What's new in R7.x

Last Updated : Oct 30, 2026 |
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ASP R7.x (KVM on RHEL 9.6) replaces R6.0.x (KVM on RHEL 8.10) hypervisor. The ASP R6.0.x program introduced a new hypervisor and updated the server hardware. In June 2024, Broadcom made the strategic decision to discontinue its Embedded OEM program. As Avaya is an Embedded OEM partner of VMware, this decision impacted the ASP 130 and ASP S8300 solutions leading to the necessity of identifying a new hypervisor. The ASP R6.0.x program introduced KVM on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.10 (KVM on RHEL 8.10). In addition to the new hypervisor, ASP R6.0.x also introduced an updated server hardware platform with the Dell R660xs. All ASP 7.0 New Sales (ASP 130 and ASP S8300) will ship with the ASP R6.0.x (KVM on RHEL 8.10) hypervisor. The onsite installer will need to update the R660xs or S8300E to ASP R7.x (KVM on RHEL 9.6).
Important:
  • ESXi is not supported on ASP R6.0.x or later.
  • The Dell R640 is not supported on ASP R7.x.
To ensure a smooth transition, has developed a migration path from earlier versions of ASP 130 or ASP S8300 running on VMware. For more information, see PSN027121u – Avaya Solutions Platform R7.x Introduction.
  • Existing ASP 130 (Dell R640) servers have a migration path to ASP R6.0.x KVM on RHEL 8.10 while ASP R6.0 is still orderable. A R640 would require a new server/host to migrate to R7.x. The Dell R640 is not supported on ASP R7.0.
  • Existing ASP 130 (Dell R660xs) R6.0.x have a migration path to ASP R7.x KVM on RHEL 9.6.
  • Existing ASP S8300 5.1.x have a migration path to ASP R6.0.x KVM on RHEL 8.10.
  • Existing ASP S8300 R6.0.x have a migration path to ASP R7.x KVM on RHEL 9.6.
Data-at-Rest Encryption*: This release introduces support for data-at-rest encryption using the RHEL Linux Unified Key Setup (LUKS) feature to encrypt block devices, partitions, and LVM volumes.
For further information, refer to ASP 130 R7 Encrypted Architecture Overview in this document.
Note:
*To enable this feature, the ASP 130 server cannot be upgraded from a previous release; it requires a fresh installation using the dedicated ASP 130 R7.x encrypted ISO image.
With the introduction of the R7.x software baseline, Avaya is continuing support for the existing ASP 130 Dell R660xs server and ASP S8300E blade platforms.
Important:
Both platforms will continue to ship pre-loaded with the previous ASP R6.x (KVM on RHEL 8.10) software baseline. Therefore, the onsite technician must complete the following sequence:
  1. Physically install the ASP 130 Dell R660xs server or S8300E blade.
  2. Perform a fresh software installation using the appropriate ASP R7.x (KVM on RHEL 9.6) ISO image.
  3. Install virtual machines accordingly in the virtual environment.
Perform a fresh software installation using the appropriate ASP R7.x (KVM on RHEL 9.6) ISO image. For detailed information about each specific release, see the latest Avaya Solutions Platform 130 Release Notes.

Summary

  • Avaya is continuing support for the existing customized Dell R660xs server to the ASP 130 product line.
  • The ASP 130 R660xs ships with a physical TPM (Trusted Platform Module) that is enabled at the BIOS level. For the ASP 130 R7.x encrypted software version, the TPM is used to automatically unlock encrypted block devices (TPM binding).This automates the requirement of entering a passphrase every time either the server or host OS is rebooted.
  • Dell R660xs does not support CD/DVD ROM.
  • The KVM on RHEL 8.10 hypervisor must be updated in the field to R7.x (KVM on RHEL 9.6).
  • For detailed information about each specific release, see the latest Avaya Solutions Platform 130 Release Notes available on https://support.avaya.com.