SupportInfo XML Structure

This page documents the v1.0 XML schema used to define package support lifecycles, timelines, and classifications for Linux distributions. The schema is independent of DNF and not specific to any single distribution. You can consume it directly from any tool. The dnf supportinfo plugin is one such consumer.

To parse this XML directly, use the open-source amazon-linux-supportinfo library, which implements the schema described on this page, instead of writing a custom parser.

How the Plugin Uses This File

From this file, the plugin reports:

Complete Minimal Example

This example shows the minimum structure with all required sections and one package:

<package_support schema_version="1.0" current_as="2025-08-21T22:41:55.575196">
  <lifecycles>
    <lifecycle name="default_lc"
               display_name="AL2023 Standard Lifecycle"
               description="Standard support lifecycle for Amazon Linux 2023 packages">
      <phase name="full_support"
             support_level="default"
             start_milestone="AL2023_GA"
             display_name="Full Support"/>
      <phase name="end_of_support"
             support_level="eos"
             start_milestone="AL2023_EOS"
             display_name="End of Support"/>
    </lifecycle>
  </lifecycles>

  <support_milestones>
    <milestone name="AL2023_GA" date="2023-03-15"
               display_name="AL2023 General Availability"
               description="Amazon Linux 2023 general availability date"/>
    <milestone name="AL2023_EOS" date="2029-06-30"
               display_name="AL2023 End of Support"
               description="End of all support for Amazon Linux 2023"/>
  </support_milestones>

  <support_levels>
    <support_level name="default"
                   severities="Low,Medium,Important,Critical"
                   description="Full security and bug fix support for all severities"
                   display_name="Default Support" />
    <support_level name="eos"
                   severities=""
                   description="End of support - no further updates"
                   display_name="End of Support" />
  </support_levels>

  <packages>
    <package name="curl" lifecycle="default_lc" origin="al2023_core" package_class="default"/>
  </packages>

  <package_classes>
    <package_class name="default">
      <summary>Default class for Amazon Linux packages</summary>
      <text></text>
    </package_class>
  </package_classes>

  <package_origins>
    <package_origin name="al2023_core"
                    repo_id="amazonlinux"
                    dist="amzn2023"
                    vendor="amazonlinux"
                    display_name="Amazon Linux 2023 Core"
                    description="Core Amazon Linux 2023 repository" />
  </package_origins>

  <notes>
    <note name="eol_redis6">Upstream end-of-life for Redis 6 (redis6) is 2025-08-31</note>
  </notes>
</package_support>

Element Reference

package_support (Root Element)

The root element that contains all support metadata.

<package_support schema_version="1.0" current_as="2025-08-21T22:41:55.575196">

The current_as timestamp appears in output to indicate data freshness.

lifecycle

Defines a sequence of phases that a package transitions through over time.

<lifecycle name="redis6_lc" note="eol_redis6"
           display_name="Redis 6 Lifecycle"
           description="Support lifecycle for Redis 6 packages">
  <phase .../>
</lifecycle>

The plugin walks the phases in order, finds the one currently active, and reports that phase's support level in output.

phase

Defines one stage within a lifecycle. Each phase continues until the next phase starts (or indefinitely if it is the last phase).

<phase name="limited_support"
       support_level="limited"
       start_milestone="AL2023_6months"
       display_name="Limited Support"/>

Each phase is active from its start date until the next phase begins. The last phase in a lifecycle remains active indefinitely.

milestone

Defines a reusable date marker that lifecycle phases reference.

<milestone name="AL2023_GA" date="2023-03-15"
           display_name="AL2023 General Availability"
           description="Amazon Linux 2023 general availability date"/>

Milestones let phases share dates. When a milestone date changes, every phase referencing it updates automatically.

support_level

Defines a support tier and the severities it covers. Each name becomes a valid --show filter value.

<support_level name="limited"
               severities="Important,Critical"
               description="Security fixes for Important and Critical severities only"
               display_name="Limited Support" />

Running dnf supportinfo --show limited lists all packages currently at this support level. The --list-filters command displays each level's name and description.

package

Maps an RPM package name to its lifecycle, origin, and class.

<package name="curl" lifecycle="default_lc" origin="al2023_core" package_class="default"/>

Each installed RPM is matched against this list to determine its lifecycle and current support status.

package_class

Categorizes packages by their role in the system. The class name and summary appear in plugin output.

<package_class name="os_dependency">
  <summary>Packages supported only as dependencies of the operating system</summary>
  <text></text>
</package_class>

The class name appears in output to indicate a package's role on the system.

package_origin

Identifies the repository source of a package. The origin value appears in dnf supportinfo --pkg output.

<package_origin name="al2023_core"
                repo_id="amazonlinux"
                dist="amzn2023"
                vendor="amazonlinux"
                display_name="Amazon Linux 2023 Core"
                description="Core Amazon Linux 2023 repository" />

The display_name appears as the "Origin" field in --pkg output.

note

Provides freeform text that a lifecycle can reference for additional context.

The element's text content contains the note message.

<note name="eol_redis6">Upstream end-of-life for Redis 6 (redis6) is 2025-08-31</note>

When a package's lifecycle references a note, the note text appears as "Package Note" in --pkg output.

Referential Integrity

The schema links elements together through name references. Each source attribute must match the name of an existing target element:

In addition, the combination of package@name and package@origin must be unique across all package elements.