BLOG | Sep 2, 2025

Proactive Lifecycle Management with NQE: EOL, EOS & Compliance Checks

Network teams often risk costly disruptions when aging or unsupported hardware slips under the radar. With Forward Networks’ Network Query Engine (NQE), you can proactively identify devices approaching End‑of‑Sale (EOS) or End‑of‑Life (EOL), plus enforce hardware/software compliance at scale. Get ahead of risks, reduce technical debt, and align your infrastructure with business goals—automatically.

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Sean Devici Federal Sales Engineer

Who should read this post?

Network and security engineers managing large device estates
IT leaders aiming to reduce technical debt and audit risk
CMDB and IT asset managers seeking data-driven lifecycle insights

What is covered in this content?

EOL/EOS and software compliance checkers built with NQE
Business and operational benefits of proactive lifecycle management
A summary of implementation steps with code examples
Links to the original NQE community discussions

Network teams often risk costly disruptions when aging or unsupported hardware slips under the radar. With Forward Networks’ Network Query Engine (NQE), you can proactively identify devices approaching End‑of‑Sale (EOS) or End‑of‑Life (EOL), plus enforce hardware/software compliance at scale. Get ahead of risks, reduce technical debt, and align your infrastructure with business goals—automatically.

Lifecycle Visibility: Why It Matters

Undetected EOL or EOS hardware can lead to unplanned downtime and security vulnerabilities. By integrating hardware lifecycle checks into regular infrastructure assessments, teams can pinpoint at‑risk devices before they fail—transforming firefighting into forward planning.

Undetected EOL or EOS hardware can lead to unplanned downtime and security vulnerabilities.

By integrating hardware lifecycle checks into regular infrastructure assessments, teams can pinpoint at‑risk devices before they fail—transforming firefighting into forward planning.

Reduce Risk: Detect unsupported or unpatched devices before outages or cyber incidents occur.
Cut Technical Debt: Plan replacements proactively, reducing emergency budget allocations and manual audits.
Enhance Compliance: Use live data to support audit reporting and maintain vendor support schedules.
Optimize Asset Management: Improve CMDB accuracy and lifecycle tracking with automated updates.

How It Works: NQE-Based Checkers

Two NQE scripts from the community form the core of this proactive approach:

EOL/EOS Checker
- Scans device inventory and flags devices with vendor-defined lifecycle dates near or past EOS/EOL
- End-of-Life (EOL) and End-of-Sale (EOS) Checker NQE
Hardware & Software Compliance Checker
- Verifies device model and OS against approved lists, flagging unauthorized or outdated hardware/software Park Place Technologies+1Service Express+1 community.forwardnetworks.com.

Both scripts can run on schedules or via manual triggers. Results include device lists, lifecycle status, and compliance notes—perfect for dashboards, ticket generation, or CMDB updates.

Technical Snapshot: Code Examples

This query uses import to bring in a list of devices that are EoL. You can find this and the EoL import file on the community.

/**
 * @intent Find End of life Cisco devices
 * @description source https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/eos-eol-listing.html
 */

import "Customers/PSNET/Cisco_EOL_list";
cisco_eol_patterns= (foreach i in cisco_eol_devices select "*"+i+"*");
foreach d in network.devices
where isPresent(d.platform.model)
let model = toUpperCase(d.platform.model)
foreach i in cisco_eol_patterns
where matches(model, i)
select distinct{
  name: d.name,
  vendor: d.platform.vendor,
  model: d.platform.model,
  osType: d.platform.os,
  osVersion: d.platform.osVersion,
  status: "EOL",
  violation: true
}

Getting Started

Load the scripts from Forward’s NQE Library or the community posts.
Tune thresholds to align with your lifecycle policies (e.g., 180‑day alerts).
Schedule automation via Forward or orchestrator platforms like ServiceNow.
Integrate outputs into dashboards, ticketing systems, or CMDB.

For full scripts, examples, and Community insights:

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