Version Lifecycle

Itential is always improving and updating our software to provide customers with the latest in network automation. A natural part of this is to shift our developer focus toward features and enhancements that utilize newer technologies to ensure all our products are cutting edge. However, we recognize that not all of our customers have the ability to update their IAP environments at the same cadence as our release cycle. To accomodate these requirements, Itential will now provide Long Term Support (LTS) and Standard Term Support (STS) versions of IAP.

Long Term Support (LTS)

The introduction of LTS releases will provide customers with the option of an IAP version with a three (3) year support period. The image and table below highlight some of the differences between an LTS and STS version of IAP.

Figure: LTS & STS Release Schedule

Maintenance Releases

Maintenance releases will continue to be applied to IAP environments in the current fashion by acquiring and then installing the specific updates. Maintenance releases will only include bug fixes and security updates whose inclusion is dependent on the current stage in the LTS product release and support cycle (see above).

Standard Term Support (STS)

Standard Term Support (STS) IAP provides customers with the ability to integrate new features more quickly into their environments due to the standard six month planned release cycle of major IAP versions. Release and support phases for STS versions are provided in the table below.

Maintenance Releases

Maintenance releases will continue to be applied to IAP environments in the current fashion by acquiring and then installing the specific updates.

Monthly Maintenance Releases

Maintenance Releases are scheduled for availability on the 1st Tuesday of every month during a major version lifecycle. If that day should fall on a holiday, the release will be rescheduled for the next business day.

Deprecations

Deprecations can be introduced with the introduction of any release, including an LTS release. While that release is still active in a customer’s environment, the feature that is marked as deprecated will still be available. No backports or bug fixes will introduce deprecations to an existing release.

Breaking Changes

Breaking changes can be introduced with the introduction of any release, including an LTS release. No backports or bug fixes will introduce breaking changes to an existing release.

End of Support

After two (2) years for STS or three (3) years for LTS, a major IAP software version will reach its End-of-Support (EOS) date. Once the software reaches EOS, Itential will no longer accept support tickets related to the version, and Maintenance Releases for the version will cease to be published.

Software Repository Retention

Itential will periodically remove software from the Itential Software Repository if it has reached its End of Support lifecycle.

Third-Party Integrations

All third-party software version compatibility is documented in the IAP Compatibility section of the Release Notes for each release version (Product Notices → Release Notes → Maintenance Release Version → IAP Compatibility). To get the most up-to-date requirements for any third-party integration, including open source, first identify the IAP release version you are using and then refer to the respective release note.

When a third-party integration has reached obsolescence on the Itential platform, it will no longer be actively supported by the Service Desk. For customers with unsupported third party integrations, Itential may provide limited assistance, where possible, but no bug fixes, workarounds or patches will be provided. As such, the end user will need to upgrade to the newest version of the integration in accordance with version compatibility documented in Release Notes.