Check Point 16000 End of Life: End of Support in March 2027
The Check Point 16000 security gateway reaches End of Support in March 2027. That is the End of Support cell for the 16000 Appliance in the Enterprise Appliances table of Check Point's own Support Life Cycle Policy. Under that policy, End of Support is the point where Check Point stops supplying software upgrades and bug fixes for the appliance, full support from its Technical Assistance Centers (TAC) ends, and failed units and parts can no longer be replaced through RMA. The 16000 is already past End of Sale and past End of Engineering Support, so the remaining months are the last stretch of any vendor support at all.
The 16000 life cycle, phase by phase
| Phase | Check Point's date | What it means, in Check Point's policy |
|---|---|---|
| General Availability | June 2019 | The 16000 went on sale. |
| End of Sale | March 2022 | No new 16000 units sold. Every later milestone counts from this date. |
| End of Engineering Support | March 2025 | Maintenance releases are supplied until three years after End of Sale. They have stopped. |
| End of Support | March 2027 | Software upgrades and bug fixes, full TAC support and the RMA process run until five years after End of Sale. After this, nothing. |
The same policy adds one caveat on hardware: RMA is available until five years after End of Sale or until the official End of Support Date Announcement, whichever is earlier. Check Point has published the 16000's End of Support date, and its Latest Announcements table lists the 16000 with the 19100 as the recommended successor product. Every model is on the Check Point appliances page, and this one on its 16000 page.
Gaia versions on the 16000
The 16000's row lists Gaia R80.30, R80.40, R81, R81.10, R81.20, R82, R82.10 and R82.20 as supported software versions. Gaia releases carry their own dates in the software half of the same policy: R82.20, the newest, is supported until September 2030, and R81.20 until May 2027. Those dates describe the software. They do not extend the hardware: Check Point's appliance policy supplies software upgrades and bug fixes for an appliance only until that appliance's End of Support, so a Gaia hotfix shipped after the 16000's own deadline comes with no promise that it applies to, or is supported on, a 16000. Gaia version dates are on the Check Point Gaia page.
A 16000 still on R81.20 has two deadlines close together: the hardware first, then the Gaia release two months later. Upgrading Gaia on the 16000 does not buy time past the hardware date; replacing the appliance does.
The successor Check Point names: the 19100
Check Point's appliance table gives the 19100 as the successor model for the 16000, and its Latest Announcements table names the same model as the recommended successor product. The datasheet linked from the 19100's row is a Quantum Force datasheet. The 19100 row lists no End of Sale and no End of Support date, and supported software versions R81.20, R82, R82.10 and R82.20, so a replacement 19100 starts on a Gaia release the 16000 can already run. Check Point's policy also warns that new software releases may require customers to buy hardware upgrades, which is the general case the 16000 is now in.
Size the replacement from current throughput with threat prevention enabled, not from the 16000's datasheet figures: the blades you run today set the real load.
Security exposure
Check Point gateway vulnerabilities reach CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog; CVE-2024-24919, an information disclosure flaw in Check Point Security Gateways, is one of them. Those flaws are in Gaia and are fixed through Gaia hotfixes, which Check Point's appliance policy ties to a supported appliance. The live risk score for this model is 18. For how Check Point's recent emergency fixes excluded end-of-support Gaia versions in the vendor's own words, see three vendors whose emergency fixes stopped at end of support.
What to do
- Find every 16000, including cluster members and spares on the shelf. Once RMA ends, a failed unit is replaced only from your own spares.
- Record the Gaia version on each one. A 16000 on R81.20 meets the Gaia deadline soon after the hardware deadline.
- Order the replacement with lead time to spare. Check Point names the 19100; budget for migration testing, not only the box.
- Move to a Gaia release the new appliance supports (R81.20 or later on the 19100) and validate policy, VPN and blade configuration before cut-over.
- Get anything you rely on after End of Support in writing from Check Point. The published policy offers no support phase after it.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Check Point 16000 end of life?
Check Point lists End of Support for the 16000 Appliance as March 2027 in the Appliances Support tab of its Support Life Cycle Policy. From then on Check Point no longer supplies software upgrades or bug fixes for the appliance, full TAC support ends, and units and parts can no longer be replaced through RMA.
Is the Check Point 16000 still getting maintenance releases?
No. Engineering Support for the 16000 ended in March 2025, three years after Check Point stopped selling it. Under Check Point's appliance policy, maintenance releases stop at End of Engineering Support, while software upgrades, bug fixes, TAC and RMA continue until End of Support.
What does Check Point recommend replacing the 16000 with?
The 19100. Check Point names the 19100 as the successor model to the 16000 in its appliance life-cycle table and lists no End of Sale or End of Support date for it. The 19100 runs Gaia R81.20, R82, R82.10 and R82.20.
Can I get extended support for the Check Point 16000?
Check Point's appliance policy describes no support phase after End of Support: software fixes, full TAC support and RMA all end at that milestone, and the policy page does not describe a paid extension. Ask your Check Point account team in writing before planning around one.
Related
- Check Point appliances — every model and its dates
- Check Point Gaia — support dates for the operating system the 16000 runs
- Check Point, F5 and Arista fixes that stopped at end of support