Dovecot:Version Support Commitment
From Open-Xchange
Open-Xchange Version Support Commitment
Dovecot Pro Version
A detailed description of the different versions of Open-Xchange can be found in the Support Definitions document included in the contract.
- New Generation (Dovecot Pro 2.0): A new release that may contain major feature changes, new architecture or different technology.
- Major Release (Dovecot Pro 2.3.0): A major update of Dovecot Pro that will normally include all the changes provided by Minor Releases for the current version. They are cumulative so a customer has to install the latest Major Release to benefit from all changes that are available for Dovecot Pro. Major Releases also provide functional enhancements. A Licensee is therefor encouraged to install all Major Releases as soon as feasible.
- Minor Release (Dovecot Pro 2.3.11): A change of Dovecot Pro that is released on a regular basis, containing minor feature enhancements as well as solutions for known problems. Minor Releases go through quality assurance testing and APIs are not changed.
- Patch Release (Dovecot Pro 2.3.11.5): A change to Dovecot Pro, to temporarily fix a Problem. “Patch Releases” are one-offs, special one-time builds not fully regression tested and/or recertified. The software change will be applied to the next formal Minor- or Major Release of the Software. Patch Releases are cumulative in nature, thus every new Patch Release will contain all former software changes released earlier as Patch Releases for the relevant Minor- or Major Release.
- Private Patch Release: A Private Patch Release is a Patch Release that is built for a specific customer only.
- Public Patch Release: A Public Patch Release is a Patch Release which is delivered to all customers.
OS Distribution Support
- OX Dovecot Pro will only be supported for distributions that have active support from the OS vendor.
- OX Dovecot Pro will support the last 2 stable major releases for each supported OS distribution.
- OX Dovecot Pro packages will be built against the latest OS distribution point release (at the time a version is released). We cannot provide packages built against previous OS releases due to build system limitations.
- OS Support attaches to a version at the time it is packaged and released. Thus, once released, a Dovecot minor version is frozen when it comes to the OS versions supported on it. Patch Releases will be built using the OS distributions supported for the parent minor release.
- Versions supported for a release can be seen by looking at the repository. If a package exists for a release, that OS/Dovecot version combination is supported as long as the version is supported.
- Support for a new OS will only be added in an OX Dovecot Pro New Generation/Major/Minor Release. OS Support will not be added in patch releases.
- When support for a new OS distribution is added in a Minor release, a message will be added to the Release Notes indicating that support for the oldest existing supported OS distribution will be dropped in a future release.
Support Commitment
Major Releases
A Major Release cycle will be supported for at least 12 Months after First Customer Shipment (FCS) of the following Major Release. The exact date will be announced and communicated to customers by OX when it is decided.
Minor Releases
Within a Major Release cycle support is always available for the most recent Minor Release. To provide sufficient time for the update, Open-Xchange will support the previous Minor Release for 3 months in parallel after FCS of the most recent Minor Release. The 3 months will be calculated from the first day of the month after FCS of the most recent Minor Release. (Example: a Minor Release is shipped on 15 February; the previous Minor Release will be supported until 31 May).
Patch Releases
Support for Patch Releases is the same as the support for the parent Minor Release. (e.g. Dovecot Pro 2.3.11.5 has the same support commitment as 2.3.11).
Time Bar Example
Dovecot Pro Releases Support Commitment (for 2.2)
| Release | First Customer Shipment (FCS) | Supported Commitment |
|---|---|---|
| v2.2.34 | 2018-02-28 | Discontinued Support (since 2018-06-21) |
| v2.2.35 | 2018-03-21 | Discontinued Support (since 2018-09-12) |
| v2.2.36 | 2018-06-12 | Support Commitment |
Dovecot Pro Releases Support Commitment (for 2.3)
| Release | First Customer Shipment (FCS) | Supported Commitment |
|---|---|---|
| v2.3.3 | 2018-10-16 | Discontinued Support (since 2019-03-31) |
| v2.3.4 | 2018-12-12 | Discontinued Support (since 2019-06-30) |
| v2.3.5 | 2019-03-07 | Discontinued Support (since 2019-08-31) |
| v2.3.6 | 2019-05-09 | Discontinued Support (since 2019-10-31) |
| v2.3.7 | 2019-07-25 | Discontinued Support (since 2020-01-31) |
| v2.3.8 | 2019-10-15 | Discontinued Support (since 2020-04-30) |
| v2.3.9 | 2020-01-07 | Discontinued Support (since 2020-07-31) |
| v2.3.10 | 2020-04-02 | Discontinued Support (since 2020-10-31) |
| v2.3.11.1 | 2020-07-07 | Support Commitment (until 2021-02-01) |
| v2.3.11.2 | 2020-07-13 | Support Commitment (until 2021-02-01) |
| v2.3.11.3 | 2020-07-30 | Support Commitment (until 2021-02-01) |
| v2.3.11.4 | 2020-08-18 | Support Commitment (until 2021-02-01) |
| v2.3.11.5 | 2020-09-23 | Support Commitment (until 2021-02-01) |
| v2.3.12 | 2020-10-26 | Support Commitment |
| v2.3.12.1 | 2020-12-03 | Support Commitment |