation. | None | | metadata\_expire | Cache duration in seconds. Use -1 for infinite, 0 to always check. | 1800 | | legacy | Enable v1-compatible output. Set to 1 or 0. See [Migration from Legacy Plugin](#dnf-supportinfo-migration-from-legacy). | 1 | ## Output Fields Reference | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | Name | Package name | | Version | Installed or available version | | State | installed, available, or unavailable | | Current Status | Current lifecycle phase, such as Supported or End of Life | | Patch Priority | Support level name | | Support Level Description | Human-readable description of the support level | | Covered Severities | Security severity levels that receive patches | | Origin | Repository providing the package | | Support Timeline | Chronological list of lifecycle phases with dates | | Package Note | Additional context, such as upstream EOL dates | ## Schema The support info data format is defined by an XSD schema. Use this schema to validate custom tooling that consumes the support info XML directly: ``` https://cdn.amazonlinux.com/al2023/core/supportinfo-1.0.xsd ``` ## Migration from Legacy Plugin If you previously used an earlier version of the dnf-plugin-support-info package, the new v2 plugin ships with `legacy = 1` by default to maintain backward compatibility. In a future AL2023 quarterly release, the default changes to `legacy = 0` and output switches to the v2 format documented on this page. If you have scripts or tooling that parse plugin output or read the legacy XML file directly, see [Migrating from dnf-plugin-support-info v1 to v2](dnf-supportinfo-migrate-v1-v2.md) for a complete list of differences, before/after examples, and a step-by-step migration checklist. To keep legacy behavior after the transition, set `legacy = 1` in `/etc/dnf/plugins/supportinfo.conf`. This is a temporary measure. Legacy mode requires root privileges for `--sync` and will be removed in a future release. ## Troubleshooting ### Stale Cache Data **Symptom:** Query results show outdated support information. **Resolution:** Sync the cache manually: ``` dnf supportinfo --sync ``` If the issue persists, clear and re-sync: ``` dnf supportinfo --clean-cache dnf supportinfo --sync ``` ### Legacy File Not Found **Symptom:** Scripts that read `/usr/lib/python*/site-packages/dnf-plugins/support_info.xml` fail with "file not found." **Resolution:** The plugin creates the legacy file only when you set `legacy = 1` and run `--sync` at least once: ``` sudo dnf supportinfo --sync ``` If `legacy = 0`, the file is no longer maintained. Migrate your scripts to use `--showjson` or `--showxml` output instead. For migration steps, see [Migrating from dnf-plugin-support-info v1 to v2](dnf-supportinfo-migrate-v1-v2.md). ## Additional Resources + [AL2023 Support Statements (human-readable)](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/linux/al2023/release-notes/support-information.html) + [DNF Support Info plugin on GitHub](https://github.com/amazonlinux/dnf-plugin-support-info) + [amazon-linux-supportinfo parsing library on GitHub](https://github.com/amazonlinux/amazon-linux-supportinfo)