An Update on the Latest Changes to Metal Functionality

As noted in our blog post from late last year, Equinix recently stopped commercial sales of Metal to focus on the solutions our customers tell us have the most impact on their business, namely colocation, interconnection and our hyperscale offerings. And with that announcement, we communicated that we’re moving toward an orderly sunsetting of Equinix Metal at the end of June 2026.  

For Metal customers, we recommend speaking with your Equinix account representatives to find alternative solutions, either through colocation and managed services at Equinix or a third-party option. If you don’t know where to start, you can always drop us a line at support@equinixmetal.com, and we’ll help you get the ball rolling.  

Over the next fifteen months, as we approach the EoL, we’ll update you on how the process is going, report on any major new developments and what functionality is winding down. The updates to functionality will also be found on our documentation page, which we recommend you bookmark and check regularly as you determine your migration strategy.  

Here’s what’s changed since we announced Metal’s upcoming end of life:

• Ending support through Live Chat: As of March 21, the live chat feature in the Metal Console is not available. To contact Support, submit a ticket through the Console, and our staff will contact you. 
• Storage Appliance Requests: As of Jan 2025, Equinix Metal is not accepting orders for new storage appliances. There will be no changes to the service or support of existing reservations, and customers with storage appliances can contact sales to expand their capacity if needed. 
• Contract Renewals: If your Metal order expires before the EoL date of June 30, 2026, it will not auto-renew but will transition to month-to-month billing at your current rate. You will have the flexibility to terminate your order either at the end of the current contract period or at the end of any subsequent monthly renewal by contacting support@equinixmetal.com.   
• Operating Systems Updates: 
  • Equinix Metal has retired Ubuntu 20.04. Existing servers running this operating system will not be affected; however, it is recommended that they upgrade to Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04.  
  • Equinix Metal has retired Alma Linux, Alpine Linux, FreeBSD, Flatcar Linux, VyOS, Nutanix and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9. Existing servers running these operating systems will not be affected.   

As always, thanks for putting your trust in Equinix and we’ll be back in three months with another update. Until then, bookmark the docs page and reach out to your account teams or support@equinixmetal.com with any questions about migration.